 Let's open our Bibles together to Genesis chapter 5 our theme is a fierce Obedience and I'm going to share it in an opening way tonight out of verses 21 through 24 a Portion of scripture that has spoken to my heart and and as I was considering My study this is what stood out to me I wanted to lay a foundation because I know that tomorrow our speakers are gonna I bring a good word of Exultation and instructions is going to be stimulating and a blessing There'll be men with us tomorrow who weren't able to be with us tonight It's going to be a great great morning and great time and then our brother Tony It's going to be sharing at our fellowship on Sunday morning. It's going to be a real blessing to have them with us the second time But I wanted to lay a foundation today because we're talking about obedience and and and all of that and I thought I'd like to begin with a Man that all of us are familiar with it's found here in chapter 5 of Genesis And he's found in verses 21 through 24 Let me read that to you then I'm going to give to you a prolonged introduction lane some foundations in the move into some Application from this passage so beginning at verse 21 reading to verse 24 Enoch lived 65 years and begot Methuselah After he begot Methuselah Enoch walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters So all the days of Enoch were 365 years Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him Father we ask that you would help us to understand a few things especially Walking with you and you taking us Because Lord would live in in a time When father we want to walk with you in a time where where the world is an opposition To to us living for you So I'm asking Lord that that you would speak to us now as we look at a few things in the life of Enoch and Again our hearts are open speak to us Lord in Jesus name Amen, I want to begin by referring first to an Old Testament prophet by the name of Jeremiah Jeremiah when you read the book of Jeremiah and all Jeremiah ministered during very dark days in the history of Israel He ministered some 627 to 580 before Christ and So by the time of his writing God was already moving bringing judgment against the nation of Israel had been divided into two separate units there was the northern tribes and the southern tribes and and God had already begun to bring judgment on On the nation he had already judged the ten northern tribes and then a century later God had turned his attention to the two southern tribes Judah and Benjamin Now when you read the book and all you need to remember some things Let me lay this as a foundation at one time Judah was deeply devoted to the Lord as a nation They had been Devoted and faithful to him. He was their God. They were his people So through Jeremiah God reminded the nation of this in Jeremiah chapter 2 verses 2 and 3 He said go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem saying thus says the Lord I remember you the kindness of your youth the love of your betrothal when you went after me in the wilderness in a Land that was not sown Israel was holiness to the Lord the first fruits of his increase so God spoke to them He said I remember I remember how you loved me. I remember how you followed me I remember how you depended upon me and I remember how you lived for me But that could no longer be said of them. They had left their first love. They abandoned the Lord They became backsliders. They became idolaters. They defiled the land. They exchanged the knowledge of God for false gods What had led to this? Well rebellious unbelief Rebellious unbelief that was fostered by the priests and by the prophets The priests and the prophets didn't handle the law of the Lord properly The priests didn't have a relationship with God and the prophets prophesied by Baal The unbelieving priests didn't rightly divide God's word in Jeremiah 2 verse 8 It says the priest did not say where is the Lord and those who handle the law did not know me In Jeremiah 2 11 through 13 the question is asked has the nation changed its gods, which are not gods But my people have changed their glory for what does not profit be astonished. Oh heavens at this be horribly afraid Be very desolate sayeth the Lord for my people have committed to evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewn themselves cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water They had created a religious system devoid of God It had every aspect of religiosity with no spirit and because of that God determined to bring judgment on the nation At first he tried to get their attention He chastened them, but they wouldn't repent Instead they fashioned a form of godliness by being outwardly religious Jeremiah 2 22 says though you wash yourself with lie use much soap yet your iniquity is marked before me Sayeth the Lord God in other words your stains are not on your skin It's in your soul and it can't be washed off with water and it can't be washed with soap So instead of rejecting them forever God called out to them and he said return He made a way for them all they needed to do is repent and come back to him in Jeremiah 4 11 if you will return oh Israel sayeth the Lord return to me And if you will put away your abominations out of my sight then you shall not be moved To intensify the sins of Judah God challenged the city of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 5 1 He said run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem see now and know and Seek in her open places if you can find a man if there's anyone who executes judgment who seeks the truth I will pardon her Thoroughly search out this magnificent city find one man who's faithful and just You see truth and faithfulness equality is governing a relationship with God and man Surely this great city must have one faithful man amongst so many find him for me If such a man is found God said I will spare the city Now that reminds me of what occurred in the time of the prophet Ezekiel Who prophesied 592 to 570 BC he prophesied around the same time as Jeremiah He spoke of the destruction by Babylon in Ezekiel 22 29 through 31 The people of the land practice extortion commit robbery the oppressor poor and needy mistreat the alien denying them justice I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land So that I would not destroy it, but I found none So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger bringing down on their own heads All they have done declares the Lord I looked for a man, but I found none And I will bring judgment on them for all that they have done And no such man was found and God did bring judgment on that nation Now we fast forward for a moment to the 21st century We make application to our own nation Now these words obviously belong to Israel, but they can still apply to us today Because I believe that God is still looking for men who are just and righteous who will stand in the gap I believe God wants to work in our nation And still uses men who are committed to him And he has not given up on us yet He is giving us space to repent and to return to him You see some of us don't realize or perhaps because Times have changed in our day Where history is no longer a subject that people think is required to have a good education So we don't know the history of our own nation Many of us don't know this the history of this great nation that we love so much And so let me share a few things with you just to remind you of our of our nation Because some don't know that our nation's foundations are fundamentally Christian The pilgrims arriving here were seeking religious freedom The first college Harvard, which was founded in 1646 Was founded to train Christian ministers Think about that for a moment Harvard was founded to train Christian ministers Some religious group or denomination established the first 126 colleges There are people who say what a Christian's ever done that's worth we we founded Our faith brothers and sisters in the Lord in another time Founded the first 126 colleges in the United States Of the 55 men who signed the constitution All but three were orthodox Christians Many don't know that the first act of congress authorized the printing of 20 000 bibles for the evangelization of Native Americans The greatest American ever George Washington in his farewell address Said these things George Washington said of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity Religion and morality are indispensable supports Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle That was Washington We've drifted from our moorings. It's time to come back As a nation I believe we are guilty of what God condemned Israel for We've become sinful. We have become guilty. We are evil and we are as a nation corrupt We are in a spiritual war That is being waged for the soul of America Satan is after this nation And this nation is built On faith in christ but in a practical sense is built on marriages and family And we men must be willing to rise up And we need to be willing to fight for these things In the amaya 414 We read do not be afraid of them. Remember the lord great and awesome and Fight for your brethren your sons your daughters your wives and your houses God has called us as men to do that To fight in the name of the lord not with with with uh physical weapons But in a spiritual sense by being leaders by being open about our faith By learning to give devotions to our children and ministering to our wives By by those of us who are married That we would become in their sight their greatest example Of a believer in jesus christ A long time ago and i've said this to our fellowship some of you perhaps have heard me say it in the past But a long time ago i made a decision because i know that young people Need heroes i know that And i i told our church perhaps you were here then i told our church this i said My children don't need to look outside of the four walls of their home to find a hero Because they ought to have one living with them and that's me not their mama. That's me You ought to be the same you ought to make the determination That when your children speak of a great man that the name they mention is yours That your wife when asked who is the greatest man that that you know You will be the person that she speaks of you ought to make that your aim You ought to make it your aim to be that man on the jobs site that that guys know They may call you a freak they may call you weird or that's that religious guy over there But at least you're known for something good And you ought to make that your aim Because this nation needs to wake up or going in the wrong direction and we've been tail spinning for a long time And you know that's true But we need to understand the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in god We will not wage a spiritual war with carnal fleshly weapons Ephesians 6 10 says my brethren be strong in the lord in the power of his might We need to be men of the spirit We need to be men committed to the lord completely and god is still looking for that man In second chronicles 69 the eyes of the lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth To show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him There was a great man of another time by the name of dl moody And dl moody said the world has yet to see what god will do with the man fully consecrated to him I determined to be that man And I believe that we can do that tonight Also God used me for your glory god used me In my family god used me in our church god used me in my neighborhood God used me. I want to be used by you that ought to be our prayer You see the lord is desiring to to use a man who is committed to faithful obedience to him And a good example of such a man is right before us a man by the name of inock And so inock here in verse 21 through 24 in genesis 5 the name inock is translated dedicated And this man inock is mentioned various times in both the old and the new testament And we're first introduced to him here in this passage of genesis Notice how moses speaks concerning him in this passage moses wrote that inock walked with god Now what would moses be referring to and what can we learn to help us to walk with god? Well, the writer of hebrus gives us insight in hebrus 11 5 and 6 he said by faith Inock was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because god had taken him For before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased god But without faith it's impossible to please him for he who comes to god must believe that he is And that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him He was a man who walked by faith and pleased the lord And in this passage we have several elements that that help to give us an insight into walking Obediently with god The first and most obvious thing is he had a personal saving faith in god The bible says to us that prior to our conversion to christ or coming to faith in christ prior to us being born again We were in continuous rebellion against god Romans 8 7 paul says it like this the the sinful nature is always hostile to god It never did obey god's laws and it never will So we were hostile in opposition to god To become obedient begins by obeying his call to come to him and be born again And after that happens you receive a new nature. You're no longer in bondage to sin That's the beginning of your new walk this walk with god You see for enok to be pleasing to god speaks of him being forgiven and walking in faith Romans 4 5 says to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly His faith is accounted for righteousness. This man had a walk with god and he was righteous and he pleased the lord A second element is his walk with god wasn't seasonal. It was consistent His walk was one of those walks that was going forward continuously It was developing it was maturing over a lifetime at the end of the year He could look back and see he had made progress and he was able to do that for 365 years Think about that for just a moment In luke 923 Jesus said if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself take up his cross daily And follow me. He was consistent. It wasn't seasonal you know When I was a young man There was a team that I used to follow that I really liked I still have a sentimental value for them, but I don't like them that much anymore because they're losers the Bruins UCLA Chetchomal they were um I started and I won't tell you to it won't take too long to tell you this but I I started enjoying them in my early teens And it became One of those things that they never lost I mean when they were playing at polypavilion when it first was built They only lost two games and one a hundred and some games I mean you couldn't beat the Bruins several undefeated seasons They were an amazing team and I I really grew to like them, especially when Lou Alcindor cream abdul jabar played for them And uh, you know, I really liked them And so I was teaching bible studies and they were still in nc double a championships at all and I still remember I was teaching bible study in rollin heights And it was a uh, it was one of the nc double a tournament games And I was upstairs in my bedroom watching the game And my bible study people were sitting downstairs waiting for me. I mean I I was just caught up with them I was caught up with them And that that was me. I mean I was this guy who I I would get mad when they lost and when they lost in north carolina state I believe it was in 70 73 72 See, I was stationed right in that time. I was I was I was stationed in north carolina And I had a friend who was a north carolina state fan And north carolina state had been disqualified And we're not we're unable to play in the tournament that you're in the Bruins won And he's saying well, you know what if if fancy state was there we had a beating you So I went into this game, you know that it was uh, it was the game just prior to the finals I went into this game expecting the Bruins to win and in my heart even though I was already out of the service I was I was gonna thumb my nose at this guy And they were they were up by eight points in overtime and lost And I still remember getting up And I just I was so angry So emotional angry and I was I can't believe this bill walton you're vegetarian. You should eat some meat I was so mad That's true. I mean that's that's true Eat a steak and get some strength in you. What's wrong with you? And as I was storming around the den my father's den God's holy spirit spoke to me and he said why are you so mad? You didn't even go to that school That's true. Why? Now that didn't cure me But it got me on the road to recovery You can get caught up about so many things guys that don't matter And it's not that sports isn't fun. It's supposed to be entertaining, right? It's supposed to be amusing amusement, right? You know what the word amusement means by the way? It means without thinking the word muse means thought When you put the a in front of muse muse without thinking Amusement is intended to keep you from thinking And that's what amusement is. That's what entertainment is It's keeping you from thinking And so I see these games now on occasion I don't care if they win or lose as long as they be at sc It's still there, you know some demons are hard to come out Randy here and my my dear friend Randy is an sc fan Yes, and I don't know why I let you sit in the front. I wasn't thinking. Yeah, I'm amused What's the most important thing to you I love the Dodgers you may not I do I don't care boo my dad took me to a ball game when they first moved out from New York And I sat in that Coliseum and I saw Duke Snyder and all those old guys and That was that was for me. That was it. You know angels are a good farm team Yeah, I hate the nationals, but Whatever I won't travel down that road. I'll tell you What is it that that grabs you? You know because sometimes guys will think well, you know naturally pastor you You got away from all of that passion for sports and things and I was very passionate for it very really was That's just because you're old and you can't play anymore Well, no, I would like to believe it's because Another love grabbed my heart But I would like to believe that A deeper a deeper love a deeper affection a deeper interest And and and I would like to believe and I think it's true That over time I realized that that that my teams will let me down and they do They do they lose everybody loses, but you know what we don't want our teams to lose But god never does and it's one of those things that in my life is really been I've been transformed So yeah, I still enjoy sports and yeah, I still of course I like to watch it when I can But there's something got to be greater I've got to be known for something deeper and and that may sound very petty to you and and even even In consequential, but it's really not guys because if you look within your own heart ask yourself What gets you most excited? What gets you most passionate? What is the thing that you're most caught up with you may be surprised that may not be the lord It may be something else It may be something else And your your faith may be seasonal We we you know, we we make sure to celebrate Christmas. We make sure to celebrate Easter we make sure to do certain religious things But but what the lord wants for us and what enoch is a model of for us is a consistency He walked continuously and consistently with the lord not one week or one month one year or 30 years or 100 years he walked consistently with god for 365 years and he pleased god So much that god just took him to be with him Now think about this for a moment because he could have given in to compromise But he didn't he remained steadfast in his walk He lived when the earth was growing more and more evil And you see that in chapter 6 here in the book of genesis verse 5 Where it says the lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth And that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually In luke 17 jesus in verses 26 and 27 said it like this As it was in the days of noah so it will be also in the days of the son of man They ate they drank they married wives They were given in marriage until the day that noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all We see this kind of situation today There is a continual onslaught Of the normalization of sin The outrage over the exposure of sexual sin and confusion over it is stunning even staggering When you look at the different influences for example, hollywood hollywood in the movies and all consistently glamorizes casual sex And everybody's heard of the casting couch in politics Politics is filled with the privileged and elite who have become millionaires as servants of the public You have tv personalities Who are famous for doing anything to get ahead and yet they're looked at as being the philosophers of our age You have the music industry that has no moral compass. They sing words that can't even be printed You can't if I were to take some of the words and read it to my church Just oh by the way, this is the latest song and read those words to the church They would they might my church would be outraged How how could you read words like that and yet many of them listen to those songs on the way home from church Don't even realize it. Don't even think about it But the words can't even be printed in red out loud Because it's hidden by the music and the beat and everything else that goes along with that There's no moral compass the print media cannot be trusted The educational system is undermining morals We've got we've got men who dresses women reading stories to babies in public libraries And that's looked at as being okay. We've got athletics You know in athletics there are men competing as women In athletics right now and they're winning too And you would think that the women livers would be happy about that, but apparently they're not We're living in a time where we just don't have a clue what's going on. I I heard something today I wrote it down so I can read it. It's just take a second And and don't worry. I'm not going to get political on you But I want you to hear something this will help you because today one of the the wannabe candidates for president Elizabeth Warren rolled out one of her plans To get medical Insurance and all to every American perhaps you read that. I wonder how many of you guys heard that Did you did you hear some of you did but not all of you she she brought out a plan and her plan is going to Is going to cost 52 trillion dollars 52 trillion dollars. Okay. I just used the number none of us understand So let me help you somebody said this and I wrote it down One million that's the number some of us can get our head around So one million seconds One million seconds Equals about 11 days 52 trillion seconds Equals one million 648 thousand years Okay, that's on didn't it you hit me One million 648 thousand years That's what she's talking about Who's going to pay for it? But what we have you are what we have Me I'm going to go to an island What we have guys and I won't belabor this is we're living in a society that is in a great war right now It's a war of of good versus evil. It's it's a war about faith versus the lack of faith That's what we're dealing with right now That is the current that you're living in right now and it's pressing you into its mold Even christians will get upset listen We've gotten so cynical That When somebody like Kanye Comes out and and says that he's a follower of christ Maybe maybe we've become jaded Maybe maybe maybe something's happened to our heart But when you when you read the facebook posts and people say and I doubt it I'm thinking And I wrote something today on facebook. I said, you know, I came from a generation That the the society older than us Disrespected we were hippies and we were the we were the scum We were the ones that there was no hope for And so when we came to faith in christ, there were people who doubted us And and and I I I don't know about you. I believe in a god who transforms lives I believe in a god who saves I believe a god who fills you with the spirit And we ought to be praying for guys like Kanye It's one thing to be sitting in your in your In your front room typing furiously your opinions on facebook or whatever, you know Oh, I'm doing so much good for god right now when I sit here and rip somebody else up Maybe they ought to go out in the street and talk about jesus for a while and see what happens when you do that And see what Kanye is giving up right now when he's saying i'm a follower of christ We need to pray for men like that. We need to pray that more men like that will be raised up But guess what? We don't need Kanye. We got you You can do the work of ministry you can reach people he never will That's what god has called us to do to take things seriously to walk with him consistently And in the midst of the evil that we live in to shine his lights that jesus christ might be glorified That's what he told us to do and that's what the church is called to do We're living in a time that of isaiah 5 20 and 21 woe to those who call evil good and good evil Who put darkness for light and light for darkness who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight Tozer said something that I appreciated aw tozer. He said we have learned to live with unholiness And have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing That's what's happened. It's the natural and expected thing Well, enoch lived in such a world, but he did not allow it to shape him into its mold He did not remain silent. He spoke out clearly against the ungodliness and blasphemy in the book of jude verses 14 and 15 He writes enoch the seventh from adam prophesied about these men also Say and behold the lord comes with 10 thousands of his saints to execute judgment on all To convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds Which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Enoch was the one who did this work. He held his ground He gave out god's word even though he was mocked and rejected Spurgeon said enoch lived when few loved god He lived toward the close of those primitive times wherein long lives had produced great sinners Do not complain therefore of your times and of your neighbors and other surroundings For amid them all you may still walk with god So he didn't allow the world to press him into a god rejecting mold and neither do we And he did this because he loved the lord and desired god above all other things and his heart desired the lord in an Undivided way and he was committed totally to him And that's what we're to do we're to walk with him and grow to love him daily And we don't allow our hearts to become divided We remain deeply committed to him In romans 12 1 and 2 paul said i beseech you therefore brother and by the mercies of god That you present your bodies the living sacrifice wholly acceptable to god Which is your reasonable service do not be conformed to this world be transformed by the renewing of your mind That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god If we're not alert We will cease being outraged by the evil that is accepted There are pastors and i'll speak of my own tribe if you will pastors Which think it's cool to use profanity when they're preaching the most holy word the gospel But they take the the holy table And they use it to give polluted bread speaking corrupt words trying to be cool and with it and Relevant There are others who think it's cool to give the word and then go to a bar after church Spend some time with their elders drinking some wine because that's sophisticated sitting in the libraries with the cigars and the brandy Well, the world is going to hell in a hand basket And these pastors are living unholy lives And if a pastor lives an unholy life What will his sheep be like because like Shepherd are the sheep And when that man does not live a life sold out for jesus christ Neither will his sheep and sheep can smell hypocrisy They can smell it on that man And i'm telling you We need to be alert And aware of who we are And who we represent as a group we need to remember that We need to be transformed and not conformed In second peter two seven and eight Uh the scripture says he rescued lot a righteous man who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men That righteous man living among them day after day was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard You see our word our world celebrates delusion And ridicules those who don't agree Bruce Jenner was recognized as woman of the year Think about that for a moment How do you feel about that? Well, the psalmist psalm 19 139 my zeal wears me out for my enemies. Ignore your word In malachi 3 15 now we call the arrogant blessed Certainly the evildoers prosper And even those who challenge god escape Somebody said we are not diplomats But prophets And our message is not a compromise But an ultimatum And that's true You see enok walked with god when the world rejected god He held fast to his integrity and sought fellowship with him unwaveringly In proverbs 25 26 it says like a a muddied spring or a polluted well Is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked. He didn't give way to the wicked. He walked in integrity He maintained his relationship. He kept his walk with god his top priority Psalm 86 11 and 12 teach me your way. Oh lord, I will walk in your truth. Unite my heart to fear your name I will praise you. Oh lord my god with all my heart and I will glorify your name forever more You see this longing for god fuels our obedience to him and his word And remember it doesn't happen overnight you get saved, but you don't become billy graham the next morning It takes time And and growing in your walk is a lifetime of pursuit And you pursue him jeremiah 29 13 you shall seek me and find me when you shall search for me With all your heart and so you wake up in the morning and you say to the lord here Am I a lord speak to my heart today use me for your glory lord? People say well, it's easy for you to say you're a pastor. That's what you're supposed to do I was doing that long before they called me pastor david I was doing that as a young believer And I was I don't want to ever pretend that I was some kind of solid great superstar christian I was and I was I was I was a young believer and I was learning how to walk with god I made a lot of sinful mistakes To this day Wish I hadn't but I did but guess what they went into my life to make me aware of who I am now without jesus And I learned a lot of lessons And over time I began to think I want to just be used by god I just in whatever way you want You know in my heart. I wanted to be a pastor teacher I had that sense of call people have asked me when did you know you were called to be a pastor and the answer is The day I got saved The day I got saved there was a sense inside of me This is what I want to do because I went home told my mom and dad You know, I said, you know mom dad becky madeline. I love you praise the lord talk to my sisters afterwards and And my sister madeline went to bed and gave her heart to jesus christ that night the very first convert of my Of my ministry And I began to see the joy of people coming to faith in christ There's nothing greater Than to see somebody who is going to hell turned around going to heaven. There's nothing greater than that Than to know your mom and your dad and your sister and your your brother Your your relatives have found the truth of christ through you There's nothing like that To see that what what what makes you excited again, you know for me I I get I get such a thrill in seeing those whom I love walking with jesus like john spoke about it in his epistles You know it gives me no greater joy than to see my children walking in truth That's the way it is guys What's your greatest joy? What is it that that gets you going what wakes you up in the morning and and fuels you through the day? And is it eternal? Is it eternal? Because it has to be you see There are results In a long walk in the same direction Because according to verse 24 inok walked with god. He was not for god took him It doesn't say he died it says god took him He removed him from the world of terrible evil and relieved his burdened heart He took him as he walked with the lord and their fellowship just continued into eternity And that is the reward Being with him knowing him the only true god in jesus christ You see the reward of the righteous that's to be with him one day We're going to be with him in john 14 1 through 3 let not your heart be troubled you believe in god Believe also in me and my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to myself for where I am there you may be also And my father gave his heart to christ I was a young man at that time My dad gave his heart to jesus. I was 20 years old My dad was 40 44 he had just turned 44 And I was not only his son But over time I was his pastor I led my father to faith in christ as well as my mother And then when I went to the military came out I began a bible study in september of 1973 in my parents home And as I began that bible study there in my parents home my first bible students My mom and my dad my sisters And then some neighbors any neighbor I could bribe to bring over pay them something They would come and listen to me speak at the age of 23 And I ministered to my father And became not just his son david But I became his pastor his pastor david And right now as I'm standing here guys my father Came when we bought this property We didn't have these chairs then we had some very ugly pews. I think her chairs. I do remember rendy pews pews ugly But my mom and my dad I could tell you my mom and my dad where they sat Every sunday my dad would sit just a few rows back right here on the side And he'll always have his arms folded and looking at me And my dad would have that and you know what this feels like My then you too rendy my dad Would just sit there looking at me This is my son But he's also my pastor And he respected me And a lot in my ministry it's sobriety and and Comes because my dad was He needed he needed he needed someone to show him How to walk with god Because my dad never had a bible in his life. He wouldn't allow a bible in our house My mother had a bible. She hid that's the one thing I know my mother did that he didn't want her to do She hid her bible because the only person my dad ever knew Who had read the bible was crazy So he thought that the bible made you crazy So he told my mom you can't have the bible in the house My mom was reading isiah because my mom would read it And she found a portion that says and a little child shall lead them So when I got saved it was out of context, but that phrase stuck with her So when I got saved And I came home and I told my parents about jesus my mom said this is what that verse means This is what it means this little child is going to lead me And guess what guys I did I led them to faith in christ I was their example of a believer and I buried both of them And I will always be grateful that god gave to me the opportunity To live before them to walk in faith So that my mom and my dad I can say I I didn't say goodbye to them I said see you later Because I will see them again in glory and that's what it's about That's what it's about Walk with god Walk with god and and and Put away things that don't matter Walk with the lord. There's a reward for the righteous for when my father was dying. He was he was dying He was he was like in a he was in a coma And daddy was there and I stood next to him and I was looking at him And I quoted to him john 14 You know, I shared with him let not your heart be troubled. Do you believe in god? I believe also in me In my father's house There are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go and prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again receive you unto myself That where I am There you may be also and I still remember touching my dad's head. He no response anymore And he'll just touch my father on the head and I said Jesus is a place for you daddy Jesus has a place for you And when my mother who had fallen she had Broken her back and she stayed in a bed for a year She was bedridden going through dementia and I went and saw her the last time before she died And there she is laying in this bed just a frail little shell of a woman She died not not not long after that last visit and I remember touching my mom's hand As she's just demented looking in my direction not really sure that she's looking at her son anymore And I said the same thing to her There's a reward for the righteous And I kissed her goodbye But I'll see her again And I I loved my my dad goodbye, but I'll see him again Walk with God Walk with God There's nothing greater You can get Anything the world has to offer guys, please remember this Anything that the world has to offer will perish It all does There's only one thing that doesn't and that's what it's done for christ that remains forever And may your life be that kind of life May it be that kind of life And so I'll close with the words of but no old song Rise, oh man of god And have done with lesser things give heart and soul and strengthen mind And serve the king of kings Rise up, oh man of god the church for you does wait Our strength unequal to our task rise up Make her great and that's what god has called us to do rise up in the name of jesus