April 14 2024 Worship Service | Join us for worship! | By Carter Metropolitan CME Church - Fort Worth | Good morning and welcome to the worship services of Ricardo Metropolitan CME Church. We are grateful to god for your presence on today. We thank god for all that god has done and all that god is doing. Well, we can we give god some praise in this of our prayers. We come before his presence with thanksgiving and we enter his courts with praise and bless his holy name. We will ask that our mighty men, our mighty male horse will lead us in Psalm, then we will have the announcements, prayer by brother Tony Williams, and the scripture immediately following my brother Larry Ross. Amen? Amen? Amen. And amen. I'm going to sing a little bit of this. Anybody need him out there? Join us for the rest of for the rest of you've been so good we deserve will you Praise the lord and good morning. Good morning. We welcome all who are worshiping with us in person and online to Carter Metropolitan, a Living Faith Community, love boldly, loving god, others, and ourselves. We are excited and thankful that you have taken time today to worship with us. On behalf of Doctor V, our leaders, and the Carter family, we welcome you. These are our announcements. Thank you to each of you for worshiping with us last Sunday and returning to support Wylie College Acapella Choir. Thanks a coordinator, sister Darlene Chester. Thank you to those who were able to join the Zoom church conference. Our outreach ministry that continues to support the community through the food pantry drive thru. Please remember to see Reverend Brinson if you would like to volunteer. Thank you to those who were able to worship with us during church revival last Wednesday and Friday. We're thankful for our revivalist reverend Woodron Holman, pastor of Starville CME, and Reverend William Johnson, the pastor of Saint Mark CME. Amen. And I said thank you to those who attended the N double A CP, Know Your Rights is the Police. At the McDonald YMCA on Saturday. Amen. This week's events include April 20th is the Regional Usher's Annual Worship in Wichita Falls. Pastor Edner will be the speaker and all are invited to attend. Please bring your children to church school. We are reimagining children's worship and there is an exciting curriculum to build the faith of our children. They are not is the future but our present. The church school begins at 930 AM. Amen. On April 27th, it's the store desk luncheon. Anyone interested in riding the church van, please submit your name to the church office. The Spring Festival is also on April 27th and it begins at 10 AM. There will be a planning meeting tomorrow at 6: 30 PM on Zoom. Please see Reverend Brinson or Reverend Doctor Jill Jackson for more information. On April 28 is Carter's Annual Missionary Tea at 4 PM. Please see any missionary for tickets. The quarterly conference is April 29th at 7 PM. Vibrant Church has returned with Doctor Van Carr Williams. Thanks to all who are attending. We look forward to hearing what has been learned in the church wide institute in early summer. Prayer and Bible study will resume this Wednesday at 6: 30 PM on Zoom. Please plan to attend. Church, let's continue to pray for one another. Pray for those who are bereaved and grieving the loss of a loved one, the sick, and the shut in, and those who are recovering. There is a bomb in Gilead and we are thanking God in advance. Amen. Good morning, church family. Good morning you. Uh Come Holy Spirit. Feel this Feel the hearts of my church family and stir up in them the passion for your life Send forth your spirit and renew the faces in the land that we live in Let us pray. Heavenly father, you would join us together in faith and love, through your son, Jesus Christ, and by your grace, we will maintain unity in spirit, faith, and love that empowers us to serve you in ways beyond our understanding. Lord, we join you in prayer for one another and for your people as they face crisis and difficult seasons of their lives. We pray for victims of violence in this world. Yes. We pray for our children, oh heavenly father. Let them know what a blessing it is to worship alongside their grandmothers and grandfathers, aunts and uncles, and their parents. We pray for government leaders. We pray for resolution and peace and ongoing wars and political conflicts. Hear our prayers, lord. We pray for bereaved families and we ask for comfort and healing for members of our church family that are in need. Yes. We thank you for the walking testimonies that they are. Thank you for using them as encouraging and lord, let the other members of our church family. Let them know that the visits, the cards, text messages, and the conversations of concern raise our heads as well as our spirits. Thank you, oh heavenly father. Lord, thank you for our pastor, Doctor Valencia Edna. Thank you for her preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Please continue to lead and guide her. Bless our church leadership, ministry leaders, our church family, online, and in this sanctuary. And in the name of Jesus, we pray. Good morning. Good morning. Our scriptures reading this morning come from Luke twenty-four verse thirty-six. Through forty-eight. And if they thus spake Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said it unto them, peace be unto you, But they were terrified and afraid. And supposed that they had seen a spirit. And said unto them, why are you troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hand and my feet, that it is, I, myself, hound me, and seek, for a spirit has been not flesh, not bones. Had you see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed him his hands and his feet. And while they yet believe not for joy, he wandered and wandered. He said unto them, have you hear any meek? And they gave him a piece of oil fish. And of a honeycomb. And he took it and did eat before them. And he said unto them, these are the words when I speak unto you. What was yet with you. That all things must be fulfilled. Which were written in the law of Moses. And in the prophets. And in the Psalms concerning me. Then open you their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. And said unto them. Thus it is written. And thus it is behold Christ. To suffer. Mhm. And from the dead. the third day. And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name among all nations. Beginning at Jerusalem, beginning at Jerusalem. Are witnesses of these things. I've read Luke chapter twenty-four to thirty-six. May the lord have a blessing to the readers, doers, and hearers of his word. Amen. Let those inns may be at the door Before we stand for our affirmation of faith. Please stand please. The time that we share what it is that we believe and we give a profession of our faith united together. What is it that we believe? Received by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, The third day he rose from the dead and seated at the right hand of god he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body life everlasting. Amen Amen. You may be seated I'm sorry. You may not be seated. Please stand. Praise the hymn of the morning. Glory to his name. Down at the cross where my savior died. I'm down from cleansing from sin. I cried. Y'all let me cross. Down at the cross. Where am I glory to his in precious name Amen. Brother Davis. Good morning. Good morning. I'm brother Davis and on behalf of the Stewart Board here at Carter, we would like to welcome our online worshipers and those of you that are here in the sanctuary. Before I do this, I would like to say, blessed is the day for this is the day that the lord has made. Amen. And we too are to rejoice in it and be glad in it. Amen. God, mercy and his grace is why we're here today. Amen. And for that, we just Say, thank you, god. Amen. Thank It is now come to that time in our worship service where we can all participate with our tithes and our offering. Amen. Our scripture today comes from Malachi chapter three verse eight through ten. And the word of god reads, will a man rob god? Question mark. Yet, you are robbing me but you say, how have we robbed you? Question mark. In your tithes contributions. Yeah. You are cursed with a curse For you are robbing me, The whole nation of you. Bring the full tithes into the storehouse. That there may be food in my house and thereby put me to the test, says the lord of hosts. If I will not open up the windows of heaven, for you and pour down for you a blessing until There is no more For those of you who are giving online, please use Cash App at dollar sign Carter Metro FTW or the PayPal website at Carter Metro FTW. com. For persons who are present, please use the baskets upfront or see a steward or usher before you leave. We also have the EFT machine in the library for those of you who wish to give either by debit card or credit card and as always, pastor Edner, the entire Carter Metropolitan family would like to thank you for your gifts. It is time to give. Yeah. Please take your directions from our ushers. Thank you. Just keep on giving Father god, we thank you father for these offerings, lord. We ask lord that you receive them, lord, from the hearts and the souls of all the individuals that run. Father, we pray for those individuals that did not give, lord, but had a heart and a desire to do so, lord. We ask lord that it may glorify and edify your church, lord. We give you all praise, honor, and glory. Yes. In Jesus Christ's holy name. We say, amen. Amen. Before we welcome our visitors specifically I would like you all to see something. This morning in the children's church school class. Were six young men. Listen. Yes. This system wants to sense them like wheat and wants them to be the chaff because if they are weak, then we are weak as a people. Amen. So, we're going to put our arms around all the children but we want to specifically say, we got a hold on to the faith of these young men. Yes. For by the time they reached fourth grade, they've already plugged them. And they won't let them out but where their and puts it so we must put our arms around it. Gentlemen, thank you. Amen. For being in church school and keep loving the people in your So, make sure you get it, alright? Love y'all. Yes. Amen. We thank god for the this morning. Now, if you are visiting with us on today, will you please stand right where you are and remain standing? I know I see some so y'all stay here. Amen. You are visiting on today. Will you stand? Raise your her hand is raised. Amen. Amen. And we got a couple more over here. Amen. We stand and remain standing. Y'all gotta move bit, amen? Alright, Carter, let's welcome those who are here be there Jesus in me easy Amen. Amen. We thank god also for brother Berliner and and and his wife being here this morning. Amen. Amen. We thank god for your presence at home. Amen? Amen. And welcome here and all of those others who have come back home and you are here with us. We are so grateful that you are home again and we know that you know that you are welcome to get to work at any time. Amen. Amen. Amen. We thank god for each of you. Amen. We will hear again from Carter's mighty men's male course and then I will bring you our word of the day. Amen? Amen. Amen trouble in my way trouble in my but that's alright trouble in my way the wicked but that's alright long time ago because I know that Jesus stepped in a furnace Father than Jesus. I know that Jesus the troubles Travis on the left side. And troubles on the right side I can't go forget Jesus Jesus Take your heart where Jesus will fix it. Jesus will fix it Not on our time. But on on his time. Amen? Amen. Amen. So we gotta trust in the lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding and know that Jesus will fix it. Yes. After a while. Amen? Amen. Amen. Amen. Let us pray. Dear god, our heavenly father, we thank you. Yes. We thank you that you are still a god who will fix things. In the meantime, while you're fixing it, you'll give us what we need to hold on. Until you do it. Amen. Now, Holy Spirit, we welcome you to share with us even the more. Yes. In this moment. Yes, lord. Touch now. Touch ears of your hearers. Yes. Touch down. Yes lord Jesus. The mouth of the one and the mind of the one who will speak. Yes. Touch god. Allow us to feel and to know your presence. We thank you. We praise you. Speak lord. Speak Lord. Speak Lord. We are listening In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. We want to thank our music ministry. We want to thank sister Janice for her faithfulness. Amen. Amen. And that she make sure she stays on the edge of whatever is needed so that she will continue to be the blessing that god that she is to this church. Amen. As you use the gift god has given. Yes. Amen. Amen. Amen. I want to thank god for brother Campbell and his music ministry. We want you all to be prepared to share with him as he teaches on Wednesday evening for Bible study as I will be in training in Saint Louis. So, he will be online. So, y'all get online. Those of you who don't come when I'm online, you come online with me. Amen. Amen. And show him the support that he deserves for the way that god is working in his life. Amen? Amen. Amen. So, you be there to share with him and to give him that support. I I would appreciate that. Amen. Amen we want to just thank god for each of you, each of our male chorus, persons, and for brother Jerome who stays steadfast and keeps that, keeps us steady. Amen? Amen. We thank god for him. Amen. Um our our our text today was read in your hearing from the King James Version. So, if you'll just let me read it once more and again from the New Living Virgin, then, ushers, ministers at the gate, you will then be able to be seated. Amen. And it reads as thus, and just as they were telling about it, I'll explain it later. Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. Peace be with you, he said. But the whole group was starving and frightened, thinking that they thinking they were seeing a ghost. Why are you frightened? He asked. Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands, look at my feet. You can see it's really me. Touch me, and make sure that I am not exhaust. Because ghosts don't have bodies. As you see, I do. As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. Still, they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, do you have anything here to eat? Then they gave them a piece of boiled fish and he ate it as they watched. Then he said, when I was with you before I told you everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets, and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. He opened their minds to understand the scriptures. He said, yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority to of his name to all the nations. Beginning in Jerusalem, there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent. You are the witnesses of all these things. The word of god for the people of god. Praise be to god. Amen. Amen. Thank you ushers. Amen. Each week as we close worship, I pronounce a blessing of peace unto you. Every single week. Why do I do it every week? Because there's so many things that happen within the course of a week. That it seems that peace is constantly under attack. Amen. In our lives, in our minds, with the steady flow of text, and Email, and phone calls, the daily line of work and and friends and family and people we don't even know. That we are in jeopardy of relinquishing our peace to the worries and cares of this life. If you listen to more than one news broadcast in a day, you need some peace. Amen. Amen. Amen. Cuz as I often tell you, young folks will agree. life be life. Amen Amen. And too much of all of that can stress us out to a point where peace seems elusive. Absent and unattainable. But when we remember that true peace does not come from the from the resolution of our circumstances. True peace comes from the prince of peace. Amen. Peace from God is is not like any other piece available to us. Amen. Amen. I love the wives. Uh if anybody who knows me well knows that the place if you want me to calm down, take me near a body of water. Is that place that is in surface is peacefully. It allows me to woosah, to breathe, and regain some equilibrium. Anybody else water people? Amen. Amen. I know I'm not alone. Amen but it's temporal All it takes is a bird swooping Amen. A noise that comes from nowhere. Uh a phone call, a text, and that peace because it's fleeting begins to go. Well, peace from god is different. It's the peace that allows us to laugh when our world is falling apart. It's the peace that gives generously even when we can't see how all obligations will be met. It's that peace that looks at the doctor and says, I hear you but god. Amen. It's a peace that the world didn't give and the world can't take away. It's the peace that shows up in the middle of our storms. Amen. And says peace. Be still. Amen. And and it don't stop. I said that wrong on purpose. Amen. Even when life presents us with all of the struggles that come with the territory. Or that we could we never could've expected. We have that peace. Because we've been gifted that peace through Jesus Christ. When worries and anxiety seem to overwhelm us. And we find ourselves steeped in life's Jesus peace says. Wheel. Amen somebody. Amen. Anybody ever had peace in the middle of some self? You wondered how you were holding it together? Yeah. Amen. Amen. So so so say some amens this morning. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Alright. In today's text, we are in a prequel to last week's narrative. You know what a prequel is. It it happens before the current story and often explains why the second story has relevance. But after the original Uh like like those those prequels we've come to know there are multiple Star Wars prequels and Star Trek and X-Men. Ponder Us in case you didn't know it was a prequel to Bonanza. Young Sheldon is the prequel to the Big Bang Theory and for those of us who are Bridgerton fans, we got three weeks. Um Queen Charlotte is the prequel to Bridget. Yes. And the list goes on and on. You know In the prequel to last week's message. Jesus enters declaring peace in a place where there is little peace. They are hunted, afraid, uncertain, despondent. They are struggling with what to do with their circumstances. They are perplexed. And Jesus arrives and says, Jesus recognized their aches and their doubt. Even as they had been told about his appearing, Jesus does more than greet them with peace. He pronounces peace on their souls. Yes. And in doing so, gives them the gift of peace which the text indicates in four distinct ways. Amen? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. He says that have been confirmation In Revelation, in instruction, and in commission. Is gifted. Amen? Amen. Amen. So, so so what does it mean that they want to receive peace in the confirmation? When Jesus declares peace and he recognizes that they are afraid and doubting. See, this text says, they were what? Afraid and doubted. Amen? Amen. So, why did Thomas get such a bad rap for Donnie? Huh? Come on. Thomas got a bad rapper. Thomas didn't believe them. Yeah. So, when writers wrote it, they made him look like the only one doubted but they were all doubting. He offers them some means of confirmation Unlike when Mary Magdalene tried to hold him physically that morning, that night, he told them all, including her, probably, given that there were eleven, and then it says, other disciples, touch me not. Handle me so you know that I'm not a victim of your imagination. I am not an aberration. I am not a ghost. I am not of the There will be no dismissing this as science fiction. Touch each womb. Ten. Now, give me some food so you can see me eat it. Amen. Amen. Jesus wants them to have absolutely no doubt that it is he. Amen. It is I. I am Jesus who walked with you and taught you and caused miracles to happen. It's me. Yeah. Jesus confirmed his resurrection and gave them peace in his presence. Well, church, what is Jesus confirming about his presence in your life? What equally did you have last week that came to pass? What word did you receive from someone that confirmed that which you had prayed about? Yes. What sign did you see that noone else sees? Yeah. My niece is going through some treatment. And everywhere we go God keeps sending her aside that I never see. It's butterflies. But I never see them. Yes. Uh it will be in the same car riding down the same road and she'll see them but I do not because the confirmation isn't for me. Yes. Confirmation is for her Butterflies, in case you don't know it, say healing. Yeah. Amen? Amen. And so it confirms to her that healing is happening. Yeah. I can't see him. Yeah. Cuz it's not my confirmation. Yeah. Jesus is still gifting us. Yeah. With the peace of confirmation. Peace that comes from knowing that Jesus is who Jesus says, Jesus is. Yes. And that Jesus's message is true. Yeah. Look around you. Yeah. Ask the savior to show you. Yeah. And then you in turn give god praise. Amen. As you receive peace. Yes. That is gifted. Well, not only did Jesus give peace and confirmation but Jesus gave peace and some revelation. Few weeks ago, we talked about Easter morning. Amen? Amen. In Easter morning, I always says, for these, for our, for regular church folk. Amen. Who wake up on Sunday morning and get ready to go to church. They turn on their music. They're ready to go. Amen? But you know we got some evening church folks. The folks who've not born in people. That the struggle in the morning is not something they want to do. Some of us who end up wanting people. We really evening people. Amen. Amen. And so Jesus did not only show himself to the women in the morning. Jesus showed himself to those disciples on the Emmaus Road in the afternoon. Yeah. Because he knew that they would be able to no longer just hear what they heard but be able to receive and then it be revealed to them. So, like those on the Emmaus Road who are, who by the way, were in the room that night when he showed up and walked in and they didn't see him come through a door. Amen. Amen. Because they had run back that 20 miles. 20 miles to tell them that they had seen the lord. They didn't know who Jesus was until he broke the bread. It was only after eating with them revealing the depth of all he taught them. Did they see the will Jesus? Not just the one they walked and talked with. The one whom they watched before miracles but the one they had studied in Judaism School. You y'all know that the disciples were good Jewish, you Jewish young men. As most of them, except those who were zealous and and will you might want to do some study on the differences in the disciples because they weren't all the same kind of people. Amen. Just like we not the same kind of people. Amen. Amen. Amen. They understood that what Jesus was saying to them in that room that night as he was revealing himself to them, that he was the one Isaiah was talking about. When he declared not only his birth in chapter forty, for unto us a child is born, and the government shall be on his shoulders, and his name shall be called wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the prince of peace. But that they had been in and they were still encountering, the one who was chapter fifty-three, man of sorrow, and acquainted with the one who was like a lamb sent to the slaughter, the one who surely bored our pain, the one who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of his peace, the punishment of his peace was upon, of our peace was upon him. Yeah. And with those stripes, we are healed. Amen. Amen. Revelation that this is he. Thank you. And they had a centurion moment. You remember the centurion? That after Jesus died on Calvary, looked around him and everything that was going on and declared, surely, This is the son of god. This revelation allowed them to finally hear Jesus. Amen. What encounter must we have with Jesus? To accept that Jesus is all Jesus says, Jesus is. Alright Some of us need cataclysmic moments. We need to be laying on a bed of affliction and get up. Some of us need to have nothing in the coffins and god make a way out of nowhere. Lot of us need to see Jesus as something major that happened. Oh, but blessed be the one who looks for an encounter with Christ. What revelation moment have we missed? Because we struggle with allowing peace to reign in our lives. Well, church, Jesus is still revealing Jesus is still giving us the peace of revelation. Peace that comes from seeing Jesus for who Jesus truly is. Understanding his love and grace and accepting it for all that it is to all of us. Yes. Not just to select you. Yes. Yeah. Amen somebody. Amen. Love and grace is extended to all. That includes you. Whoever you are, that I'm talking to, somebody needs to know that grace and love from Christ is extended to you. Tell somebody, it's me. It's me. It's me. It's mine. It's me. Because peace has been gifted in the revelation of who Jesus is. Well, they not only receive peace in the in in in in the revelation, peace in the confirmation but they receive peace in the instruction. This was not the first time Jesus had told them these things. But agendas have blinded eyes. Don't miss that. Sometimes when I have, we have an agenda for what we want. Amen. We miss what god is doing. Amen. Cuz we're so busy focused on what we want. Yes. That we miss what god is trying to show us. Amen. In that moment. They've been walking with Jesus for 3 years. Not not once a week. But every single day and they still missed it. Is there any wonder that we missed it because we don't tune in but once a week? Yeah. Amen. Amen. Jesus opened their to understand the scripture. That's what the text says. Open their minds. How many of us know we gotta open our minds? He opened their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. Not just here Not just listen. but understand. When we're teaching readings to these young people. Yes. A lot of them do very well. With what we call denotation. Teachers, you know what I mean. They can read the word They can sound out the word. Yes. They can say, this is what this word is but this but but fool around and ask them what it means. Amen Amen. Amen. Reading denotation is good. For you to know that you know. You gotta read with some connotation. Yeah. Just because we denote does not mean we could connote. Comprehension constitutes clarity. Yeah and when we don't comprehend, it's just like when we learn scripture in Rome and it doesn't mean anything to us. We know the words but anybody got a scripture you learn when you were a child and now it becomes that word that keeps you. Yeah. Is the words that you learn when you were growing up and you we we taught every child. Philippians four thirteen. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We we teach that to him because it is pretty easy. Amen. And it gives them good affirmation but they don't know that yet. Until they start trying to do something that the world tells them they can't get done. Yeah. Yeah. So they start trying to achieve something that some misguided teacher told them they couldn't do. Yeah. That they understand. When they have accomplished it, that they can do all things through Christ. Yes. In order to clearly understand, there must be a willingness to abandon what we knew to learn what god wants us to know. Amen. You say that again. We gotta be willing to abandon All that we think we know. Alright. In order to receive what god has for us. Yeah. Reverend Holman told us Wednesday night that that Isaiah's word says that behold I'll do a new thing. Amen. Yeah. But sorry too often we miss the new thing because we're holding on so tight to the old things. Yes. Amen. Amen. Amen. Told in the Asian community, one of those oral traditions. By the young man, who's very knowledgeable, and he comes to an old master teacher. He says to the teacher, teach me what you know. Teacher says, well, let's talk about it over a cup of tea. They sit down and they, young man's waiting on his tea and old teacher pours into the teacup. Keeps pouring Keeps pouring. Starts filling the saucer and the young man says, wait a minute. That cup is on the floor. You've gone too far. He said, well, It's kind of like you. You got so much in your cup right now. That you gotta empty it out. In order to receive what it is that you're looking for. Amen. How to empty the cup? Not throw away the cup Compass Foundational. Yeah. But indeed of all of that we think we know. So we can receive what god has for us today. Amen. Amen? Amen. See, the nearness to Christ is an education Uh Charles Spurgeon wrote, we get near to Jesus. You will find that the Corpus Christi is the true college. Uh huh. He who knows the body of Christ has got the body of theology. The the body of divinity, the true theology of the word of god. He that knows Jesus has understanding. With all your getting. Can understand Peace that comes from learning from Jesus and understanding Jesus's teaching is knowledge and wisdom merged. It's peace. That's gifted. Finally, after confirmation and revelation and instruction Jesus gives them peace in the commission. Amen. The living Jesus Christ stands in the midst of his people and says to them, peace be with you. And then says, you shall be my witnesses of everything I just revealed to you and everything I just taught you and all the stuff you now remember because I jogged your memory. Anybody know for those of us of a certain age, we forgotten more than we've ever learned. Oh yeah Amen. Anybody else's testimony? I forgot more than I learned. But because it's in the Bible. Yeah If you jog my memory come flowing out. Amen. If you put me in a circumstance that reminds me of something else, I remember something. Yes. That I didn't remember five minutes ago. Amen? Amen. So, so so when Jesus says to them, you will be my witnesses. It's not going to be just about what Jesus talked about right then. Right. They're going to be able to pull out of the fires. Yeah. Out of the data that's in there Y'all know the data's in there. Pull out of the data. That which they need to tell somebody else about a living Christ. Alright. Well, when he said, you should be my witness. Who did he say it to? One. He said it to a Peter who had denied him three times. Amen. He said it to the other disciples who ran away with a yellow string. Amen. Amen. He he told it to those who left him alone in the hands of the temple guards. He left, he, he, he was saying it to those apostles who had broken their promises never to leave him. They had quickly forgotten their vain most that they were ready to die with him to be backsliders and cowards. Amen after being the recipients of such loving pastoral care with many warnings and encouragement. Doesn't that sound like us? Yes. Amen? Amen. There are times when Jesus needs us to stand up for Jesus. Amen. Amen. But we are silent. Silent is our worst coffee. Yes. Because we will be silent even when it comes to giving Jesus the praise. Yeah. Amen? So, is it any wonder that when we're challenged, we run away? But we say, I'm not going to deal with that right now. Amen. Well, Jesus's gifts were not only with the peace of confirmation, revelation, instruction but in commission Despite their deeds, committed and omitted, he still calls them to be witnesses. Amen. And despite ours he still calls us to be witnesses. Jesus extends peace, grace, and love To those who did not stand by him. He grants them the privilege of spreading the gospel. Yeah. Of being Maria. Witnesses of these things. Yeah. Luke writes in Acts one, the scope of their witness. When he says that they shall be witnesses where? In Jerusalem, that's at home. In Judea, that's down the street. In Samaria, those places they don't want to go. And the other parts of the world, that means everywhere we touch. Amen. How many of us are on the world wide web? How many of us have the internet in the house? Yes. How many of have Eddie in the house. Yes. On your phone. Yeah. On your computer. Yes. That's your uttermost problems. Amen You don't have to go everywhere. You got everywhere in the palm of your hand. Amen. Amen? Amen. So before you put that mess on Facebook, before you put that somebody else said something else. Amen. And you want to share it to repeat it. Why don't you share? A living space If you want to know more about Hit me in my DM. Amen. Amen. That's direct message for those of you. Amen. Amen. Peace that comes from being sent out by Jesus to share his message with others and knowing that Jesus is with us. Yes. Interceding for us. Rooting for us. No matter what the odds. We are to be witnesses. Not because we saw it. But because we believe it. And we've been commissioned to tell a dying world. Yeah. About living savior who knows us and who sends us. Yeah. Wherever we go to relay the message of peace joy. Yeah. And amazing grace. Amen. Let me leave you with this story. It's Kerry. This past week South Carolina won the women's basketball championship. Their coach who was very vocal about her faith Whole bunch of folks had something to say about that. In the midst of her testimony, her proclamation of her faith, she declared that she was the recipient of uncommon favor. Well, that part didn't rustle just the feathers of those who had a problem with her faith. That part wrestled the feathers of the faith community. And for those who wanted to find something wrong with what she said, it upsets the theologians a lot, especially those who are liberation, the theologians. Because it says to them that she was talking about the things she was receiving as uncommon favor while others were without. Well, when I read what they said I heard what she said. I begin to think about the fact that none of us are the same. We don't know her story. Amen. We don't know what she's been through. Yes. Amen. She has been blessed and doors have opened and she was able to walk in them and that's the story of a lot of people. Yes. But we see all that god has done in our lives through the lens of our own experience. Yeah. So, when she stood flat footed and talked about the goodness of god. And that there was uncommon favor put on her life. She was looking to the of her own experience. We don't know what it took for her to coach a team to 38 New Zealand. Yes. And we don't know what it took for her to coach a team to three losses in three years. But she understood. Yeah. That it wasn't her doing That that little black girls didn't get this kind of opportunity and success every day. Yes. They they that that yes, in the midst of climates of injustice, she was afforded uncommon favor Well, church, I want you to know that when you are struggling in life and anxiousness and anxiety, try to hold you hostage. Amen. When your desire to love and be cared for, seems and loses. When you are facing diagnosis that you don't understand. When the finances are low but the need is high. Yes. When sadness comes like a flood and losses are great. Yes. I want you to remember this. Jesus still gifting peace. And the peace that Jesus gives, like the favor Don't steadily receive. It's uncommon. There's nothing like it. It doesn't make sense. Yet, he's gifted will keep you. Amen. It will bring you joy. Yes. In the midst of your sorrow. Yes. He will give you hope. Amen. In all of your tomorrow. Amen. It will pick you up. Amen. When you should be down. Amen. And you will allow you to laugh. When you should be crying. Shalom. The peace of god that passes our understanding That peace that will give Be still. And the waters will come had any witnesses. Jesus. It's not just about our knowledge or our understanding. But it's about our in every aspect of our relationship with him. That's why that story of Horatio Stafford will never get old. Uh huh. Story of the man who lost the business, lost his children, in the waters, and when they crossed over that place and he was in that boat, the captain called and told him, come. Let me show you the place where your daughters in the middle of the waters male demise These words that are to keep us when we're going through some waters, when we're finding ourselves in the flood of life and where life bring He wrote with peace like a river. Yeah. Attended Yes. With sorrows. Yeah. Like sea billows Whatever my life, whatever you let me go through, god. Yeah. You taught me to say in his word, Amen. It's well. The storm rages but it quells. Comes but it's well. Can't get on my own. Amen. That nobody else can give me. Amen. That comes because Jesus keeps saying in my life. Beyond to you. It's a gift. It's a gift. Yes. Receive it. Yes. Trusted. Yes. Amen? Amen. Amen. For the gifts of your peace He said confirms He said, renews. Peace that instructs us so that we can be prepared For when you desire for us to be committed to. Yes. And that's to tell the story to tell the gospel story wherever we go. And to compel men and women, boys and girls to get to know this Jesus who is lord of our life. You are here today. Amen. Amen. Here today or you are in this building or you are alive and you seek peace Let me tell you, you can't get it. From any of that stuff that advertisers gets You can't get it from Carl on your phone. Amen You can't get it from music that's played in zeal You can't get peace from substances that give you temporary. The only way to get you peace is in Jesus. All you gotta do is confess with your mouth, believe in your heart that god raised Jesus from the dead. Yeah. Yeah. Just confess that Jesus is lord. Yes. Confess thou your own. You can't do it. But in Christ, all things are possible your heart today. Amen. Give him your heart today. So that you can have peace and it can be well with your soul. Will you stand? When peace alike a river my way whatever has is the way my soul his way with my soul If the will which is always If it's not well with your soul Why don't you trust god? To give you peace when it doesn't make sense to give you peace When you my soul. Yeah. Why don't you give god some praise and he dwells in him Like those disciples, they will come again. Amen. I know that Paul says, be anxious for nothing. Yeah. I know what the word says but in our reality, there's some anxious times. There's some anxiety that we feel. This world is a mess y'all. Amen. And it looks to get worse. Yeah. Before it gets better. Amen. But it doesn't matter what it looks like. Because peace. Yes. Doesn't come from the word. With Jesus Christ. Trouble comes on every hand. Yes. Trust. Trust Yes. In him who will not leave you. Yes. And hold to god's unchanging hand. Amen. I know we do the Sister Dennis, can you just play a chorus or hold to his head? And we're going to leave like that today. Will you stand on your feet? Well, may the lord bless you. May the lord keep you. May the lord make his face May the lord be gracious unto you and give you While the world speaks, it can't help you anyway. But the peace that God of the Lord. May God give you that when you wake up in the morning. When you close your eyes at night. Amen. In your going out. And in your coming in. Amen. Everything you do that you feel the peace of god. May you not be worried about what's coming when things looks like it's on the horizon. But trust that the peace of God is able to keep you. In every situation. Whether it's what you need, whether you got some sickness need god to heal the peace of god that Don't be worried. And know that is willing to give you peace and the gifted just to you. God's unchanging hand. Don't let go give up. Don't get it. Will give your heart and your in Christ Jesus. Our prayer. And we and as we go in peace.