WELL, IT'S TIME TO LOOK TO THE WORD OF GOD TODAY. AND I HOPE YOU'LL GET YOUR BIBLES AND TAKE THEM AND TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS. I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU A SUBJECT TODAY THAT I BELIEVE IS VERY IMPORTANT. I'M GOING TO NARROW MY FOCUS A LITTLE BIT TODAY AND TALK TO A SPECIFIC GROUP OF PEOPLE. NOW IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT SPECIFIC GROUP IS, IT'S THIS, I WANT TO TALK TO THE MEN WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS SERVICE TODAY. NOW, THIS MAY BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THEN WHAT WE NORMALLY ARE USED TO. I TRY TO TAKE A SUBJECT AND DEAL WITH A BROAD SPECTRUM OF PEOPLE. BUT TODAY, I WANT TO NARROW THE FOCUS BECAUSE I WANT TO ENCOURAGE SOME MEN WITH SOME WORDS HERE TODAY THAT I BELIEVE WILL HELP THEM AND IN HELPING THEM, I BELIEVE WE'LL GO A LONG WAYS TO HELP THIS WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. I'M GREATLY CONCERNED WITH THE CONDITION OF OUR WORLD TODAY. I'VE SPENT A LONG TIME THINKING ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT BE THAT HAS GONE WRONG AND WHAT IT MIGHT BE THAT COULD FIX SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE COME UP WITH IS WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY. I BELIEVE WE NEED SOME MEN THAT WILL RISE UP TO BE SPIRITUAL LEADERS IN OUR WORLD TODAY. AND WHEN I SAY SPIRITUAL LEADERS, I'M TALKING ABOUT MEN WHO WILL WALK IN THE PATHWAY OF GOD. BECAUSE AS THEY DO THAT THEY WILL BRING A POSITIVE INFLUENCE UPON THIS WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. NOW I HOPE THAT THE LADIES WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS SERVICE, WON'T BE OFFENDED BY WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY. I BELIEVE YOU PLAY A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE. BUT IF YOU PLAY YOUR ROLE AND WE AS MEN DON'T PLAY OUR ROLE, THEN THIS WORLD CAN'T BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE THE GOOD THINGS THAT IT COULD. IF WE AS MEN FAIL, IT CAUSES THIS TO BECOME LIKE A HOUSE OF CARDS. IT'LL JUST CAUSE SOMETHING ELSE TO FAIL, WHICH WILL CAUSE SOMETHING ELSE TO FAIL AND IT WON'T TAKE BUT JUST A SHORT TIME AND THE WHOLE THING WILL COLLAPSE. WHAT I SEE AS I LOOK AT THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN TODAY, I SEE A SHORTAGE OF MEN WHO ARE THE LEADERS, SPIRITUAL LEADERS, THAT THEY OUGHT TO BE. TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS IN YOUR BIBLES. HOPEFULLY YOU GOT THEM WHILE I WAS TALKING. TURN WITH ME TO THE 128TH DIVISION. I WANT TO READ A COUPLE OF VERSES OF SCRIPTURE HERE. IN FACT, I GUESS WHAT I'LL DO TODAY IS I'LL JUST TAKE ONE SCRIPTURE TO A TIME SO WE WON'T GET LOST. BEGINNING WITH VERSE 1 OF PSALM 128, IT SIMPLY SAYS THIS, "BLESSED IS EVERY MAN, OR EVERY ONE, WHO FEARS THE LORD, WHO WALKS IN HIS WAY." LET ME READ THAT TO YOU ONCE AGAIN. "BLESSED IS EVERY ONE, WHO FEARS THE LORD, WHO WALKS IN HIS WAY." NOW MEN, LISTEN TO ME FOR A FEW MOMENTS IF YOU WOULD. DON'T JUST CLICK IT OFF, CLICK OFF THE TV AND THINK, WELL, HE'S GOING TO SAY SOME BAD THINGS, HE'S GOING TO HEAP ALL KINDS OF STUFF ON US. AND I JUST DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO IT TODAY. AND SO GO OFF AND DO SOMETHING ELSE. PLEASE, STAY WITH ME FOR THE NEXT FEW MOMENTS, I WANT TO HELP YOU. I REALLY DO. AND IN HELPING YOU AND MAYBE GETTING YOU TO THINK ABOUT SOME THINGS, WE CAN GO A LONG WAYS TODAY TO HELP OUR FAMILIES, TO HELP OUR HOMES, TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, TO HELP OUR COMMUNITIES. SO AS WE TALK ABOUT THIS TODAY, I REALIZE THAT WHEN YOU READ PSALMS 128, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS FOCUSED ON BUILDING WORK AND HOME. BUILDING OUR NATURAL LIVES. WHEN I SAY NATURAL LIVES, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN. AND LET'S FACE IT, MOST OF OUR WORLD INVOLVES WORK AND HOME. NOW WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS REPRESENTING QUITE A CHALLENGE. BECAUSE AS WE APPROACH WORK AND HOME, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD IS CALLING US TO BE, SPIRITUAL LEADERS, FIRST OF ALL, IN BOTH OF THESE REALMS. WHAT WE ARE AT WORK AND WHAT WE ARE AT HOME, OUGHT TO BE THE SAME THING. IF WE'RE SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT WORK AND WE'RE SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT HOME, WE'RE TRYING TO LIVE IN TWO WORLDS AND THOSE WORLDS ARE JUST GOING TO CONTINUALLY CLASH. BUT IF WE CAN BECOME THE PEOPLE, THE MEN THAT GOD WANTS US TO BE, THEN WE WILL BE THE SAME IN BOTH PLACES. AND WE CAN BE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE OUGHT TO LIVE IN BOTH PLACES. AND AS WE DO THAT, AS WE HAVE A POSITIVE AFFECT ON BOTH OF THOSE WORLDS, IT WILL CHANGE OUR ENTIRE WORLD. BECAUSE, IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHERE I'M COMING FROM TODAY. IF WE WILL WALK WITH GOD IN THE LABOR FORCE. IF WE CAN SHOW OUR CO-WORKERS AND THE PLACES WHERE WE LABOR, IF WE CAN SHOW THEM HOW MEN OUGHT TO WALK WITH GOD AND HOW WE OUGHT TO CONDUCT OUR LIVES AND HOW WE OUGHT TO LIVE, THAT'S GOING TO TAKE ON A CONTAGIOUS KIND OF AN ELEMENT. WHERE IT WON'T REALLY TAKE ALL THAT LONG FOR OTHERS TO BEGIN TO SEE THAT AND FOR OTHERS TO BEGIN TO ADAPT THAT TO THEIR OWN LIVES. YOU SEE, I BELIEVE THAT ALL THIS WORLD NEEDS TODAY, IS TOO REALLY SEE JESUS WALKING IN THE FLESH. HOW ARE THEY GOING TO SEE THAT. WE KNOW THAT JESUS IS IN HEAVEN, WE KNOW THAT HE'S SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER, MAKING INTERCESSION FOR EACH ONE OF US. WE KNOW THAT HE IS A SPIRIT AND WE DON'T SEE SPIRIT. BUT YET, WHEN JESUS LIVES WITHIN US AND PEOPLE COME TO US AND THEY BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE OUR LIVES, IT OUGHT TO BE THAT THEY EXPERIENCE JESUS WITHIN US. AND IN THAT REGARD THEY ARE EXPERIENCING CHRIST IN THE FLESH AS THEY EXPERIENCE YOU. BUT IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL OF YOUR WALK TODAY, THEY'LL GET A STRANGE MIXTURE AND THEY'LL HAVE A WARPED UNDERSTANDING OF WHO JESUS IS. THEIR MIND WILL SAY, "IF THIS IS JESUS, I DON'T WANT ANY OF THIS." BUT THEY'RE NOT SEEING THE REAL JESUS. THEY'RE SEEING MAN'S ATTEMPT TO MELT TWO WORLDS INTO ONE. AND YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT. IF YOU LET JESUS BE JESUS, HIS INFLUENCE IN OUR LIVES WILL AFFECT THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. BUT IF WE DON'T LET JESUS BE JESUS, THE ABSENCE OF HIS INFLUENCE WILL ALSO AFFECT THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. AND IT WILL MAKE IT A PRETTY DIFFICULT PLACE TO LIVE. SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY, AS MEN, DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING THE PRIEST OF YOUR HOME. AND DON'T BE AFRAID OF FULFILLING YOUR SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY AS BEING A CHILD OF GOD WHEN YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME. THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME NEEDS TO SEE CHRIST JUST AS MUCH AS YOUR WIFE DOES, YOUR CHILDREN, YOUR SIBLINGS, YOUR PARENTS, REGARDLESS OF WHO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, IF THEY'RE FAMILY, THEY NEED TO SEE THAT YOU ARE A SPIRITUAL LEADER. BECAUSE THIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO FULFILL. THAT WE AS MEN OUGHT TO FULFILL THAT RESPONSIBILITY OF WALKING WITH GOD. WHEN I LOOK AT PSALM 128, VERSE 1, THIS IS WHAT I'M HEARING GOD SAY. WALK IN HIS WAYS. NOW I KNOW THAT THAT VERSE SAYS, EVERYONE. MEN DON'T THINK YOU'RE EXCUSED FROM THIS. MEN THAT CHARGE IS, FIRST OF ALL, TO YOU AND I. NOW I REALLY BELIEVE THAT PART OF WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN TODAY, IS THAT MEN HAVE DROPPED THE BALL. SEE, GOD HAS A DIVINE ORDER THAT WE HAVE TO FOLLOW. IF WE'RE NOT FOLLOWING THAT DIVINE ORDER, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR GOD TO HELP US. YOU SEE, EVERY ONE OF US TODAY, WANTS TO BE BLESSED OF GOD. I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE THAT I COULD TALK TO OR COME TO, WHO WOULDN'T SAY, THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE BLESSED OF GOD. BUT, HERE'S THE PROBLEM. IF YOU'RE NOT WALKING IN THE WAYS OF GOD, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR GOD TO BLESS US. BECAUSE WE'RE NOT WALKING IN A PLACE, WE'RE NOT WALKING IN SUCH A MANNER, THAT GOD CAN BLESS US. IF YOU'RE LIVING IN OPPOSITION TO GOD'S WORD, GOD'S NOT GOING TO BLESS YOU. NOW, THAT'S OBVIOUS ISN'T IT? WOULDN'T THAT BE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE WOULD THINK OF, THAT IF WE'RE NOT WALKING ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD, GOD COULDN'T BLESS US BECAUSE WE'RE IN OPPOSITION TO GOD. WHY WOULD GOD BLESS THAT THAT OPPOSES HIM. BUT HERE'S THE OTHER THING. THERE ARE SOME TODAY WHO AREN'T OPPOSING GOD, YET, THEY HAVEN'T COMMITTED THEMSELVES TO WALK WITH GOD. THEY THINK THERE'S A NEUTRAL TERRITORY SOMEWHERE. THAT NEUTRAL TERRITORY THAT YOU THINK EXIST, IT DOESN'T EXIST. YOU'RE EITHER WALKING WITH GOD OR YOU'RE WALKING AGAINST GOD. NOW I CAN ALMOST HEAR SOME PEOPLE SAYING, "PREACHER, DON'T USE THAT WORD, AGAINST, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AGAINST HIM, WE'RE JUST NOT COMMITTED TO HIM." WELL, NO MATTER HOW YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT, YOU'RE NOT WALKING IN A WAY THAT GOD CAN BLESS YOU. I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO MAKE ME SOME ENEMIES TODAY, BUT I HAVE TO SPEAK THE WORD OF TRUTH TO YOU. BECAUSE IT'S NOT UNTIL WE BEGIN WALK IN GOD'S WAYS, THAT GOD CAN BLESS OUR LIVES. THAT BLESSING CAN COME IN MANY FORMS. MAYBE IT'S THE BLESSING OF STRENGTH. MAYBE IT'S THE BLESSING OF GUIDANCE. MAYBE IT'S THE BLESSING OF PROVISION. AS GOD MEETS OUR DAY TO DAY NEEDS. I REALLY CAN'T ZERO IN ON THE BLESSING ITSELF, BECAUSE GOD HAS SO MANY WAYS OF BLESSING US. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS. THIS IS ONE AREA I CAN ZERO IN ON AND THAT IS, IF WE'RE NOT WALKING ACCORDING TO THE WAYS OF GOD, GOD IS NOT OBLIGATED AND GOD WILL NOT BLESS US. SO IF WE'RE GOING TO READ PSALM 128, VERSE 1, WE HAVE TO PUT THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER, BECAUSE REALLY WHAT HE'S TELLING US IS, IS BLESSED IS EVERYONE THAT WALKS IN GOD'S WAYS. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY MEN, MEN CERTAINLY, PLEASE, HEAR ME MEN, WALK IN GOD'S WAYS. NOW, I REALIZE THAT WHEN I SAY THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE SOME MEN SITTING IN THIS AUDIENCE TODAY, THAT WILL BEGIN TO THINK OF ALL THE THINGS THEY NO LONGER CAN DO, IF THEY'RE GOING TO WALK ACCORDING TO THE WAYS OF GOD. AND THEY'LL THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING TO MISS SOMETHING IN LIFE. WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO TESTIFY TO YOU TODAY. IN MY WALKING WITH GOD, THIS IS MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY NOW, IN MY WALKING WITH GOD, I DON'T KNOW OF ANYTHING THAT I'VE MISSED OUT ON. AND I'VE WATCHED A LOT OF MEN LIVE THEIR LIVES. BUT I'VE NEVER FELT LIKE THAT I WAS MISSING SOMETHING BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN. THAT I WAS TRYING TO BE THE HUSBAND THAT I SHOULD BE TO MY WIFE. THAT I WAS TRYING TO BE THE FATHER THAT I SHOULD BE TO MY CHILDREN. I DON'T THINK I'VE MISSED A THING. IN FACT, I'D LIKE TO THINK AS I LOOK AT THE REALM OF MY WORK AND MY HOME, THAT BECAUSE I HAVE WALKED ACCORDING TO GOD'S WAYS, AS BEST I COULD, GOD HAS BLESSED AND MY FAMILY'S HOME LIFE, MY WORK LIFE, HAVE BEEN ENRICHED BY MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TODAY, PLEASE, WALK IN HIS WAYS. THE ANOTHER THING THAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IS FOUND IN PSALM 128, VERSE 2. VERSE 2 SAYS THIS, "WHEN YOU EAT THE LABOR OF YOUR HANDS, YOU SHALL BE HAPPY AND IT SHALL BE WELL WITH YOU." NOW HERE'S A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TODAY. NOW THIS ISN'T GOING TO GAIN ME MANY FRIENDS EITHER. WE'VE GOT TOO MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE AN ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY, WHERE WE EXPECT TO BE REWARDED FOR LAZINESS. NOW I KNOW I NEVER SHOULD HAVE GONE THERE. I CAN ALMOST HEAR THE MAIL THAT'S GOING TO COME NOW. "PREACHER, YOU OFFENDED ME, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY SITUATION. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAS BROUGHT ME TO THIS PLACE." WELL, LISTEN, I UNDERSTAND, THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TAKE PEOPLE OUT OF THE WORK FORCE. YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, YOU DIDN'T INVITE IT, YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR IT AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, YOU'VE TRIED AS BEST YOU COULD. AND IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT NOTHING SEEMS TO WORK OUT. I UNDERSTAND THAT. WHAT GETS ME, THIS IS GOING TO BE CONTROVERSIAL, I KNOW THAT, BUT IT HAS TO BE SAID. WHAT GETS ME, IS WHEN WE JUST SIT BACK AND DON'T TRY. THAT BOTHERS ME. I HEARD AN INTERVIEW, IT HAPPENED AROUND FATHER'S DAY A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. A LITTLE BOY IN ONE OF OUR MAJOR CITIES HERE IN THE U.S., WAS BEING INTERVIEWED, ALONG WITH A LOT OF OTHER LITTLE BOYS. THE QUESTION WAS, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GROW UP?" SOME LITTLE BOYS WANTED TO BE A FIREMAN LIKE THEIR DADDY. SOME WANTED TO BE A POLICEMAN LIKE THEIR DADDY. SOME WANTED TO BE A DOCTOR, OR A CARPENTER, OR SOME OTHER JOB THAT THEIR DAD DID. AND THEN THIS ONE LITTLE BOY, HE JUST STANDS OUT IN MY MIND. HE SAID, "I WANT TO BE JUST LIKE MY DADDY." AND THE INTERVIEWER SAID, "WELL, WHAT DOES YOUR DADDY DO?" AND THE LITTLE BOY, JUST AS HONEST AS CAN BE, NOT REALIZING WHAT HE WAS SAYING, HE SAID, "MY DADDY LAYS ON THE COUCH ALL DAY, DRINKS BEER, SMOKES CIGARETTES, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO DO WHEN I GROW UP." WOW, WHAT AN EXAMPLE TO SET. I'M GOING TO LET THAT SINK IN A LITTLE BIT. BECAUSE AS YOU SEE, FATHER, WHAT WE DO TODAY, IS GOING TO INFLUENCE THE GENERATION THAT'S COMING BEHIND US. WE IN EFFECT BY THE LIVES WE LIVE TODAY, WE WILL MOLD AND CREATE THE WORLD TOMORROW. YOUR CHILDREN WILL RISE UP AND UNDER YOUR INFLUENCE, THEY WILL BE AFFECTED BY WHAT YOU ARE TODAY. SO AS I TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS, I'M TALKING TO YOU ABOUT WALKING IN GOD'S WAY AND THEN BEING FRUITFUL AS YOU DO THAT. MY TIME IS QUICKLY PASSING AWAY. AND I REALIZE THAT SOME FOLK ARE GOING TO BE VERY GLAD THAT I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION OF THIS MESSAGE. BECAUSE I'VE REALLY PUT THE PRESSURE ON SOME FOLK. WELL, IF THE CHURCH ISN'T SAYING THESE THINGS, THEN WHERE WILL THEY BE SAID? WE NEED TO SAY THESE THINGS TO REALIZE THAT AS MEN, GOD HAS PLACED A GREAT RESPONSIBILITY UPON OUR SHOULDERS. LET ME SHARE WITH YOU ONE LAST THING. IF WE GO TO PSALMS 128, VERSES THRU 5, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ IT ALL. BUT IN THAT YOU'RE GOING TO READ WHERE A REAL MAN WILL HAVE A FAMILY THAT WORSHIPS. THIS IS REALLY WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO TODAY, THAT I'M ASKING YOU. I'M ASKING YOU AS A MAN TODAY, MAN TO MAN, PLEASE, BE A LEADER IN YOUR OWN HOUSEHOLD. DON'T LEAVE EVERYTHING TO CHANCE AND OPPORTUNITY. BUT TAKE SOME DECISIVE ACTION TODAY. SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO GOD. BE A SPIRITUAL LEADER TO YOUR WIFE, TO YOUR CHILDREN, TO THOSE AROUND YOU. AND IF YOU'LL DO THAT, YOU'LL LEAD THEM TO WORSHIP GOD. I REALLY BELIEVE TODAY, NOW YOU CAN CALL ME SMALL MINDED IF YOU WANT TO. YOU CAN CALL ME, NOT VERY SMART, IF YOU WANT TO. BUT I REALLY BELIEVE TODAY, THIS WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN, CAN BE POSITIVELY AFFECTED BY GIVING OUR LIVES TO GOD AND WORSHIPPING HIM. MEANING WE WALK IN THE STEPS OF THE SAVIOR. WE BECOME MORE LIKE OUR LORD AND IN DOING THAT, WE BECOME LESS LIKE OURSELVES. SOME FOLK ARE BOTHERED BY THAT. BUT YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG BY IT. LET ME QUICKLY CLOSE IN A WORD OF PRAYER. HEAVENLY FATHER, HELP US TO UNDERSTAND OUR ROLE, OUR RESPONSIBILITY. HELP US TO BECOME THE MEN THAT YOU DESIRE US TO BE. EACH ONE RIGHT NOW, I ASK YOU TO REACH OUT TO THEM, TOUCH THEM, SPEAK TO THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS, SHOW THEM YOUR WAYS TODAY LORD I ASK, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.