good morning my friends I'm pastor
Steven Brooks and welcome today to our
online internet around the world church
service and I am so happy that you are
here today and I believe that the Lord
will bless you and strengthen you in
your faith and he will provide every
need that you have because he is a great
God hallelujah now let's take our Bibles
today and go to the book of Matthew
chapter 23 and let's go down to verse 23
so let's do a double 23:23 and we're
gonna receive the holy tithes and
offerings we're going to bring them into
the storehouse of God so that the work
of God doesn't struggle doesn't just
survive but that the work of God thrives
praise God and we preach the gospel
around the world now jesus said woe to
you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for
you pay tithe of mint and n eyes and
cumin so he mentions the spices that
they were so particular and wanting to
be observant to the law to the letter of
the law that they tied not just on their
increase and on money and things like
that
they tithe even on the spices that they
had for you pay tithe on of mint an
denies and come in and have neglected
the weightier matters of the law justice
and mercy and faith those three things
are throughout the law of God and they
were being neglected by the religious
leaders now Jesus says these you ought
to have done in other words justice
mercy and faith these you ought to have
done without leaving the others undone
what's the other thing that he said make
sure that you don't leave that undone
tithing even in the small areas praise
the Lord
you know if you're going to grow some
Tomatoes in your own little vegetable
garden and you know that everybody seems
like it they like to grow tomatoes
because it's kind of hard to mess it up
because you can grow them in the winter
time you can go to the you know go to
the store and buy a little pot put some
potting soil in there and get a little
vine and just give it some water every
now and then and you can have tomatoes
all year long but have you ever stopped
to think that if you do that 10% of
those tomatoes need to go to the house
of God well pastor Steven that's not
money they doesn't matter ten percent
the Bible says of all of your increase
belongs to the Lord and you should pay a
tithe on that I remember years back the
famed evangelist brother RW schambach
told the story of when he had just
started off in ministry many many years
ago course brother sham box in heaven
now but he was assigned a pastor a small
country church and he taught on tithing
and he passed a you know the tithing
offering bucket around and uh
it came back pretty much empty and he
said Lord uh I don't understand why
they're not getting it what where am I
missing it at and so it's kind of like
the Lord opened brother sham box eyes to
see because when he was teaching they
would kind of all sit there kind of like
real smug like all the you know members
of the church while he's talking about
you know you need to pay tithe and when
you get your check and you know your you
get your money from your job you need to
pay tithe then they're all just sitting
there with the look like that doesn't
pertain to us all that he realized old
they're all farmers in other words they
have their own farms they grow their own
vegetables they don't get a paycheck
they're not you know receiving money so
they thought well we're untouchable so
then he realized how he was supposed to
minister that word to them he said
those of you that raise chickens and you
know your hens lay eggs a tithe of those
eggs belonged to the Lord and the moment
he said that suddenly everybody in the
church set up and he knew I've got him
I've been I've been able to explain now
the word in a way that is revelant to
them and he said one of the big farmers
there in the church big old man they
called him red and he had red hair he
came up after the service and said
preacher are you telling me that if I
bring the tithe of the eggs from my hens
my chickens that then God will bless me
he said that's exactly what I'm saying
he goes well he goes my hens have not
been laying and I I have not known what
they've done about it and brother
schambach said he said that's because
those hens aren't blessed and that you
sittin sitting there stealing God's eggs
and if you bring the eggs into the
storehouse God will bless your chickens
and he said big red looked at him and
said all right I'm gonna do it this
better work and he went home that day
and came back that afternoon and brought
the the tithe that he had on currently
on his eggs of what they had laid that
morning and you know throughout that day
it was hardly anything I think maybe
like two little crates of eggs like 20
eggs or something like that
so he said I'm expecting this to work
and you know of course brother schambach
do you know after he'd preached the
message and told brother red that he
said Lord now Lord you have to do your
part or else they're gonna be really bad
so he said brother red came back next
week and said a preacher I want to bring
my tide and he had the back of the
pickup truck filled up with crates and
crates and crates of eggs he said what'd
you do go out buy a whole bunch of
chickens he said no these are the same
chickens but they're not all laying eggs
these you ought to have done what's that
tithing on all of your increase even if
this your spices that you grow in your
own garden because that's how they grew
them back then okay God says ten percent
of those spices belonged to me pastor
Steve but I just grew some cantaloupe
out
my backyard good ten percent of them
belong to God and even if I'm not your
pastor and you're just watching this
message because you enjoy the teaching
you need it that's I'm talking to you to
10% of those cantaloupes you grew ten
cantaloupes one of them you need to be
bringing that down to the house of God's
a man of God woman of God who stir
cantaloupe they may look at you funny
say well hey it's not - God's as yours
praise the Lord the tide belongs to the
Lord you pay tithe hmm these you ought
to have done without leaving the others
undone so let's just have symmetry in
our Christian life yes justice mercy
faith yes and also let's not let's not
skip the things also that we're supposed
to do I would even say required to do
praise the Lord
mmm-hmm well Pastor Steven that was
under the law that was under the Mosaic
system oh so like grace gives you a free
right to just do whatever you want you
know what
the standard of the New Covenant is way
higher than the law now I know we
couldn't keep the law the law was a
teacher to show you that you have a sin
problem and the more you tried to work
it out in the flesh or in your own works
and actually amplified your sin and so
the law accomplished just job but there
was nothing wrong with the law it was
holy it was pure but it was just a
standard you couldn't reach but see
here's the thing here's what's amazing
about the new covenant the new covenant
is different but it's even higher why
well with the law written on you know
paper written on scrolls and reading
that and studying that it focused
primarily external now it did have the
internal you know love the Lord your God
with all your heart mind and strength
but a lot of it also reflected your
external way of living but with the New
Covenant now the Holy Spirit is living
on this on the inside of you and even if
it's not written in the letter of the
law and you just said something that
hurt somebody's feelings and the Holy
Spirit you can feel that grieved the
Holy Spirit and you know you need to go
apologize to that person well that's not
written in the law that I need to do
that bow it's written in the New
Covenant and in other words the New
Covenant is active 24/7 mmm-hmm so trust
me if
you if you should pay tighter than the
Old Covenant you definitely should be
paying ty than the New Covenant it's a
higher standard hallelujah tied on all
of your increase whoo whoo hallelujah
mm-hmm
Pastor Steven I'm gonna mail you a
watermelon I don't know maybe turn it
into the dry fruit before it gets here
it might not make it praise God but
that's not the point the point is tithe
hallelujah thank you Jesus now as you
tithe if you want to do so by mail if
you it that's the way that you prefer
the bringing into the storehouse of the
Lord then send it to Steven Brooks
International peal box
seven one seven Moravian falls North
Carolina two eight six five four is the
zip code now if you want to bring the
tie then online no you can't bring
cucumbers and onions and watermelons in
online but we understand that but from a
financial aspect you know you can
hallelu you have a little garage sale a
little put them out in the front of the
house and sell out hallelujah
10% goes to the Lord now those of you
that like to go online and prefer to do
that to bring your tithes and offerings
in please visit the ministry website
Steven Brooks org there is a link on the
homepage called tithes and offerings sow
and reap and honor the Lord with Matthew
23:23
and tithe on every increase that comes
through your hands or passes through
your life and you will be blessed
whoo-hoo lots of chickens
lots of eggs lots of whatever is your
thing that you know that you need God
will just multiply addition and then
multiply multiply say I'm blessed
because I know you are praise God
now Heavenly Father bless your people
that your increase flow rush into their
lives we thank you Father God that their
days of insufficiency of lack that's
over father I thank you that these are
your covenant people coming it through
the blood of Jesus and also tied to you
through a righteous covenant of
financial commitment through the holy
tithe and I thank you O God that you are
you puking the dirty Devourer out of
their lives and the enemy cannot touch
them or afflict them with any kind of
calamity or disaster or setback father
we thank you in the name of Jesus we all
agree insane
amen praise the Lord forever now let us
go today to the book of Ecclesiastes and
let's go to chapter 11 and let's talk
about something fun today it'll be fun
maybe a little sobering at the same time
maybe some of you need that hallelujah
you can have fun and be sober be
responsible at the same time we're gonna
go to Ecclesiastes which is right after
for me it's easy to thank Psalms
proverbs Ecclesiastes okay that's the
way I think of how I get there the
easiest phrase God we're going to talk
today about rewards in heaven
let's pray Heavenly Father we ask that
as we jump into your word that as your
word jumps into us as we consume it as
spiritual food and we pray that there
would be revelation of that word that it
would make an effect within our lives
that will bring you glory and that would
conform us more into the image of Jesus
as a mature believer father we thank you
we thank you in the name of Jesus we all
agree insane amen
now Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 3 if
the clouds are full of rain they empty
themselves upon the earth ooh
glory to God I really felt today before
I brought this message to you while in
prayer that for so many of you your
clouds are full from the seeds that
you've sown yes you're a tither
and at the same time the tide we know
already belongs to the Lord
that's his so you sow seed or give
offerings that way God can multiply the
seed sown and bring harvests back into
your life but I know for so many of you
as tithers and his givers I know that
your clouds are full well faster Steven
how do I know when I'm gonna get a
harvest how do I know when I'm going to
get rained on this easy when your clouds
are full they can't hold the moisture
any more and they just drop it woo glory
to God and I'm here today to tell you as
a servant of the Lord as a minister of
the gospel that I've heard from the Lord
and your clouds are full and you really
need to begin to rejoice because you
will never know the financial challenges
that you've had in previous years that
stuff is gone that is a closed chapter
of your life you'll never taste that
frustration ever again lift your hands
and say praise God whoo now let's
continue verse 3 if the clouds are full
of rain they empty themselves upon the
earth and if a tree falls to the south
or the north in the place where the tree
falls there it shall lie have you ever
seen a tree fall down I'm not talking
like a little bush I've never seen it
with that either but I'm talking like a
big tree twenty thirty thousand pound
tree 150 feet tall fall have you ever
seen it fall and then just say that I
don't like where I'm laying at I'm gonna
get back up and I'm gonna try that fall
again know where it falls whether it's
going to the south or to the north
wherever it falls my friends scam over
that's where it's going to lie now trees
so often throughout the Word of God can
be used as a dual reference not to just
refer to a tree although it certainly
can refer to the tree but you see a lot
of symbolism with trees mentioned in the
Bible as in relation to people okay so
you're like a big forest a lot of trees
represents a large amount of people but
a single tree would represent the
individual and you need to understand
that when your life is over I'm talking
to believers I'm not talking to
unbelievers although as unders please
understand
that when your life is over your eternal
destiny is sealed as well it's not like
you can go in the hill and say you know
what I didn't know was this painful I
didn't know I was gonna be burning in
pits a fire I didn't know that I was
going to be tormented and tortured in a
place like this of agony and horror and
terror and fear beyond human
comprehension I didn't know it was like
this I think I'd like to have a second
chance know at that point the judgment
is sent now let me say this to the
believers anything as far as making
heaven you know whether you get to
heaven with a whole bunch of rewards or
you get to heaven as it says in the
scripture by the skin of your teeth you
barely got in I mean maybe you heard the
gospel just before you died and you got
saved like the thief on the cross or
maybe you were saved but you lived your
entire life in such a way where you
didn't really know about the things of
God maybe you weren't taught maybe you
weren't introduced to it and you just
kind of rambled through life but yet you
were saved but you got to heaven still
by the skin of your teeth what my
friends let me say this that's that's it
sure beats going to hell so anything is
better then the place of eternal
damnation now those that go into hell
this those that who've rejected Christ
the sinners who did not receive Christ
as their Lord and Savior
they go into hell and they are tortured
they suffer unspeakable agony and they
are kept in hell by the way hell is in
the center of the earth okay they are
kept there until the day of the great
judgement known in Scripture as the
white throne judgment then they are
brought out of that place one by one
they go before God and they are judged
by God and their life is reviewed with
their sin the rejection of Christ all of
the opportunities all of the
opportunities they had to repent and
receive Christ where they rejected over
and over and over
and then they are after the judgment
when their final judgment is given and
the judgments already said because
they've already been in hell but after
it's reviewed and it's officially
stamped and sealed so to speak then they
are thrown into the eternal their final
eternal place which is called the lake
that burns with fire and brimstone and
it is not metaphorical it is not
symbolism
it is a real literal place now I have
been taken by the Lord in a vision into
hell I have never seen the lake of fire
but what I saw in hell the horse and the
torment and the awful things done to the
people that are there is frightening but
the worst thing lies ahead for those who
have rejected Christ it is the lake of
fire and it says that Satan will be
thrown into the lake of fire his days
coming he knows that the Antichrist the
beast and the false prophet
they will also be thrown into the lake
of fire and death and Hell itself will
also be thrown into the lake of fire
now hell is in the center of the earth
in the form of a body it actually looks
like a body it has a head a torso legs
and arms and people are that who've not
received Christ when they die they're
coming in the hell hell is just being
filled all the time
with the with the incredible amount of
people that when they die they go into
hell because they never knew Christ but
even as there is a evil body of hell
that body of hell will eventually be
thrown into the lake of fire itself
death and hell which are spirits they
will both be thrown into the lake of
fire praise God and then at that point
we go into eternity because now the
millennium is also over and you know
Satan had a heyday at the end of the
millennium of the thousand year reign of
Christ he pops out for a short period of
time
I do believe that that short period of
time that he's gonna run wild one final
time try to raise up a war overthrow God
one final silly time he'll probably have
about three and a half years to pull
that off or give it a shot he's not
gonna pull it off he's gonna be
annihilated and thrown into the lake of
fire finally we're done with him forever
okay so we have to understand that the
way that you live your life here upon
this earth is very very important
now of course yes you want to live for
the Lord you want to make heaven that's
that's the greatest thing let me say
this the greatest decision that you ever
made in your life was not to go to
college was not to learn Greek was not
to try a different food the greatest
decision you ever made in your life was
to receive Christ as your Lord and
Savior because that was the moment you
received his eternal life into your
spirit you you were in other words born
again recreated on the inside regenerate
it as it's expressed in the Greek of the
New Testament you regenerate it with the
life of God and now you belong to the
Lord so you have already made that
amazing decision by the way if you
haven't please continue to listen and
I'll give you an opportunity to make
that decision as well here in just a
moment my friends as believers we must
make our life count now I want to read
just a few sentences to you that a
pastor was told by an angel that came
and visited him and this story is
actually in the book angels on
assignment which is the recording of the
angelic visitations that Pastor Roland
buck had okay the books on the internet
you can find it out there it's probably
it's actually you don't have to buy it
it's on it's on the internet and you can
just download it as a PDF file or
there's all kinds of sites where you can
read it if you want to but the minister
that I'm referring to is actually not
mr. Roland buck but it was a minister
that mr. buck knew
and this pastor that he knew shared the
story what this angel told him and I
just want to read you a few sentences
and we want to talk about some of these
things today now this is what the angel
told this pastor he said God gives you
alternatives and allows you to make
choices you can choose to be close to
him or you can go your own way do your
own thing and live a selfish life now I
know I'm not talking to any Christians
who would ever live a selfish life you
met maybe we've met some but I'm sure
I'm speaking to anybody who would it do
that but just in case somewhere out
there in the gigantic internet world
there would be a Christian who would say
well pastor Stephen maybe I live in a
little bit like that a little bit too
much self keep talking okay let me keep
on talking let me read it again the
angel told the pastor God gives you
alternatives and allows you to make
choices you can choose to be close to
him
or you can go your own way do your own
thing and live a selfish life but my
friends here's what you have to
understand that if you do that if you
live that selfish life and live the life
the way you want to regardless of what
God wants you to do you're just not
going to go for it
you will get to heaven and you're gonna
want to kick yourself okay you're gonna
now I know you're in heaven so you know
you're at you're gonna be happy but I
don't want you to be the person the
believer that gets to heaven and then
you realize what you could have had okay
I'm here today to persuade you to live
your life all out for the Lord because
when you get there and you see what it's
all about the glory and the rewards it's
not like you can suddenly go home
lord I didn't know let me go back and
redo it again no no no if a tree falls
to the south of the north and the play
where the tree falls there it shall lie
and that is your inheritance that you
see and you don't want to go to heaven
without there being inheritance awaiting
you glory to God mmm what you do here my
friends as a child of God on the earth
affects the rewards and even the
position that you receive and are
granted in heaven you know I think about
the time that years back Prophet Kenneth
Hagin told about the vision he had of
when Jesus came to him with this
incredible crown I mean a crown look
I've seen the what are they called the
oh the the place they're in in England
in London well they keep all the Royal
jewels at and I've seen the crowns the
miters the scepters that the king and
the queen you use the ones you've
probably seen on the you know whenever
there's a coronation or something like
that I've seen all of that stuff stood
just a few feet or inches in front of it
looked at it
look there's crowns in heaven that that
make that stuff look like tin foil there
are crowns in heaven and there are
things that God has to place upon his
people that you could you could never
fabricate or cream that create on this
earth with any of the materials that are
here there are heavenly glories and
rewards and brother Hagin said that
Jesus had this crown and it was I mean
it was just beautiful and he said Lord
what you know what is that what type of
crown is that and the Lord said this is
a soul-winners crown but the Lord said
yet so many of my people are not
interested in souls they don't even
think about it
they're just living their lives for
themselves all trying to be a good
Christian in the sense like let's not go
out and rob or steal or murder anybody
but you know we still we're gonna do our
own thing we want we want to live the
life the way we want to and souls are
the last thing on their mind
my friends God wants to get you ready
God wants to get you ready praise the
Lord for eternity
and there are ministries in heaven not
like Ana Ministry of an evangelist you
don't need that everybody's saved not
like you need a word of knowledge
because all the knowledge is already you
know there it's not like we need
prophecy it's like hey we got all
eternity yeah and so we understand it
from that perspective but but even Jesus
looked at the 12 apostles and said you
know because you've been with me through
all of my trials and difficulties when I
when I rule and reign on the earth each
one of you will be over the 12 tribes of
Israel in other words somebody may be
Peters gonna be like over Judah and then
you got got the next apostle maybe he's
gonna be over you know Reuben or Levi or
Simeon and so they're the twelve are
going to be ruling the twelve tribes and
Jesus is Lord over all the earth and
David will be king over Israel my
friends those are rewards for
faithfulness but there will be those
also who are assigned even during the
Millennium reign the 1000 year reign of
Christ there will be those who are
faithful not goofballs who just you know
not in the heaven hallelujah Lord I made
it put my faith and trust you I'm glad
I'm here and it's wonderful God loves
you just as much God loves you just as
much
but obedience is what's pleasing to the
Lord so you can love all of your
children the same but you can have some
that are more obedient and it's the
obedient ones that please you and
because of their obedience they qualify
for things that the others who are not
obedient do not qualify for mmm so yes
there will be nations to reign over in
things like that it's going to be very
interesting and not only during the
millennial reign but of course it's a
big universe it's a big you
verse and all of these star systems and
planets and galaxies and no there won't
be procreating you know like husband and
wife there won't be you know the
creating of children or things like that
but there will still be governance and
there will still be oversight that will
be given to those who were faithful so
there is a lot to gain now I received a
real wake-up call when I was a senior in
high school and it was graduation day
you know what it may seem a little bit
surreal and it may seem difficult to
visualize it but one day your life just
like everybody else is who's ever lived
on planet Earth for the last six
thousand years one day your life will be
over and you will stand before the Lord
not at the white throne judgment that's
for the sinners but you will stand
before the Lord and there will be a
review of your life and the way that you
live for the Lord that will all be
weighed and examined and observed and
things like that your obedience and all
those things and it will be reviewed and
that's when the correct reward
assessment will be made and then it will
be distributed to you well when I was a
senior in high school on graduation day
they took all of the seniors including
myself into the basketball gymnasium and
we all sit down on the left side of the
bleachers we're all filled up the
bleachers okay and so the principal here
he comes out into the middle of the
basketball court with a you know a audio
speaker system and he's talking in he's
goes well it's been a wonderful four
years and and it's been a great time but
all all good things have to come to an
end but you know least in heaven they
don't right but here on earth you said
well you know this is your last day in
high school so it is now time watch this
he said it's now time for the
Ward's and I thought the what well what
did he say I yeah it kinda helped Lodi
free now what did he just say he goes
the rewards I thought rewards for what
oh there were quite a few people in the
inland graduating group they knew what
it was exactly about ah ah maybe I
didn't get it all pulled together in
high school but let me tell you what I'm
gonna share a little bit about this by
the time the award ceremony was over I
said lord I don't know how but when it
comes to living for you I'm never gonna
let this happen again why what do you
mean Pastor Steven well the principal
begin to call out the awards for our
graduating class the mathematic ward
goes to so and so laughs mmm here's a
reward now get over to the other side
okay so he gets his reward paper he goes
to the other side now we want to give up
the science award you yes yes your
golden recipient come forward and the
person comes forward gets the award
crosses to the other side well that you
know he's giving out these awards a lot
of it was based on GPA and I thought you
mean they've been keeping track you know
yeah they were keeping track all the
time that you know you slept through
class or didn't do your homework or
thought all what's the big deal yep they
were keeping track of all of that and so
are the angels right now and what I'm
trying to get over you today is a lot
more important than your valedictorian
or salutatorian or GPA could ever be and
I'm not saying that's irrelevant that
that's that is honorable but that's
that's that's not gonna be the focus
when you stand before the Lord
mm-hmm I mean him I say hey that's great
that you graduated the ballot datoria
now let's get back to the real issues of
life okay so my friends all of these
awards were given out given out and you
know before we knew it more people are
starting to get over to the right side
then those of us that are still left
sitting around on the left side who
never really understood what it was all
about praise God
so it was finally all over
the principal said well let's give them
all the good hand over here okay spent a
great year goodbye and that was it they
all rolled off their rewards not into
eternity but into adulthood and the rest
of us just looked at each other and we
thought well hmm that was nice
that was nice but we didn't really get
anything and no we didn't but I just
remembered that and I said Lord it won't
be like that for me spiritually praise
God hallelujah hallelujah now watch this
Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6 but without
faith it is impossible to please him for
he who comes to God must believe that he
is and I know that you do okay you must
believe that he is and that he is a
reporter mm-hmm a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him now during this
lifetime which you only get one go at it
okay during this lifetime if you will
consistently give God your best he will
give you his best and that's the way the
Lord works if you really seek Him he's
going to reward you and he's going to
bless you praise God
but you need to really push yourself
sometimes see those who seek diligently
diligently I remember the Prophet Walter
Beutler he talked about the time where
he began to seek the Lord getting up at
2:30 in the morning I mean how many
people honestly in the church do stuff
like that get up at 2:30 in the morning
call pastor Stephen he didn't have to go
to work at 8:00 yes he did - he had to
be at work at 8 o'clock in the morning
but he just had a hunger for God and he
began to get up at 2:30 in the morning
to seek the Lord but pastor Steve how
can anybody ever do that still get the
sleep they need I don't know you just
have to figure it out it's just a matter
of hunger it's a matter of do you want
the Lord and you know you
you'll find room for the sleep okay
maybe get an hour at lunch or 45 minutes
go out to eat your sandwich real quick
in the car then lean back fall asleep
since you're Lauren wake up in 45
minutes go back to work you can figure a
way out praise God
but this seeking the Lord business
diligently it's very very serious stuff
so brother began to seek the Lord 2:30
every morning sometimes he'd stay up for
an hour then go back to bed
sometimes for 2 hours then go back to
bed
sometimes when the Spirit of the Lord
was real strong he'd just stay up until
7:00 and then get some coffee and get
you know get a shower get shaved and get
ready to go to work and the Lord would
just help him get through it praise God
but after having done this for months he
did kind of wonder Lord where are you in
the sense where I felt your presence but
you know Lord I'm I'm really pushing
here and it's not like this is a
cakewalk and it's not like this is
legalistic either it's just being done
out of love lord I love you I and I'm
seeking you it says it says you will
reward those who diligently seek you so
Lord perhaps you could give me a little
more insight on this so he kept on
seeking kept on seeking and it was
shortly after that where one morning
that about 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning
as he was sitting in his little chair he
always got up out of bed went to a
certain room in the house and like in
the living room was real quiet
he was sitting that chair and just
fellowship worship the Lord pray in the
spirit and he said one day while he was
more one morning while he was sitting in
the chair he sensed he didn't turn
around and look but he sensed the Lord
walked into the room while standing
behind him and kind of leaning over him
a little bit and the Lord was weeping
and crying and he knew brother Beutler
knew by the Holy Spirit that the Lord
was so touched that somebody will get
out of bed in the middle of the night
and push through that discomfort out of
love to seek him in the middle of the
night that the Lord stood over him and
weep and cried and the hot tears ran
down the Lord's face and dripped on top
of brother Beutler head woo woo
hallelujah he is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him
pastor Steven now I'm convinced that
when I get to heaven I'm really gonna be
near to the Lord we all will be your
flesh won't bother you you'll be out of
your flesh and even when you get your
new resurrected fleshly body and you're
able to be clothed in it it will be an
immortal body with literally superhuman
ability so it's not like you really have
to push then all of this is going on now
the making of a saint
I'm talking about you it's all going on
now that's what the Lord wants to do mmm
the Father wants to mold you into the
image of his dear son don't be afraid to
push yourself praise God mm-hmm because
there is coming today when the rewards
are going to be handed out watch this
you're gonna have a whole bunch of
Christians that are in heaven oh yes
wash with the blood of Jesus saved happy
to be there but when they start to see
the rewards that are gonna be handed out
for those that diligently serve the Lord
and honored the Lord and obeyed the Lord
and laid their lives down for the Lord
they're gonna step back and say oh I
didn't know how and you're gonna say I
knew I knew the whole time hallelujah
and I'm ready for something to be given
to me today
well I knew it the whole time and you
live your life for the Lord now hmm
thank you Jesus praise God one time I
was in India
in northern India in the area of
kalimpong and you know really if you
didn't know that you flew into India you
would actually just by looking you would
think you were in Tibet because you're
pretty close to the China Tibet area and
many of the people there are Tibetan or
Nepalese and beautiful people with the
most beautiful clothing probably some of
the most beautiful clothing I've ever
seen in the world where colors that are
iridescent and fluorescent or what we
would call like hot colors that's normal
for them and it's just just amazing
amazing colors and so I remember that I
went there and hosted by a wonderful man
of God and we were doing meetings and
really endeavoring the breakthrough with
the anointing as we were ministering to
about 400 young people and God was
moving God God was doing good things but
we did not yet have in the meetings what
we would call like breakthrough revival
so you know up until that point you just
do the best you can you still ministers
of the word you still pray for people
yes you see some good things happen but
it wasn't like you know we're just
swimming in the glory so we kept pushing
and I remember one night after I
finished preaching they took me back to
the area where they would feed the
ministers and they had gotten me a pizza
way up there in the mountains I don't
know where they got it I don't know who
made it I don't know how it got there
but they had gotten me a pizza and they
they knew they knew I love pizza and
they all wanted to see me eat it so the
ministers were eating but because they
had rounded up a pizza they knew Steven
Brooks like pizza many others came in
because they all wanted to see me eat it
they wanted to they
to see my reaction and so I ate it
with the first bite I bit into it and
they're all looking at me and I
understand laws of honor I understand
that when you give something to somebody
you really are looking for a reaction a
smile would be nice
hallelujah a thank you would be greatly
appreciate it
and so they're looking for that and I
know that's that's just what we we do we
show honor but I have to be honest when
I bit into that pizza it tasted like a
piece of hardboard I mean I literally
could have taken pages out of this
notepad and it started hitting it and it
probably would have tasted almost like
that I'm not trying to be mean and I
didn't tell them that because I smiled
mm-hmm and he looked at me they felt
satisfied by mile okay now but I'm
forcing it down and it literally did
taste like cardboard but I pastor
Stephen how is it do you like it mmm
very feeling mmm oh thank you so much Oh
after Stephen have another slice eat it
all oh yes yes yes mmm
down it goes down it goes down it goes
and smiling while I eat it but it tasted
really bad taste it really bad well the
meetings continue the meetings continued
and the next morning somebody ministers
great message next afternoon somebody
ministers great message and another day
goes by still didn't get that
breakthrough but one night after that
during the day the Holy Spirit gave me I
mean he told me what the message or she
said he literally told me speak on this
when you go and I'm gonna back it with
power so I went into the meeting already
knowing before anything happens this is
it this is what we've been looking for
because this is not just a message this
is what God says and it was the word of
the Lord so I went into that meeting and
soon as I began speaking the message the
Holy Spirit fell he fell on the people
he fell on my translator the first
person went out was my translator
and then he began falling all all the
adults and then he started hitting all
the teams and then the children and it
did not stop until about four o'clock in
the morning the power was I mean it
didn't matter where you're at if you're
in a bathroom you got laid out if you
were in the auditorium you got laid out
by God if you were in the hallway
you got laid out the Spirit of God was
moving and tremendous power great time
the the host said he said in my many
years of ministry that's probably the
most drunken service I've ever seen
drunk in the spirit you understand very
different from drunk in the world the
drunk on wine but that night after that
message was over is about 10 o'clock now
God's still moving but they thought we
need to feed you know the ministers so
they take us back oh oh they've got
something for pastor Stephen now see I
had spent the entire day on my knees I
don't know how long I prayed maybe eight
or ten hours I'm not saying that to say
I'm holding I'm not I'm not saying I'm
just saying yeah there's times you have
to push why we're living for eternity
and it's not like sometimes you can fly
to these places halfway around the world
all that's easy I'll be back next week
these they he'll take you a week just to
recover from the jet lag this is stuff
that you go into it you lay your life
down you serve the Lord and it's your
time you put your whole heart into it
and I had so we go back whoo-hoo they
had another pizza for pastor Stephen
pastor Steve we have another pizza I
smiled I thought about the first one but
I smiled you know I thought take courage
we'll get it down again but this one
when they opened the lid of the box uh
I I mean this this this pizza was beyond
Domino's beyond Papa John's beyond Pizza
Hut this this was like something like an
angel had just brought from a kitchen in
heaven it was lit looked like a like a
supernatural pizza and they were all
smiled and nobody know where it came
from nobody know who made it who got it
there it just showed up hot and this was
the pizza for pastor Steve
and the other the other ministers didn't
want pizza they just want it rice and
soy sauce or whatever is making them
happy so that the pizza was all mine and
all eyes came in people came in and they
were watching their what they're looking
for the reaction and I put that first
slice and that first bite into my mouth
and it was beyond anything you could
make on the earth it was like a pizza
literally that was brought from heaven
by an angel it was absolutely incredible
they said fast asleep it's good it I
said all praise the Lord
mmm oh they're a half you know toasted
in the spirit Oh pastor you know or just
having the most hilarious times and uh
having a good time in the Lord but see
when you give God your best then and
only then will he release his best to
you thank you Jesus
hallelujah my friends give God your best
during this life serve him with all of
your heart you have distractions all
around you you have entertainment and
sources for recreation unlike any other
generation ever that has lived on the
earth in the history of the world
don't let these things Rob your focus or
steal your devotion away from the Lord
can I tell you a funny story when I was
up there in that northern part of India
it was very cold high elevation and cold
365 days of a year we actually flew over
no excuse me not over you're not
technically I don't think allowed to fly
over them but kind of close by them from
the side because the pilot said look out
the window there's two Himalayan
mountains and so we're real close this
is all mountains snow-capped and so
that's where we were at so it was cold
all the time and I was wearing like five
four or five layers of clothing and I
was still cold all the time
but I had a travel companion praise the
Lord
Kelly was not able to make it on that
trip with me so I had a wonderful travel
companion I flew all the way from
Moravian Falls and we you know got there
but bless his heart he was a he was a
big man and he had some extra insulation
so he wasn't struggling with the cold
like I was because um I just you don't
really have any reserves to help keep me
warm so I was cold all the time but you
know he was around me throughout all
those meetings and he was a real
blessing hit us I don't know he had the
most amazing ability to look at a menu
written in a foreign language and
somehow figure out what the pic to eat
because he would order his food my food
we both eat some of the same things
maybe a few varieties to change it up
and he was he could just order like I
don't have phenomenal ability to order
food really good in a language you can't
even read I mean it was just even even
the writing can you understand what it
means but he could look at it somehow
and figure it out
that was his anointing praise God but
one night in the hotel room in which we
were staying with very very limited
electricity and so forth very modest but
still there very nice we really enjoyed
it it was very cold in the room it was
just too cold the heater couldn't keep
up with a little-bitty heater couldn't
keep up with it I was cold all the time
but I found a way to get warm and in the
morning this dear brother he saw me he's
a businessman he saw me he said he said
Stephen now I know
despite the miracles that I've seen you
work and God worked through you he said
now I know that you are a holy man of
God I said well brother I said how what
what in the world would make you say
something like that he said you didn't
know it but I was in the other room of
sleep and I got up in the middle of the
night to check on you because it was so
cold and I knew it was
difficult for you and he said despite
the freezing temperature even in the
room I saw you laying on the bed with
nothing but a little thin like skimpy
little blanket laid over you and yet you
were so you were just laying there you
were you looked so warm your face was
red your legs were red and I just said
Lord he is a holy man you even
supernaturally keep him warm with
nothing but a little bitty blanket on
him in these freezing temperatures I
said God he's a holy man mmm I said
brother I said on I just started
laughing I said did you not did you not
find the electric blanket in your room
he said what I said I said you know
there by your bed there's that little
drawer if you'd have pulled it open
there's a little extra electric blanket
you can take it out yes it's real thin
but I said I had mine on all night I was
getting so hot I felt like I was about
to burn off see serving the Lord also
causes Revelation to come to you that
could be hidden mysteries that perhaps
passed by others
I don't know hallelujah that's just
having a little bit of fun we had a lot
of fun I believe the Lord wants us to
enjoy life as we're serving him yes
sometimes you'll have to push maybe
harder than what you thought but God's
in it and the reward trust me will be
there it will be there let's go deeper
first Timothy chapter 4 and let's drop
down to verse 8 for bodily exercise
profits a little now it doesn't say it's
worthless some translations says it has
some value I like that okay but all in
all in the eyes of God it's on the lower
end of its on the way lower in the
priority list Oh pastor Steven that I'm
glad to hear you say that because I just
really you know I love candy bars and I
love soda not now look I'm not saying
wreck your system or abuse your system
either that's not what I'm saying there
needs to be balance all I am trying to
say though is that in our culture that
puts a tremendous weight on appearance
and really showing things off whether
it's a man or a woman that stuff can
really distract you from living the life
God wants you to let me explain for
bodily exercise profits a little but
godliness is profitable for all things
having promise of the life that now is
and of that which is to come the thing
about bodily exercise is that it takes
so much work to carve and the shape and
sculpt and to develop and guess what
once you've got it there which I know
many of you know what I'm talking about
once you've got it there it takes a lot
of work to maintain it whew and if you
don't maintain it
sometimes for just three or five days
you notice within that short amount of
time it starts to go downhill mmm maybe
you remember Arnold Schwarzenegger back
in the 70s with that classic movie
called pumping iron with the theme song
everybody wants to live forever you know
the song kind of would repeat those
words everybody wants to live forever
pumping iron and you know all these guys
that look like they're carved out of
granite you know working out for six
hours a day and you know also as we now
know having a lot of artificial
stimulation hint-hint steroids if you
know what I'm talking about in case you
didn't know no that's not normal you
can't look like that unless you're
juiced and I'm not talking about fruit
juice but my friends the fact of the
matter is
it takes a little luck to get into that
well pastor Steven how does Arnold
Schwarzenegger
Swartz's Nagar look today well he
doesn't look anything like that
why because you cannot maintain it and
eventually eventually you might as well
face it it's all gonna go south anyhow
now I'm not saying just let yourself go
that's not what I'm saying but I am
saying this that life is very short very
temporal and you can get caught up in
things and you think it's all this and
it just takes a lot of energy a lot of
effort and whoof
and then if you ever do get there where
people applaud you say oh yeah hey I
want to look like that guy well the guy
that looks like that he's running day
and night trying to maintain that and it
you know now every now he lives his life
by what he can't eat what he can't eat
what what is calorie intake is what he's
not allowed to eat and just on and on it
goes
drinking shakes all the time and it just
starts to consume your life be careful
with these types of things be careful
with these types of things praise God
thank you Lord Jesus hallelujah praise
the Lord
thank you Lord Jesus many things pastor
Stephen I'm going to modify my vehicle
okay well you're gonna have a hard time
selling it if it's not stopped you got
all this stuff that you did first of all
you're never gonna get that when you
sell it out you're never going to get
that out of the sale when you sell it
and it's just it never stops with one
thing I'm going to modify the tires I'm
going to modify the engine air intake
I'm going to modify the engine chip and
that way I can upgrade it with more
horsepower that not well now you got to
upgrade the transmission shaft or
because it can't handle all that
horsepower now you got to change this
out change that out I'm going to upgrade
the stereo system I don't like the stock
system and now you know it you're just
working on this stuff all the time all
the time all the time and you've only
got one life one go with this
I know a man of God mmm good man of God
when he's on he's on hmm he can he's
good soul winner good evangelist we got
caught up in this car thing and it was a
hobby and I don't think there's anything
wrong with a hobby but a lot of times
people they take these hobbies and then
they just it starts to grab them for
something next thing you know they got
Hobby fever Gold Fever hotrod fever
workout fever whatever it is investment
fever what on and on it goes
and he just yeah he got this the hot rod
and he started working on it and you
know people would say wow that's cool
let me let me take it out get all these
accolades and stuff like that and it
just began to eat his time up each time
one time he got fed up with it he just
got fed up with it and sold it got rid
of the stupid thing why it was a
distraction for him and especially as a
man of God I'm not saying as a man of
God can't have some you know your
hobbies and your recreation and things
like that I'm just saying that for a lot
of people we've never had access to
recreation ever like we have I mean it's
everywhere it's everywhere in all types
of formats with all of the new
technology of being able to stream and
download thousands literally tens of
thousands of movies well I never saw
those movies that came out in the 90s I
need to go back and re-watch all of
those for the for watching for the first
time I'd like to go back to the 80s you
know what I need to watch that whole
Star Wars series all over again so I can
understand what's going on in the end
one and you know just on and on it goes
oh now we need to watch this series so
we can better understand pop culture and
what happens there and it's never ending
it's never ending and you can get lost
in this fog you get lost in this fog of
just living like this and then you wake
up and you're 85 years old and life's
almost over or it ends unexpectedly
because the Lord is coming back as a
thing
in the night and then there is the
catching up of the church out of the
earth oh lord I I didn't I didn't know I
wasn't right well it doesn't matter when
he's coming he's coming to take you back
and when Jesus comes back he's not
coming to check your theological
eschatology
well I'm pre-trib I am mid-trib I'm post
tribulation a that the he's not
concerned about that when he comes back
to take the church as long as you're
living and he's living in your heart
he's taking you up taking you out praise
the Lord and the body of Christ is not
appointed unto wrath Jesus has
deliverance on his mind for you and only
the Father Knows that date but we're
getting closer
he'll come like a thief in the night you
need to be ready need to be ready praise
the Lord thank you Jesus you know I did
I've shared the story before but let me
share it again I talked to my treasurer
when I was the chapter president of a
Full Gospel businessman fellowship
international chapter now it's an
organization businessman's organization
that's known all over the world the
thing that was special is that I was
chapter president of the chapter that
met in Irvine California where the world
headquarters was at and so whenever a
lot of these super successful Christian
businessmen would fly into the world
headquarters well they would let me know
and that way I could get them to come
over to speak during my midweek wind
state luncheon meeting and so we had
phenomenal people share but after the
meetings were over after there were
salvations after there were divine
healings of the Lord touching people and
the wonderful times we had I would
sometimes sit around with my treasurer
he was an old man and he'd lived a good
life and his wife Maya who you know
husband and wife they loved each other
and she was a prophetess of the Lord
and was greatly used by the Lord
really when Dimas Shikari and the
founder of Full Gospel businessman
fellowship International when he would
have those meetings and he really needed
to hear from the Lord he would always go
looking for her Maya had many
supernatural encounters now Henry and
Maya are both in heaven now they they
lived their lives out but because Maya
had had these experiences with the Lord
these visions I would you know ask her
I'm like interview her in a sense
one-on-one like I mean me and Kelly
would sit the table after the meetings
are over everybody's left and we're
still talking about heaven and she tell
me stories and things that had happened
to her she told me about the time she
went to heaven and Jesus allowed her to
meet and not meet really but to catch
back up with her daddy who had died like
a couple of decades earlier and she knew
that he was in heaven because he was a
Christian but Jesus allowed her to spend
a couple of hours in heaven with him she
was caught up in a vision so she goes to
heaven sees the Lord the Lord allows her
to go spend time with her father in
heaven and so he takes her to his home
and you know they talk and he tells her
about you know the wonders of heaven and
then she's later gonna be given a tour
and stuff but she asked her father a
question she said daddy it's wonderful
to see you and to have this left blessed
privilege of the Lord to be allowed to
have this these short moments with you
but she said I have to ask you a
question while here I can't help but
notice some of these mansions and
there's mansions all over the place she
was explaining but she said there are
some that are just phenomenal beyond
comprehension and she told her daddy
there are so many beautiful mansions but
she said why do you live in what you're
living in now she described what he was
living in as more like a
like a condo it was like like a really
nice apartment
I wouldn't call an apartment because
they don't really have those in heaven
but it was like a very nice condo very
nice she said how come all these other
people have you know mansions but yet
you have this and there's others that
had places like he had how come you have
a like this little bitty place he goes
well Maya he said I never told you this
while I was on the earth but when I was
on the earth for years and years and
years the Lord endeavoured to call me
into the ministry and he called me to be
a preacher and I always resisted that
call I wanted to do my own thing in life
I didn't want to be a preacher and so I
put the Lord off and put him off and
just never answered that calling and
although I knew the Lord is my Savior
I was just obedient and I live my life
unto myself that's why I don't have a
mansion like others have that's why I'm
in this little bitty bundle because I
never answered the call to ministry mmm
oh by the way she told me that the
little dog that she grow up with the
family dog was there running around the
condo having a wonderful time yes if you
want your precious pet to be with you in
heaven that pet will be there in heaven
I was taken to heaven one time many of
you have read my testimony about this
and I was allowed to see the mansion
that the Lord had for me it was actually
like me and Kelly's mansion it was both
of our mentioned I just knew what we
both were going to live there okay and
so I was allowed to go into my mansion
and I saw my precious Airedale Terrier
dog there she was her name was Tabitha
sleeping
beautiful rug in the living room of my
heavenly mansion there was a fireplace
there was a fire going glory hallelujah
my dog had a golden collar she'd ever
had this on earth but she had a golden
collar around her neck wood it was 24
carat solid gold and it said Tabitha
Brooks engraved in cursive writing it
was absolutely beautiful hallelujah my
friends there are so many different
types of rewards and I believe that the
Lord wants you to have a soul winners
crown that's why in this ministry we do
all we can to build up the church and
the reach the lost hallelujah glory to
God because we want a soul winners crown
and then when we win them to the Lord we
want to disciple them because jesus said
go into all the world and make disciples
make disciples and that's what we're
doing hallelujah thank you for standing
with us as together we are living not
just for this life we are living for
eternity
we have eternity in mind we want to
bring as many to the Lord as we possibly
can hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you
Lord Jesus I would ask you to be mindful
of those that God places within your
arena of life those that you can speak
to that are going through things you
know there was a man in my church years
back a good man he loved the Lord but he
would be a classic example of somebody
that loved the Lord but he was just dry
he was dry spiritually because he wanted
to live life his way and because of that
although he was saved that rich heavenly
life was not flowing into him and he
could be very insensitive sometimes
he had a fellow that worked with him
just a few feet away from him that
worked with him now I had to go to his
job one time because of the type of work
he had I won't name what that was but I
had to go to his job site one time to
see him because he was taking care of
something that I need it fixed and so
while I was there I could see this other
young man that worked there the young
man was a very troubled young man and he
was all that young man was like wild he
was blasting music real loud real
repulsive music and he was just hard to
get along with the young man was
insensitive didn't care if the music
bothered other people and my church
remember said this guy drives he told me
quiet kind of quietly he said this guy
just drives me nuts I can't stand him he
does all this every day and I said have
you ever witnessed to him I said he
needs to Lord he goes ah he's not
interested in the things of God I said
have you asked him have you talked to
him about the Lord not even gonna waste
my time with him and a few weeks later
that young man killed himself and
committed suicide and nobody ever told
him about the gospel that we know love
and that Christian working next to him
every day every day every day every day
seeing his trouble seeing his his acting
out all of this pain because of the
Torah Bowl is life
never once told him about the Lord hmm
praise the Lord my friends let's be
sensitive and not have our heads wrapped
up in all kinds of things of the world
so deeply that we can't even see
spiritually the need that would be right
in front of us oh I know it sometimes it
can interrupt us sometimes when the last
thing we want to do is mention Jesus or
or be spiritual I remember one time I
was in Jerusalem Israel having finished
a large conference I was tired
physically I felt depleted ministered a
lot not just preaching teaching but
praying over people hundreds of people
and just poured my
out the meetings over I thought now I
can relax I said Kelly let's go find a
good coffee house somewhere
so we went to the Jerusalem bus stop
just looking around because we were real
close by we were at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel and we walked to the Jerusalem bus
stop and saw a good look like a good
coffee place so we went in and I went
and I sat down Kelly went and ordered
our two lattes one for her one for me
well I'm tired just sitting there kind
of being low profile sit in a corner a
little round table waiting for Kelly to
come join me with the with the coffee
drinks and Kelly came back to the table
and she said Stephen there's two ladies
that want you to pray for them now I
didn't know what when Kelly was in the
line she heard two Jewish women they're
not Christian at all
they actually extremely turned off to
Jesus they were in the line and they
were they're elderly ladies probably in
their 80s and they were talking to each
other about how much excruciating pain
they're in one was saying oh my legs are
killing me the other my back is just
horrible it's killing me and Kelly just
popped in into their conversation and
said my husband sitting right over there
at that chair he has an international
healing ministry and if you'll go over
there he'll pray for you and the I don't
know how she said it but she said God
will heal you or something like that she
didn't say Jesus cause that would you
know what you have to be careful with
that word with that name now she comes
back with the coffee's and here they
come they saw me here they come and they
sat down I said please sit down at the
table do you need prayer they said yes
you were hurting we're in tremendous
pain I said okay I'll pray for you but
this is what I have to do I have to pray
in the name of Jesus they both
Shh don't say that name in here you
start a riot in here mm-hmm and I you
know okay I can work with you I said
enough but look I said I'll try to be as
quiet as I can be but I said I have to
pray in his name because the power is in
his name they said okay do what you need
to do just keep it down I said okay I
said stick your hand out give me your
hand
the first lady puts her hand in my hand
I sit in the name of Jesus I rebuke and
curse the pain their arthritis and just
went strong on her not loud but strong
prayer and then I grab the other lady's
hand and begin to pray for her and as
I'm praying for her she just says oh I'm
getting so hot and the other the other
one said you are the other one said yes
they're having ice it's the power of God
it's the fire of God and the other one
said I actually thought they spiked my
coffee and put bunch alcohol in my
coffee she said I'm burning up and the
pain just began to evaporate out of
their bodies and was that something that
I wanted to do no I just wanted to sit
there in bed out but but shift out of
those modes shift out of those modes
when you have those opportunities and
look after it was done you know that
they they left they had all day to kind
of look at their watching oh we gotta go
catch the bus and they walked out like
two drunk they look like they were drunk
because the Spirit of God had touched
them so strongly mm-hmm and there was no
alcohol in the coffee it was just
straight coffee but God hit him with the
great power Pastor Steven whatever
happened to him
I don't know but I'm believing that the
seed sown will produce a harvest
hallelujah they could be in heaven right
now but my friends when we have these
opportunities go for it look the rewards
God will always be there if you're there
for him he'll always be there for you
now I know technically God's always
there but I'm just saying that he will
do things for you
that others may not know about I've had
the Lord do some things for me some of
them so sacred there's very few paid
people I could tell well I'll tell you
one I think I'll tell you one today
the only person I've told this is my
wife but I'd like to tell this to you
today
last year our dog named Dutchess who was
like a saint she lived for seven years
and for seven years she never did one
thing wrong you think pastor Stephen
that's not possible it's true for seven
years as a dog she never did one single
thing wrong she was like a lamb she was
so sweet she was a mix of different
breeds and this dog was so beautiful
that anytime we would take her to a
kennel because you don't travel and
things like that in ministry any time we
take her to her kennel people would look
at her and they would say what kind of a
dog is that because she was just
extraordinarily beautiful and one man
that the kennel who had seen every kind
of dog you could think of he said
Stephen Wow
Dutchess is just the most beautiful dog
I've ever seen and people would say that
about her she was beautiful
but she was so sweet now the way that
she came into our life was that the Lord
gave her to us Kelly was working in the
administration offices over in the other
building here some years back and it was
it was at night time it was in the
winter it was dark and it was cold and
she hears something scratching on the
door outside and she goes to look what
it is and when she opens up the door
three little abandoned puppies ran in
there all sisters and immediately Kelly
looked at the one that was named we
named Duchess Abigail named her Duchess
and we liked the name so the name stuck
we looked at her and said wow this is
this is something special
so Dutch
jumped up in Kelly's lap and we refused
to come down and so the two other
puppies the sisters we sent them to the
kennel so somebody could adopt them but
Duchess was so sweet and she became
knitted and connected to Kelly and was
just for seven years absolute total joy
so that this dog actually came to the
church and ran into the church on a cold
night and was rescued and for those of
you that have experienced this you'll
notice that the rescue animals they are
thankful they know hey you saved me you
rescued me and this dog was very aware
of that and she was so sweet and for
seven years she was an absolute delight
and joy and she was a beautiful dog and
I you know I think her in the truck with
me all over the place and Kelly would
take her places she was with us all the
time and so she was absolutely really
just sent from the Lord well last year
we noticed that suddenly her vitality
just plummeted and she couldn't move she
became very lethargic we took her to the
vet and the report came back it shocked
us that that says she has cancer in the
brain and it was very advanced and I
prayed for her but the Lord said Stephen
she has lived her life and served her
purpose the Lord said let me bring her
home I said O God please heal her Lord
you can heal her the Lord said but her
time is complete let her come home and
the Lord said she's in pain
let her come home so she was in great
duress the pain became extraordinary so
we had her put to sleep and when she was
put to sleep
we saw she's laying there with no life
it hit me and Kelley hard like a family
member she was so sweet and she was such
a blessing who brought us some
joy and it was very very difficult and
Kelly just Kelly was just wiped out for
a couple days and she Kelly said now
Stephen the Lord has taken you the
heaven before and you've seen Tabitha
Steven please she said you have that
ability to get in the spirit and see
things please find out about Dutchess I
said Kelly I already know she's in
heaven but Kelly said I know she is but
I just I want to know though I want to
know that she's there
and so for two days I prayed but I my
heart was so heavy - my heart was broken
I said god I didn't know I could I could
love a pet like that so much and this
this is something Lord that has really
touched my heart and she's not here
anymore she's gone
and so I came into the sanctuary this
very sanctuary that I'm preaching to you
from I came into here one day last year
with my heart broken and I said lord I
know that if I praise you I believe
it'll help me feel better and I began
the sing praises to the Lord and after
about 20 minutes of endeavouring to sing
praises to the Lord I stopped I said
Lord I send my heart so broken I can't I
can't even praise I want to but I said
I'm too low right now I said Lord
sometimes life can be very difficult in
the sense that that it's almost like I'd
rather go home with you as to face some
of the things that can cause such pain
and sorrow in life and I said Lord I
said I can't praise you I said do praise
I do love you but I can't I can't I some
solo right now can't get I can't lift
myself to do it to praise you and I said
Lord I'm just gonna go outside and get
some fresh air so I walked out of the
sanctuary here went through the door
over here and then went out the door and
went out to the parking lot now Kelly
was in the administration on
this working not really getting any work
done because she's too sad but I went
out into the parking lot and I just said
God I love you I said no she's in heaven
I said I know she's there and I looked
up and I saw a cloud and I didn't have
my phone I always have my phone and I
had left my phone in here but I believe
it was the Lord because he didn't want
me to capture what I saw he didn't want
he won't you doesn't mind if I share it
but he didn't want me to it was too
sacred I looked up and there was a cloud
a big cloud right over the church
parking lot and nobody's out nobody's
seen it and the face of Jesus was in the
crowd and he was looking down at me and
the face was Christ on the cross
crucified the grief and the sin bearer
of humanity and I saw the face of Jesus
pastor Stephen what did it look like it
looked like a man in the most
excruciating pain and agony beyond
anything I've ever seen anybody in let
me see if I can give you a verse that
will help you to understand it this
would be 1st Corinthians chapter 11
verse 26 first often as you eat this
bread and drink this cup you proclaim
the Lord's death till he comes let me
share it more fully verse 23 for I
received from the Lord that which I also
delivered to you that the Lord Jesus on
the same night in which he was betrayed
took bread and when he had given thanks
he broke it and said take eat this is my
body which is broken for you do this in
remembrance of me the same manner he
also took the cup after supper saying
this cup is the New Covenant in my blood
this do as often as you drink it and
remember me now then he said Paul said
for as often as you eat this bread and
drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's
death till he comes when you take
communion when you receive the flesh and
the blood of Christ
you're not proclaiming his life you're
not proclaiming his resurrection
you're not proclaiming that he ascended
to the right hand of the Father
you're proclaiming his death why pastor
Stephen because it was on that cross
that he became the bearer of all of the
sins of humanity and he was in total
complete agony don't see Christ on the
cross as the symbol of beauty don't see
when you take communion you're not
looking at the beauty of the Lord you're
looking at the death and the agony of
the Lord why it's because that he did
that that we have life in other words
every pain that humanity has ever felt
from the first human throughout history
to the generation living right now to
those that would be born today or
tomorrow that would grow up and feel
pain or feel the awful effects of sin
and death and the curse that have been
released into the earth you have to
understand that in one moment all of
that filth and pain and terror were
placed and funneled on Christ all at one
time when you take communion
you see Jesus as the sin bearer and so
he bore all of our sins and let me just
be honest he bore all of the nasty ones
too not just two little ones that we
would think all that stunted big okay he
bore all sin the worship of Satan murder
abortion
the most vile sins cursing in just the
most awful things all of it in one month
in one moment of time was placed on him
he became the absolute dregs of filth
and scum and God put it all on him and
he was smitten with the curse and the
father turned his back on him because
our sin was placed on him and Christ
cried out my God my God why have you
forsaken me it's because he became
filthy and yes our sins were put on him
but also all of our griefs and pains he
bore him and when I looked up at the
cloud he sucked out of me all of the
grief all of the agony of the law of the
loss of something that's precious that
you loved he sucked it out of me and I
could tell that at Calvary it went into
him and that's what I was looking at and
I had never seen a face so contorted
it's so much pain and all of my life it
even says in Scripture that when he was
on the cross he became unrecognizable
that's what it says in Isaiah 53 53 and
Psalm 22 he he became unrecognizable he
didn't even look human why because of
the agony that he was in and the filth
that was upon him and it caused his
whole face to contort hmm he looked like
he was in so much pain and sorrow and
but when I saw him in the cloud looking
at me knowing I was hurting he was
conveying to me I went to the cross to
take your grief now let me take it and
he sucked it out of me Oh
Oh and the clouds still there now I feel
like I feel I feel peace and I started
to run to the administrative office to
get Kelly
and the whole time I was running ice
it's the Holy Spirit saying it's just
for you now why does that happen I don't
know I don't try to figure that out I've
had experiences like that before when I
knew the Spirit of God was saying is
don't holler don't take a picture that
don't tell this is just for you and the
whole time I'm trying to run because I
want her to feel the relief to see that
but McLeod the face of Christ the whole
time I'm running I knew I was running
not in the spirit but in the flesh and
the clouds starting to break up I
slightly the Lord hold the whole hold
that for her moment Kelly needs that but
the Holy Spirit let me know that he
would minister the her and the way that
he chose but he was ministering to me
in the way that the Savior had chosen
and by the time I did get to the door
and said Kelly please come quick come
quick she said what is it what's wrong I
said come look at Christ looking at in
the cloud and she got out she said oh my
lord and it was beginning they'll
quickly break up she said it's the Lord
I said yes but it was already dissolving
so fast that she couldn't she couldn't
get the impact of what I had received
but I did get it and I got the full
blast of it mmm and every time we take
communion I want you to see that we were
proclaiming the Lord's death till he
comes
[Music]
and the more you die in him and connect
with his death the more of his life now
that's the resurrection power flows into
you hallelujah and I would just say that
there are many things that are by grace
and by grace alone but there are other
things that God will do for you when you
walk with Him that others they don't
even know it's possible that they don't
even know that God would meet you in
such a way like that oh but oh yes he
will and a whole lot more and a whole
lot more mmm-hmm thank you Jesus
and that's just
one of the stories there's some other
things I could share but some of the
things are very very intimate as well so
some things I can't share but this one I
feel the peace of God to talk about yes
your if you want your pet to be in
heaven that little furry fellow will be
there
hallelujah cat dog whatever it is
hallelujah heaven is beyond your wildest
dreams of every beautiful perfect holy
thing and there's no fear there's no sin
there's nothing that could hurt or harm
anywhere in all of heaven it's it's just
amazing praise God I want you to live
for him while you're here he's gonna
bless you here he's gonna bless you so
much that that scripture of Jeremiah
chapter 29 verse 11 the good plan he's
got for your life you will taste that to
the maximum mmm yes hallelujah praise
God and when you go home to be with the
Lord you will go home you will receive a
glorious welcome and there will be
rewards for you
hallelujah praise God but my friends we
must live for the Lord now and he's
going to reward you now and in the
hereafter if you're watching me right
now and you're listening to this message
and you say well pastor Stephen I don't
know the Lord I don't know the Lord well
you can receive him right now and he's
ready right now to wash all of your sins
away and he wants you to come to him
and he's gonna fix your problems and
he'll make your life beautiful pastor
Stephen I have III do belong to the Lord
but I'm having member I I take communion
but I I still have memory of all of my
sins and it haunts me it doesn't matter
if you still remember it it has no power
it's nothing but burnt ashes you may
have a memory but it doesn't even affect
your conscience why it's just it's just
a burned-out shell it's nothing but
ashes your sins are gone burned up they
were all put on Christ
now numbers 19 talks about the sacrifice
of the red heifer it was burned
completely I mean the only thing left
was ashes and the priests would take the
ashes mix it with a little bit of water
and just the ashes of a heifer of a cow
I mean I grew up with cows we had
heifers would you believe of all cows we
had heifers Jersey cows and some Brahma
Bulls okay now just a sprinkling of the
ashes with that water they made the
people clean and Paul in Hebrews chapter
9 said hey if the ashes of a heifer
sprinkled on a person under the Old
Covenant made them clean and covered
their sins for another whole year how
much more the blood of Christ is able to
just wash it all away to remove it
completely Hebrews 9 verse 13 for if the
blood of bulls and goats and the ashes
of a heifer that would be the red heifer
sprinkling the unclean sanctifies for
the purifying of the flesh how much more
shall the blood of Christ who through
the Eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the
Living God when that red heifer was
burnt it was nothing left but ashes and
it's a symbol of Christ the sacrifice of
God given as a substitute for our sins
completely consumed stricken with the
wrath of God just like the heifer burnt
up and so all of our sins on him burned
up the gone
your sins that you've confessed before
the Lord there's nothing left of them
God doesn't even remember them there's
they're nothing but ashes and you may
remember what they are but God doesn't
but even if you remember still they're
just ashes powerless against you it's no
powering at all your conscience is clean
there's nothing but ashes praise God
if you would like to receive Jesus who's
able to wash all of your sins away if
you would like to make him your Lord and
Savior right now pray this out loud
pray it after me say Jesus come into my
heart wash all of my sins away I give my
life to you right now save me now Jesus
thank you Jesus
write my name in your book of life I
want to go to heaven with you in your
name I pray amen and amen
and he has heard that prayer and he has
saved your soul you now belong to him
now serve Him and live for him for the
rest of your life
praise God forever let us take Holy
Communion please grab some unleavened
bread and some grape juice and let's
pray over it
father we thank you for the bread the
juice we consecrate it and set it apart
as Holy and we thank you that your life
is in it this is now the flesh of Jesus
and his blood Oh Lord we give you praise
hallelujah we thank you Father that
Jesus is our atoning sacrifice
hallelujah and all of our sins are
washed away father as we receive the
flesh of Jesus let us be mindful of
others their hurts their pains and let
us reach out by your grace and your love
to minister to literally a hurting lost
and dying world Lord we thank you that
you're gonna allow us
to bring many in into your kingdom
because you're a 19's upon us and we're
gonna bring them in wherever we're at
we're gonna bring them in thank you lord
and there's many they're wanting there
the fish are avoiding their jump into
the boat just about we think your Lord
that it's a new season and they want to
get that they want it they want it so
father we give you praise we thank you
for rewards and we thank you that we do
it out of love
we give you praise in Jesus name let us
receive the body of Jesus praise the
Lord
whoo father thank you for the blood of
Jesus thank you for our inheritance
being able to come into the very throne
room of grace and to receive help in
time of need and answers to prayer thank
you O God that you are answering prayers
right now hallelujah let the Lord know
what you need let him know what you need
he's gonna work it all out for you he
cares for you more than you know and his
angels are with you right now
father we think that everything is going
to be good good good because you love us
so much we praise you in Jesus name Amen
let's receive the blood of Christ our
Savior praise God praise God forever
woohoo glory glory glory open your heart
to receive the supernatural visitations
and experiences with the Lord
don't seek after an angel but should one
come
open your heart to receive the message
open your heart to receive supernatural
experiences with the Lord hallelujah it
is your inheritance in Christ receive
what Jesus has purchased for you receive
healing receive deliverance for your
mind right now in the name of the Lord
somebody is being set free in their mind
Lord we give you praise Lord we give you
praise thank you Lord hallelujah thank
you Lord we give you praise and the
presence of the Lord is with you right
now as well praise God thank you Lord
Jesus
the embrace of the Lord is with you
right now
hallelujah thank you lord
spend time with him the rewards will be
showing up all around your life
hallelujah and the blessing of the Lord
will be heavy on you
praise God father bless your people we
thank you for your word in Jesus name
Amen and amen
thank you for watching look forward to
seeing you back next time bye-bye