Pastor Erik West: [00:00:00] And so I don't know if you have any favorite shows like Diagnosis Murder, Some Old Ones, Columbo, um, murder, She Wrote, uh, Hallmark Mysteries, which is my least favorite. But anyway, uh, but anyway, they're not really that hard to figure out, but that's what they are. Those shows are, you know, some of them are pretty aged, but they're, uh, someone has taken someone off the planet and they got this whole, you know, hour long plot, and they try to lead you down this trail, and then they'll take you to the most obvious person that you say, well, it's got to be them, because, you know, everything lines up and it usually isn't the one that you think first or twice. And in the last few minutes, especially the hallmark, I mean, hallmark would get everything worked out in the last eight minutes. I mean, they'll go from hate to love and be married in eight minutes. So but that's not the kind of mystery that we're going to talk about this morning. And, uh, we all have a mystery in us. Did you know that? Did you know part of life is mysterious, but it doesn't have to be. Now, there's people who quote all kinds of things sometimes, and and we. And if you don't know, you think it's in the Bible. It's not that. It's the principle is not right, but it's just not. You can't find the Scripture such as, you know, godliness or cleanliness is next to godliness.
Pastor Erik West: [00:01:20] It's not in the Bible, but we'd rather you be clean than dirty and don't raise your hand if you didn't take a bath this week. But anyway, just. But, uh. So we're not. We're for cleanliness, right? So it's not in the Bible. Well, the scriptures say God is mysterious. God. In other words, you can't figure him out. You don't you don't ever know what God's going to do. Well, that's why he gave you this. So you would know what his ideas was, what his plans is. And then the book of revelation, uh, talks about the future events because he wants you to know, he chastised the religious leaders because they didn't know the time that they were living in. He said, you know, the weather, you know, it's going to rain. He said, you know, when the storm is going to come. He said, but you don't know what time it is. He said. Then you know, he says, and there's others here who understand the times, and they work with those times. So we want to solve some of the mysteries. We won't do it all today. Uh, I have more scriptures than we can look at. Uh, but we'll keep it in our time frame. Uh, so a lot of them we won't turn to. But I'm going to give you the reference. Uh, do want to remind you it's not posted immediately, but, um, for those of you who may have forgot or don't know if you go to the website, uh, over a period of time, you can get the transcript of every service if you want to just read it.
Pastor Erik West: [00:02:41] I mean, you can always go back and watch it, whether it be Facebook or YouTube, and there's different audio formats that you can do that. But just on. But if you go to the websites, you'll see on there a place where every service is transcribed. It may not do it exactly word for word because it hasn't learned, uh, my language, which is I don't know what it is. Um, it may be alabamian redneck. I don't know what it is, but anyway, it's just it has to learn your voice and but I would say it's, you know, it's probably 95% or more accurate. And then you can scroll down to where you, you know, like five minute segments and you'll can find it. So it's a great tool to use, uh, for doing such things like that. The reason I don't turn to all these scriptures, people say, well, you know, you don't really go to the scriptures. Well, I'm just trying to give us a little bit more time to cover more material. Um, and if I give you the scriptures because the Bible didn't tell me just to study the word, he told you to study the word. He didn't tell me to study the word for you. Thank you for those amens. Praise the Lord.
Pastor Erik West: [00:03:40] All three of them. Praise the Lord. So, anyway, uh, unsolved mysteries. How many know God has a plan for your life? Amen. Amen. You know that, right? Yeah. Which means he has the destiny for every person. I don't care what your age is. I mean, even even the ones in the nursery. If a kid was four days old, there's a plan there. And it's. It's very. God. The plan for your life is very unique. It's just like your fingerprints. There's not another set in the world just like yours and 8 billion people on the planet. Someone really smart had to come up with that system. Well, we know who that is, right? And these things, this plan, you know, God has put in each one of you gifts and talents and abilities. Uh, and they as tailor made. For you from him to bring him glory. But there's a plan. There's a destiny, and there's a will that he has for your life. I have found out that most Christians don't have a clue what it is. That means not good. But most Christians do not have a clue what the plan is for their life. Or sometimes if they have an indication or clue, but they don't know how to fulfill it, and they might hear a sermon about vision or, you know, you know, destiny or something like that. And then they begin to think and think and think and they begin to try to think it out, but you can't think it out.
Pastor Erik West: [00:04:59] You go. You go to the ink and not to the think. Amen. And so the only way that you can really know is you have to pray it out. Amen. Amen. A lot of times people just do what their parents did or they do what they said. Well, why are you working here? Or why do you do this? Or when my dad did it and granddaddy did it, and great granddaddy, how do you like your job, I hate it. I spoke to someone the other day and they were talking about. I won't get myself in trouble. I'll say I can't wait till they retire. I can tell you how many days. Down to the minute. I hate this life. I hate this job. Can't wait. What are you going to do when you get through? I have no idea. Got any plans? No. Figured out when I get there. Wow. He said we all hate our jobs. I said, well, I don't why don't you? I said, you ain't got that much time. Amen. Amen. But, you know, some people would argue with a stump. Waiting for the stump to rot. Not looking for a solution. Do you like that kind of way? You like that kind of life? No, that's the way it is. No, it's not the way it is. Yes it is. I said, well, then. So you disagree with God. What are you talking about? God, I said, because everything I know about Scripture disagrees with you.
Pastor Erik West: [00:06:20] So should I agree with you or agree with the word? Well, I got to go. I thought you did. Goodbye. Amen. And it stops that fast. Well, the plan of God isn't in your head. It's in your heart. The plan of God is always in the heart, and the mind tries to figure it out. Now we know, uh, some people say, well, you know, I don't know if I could pray. Seem like it's be impossible to really know what it is, but you don't have eternity. But Romans I quoted Romans 826 and seven says the spirit. He says, the spirit who we talk about Holy Spirit, he helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the spirit itself. King James should be actually himself. Holy Spirit's not it. Him. Spirit himself. He makes intercession for you and I as he prays for you with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searches the heart knows. He that searches the heart does what? Is he in the dark? No, no, he. He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit. Because he makes intercession for the saints. Put your name there according to the will of God for you. Amen. So he knows the plan. He knows the will. He searches the hearts, and then he prays and makes intercession just for you, according to the will of God.
Pastor Erik West: [00:07:48] Uh, many of you know this, but some of you may not were in the beginning. It says he helps our infirmities. Um, that's not an infirmity like we think in the medical terms of sickness or disease. Um, the word also means weakness. Um, actually, what it means in this particular verse, he says the inability to produce results. We have an inability within us to produce the results, to know things. In other words, we have unsolved mysteries. We don't never, always know what the will is or what the plan is, or we don't know how to the strategy of it because it's unsolved. It's a mystery to us. And, uh, I had no plan to minister this today. It was so far away from what I was going to do. It was I mean, it was like on another continent, and I and and I was I got up and I ate breakfast and I went to go get a shower. And in the shower he says, so you don't know what you're going to do tomorrow. So we're not really. It's a mystery, right? I said, well, I guess you could say that. He said, well, that's what you're going to preach on mystery. And I said, I appreciate you sharing that with me the day before. I'd like to have the whole week to kind of think about this. And he says, well, he said, we'll get you up.
Pastor Erik West: [00:09:04] I was like, well, get him up. Amen. Well, okay, so we're going to get you up now. Uh, if you have your Bible, let's go to this one. First Corinthians 14 two. First Corinthians 14 two. And Paul says, he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but under God, for no man understands him. How be it in the spirit? He speaketh mysteries. So when you pray in an unknown tongue. So that's not your that's not your known language. If it's English or whatever you're known. Language is he that speaks in an unknown tongue. Does not speak to men. We're not talking to others. We're speaking unto who God for no man understands him. Paul said, however, Howbeit in the spirit the one who speaking in unknown tongues, what is he speaking? Mysteries. So he wants to solve the unsolved mysteries. The the word mysteries in this verse means plans and purposes. He wants to solve the plans and the purposes for your life. I mean, wouldn't it be really cool when you had if you had a child if they do this? They didn't do it when we had children. But if you got a little manual and every time it did something, you could turn the page or whatever, it's crying. Did that. Well see section so and so then you get down to oh I need to push this, do this, do this. And the baby stops crying. Well if they would have had such a thing, I would have found where it says control their sleep.
Pastor Erik West: [00:10:58] Okay, I'll tell me about that chapter. You can set it for eight hours. 12, 14. You know, you you can't give a baby Benadryl. You know it's born. Yeah, well, I think your allergies are acting up now. I can't really do that. So. Unsolved mysteries. But we don't have a manual like that. But on the inside, we do have a handbook. I mean, we have this. We have the the written word of God. But there's some things in here. You you don't have the specifics. Should I go here? Should I go here? Should I work here? Should I work there? And God names the company you should work for? It's not in here. Right. But how many know? On the inside, the Holy Spirit, who knows all things can and knows all the the logistics of every situation in your life. He can explain to you in the greatest detail. Now he's called the Holy Spirit is called the spirit of what? Truth? Or other translations says that word truth means he is the spirit of reality, which means he can take something very complicated and make it so simple and bring it into reality to where it's so real to you that you can't, that you can't make a mistake. He can make it just that plain. Amen. So. So he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not under man, but under God.
Pastor Erik West: [00:12:27] How be? And the spirit he speaketh mysteries. And he wants to make it clear to you. He wants to make it clear to you. Now, uh, if you will, let's go to Second Corinthians. Um. Our First Corinthians two. And I'm going to read some verses from the amplified Translation, starting with verse seven. Mori seven, nine, ten and 13, I think. Second. Uh, first Corinthians two. Amplified. Seven 910, 13 I think what I'm going to do. Y'all ready? Here we go. Paul said, we are setting forth in a in a way, we are setting forth what or what we are setting forth. I'll get it right in just a minute. What we are setting forth is the wisdom of God once hidden. Once. What? Hidden. What's it hidden from human understanding and now revealed to us by God. So once hidden, but now revealed. But it's. It's only hidden from your human understanding. That wisdom was God devised and decreed before the ages for the glorification to lift us into the glory of his presence. As the Scripture says. Well, what does the Scripture say? I have not seen ear, have not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man all that God has prepared, made, and keeps ready. For those who hate him. Oh, no, no, not hate him. For those who want love. So if you love the Lord, he has some things made. And get ready for you. Amen.
Pastor Erik West: [00:14:19] Amen. Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His spirit. So now we know that he's the revealer and we know how it's going to come, and we know who's going to reveal it to us. Holy spirit is for Holy Spirit searches diligently. He takes his work serious. He explores and examines everything, even sounding the profound and the bottomless things of God. And we are sending these truths forth and wisdom not taught by human wisdom, but taught by. The Holy Spirit. Not human wisdom, not human philosophy. Can't get it at a university, but by the Holy Spirit. He combines and interpreting spiritual truth with spiritual language to those who possess him, Holy Spirit. Now that word mystery, Paul used it. I didn't know this. I was a little surprised to find out. Or over 23 times Paul talked about mysteries in the epistles. I'll give you a few of them if you want to just write down the references. The word mystery revealed in the Bible is described as described in different ways. Colossians two two is called the mystery of God. In revelation ten seven it says the mystery of his will. In Ephesians one nine it says the mystery of Christ. Then in Ephesians three. Four, and also in Colossians four three, Ephesians three four, and Colossians four three. Paul calls it the mystery of the kingdom of God. Jesus in Mark 411 was called the mystery of the gospel. Three more.
Pastor Erik West: [00:16:14] Ephesians 619. Paul called it the mystery of the faith. In first Timothy 319 is called the mystery of Godliness. It. In Colossians 125 to 27. Paul called it the mystery hidden from generations. I mean, God had a mystery that he hid from generations. He knew it, but he didn't reveal the mystery that he had. And Paul said, I have a mystery that I'm going to reveal to you that no man taught me this. I didn't get it from learning. He said. I got it directly from Jesus Christ. He said, it's been hid. God's had it all this time, but it wasn't time to bring it out. And Paul said, now it's ready to bring it out. He said, it is the supreme mystery of all mysteries that could ever be taught. And you're thinking, well, what? I mean, what is a supreme mystery that that God has hid from generations for eons of years? And now you have it. He said, you're ready for it. And they said, yeah. He said, it's now Christ in you. It's the hope of his glory. What is Christ is in you. He's no longer in the you know, he's not in the Holy of holies. He's not back behind the tent. He's moved out and got him a new address, and he's come to live in you. Amen. Amen. You don't have to go to the priest anymore. Although some people still go and get behind a door. Talk to one man.
Pastor Erik West: [00:17:49] Talks to another man in a box. You know, I don't know. I mean, I'm sure there's some really good priests, but I wonder if some of them drink a little bit. Have to hear that all day long. Then their answer. They get his works. Give me so many hail Hail Marys. Give me 50 push ups and $50. I mean, there's it's all works. You go to a man which is works and you got a spiritual problem, and you're asking for a man to fix it. Then you're asking the Holy Father to speak. Get to married to get to Jesus. Well, you and I have a direct line. Amen. Father, in the name you're in. Father. In the name of Jesus. You're in. Amen. Father. You're in. You're in Christ, in you the hope of glory. Greater is he that's in your priest. No. Greater is he that said Mary? No. I mean, Jesus was the natural mother, or I'm sorry. Mary was the natural mother of Jesus, right? But she was a sinner. If her seeing if her son hadn't come and gave his life, Barry would never made it to heaven. So we so we love Mary. We respect Mary. We all want to meet Mary one day. The mother of Jesus. Why wouldn't we? But she's not your Lord. She's not your savior. I think she's pretty well connected. She has good connections. Don't you think so? Yeah. We won't. Here's another one.
Pastor Erik West: [00:19:39] God reveals mystery to men. And I'll read this one to you. It's in Daniel two. You don't have to go there because I'll be gone in time. You get there. But God reveals mysteries to man. In Daniel two and 21 and 22, he said, he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. To them. To them. Who? To them who he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to people who have understanding to them he reveals deep and secret things. So do we have to be in the dark? No. Noah had a plan. No. Revealed the plan. They laughed at Noah's plan. They laughed at God's plan. But when God closed the ark, they were in the dark. Mm. Abby Jeremiah 724 God instructed his people for their good, he said, but yet they did not obey nor incline their ear. But they followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil heart, and they went backwards, and they did not go forward. What was the plan? Well, he said he instructed the people for their good, but they didn't choose his good. Mm. They followed the counsels and the dictates of their own evil hearts. Their evil imagination. What did that do? It caused them to go backwards and not go forwards. Jesus said in Luke 1021, I got several scriptures. Luke 1021 Jesus said, father, you have hidden things from the wise and the prudent, but you reveal them to babies or babes.
Pastor Erik West: [00:21:23] I mean, I mean, a fourth grader may have more revelation than an 80 year old person in church. You know, I mean, you know, the book of James says, if any man is sick, if anyone is sick beyond the you know, I don't think he was talking about a headache. Pc Nelson, the Greek scholar, said, says sick. Beyond being able to help himself, let him call for the elders of the church. Well, what's an elder? Well, it's someone in the church who who is an assistant to the to the ministry. To the to the pastor. He's not supposed to run the church. Uh, don't want to get off on that, but deacons and elders don't run the church. Really? What they do falls in the Ministry of Health. Sometimes they like the title of deacon or elder because it makes them feel like they have authority. Well, they have a they have authority. But but the structure of Godhead is not deacon elders. And we hire a pastor because most pastors, most pastors are hired. That's why most of them are hirelings. When you had a higher lien, generally you got someone looking for a better deal. So if someone calls and you know, they said, would you come to Georgia? You know, there's mainline denominations work there. The churches have you know, they have pulpit committees. And when they think they're not happy with their pastor or they want to go make a change, whether he knows about it or not, they send people out.
Pastor Erik West: [00:22:50] I mean, you know this, right? You know this. I mean, uh, many of mainline denominations, we won't name any of them, but then they'll send out a committee of folks to go sit in different services of different churches. And what they're doing is they're going like, they're like, going to go to a ball game and say how good the team plays. But in this case, they're going to go check this minister out to see if they like him, to see if they want to make an offer to him to come to their church, not to be their pastor, but he can come to a tryout. Could you see? I would never fit in that system. You could check me out if you want to. I might be checking you out. I mean, so just know this. Anyone who hires you can. What? If you want to know who's running something, just ask who has the checkbook. That's right. That answers it right there. I don't care if you're calling bishop, Archbishop, doctor. Double doctor, trinity, doctor, pastor, evangelist, man of God. If he doesn't have the checkbook, somebody else should run the church. I was with, uh, we were some, uh, uh, two, four. We were with three other couples, uh, and, uh. Friday. Friday night? Yeah. Friday night. And, uh, it was a couple that graduated from, uh, Carson late 1998 and, uh, that we was going to go meet and another couple who went to Paris and, uh.
Pastor Erik West: [00:24:31] But they were kind of they pastored, but they were really evangelized around the world, and they I forgot what country they was in. I shouldn't forget, but they, uh. Uh, he met his wife in another country, and, uh, they started a Bible college, and they were there for four years, and they had like, 100 graduates when they turned it over to someone else. And, uh. And he talked about these things, you know, being in Russia and, you know, back when, you know, communism and how some people if he was in that system, communism could work for you. But they didn't use common sense. But in other words, like he said, we would go to want to have meetings, but there was no place to hold them. We would go there and he said to hold the meeting and we would need rooms. And they said, well, do you have rooms? Oh yeah, we have rooms. And they said, well, well, we're going to have a meeting, we're going to need about 20. And they said, well, who are you? Well we're, we're preachers. We're minister of the gospel. Oh no, I couldn't do that. He said, well, I thought you had room. She said, well, he said, we have, we don't have anyone staying here. He said they had they had 100 rooms. He says, you know, thinking like an American. Well, you would think that's a good thing, that, you know, if I have no one in my in my.
Pastor Erik West: [00:25:41] But see, it's state run. He doesn't own it. But there's a system in communism that if you worked with the state, you needed something worthy to trade to get your deal. So if you just filled it up for the money, which you're not going to get the money anyway, it's not free enterprise. Then it wasn't years anyway. He didn't promise you anything whether the rooms was open or not or, you know, totally different from free enterprise. So, in other words, you could get in trouble if you filled the hotel up. And then someone from, you know, that worked with the in communism, but with the state came down there and needed a room or 2 or 3 and then you didn't have one, then you'd be on the blacklist. So their goal was never to increase to the place of capacity because they didn't own it anyway. They needed they needed what they needed to trade off for something else in their life. He says, so it was quite unusual. So he said, we were right here next to the hotel and our people had nowhere to stay, he says. So they're staying, you know, with other people or they're staying in tents with the hotel right there with no one in it. And you say, hey man, how come? How dumb can you get and walk, you know, and chew gum? So the whole mindset is different and you can see with that how they will never solve a mystery.
Pastor Erik West: [00:27:00] It's just like being in a third world country. It's not that the country is poor. Uh, in the fact that that it doesn't have resources. Many places like India, I mean, it's not poor. Many of the people are poor, but it's very rich in resources. Peru is very rich in resources. Africa is very rich. Many places and resources. But sometimes it only gets to a few precious few. Or if you're thinking is, you know, reincarnation and all such as this. In other words, we can't. We can't kill that rooster. We can't kill that ham. We can't kill that pig. We can't kill that. Because that could be Uncle Fran. You know, and their thinking is, you know, they're going to come back and most of them know they're not going to come back as a human being, but they want to be a, you know, a higher order of the animal kingdom. In other words, you know I don't want to be an ostrich. I might want to be a lion or a bear or an eagle or hawk. I mean, if I come back because I aren't, you could step on me. And we just think that's crazy. So you got people starving and you got cows walking, you know, through their living room. Truly. So they're not poor in the sense that they don't have.
Pastor Erik West: [00:28:14] They're poor in a sense because they don't know. Yeah. And we think, well, how how foolish is that? Well, it is foolish. But let's take us, for instance, how many things that's in you that you don't know, how many things has already been made available to you? You're complete in him, but you have things in your life that's not complete. A man of his fullness. You have been, you have been given. But how many are not full in every area? Then you have some unsolved mysteries. I have some unsolved mysteries. Amen. And they need to be diagnosed, one guy said with the quickness really, really quick. In other words, is there an answer to this? Yes. Where is it at? It's in you. Because what Paul said, the greatest revelation I could ever give you. God kept it from generations who never would tell him about it one time. He said. Now the answer has moved inside of you. The Holy Spirit. You know, we talked about use the touch the cart and got fried like a crispy critter. Now all that power source is moved on the inside of you, but you're insulated from it. If you want to insulate it from that, it was just the power. We wouldn't live a second. He touched it dead. The whole power source is living in you. All of it. Amen. With unsolved mysteries. The one who hovered over the face of the deep. He brooded like a mother hen, sitting on the eggs that brooded over the face of the deep.
Pastor Erik West: [00:29:45] Waiting on instructions. Waiting on God's words. The one who was the power of the word. He's taking up residence, who lives in you? And everywhere you go, he goes, which makes you a mobile throne. Amen. Amen. Amen. But with unsolved mysteries. Is this okay? Keep it going. Thank you. Sir, I will just just just on that. I like that because people say amen to be nice, but keep it going means keep it going. Amen. So God's word is keyed to those who incline their ears and are eager to learn. Mm. Ministers spent hours in study in preparation to present a message. I heard for the people from the Word of God. I mean, sometimes, I mean, I got. I got this yesterday. And then I thought I was through with it after five hours. Then I came back inside and she said, you through? And I said, yeah, I think I'm through. I'm just going to highlight some stuff and use my lighter and my red pen to. I went through two hours later during the commercial on something. I was watching Auburn play a little basketball and something happened in that game and he says, that's just like so and so that's like, you know, when the Holy Spirit speaks to you, he'll join up to where you was, whether it was four hours or four days. And he'll like, you know, there was no time in between.
Pastor Erik West: [00:31:29] He said, that's just like so and so I said, that's right. He said, well, look it up. I'm like, I'm watching the ballgame. Jesus, look it up. So I turned that. I turned that off and I started looking up. And here come three more pages. Well, uh, and I love that. Thank God for that. So you spend hours sometimes. So I got about seven hours in this. Seven hours. Um, and then when you get up to minister. Um, ministers aren't entertainers. Jokes are fine. Those jokes good. It helps hold people's attention. It really does. Um. But we're not entertainers, not called to be entertainers. We don't mesmerize you like some TV show or whatever. I have a responsibility. But if I could be honest with you, you do too. You're not supposed to come just to get something. You're supposed to bring something. In the Corinthian church, it says, and everyone had a tongue and everyone had a prophecy and everyone had an interpretation. Everyone has something to add to the body, insomuch that Paul had to bring some type of order to it, because it was it was out of the bounds of. In other words, it is great that it was happening, but they had no organization to it, so it wasn't being very profitable. So Paul said, how is it that every time we come, everyone has a prophecy, everyone has a tongue, everyone has a interpretation.
Pastor Erik West: [00:33:08] And you've heard me say this many times before, but if he was here today, he in most churches, he said, how come when we come to church, nobody has a tongue, nobody has a prophecy, nobody has an interpretation, nobody much has anything. Why? Because they have unsolved mysteries. They don't even know who they are. You will never know much of who you are till you know who he is. You're hidden in him. But if you don't know him, how could you be hidden? Amen. People say, well, I've got more trouble than what you would know what to do with. Well, not really. The reason why you got more trouble is because you won't. You're not you. You're not hidden. So you're forced to stay hidden. And Paul said, I'm hidden in Christ. It's just every time that you unzip and you stick your head out, the devil says, oh, there you are. Lop your head off. So you're supposed to stay hid in him? Yeah. And then if he says, I want to come pick on you, I said, well, come on in him and you'll find me. Well, he already met him. Hey, that didn't work too good for him. So to get to him, it's a Clint Eastwood day, but worse. You know you want a piece of me. You know, it's like that old story I was telling you about. True story. But, you know, years ago in high school, I was in trouble.
Pastor Erik West: [00:34:31] Always. I was always in trouble because of some girl. But. But, you know, I didn't do anything wrong. It's just some guy who was on the varsity football team in the 12th grade had broke up with a girl. He wasn't interested in her, but he wasn't going to let her date nobody else. So I was talking with her. And and he saw me talking to her and he says, get away from my girl. She said, I ain't your girl. And I looked at him. I was like, problem solved. But it wasn't solved. And I was probably, you know, I don't know if I was the high for him now, but I guess I was close to it. I was in 10th grade, you know, so, uh, he was probably like six two. And like I say, he played varsity football, big guy, a lot bigger than me. And so he, uh. So she said she looked at me like, what are you going to do about it? And I'm thinking, I, I don't want to do anything about it. But as little as I was, you know, I just couldn't do that. I said. I said, yeah, leave her and me alone. Leave us alone, he said. What do you say to me? I said, y'all. Y'all aren't together anymore. You broke up with her. I said you're not dating her. He said, well, you aren't either. He says, if I don't, he says, get out of here.
Pastor Erik West: [00:35:49] I said, you know, I mean, I might get beat up and I would have got beat up, but there is no way in the world I'm going to just cower down from that. You know, you may not recognize me for weeks, but I'm not going to leave that. And so I just act. I just told him, I said, don't, don't, don't tell me what to do. I said, I'll jump all over you. And he just laughed. And it was funny. I mean, you know, it would have been funny. So the bell rung and he said, and we all knew each other. B he says, uh uh. So he knew in two classes we'd be on the same hallway. He said two hours. This one will do to you when I find you out in the hallway. He said, of course you probably won't show up. I said, I'll be there. And man, I wasn't in my class. And I got to thinking, what's going to happen to me in two hours? But see, I was in the 10th grade, but I had an older brother and he was in 12th two, and he was bigger than this guy. And, uh. And I said I sent a message to get to him. I said, you owe me a lot of favors. You don't think you do. I mean, I'm cleaning your side of the room because you're making me. And I said, but Roland is looking for me.
Pastor Erik West: [00:36:58] I gave him a quick note, and they got it to him. So come around the corner. And there he was. There was rolling and and and he he was coming to me. He said, he said, he said after day he said, you won't run your mouth anymore. And I'm like, oh gosh. And Chris ain't showed up. And I started backing up and I said, I said, I ain't scared of you. And and he was going like this, you know, and you know, I'm looking at him like this, and now he's within ten feet of me. Then all of a sudden I heard something. And then Chris was running. He was coming around the hallway, and all of a sudden I saw him come up behind Roland. But Roland didn't know who was behind him. And I said, I said, you want some of me, huh? You want some of me? I said, not only will I date her, I might marry her, and you might pay for the honeymoon sucker. What do you think about that? And he come with me, and he was close in, and Chris went, um. And he looked behind and and and Chris said, uh. He's so. Well answer his question. He saw. And I'm just, you know, was playing around with him, he says. Just telling me like he's playing around. He's like a real threat. He says, go ahead and carry it out. Oh, Chris, I ain't going.
Pastor Erik West: [00:38:20] Whatever. Well, he kind of bowed out. Well, that's what the devil does. He's like a roaring lion. If you stay hidden, Christ, you won't even have the conversation. Amen. But. But even. Even so. You got an older brother named Jesus. He's your elder brother. He sticks closer to you than your brother. Your friend with the devil. Come, you say, huh? You want some of me? Yeah. Amen. Huh? Yeah. And he'll run every time. Amen. He'll run every time. Yeah. I said he'll run every time. Yeah, and you'll soar. You may not solve every mystery, but you'll solve that one. Yeah, you'll solve that one. I got in trouble with a guy named Steve one time, and he was the, uh. All the girls loved him, but when he got older, he didn't look that good. I was like, you need to get your date in early because you're. I mean, it's like I said, I'm like, 25 years later, the reunion. I'm thinking, I know the Lord loves you, but you owe me. I mean, everything was gone. Hair was gone. I mean, he was I mean, he was a bodybuilder. And now his shape was just round. But, uh, I'd done something to him. I bumped I bumped into him by accident, and he just wanted to beat me up because I bumped into him by accident. And Chris happened to be there, and, uh, and, uh, he says, what are you. What are you doing? He said, your brother needs to watch where he's going.
Pastor Erik West: [00:39:54] He said he didn't run to you on purpose. He said, I'm going to teach him a lesson. And he started to swing at me, and Chris called his fist, and he just took him by the back of the shirt and he turned him, you know, at the high school, he had the big drums, you know, trash. And if it was, you know, spring or summer, people throw their milk cartons or the juice or the food in there and those yellow jackets all down in there. So he just took him, put him upside down and his feet was like this. And he was getting stung by the yellow jackets everywhere. He went to school for three days. His head was all swollen up. And then when Chris left school, I thought I was going to change school, go to a Christian private school because I was going to be there without someone for a little bit. Because when I got married, I was still in a 28 waist. And days are gone forever. I don't even know if I get one leg in a 28 waist down. But anyway, I was a little runt. Amen. So see, you can't overcome Amen now. So I was going to say, sometimes when someone's ministering, some people are listening to every word. Other people have a blank facial expression while others are catching up on their sleep. Many others sometimes get distracted by the least little noise and movement around them.
Pastor Erik West: [00:41:13] But this is what Jesus said in Matthew 424. And I'm reading the NLT. Listen to this Matthew 424 NLT. Pay attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given. And I didn't say this. Jesus did. And you will receive even more. But to those who listen to my teaching or he said to those who listen to my teaching will be given, will be given. But for those who do not, those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. He said the more the amplified says, I think it says this way. He said the measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear, will be the measure that will come back to you and understand. He said, but when you don't understand what you're here, you're not listening and you're not getting the understanding of it. Then Satan will come and take away even that which you do have, and you'll have zero. Unsolved Mysteries. Unsolved mysteries. So the mystery of his will. Ephesians one one through 11 in the Passion Translation. We got time. We got a few minutes. Well, we got a lot more time. It's only quarter 11. We got an hour and 15 minutes. So I say, fix that clock quick. The mystery of his will. Now. Ephesians one. Um, let me turn there. Let me read Between the Passion. It'll sound more passionate.
[00:42:59] If I do.
Pastor Erik West: [00:43:04] Starts out this way. Dear friends, my name is Paul. Not not me. I'm reading this. My name is Paul, and I was chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus the Messiah. I'm writing this letter to all my devoted believers who have been made holy by being one with Jesus, the Anointed One. All that I preach. I mean, whose side is going to be an apostle? The Lord did. Uh. And you made holy. By what? Being one with Christ. Don't say you did anything. You're not going through your holy list every day, but you're a believer. May God Himself, the Heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you released grace over you and impart total well-being into our lives. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already has, has already, has already been lavished upon us as a love gift for our wonderful Heavenly Father, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. All because. All because why he sees you wrapped up into Christ. Amen. Amen. I don't know how to get any better than that. So I mean, that's like we all take another offering just for that. Like just 35,000 out. Just, just just for that. Wow. Yeah. Okay, we'll move right on. This is why we celebrate him with all of our hearts. And he chose us to Matthew to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe.
Pastor Erik West: [00:44:35] Wow. Because of his great love, he ordained us so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. Amen. Now, now you know how he sees you. For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children through our union with Jesus, the Anointed Ones, so that the tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace for the same love he has for the beloved ones Jesus he has for us in this unfolding plan. Brings great pleasure because it's an unfolding mystery. What? So let's let it continue to unfold. Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood. The total cancellation of our sins. All because of the cascading riches of his grace. Amen. Why this superabundant grace is already powerfully working in us. I know the song When we All Get to Heaven. What a day of joy would be. If I'm reading this right. This is one of them days right here in the nasty here and now. Yeah, the super abundant Grace is already powerfully working in us, releasing within us all forms of wisdom and practical understanding. And through the revelation of the Anointed One, he unveiled the secret, his secret desires to us, the hidden mystery of the long range plan which he was delighted to implement from the very beginning of time.
Pastor Erik West: [00:46:21] This mystery is getting solved, and because of his unfailing purpose, this detailed plan will reign supreme through every period of time until the fulfillment of all the ages finally reaches its climax. When God makes all things new and all of heaven and through and earth through Jesus Christ. Verse 11, through your union with Christ, we too have been claimed by God as His own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny that we would fulfill the plan of God, who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart. See, he has a plan. Now. Now, what did that say before you were born? He gave you your destiny. How do you do that? How did he give you your destiny before you was even born? He must have knew you before you was born. You can't have a destiny for someone who doesn't exist. Before you were born, he gave you your destiny. Well, that would be Psalms 139. So that we would fulfill the plan of God, who always accomplishes every purpose, not every other, every purpose and plan in his heart. Wow. Awesome. Well, we know this and let's give you the reference to it. But Philippians one six says, Paul said, I'm confident. I'm very confident this one thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you. Will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Erik West: [00:48:00] Notice he said, why is he confident that he who who began the work well wasn't us? He said. Not only did I begin it, I'll finish it. No, she didn't really mention you a whole lot. He said, I began to work in you. I will finish the work in you. Oh, God. I don't know how I'm going to do this. Well you're not. That's the clue. You're not, you're not. I mean, you are, but it's going to be by his grace. You're going to do it. Amen. Amen. Without his grace, you're not going to do it. It will. It will remain unsolved forever. I got my mother one time, 2 or 3 times. You have to watch doing that. And I would tell her she said she had this phrase she would say about something didn't mean nothing by it, but just, you know, and we've all said it. She said, boy, I just couldn't imagine that. I just couldn't imagine that. And so I told her one day, I said, why do you say that? She says, say what? So she didn't. She wouldn't even realize what she was saying. I said, well, what do you mean you can't imagine that? She said, well, you know, whatever the situation, I couldn't imagine that happening. And I said, would you like me to agree with you in the name of Jesus, or that you can't imagine that she says? No I wouldn't.
Pastor Erik West: [00:49:18] Well, 3 or 4 times. I wasn't trying to be the confession police, but I. But you know, when you, when you sometimes get called on the carpet, so to speak, and she called me on the carpet many times. She called me everywhere. Come here baby. Come here baby. Change your mind in a second. Amen. I always said my mother. She was. She was a scientist. Neuroscientist. She knew that the nerves in the buttocks went straight to the brain. That could change your mind with the quickness. She knew it. She was well studied on it. And so. And she had a good swinger. I mean, she was like a fan. And it didn't ever run out. Didn't never run out. Go break your switch off a tree and bring her one of them little ones. I used to kind of like half break them if I get them there. I found out that's not to do. Because when she knew you, you set her up. She'd go get her own. You wouldn't want the one she had because it was a tree. So anyway, Colossians 119 says, Paul says for this cause since the day we heard it, we do not cease to pray for you and desire that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and wisdom and spiritual understanding. Well, well, if you're filled with the knowledge.
Pastor Erik West: [00:50:37] And he said, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, you've solved the mystery, that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Several verses here, if you don't mind me giving you a few of them. We got just a few minutes. In Deuteronomy 2929, just write that down. Uh, it says the secret thing belongs unto the Lord our God. But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the works of the law. Jesus said. To those who follow him, embrace him and embrace his words. They would have the same reward. In Matthew 1311. In the NIV, Jesus said, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but not to them. Think about that. You say, was Jesus impartial? No, he wasn't being impartial. No respecter of persons, he said. The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. He said. They when I speak there in the crowd to see, he said, they they hear words. They physically hear words like you hear words. He said, they see what you see. He said. But they don't know what you know. He said. They have no ability to discern what I'm saying.
Pastor Erik West: [00:52:06] He's because he spoke in parables on purpose. And sometimes the disciples said, we don't know what you're talking about yourself. He said, well, he said, the prophets and everyone before you could have wished they lived in your day. He said, but for you is to know about the kingdom, and you need to know how the kingdom operates, because everything, everything operates by the system and the principles of the kingdom. And if you don't know how kingdom operates, he said, you'll never understand this book. Amen. Amen. So whoever the president is of the United States of America, I'm. You don't think I'm putting no trust there, do you? Ah, I don't care if it was your guy. I'm not putting trust in there. Even on our dollar, even though they want to take it off, it says, In God We Trust, even on the $1 bill that they print. This backed up with nothing. Don't say too much can be knocked off. You know, if you print money, you're going to jail and they find you. But your government can do it. And people think no one's ever going to pay for that. You're not going to pay for it. Your children's not going to pay for it. The grandchildren. You're just borrowing on your future. That's what debt is. You're borrowing on your future, your ability to pay something back with your mind and your body.
Pastor Erik West: [00:53:40] Physically, I'm borrowing against my future. I'm going to sign this note for ten, 20, 30 years. And I'm borrowing against my I believe and hope to have the ability to pay this back based upon all kind of things. And people get in trouble because they're working the Babylonian system and the Babylonian system always man wants to meet his own needs. Always. You was never created to meet your own needs. My God shall supply all my needs according to all my intelligence. Now, he didn't say that according to all my needs. According to what? His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Amen. See. You may think that you can't afford to give a tithe. Who taught you that? Who told you that? Well, I'm saving for a rainy day. We'll save on a sunny day. Maybe when it rains. You know, I don't know. I don't think Jesus probably. I mean, I don't know this. I don't think he agreed with the tax system. Tax system either was, you know, pay Caesar. No one agreed with the tax system, but you didn't have a choice. Pay your taxes or cut your head off. I mean, there's just that simple. So let's say what do you want to do? Well, I guess here it is. So Caesar took the tribute. So when they had to go, you know, through the city, they had to pay the tax.
Pastor Erik West: [00:55:05] And what did Jesus do? He said, they said, how are we going to pay the tax? Jesus said, well, where's that money we've been saving for a rainy day? No, he didn't say that, did he? What did he do? He told Peter to go fishing. Why would he tell Peter to go fishing? Peter liked to fish. Where did he get that? He got it from heaven. How do we know that? Because the scripture says Jesus didn't say anything or do anything unless he saw it from heaven, from his father? So he heard these words, and he saw himself saying, Peter, go fishing. The first fish that you get to will have money in its mouth. You don't think that's a little bit different, Bill? You call a lot of fish in your life what? I mean, you have no idea how many fish you ever caught in your life. Over a hundred. Over a thousand. Did any of them ever have fish in their mouth when you when you clean them? No. Did you ever fish for money and make money? Like in a tournament? Yeah, but. But the fish didn't have money. Its mouth. The fish made you money. That's right. Right. It's the difference between you finding money in a fish's mouth. You found the hook in its mouth. You found the bait in its mouth or the fish or otherwise. But you didn't find money in its mouth.
Pastor Erik West: [00:56:18] So you see why people abort the plan of God and their mystery goes unsolved because it seems so wild. Some things sometimes that Jesus would go to the Holy Spirit leads you to go. Do people say, oh, that's crazy. Makes perfect sense to heaven. Why would you spit, you know, in the clay and put on someone's eyes? What do you call the eye doctor? The optometrist? They took the other side. So he said, well, how's your vision? You should read the chart. I can't give me some that mode. He goes. He said, still can't read it. Rubbed it all over me. Oh, now I can see a lot better. You know they keep that in the office. They learned that. They learned that. There's not a code for it on Blue Cross. But but no, they don't have that kind of cure. Huh? Jesus is the cure. That's why I'm saying, you know, a lot of times he would cast out when someone was sick. Not always, but a lot of times there was a spirit involved. So he would he would cast out the spirit of infirmity. You go to a metal doctor? They've. No one ever says this is a spirit of infirmity. Now, let me let me ask you. This is why I'm asking for your opinion. Do you think there's any more spirits of infirmity? Or did Jesus go ahead and get rid of all of them forever? It's not a trick question.
Pastor Erik West: [00:57:42] No. Did the devils go away? Did he kill devils? No. He cast them out. So they were just roaming about. So they're still roaming? Right. But you don't go to a medical doctor. And he says, I see right now. He says, you know, I'm listening. Put his stethoscope in there. Yeah, that's a spirit of infirmity if I've ever heard one. Like I say, Blue Cross don't have a code for spirit of infirmity. We found a legion in this fellow over here. Blue cross says, well, we'll pay you 80%. You pay your co-pay, and then they blue cross pays the difference, you know, for casting out the spirit. Well, you know, if demons ever made people sick or disease, they still do today. But the medical science cannot, you know, cannot treat you according to a spirit of infirmity. Right. I mean the madman of Gadera. What was that? Well, he just needs some pills. And so we have a whole society that just feeds you pills for whatever it is. I mean, I mean, among the Christians, you know, for for anxiety and depression and all kind of stuff by the billions of dollars generally. All it is, is a spirit that and you need to make sure that you know, it doesn't have a home. Yeah, I'm doing better preaching than y'all doing Amen or listening.
Congregation: [00:59:01] Amen. Amen.
Pastor Erik West: [00:59:03] It's true. Yeah. It may not be popular. It may not fit in modern culture. But I don't give two rips. Amen. I read in here that one day I'm going to stand for Jesus. And I got to give account for everything I taught you. Amen. He said. He said teachers will be will be judged more severely. So if I didn't tell you, it's just because I didn't know it. But once I know it, I have to tell you. And whether you like it or not, I'm telling you. I'm a tattletale. I hear it, I'm going to tell it. Yeah. Amen. So I always say, if you get up to heaven, you tell Jesus. Well, I didn't know that. I'm going to be right behind you if I'm your pastor. Say she lie. He a lie. They're going to be a video. Says you knew it. Yeah. So some people at church don't want to share services with their friends on Facebook because they don't really want you don't really want them to know that you go here. Oh. Or they don't want to. They don't want to bring something because they're afraid, you know, that he might say something that doesn't fit, you know, into, you know, we want you to be nice, pastor. Just be nice, pastor. Well, you that means you would not want Jesus to be your pastor either. Yeah. Yeah, I know you would not have wanted Paul. Who would have wanted John the Baptist to be the pastor? You brood of vipers. Mm.
Pastor Erik West: [01:00:28] Jesus preached one time, and they left by scores. I better stop here. They left by scores. Right. And they was walking away saying that man right there. He has some hard sayings. Yeah. Well, it was a little hard because they had unsolved mysteries. All he said was, you know, if you're going to follow me, then you're going to need to drink my blood and eat my flesh. They went, oh my gosh. Who could? They said, who could hear that? So he went away. They said, that man has some hard sayings. And his disciples were sitting there like. And Thomas said, I heard it, but I don't believe it. I don't even know if I believe he said it again. Peter, until I see you do it, I don't even know I'm going to believe it then. So Jesus asked his disciples because he knew what was in their heart. He says. He says, y'all, y'all want to go with them. And I'm thinking they paused for a long time. And they said, well, you know, you're the only one with the words of life. But today was a little rough. I mean, we need to get you a softer cot. Sleep on. Did you know what you asked people? It. I don't know if any disciples did this. They said, well, do you know this is what you told people? And Jesus said, oh, I said that I'm oh, gosh, go back, get them, tell them I'm sorry real quick. Try to get them back here.
Pastor Erik West: [01:01:57] Now, some of the best help I ever got was from people that they knew, because I had given them the permission. I still have people like in my life that today, and you need to have people like that in your life today. And what I'm about to say, you may not like, but it's the absolute truth. And that's why I'm closing, because. I might need to run to the truck real quick. We all, in my opinion, this true. I can tell you the word. We all need people in our life. It doesn't have to be a pastor. But if you're going to, if you're going to, if you're going to have a pastor in your life, it's going to happen. But we all need people in our life, friends who love you enough to tell you the absolute truth. I have friends in the ministry, and most of them have been the ministry as long as I have long. And I said, if you see me doing things and saying things and going down the road that I said, I give you the permission today to get in my face any day and say, stop it. That's not right. That's wrong. When I have a board meeting annually and sometimes other times when things come up, you know, during the year when you have to legally have to have a board meeting to do certain things.
Pastor Erik West: [01:03:10] My board consisted of ministers who've been in the ministry much longer, sometimes as much or longer than I have. And they'll say, well, why do you want to do that? I said, well, we're doing this. Okay. Well, I see that, but but why that way? That it's good to have advice. It's good to have counsel. I've had them. I've had them most time. Agreed. But sometimes so I don't I don't really agree. Uh, to do that this year or do it this way, but let's pray about it. And I didn't say, well, actually, you don't have to be my friend. All I'm looking for is. Yes. Well, that's a yes board. Now they're there to help me, to assist me. And generally it's always yes. But I made it very well known. And they have to. If you. If you see me get off here or get off there, whatever. Then if you have to, just get in my face. And tell me. And if they do see a person, the Bible says of wisdom and understanding welcomes that they you know, Proverbs says the a wise person welcomes. Advice, counsel, rebuke. Paul told Timothy, as a young minister, he said, you're going to have to give them the engrafted word, he said, which will change their life, their soul and everything, he said.
Pastor Erik West: [01:04:36] But there'd be times, he said, that you'll have to some of them you have to reprove. He says some of them you'll have to. The King James says you'll have to rebuke them. Amen. And he knew Timothy was having a hard time because he was a young minister. And some of the people were saying, well, you know, you just, you know, you're not even 40 years old yet. I mean, we're we're 65 years old. You don't you don't know anything. He was getting some of that. So he was getting a lot of pushback. So Paul had to help Timothy. So the Timothy said, it's not according to your natural wisdom. It's according to the word of God and the gift in you. You know, that God puts in you doesn't mean that you know that you have all the natural experience that you'll have in life. I mean, I've learned that through the years. I mean, I look back, you know, this is I mean, January, we'll begin the 30th year of ministry. Well, I can look back when I was 33 years old, you know, I mean, what do you got? A bunch of notes from Raymond, and you just go off because you got all this stuff in your life and your heart, and you want to share it, right? But there was a lot of wisdom that I would needed to gain, not just spiritually, but naturally.
Pastor Erik West: [01:05:40] I mean, are you telling someone how to deal with this and all that? And you haven't hardly walked into anything in that part of your life raising children, marriage or otherwise? You know, you might have a good marriage and they might have a terrible one, and they're coming in and doing this. And your greatest wisdom is stop it. Well, you might they might need a little bit more than that. Just a little bit more. So so so so where do we get this wisdom. Where do we get this understanding? Paul once again said, I pray this. I pray in the spirit, but I don't pray unto men, but unto God. How? Breathing the spirit I'm speaking mysteries. So when you when you pray in the spirit, you're speaking mysteries. Then he went on to say, when you pray in the spirit, he says, ask the father and pray for the understanding. That's the part I know people generally aren't doing. We're not talking about giving a tongue interpretation. We're talking in your private prayer life that you need answers. Yeah, I know I've proven this out.
Pastor Erik West: [01:06:38] I've proven this out. One time, the ministry was in debt $25,000, and I had to have it yesterday, many yesterday, but I had I had finally run to the end. And uh, and then after that things was going to come up missing. People was going to come. They were going to come collect things out of the yard. And, uh, Michelle said, what are you going to do? I said, I'm going to stay here and pray today. She said, well, you're not going to call him back. I said, well, I don't have my answer here. I mean, I don't have the answer yet. And she said, well, you know, we got an answer today. I said, I know. I said, just go do what you got to do. I'm just going to stay there. So I grabbed the vacuum cleaner. Imagine that. I was making some sweeping changes around the house. And I was vacuuming. And I was just praising the Lord and I was praying, you know, I was just kind of saying that I'm going to keep that double shot that I'm on. Father, I just bless you. Keep you on the double. Mama? Shonda. And then all of a sudden, I mean, vacuuming the floor. All of a sudden, I had a thought come to me. And I thought. And I was like.
Pastor Erik West: [01:07:59] Kind of dismissed it for a second. Went back to vacuuming called Evermore Cité de la Cité. Okay, you go on about like, oh my gosh, look out! Yeah. So you go back this way. And here the thought came back in. It says, go do this. Today. Go to this person today. Do this today. And you'll have all, all your money. And I thought. That that would work. It was the craziest thing I've thought of my life. But you know, when you're desperate. Calls from desperate times. Calls for what? Desperate measures. And so, you know, I'm asking for help. I'm asking for wisdom. I'm asking for guidance. But it would have been so easy to just dismiss it or abort it because it was not natural. See, that's what Paul said. The natural man receiveth not the things of God. Why? Because they're. What? Foolish. They're foolish. And anything that that you think foolish, you'll quit listening to it. Well, that's just dumb. I ain't going fish looking for no money. Fish mouth. Well, he was there. Spirit in the clay. Man sees. Is that the formula for everyone blind? No, that's what I tell them to do. A lot of times Jesus never use the same method twice. It wasn't the method that caused it. It was the obedience to the method. Amen. He went there. He may never tell you. The biggest mistake I would make sometimes is when a miracle happened to me. I would go back and say, well, I've been here before, go do this. It didn't work. It didn't work. The doctors nine, four, nine, seven. Now, I wasn't really a dire son. Las Vegas. It was too far west.
Pastor Erik West: [01:09:59] I started going to Mississippi. Now, that was just joke. I don't I don't go anywhere, so. I wouldn't talk to that person. And and I said, I don't know how to ask you this. I said, but this is a situation. And and they said, uh, yeah. The Lord told me I was supposed to help you. And, uh, but they didn't say it in such a way that that, uh. I wouldn't have thought if they'd have sold everything they had in their life, they'd come up $25,000. And I said, well, what is it you need? I said, well, I'm like. I'm like, well, what about them? And and they said, no problem. Glad to do it. And I said, well, we'll work this and I'll pay this back. He says, oh no, no, no, I wasn't you was never you're not supposed to pay him back. I know I'm supposed to help you. They said, uh, do you want it a cheque day or do I need to go get a money order? And I thought, well, just, you know, make it easy on him. I've been grinding this out for months, you know, but but the answer was there. Well, when I look back at it, he'd been trying to tell me the same thing for 2 or 3 months. But because it was out of the ordinary, the way money would ever come to you. But I kept on dismissing the answer every time he'd give it to me. But, you know, people have got this saying like, you know, the Lord shows up, but it's always the last minute. No, it's just when you hurt.
Pastor Erik West: [01:11:25] He don't stretch you out. We did you feed your children right before they starved? No, no.
Pastor Erik West: [01:11:32] You think you're better than God? No, no, you're just not listening to then. I kept some time on the front end. That's like the guy talking about the air conditioning. He says, well, when you want to do this, I said, before, it gets hot. I said, preferably I'd like to do before it gets hot. He said, well, stop. You just need a little bit more change. He said, well, this one I hear still running. He said, but probably not very long. I said, that's what I'm saying. I said, the devil tries to tear up air conditioners on Saturday nights. I know it's the best that people search on. I know I've had practice. Ask a pastor. Not that we have faithful, but we've seen it a time or two. The devil always comes chews on your air conditioner on Saturday night or on Wednesday night. Always. He waits till the summer to do it. He just does. So I said, I'd like to replace this one now. He said, while this is running, I said, why it's running. He said, what are you going to do with it? I said, you can crush it, sell it, give it to your kid. I'll give it to someone in the church if they want it. I said, I don't care, it's 20 years old. I mean, he said, well, I'm just going to tell you now. I mean, you probably know this, but he said they don't make them to run that because I said, I know nothing that runs too long is profitable. He said, well, that's honest to God truth. He said, you won't get 10 to 12 years out of the new one. I said, I will, but you may not, but I will. He looked at me like, why would you say that? I said, it's it's for God's purpose. I said, it's going to run and run and run and run and run. I like that train. Take it off the track and it's still running. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well, I don't know if I helped you, I helped me. Amen. Praise God. Let's solve some mysteries.
Congregation: [01:13:07] Amen.
Pastor Erik West: [01:13:08] Y'all want to solve some mysteries?
Pastor Erik West: [01:13:11] The word that many of the words that Steve spoke. Uh, Samson spoke over y'all. I took some of y'all's words, and they're still there for you, but I said, I'll take some of that. I will take one maxcut and I might even get the hair to go with it. Who knows? I could have all that. Of course I had it down here at one time, so it was a little bit too much. But you know, my day looked like it was okay. Amen. No, but take that word that was spoken over you. Take that word and speak it into your life. Don't. Don't forget it. Speak those words. Paul said you have to do a warfare with those words. Y there for good. The word he spoke to me, you know, he said I was talking about supper. He says, uh, does the Lord showed you something about, you know, increasing. You need to be preparing for it. Uh huh. You know, he kept on saying, you know, the increase, the nets getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And he said, yeah. He said, I kept on getting strong. I said, yeah, I mean, I did too. He's like, I'm waiting, I'm waiting. Well, the electrician is coming Tuesday. So we'll start here for three days and if everything come in. But so we're starting. And then he said this year he said I see you discovering so many things. You know what that is? Well, that's another word of saying. What? Revelation. Solving unsolved mysteries.
Pastor Erik West: [01:14:40] And when you discover what you didn't know, you can do what you couldn't do the day before. Amen. Amen. And I'm that close now. Christine Elliott told me some things that happened to them, and they was at Mark Hankins leadership. Some things happened there. And with what I've been seeing the last few years, I'm almost ready to preach it, Brother Hagan said. Never preach it until you live out the revelation yourself. But I'm almost ready to preach. It looks to me like God knows just about everything. I mean, I'm that close now to finally bringing out a series. How many you think that's? We ought to get closer and closer. We're getting there. He knows it. All right. Mark Hankins said he knows it all, and he's in show business. He don't just like to tell you. He likes to show you. He wants you to have an experience. Amen. God bless you.
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