Power
Pastor Keenann R. Knox — July 7, 2024
The parable of the Banquet prepared.
Scripture
Sermon Transcript
Scripture
Mark 10:16-31 (AMPC)
16 And He took them [the children up [h]one by one] in His arms and [[i]fervently invoked a] blessing, placing His hands upon them.
17 And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, Teacher, [You are [j]essentially and perfectly [k]morally] good, what must I do to inherit eternal life [that is, [l]to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?
18 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [[m]essentially and perfectly [n]morally] good? There is no one [[o]essentially and perfectly [p]morally] good—except God alone.
19 You know the commandments: Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.
20 And he replied to Him, Teacher, I have carefully guarded and observed all these and taken care not to violate them from my boyhood.
21 And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come [and] accompany Me [[q]walking the same road that I walk].
22 At that saying the man’s countenance fell and was gloomy, and he went away grieved and sorrowing, for he was holding great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, With what difficulty will those who possess wealth and [r]keep on holding it enter the kingdom of God!
24 And the disciples were amazed and bewildered and perplexed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how hard it is [s]for those who trust (place their confidence, their sense of safety) in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
26 And they were shocked and exceedingly astonished, and said to Him and [t]to one another, Then who can be saved?
27 Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.
28 Peter started to say to Him, Behold, we have [u]yielded up and abandoned everything [once and for all and [v]joined You as Your disciples, siding with Your party] and accompanied You [[w]walking the same road that You walk].
29 Jesus said, Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up and left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the Gospel’s
30 Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
31 But many [who are now] first will be last [then], and many [who are now] last will be first [then].
Sermon Transcript
Y’all could do better than that come on come on come on come on come on come
on she like Mr. Young I was young but now I’m
old she she wasn’t she wasn’t going for that was she she wasn’t going for that
was she? Amen. We’re excited come on let’s give God praise for that. Amen. For those of you who have not been here before welcome to Impact
and let’s chill right right right right right right right settle
down that’s what I want to do right um I am so excited about this
sermon series we get excited about it every year we it it’s been in the past called Blockbuster summer but this year
we’re talking impact and chill because I think we run and rip and run so much we don’t ever have a chance to just chill
just push on neighbor tell them just chill y I want to sing the whole song I know y’all want to do I know y’all want
to do it not yet we’ll wait until the BET award section of the
service we ain’t going to do that L y’all no ratchetness righteousness but
not ratchetness amen all right so I want to get into scripture uh I want to read this is be
the first time I’m reading scripture actually this impact and chill but I think the scripture just needs to be
read just a little bit um Mark chapter 17 Mark chapter 10
I’m sorry verse 17 and as he was setting out on his journey a man ran up and knelt before
him and asked him teacher you are essentially and perfectly morally good what must I do and inherit eternal life
that is to part partake of Eternal salvation in the messiah’s Kingdom pushing somebody tell them I need
access isn’t that a problem often times you you want to be in the right rooms
where the right people make the right decisions do I got about 30 of y’all in here that want access to some
things glory to God glory to God sometimes sometimes that’s the issue right sometimes access is the issue like
you know hey you you’re someplace and you’re on the internet and all of a sudden your your roaming stops
roaming and then you’re trying to get on because I there are some restaurants that I go to some in St clay Shore some
in Gross Point that I’ll go to these restaurants and when I get to the restaurants I’m trying to do some work and I sit there and I’m trying to do
work but there’s no signal so now I asked them do you have Wi-Fi and they’ll say yes I say well can
I get access because just because you have Wi-Fi doesn’t automatically mean
you have access so there is something to tap into if I have the password okay so as we’re looking at
this text this young man is coming to Jesus saying listen I’m trying to
connect but I don’t have the password can you give it to me and in
Jesus because that’s what the skit kind of produces right the skit kind of tells you the story of this from a different
perspective it it puts in in the modern spin on it they’re asked they want this access but then they’re saying to him he
says to Jesus I want this I want access to the messiah’s kingdom and Jesus starts quizzing him on some Basics
principles he says how do you treat people do you can you keep the Commandments the young man says yes I
can keep the Commandments then he asks him are you willing to do the tough thing what’s the
tough thing the tough thing is simply this can you take everything that you have already acred sell it all
and they give that to the charity and the young man doesn’t even respond he just walks
away he was given a
choice between excess and
access cuz the Bible says that this young man I’m done take this from me
this young man says to to him nothing and it walks away the disciples say to
Jesus what happened Jesus says the young man really he what he said on the way
out door was I gotta wait too much to give
up that is kind of the story of ghost and
power he’s at this Crossroads throughout the entirety of the series where he
wants to come out of the stuff he was in he was a drug dealer he he did wrong
he made money he had crew money and wanted to be legit and the struggle was always
there because he could not give up the
power and I believe this young man who Jesus was talking to it wasn’t just the
money it was all the trappings of that life
lifestyle it ain’t just money people people will try to boil it down to it just it was just money no it was more
than just money it was all the living that that money brought that’s what the prodical
son endured the Bible said when he got his money he went out to he traveled he
went to a foreign place he spent all his money the Bible said on riti is living he was living his best
life I ain’t going back and forth with you so so the young man that came to Jesus
pondered for a moment he said I got so much excess do I really need the
access cuz this money gives me things what does money do money gives me
attention CU what with money I can dress a certain kind of way I can get
attention see some folk might not aesthetically look good but you put them
in enough gold and silver and bling and and and and shoes and all the right
trappings even Flav of flave to some
ladies New York concrete jungles see see even that
when you dress somebody up in wealth they become a whole lot more
attractive so those are some of the that’s one of the trappings is it’s do I want to give up looking
wealthy money gives you influence cuz there’s certain folk that
that you know you got them cousins you don’t like but because they got money you
like oh so okay okay they want oh y’all want to y’all want to act funny on me now right y’all want to as though you
never been like that that somebody who got some money come around all of a
sudden you perk up Hey cuz let’s get a picture
cuz how that house cuz cuz invited us to the house you don’t even know cuz name
all you know is cuz is Rich cuz got them stacks
so you you your money gives you it gives you Aesthetics it gives you
influence it gives you R I see some of y’all even know what that is that means you got game that’s
that’s the new lingle for you got game you got game you got game you man you got game when you got
money money give you game you pull up in the right C you got game you a got to
open your mouth because that’s what money in our minds
does for us money validates us you get the right house you can brag
about it you a invite nobody to your duplex but the moment you got on 30 m
vanite you invite people you don’t even like we having to cook out you ain’t
never cooked nothing now all of a sudden you’ve arrived and now you want to flaun what
you have because you want to yield or wield that power over people there’s some
people that are dominant when they have money they couldn’t make their own dog pee outside before they got
money but now because they got money they think they got influence because they got money they think they got power because they got money they think
they’re Above the Law you can get away you you watch power you see so much everybody trying to get
up get over and and and murder and and hide and do all of these things that
sin does because that’s how the enemy trecks you he tricks you to make you think you
need that kind of power that you need worldly power that
you need to be somebody that you got to give up the facade of who you
are and this young man was going back and forth in his mind saying I know what
eternal life is I know that what God wants to give me is bigger than what I have but I don’t want to give up what I
have to get there we think it’s it’s crazy in our
minds to think that he would just give it up for
Jesus but ask your neighbor what have you given up for Jesus you ain’t even want to say that
cuz you ain’t want them to ask you that question what are you willing to give up
for Jesus what have you given up for Jesus to quote Janet Jackson what have
you done for him lately I gave Jesus my life did you
really cuz if I look at your life and examine all of the DMS you slide
into all of the times you get off the phone with somebody you cuss them out after you get off the phone with them
cuz you’re two-faced all of the lies and all the
cheating that you do that you don’t think nobody knows but God that’s the life you gave
him I’m just saying I’m just wondering do we really
know the cost because there is one there’s one
thing there’s the cost everybody say cost and then there’s the benefit everybody say benefit cost
and okay so Jesus outlines to him the cost I know
you know what you’re supposed to do you can quote me the
scripture many of you can quote scripture probably better than me
maybe you could quote all kind of scriptures and give all kind of biblical
references but if I ask you do you live what you
know how do that price look to you now it’s one thing to quote scripture
it’s another thing to live it it’s one thing to know the Bible it’s
another to reflect the Bible that you know
he asked him that do you understand the Ten Commandments I’ll put no other God before thee that’s one of the Ten
Commandments right I put no other God before me unless it’s my job I’ll put no other God before me
unless it’s my family I’ll put no other God before me unless it’s somebody else’s
man how can you be one when you’re satisfied with being number two
how can you how can he ever have your back if you’re always on his
side so you know the scripture but you’re not living it you
know what Jesus expects but are you willing to do it for your own
salvation cuz this was a personal uh conversation that Jesus was having with this young man this one man he was
having a conversation back and forth he was having a conversation with him and a discussion with him and when he was talking to him he was letting him know I
know you know the Bible you know how to get access but are
you willing to get access when Jesus says I need you to
take everything you have all the status all the money
and if we put it in today’s terms the vehicles the businesses the stocks the
crypto the cars put it all on
Marketplace all on eBay sell it all trust me enough to give it to why I
say give it to trust me enough that you’ll get more than that if you do this
and what he said was I don’t trust that power I trust this
power I don’t trust power I can’t see I trust I only trust power I can see and
how many of us are guilty of that the only thing we trust is what we see the only thing we trust is the the
the all I know Pastor is how much money is in my bank account but God knows how much he can
add to it all I know Pastor is what my doctor
tells me but what I know is I know the doctor that made the doctor that made the doctor that made the doctor that
made the doctor that made the doctor that made the doctor so my trust cannot be in the
things of the world because if I put my trust in the things of the world then I’m saying that
it is more stable than God’s word and this young man he had a lot of
stuff the Bible says he had many things and did not want to give up those
things to get the one thing he didn’t have he walks
away sad Jesus turned to the disciples say see he had too much he had too many
things Peter you know because Peter’s outspoken you know if if anybody going to say something it’s going to be Peter
like Master what’s what’s going on Jesus said it is easier for the camel to go
through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into
heaven it is easier so I have to give you some you know informational
understanding the eye of the needle thing because we merely think it means literally the eye of the needle it could mean literally the eye of the needle but
the eye of the needle was the entryway into Jerusalem it was a an entrance that was only gay
tall so when the camel would be led which was a beast of burden would be led
to the Gateway the eye of the needle it it could not get through the
entrance because it had too much stuff it was packed with too
much so the Camel had to kneel down outside of the gate and they would have
to to unload all of the extra stuff set it to the
side then allow the camel to get back up and lead him through the gate through
the eye of the needle and then take all of the stuff
carry it through the entrance and reload them as he got into the
city you don’t even want to unload for a
moment it wasn’t that you had to give up everything forever you just needed
access don’t walk away from the door where all you got to do is unload at the
door if I could just if if if the rule is take your shoes off before but you say I paid too much money for these
shoes then you don’t want access to the you don’t want to get
access so he says if the the camel can’t get through the eye of the needle unless
it lets some stuff go but if it lets some stuff go once it gets through the eye of the needle it’ll
be able to get more so the
disciples look at tell Jesus said Jesus this looks impossible and Jesus said
says with man it is impossible but With
God all things are
possible I just had an aha moment I just had aha I preached this Tex so many times I aha moment here’s what Jesus
just told you he just told you this he said he had the he had the knowledge but
he didn’t have the god he came to Jesus without receiving
Jesus CU he did not have God he had
church but he didn’t have God he had a
position but he didn’t have God he had a
title Apostle Bishop
potentate preate taught you last week
prime8 Archbishop Duke Duchess Bishop elect Elder elect
Minister elect people have all these titles but
no God and with no God no power no real
power the only Power that some people have is the power of
manipulation not not real leadership because real leadership is influence fake leadership counterfeit
leadership is manipulation if I have to be in a relationship with someone that choos to
manipulate me I choose not to be in that relationship so this young man was like
I can’t do it they walk away Peter turns to Jesus say who can’t get through this Jesus says if he had God he would get
access but because he did not choose the god that chose
him he walked away in defeat with and he went back to the power that he thought
he needed ghost every time he would try to move forward the streets will always bring him back because he always had
ties with the streets he had ties with Tommy he had ties with people from his background he had ties with his
ex-girlfriend he had ties with all these people and he never wanted to leave his his people
behind but because he had a conflict with his past he could never enjoy his
present he could not enjoy his
kids Tariq and Raina and Yasmin he could not enjoy his kids right because he was
still in love lust with his
ex and the Ghost of his past was the last thing he
saw because he couldn’t bury his past he could not walk away from those things that he felt gave him
power and that’s us how what have you left to walk to
God you can’t get rid access if you don’t
leave I know this is not one of them run up to the church and highfive everybody I know it’s not that sermon but it’s the
sermon that you needed because you have stayed in powerless situations thinking that it
was giving you power you stayed with that person longer than you should have
because you didn’t want to be alone but you can do
bad real power has to be taken has to be
seized real access has to be
possessed but he was not willing to possess the real access because he was not willing to walk away from his past
just like ghost he was a product of his past all of those things that he did and he’s
trying to move every time he tried to move forward running for liutenant go every time he tried to move forward
something from his past kept pulling him back and Jesus says listen if you want
real access I need you to leave all of the trappings behind and if you choose is
there’s something great for you he didn’t let Jesus finished the conversation he finishes the conversation with the disciples because
as he’s talking to the disciples he’s telling them no rich it’s hard for rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is like a camel trying
to get through the eye of the needle I gave you that analogy then he says to them he says with God it’s possible
Peter being Peter doing Peter things Peter be
PE Peter tells him he says well Lord we done left mother and father and
houses and land and all we’ have done what he what he wouldn’t do we with God
you’re Emanuel god with us we’re with you we did all of this what do we
get now some of y’all would be like how dare they ask Jesus what’s in it for
them how dare they want to know what’s in it for them if you don’t want to know you
crazy if I’m going to give it all up I do want to know what I’m getting if I give give it all
up cuz Jesus listen it’s okay to find out what’s in it for you can I tell you
probably that’s one of the biggest mistakes that you make you never know what decisions will lead to what results
follow your decision you don’t people don’t tell you what’s in it for you unless you ask them what’s in it for me
if I do this for you people like well you supposed to be saved just because I’m saved don’t mean I’m stupid
now if it’s my brother and he needs me I will go two miles if he ask me to go one if you ask me for my coat I’ll give you
my coat my jacket and my vest I’ll give you all of it but I’m saying there are
some some moments you need to ask if it’s a big sacrifice what is in it what
what is in it for me if I do this what do I get cuz you
might to get all this benefit what do I get you get 10% well at least I can make
the decision so the disciple Peter’s like Jesus if I do this thing if we already
did it we decided it wasn’t a money thing for us it was a Jesus thing for
us and he said nobody push on somebody tell them that
means you he said nobody who will give up
houses land relationships
for my sake
they houses lands bank accounts relationships
for Jesus not not because you had a dream
and you just wanted to do it but no when God requires it of you in other words
when you are willing to give God your yes despite of the cost
he said no one who does that no one who is willing to live a life with me will
ever be empty what does he say he says no one
having done that will not receive a h hundredfold blessing in this world and
in the world to come so what the young man didn’t
understand was he thought he had to tray his his human life for an eternal
life he thought he had to exchange all of these riches in the Earth for riches
that he can’t see but Jesus came back and told the disciples had he just finished the
story had he not left in the middle of the movie had he not getting distracted with
what he had at home he would have heard the whole concept and the whole concept was no one
who is willing to do that who is willing willing to do that if you be willing on
E obedient you’ll eat of the good of the land Isaiah 1119 no one who is willing to do
that will be disqualified from receiving aund times more than what they have in
this earth and in the Earth to in the world to come so I I listen if I’m willing to
give it all up I don’t have to lose it
all we think that the essence of being saved is being
broke the Devil is a liive if I be willing and obedient I’ll
eat of the good of the land that’s scripture give and it shall be given back to you good measure down shaking
together and running over that is scripture if any two of you can agree as touching I will be there in the midst of
my father will give you whatever you pray for that is the benefit of being
saved if you be willing and obedient to earnestly hear the voice of
the Lord to observe to do all He commands you to do Deuteronomy 28:1 then God say I will Elevate you that same
person who I Elevate I will command the blessing to not only find you but
overtake you I had to tell one on my spiritual
Sunday this week I said man the problem is you’re not commanding the blessing that’s the problem you’ve been
so quiet about commanding we we get that way we get so inundated with doing the work of ministry that we forget that we
got benefits I want to
shout man God thank you Holy Spirit we need to be
reminded bless the Lord oh my soul forget not
one of his benefits and we forget the benefits if we if we decide to get
access to Christ there are benefits that should be with us they will drink poison but won’t die
they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover they will cast out demons
it you got access but you haven’t made
entrance you have not gained entrance into your exess because of your
excess say that again you have not gained interest entrance to your access
because you have excess
but if you could ever put your excess in the proper
context money serves me I don’t serve
money resources serve me I don’t sweat for money that’s that’s when you’re out
of Covenant that you’re supposed to sweat by the brim of your head that’s when you’re out of Covenant you’re
supposed to toil in the Earth but the Bible tells me that I’m not supposed to
toil because I’m in Covenant this young man he didn’t let
Jesus finish the story but Peter heard it all Peter got here at all because Jesus
says to him he says you get a hundred times more here and later the blessing
here and eternally that the blessing is going to follow you it’s going to overtake you it’s going to chase you
down it’s going to hunt you down and you going to will find the favor of God finding you you will find yourself in pursuit of
miracles signs and wonders I’m sorry you will find yourself being
pursued by miracles signs and
wonders if if you are
willing didn’t say you have to but you have to be willing to lose it
all if you’re willing to lose it all you’ll never lose anything if you’re willing to lose it
all you will never lose anything why because God is more for you than every
creditor could be against you I had an epiphany last night so last
night I’m going through and I I’ve got a letter in the in the mail I was like look at the debt I was like where did
this debt come from from and I was shook for about 35
seconds literally I was shook I was like man I’m just not shook I I was Disturbed
I was irritated by that I’m like man every time I’m trying to move forward
something else is coming and then I thought and my God shall
supply I got access to the
benefits so so I stop worrying I me I I sleep good at night cuz I might get suok
during the day but but my wife tell I sleep good I I sleep good tonight I don’t struggle with sleep with being
awake because of problems and I’m telling you we’ve had some major challenges over 26 years in Ministry
major challenges but they was coming to get shut everything they was shutting everything off I mean we I there was
service I was sitting the service like Lord if we can just make it through this service please don’t have nobody cutting them off at the
pole I’m I am for real like Lord if you can just work but
my wife she she says all the time she says God always works it out God always
works it out I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken nor his
seed begging bread we are the Seed of Abraham y’all why are we still tricking
and B I’m sorry begging and
tricking Whoop That Trick stop stop stop allowing that to be
your mantras stop allowing that to be your default that you figure you got to manipulate some situation to be able to
get through but God’s got so much favor that if he just allows if you just allow
yourself to come into a alignment with him and not rely on the power of the world but the power from
God everything you need somebody yell everything y’all
didn’t yell it I said yell it everything that you need is at your
disposal everything that you need Deliverance is at your disposal
Supernatural debt cancellation it ain’t nothing but somebody typing the letter for
you it’s just the cost of postage Lord I just speak that how much
is postage these days how much 70 cents I
prophesy over y’all that somebody’s about to start spending 70 cents to tell you you debt
free who believes that who believes that who believes that who believes that it’s only going to cost them an initial 70
that 70 cents is about to shut down some debt that 70 cents is going to send that
letter to tell you that you’re healed that 70 cents is going to be that letter that’s going to tell you you just got
higher that 70 cents is going to overturn your last denial letter that 70
it’s less than a dollar tell them my benefits is greater
than a dollar I have an expectancy I I expect some
movement I expect this summer I expect some movement I expect people to call me
to tell me yes I expect people to call me and tell me I’m qual I expect
it why because I was willing to throw away everything and sell everything I
have I’m willing to do that if Jesus tells me to do that so if I’m willing and obedient I’ll
eat of the good of the land so I’m believing God for a I
believe the the this is the season of a h hundredfold
return of aund times I I just heard this word I’m not
preaching this preaching the movie this year but I just heard it [Music] Boomerang I I hear there’s something
coming back at you as hard as you through through what you need to to leave away God said
something is about to start it’s on its way back who am I talking to in the room
today uh that believe that something is about to hit you something is about something major something major you
expecting God to do something Ma I need to prophesy something major is about to
happen I feel it I feel it in the room I feel it in the room something major is about to
happen something major is about to happen something major is about to
[Music] happen and and maybe the reason why you
can’t see it is because you’re still looking at the things you already
got but faith is not falling in love with what you see it’s by being hungry for what you
can’t see I’m driven by what I can’t see
see I’m driven by the vision of this room being packed wall to wall I’m
driven by that why because that means somebody’s family got saved that means
somebody’s household has been delivered church is being full is what God expects
the devil tried to tell you Church don’t need to be big every church should be full there should and listen there
should be 20 mega churches in the city of Detroit why because it’s 20 mega churches full of people in these streets
that need to be filled in these churches well Pastor you know if we get
bigger that means that God is blessing I’m tired of feeling like we got to scrimp and
struggle to be God’s kids we’re the children of the most
high God not the medium
Jesus is extra large and we serve him well we
should serve him at the end of the day that was the
question will you be like ghost and die living in Two
Worlds or will you be like the disciples
so anointed that when they walk down the street people drug their couches into the streets just to get a touch of their
Shadows so anointed that nobody had need in their Community because the Bible says when one had they all had they had
a spirit of collaboration that was different than anything else we’ve ever seen in the
Bible my challenge to you is what is that thing that’s holding you back from
being powerful what is that thing in your past that you just can’t let go who is that
Miss thing in your past Mis thing in your past that you just can’t let
go that’s really got a hold on you who told you you could never be
great what word curse are you holding on to so tight that you can’t hold on to
the word blessing I break every word curse over
your
life if you are believing that this is about to be the
change moment the transformational moment the instance
where you shift from what was impossible to what was
possible