The Power of Knowing the Truth

1:08 If I'm titling this message, I want to talk about the power of knowing the truth. The power of knowing the truth. You know, a lot of people pick up the Bible because they don't like it or understand it or get confused. They say negative things about it. They don't understand why we put so much power and confidence in it. But Jesus tells us something very significant in verse 31. He says, if you want to really understand the truth, you have to abide in the word. Amen. Amen. Y'all slept that. That went over your head. Let me tell you. The word abide means to remain. It means to stay with. You just can't pick up the Bible one day and start reading and expect to have an understanding of all the insights and power in it.

2:06 You got to be hanging with it. You got to be reading it regularly. And when God sees that you're invested in it, that you really want to know the truth. your eyes will pop open to see things you hadn't seen before. Look at your neighbor and say this. Look at him eyeball to eyeball.

2:30 The reason you don't get anything out of it is because you don't abide in it. You don't read it every day. You don't dwell in it. You don't hang in it. You just think if you just pick it up one day, it should pop, pop, pop, pop. Ooh, slow down, Pastor.

2:54 You got to be hanging with it. And then God will cause it to have meaning to you and understand it. I don't know if anybody ever been at a place where you're reading the Scripture and bam, all of a sudden you see something you've never seen before. All of a sudden you get an understanding of something, a revelation. That's called a revelation. God opens your eyes to it. And God only opens your eyes to it when you abide. Somebody say the key word is abide. By the way, what are you abiding in? I learned so much about culture from my kids.

3:37 They know more about the TV shows that they watch. Child, did you see? I don't even know what the shows are. What y'all be watching? Don't act like y'all don't be watching nothing. What's those shows? Since I get Joshua and Jimmy here sitting together, I got both of them. What shows y'all be watching? Oh, now they don't know. It's ahhh. They mean to... But what's those ongoing shows y'all be watching? Sarah knows. Oh, Sarah. Oh, so you're going to put it on your old assistant since she's not here to defend herself. I watched The Force in War Room.

4:25 The reason I know why, because we have a family chat, and they be talking, yeah, did you see some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some, some. They know those shows. And y'all the same way. You know the shows. You know the actors. You know the actresses. You know what they're doing. and the child, did you see show, show, show, show? I don't know what they're talking about. I don't watch all those shows, but they do. But I'm saying, if you hung out in the Bible like you read, watch these shows.

4:56 And by the way, by the way, there's enough drama going on in the Bible. Can I get an amen right there from you, everybody? You got to abide in it. Here's my challenge to you. And this is the reason we have the education and training department, is to try to get you to a place of abiding in the Word, to get you in the Word, reading the Word, studying the Word, digesting the Word, applying the Word, understanding the Word, but you can only get it when you abide. and then verse 32 says if you abide verse 31 says verse 31 says if you abide you are my disciples indeed real people who are truly saved will stay in the bible That's true.

5:52 Amen. Only this section is the only section that says right here. That's true. And then it says this. Verse 32 starts off with an important word. What is the word? Yes. And. That's a conjunction. And according to Big Bird, conjunction, junction. See, y'all know what I'm talking about. it joins together and it adds it to. Here's what it's saying. If you abide and you shall know the truth. When you abide in it, God will help you to know the truth. Now, I need y'all to help me out real quick because some of you have had some encounters with God and encounters with the Word. And when you got encountered with the Word and got in the Scriptures, God changed your mind about some things.

6:46 Give me a mic real quick. I need a mic. Because I need y'all to tell me some of the things that you once believed and then discovered what you believed was not true. something you believed but then you came across something that told you wasn't true stand up I used to believe that you had to be a minister in order to serve but the Bible says that each of us have been given gifts and abilities and have a place in the kingdom yes

7:33 I used to believe if you couldn't speak in tongues, then you didn't have the Holy Spirit. And I know that's not true. That's just one of many ways to show that you have the Holy Spirit. Now, I'm glad you said that. You didn't notice. This Tuesday at Bible study, I'm going to be teaching about tongues. This Tuesday.

8:08 Somebody else. I'll take the mic. Why black people like to grab the mic? I can't, I don't know. You're a good guy. I could normally trust you, but because I'm not sure what people are going to say, I hold on to the mic. I'm not going to grab it. I'm going to grab it. I came up in an environment that I thought the man, you'll be in the head of your house, so it was my way or the highway. and then I came to know Christ and then I learned that I had to deny myself for like Christ did I just for the church did not the church let me die for the truck sorry let me I'm getting excited pasty I had to learn to deny myself like Christ died for the church and then I had to sacrifice for Jack He just trying to get him something. Go ahead.

9:13 She said he don't have to work that hard. I used to live in shame and then Romans 8 1 told me that there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. I used to believe that, I used to try to emulate Mother Teresa and I thought that you were saved by your works, but I realized that I am saved because of God's righteousness, not what I do. I was raised in a Pentecostal church, and I was taught that you had to get your act together before you give your life to Jesus, but that was false.

10:19 I couldn't get my life together until I gave my life to Jesus. Thank you. Y'all sit together every Sunday? No. Why are y'all sitting together today? It's Queen Esther's Sit-Together Sunday. Huh? Huh? This is Queen Esther's Sit-Together Sunday. All right, Cher, y'all in my preaching time now.

11:27 I used to think that I had to be perfect in order to be loved, but God died on the cross with complete love for me. The reason we put so much focus at this church, you can go to some churches, they don't have no Bible studies, no classes. This is how important class and training is to us. The reason is so important, because once you get the Word, it changes your life. You shall know the truth. And the truth... Put that scripture up.

12:21 They don't know it. I thought they knew it by heart. It says, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Knowing truth makes you free. Knowing truth is so important to us. In this building, we have 44 classrooms. In the ministry center, we have 44 classrooms. Amen.

12:56 And some of y'all ain't been in one. I am, I'm telling you. We want you to know the truth. When you know the truth... When you get a hold of the truth, you make choices to line up with God's will for your life. When you know the truth, and when you line up your life with the will of God and the Word of God, it changes your life. Amen.

13:44 Now, I'm going to give you seven areas of truth that we focus on. I'm just giving you this. All of these can be expounded upon, but I'm just going to give you these seven areas. As a matter of fact, these seven truths is what our church is built on. These seven truths of God. first one is self-acceptance somebody say self-acceptance here's the first one, self-acceptance it means that you stop trying to dress like somebody else it means you stop trying to change your appearance to match somebody else You learn to accept. See, I used to, when I was growing up,

14:42 in high school, my high school friends made fun of me. Because that was during the Bush days. You know, you grow a bush. They had the Afro-achine blowout kit. Anybody here know about the Afro Sheen blowout kit? Like you would go to school one day, you have a TWA, teeny-weeny Afro. Teeny-weeny. Then you go get the blowout kit, put it in. Then the next day you got the Michael Jackson, shake your head, and it's still shaking, blowout kit. Some of you young people don't know nothing about that for your time. Well, my father made me get a haircut every two weeks, a crew cut. just about 30 years ahead of time. My father and my classmates used to make fun of me. They used to call me names, light bulb head.

15:40 One guy drew a picture with a light bulb, said, this is John right here, picture. And it made me feel bad about myself. It made me feel unacceptable. but when I came into the knowledge that I am fearfully and wonderfully made When I understand God made me in line with his purposes for my life, I learned to accept how God made me. I wish I had a praying crowd. I didn't have to look like Danzel.

16:30 Look like John Jenkins. When you understand how God made you, you accept yourself. Some places in our country, kids are taught that God made a mistake with the way he made you. some of the schools are teaching kids if you don't like yourself as a man you can get a sex change and become a woman if there's any question about how God made you take your clothes off stand in front of the mirror and it will tell you Y'all ain't got to say amen. See if there's any money up here that anybody got up here.

17:31 Nothing here. Shoot, I put some money up there myself. That was so good. Bam, I put some money up there. Self-acceptance. Learn to accept how God made you. You were created for his purposes for your life. That's the truth that the enemy wants you to think otherwise. Here's number two. Under authority.

18:06 Under authority. That means that everybody is under somebody's authority. Somebody say under authority. Under authority. Nobody is created to where you don't have to answer to nobody. The enemy will make you think that you don't have to answer to nobody. Anybody who answers to nobody is out of control. Amen. Amen.

18:36 Everybody ought to be under somebody's authority. Yeah, amen. If nobody can come and tell you to sit down, there's nobody in your life that can tell you you're out of order, you're out of control. Amen. Everybody's called to be under somebody's authority. Here's number three. Character responsibility. here's the truth this is the truth you're responsible for your own character now why is that important? because a lot of people are trying to blame other people for their choices you're old enough now you can't keep blaming what your daddy did or what your daddy didn't do Yeah, once you get grown, you're responsible for what you choose to do.

19:48 And you can't keep blaming it on your past, your mama, your daddy. You can't keep blaming it. At some point, you have to make a choice and decision what you're going to do, how you're going to behave. You have to.

20:08 Now, the fact is, your character can be out of control. That's why you need Jesus to get it under control. Look at your neighbor and say, he's preaching better than you're saying amen. Look on the other side and say, you were saying amen a few minutes ago. Now you're getting quiet. This is what, these are things we built our church on. These are things I built my life on. I learned these principles. I learned these principles when I was a teenager. And I applied them in my life. And we have built this church on these truths. number four change broken change broken here's what that means no matter what kind of issue you had in your life it can be broken I don't care what your habits have been, what your addictions have been, what your sin practices have been.

21:18 It doesn't matter what has happened in your past, how you got mistreated. No matter what you've gone through, we serve a God who can break the chains of the power of the enemy. You don't have to stay in bondage. I wish I had a praying crowd with me. Is there anybody here who can testify to the fact that you know that God has the power and the might to break your chains? Somebody here knows there were times when you couldn't help yourself. But when you met Jesus, he broke the chain. Somebody say, things I used to do, I don't do anymore. Places I used to go, I don't go anymore. Things I used to want to do, I don't do anymore. Somebody ought to say, I thank God I'm not the same person that I used to be. Chains have been broken.

22:11 Addictions have been broken. Bondages have been broken. Somebody here today needs to know, I don't care what your addiction is, Jesus can break your chains. What number was that? Four. That was four? Here's number five.

22:43 Everything belongs to God. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The world and they that dwell therein. Everything belongs to God. You don't own nothing. you don't own anything. The devil will make you think you own it. But you don't own it all. It all belongs to God. Amen. And the sooner you surrender it to God and give it to God, the sooner you can be free from the responsibility of managing. Amen.

23:26 When I was a teenager, I had a car, my first car. And my family was about to go on vacation. and my little brother got in the front seat of my mother's car and stopped playing with the gears. and pulled it out of gear. Back in those days, I shouldn't say it like it's the Model T. It wasn't that far back.

24:09 But there used to be a time where you could take the car out of gear without putting your foot on the brake. And even though the car hadn't been started, he moved it out of gear and the car started moving and went down and crashed into my car. There's always somebody who want to preach your sermon. But she's right. It wasn't my car. I had to learn. I had to learn that day. I had to give my car to God. Some of y'all getting all bent out of shape because somebody messed with your stuff.

24:55 But the sooner or later you learn to say that's God's car and if God said it's okay for him to pull the thing and run into it, it's okay. You have to learn to give everything to God. including yourself. Yes, sir. First S. And the next letter, number six. Yes. Suffering. I know y'all don't want to hear this one.

25:28 But there's always seasons and periods that you're going to have suffering. Anybody who wants you to believe that life, God don't want you to have no pain and no suffering, It's not true. there's some things you there's some suffering that you're going to have to go and the sooner you learn how to deal with your suffering and I had to learn that no matter how tough my suffering might be here's what I learned no matter how bad or how tough my suffering got God never allowed me to go into a situation beyond what he had not empowered me to handle I wish I had a praying crowd with me whatever you're going through God has given you enough grace God has given you enough inside of you God has given you enough fortitude God has given you enough insights God has given you enough support God has given you enough mentality that no matter what you're going through you can take a licking and keep on ticking I've learned that nothing will come in my life that's greater than me that me and God together can't handle.

26:53 Greater is he that's in you than he that is in the world. That's the truth. Somebody say, that's the truth. I got two minutes left, three minutes left. Here's my... Seventh one. Success. number seven is success that's a truth all these are true truths we built this church on this truth and number seven is success and here's what I learned you put God first and he'll make you successful You meditate on that word, he'll give you good success. You honor him, you obey his word, he will prosper you while everybody else around you is failing. God will cause you to succeed.

27:46 I wish I had a praying crowd with me here today. Yes, you obey God. You put God the first in your life. You get in that word. You abide in his word. You meditate on his word and you will find good success. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. And in his law does he meditate day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the shaft with the wind. Y'all excuse me, I feel like running around the building. Then. you keep wondering why your life keeps falling down you keep wondering while ain't nothing succeeding you keep wondering why God does open up a door for you because you so busy focuses on everything but him obeying everybody but him you've got everybody else calling the shots on your life why don't you give God, give Jesus a chance to order your life.

29:00 So the word is success. Put those words back up there. The word is success. This is how I remember these principles. I didn't learn them this way, but I organized them this way. Go ahead, Pastor.

29:22 And I put them in an order that spells success. And I've been teaching these principles for 37 years. And that's why God keeps shining on the First Baptist Church of Glen Arden. Amen.

29:56 Unfortunately, I'm out of time. But I was able to get to seven. Did y'all got it? What's number one? Take it off the screen. Take it off the screen. Take it off. Turn it off. Now, what's this? Number two? I have glory to you. I have care to respond to you. I have responsibility to change the world. Everything belongs to God. Suffering is a test. Y'all go ahead.

30:24 Go ahead while you read your notes. Go ahead. But it all starts with a relationship with Jesus. It all starts with being sold out to him.