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And be with it. And do something in every heart. Every heart, Lord.

I ask that not one person be able to leave the way they came. In Jesus' name. And the whole church said amen.

Thank you, and you can be seated. I do a lot of, as I said in the past, chewing on the scriptures, meditating, kind of wallowing in the scriptures. And this past week I thought about my own life.

I've contemplated uh tried to recall the first moment I ever heard about Jesus. And I did, and it was a little I mean, a tiny little church in Wadesboro, wooden church, um with wooden benches and splinters and I remember somebody taking me by the hand, a little fellow, to the back of that church, to a little classroom, and I heard about Jesus. And I thought thought about my my life with Christ.

Have you ever done that? Do you really contemplate the path that has been laid before you? How good God is.

And as I was pondering all of that, I came up with this for me, but I'm going to share it with you. There've been four stages in my life as as a Christian. The first stage, when I first got saved, it was about feelings and emotions and excitement.

Remember that? Couldn't wait to get to church. Any kind of Christian function, I'm there.

Oh, and I want I want to feel good. I need a blessing. That's what we used to call it.

That's the first stage, the second stage was about accomplishments. I've got to work for God. Oh, I've got to accomplish things, build, and do, and memorize, and witness to more people than anybody in the world has ever witnessed to.

I fell far short on that. But, the third stage was instead of me working for God, I saw God working in me. I came to that realization.

I'm not doing this. This is God at work in me. And then, the fourth stage, which is where I am today.

I am in the all and wonder stage. I am in awe of this book, the Jesus of this book, the God who has revealed himself through this book. I I wonder.

After all these years, things are coming together and making sense, and I'm speechless, and sometimes I'm breathless, and I just can't even explain to you how inadequate I feel when I walk up to this pulpit. A mortal man fraught with failure and fear standing up as a spokesperson for God? That is an overwhelming feeling to me.

But, this is what God called me to do. And to try to express in words the things that are have have put me in such awe and wonder. I It It's a struggle.

It sounds like chatter. But to think that this great creator And we don't even know how great he is and we can't even imagine how big he is and as I prayed, we don't even we can't even comprehend the love of God. And here we are in a very I I I say this respectfully sometimes it's very superficial worship.

Or should I say surface worship? Because we do it from our minds rather than the depths of our souls. And then when you begin to read about this this great God.

In fact, let me show you something. I'm going to Genesis chapter 1. I do believe that before I finish this message your mind is going to have a spasm.

And your heart is going to leap. Listen now. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Period. No explanation. Cuz this is not a science book.

This is a revelation. And then we read the earth was without form and void and darkness is on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said, "Let there be light." Now, listen to me. When God says something, it is done. And it's done forever.

So, he said, "Let there be light." And that was the first day. The second day, he created the firmament, which is that between the heavens and the earth. And on the third day, he said, "Let the dry land appear, and let grass and herbs and trees and fruit-bearing things come to be." That was the end of the third day.

Then, God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. And let them be for signs and seasons and for days and years." Now, I'm stumbling a little bit because he said, "Let there be lights." But I thought there was already light. But it was a different kind of light.

"And let them be for lights in the firmament of firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth." "And it was so." Then, God made two great lights. The greater light to rule the day, sun. He didn't say the greatest.

And the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness and God saw that it was good.

So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. But you didn't get it. I haven't gotten it for years.

You missed it. You know what you missed? It's in verse 16.

Five words. He made the stars also. We're talking about Earth, Sun, MOON.

EVERYTHING ON THE EARTH, everything in the Earth. Such a small particle in the universe. A minuscule dot on the universal map.

And he says he made the stars also. I almost don't know how to proceed here. Because if you don't realize the vastness or can if you don't begin to try to realize the largeness of stars then you're missing the point here.

I read that there is a star called Antares that could contain 64 million of our suns. 64 million of those of that sun that we see every day. Did you hear that?

Then I read in the Auriga constellation there is a star called Epsilon. It's diameter is 3,000 times that of our sun. And the volume of it is 27 billion times that of our sun.

>> [snorts] >> Our solar system is about six billion miles across. The solar system now, not the Milky Way. The Earth and the other planets and the sun.

Our solar system is about six billion miles across. Our galaxy, called the Milky Way, contains roughly 400 billion stars, which are suns, each with its family of planets. The nearest The nearest star is 26 trillion miles away.

It is estimated that there are 100 billion galaxies just like our Milky Way. This would make 40 sextillion Yeah, I don't know what that is either. I don't I have no idea what sextillion is.

Anybody know what a sextillion is? A bunch. Now, let's not not lose the chain of thought here.

This would make 40 sextillion stars or suns in space. If each sun is the center of a solar system, there are 40 sextillion solar systems and many more planets and satellites in space. Of the 360 sextillion major planets, 10% are believed habitable.

I'm done with that. >> [snorts] >> They say if you walk outside on a clear night, maybe in the desert, you can see 5 thousand stars. They say if you use a 4-in telescope, same place, you can see 2 million stars.

They say that if you use a 200-in mirrored telescope in an observatory, you can see 1 billion stars. And he made the stars. He made the stars also.

Five words. Everybody knows that light travels at the speed of 186,000 miles PER SECOND. NOT FEET.

Don't mean to yell. Miles. Which means if I were to uh uh flash something right here, by the time I flash it, boom boom, it's been around the world seven and a half times.

D- Are you hearing this? Seven and a half times light goes around this Earth in 1 second. And the universe is so fat so vast that if you travel at the speed of light it would take you 40 billion years to reach the edge.

Traveling at the speed of light. 40 billion years to the edge. That's just what we know.

Edge means what we know. Scientists say that there are more stars in the sky than there is grains of sand on all the beaches all over the world. >> [clears throat] >> He made the stars also.

Oh, by the way, he made the stars also. He made the light. He made the land.

He made the earth. By the way, he made the stars also. Sun, the moon, the stars get all this attention.

Or I should say the sun and the moon and the planet gets all this attention. He made the stars also. Did you know that 50 chapters are in this book that concern the tabernacle?

Blood sacrifices, worship, laws, and the presence of God. 50 chapters devoted to a temporary thing because in those 50 chapters we are told that God is holy and God demands righteousness and the only way to be righteous is through shed blood. 50 chapters.

He made the stars also. Why? Because the The Bible is a book of redemption.

This is not a science book. This is not a philosophy book. This is not a diet book.

God did not send this book to prove himself. He just spoke and you have to believe it. But what he did give us was instructions on how to be redeemed.

And no wonder that David was so caught up as he pondered. I don't know if he did it as a a shepherd boy out in the desert looking at the sky at night. But he proclaimed, "Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth.

Who have set your glory above the heavens." GLORY IS ALL THAT GOD IS. BRIGHTNESS AND LIGHT AND HE SET IT ABOVE the heavens. Next verse is odd.

It's just odd. Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength or power because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy and the avenger. OH MY, WHERE DOES THIS COME FROM?

David is saying there's no name like your name." And your glory cannot be comprehended, and your glory cannot even really be experienced on this earth. Your glory is set high in the heavens, but God says, "I may not be able to show you my glory now, but I can transpose my glory into power." And when you see the weak worshipping, that's my glory in power. And when little children threw their palm branches in the path of Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem, and some of the leaders were saying, "Tell the kids to get out of the way.

Tell them not to do this." Jesus said, "Leave them alone." AND I SAT RIGHT BACK AT THE soundboard just a few nights ago, right back there, for the Christmas musical, and I watched them lead children in, toddlers, tiny kids, all dressed up, and they stood right here, and they did what kids do. Some of them yawned, and some of them couldn't get their britches straight, and some of them were all crooked, and some saw their mothers and said, "Hey Mommy." And some said, "I got to go to the bathroom." It all happened. And what you saw might have been a children's choir, but what God saw, and what the devil saw, was power from heaven.

It was glory trans- transposed into power. You see, since we cannot comprehend his glory yet, ONE DAY WE WILL. GOD lets us on this planet experience his power.

He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength. Even the youth shall fail and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles. THEY SHALL RUN and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.

What you're seeing when a saint worships anyway is the glory OF GOD TRANSPOSED INTO THE POWER of God. And so when Paul and Silas were chained hand and foot and backs were bleeding in the innermost prison and they could have complained and they COULD HAVE SAID, "WHERE IS GOD?" THEY JUST TUNED UP AND THEY WARMED UP AND SAID, "LET'S SING a song." AND WHEN THEY STARTED OUT, GOD SAID TO ALL THE ANGELS, "YOU WANT TO SEE MY GLORY DOWN THERE? THEN LISTEN TO THAT SONG." AND THEY SANG AND THE CHAINS FELL OFF AND THE PRISONERS HEARD THEM.

FOLKS, WHEN you praise him anyway, that's the glory of God operating in you. EVEN WHEN LITTLE CHILDREN DO IT, WHETHER THEY'RE YAWNING OR HALF SLEEPY, THAT'S GOD AT WORK ON THIS EARTH. AND if you want TO SCARE THE HELL OUT OF DEATH I'm sorry I said I apologize to all the parents.

If you want to scare the devil to death just let somebody who is weak say, "I am strong IN CHRIST." JUST LET A CHILD BEGIN TO WORSHIP GOD. THE DEVIL WILL RUN FOR HIS LIFE. I WISH YOU'D SHOUT AND COVER UP MY MISTAKE.

>> [applause] >> WHEN I consider your heavens That's what he said. The works of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained. What is man that you are mindful of him or of the son of man that you visit him?

You've made him a little lower than the angels. And you've crowned him with glory and honor. You've made him to have dominion over the works of your hands.

You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the sea. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name. Did you see that?

The moon, the stars, which you have ordained. What is man that you are mindful of him? You did this with the works of your fingers.

Here's what Isaiah said. Who has measured the waters in the palm of his hand? All of the oceans on this planet would fit right down in the cup of his hand.

Who [snorts] has measured heaven with a span? A span is the thumb and the little finger. I just read to you the vastness, the the sextillion, whatever that is, light years.

And he said, God measured all that with his hand. And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure. In other words, God knows exactly how many grains of dust exist.

Sandra was talking to me last night right in front of our dresser, the lamp was on. And as she always does, she never just finishes it, she finds something to move or she'll straighten up something. I want to say, "Finish what you're telling me, don't you?" She was telling me something last night.

She said, "Oh my." She saw a spider web on top [clears throat] of the lamp. And it was a little dusty. And that's what got her attention.

What got my attention was I don't know what she was talking about. Now, what I struggle with is the fact that God has calculated the dust of the earth in a measure. He weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance.

That's how big God is. And even with all of that, that's those are Hebrew euphemisms and illustrations. God cannot be measured.

God has no limit. He is infinite. He is eternal.

HE IS NOT CONFINED TO A BODY THE way we are. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN UNDERSTAND HIM, THOUGH. Fingers and hands and eyes and heart AND FEET.

BUT GOD IS A SPIRIT. AND GOD DWELLS in a light that no man can approach and live because he is the light. JESUS SAID, "I AM the light of the world." SO, WITH OUR infinite I should say our limited, finite brains, most all of us are trying to figure something I said out.

You can't. Because this is God. And I have to tell you again, this this book is not about stars and planets.

God's more interested in people than planets. He's more interested in sons than stars. So, what you read is not him trying to prove his existence.

Him just stating what he is and and what he did. Because the book of God is a book of salvation and revelation. If you try to make it anything other than that, you have missed the point.

And he made the stars also. How? Try it almost.

How? Just by the way, and don't forget he he made the stars also. But the concentration of God comes to this place called Earth.

This in this minuscule dot in the creation. Uh dirt. Uh why not some major star?

No, Earth. Because this is the place where God created man. And whether you or I look like it right now or not, we were the greatest creation of God.

We're not related to animals. We did not come from one kind to another. God could speak and create, BUT TO SAVE, HE HAD TO SUFFER.

He could say it with his mouth and it's done. But the redemption of mankind was so precious and so important to him that he was willing to go to a cross and shed his life's blood to destroy the power of darkness over us and give us eternal life. We are his crowning creation.

We might have legs like animals, but we're not animals. And we've got all kinds of other attributes like all of the other living things, but there's nothing like a human being because in this one package, God took every atom, every neutron, every proton, every chemical, every compound, everything that he created and he put it together. Scooped up some dirt and rubbed it in and he kneaded it and mixed it.

And then, he looked at the sun and the spirit. They said, "Let us make man in our image after our likeness." Nothing on this planet can even compare to what's sitting on that pew right there. What's breathing air right now?

Let us, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, make man in our image after our likeness. And when God held Adam in his hand, he said, "Here goes." >> [sighs and snorts] >> And Adam stood up and he became a living soul. He could relate to God.

He had a relationship with his creator. And that was lost when Lucifer came into the world and then and using the serpent beguiled Eve thinking that she could have even more and be better if she disobeyed God. Keep this in mind, Adam was not deceived.

Eve was deceived. She was tricked. Adam made the decision to do what his wife did.

And when that happened, all of the glory was lost. I got a theory and I may preach on this sometime. I got a theory that when Adam and Eve looked down after they sinned and realized they were naked, why didn't they realize it beforehand?

Because I believe their clothes were CLOTHES OF LIGHT. OH, SORRY. HE CLOTHES himself in light.

AND DARKNESS HAS TO FLEE. I believe somehow the glory of God CLOTHED THEM. THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT nakedness was, but when they DISOBEYED GOD, THE LIGHT WENT OUT, THEY LOOKED DOWN AND SAID, "OH, HE'S GONE AND WE'RE NAKED." But God already had a plan.

Cuz you don't get ahead of God and Satan didn't trick God. He may have tricked Eve and SHE MAY HAVE BEGUILED ADAM, BUT NOBODY tricks God. GOD SAID, "I'VE ALREADY GOT A PLAN UP MY SLEEVE.

This This thing called the serpent is going to have his head bruised because my son is coming into THE WORLD TO UNDO WHAT ADAM DID. I'M GOING TO HAVE A NEW CREATION. AND THE SIN THAT BROUGHT THE WORLD down will be paid for.

And whosoever believes it and calls on me will once again be clothed in light and will never suffer shame and nakedness anymore. They can come to me boldly to the THRONE OF GRACE, ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, be who they are in me, AND I WILL ACCEPT THEM. PRAISE GOD FOREVER." >> [applause] >> I preached too long, BUT HERE WE GO.

I'M GOING TO PREACH SOME MORE. COULD BE the end of You know how it is on the end of the year. Let's not forget God knows the names of the stars.

It's not that they are unimportant to him. He made the stars also. It's not that he said, "Ah, whatever.

I did that." No, everything God does is precious. Everything he made, he loves. He knows all about it, you see.

He knows the names of the stars. He calls them all by name, Isaiah said. Every star has a name.

Now, how many names must there be for every star to have a name? Praise God. Think about it.

I I'm kind of reeling right here. And he says not one of them is missing. Every star, every planet, every sun moves in exact precision.

They're never late, they're never on time, they don't dawdle, they don't totter. They do exactly what God has told them to do. He calls them by name AND THEY DO IT.

AND HE MADE THE STARS ALSO. But then when you come to Isaiah, I love this passage of scripture right here. Lord help me find it.

Since I love it so much. I want you to know something, too. The same God that named all the stars has a name for you.

How about up in the balcony? Anybody in the balcony this morning? No.

>> [laughter] >> I I thought there were people up there. God has a name for everything he's made. He didn't create one thing that he did not name.

So I read here in Isaiah chapter 43. This is to Israel. But now thus says the Lord who created you, oh Israel, and he who formed you, oh Jacob, fear not, I have redeemed you.

I have called you by your name. You are mine. Now he's talking to Israel in the Old Testament.

The blessings and the gifts of God to the New Testament cannot even be compared to the Old Testament promises. Let me preach just a little bit the way preachers like to preach. At least I do.

I have called you by your name. You are mine. So if an angel comes up to Almighty God and says, "Oh holy creator, I've been assigned to a guy on Earth.

Do you know this guy? This guy?" Father says, "Yes, that's Tony. His mother and his father called him Tony.

But I call him mine." Ed? Father? What about this gentleman?

Oh, well, his mother and his father named him Ed. Maybe after his grandparents or something like that. Well, Father, what do you call him?

I call him mine. Well, is everybody mine, oh God? Oh, yes.

Everybody who's redeemed by blood is mine. And I'm going to give them a new name. You see, if you read in the second chapter of Revelation, it says, "He that is faithful will eat from the hidden manna in heaven, will get a white stone, and a new name written ON IT THAT NO ONE KNOWS EXCEPT THE PERSON THAT GETS IT." OH MY.

I DON'T WANT TO EMBARRASS MY FAMILY right here, BUT I JUST BLESSED MYSELF AGAIN. GOD SAYS, "RIGHT NOW, I'M SAYING THEY'RE MINE, THEY'RE MINE. THE WHOLE GROUP IS MINE.

BUT WHEN THEY GET up here, I've got a nickname for every one of them. Not only that, they're going to eat some hidden manna. I have hidden some snacks away in the corner cupboard of glory.

So, when my kids finally get here, I'm going to let them eat some snacks, and then I'm going to tell them what their nickname is." I'm about to shout. Every one of my girls had a nickname. I got a girl here this morning.

I'm not going to tell you what her nickname was, but I said I used to call her that. In fact, I still call her that. And the other three HAD NICKNAMES.

ALL MY GRANDCHILDREN have nicknames. I don't know what it is about me. I can't just call them their name.

I got to call them a nickname. I think that means they're endeared to me. They're special to me.

>> Yeah. >> They make me smile. They make me feel fulfilled in some way or another.

I love to watch them play and I love to hear them talk most of the time. And but I had an endearing nickname for them and they'll all tell you when their mama said, "YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY SNACKS. I DON'T WANT YOU EATING that anymore.

It's not good for you." They'd look at me like, "Just a matter of time. Just a matter of time. When mom leaves THE KITCHEN, OLD DAD'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING." WHAT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU IS NOT ONLY ARE YOU HIS, BUT HE'S GOT A SPECIAL NICKNAME FOR YOU AND SOME SPECIAL BLESSINGS FOR YOU THAT WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN, WE'LL SING AND SHOUT THE VICTORY.

>> [applause] >> WHY DON'T YOU TRY IT RIGHT NOW? STAND WITH ME, PLEASE. HALLELUJAH, THAT'S GOOD PREACHING.

I didn't even preach that at the first service. And now you know I gave them snacks. And I wasn't being dishonest.

Did you give them any snacks? Now Sandra, you know you know uh we work together on this and yeah, but I'm asking you did you give the girls some snacks? Now Sandra, you know we're in this together.

I want the best for them and I'm with you in everything. Did you give them a snack? I sure did cuz they're my children and I want to see them happy every once in a while.

YOU CAN'T LIVE OFF BROCCOLI AND CABBAGE. YOU GOT TO HAVE some peppermint chocolate ice cream and Doritos. And we won't get into that.

It suddenly becomes unspiritual. I just want you to know you won't even know what your name is when you get to heaven till [music] he pulls you over and says, "Your name is and nobody will know that name but you." I didn't call my girls the same nickname. Each one had a special nickname.

So, folks, we've gone from stars to snacks. But I just want you to understand the same God that created out of nothing everything and it's all beyond our comprehension is the same God that sent [music] his son Jesus into the world to redeem us and make new creations out of us. Here's what I'd like to do.

Everybody that's happy about being his come down here [music] quick. Even if you're tired, even if you're weary, even if you're you feel defeated, [music] come on down here cuz we're about to make a devil run. When he sees the weak Let the weak say, "I am strong." And when he sees that Satan cannot hang around.

And the whole church said, "Amen." I'll let you get placed Because if anybody's watching, it's God. I think the Lord just flips up on his throne every [music] time his people get together and begin to magnify his name. I think angels [music] have to bow their heads when the redeemed of the Lord begin to offer up sacrifices of praise.

And I think we're about to make heaven rejoice here. How many of you will sing with me? I mean out loud.

>> Yes. >> How about the balcony? I I