"From A Man To A Memory" an examination of the First Resurrection

Revelation 20 and4 and I saw Thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Yeshua Jesus and for the word of God which had not worshiped the Beast neither his image neither had received his Mark upon their foreigns or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years now let's go and read the next verse verse number five brother Ken if you don't have it I'll read it here but the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished this is the first resurrection tonight's subject I want to title it from a man to a memory from a man to a memory God has dealt with me all week on this subject the first resurrection and from a man to a memory let's go to Romans chap 5 verse 9-1 everyone repeat these words just so you can get it in your psyche in your mind say there are two resurrections let's say it yet again there are two resurrections the second one say the second one I'm not interested in here's why if you don't make the first resurrection then you miss out on what it was all about see everybody's coming up in the second Resurrection the just and the unjust that means the saved and the unsaved oh yeah save FK just because you got the Holy Ghost was baptized in his name was saved does it give you a spot in the first resurrection because the just and the unjust are coming up in the second one tonight we're going to learn about the first resurrection let's read Romans 5 verse 9-1 much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved I would like for you to say shall be I have a question for this class tonight is the word shall present tense or future tense future don't take a rocket scientist does it so whenever you say I'm saved the Bible says you shall be saved my God you have believed the LIE of the enemy all your life that you got saved no my friend you got started but if you hold on to the end according to the word of God you shall be saved somebody said brother Von know the Bible says if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you shall you what that's my point exactly AB I believe what you believe you shall be saved and next verse said and he that endures to the end shall be saved can I tell you ain't no one of you in this room saved not one of you brother V don't tell me no no you're being saved oh yeah you've been converted you're being Sanctified and you shall be saved that's why nobody lives for God hard anymore they're saved oh I need some help now no need to live holy I'm saved no baby you're deceived learn the difference brother V I remember when I got saved no you don't you remember when you got planted in the waters of baptism like a baby gets planted in a mama's belly oh yes as long as you come up out of that water and walk in the word of God you shall be saved and you are being saved but the greatest lie preached behind the pulpits of the Lord is that you're saved my God no wonder people don't believe in the Commandments of God who needs them we're saved in the second Resurrection even the saved folks are coming up the first resurrection is not for the saved folks it's not for because who are the Saved folks the called folks the first resurrection is not for them it's for the chosen many are called unto salvation and they comeing up in the second Resurrection but only the chosen will be counted worthy of the first resurrection and I dare say tonight that very few are going to be in that Resurrection oh Hallelujah let's go to the next verse Oh than for if when we were in enemies we were have you ever heard it said that we're all God's children that's aive from hell we're not all go we're his creation but we're not his children because at one time you were his what eny say it again en you were God's sworn enemy on that's right when when you were walking in Rebellion walking after the flesh is it's okay preaching tonight it's just us home folk I can get by with a lot with this crowd listen we were sister Tess at one time you were his sworn enemy why because you was Adam's daughter that's right oh you came from the loins of the flesh oh but when you went in the waters of baptism you were planted in the womb of Mama Church you were planted in the womb of the Church of the the Living God and you could call yourself a child of God at that point when I hear people say we're all God's children no we are not if you're walking in Rebellion to him you are not a child of God the Bible says that he that saith that he loves God and doesn't keep his Commandments that man is a what liar a liar for if we were God's enemies but here's the rest of the story are you ready we were reconciled to God that means at one time you were not you didn't belong to God oh you was his enemy he was coming back to destroy you but when you came to the altar he just destroyed you right there and got it over with killed you on the Altar and converted you to his family how was we reconciled to God by the death of his son now I want you to notice on this last line because this what I'm gonna preach on tonight much more somebody say much more much more now hang tight you know we all like to preach about the death of the Son of God every Church in the world will preach about the death of the son of God I'm fixing to say something that's going to make some of you jump up out of your seat and run home and it's okay you'll come back when you get over it but listen we don't chase p and sheep around here only lost sheep now listen carefully much more which means more important than the death more important than the reconciliation much more we shall be saved not by his death oh my God I feel like preaching right now oh brother van Jesus died to save me no he died to redeem you wo but he going to save you by the life that he lives through you much more important salvation is free sanctification is not oh much more important than the reconciliation is the change that happens when he moves in and you move out cuz you now if you were saved by the reconciliation why did Paul say you shall be saved if you already were saved by the death on it's not the death that saved you and I'm going to tell you something else going to make the rest of the other half mad at me it wasn't baptism that saved you either that's right no no it wasn't no water that saved you obedience started you on a journey and as long as you stay on the journey that baptism started you on and you allow the life of the water the life of what was in the water if you allow the life of God to live through you then you shall be saved what I'm preaching toight is good Doctrine I'm trying to tell you you've got a life to live you got a journey to run you've got a fight to fight a race to finish so that you can be saved next verse and not only so but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement I want to tell you a story tonight about a very special man in my life he was like a father to me my grandmother had 10 children and uh out of those 10 children you would expect the run of the gamut from good to bad if you have 10 children you're going to have a few little black sheep you going to have a few little yellow sheep and you going to have maybe one or two white sheep you're going to have the whole Cadre well my grandmother had 10 children and true to form there was a run of the gamut but the best one of them all the white sheep the one that never went to jail the one that served the Lord and preached the gospel his name was Uncle Roy Uncle Roy was like a father to me when I was a little boy and Uncle Roy was a powerful figure in our family he was a godly man and a good man which those words are the same a was the kind of man that never had much money but he was good and you knew that he was a good man and um at the age of 50 some odd years old Uncle Roy came down with some type of a brain hemorrhage I believe and Uncle Roy passed away from this life way too young you ever heard the country song The Good D young Uncle Roy finished up his work closed up shop and went home early and he was so prominent in our family at his well I'll put it to you this way at his funeral there were well over a thousand ministers and preachers from around the nation in Columbia Mississippi there was no place to sit in the building because when a good man dies word spreads and they came to see Uncle Roy yesterday my wife and I went to the baby shower of his granddaughter now Uncle Roy's been gone for probably seven or eight years and daddy right after Uncle Roy died he was all we talked about every year we talk about him more and more and more and always remembering Uncle Roy but I noticed something yesterday at the shower I don't think his name was mentioned maybe more than twice not out of any ill feelings but just the man has turned into a memory and the memory is fading that's not to speak ill of anyone that was there that's just the way it goes I'm preaching to you tonight from a man to a memory and I want to say this to you every one of you in this room you're a memory waiting to happen you're just a memory waiting to happen all we're waiting on sister Tess is for the sands of time to reach the right place and you a man a w man becomes magically in a moment a memory they'll talk about you for a year or two but it won't be long your name will Drift Away into the bygo millenniums of time from a man to a memory and today I think about all the dreams that man has ever entertained dad if everything in this room that every one of you could dream about Sister Christine you could dream about a mansion and we might could get it for you you could dream about a fine automobile and we might could get it for you sister hope but if you dream for one day longer than God has given you it will never happen because time is the only thing that no one is creating more of that in real estate it's Why Real Estate is so valuable did you know that because they're not making any more of it nobody's making more time for you nobody brother James nobody has one more day to give you or your wife then God himself has allotted to you no man Under the Sun but every one of us dream of immortality it's been the dream of every King and every emperor in Egypt even to this day they built their tombs with the dream of what immortality let's be honest tonight if if there was some type of Elixir if there was some type of drink that we could drink and get immortality everybody would empty their savings account we are the only people in the world that says we're not afraid to die and yet when the moment comes we'll flly Nepal or China to find a doctor to keep us from dying nobody wants to die you can lie all you want to but nobody wants to die you know why because it is appointed the Bible said is appointed unto man watch to die tonight without Jesus Christ in your life without believing him as your savior and Lord without being baptized in his name without living for him holy before him your only hope in this life is to go from a man to a memory but for the rest of us we go from a man to a memory to immortality prise God Hallelujah to God that's not my destiny tonight I might be your memory but I plan to live forever in eternity listen we must remember tonight that the only cure for a memory I said the only cure for a memory is immortality and the only way is through the water the only way is through the blood the only way is through the saving name above every name other than that your destiny is a memory other than that you will never be greater than your memory that's right but God forbid tonight I don't plan on be in nobody's memory I plan on waking up in the first resurrection ruling and reigning with Christ and bringing the greatest Revival of souls the world has ever seen oh thank you Jesus let's read Philippians 3 10-16 now I went back to my old Evangelistic style of preaching for a moment there I grew up an evangelist Hallelujah this is what we have to remember Paul said I want to know him and the power of his resurrection let me say this tonight I'm fix to start teaching you something how many in this room is looking forward to the resurrection might as well raise your hand a little bit the rest of you not I'm going to say something and I'll explain what I'm saying in a moment if if you have not already been resurrected you won't be [Music] resurrected I read a verse of scripture that said when I went in the water I went into a grave oh I need some help now and it told me that when the preacher pulled me up out of the water that I was now resurrected with Christ into Heavenly places now why does there need to be a resurrection if I've already been resurrected cuz I'm going to explain it to you now Paul said these words I want to know Christ but here's how I want to know him I hope oh God I'm oh it's going to get so good up in here he said here's how I want to know him I don't want to know him by the cross oh my M come on come on I don't want to know him with the cross hanging around my neck yes come on saying I'm a Christian no no no no no no no no no I want to know him by the power of His resurrected life living inside of me he said I don't want to Christ I want a living Christ I want one that works through me talks through me walks through me he said I want to know him now how oh really you want to that's how you want to know him good here's the pathway through the fellowship of his what why do you have to suffer for Christ it's the proof of the resurrected life my God I need some help now see he said if you want to have the if you want to know if the resurrection is living inside of you let somebody mistreat you let somebody hurt you let somebody leave the ministry let somebody walk out let somebody hate you for no reason and we're going to find out if you know him by the cross or if you know him by the resurrection oh because if something raises up in you that you can't explain if forgiveness comes up in you that you can't explain then you know him by the power of his resurrection that's why I get so mad when my wife turns on the TV and I hear these line preachers talking about come no suffering and God's only going to do this and do that and I I I want to shoot my TV when I hear it I get so mad people talking about have a better life I've never read about a better life in the word of God come on I read about a life Jesus said the only thing I'm promise you in this life you going to have trouble you don't you know why you don't hear that on TV it don't say good I'm not fixing to sew no seed into that kind of a Ministry the proof of it is nobody shows any seed and [Music] dos very few that that's the point I'm making you can't preach this message and stay true to the Bible cuz people have what kind of ears itching ears what did the Bible said they they don't want to hear nothing about the Fellowship of his suffering you know why cuz they don't want to know him by his resurrection they want to know him by his death come on he did it all oh now he died on the cross he did it all I'll just place my faith in that baby he don't want your faith in the cross he wants inside of you that's he won't say oh don't take that wrong brother V said don't have faith in the cross I told you the cross ain't enough come on without a resurrected savior you got a dead savior and without a savior living inside of you you've got a dead faith and a dead religion Paul said I am being made conformable to his death but God said now be conformable to my death come on know me in my suffering because when I died after the most powerful Ministry on Earth I had 120 people come on come on he walked on the water he raised the dead and barely had a hundred people in his church and probably all them wasn't real Believers now now the reason I'm saying that is to say this God if you're going to walk in the resurrect Ed life he's going to find your pride he's going to find your pride I said he's going to find he's going to send somebody some devil to find it for you and I said we've just got a small work and I at that moment I felt the smile of God because we're faithful to that small work I said we're faithful to that small work it's easy to be faithful when the going is good but when you can be faithful in little things God will make you a ruler over many let's go to the next verse now listen what Paul said if by any means now can I ask every one of you in this question and this in this room a question how many believes if anybody was saved Paul should be one of them come on but he makes a strange statement here he says I want to know him in the resurrection that that that possibly somehow I might untain unto that Resurrection come on read the next verse not as though I've already qualified for it well if you're saved you you're qualified for it neither was already perfect now Paul is fixing to tell you something here there's only one way into the first resurrection and it's by being perfected not saved perfected oh brother Von nobody's perfect learn the meaning of the word perfect mature here's what he said even I don't know if I've matured enough to be qualified for that Resurrection Paul Paul would you really say that yeah he was afraid sister Stephanie that he had not matured enough to qualify come on but I'm going to follow notice what he said he didn't say he was following after the cross come on no he just stopped by the cross for a minute laid his burden down oh but he said I'm going to follow after Perfection and I'm going to tell every one of you in this ministry tonight if you're not following after Perfection you will not make it in the first resurrection praise God I didn't say you would ever get there but you better be following after it because the father knows your heart he knows what you following you see you ain't got no problem following happy hour at Sonic you know exactly how to get there and what time it is follow that heart after Perfection you're doing it tonight you know why look where you are look where you could be You Broke Free from your bondage and said I'm going to the house of the Lord where the word of God is being fed to us I'm going there that's called following after Perfection you could be watching CNN and God forbid Fox News almost God for me you could be watching you could be doing anything you want to do but somebody tonight in this room is following after Perfection hallelujah oh brother Von I may never make it but I'm going to run as hard as I can Hallelujah if that I might finally qualify do y'all know what I'm preaching right now as soon as this video gets on YouTube you have no idea how attacked I'm going to be by Baptist folk come on they come after me so hard and I love them y'all ain't running nobody down they are who they are I love everybody but they hate this message of having to qualify for anything Y come on cuz it's all in the cross no it's it's all in the race on next verse is that it brother Philippians let's keep reading Brethren I count not myself to have qualified but this's one thing I'm going to do I'm going to forget the life I used to live my God I'm going to forget the places I used to go I'm going to forget I'm going to forget it all those things that are behind me I'm going to forget the alcohol I'm going to forget the drugs I'm going to forget the sin of my past and here's what I'm going to do I'm going to reach forward oh yes I hope I die reaching you ain't got to get there but you better die reaching you may not catch it brother the James but you better die reaching unto those things which are before me the promises of God next verse I'm going to press toward the mark for the prize now here's what I want to preach about everybody said brother V you said that everything that's what you want to preach about that's what I really want to preach about I'm pressing not towards the high to the not towards the calling of God many are called but I'm reaching to something else the higher calling many are called To the Cross but there are some people called to a life of obedience and surrender to God he said I'm pressing towards that High Calling of God that's in Christ Jesus it's in Christ life I just look at him and there's the High Calling next verse let us therefore somebody say that's me me let us therefore as many as be what you got to be perfect now the Baptist Church would tell you Christ made you perfect Paul saying Paul said no no you got to reach for that as many as be matured the Greek word means mature as many as are growing up past their ABCs be this minded yes what minded reach minded some reach minded and if in anything you be otherwise minded God will reveal even this to you where does he do it in prayer prise God oh that's that scripture right there ought to send us all to the the altar he said I want you to reach and if there's something you're not reaching for that you should be reaching for when you start praying in the Holy Ghost he'll remind you what to reach for right hallu did you hear that and if you if you're not if you don't have the right mind go to prayer Hallelujah next verse I'm nevertheless whether to two we have already attained let us walk by the same rule that's right and let us mind the same thing Jesus said in John 11 verse 25 now follow this carefully every one of you told me earlier you wanted to be in the resurrection Jesus said unto her I am the resurrection and the what I'm the life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live this is the only hope of escaping from a man to a memory is when you accept Jesus Christ into your life and you let his life begin to work through you because remember you're not saved by his death that's right you will be saved by his life W Hallelujah he said I am the life when I come in and you move out get them a change begins to happen and then the promise of God begins to be fulfilled John Chapter 14 verse 19 and I'm coming to a close eventually John 14 and 19 yet a little while and the world will see me no more but you see me and listen because I live yes I you won't be a memory you can escape that judgment you can be more than a memory because I live and because I live through you you shall live memories are dead but these men shall never become a memory they shall live and not die that's right yes Lord hallelujah what a wonderful thing let's go to Philippians 3 is this okay tonight Philippians 3 and 20 now I want to talk to you about something for our conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ the next verse who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned everybody's always want to know what the new body is going to be like there's your answer that it may be fashioned like his resurrected body according to the the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself now let me point something out to you before we close tonight go back to verse 20 brother Kent I want you folks to get this verse way down deep the word conversation comes from a Greek word that I like it comes from this Greek word that literally means manner of life or lifestyle so let's take that Greek word and let's put it in this verse for our lifestyle is a Heavenly lifestyle our thinking is a Heavenly thinking our conversation s are Heavenly or take the word Heavenly out and let's change it to spiritual he that follows after the flesh the spirit same thing Heavenly Spirit there are some people that went into the water they were according to the scriptures resurrected into what places did you say heavenly oh yes a't that what I just said said anybody's looking funny at me you came out of the water and went into heaven yes come on oh no not the third heaven but you went in you left that dead body in this water on and what came up was a person that was now connected to spiritual things and when you get in the Spirit want you to see what happens for we are now in the spirit yes and it's from the spirit that we look sh sh we are looking for his life we are looking for Jesus yua we are looking for him because if you're in the flesh you cannot look for him you look for his CR when you're in the flesh but you look for his life when you're in the spirit when you're in the spiritual realm you're looking for the spiritual [Music] life our lifestyle is spiritual and it's from that spiritual perspective that causes us to look listen to me carnal people ain't looking oh God look around you at the seat look at the seats there you can't look until you get in the spirit that's right it's from the spirit that you pray and you're saying even so come yua why because there's one part missing oh yes I've been resurrected listen to me but there's one part that's waiting for the finality of the change it's the next verse verse 21 who shall change he's already changing my [Music] thinking sh he resurrected my mind in the water into the heavens all I'm waiting on now is for him to do part two this Old Vile body sh my god do help somebody you already been resurrected no but see here's the problem I wish my God I wish I was 30 lbs lighter what I could do listen children listen well every Day sister every day you are being more and more resurrected sh hey your language is being resurrected into the newness of life into the ways of Christ your actions your dealings with people you're thinking is being resurrected praise God yes and when you're in the spirit here's what you're saying I'm not worried even so come Lord Jesus I'm waiting for this body to catch up with this mind it's already seated with Christ in Heavenly [Music] places I feel the Holy Ghost I'm telling you to hold on children change is coming but before Oh see I told you early you remember when I said some of you going to get out of your seat and leave you remember I told you that if you've not been resurrected you won't be resurrected now you get it listen to me if you're waiting on the resurrection to be changed you got it backwards the change is already happening yes sh prise God when I can love you knowing what you said about me the change is already happening see if I don't have to get you back I'm going through the change come on I'm being resurrected into sh Heavenly Places come on and all I'm waiting on now this mind's getting right that's why the Bible said by the renewing of the mind every day he's resurrecting You Higher and Higher how do you know because your faith gets greater and greater later your fear gets less and less you're being resurrected into a new place but your body won't line up with your Resurrection that's right hallelu hallelujah sister Christina right now I see in the Holy Ghost right now you're caught up into the heavens I see it in the spirit but that old body won't catch up with it will it I know right now you could just shout all over the church because you're being turned on by the word of God you're being stimulated by the word of God but that old body won't let you but I got good news for you that's part two and it's not that far away it will catch up with the resurrection that's already happened in the believer's life is right because if it's not happening your destiny is from a man to a memory my God come on the man that built that big house across the street from the church I don't always always walk with God and I don't judge a soul but if he wasn't right with God his memories have faded with his house but if you're in this room tonight and you're going through the change you will bypass the memory stage and at the first resurrection when the trumpet sounds God Yahweh is looking for his government yes that's sleeping in the ground men and women that will be able to rule and reign with him and love their enemies how can he trust them to love them then cuz he saw you love them now you were resurrected first Hallelujah in your mind how many people in this room people owe you money how many people in this room and people will tell you all the I wouldn't put up with that and yet you put up with it why there's something changing in you you don't understand it's not like me thank God it's not like you as your faith grows your Resurrection potential grows God is doing something and everyone in this building and those that are watching listen to me please before we leave tonight get it right in your heart in your mind allow prayer to change you and transform you right now because remember until you've been resurrected you will never be resurrected remember that God wants to do a work in your life sister Tess God wants his life to be lived through you final verse of scripture and we're done so much more I wanted to preach but time has left me let's go now I don't think I wrote the verse down brother Kent but I'm going to just read it to you Paul says we Gran within ourselves we who have the first fruits of the spirit waiting for the adoption of our bodies behold I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall be changed yes amen sister Tess don't let your destiny be a memory but let it be a member of the government of Yeshua hamashiach the Lord Jesus Christ during the Millennium Reign by the first resurrection the first resurrection happens before the kingdom of God is set up did you know that yes come on when he returns to planet Earth he ain't taking you nowhere he's going to set up his government from sea to shine and SE and there's going to be somebody that was found worthy to rule and reign with him that's who is it going to be those that was resurrected right now right now right now Hallelujah so brother V if I'm not going to be a memory what am I going to be a me M of the Bride of the Lord Jesus Christ let's all stand tonight thank you Father for your [Music] [Music] word