 testing one, two, three, four, five, five, four, three, two, one. All right, bye, Brandon. Testing one, two, three, four, five. And we welcome you to backstage at Pace Assembly on Wednesday night. Glad for you to join us right now. I want you to take a moment as we're getting ready for service right here at Wednesday night, Bible class at Pace Assembly to share out this broadcast right now. Would you do that to all of your friends on your social media platform? Take time to be able to do that. And I'm coming to you a little bit earlier before the service starts here on Wednesday night as we're getting ready to dig into chapter four of the book Daniel. You'll want to be a part of this study tonight. It is more than powerful each one of these chapters because it is literally nailing what is happening in our world today from the Old Testament prophet Daniel. He saw into the future and what he saw is literally transpiring. So I want you to make sure that you stay with us for tonight's Bible class in the book of Daniel chapter number four. You can download the study or go onto the app, Pace Assembly app. You'll see the little flame there. You can download that and be able to be a part of it as well or go to paceassembly.org on the website. Those of you that may be joining us on Facebook or on YouTube, it's wonderful that you're doing that but I would encourage you to be able to start making your way over to the app or over to Pace Assembly's website. And that way just in case, especially just like this coming weekend, you won't miss anything that's taking place right here. We once again will cut the live stream when we get ready to preach the message because of copyright things that are taking place, permissions. And so you can make sure you go to the website there. Let me just mention to you very quickly about that coming up this weekend will be the third and the final part of the illustrated messages we've been preaching over the past few weeks from Palm Sunday, last weekend, Easter Sunday and this coming weekend will be the finality of these two characters found in the book of Luke that are identified, one of them is Cleopas, the other is an unknown disciple but they are more identified as the two on the road to Emmaus. We've been taking their story over the past couple of weeks and looking through their eyes as what was transpiring not only in their life as the scripture records but especially this coming weekend but what was happening in the life of the environment they were in, they're in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus crucifixion and what they experienced and the utter hopelessness that they had leading up to the resurrection. These two fellows that were going to examine this coming weekend and the message, they missed the greatest part. They saw the crucifixion, they were a part of all that was taking place and walked away hopeless. They left before the resurrection. Whatever you do, my friends, don't leave what God is doing in your life until the resurrection, until there's a comeback. That's the crux of the message that's coming this coming weekend and you will not want to miss it especially following up to the very end of this coming weekend's message. I promise you it will be a faith building event this coming weekend right here at Pace Assembly so don't miss it, mark it down. 10 a.m. you will not want to miss it so log on to pacesamely.org or onto our app and you can see what's taking place this coming weekend here the word of God. I'm going to share some things in tonight's lesson that you will not want to miss as well. Some things that are happening in our news and I've related some of it to you even in teaching some of these lessons over the past few weeks. For instance, one of them is the vaccine passport that you've been hearing a lot about and some people are just writing it off others are literally calling it conspiratorial but the fact is world leaders including our own many nations that have already mandated the vaccine passport and I even read earlier today where they said that the federal government of the United States the White House and so forth will not mandate the vaccine passport. Well, some folks may clap their hands on that and say, wow, all you're saying Pastor Rogers conspiratorial but here what I'm telling you just because it's not mandated doesn't mean that there's not gonna be pressure applied to the situation. I don't know what all that may be and I'm not calling the vaccine the mark of the beast but I am telling you that our world is being conditioned like never before. In fact, you're gonna see a very vivid display of that tonight. I'm gonna play a clip from a cartoon that was published in 2017 that has now been being shown. It is on Netflix and the literal fulfillment of what we read from Revelation 13, conditioning children for the very vaccine passport or a mark in their hand or even in their forehead. You will not wanna miss. I'm gonna bring that to you in a very vivid way as well as the pressure that is being applied to pastors and to churches to comply. In Canada, this past weekend of Easter Sunday, the police and the health department literally showed up, walked into a service and the pastor and great boldness threw them out of the church, rejected them being inside of the building as they were coming to shut it down. One particular church that I'm gonna show you tonight the news report that is in Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, they literally the health department and the police department has literally gone and put a fence up around the church, absolutely forbidding the pastor or those parishioners to go to church at this particular church because they say they violated the health standards and they've done this multiple times and Easter Sunday apparently happened to be the so-called straw that broke the camel's back. And so they've literally put a fence up around the church and forbidden the pastor and the parishioners to be able to even go to their own church. It's amazing and it's shocking for us and some people will say, well, that's in Canada but I can tell you right now, that's not very far and it's certainly not very far off from what could take place here in the United States. I just wanna say to you, this is a time to seek the face of God like never before. These Bible classes on Wednesday night by you tuning in and sharing it out, you're helping to get the word out so that people can not only be informed from the word of God, but we can become biblically literate how critical it is in this hour that we understand what the word of God has to say. There is a particular tribe, there's not a whole lot that is written about them in the word of God, but a tribe, one of the 12 tribes of Israel, that tribe was called Isikar. There were two things noted of that tribe. They knew the conditions of what was going on and they had an understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do is what the Bible says. They literally were the ones who helped to establish the seasonal planting of food or whatever that it may be, but those things are prophetic in their significance. We need to be like the children of Isikar and we need to have the understanding of the times and know what we should do as the people of God. So I wanna encourage you to call your friends right now, text them, share it out on your social media site for tonight's Wednesday night Bible class and just a few moments we're gonna come to the pulpit and teach from the book of Daniel chapter number four. Tonight's lesson deals with the root of it all. What is the root cause of what we're seeing in our world, in our land, what we're seeing in the corruption of those that are in authority, even the corruption of our own heart. What is the root of it? Tonight you're gonna hear about it in just a few moments. So I encourage you to get your paper, pen, your smart device and join with us in this Bible class, receive the word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. In a few moments, you're gonna hear the word of God taught from Daniel chapter number four and then be sure to join us this coming weekend right here at Pace Assembly for the third and final installment of the journey. You'll not wanna miss that. Other upcoming events and information is available at paceassembly.org and we encourage you to go there. You also can be a giver right there online or on the app. Check it out and be a part of what's taking place out here at Pace. Thank you for joining us. So get ready in just a couple of minutes, we're gonna come to you live from right here at Pace Assembly and we look forward to seeing you online with us. God bless you. Stay tuned, we're about to go live right here. In the Lord's house tonight. Come on, let's stand together and have a word of prayer. We welcome all of you that are joining us online from around the world. May the Lord bless you. Share this out and be a part of what's taking place here tonight in this Bible class. As you're taking a look at this prayer sheet for you, I wanna encourage you to remember all of these folks in prayer throughout the rest of this week. Sister Flora Turner is needing our very special prayers. The family of Sister Cavender needs our prayers as well. Steve Dennis in a very special need of prayer and many, many others that are there just before we came into the service tonight. One of our daycare workers' children were in a horrible car wreck on Interstate 10. Thankfully they seem to be doing well but they were taken to the hospital in emergency rooms. So I want you to be sure to hold up Ms. Debra's name and her family in your prayers. The Lord knows who they are. I'm thankful that God is not ignorant concerning who we are and he doesn't have to have us call out every name. If they're in our heart, we can open up our mouth and be able to give that prayer request in and know that God is gonna answer. How many of you have a need in your life? You need the Lord to touch your life in tonight. Look at all those hands. Okay, so here's what I know. God specializes in all of that. Pastor, you don't even know what it is. It really doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. He's a specialist in every area. I'm just gonna tell you whenever, I've got my general practitioner and I can go there for if I'm feeling a little sniffles or something like that. But as things become more intense and I need some specialty things going on, when I shattered my wrist several years ago, my primary doctor had already been informed but I just bypassed him and went straight to the guy who was gonna fix it. And ever since then, he's been my man now. When I go there, he can tell me everything's going on just by the touch of his hand. I'm preaching right now. I don't think you're listening. I said he knew exactly what was going on without me even having to say anything. He would reach over. Have you ever had the doctor do that to you before? Doc, I don't know where. It's just hurting in this area. He would reach over there and take it and smash it right in the place. Oh, there's where it hurts. Do you know that the Lord knows right where you hurt? He knows right what you have need of. Well then, Pastor, why do we need to pray? You need to pray to hear your own self. To be able to say, Lord, I need your help. Way too many people think they got this down pat until they give themselves into a situation. And every bit of that has to do with our subject matter in tonight's lesson. So when you call on the Lord, don't hold anything back. Don't give God the big stuff and keep the small stuff for yourself. I wish I had somebody here. I said, don't give God, God, I got this, but if you could handle this. No, he said casting all of our cares upon him because he cares for us. Come on, lift those hands and let's go before the throne. Father in heaven, we thank you tonight for the goodness of God, your mercy that is everlasting and true. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are a shield all around us. You're a fire by night and a cloud by day. Your mighty presence is so real that we sent you in this place right now and we just only entered into your gates with thanksgiving. Lord, we pray right now for every request, every name that is listed in every hand that has been raised here tonight and those that are online that are needing the very special touch of God inside of their life. Lord, would you just reach out and minister to them in your own very specialized way? Your nail-scarred hand can heal any hurt. Your stripes can heal any disease. Lord, your presence and your spirit surrounding their life can bring peace into every situation or every person that needs that special touch. You're the specialist we call upon you tonight. We bypass all of the other gods and we go straight to the God and it is the God of all gods, the king of all kings. Bless your people tonight. Help us, Lord Jesus, to receive the needed food from the table of God and we give you praise for it in Jesus' mighty and matchless name. And everybody believes it shot a great big amen. Would you find about 10 people to let them know how glad you are to see them here tonight? While I tell all of you that are watching online, thank you for taking time to be a part of this Bible class tonight. I promise you that the word of God is gonna give you strength that you have need of and the presence of the Lord is gonna be real right where you are. So we thank you for taking time to join with us tonight. When you set the word of God as a priority, God's gonna set you as a priority and you're in the right place at the right time. Would you take time to share this out on your social media? Let other people know that it's live at Paisa Selian Bible class tonight. Get your Bible, get your smart device, whatever that it may be and let's go into the word of God in just a moment. Praise God. Glad to have all of you joining us online this evening and all of you here in the main sanctuary, what a blessing. I wanna take time to be able to give into the kingdom of God and you know that it's a blessing to give more than it is received. Can you say amen to that? So take out your smart device, the envelopes that are provided for you, whatever that you do to give, whatever mechanism that is. Take time to do that right now. If you have reoccurring giving, you can put that in on your app and then you don't even have to worry about it. It didn't just come out. That's a lot of the way that people have been doing. Whatever way you give, let the Lord bless your life by you taking the first step. That first step is being able to say, Lord, I trust you with all of my heart and here is my offering, my tithe back to you and God will bless your life. Amen. Father, thank you tonight for the privilege we have to give. Open up the heavens upon your people, we pray, and bless their lives, bless their businesses. We pray God that you had blessed them going out and coming in. If they don't have a job, open the door. I pray for that job, that opportunity, whatever that it may be tonight. God, you're the one who is the provider, you're our great giver, and you supply all of our needs according to your riches and glory by Christ Jesus. We give you praise for it tonight in Jesus' name. Everybody say to get amen. Praise God, God bless you tonight as you give into the kingdom just to mention to you a couple of things you need to be aware of and I encourage you to make plans to be with us this coming Sunday morning at 10 a.m. What a tremendous crowd was here for Easter and I always look for that in every service. So just don't worry about who you invite. If you're not worried about rejection, just invite everybody you see. If you've got a problem with rejection, you might have a fence, but I just invite everybody. I just ask them, where do you go to church? That's my, you know, you attend in church somewhere. And a lot of times they'll say, yeah, I'm attending. I say, where you go? They say, well, I go down here to such and such church. I say, well, who's the pastor? They ain't going to church. Go ahead and invite them to come to pay, say amen. And I just encourage you to do that this coming weekend. I promise you, you will not want to miss this weekend's service. It's gonna be tremendous. We need a few more men specifically to help us to preach the gospel this weekend. So if you can do that, you see my wife up here on the front row after the service, we need you to be able to do that. Everybody I tell this cast over the past couple of weeks, they've been helping me to preach the gospel. They're the preachers. I do less preaching during these illustrated sermons than ever. And so the preachers are the ones that are acting it out and making it real and illustrated. So I encourage you to be here, bring somebody with you. We're gonna throw the gospel net again this coming weekend. And it's gonna be a tremendous opportunity for you to see your loved ones say, it's needed now more than ever before. Can you say amen to that? And so I just, I'm giving you an opportunity to be able to do the greatest thing that you could ever offer to anybody. Don't worry about their birthday gift, give them Jesus. Don't worry about what you're gonna get them for whatever, give them Jesus and invite people to church. And I promise you, most people are just looking for that invite. Why is that so important? The latest Gallup poll said that less than 50%, less than 50% for the first time in the life of the United States of America, less than 50% have church membership anywhere. Meaning there's a greater amount of people who are not affiliated with the church, most likely not attending whatever. That's a harvest field. Thank you for those three, amen. I said that's a harvest field. Amen. What farmer plants seed, watches it grow up, works the field, does all those kind of things and then doesn't go out and reap the harvest. You know what Jesus said in the last days? He said, pray the Lord of the harvest. Pray the Lord of the harvest that he would send for the laborers into the harvest for the harvest is great, but the laborers are few. I can't stress to you how important that it is that you're part of that. So don't miss it this weekend. Of course, the other announcements that are available for you, tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, we can sure use some volunteers to be able to come and help clean the church, get things prepared. We literally are hosting, starting tomorrow late, tomorrow afternoon, and then all day Friday and Saturday, we are hosting here at Pace Assembly, the West Florida District Fine Arts, the Youth Convention and the Fine Arts Festival, which is geared towards young people and them displaying their ministry gifts and what God's called them into. Years ago, it was singing and preaching. Now it's expanded itself to art and multiple other areas because we found out that there's a lot of kids that have different gifts in different areas. So they're gonna be using all of the facilities all the way up until five o'clock this coming Saturday afternoon, and then we come in for rehearsal at five o'clock, get ready for Sunday, and get ready for the Lord to do great things on Sunday. So pray for all that's happening, and we could use your help here tomorrow and even Friday, if you wanna come volunteer, help clean, it will help because our staff is running as hard as they can. I can't brag enough on our staff and what God is doing and using our staff to be able to do, but I can tell you there's only a limited amount of them. I was talking with a business owner out of our church today, who said, Esther, I just can't get people to work. I can't find people that wanna be able to work. And you saw it in the newspaper the other day, they said down in the bar, please, they got signs up there. Please be patient with our waitresses. We are working on a limited staff. I see help wanted signs everywhere. Listen, if you could teach your children anything, teach them to work. And if you're not working, why? I'm this, I'm that. You can do something, whether it's at your home or whatever, don't lose that attitude of work. That's what God gave you to start with. And Jesus said, my father works and so do I. So let's do something for the kingdom, whatever that it is. Somebody said, all I can do is pray. Pray, get on your knees at home and pray like you never have. Call on the Lord. You can tell God stuff at your home. You can't say out loud other places. I talked to you about, to God in my private closet of prayer, I say things about you I can't say out here. Because I love you, amen. So don't forget that. We would appreciate you being a part of it. Before I get into this study, I know I'm running a little short on time right here and we're gonna get there. But I must bring you up to speed on what's taking place, not only in our world, in our nation, in our close neighbor in Canada specifically. Please roll this videotape and watch carefully what's taking place this past weekend. I'm in the church. You know, the supporters have many more. I've been in the community of the culture. Gold, things that flow as life on earth. I can't be now or how it is growing here. Describe who the institutional are. I've mentioned that at times it was 10th this morning. We're gonna have a lot of people like church are just standing around the next slide. And it's one of the road that's blocked off to the church and they're talking to security and some of the RCMP officers. Right now things do appear quite calm. RCMP on scene as well as AHS, a private security company, as well as the fence company who set up a barrier all around the church. Plenty of media here as well this morning. So the road in front of the church is blocked off. And again, there's a few layers of fencing that have been set up around the entire church. Police showed up here around 7.30 this morning in a statement. AHS says it has physically closed Grace Life Church and has prevented access to the building until the church can demonstrate the ability to comply with restrictions from Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health. Now Grace Life Church has been regularly defying the rules since December. Our cameras have seen people entering the church on numerous occasions, not wearing masks, as well as hugging outside of the church. Pastor James Coates spent time in jail for breaking COVID-19 health measures. Now under Alberta's public health orders masks are mandatory and churches are restricted to 15% capacity. The church and its pastor are set to appear in court in May charged with violating measures under the Public Health Act. I did speak to RCMP. They weren't able to tell us how long they anticipate on being out here, but of course we will be following this throughout the day and moving forward. Venesh. Certainly a lot of people watching what's unfolding there. Kim, thank you so much. You're welcome. Good afternoon everyone. So they put fences up. Who did that? Well, the police enforced it, but the health department closed it down and put fences up and prohibited the pastor and the parishioners from going to their church. Well, pastor, they violated the law. When the word of God and the word of government collide, the word of God prevails. Now, I can tell you right now that many Christians are not prepared for what's coming. This is in Canada. It's going to come to America. This past weekend on Easter Sunday morning, the police in Calgary, you can read this article online as well. The police in Calgary, in Canada, went into the Calgary Street Church pastored by Arthur Palałowski, who is a Polish immigrant who understood what it meant to be under Polish dictatorship and communism. And when you can watch this video online, as a matter of fact, when the police showed up on Easter Sunday morning to shut down their church on Easter Sunday morning for violating COVID restrictions, this fateful pastor and this man of God demanded that they leave the premises until they came back with a warrant. You're right, it's good. Thank God Franklin Graham is standing up with him. There's not going to be many pastors that are going to do that because it's too easy to cow down. But I got news for you, and you better understand this, that if they come to shut this church down, we're going to keep on serving the Lord. Pastor, that'll never happen. You better not hide out and watch. You better be prepared to stand when the time comes to stand. It's not a threat. I'm just telling you right now that you must prepare yourself for what is coming. It's coming. They, the health department, not the FBI, not the military, not even the local police. They just carried out the order of the health department. Now I've told you about the vaccine passports in our study here. I told you last week, you remember I was talking to you about the fact that the government said we're not going to do this, but we're going to give it over to 17 different corporations and they're going to be the ones who's going to handle the data and so forth. Remember I told you that? Well, this past week, personal data from 533 million people on Facebook was leaked to hackers. I'm telling you, my friends, that we're seeing a world like we have never seen. And our children are going to inherit it. And the one thing I want my grandchildren and my children to hear is that their daddy and their grandfather made the stand when it was necessary. Are you hearing what I'm saying? Because the indoctrination of children, one of our staff, one of their children, the requirement in the school was to write an essay on the vaccine and vaccinations. And the whole purpose was to get them to be able to understand the need to be able to push that entire deal. If you've taken the vaccine, that's your free moral agent and right to do so. But to indoctrinate children and to use children to push the agenda is morally wrong. And if you think they're pushing just a little bit, please consider this Netflix cartoon. That I'm showing you right now. Charter City is stunned by the sudden rollout of Rook Unlimited's most fantastic device ever. The smart mark. Throw your other devices away because the smart mark is more than just a phone. It's part of you. Use it as cash. Book your travel. And even shoot video. Distribution points are all over the city. And don't let the lines discourage you. The Rook Unlimited smart mark is worth the wait. I never realized how wonderful technology could make me feel. The smart mark has brought order to my life. And the best part? It's absolutely free. A gift of thanks to our city from Rook Unlimited. 23% of the population has been given the smart mark number one. Time to test our system number six. The Flix fighters are out there somewhere. Teaming up with Jonathan Rook. Let's put our new recruits to work. Suddenly. We should find the Flix fighters. We ought to find the Flix fighters. We should find the Flix fighters. We should find the Flix fighters. Okay, you can shut it. This is a cartoon that was produced in 2017. It came out in 18, 19. It is still going on even today. And your children and children that are biblically illiterate. And not raising Christian homes as well. Are being indoctrinated through cartoon. Wonder what that says to you. I mean, do I need to read it out of Revelation 13? Or are you seeing what's taking place? Now, here's the startling thing for you. This is one of only a handful of churches that will bother to even tell you that this is going on. It's much easier for us to come in have a little bagel, drink a little coffee, hear a little sermon, Ed, and send you out the door without conviction, without thought, and without what's going on. And the majority of churches, 98% of churches will not touch anything concerning end time events because it's too connected to Q-non or whatever else. Well, long before there was any Q-non or anybody else, there was John the Revelator, who wrote down what you're seeing happening right now. And, you know, here's the great issue for me. Every time I stand in this pulpit, because there is so much that is flooding and is hitting in the time that we're in, that it can be very overwhelming, except if you know the book, I don't have to wait on Netflix to produce a cartoon to tell me how the story is going to end if I live right, walk right, and do what God's called me to do. So you're going to hear it from this pulpit. I'm going to show you this stuff. And I want you to be educated and understand the times and know what we are supposed to do. And if you'll do that, you'll protect your children in the days that are ahead from being indoctrinated into a world that is headed towards the Antichrist faster than what we could ever imagine. How many of you are born again in this building? How many of you right now, if the trumpet sounded, you're ready to go right now, throw that hand up in the air? Well, give the Lord a great hallelujah right there. Would you do it? Why is that so important? Because Reverend Senator Warnock from the state of Georgia said this past weekend in his Easter message that in his comments that were made that the resurrection and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ's resurrection, it's far, it's more than that. It's left up to us. His implication in his message was we can save ourselves. Now this is a senator. Okay? So when the leaders of government, and you're seeing it, why am I bringing that up? Because in the leaders of government, just like in the days of Daniel, when that starts transpiring, you're going to watch a nation that once was great in the eyes of the world and was the greatest missionary advance that has ever been on this planet, the United States of America, is in more than a free fall. It's so important that we are prepared biblically to understand the times, and I'm telling you what people want to close in the Old Testament up and say that's irrelevant for today. I'm telling you reveals what's happening in the time that we're in right now. It's amazing. It's amazing to me. The more I study it, the more I see it, the more that I understand that we are living not only in biblical times, but we're living in the end of days. There is no doubt about it. For the church. The world is not going to end. The world is going to keep right on spinning. And the climate changers are going to say, we're glad all those people that we're eating up the resources are gone, more for us. And you know what? I'll be glad I'm gone too. Until that time, I must occupy and work while it is day. This is the time that we've got to be doing what God's called us to do. So let's get the word of God in our spirit. Father, thank you now for the opportunity to study your word. Open it to our understanding. I pray and help us to see the reality of where we are. Not Lord for someone else, but for us personally, individually this evening. We give you praise for it. In Jesus' name, everybody said a good amen. I want you to, you can open your Bibles to Daniel chapter four is where we are tonight, but I should have put this up front. But I want you to take your little hand out and go all the way down to the back because I want to run these first before we go through this lesson and get an understanding of what this is all about. And I'm going to give away, I'm going to give away the hook line of the root of it all, which is tonight's lesson. What is the root of all sin? What is the root of all corruption? What is the root of all problems that we're seeing right now? Pride. So I want you to see the list, the symptoms, and I've listed a few of them for you. First of all, the symptoms of pride, ignoring the need of others. So hear me, volunteerism and all that kind of thing everywhere is down, but even in the church. So when the church, listen, if the church is the volunteer agency and it is, I'm sorry, I have not seen anybody with a sign out there that said, atheists passing out food. Never seen an atheist hospital. Come on somebody. No, it's the faith based churches that people that care for other people because that is kingdom work. Jesus said, I didn't come for myself. I came for others. If you ever lose that pride is on the horizon. Secondly, the view most things from your own perspective, your perspective only. Speak too quickly and listen slowly. These are the symptoms. Concentrate only on what you want to say next rather than what the other person is saying. Have you ever talked to anybody like that? Measure success by title position, salary, possessions. Pride, argumentive. Quick to blame others. Slow to admit you're wrong. Quick to look down on others. I just gave you a few of these tonight because when we look through this, I don't want you to be looking at somebody else. I want you to let these symptoms get a little check up here tonight because if you say to someone or you ask someone, do you have pride? The immediate response is always no. Nobody thinks they have pride. Now there is a healthy pride, okay? But I'm talking about the arrogant from the core of Lucifer himself. Pride that brought him down. Hear me. And bring everybody else down too. One of the many signs for the tribulation is the great outpouring of apostasy, the falling away. Never thought I would see that but we're seeing it today. Apostasy, people are falling away from the faith by the masses and COVID has had a great deal to do with that. Fuel for apostasy. If we see people falling away from the faith, then what is it that has crept in there before they actually say I'm done with it? It is pride. Pride is the fuel for apostasy. So with that in mind, the one attitude that can cause the most devastation in your personal life, in your life, is pride. Creeping in unnoticed, ignoring it, and it grows like a disease. On your paper, let's just get it right. The root, the basic root of all sin is pride. And where did it start? Isaiah 14, 12 through 17 gives us this very clear information that speaking from Satan from the beginning, speaking about Satan or Lucifer from the beginning, Isaiah writes in verse 12, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, that's where pride starts, I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High God, notice that all the eyes that are in there. Yet thou shall be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. They that see thee. Now this is important because the adversary, your enemy Satan, presents himself to be this gigantic personality that can overwhelm you. But I came to tell you tonight as always and will always have more power and is bigger and greater than Satan ever thought about being. Look into the prophetic future in verse number 16 of the reality of your adversary, your enemy Satan. Listen, we blame things on Satan that he goes, hey, I didn't have nothing to do with that. Look at the Word of God. They that see thee shall narrowly, you know what, you know, squint. Really? Look upon thee and consider thee saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble that did shake nations? This wimpy little imp. See, some of y'all are afraid to say amen right now because you're afraid the devil's going to hit you at the front door and knock you out. And I got news for you, he is a little imp. And the Bible says that when we see, we're going to see, oh, we're going to, he's going to be put on parade as he marches himself down to the abyss. And you're going to get the pleasure of knowing that the one who has tormented you all your life has been banished to the lake of fire and you didn't have to do anything about it. God took care of it all. Every disease, every sin, every problem you've ever had comes from this imp Satan who likes to magnify him, presents himself as an angel of light, likes to magnify himself as if he's greater than God. The Bible says in verse 17 that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof that opened not the house of his prisoners. Are you kidding me? In other words, the Scripture says from Isaiah, you mean this is that little guy? This is the guy that's been tor- I've been afraid of this. You need to get the perspective of the Word of God. Because what is it, ladies and gentlemen, what is it that has got this work? What is it that closed that church down? What is it that made them walk into that church? What is it that still has people today in the United States of America that are not having church services, they're not doing anything? My media guy Ryan here told me he's part of a Facebook media group of a bunch of different churches, and he said an overwhelming told us today. He said the overwhelming amount of comments on there is one another finding out are you done with your online services for this weekend? In other words, editing and putting them out there so that they can be broadcast. Not having live service. Ladies and gentlemen, the number one negative emotion from the very beginning of the world was fear. And Satan has been using that very effectively since the day of the garden. And he has captured not only people that are already away from God, but he has captured Christians in their heart with the spirit of fear. And I remind you tonight from 1st Timothy 1.7, God has not given you the spirit of fear. So if you are wrapped up in fear about COVID or anything else, I don't care what it is. Reject that spirit. It's a spirit. I said it's a spirit. You've got to pull down that thing and rise faith up in your heart and say I will not succumb to this mentality. Pastor, you ever afraid? I've been afraid. Everybody in here has been afraid at some point or another. But I'm not going to let it rule my life. I will kill the snake and keep on walking. I'm not going to sit there and listen there. Oh, water markets and try to get up inside of our house here around the corner several years ago. He was slithering his way in because he smelt the water in the backyard what was available there. He was trying to find that watering hole. He's trying to wiggle his way into that screen. The only thing that kept him out was the screen that we had around the back porch. And when I saw that going on, he gave me the willies right there. I didn't even walk out the fence. But I said, and so did my wife, somebody, well, there you go. I don't know what happened there. Behold, I am back. I said, somebody, and she said, you have got to go kill that snake. I'm just telling you right now, I didn't take my gun out there because, you know, one bullet, I need something that's going to splatter him all over the place. So I took the shovel and the axe. I mean, I had several weapons. I didn't know which one was going to work, but I was going to load it to the game. Come on, somebody. I'm going to hit him with everything. Run over him with the car. He will be dead. Because I found out years ago, and I've read the story, I've preached about it before. Even when you cut the head of a snake off, it still has reactionary pulses so it can still bite. Come on, somebody. I'm going to flatten that joker out like a pancake and then burn him. And then bury him. When I put that shovel up on the head of that snake, he started squirming and flipping and flopping around. And all that was in me, see? Somebody said, oh, Pastor, I'm not scared. Yeah, let's throw a snake on you. I held that snake and he was wiggling around. I'm saying, Lord, I got to get this thing, this guy's head cut off because, because just holding him down and him hitting the, hitting, listen, y'all ain't hearing me. Hitting the end of that shovel was sending vibrations up that handle on that shovel. And I was feeling it right here in the pit of my stomach. Y'all laugh all you want to, but we start handling snakes in this church. We'll see who's spiritual. That's the reason why I said, you'd be shocked to know how many people have asked me, y'all handle snakes over there. I say, yeah, come on. We got one for you and you and you. Now, before you write me letters, we don't handle snakes. We kill them all. You hear me? Black on yellow, red, orange on green means this. Uh-uh, every snake that I encounter is a dead snake. I read today that those little green, what do you call it, garden snakes are not supposed to be handled. They got some kind of thing going on, whatever. I said, I don't care. I'll kill them all. Because every one of them represent the devil to me. Somebody got to kill the snake. Somebody can't be afraid to get up and say, that's a devil going on and we're not going to have it in our house. That joker was trying to get in the house, brother Jackson. And if I didn't do anything, he would have found his way through a hole in there. So kill the snake. Kill the fear. We're talking about pride tonight. And pride, pride is the exact, go back, pride is the exaggeration and dishonest evaluation. I'm sorry, y'all. I'm with it back there. Here we go, here we go. There it is. And dishonest evaluation of self. Pride is the exaggerated and dishonest evaluation of self. You ask somebody, are you telling somebody, hey man, you got a little pride going, uh-huh. A little pride. Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing pride on parade. From people, from leaders, from politicians and preachers. Are you hearing me? People that know that they've got mess going on in their life, but they will not humble themselves. And then God has to throw out there on the newspaper and everywhere else and put it on display. Well, pastor, you think that's, is that really right? You should read this Bible. God said, if you don't deal with that sin, I'm gonna shout it from the house top on that day of judgment. Pride, write it down, is the sin that reproduces sin. So you've got to go to the root of the problem. You can't fool around with the leaves on the tree. Most preachers want to deal with the leaves on the tree. You better stop that smoking, stop that drinking, stop that chewing, and going with people who do. But if you're gonna do it, Jesus said, I'm gonna lay the axe to the root of this problem. I don't know. Roundup was not in my day growing up. Okay, people just want to spray something on it and walk away. But it wasn't clean until, until I got out there on my hands and knees as a small schoolboy and pulled the weeds out of the cracks in the driveway. Sin, pride is the sin that reproduces sin. If you don't go to the root of the problem, and it might try to wiggle its way up. You know what I'm talking about? I drove across Garcon Point Bridge here a few years ago, and there was a plant growing right up out of the concrete. No soil anywhere around. Pride is the sin that reproduces sin. Look, look at, look at how, what God thinks in Proverbs 6. These six things that the Lord hate, He doesn't just not like them, He hates it. What are they? Ye seven are an abomination in Him. Here it is. A proud look. A lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that divides with wicked imaginations. Feet that are swift in running to mischief. A false witness that speaketh lies, and He that soweth discord among the brethren. What else does He say about it? Oh, God's got some things to say about pride. Here's Proverbs 16.5. Everyone proud in heart. This is from the New King James Version. Is an abomination to the Lord. Though they join forces, none will go unpunished. You rest assured, my dear friends, that when the time comes, God's gonna judge it with a rod of iron. So what are we looking at this for? Because in chapter four of the book of Daniel, we have the outline of the, of the vision that, and here's a second vision and dream that Nebuchadnezzar has had, which is basically his personal testimony, lifelong personal testimony of how God took him from the heights of the Babylonian kingdom to the depths of destruction. And you find that in chapter four of the book of Daniel. Daniel chapter four verse one says, Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people, nations and languages. Why does he say that? For everybody to know what took place. This is, this is Nebuchadnezzar's story in retrospect given and written down by Daniel. He said, that dwell in the earth, peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the God hath wrought toward me. Verse three, how great are his signs and how mighty are his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion is from generation to generation. Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house and flourishing in my palace and I saw a dream which made me afraid. Look at that, look at that. Bible says be not afraid of sudden fear. This dream made him fearful. And the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. King Nebuchadnezzar was thinking about the experiences and the power he possessed when this dream came upon him and he calls it a troubling dream. Now get this down. He says this. He said approximately, here's the story, the backstory, approximately 30 years after Nebuchadnezzar's first dream Daniel was about 45 years old and King Nebuchadnezzar reigned about that time from 30, 35 years of his reign going on. This is when this story is being told. He's become a powerful ruler in the world. He's reflecting on all of his greatness in chapter number four, his opulence, his elegance, his hanging gardens, the seven wonders of the world and what happens, King Nebuchadnezzar was feeling content and filled with pride and self-satisfaction when he dreamed another disturbing dream. You know as long as nothing disturbs our nest many people are content to keep doing whatever they want to do thinking God is letting them do it. In some cases even approving and blessing it when they know it to be sin. And see the danger right now is we're in what's called the dispensation of grace. God doesn't deal with mankind exactly like he did in the Old Testament with judgments that came when they came in the Old Testament they swifed and said Moses comes down off the mountain with the Ten Commandments. Joshua says, hey there's a sound of war. Moses said that in war that's an orgy. He gets down to find this golden calf that's been shaped, people bowing down dancing around naked around this thing and the whole camp is in an uproar thinking that Moses has gone up in the mountain and died. But ho! There are sudden surprise breaking news. Here comes Moe down the mountain He commands everybody who's on the Lord's side to get over here. The Levites stepped out. The tribe of Levi stepped out and got on the side of Moses and the earth opened up and immediately judgment fell closed up and the great fear the Bible said fell upon the rest of the nation of Israel as they watched their loved ones and relatives who were in rebellion against God were immediately judged for that sin. The danger of the time we're in right now is this while God is just as much mercy and justice today as he was back in the days of the Exodus his long-suffering loving kindness in the dispensation of grace is giving people an opportunity to be able to come to him and the door has been open and sudden judgment as is in the Old Testament does not come like that today in that form. But rest assured judgment is coming. So to sin away your days of grace or to act like God is not going to judge me is a foolish thing and it is pride-filled for that matter. Verse 6, made I decree to bring all the wise men Babylon, I won't read all this to you but here he is calling in the magicians the astrologers, the Chaldeans, the Seussayers none of them could do anything about it in fact Nebuchadnezzar called for all these wise men of Babylon once again look at this, listen to this depending on human reasoning and understanding to figure out a spiritual problem where are we at today right now in America we are leaning upon human wisdom that leads to a depravity of sin and pride when we're actually dealing with a spiritual problem of our nation come on somebody we don't need another law we need a revival the Hebrew text tells us that these wise men didn't know in fact they did not even watch this they did not even attempt to use their books in formula because they already knew they were so paralyzed with fear they remembered what happened the last time and they didn't want to open their mouths verse 8 and 9 tells us very clearly that Nebuchadnezzar then calls for Daniel once again to come and interpret the dream and he does and in verse number 8 in your King James the Bible uses the word finally that's a very significant word to the biblical text right here because Daniel entered in other words after he had exhausted all this other human ingenuity and means finally he calls for the man of God to come and that's something how we wait until we've done everything we can do and then we say oh God call on him first call on him in the middle call on him at the end but whatever you do don't leave him out and wait till the end and then finally I'm gonna call well I guess I'll pray now I've done everything I know come on somebody Daniel waited till all the others why did that happen well there's a lot of reasons but number one can I tell you God shares his glory with no man and whenever God's timing takes place God brings the man or the woman of God on the scene so that every other mean is completely exhausted think about it I'll just tell you this very quickly when my uncle you've heard me tell this testimony before was dying with polio right over here in Pensacola the physicians everybody was working on them and my grandparents were standing out the window because just like COVID they would not let them go in they're looking through the window I mean whenever all this started taking place out of my mind immediately went there he was quarantined because polio was highly contagious that whole deal and from Fort Walton Beach to Pensacola when he left Fort Walton he was still raising the fork to his mouth by the time he got to Pensacola the disease had taken over so much that he was completely paralyzed from the neck down and he laid in that condition for days on end my grandparents stood out the window put up a little stoop and my short grandmother stood up there and prayed and they prayed and cried day after day and he couldn't even open his own mouth to feed himself that time went on and all of the efforts everything was done was completely exhausted and the doctor said we're going to suit you up and let you come in because he's not going to be here much longer we're going to let you be able to come in and be a little close I mean when all this was going on with COVID and the whole bed I'm thinking this whole deal on the day that they were to go in to see him for the last time their pastor from Fort Walton Beach who had not shown up anointed man of God walked into that place they said sir you can't go in here he said I'm going to pray for that boy right there God's going to heal him today they said Mr. Ms. Barnett you stay right here I'm going in boy I feel the power of God now he walked into that bedside he made hands on that on my uncle prayed the prayer of faith nothing happened at that moment he turned around walked out the door he said Mr. Ms. Barnett get ready to take your boy home he's healed he walked out the door and went back to the house less than 24 hours later the feeling started coming back in his feet it started coming back in his hands and to this day he lives right over here on Stallman Road in Pensacola Florida still living for the testimony of God what am I saying to you after all is done God oh my God when you count it out and you say it can't be done there is a resurrection that is still possible because with God all things are possible to him that believes so finally they call old Daniel and Daniel comes in what happens with him Daniel through the wisdom of God starts giving the details of what's going on he enters in to interpret this dream and what takes place here he is he starts talking about the very details he said the dream Nebuchadnezzar involves a gigantic tree Nebuchadnezzar had this dream of a tree that was cut down to a stump but the roots were still there I want you to get this the tree was cut down the stump was there and the roots were still there leaving the stump but the root did not die come on somebody the second part of the dream reveals that the tree took on a human life and the tree became a man so what is the interpretation verse 19 through 26 gives us that information the dream troubled Daniel so much that it terrified him look at this here's a man of God when you know that you're walking with the Lord you will see I mean when I showed my wife this video of this church having a fence around it this afternoon I said come here look at this they're putting a fence up and forbidding the church and the pastor to come in there she started weeping when we look upon even the heathen of this world and we see the destruction that is in there we ought not to clap our hands because somebody put blood in a tennis shoe and sell that thing out there in the mockery of Jesus Christ I want you to know we ought to weep and wail ladies and gentlemen for the loss that are out there I'm telling you Noah wasn't having himself a little coffee party with bagels at church inside of that arch that he and his family were in I see him weeping and wailing over the masses of people that were going to perish unless they got in the ark and the church began to weep and to wail again and the Bible says it's then that sons and daughters will be born into the kingdom of God are you with me it terrified him it troubled him until the king tried to even make it easy for Daniel so King Nebuchadnezzar would be driven away here's the story this is the dream he says listen you're going to be driven away live as a wild animal and eat grass like a cow for seven years until he acknowledges the most high God let me tell you what pride will do pride will put you in places that you said you thought you would never be one day you were the CEO of the company and the next day you're being led away in shackles Mr. Madoff that's what's happening in our world today where people are so arrogant that they know that they should humble themselves before God but they keep the pretense up everything's okay I've got money I can buy my way out you might buy your way out of jail in the courtroom but you ain't going to put down enough money to get you out of hell because eventually you keep going in that direction come on somebody here's the one positive element always leaves hope on the table I'm going to try that on again for you here tonight because whatever it looks like I want you to know God always leaves hope on the table and you remember the dream said the dream said that Daniel says that the human man the man the trunk and all that was cut down but there was still a stump and the root that did not die would you write down Job chapter 14 Job chapter 14 I don't know if it's on your paper I don't think it is write it down here's a incredible passage of Scripture Job 14 verse 7 and 9 for there is hope for a tree if it be cut down that it will sprout again and that the tender branch thereof will not cease though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stock thereof die in the ground yet through the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant you think it's over and God said let me send a little bit of rain to you and I'll show you what looks like it's dead can come back to life again oh my God boy if I were you I'd be shouting but that's alright you just sit there so verse 27 says this as we continue in Daniel chapter number 4 this is this period of grace here let my advice be acceptable to you break off your sins here's the man of God Daniel preaching to the king that's the reason why I'm not afraid to look in that camera here tonight and with all humility I say Mr. President, Ms. Vice President and all of Congress and Supreme Court and everybody else humble yourself before the almighty God repeat now before you lead America into such destruction that we may never come back from that therefore old king let your advice be acceptable and do you break off your sins by being righteous he said this is the only right you're going to get out of this man you're going to have to humble yourself he says listen by showing mercy to the poor what can I do get away from your sins and start living being righteous what else by showing mercy to the poor and perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity perhaps renounce your sin and do right and God patiently waited another whole year ladies and gentlemen waited for him to repent and he never repented did you hear what I just said God gave him grace for another 12 months and he kept right on doing what he wanted to do what was the king's response the king's response to the grace of God was arrogant and hardened in the face of a clear warning ladies and gentlemen if that's not where we are in America right now I don't know what is 800 year old volcanoes are waking up and spewing ash into the atmosphere to the degree that it deflects planes over Iceland and Reykjavik you know what they said there in Iceland you Jews we have outlawed circumcision for you there will be none of that here in Iceland and the day they passed that law an 800 year old volcano in Reykjavik Iceland exploded and rocked that atmosphere you don't hear me this is a clear warning verse number 30 through 31 the king's fake and said it's not this great Babylon that I have built for that you remember when we read Isaiah and satan is saying I will I will I will when it's all about you are we there if I don't get appreciated if I don't get my check if I I I I people have no idea that they have allowed the seed of pride to settle in their own heart because it becomes all about them he said I'm the one who built this kingdom it was my honor and for my power my glory verse 31 while the word was listen to this this is powerful while the word was in the king's mouth there fell a voice from heaven saying oh King Nebuchadnezzar to thee it is spoken the kingdom is departed from thee listen ladies and gentlemen even in the king's rebellion and arrogance the Lord did not totally remove his grace from Nebuchadnezzar verse 34 through 36 lets us know this that at the end of days I Nebuchadnezzar this is his own testimony there's some people in this church right here that's got that testimony I've had people that have shared their testimony all the guys that were at the stake a few nights ago and Ben Martin was sharing his incredible testimony it's a testimony that he was cut down the tree was cut down but the root was still alive you're seeing in his life sitting right here on this front row tonight a tree that has come back to life because he smelled the water of the Lord and came running and said I thirst come on he would tell you he had pride driving that Porsche up and down marketing the drugs and doing everything else that was going on because God will get your attention won't he do it you keep messing around God will get your attention wait wait wait time out it's not bad luck or fate or the stars are against me or it's what will you call it not nirvana but karma yeah bad karma I can assure you that the gods of Hindus have got nothing to do with it there's a devil that's bent for your destruction all you got to do is read this word right here the thief comes up for to still kill and destroy but ah Jesus said have come to give you life and life more abundantly so he goes on to give his testimony Nebuchadnezzar does I returned under me and I blessed the most high God I'm going to tell you all you had to do is just ask Jonah Jonah went to the whale motel spent three days in there getting his skin bleached out white from the acid of that whale swimming around in there with everything that he ate he told God I'm going this way I don't have nothing to do with those heathen Ninevites when he got down in the whale motel and spent three days in there read his prayer oh lord I'm paraphrasing oh lord what wilt thou have me to do right now come on somebody when that whale came up and spit him up on the shore and he smelled like whale vomit seaweed wrapped around his neck his skin bleached out white from the acid in that stomach he didn't stop to take a bath you want to know why the Ninevites repeated because they smelled him coming a mile down the road at that time he hit Ninevite he was in a full stride holler and repeat repeat before destruction come and the whole city fell on their face wow Nebuchadnezzar did what this is such a story Nebuchadnezzar repented and returned to the throne look at what God does this joker was a heathen pride filled arrogant endless and God turned it around and made his kingdom greater in the end than it was before this Nebuchadnezzar left no doubt in verse 37 of his clear now you remember before he had the dream and then a span of time because his convenient memory lost he forgot all about what Daniel told him in the start so he just wanted to add other gods to his already gods and by the time Shadrach Meshach and Abednego show up he's ready to throw them into fire he still didn't learn anything but after seven years can you folks please let me watch this God said Nebuchadnezzar seven years you're going to eat grass like a cow and the bible goes you read it for yourself only have time to get the details his fingernails grew like claws there was no doubt to the people of Babylon saying to themselves I mean he was he was the subject at the beauty shop hey did you pass by the field our king eating grass like a cow how humiliating you're not going to like this should I say it or should I not if God dealt with the leaders of America like he dealt with Nebuchadnezzar we might need some pasture land in Pace, Florida the guy who sat on the throne yesterday brother Zepp is in the field today eating grass like a cow moo and why do we that we can do stuff with pride in our hearts when God snatched the throne so hard away from Nebuchadnezzar that he was eating not the bread and the butter of the palace the grass of the field I'm going to listen here's the bible if you don't humble yourself you will be humiliated there was no doubt this guy had an encounter with God one day he was a king how many of you would have a different how many of you would care what anybody said on social media about you after having been eating grass in the field for seven years mine goes crazy mine goes crazy what you been doing king what you been doing oh I've been going back forth to my job you know we've been trying to earn a living what you been doing I've been eating grass like a cow come on church where America America keeps going in the direction they're going and America is going to eat grass like a cow help me Jesus verse 37 now I Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't change a heart isn't it funny why do we forget this stuff why do we forget this why do we forget when God deals with us well how can we forget last year please let's not think that God did not know what was going on in 2020 and that there was a COVID virus in progress that shut the entirety of the world down and then think let's wait on them and get us a vaccine and all you and I heard and still to this day follow the science you know what Jesus says follow God please note this I've thought about this a lot I'm going to drop this on you before I get going here science all it can do is look in hindsight and tell you these are the facts that led up to this moment only God can unfold the future with 100% accuracy who are you going to follow I'm going to follow the Holy Ghost that's what I'm going to follow write this down because the lesson King Nebuchadnezzar learned was that God honors those who are truly humble and to those who walk in pride he will humble I want to make it very clear to you what all you see what all you're seeing today in pride and arrogance that's going on let it be a message to you to humble yourself because eventually whoever it is I don't care who they are pride is pride is going to bring them down how many times have we watched this with sports stars and movie stars and politicians and preachers the attitude that precedes a fall is pride that says Daniel with his proverbs pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall please notice what this term is the Hebrew word for pride means swollen or high you know what they used to call it when I was a kid y'all puffed up you ever seen anybody puff up like a toad frog before I saw one senator arrogantly say before this world God has nothing to do with this congress and you know what I agree God said I ain't in it I pass those laws that are against my word I'm telling you Lord God give us preachers on fire in the pulpit and Christians that are not afraid to tell the truth with love pride is not limited to an economic or social class it is rooted in self centeredness are you hearing me I don't have time to read it all to you but you can write it down in Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 49 and 50 it describes the sin of saleming a moron you know what it was pride he goes in there to say you had pride, fullness of bread the abundance of idleness you didn't strengthen the hand of the poor here we are first John 2 and 16 says for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life that is of the world so what are the consequences to pride real quick here we go no hope for lasting happiness Proverbs 26-12 says do you see a man wise in his own eyes there is more hope for a fool than for him what's the consequences a proud heart stirs strife and contention you want to know somebody who is full of pride if they come in the atmosphere and strife and contention hits Proverbs 28-25 he that is of a proud heart stirs up strife the Bible says but he that put at his trust in the Lord shall be made fat wow everybody is trying to get thin he that is of a proud heart stirs up strife where are we at today you can't even talk to people today without offending somebody immediately strife that has nothing to do with cigarette smoking or drinking alcohol strife in the heart of a person has its root in pride and it will kill you faster than the cigarette will boy you let the pulpit get on fire preaching about strife and malice and envy covetousness people say well I am that's God you don't know who I am and God don't care that haughty spirit is going to bring you down you better humble yourself before God humiliates you in front of everybody I was reading about it today you've been seeing it plastered up people making accusations and all kinds of stuff going on you keep walking in pride God is going to say well your soul is more important than your job might quiet up in here should we go to prayer right now no give me some more of that word the attitude and countenance precedes destruction the attitude and the countenance precedes destruction what's the Bible say forget opinions Proverbs 18-12 before destruction the heart of a man is haughty and before honor is humility boy I wish I had time to stay on that a little bit pride here's the last one pride will bring you to disgrace you keep being arrogant in that marriage you always keep the other one having to apologize and you never did anything wrong and you will lose it you'll have a disgraceful situation come on somebody what my fault sometimes it may not have even been your fault that's not the point the point is humble yourself before the mighty hand of God God wasn't testing Abraham with Isaac to find out if he knew how to use a knife he was testing to find out what your heart show me your heart because if you're willing to give me the thing that you love the most now I can trust you with more ooh this is good this is good what's Proverbs 11-2 say when pride cometh then cometh shame but with the lowly is wisdom that's a good word right there isn't it now I dealt with the symptoms of pride did you see it throughout this story what's the remedy for pride pastor well James 4 and 6 tells us but he giveth grace he giveth grace he giveth not just grace he giveth more grace more grace am I right about it how many of you have had more grace hold it hold it how many of you have had more grace than what you know you deserved oh you know what I'm talking about God didn't cut me slack he backed up the dump truck and poured grace into my life and I did not even deserve to have him look my way but God I'm sitting in this building right now but God he giveth more grace therefore he saith note this principle God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble here's what Ecclesiastes 8 says when the sentence for a crime this is an NIV Ecclesiastes 8 verse 11 when the sentence for a crime the parts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong so what do we have we have a justice system that's broke down in our society we have a case going on right now before a national audience and the world that they said today that if you do not convict this man we're going to unleash hell we're at a place right now that the same people who are dishing out the judgment the men of themselves needful to be humble I'm telling you God's going to bring a nation to its knees and that's the only place where we can find grace and it starts listen the Bible says let judgment begin at the house of God this is not about this COVID and all that's going on this is not about that world out there except for the long suffering heart of God that's not willing that any should perish he's trying to get his church to a place where they're burning with passion and fire and they don't care about color they don't care about finding it they don't care about none of that all they care about is Lord send your presence in I felt something run up and down my spine right there when the church gets focused back on Christ again instead of what it can produce in its human ability because ladies and gentlemen and I say this and close with this here tonight that the only remedy for what's going on is a return back to the cross of Jesus Christ I've heard people debate it even Christian people and preachers debate debate about what can we do about the race problem what can we do about this what can we do about that there is but one solution and I'm telling you tonight not in arrogance or pride but in total humility because I've been there and I go there every day and is at the cross at the cross I first saw the light and if America will return to the cross of Jesus Christ you'll watch the issues of society that will change overnight you'll wake up the next morning if people if the President of the United States whatever you thought of Franklin Roosevelt he called a nation to prayer before World War II and in the little New Testament there was a Bible that I have in my office that was the Heart Shield Bible that he gave to every one of those soldiers that was a metal plate in case they put it right in their upper pocket right here in case a bullet hit their heart it would hit that metal plate and not pierce their heart while they kept that New Testament right there in the front cover of that he wrote a prayer the President of the United States wrote a prayer for every soldier you know why? because America was facing the annihilation by a dictator called Adolf Hitler and the same symptoms that was proceeding in 1939 are returned back and now America is consumed by the same viciousness of that devil long ago if the President of the United States would call America to fasting and repentance we can't get the preachers to call it but if we can get the President or someone in authority to begin to call for fasting and prayer what would America be that wake up tomorrow? I've talked to so many business owners that tell me and we've experienced it right here Pastor I can't get people to work I don't normally do this but I'm going to give this to you I listened to it the other morning some of you may know the name when I say it he made a little like he did Paul Harvey made a little little recording call it's testing time look it up on YouTube and listen to it he wrote it down and spoke it in 1960 1960 and when I listened to it I thought the man was still alive and reading the headlines today he spoke about what's taking place Father I thank you tonight that from the pages of your Word you show us what and how to live and from Daniel's writings in Daniel chapter 4 Lord we see what pride does to the greatest among us no less than a king did you bring to his absolute knees until he got his mind and heart humbled before you oh God I pray for the church today not only at Pace assembly but all churches that preach the gospel let us humble ourselves before you before we are humiliated in front of your throne we repent now of our national sins and our personal sins before the throne and we come before the cross tonight the only place of reconciliation the only place where we can find rest for our souls and the only place where we can find forgiveness of sins and peace of mind Lord let that humility happen right here at Pace assembly God if there's things that are hidden down in my soul dig them out I don't want everybody to see them I don't want you putting them on the news Lord don't let my enemies take hold and humiliate me in front of you dig out my heart search me oh Lord search me oh Lord search me and see if there be any wicked way in me this is not about my friend or my co-worker or my spouse or my children search me oh Lord cleanse me oh Lord blot out my transgressions and renew a right spirit within me then Lord I will teach transgressors your ways then will I bring the sacrifice of praise let revival be birthed in the heart of your people right here at Pace assembly Lord I feel the earth quaking the moving of the ground spiritually for this house it starts with a people who will repent before you and then revival comes Lord you don't have to wait on me you don't have to wait on anybody deal with our hearts God until we're in the right place take not thy Holy Spirit from me take not thy Holy Spirit from me convict me to go with my heart oh God come on everybody in this silence of this moment before we get up and rush out of here and go under our homes and all that's going on those of you that are watching right now why don't you just humble yourself before God take the next 60 seconds to make sure that there's not anything in your soul Lord all pride we renounce pride pride pride the rich can be pride filled but the poor can be pride filled the middle class can be pride filled all of us can be pride filled the white man the black man the red man we can all have that seed of pride Lord dig out that seed of pride out of our heart and let us humble ourselves Lord before you and before one another we're here to be servants of the King not to be consumers of your blessings help us to be the foot washers help us to be girded with a towel and not a title I humble myself at the cross tonight have mercy and sin grace and more grace as I humble myself your words said you give me more grace and that's what I need I don't even realize how much grace that I really need give me more grace as I humble myself day by day I give you praise for that tonight Lord pray your blessings upon this entire congregation as you're dealing with every heart even right now those that are watching online praise God would you pray with me it don't have to be some shouted prayer but would you ask the Lord humbly right now Lord send a revival to pace assembly would you pray that right now collectively here and those of you online if you're at another church pray for your church God set the pulpit on fire Lord let us come together oh my God I feel the sweet smile of heaven upon us right now come on let the whole church the whole church the whole church the whole church spirit of God you're settling in this place like a comforter right now Lord we humble ourselves and we ask you to send the revival that you want to send and let it start in me right now hallelujah awaken my love for your word awaken my love for early morning prayer let me seek your face while you can be found call upon you while you're near help me to get up to serve you every day of my life and love people in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus if you've just prayed that prayer would you this is the last praise of the night would you just lift those hands towards heaven right now if you prayed with me that prayer come on open your mouth and just praise him right now that what God is going to do he's going to bring it to pass just like he said revival is a sovereign thing if you've got it's not something I can work up pump up or call some evangelists in but if we'll humble ourselves and get in the right position God's going to send fire from heaven hallelujah he's going to fire from heaven hallelujah we give you praise tonight Lord for what you're doing inside of the hearts and lives of every individual here and those that are watching online we give you glory for it in Jesus mighty name and let the whole church shout a great big amen hallelujah you love the Lord you love people well get up and make yourself known to somebody around tell them how much you love and appreciate them don't miss Sunday morning at 10 a.m. right here the journey continues we'll see you Sunday morning