In Case Of Emergency: Break This

Where we find ourself this morning the title is in case of emergency break this in case of emergency break This and it's been a few weeks in acts I believe it's acts 12 still of course But I wanted to really camp out for a little while and that's where the message came from a few Sundays ago when your world falls apart and then the dark night of the soul and now In case of emergency break this so make sure you listen to all three of those Believe it or not. I came across someone who's actually putting those messages down on paper And I'm going to turn them into a booklet or an article for the church Each message is about 13 or 14 pages and so we're editing those because the content is so important on trusting in God's sovereignty and If your world hasn't fallen apart yet, just keep living If you don't know what the dark night of the soul is just keep living Christians are faced with enormous challenges and we really have to just trust in God's sovereignty and Obviously in case of emergency break this the message is on prayer That the early church prayed and I want to submit to you that although that's a catchy title You don't have to you don't wait till an emergency to break this You you prayer should be part of who you are part of your life in your lifestyle It's really the heartbeat of a Christian I believe it was Ian Bowne said when when faith ceases to pray faith ceases to live It's our heartbeat it's it's who we are and it's not just a quick prayer here and there It's it's a church that prays and worships and looks to God's Word. That's the three Fold cord or whatever the strand that is not easily broken So let's look at Acts 12 and we are going through verse by verse I do it a little bit differently because some things really pop and I want to Camp out sometimes and it's usually on the rabbit trails that have the most benefits to the congregation Let's say I that spoke directly to me and I'm like well It did me too because I just thought of it this morning that God put in my heart I believe Acts 12 5 through 17 So remember Peter's in prison and he was kept in prison, but here's an interesting word, but constant Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church So while Peter sits in prison the church prays They do not know the outcome.

They do not control the situation, but they refuse to Do nothing They refuse to do nothing So as you're going through we've got handouts give your kids a dollar if they can fill in all the the words It'll keep them interested and you'll see throughout that there are some important words that that They come out of this and that word is constant and it's interesting in the Bible Prayer is called wrestling prayer is called and that uses terms such as fervent the effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous man prayer is fire. It's called agony. It's labor It's striving.

So this is why it's difficult for us to have a prayer life It's not just some you know, let me just put this aside and let me just sit here and be bored What much people most people feel that boredom because they don't realize it's a wrestling match with the satanic realm There's a there's an agony there's a laboring there's a striving because your flesh doesn't want to do it So that's where the battle is But once you overcome that hurdle and say come on flesh, we're doing it anyway And you have that breakthrough many of you know about the breakthrough Many of you don't and I want to encourage you that just keep seeking God and that breakthrough will come when when prayer Actually becomes more important than food It's it's it's the breath you must breathe in the morning it's it's that time with the Lord because you've been refreshed and renewed with God and your hearts right with him and what stifles prayer more than anything else is sin and pride and a critical heart and Contention and bitterness all these things we this the sick heart The sick heart keeps us away away from the prayer closet and you can tell when that has drifted into your heart You become cynical You become kind of cranky. Have you ever been there? Attitude you're not real fun to be around. You're kind of just you're upset It's because when the Christian loses their prayer life They lose the spiritual life that keeps them living and vibrant and healthy and filled with joy But praise God you can get back this morning.

You can just say Lord. I need to get that back Lord I need to get that back. I love what Ian Bowne said men would pray better if they lived better boy Let that sink in men would pray better if they lived better You could reverse that Men would live better if they prayed better They go they go together the greatest hindrance to a strong prayer life is a lack of holiness The old Saints 1700s 1800s a lot of those old books I have man.

That was a pivotal Message was that life of prayer and holiness and this is not a Pharisee type of holiness This is a type of holiness I don't want to do that because I love my prayer life and I love my Relationship with the Lord and the more I seek after God and want to live that life the stronger my prayer life becomes and that's when You really will see a lot more answered prayers when you're a right alignment with God Your prayers aren't missing because you're asking a miss how you might Spend it on your fleshly desires Anybody ever changed their prayer halfway through and you realize Lord just whatever you want I'm being selfish. I'm being let Lord even if this doesn't work out You know you're praying for a job you're paying for a job and you're and then you know what Lord even if this doesn't happen What do you want because your heart's changing it's lining up with the character and nature of God because he's your pursuit and then so what happened Herod is about King Herod is about ready to bring Peter out to kill him and That night Peter was sleeping Okay, you see my bullet point here Who would be sleeping? You know you're gonna die the next day and it's not lethal injection where you just fall asleep It's pretty brutal and You're sleeping How is that possible in between two chains? Between two soldiers and the guards before the door were keeping the prison Now behold an angel the Lord stood by him and the light shone in this whole prison area so Peters sleeping Now he could be exhausted. I don't know.

I don't want to read I mean the Bible doesn't say exactly why but I have a Tendency to believe it's because he's trusting in God's sovereignty When you've seen the risen Savior, you're gonna sleep in the midst of or maybe he's ready to go see his Lord As you get older do you recollect do you ever say come Lord Jesus he's just The body falls apart and you're like come Lord Jesus. I am ready. I am ready Many of you know, I got a root canal pulled recently completely I Didn't realize what I was getting into and then they're like and next we want to get the molars out.

I'm like, oh, this is wonderful Jesus just come and This happens and this happens and this happens you're like and and Peter was maybe ready to go. I don't know. I'm not sure You don't have to send me stuff on how bad root canals are.

I know already Got him a long time ago But the greatest peace you will ever find is resting in God's sovereign arms the greatest peace you will ever find somebody needs to hear that this morning is resting in God's Sovereign arms because we try to find peace in our situation how many of you your moods change when your situation changes and I've been searching for peace for weeks or months many of your years But it's elusive. It's elusive because now my job is not working it now my finances now my You have to get to a point where yes Obey God live and live in and and what is right and obey his word and and focus on him But eventually you got to just rest in his sovereignty and I've been really getting that point across a lot lately Because that's where your sanity is going to come from Resting in the arms of the person the only person who is in control And it's a good reminder. It's very simple But it's not easy There's not a complex math equation You have to to put together do this do this and the next week do this and next week Resting in his sovereignty is a choice It's taking those thoughts captive, it's so simple Lord I've been focusing on the wrong things.

I've been letting fear come in and dominate my life God I'm just gonna trust in your sovereignty. So since so simple Not very easy though Because as you're doing that other thoughts are coming in those fiery darts of Fear and and and things that are that are going on in our lives and and we just it's hard to trust God Because we get those opposing thoughts so it is very simple make the decision Lord I want to trust in your sovereignty doesn't mean you have to like what he's doing, but you have to trust what he's doing Big difference and always remember in the darkest prison. There is always light Thank God in the darkest times of life.

There's always light. It's God's light. I Remember I used to when I when I came to the Lord, I couldn't stop reading a lot of books.

I had a lot of time Happens when you're single you have a lot more time to read books and You would read stories of how atheists died versus Christians dying and it's like night and day literally and It's it's horse stories reading how some of these atheists spent their last days and even because there's no light There's no light and when you get down to that time you realize Maybe there is something to this Did I live my whole life and there but even but a believer even though it's challenging and difficult That light is still there in the darkest in the darkest times. I talked about I think it was Horatio Spadford I think he had five daughters. I said that I think it's actually four He lost in the in the Atlantic Ocean when his when his vessel hit another vessel and then from that came that wonderful him it is well it is well with my soul and This this applies Because there was the light Of seeing his family again Knowing that they are actually it's we say it and it's contrite And you don't want to say it at the wrong time, but they are in a better spot now as hard as that would be there with their Savior and and and and and focusing on that and And as with Peter and with us God often slows us down Puts us in jail some people He slows us down to increase or to awaken our pursuit of him Have you seen that happen in your own life? You're busy doing hit this busy going here You've got maybe kids and grandkids and life and a busy schedule and then something happens where he slows you down He'll slow you down to get your attention You might get that phone call that diagnosis or that that that challenging situation and he uses that to slow us down Now it should increase our pursuit of him Sometimes if you're running in the wrong direction God says wait, let me let me change that direction Let me let me get your pursuit back on me and not on what's going on around you.

So here's the first key Activity cannot pass run past intimacy Wish I could say that came for me, but I heard it from a pastor actually this week Activity and I just had to write it down and share with you because isn't that true? Your activity cannot run past your intimacy with God Active busy busy busy busy and that happens that the whole point was most pastors it was a message to pastors that they They get so busy and active That it runs past their intimacy and that's where you're gonna fall Anybody will fall their intimacy must be the pursuit and then everything else falls into place and So the angel struck Peter on the side and he raised him up basically Wake woke him up says get up quickly and his chains fell off his hands So he went out and followed the angel and he did not know what was done by the angel was real But thought he was seeing a vision. I Couldn't relate. Can you? Write you're sleeping and wakes you up and I change, you know, I go.

Yeah, right. Okay, but I might as well follow suit let's see where this goes and so he was waking his way out the prison, but I Like when the angels tell people to hurry up They've done that a few times in Scriptures and you often want you wonder why because they also told lot to flee Sodom quickly get out quickly and God's will often involves action as well as obedience God's will often involves actions as well as obedience so the next key is Delays can be disastrous Get up quickly Because we don't know what about if in lots case What about if he would have hung around Sodom and didn't want to he probably would have perished What about Peter didn't believe and say no. No, this can't be real You know, I'm just gonna sit here and wait You don't want to delay now.

I'm talking to those people You know that God Wants you to do something It's clear and you keep avoiding it any hands balcony Couple people here Those things you don't want to delay on I'm not talking about things where it's like Lord is this you I don't know and you know those it's good to wait on him But if you know He's told you to do something that delay can be disastrous From repairing a marriage To maybe a pursuit or something. There's God got there's there's times where we've got to move quickly The Bible doesn't talk too highly of procrastination. I Haven't found one verse yet that supports procrastination But I see a lot this is today Today when you hear his voice Harden not your heart today is the day of salvation get up Peter.

Let's go Let's go lot let's let's go and so finally Peter when when he was fast I'm sorry past the first and then the second guard post they came to the iron gate that leads out to the city and it opened up on its own and They went out and went down the street and immediately the angel departed from him now there was a lot I was gonna say on here and that might be some other some other time, but There are times where God will lead you he'll hold your hand He'll he's right there, but there's other times where I Mean can you imagine? Yeah, okay great now what he's gone. It's like okay now What am I supposed to do and? You'll notice that don't get frustrated you get older in your faith I sometimes get like Lord remember when I was He like he would show me so much and hold my hand and just make things clear And it's like man. This is and as you get older.

It's kind of like Like when you teach a little baby to walk I still can remember some of my kids first steps right and you're right there You're holding there, and then eventually though you do trust and walk on your own and He will do that. That's what I talked about last week on that dark night of the soul Sometimes it feels like he's not there But it's in those deep moments that trust is built the stronger the stronger the faith you have The stronger the trust you have in God. It's because God went deep with you I've never met anybody with strong faith trust in the Lord who hasn't dug that foundation deep through pain and disappointment and Confusion and those roots run deep deep into the soil It may appear that God doesn't walk as closely with us as he once did But he's still there.

He's still there. I Don't know why I've always loved. I remember the first time I read it That that you know that little poem or whatever is with those footprints in the sand You know it's like Lord.

Where were you? I have it's just first. There's two footprints, and then there's just mine Where'd you go? He said? Oh, no those are my footprints carrying you I've never forgot that because that's that's true. There's never a point where God's over by Jupiter and You're here Jupiter's far.

Have you looked at that up I? Mean when they turn to say this this this is how far it takes light to get there. You know it's far but that light is always here and Sometimes you want that comfort you want that that security, but sometimes you're not gonna feel it That's another key here. The anchor is tested in the storm The anchor is tested in the storm Many of you guys know when you fish you throw out that anchor and if it doesn't stick where you gonna be in about 30 minutes Halfway down the lake if it's what's happening.

It's just dragging. It's not sticking He's not grabbing anything Or I've done that before I throwed it out there and the boats drifting and I pulled in and the anchor came off the rope It wasn't tied good And there's nothing I could do at that point But this is when the anchor is tested your faith is actually tested in the storm in the storm Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is tested Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is tested That quotes attributed Martin Luther in the 1500s even though we can't locate exactly where he said it And I love this part too. And when Peter had come to himself Do you know what you you there's a point I believe obviously unbelievers but there are even point where sometime or many Christians have to come to themselves and Say I'm tired of being distant from God I'm tired of being bitter and angry and Frustrated I'm tired of the end you had come to yourself and you return to the Lord How many how many how many recognize that phrase from the book of Luke? Who else came to themselves? After he was eating with pigs the prodigal son Says and he came to himself It's interesting too if you break down like the Greek words and sometimes we frame words, you know when we translate but it's it's a it was it's like a realization of Look where I'm at.

I don't want to be here anymore, and I'm making different decisions. I Come to myself realize where I'm really at I'm not gonna stay grounded in Bitterness and anger and frustration and failure and anger. I'm gonna come to myself.

I'm gonna repent I'm gonna turn back to God Many Christians have to do that. I've went through seasons of that Because that that bitterness and an anger or frustration can become a stronghold. What about indifference? complacency, I mean if you if you study The Old Testament how many of you like the Old Testament to you just go through it.

I mean just So good. Why here's why you have to read the whole Bible. It shows you the character and nature of God All of it goes together.

They all that's the God the Old Testament. Oh, it's the same God There's no there's no God of the Old Testament now hit boy back. Then he was mean now.

He's laughing. It's the same It's the same God Absolutely, and the New Testament is only written over like I Don't even 30 30 years in the book of Acts and they wrote some of the gospel Maybe let's just let's just be conservative 60 years 70 year period, you know, depending on Reveille but the Old Testament is written over a couple thousand years if you go back for creation to you know, you've got 4,000 years of Of Old Testament history and the nature of God and you'll always see with the children of Israel Primarily because they're children of the children of God you'll see this in Assyria and the Babylonians and the Egyptians as well But it starts with complacency Apathy. Yeah, I don't need to go to church as much.

Well back then they didn't say the tabernacle or whatever they did Do you ever get apathetic Every hand should go up because that's the battle Christians faith apathy complacency Hmm God is boring this week. That's a good certain title. I think when God becomes boring But we've all the Bible's boring churches boring prayers aren't getting answered and We get complacent.

The key is to notice it repent and turn from it But they didn't do that. What did they do? They stayed complacent Actually their blessing became their curse That's why you got to watch out for the blessings of God because if you don't stay humble That's exactly what's happening to America we're eating the fruit from seeds that were planted hundreds of years ago and our apathy has led to complacency and Every succeeding generation seems to get a little weaker a little week. That's why they call the World War two generation Remember those tough guys, you know my grandma remember that man to compare to today.

It's like what is going on and You become complacent apathetical and then the next thing that moved in was ungodly influence and That's when you're open to that You're apathetic No big deal. And then now this ungodly influence begins to capture your heart And so the children of Israel would begin to practice the worship of the false gods Because they are apathetic Complacent God's blessing them. That's why the false prophets would say peace peace God loves us God loves us right now, even though they're burning their children in the searing arms of Molech They're they're they're following Astra than all these false gods.

They were deceived which is the third point pride You'll see that pattern time and time again complacency apathy wrong influence They give into that wrong influence and then they get prideful and they don't think they need to to repent and return It's a it's a deadly three-punch combo that will get Christians as well if we're not careful Some of the some of the worst pride I've ever seen can be in Christians. I mean you see it clear as Day any of you you've done counseling you've counseled people whether it's marriage singles whoever and it's like oh my goodness Why can't you and then you they'll turn it back on you. You're the problem You're the fault Guys, this is they don't see it.

That's what point pride does it it blinds you it blinds you because you think You're going in a great direction You deserve these things so back to the point the anchors tested in the storm and then Peter came to himself and He said now I know for certain That the Lord has sent his angel. In other words. He woke up his eyes were probably he wasn't sleepy He says I'm not in a vision now.

I'm out in the street And be like down in Los Angeles and Twin Towers and those LA Prisons and you get out and you're on the street. There's a liquor store over there and they're downtown LA It's not real great and you're like out there and you're like Now what? Then you start And you get you get out of town he comes to himself Oh, the angel did deliver me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectations of the Jewish people So do you think Peter's excited? Here's another reason why you got to trust in God's sovereignty Years from now Peter's going to be arrested and the tradition says he was hung upside down crucified upside down And I can picture him and that prison going to God you're gonna get me out of this one, too You're gonna get me out of this one, too I know the Lord I see I see that upside down cross, but I'm not going there God. Okay, where's that angel? Where is that angel? Lord And then here comes the guards Heading to the Lord, let's do it again.

Let's do it again. Come on. Come on.

I'm gonna we're and at some point He may realize This is it And he has to rest in sovereignty it's one thing I've seen with Christians to over the years is God sometimes doesn't do things the way he did them in the past Sometimes we have to go through it. We've seen people healed and then ten years later something returns and now all their joys gone because they thought God would Do what he did back then and that's why trusting in that sovereignty is so important Also, sometimes it takes time to process God's will It's okay. Take processing God's will takes time.

He he was there everything fell off He was he got up and here's soldiers asleep, and he's walking to he's probably still not Knowing exactly what is going on and same with us? It takes time to process God's will from time to time And many Christians have echoed the same words over the centuries like Peter now. I know for certain now I know for certain and God will give you those moments Many of you you can say that now I know for certain that God is who he is Because he's brought me out of that furnace. He's brought me out of that flood that overcame me Here's the key it's okay to question the situation you're in but not God's character Make sure your questioning doesn't turn into bitterness and anger against God.

It's okay to question things It's part of our journey and so when Peter had considered This he went all the way to the house of Mary the mother of John Whose surname was Mark, and they were all gathered there together. They're praying and as Peter knocked at the door Here comes Rhoda Rhoda she probably It's Peter, and then she closed the door runs back, and she was so excited Have you ever been that when God answers that prayer, and you're like no no no Lord Really is this you and you you get overwhelmed and excited And because of her gladness she didn't open the gate. Maybe it was maybe it wasn't a little thing Maybe it was a gate out front She saw but she ran in and told the church and said they said to her, but you're beside yourself But she said no no no Peter is out front So they must have well, then it must be his angel Think about this the early church that saw Signs and wonders a miracle still had a hard time believing that God delivered him And so Peter continued knocking Anybody need to hear that this morning.

Do you think of a Bible verse where Jesus said? Continue knocking Continue asking continue seeking and sometimes I find myself saying Lord. She already know why am I? Why am I doing this? But it's more for my benefit than his You know you've never changed God's mind or caught him off-guard Now the Bible does talk about God Relenting like certain prayers might change the course of things and I believe in that but it doesn't it doesn't catch God off-guard And so Peter keeps knocking and they opened the door they saw him they were astonished But he said he motioned with his hands Keep quiet, they don't want to get out and he showed them told them everything that had happened in the prison And he said now go and tell these things to James and to the brethren and he departed and went to another place What I love about this too is I'm not gonna get into a lot of detail about it because it will as we keep reading but many people have probably been scared and Went and hid somewhere for a while He said go tell them and he went to a different place probably preaching the gospel the whole way Not allowing that fear to dominate him. So that's as far as we're getting today But there's three points that we can glean from what we just read number one.

This is without a doubt That the most important prayer was a priority Prayer was a priority prayer becomes a priority when seeking God is the priority Here's the thing if you want to make prayer a priority in your life let make seeking God the priority as You seek God that prayer becomes a priority and if we took a survey, I'm pretty sure most of you Want to go deeper with your prayer life. You're not satisfied with prayer It's okay I bet every pretty much every hand would go up Because I don't know if I've ever been to a spot where I've said, you know, what man my prayer life is perfect I'm good now for a while. I Just keep man.

This is great. I'm right there. Why because there's things always Lee.

I'll Always challenging your faith There's things always trying to knock you off track There's things always trying to discourage you and pull you away because what they're trying to do They're trying to pull you away from the life source Just like sometimes if somebody's in the hospital, they're hooked up to the life source And what happens the enemy wants to pull the plug and get you away from the prayer closet That's the most important thing you can do as a believer reminding you again of Matthew 6 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you to give context Believers were wondering How am I going to be fed? How am I going to be clothed? How ever think of those things? How am I going to retire anybody? How am I going to retire? How is this going to happen? I don't know how we're having a baby and I don't know how we're gonna afford this Or you just but he said but seek first and I found this to be true So of you many of you seek first God's kingdom and everything else seems to fall into place But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. This is why this is important to Seek the kingdom of God is in our thought life. I believe primarily Seeking God's kingdom.

We're in prayer. We're in worship are taking our thoughts captive. We're seeking the heart of God, but also and Seek his righteousness Which is a holy lifestyle So you live like the character of God? So when you have your thoughts and your actions lined up Then all these other things are added to you the power of obedience the power of seeking God and obeying his word In case you need a reminder the power of the Word of God many of us know We believe the Word of God has power Doesn't it it's living the Bible says it's actually living and it's active.

It's sharper than a sword It cuts it divides it but The power of the Word of God is in the application. It's not in just knowing it Many people come in they hear it. Oh, man.

Yeah that Glad I heard that today. I really needed to hear that today Guess what has to follow application many people never Really grow in their Christian faith or experience because the application part is What gets us Don't just be hearers of the word But be doers as well Because if you're just hearers of the word and not doers you will live in I will live in deception how many times have you seen this Christians and They're like they're not living like they should be they are living in deception, but How do they post things on social media what why do they say these certain things because they have Knowledge they hear it they know what to say and They think because they know what to say that the knowledge is enough Knowledge is not enough. It's the application of the Scripture.

That's why actually the Bible divides separates knowledge from wisdom knowledge is Knowing that wisdom is actually doing it and therefore get wisdom the Bible says in Proverbs Get wisdom and all you're getting get understanding. She will exalt you. She will promote you She will show you the right course of action, but it's so important seek first the kingdom of God I wish I could tell you this every Sunday as a reminder, but I won't But it's that that word is so profound because it's like losing a child at the mall Or lose it.

What about if you lost your child here? Let's see you go and they say no, there's no child here children's ministry No, all right, I'll look from later Let's go get lunch Jake okay, you guys see if you can find them. I'm gonna go eat lunch get some Mexican food and I'll come back Guys, what happens? What? We don't go into second service either we go find the child it stops the church It stops the church. I've actually we had this happen in Lancaster We didn't go we stopped the service and we went out and look for the kid Where was he? Was he like under the front row? Yeah, he's hiding.

That was real funny, wasn't it? I'm hopping over the block wall in the school. We got people like Where's yet that seeking? Everything changes Everything changes You don't have to use a restroom. You don't have to get lunch We're not going to start another service.

Why because that is the priority When you make seeking God your priority And again, nobody does it perfectly You know, we keep going throughout the day Oh, I got to get back but there's that should be your priority to seek God with all of your heart Seeking God sparks the inner fire of the spirit Seeking God sparks the inner fire of the spirit many people get busy in ministry so busy that they forget to seek God the life giver the giver of life the giver of spiritual life and so seeking will begin to spark that inner fire the spirit again and it will Maintain it will keep going throughout your life. It's the difference between a vibrant Christian faith and dead Orthodoxy It's the difference seeking God is the difference without that people are just going through motions and That's why going through motions isn't very powerful because you're going through motions. You're not really pursuing God.

You're checking things off a checklist Okay, I went to church today Read my Bible Okay, I'm good That's a checklist Seeking God involves all that but it's a pursuit of him It's a pursuit of him till the day you breathe your last breath. You are pursuing after God Seeking him leads to a deeper a deeper more intimate prayer life it ignites worship and it interrupts in in its Absence the coldness of carnality sets in and the flame of passion becomes lukewarm guys This is where everything hinges when a person becomes cold and carnal or lukewarm or apathetic or too busy the death sets in Spiritual death sets in and you have to reignite that by pursuing God That's why prayer and worship I call them this all the time and so do many of you prayer and worship are often called Fire have you ever said that before? Prayer and worship are often called fire because they ignite man worship was Fire, I've had some of you in the prayer team this morning. You're uncertain mornings Paul, especially She likes to kid with me man.

Prayer was fire this morning the one time. I'm not there right Chris you guys You should have been that prayer room it was fire worship was fire and if we're fortunate the message was Fire right? I mean, that's that's that's that's that that's what we should be pursuing The fire the spirit that warms things up It heats it Melts a cold callous heart Prayer can become fire. You can ignite that in your heart How many of you have heard of Gene Easley? Probably not very many.

He's wrote a couple books on revival. Not a well-known person But the fire of God was in his pen. I'll tell you that much Just find him on Amazon order some old books from Gene Easley.

He said the fire of God The fire of God is gone from many churches and too many of those who once knew it are sitting in pews and Watching as they gradually lose that fire We can no longer just go with the flow when the flow is drifting away from God guys. Isn't that true? I'm not a church hopper anymore But back in my church hoppin days and visiting churches outside the valve There's not a lot of churches on fire for God And I don't say that with pride because we can drift there real easily to the leadership becomes lukewarm The church becomes lukewarm It's often reflected in the heart of those leading the church. We've got to keep that fire going in our hearts John Wesley would tell pastor set yourself on fire and people will come and watch you burn That's real that really is the key to ministry preaching to worship leading to all that to be on fire for God That that's where everything flows from the fire from God because then the Holy Spirit is Convicting and drawing and people want to come back or they don't want to come back if they're convicted Have you ever seen that before? That guy's way too loud and bold and in my face, I'm not coming back.

I don't want to be confronted I just I just want to come in be lulled back to sleep Night little baby I'm not gonna talk about sin. I'm not gonna talk about judgment Not gonna talk about repentance. No hell is preached in this place Go back to sleep.

There's nothing to see here. There's no fire burning Isn't that the majority of the Christian Church? But I do I want to wake up that baby Don't you? Don't you? Well that applies spiritually because practically It was so hard to get the baby. So you guys know it's not hard to get the baby sleep, man You got all kinds of tricks in the book All kinds of tricks in the book to keep the baby asleep, but the church The church is to be on fire for God and Yes that encourages It does it encourages We hear that more than anything.

I was so encouraged even on the convicting message Wait a minute. You're so encouraged right because when I get back right with the Lord, I'm encouraged I'm very encouraged when I get back on fire for the Lord Number two, so prayer was a priority we see for the church here number two constant pursuit is always rewarded Constant they were in prayer constantly for Peter. Don't give up look up Constant pursuit is always rewarded.

You will always be rewarded when you pursue God now You might not find the answer to your prayer, but you will find him. That's what I found sometimes All but shame my prayer wasn't answered. That's not true.

I wasn't rewarded. He is your reward He is an ever-present help He's who you seek after he's like a deer who you pant after as you're as you're so long for that living water If I could just drink of this water I will never thirst again put all my prayer requests aside and just give me Christ in Christ alone That's all I want. I don't know about you Lord.

Don't answer any of my prayers, but just let me have you Intimacy Constant pursuit is always rewarded And sometimes I hear that I'm giving up on God. My prayers aren't being answered Well number one welcome to the club How many unanswered prayers do we have? Stacks big ones little ones and many in between But I'll tell you what that constant pursuit is always rewarded Because I do know this little lamb you've got a good good Shepherd so you have to get to You have to get to the point of Because this is where it gets this is where it gets caught up in our heart You have to get to the point where you say Lord, you know best Because if you don't get to that point you think you know best and you get bitter and you get upset I'm not going back to church I'll go to the liquor store. That'll fix my problem I'll get hooked up in a bad relationship again.

I'm good. I'm not mad at God But we have to say no means no Or it could mean wait, it's not the right time yet He obviously knows what is best. Maybe that prayer request would have destroyed you I've seen that people get this dream job Never a church Marriage is suffering But they got their dream job and it pulled them away from the Lord apathy wrong influence pride You try to talk to them you're just jealous Yeah, I'm really jealous of a destructive lifestyle where your wife's are about ready to leave.

Yeah, I'm really jealous on that one Pride pride pride pride Lord. Why didn't you heal my child or why didn't you kill me? Why did this happen? You've got to get to that point where you say he knows because if not, it'll take you to a pretty bad spot Have you ever been to those spots? It's not a good spot Matthew 7 ask and it will be given to you God, thank you. I thought the sermon was gonna be boring today.

Yeah God often does that everyone like Lord. I don't this is kind of just standard protocol He just rips it open Rips the heart open. I mean I can't when I when when these words when the Scripture comes alive I can I can tell it's piercing and encouraging and strengthening people Because if it's doing it to me I'm just the out.

I'm just the outflow Asking it will be given to you man Asking it will be given to you seek and you will find Knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds And to him who knocks it will be opened Just realize this doesn't necessarily have to do with the prayers being answered Although it can it means you'll find him seek you'll find it doesn't say what you'll find but we know what we'll find Knock and it'll be open. That means my prayers are gonna be answered. Are you sure? Possibly I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer.

I love answer prayers But this waiting time waiting on God Strengthens your faith and draws you into a deeper more intimate relationship with him That's why I've taught before a sermon title was I'll never forget it Waiting time is not wasted time Any type a personalities who don't like waiting time, let's just get let's go let's go the answer Guys, yeah It's not right But I'm just you know sometimes after a couple minutes Morgan talking like you could told me that the right the beginning like just I don't I don't need the whole story of where you went and you drove here and The mall was crowded in this store. And then we went over here and this and but just get what? What oh, you'll be home at 5 that's all that's all I need to know Lord, we're ready Let's do this now I'm ready Lord now now now now now now now Kids are bad too, aren't they? Do you think everything was you want that's impulse? and what the Lord will do is Stop having you trust an impulse and wait on him As you're waiting the impulse dies Because impulses is reflective. It's it's I need this.

I need this Any shopaholics? There's stuff Mike. I'm like, why did I buy that? Impulse impulse impulse those ads work on Instagram. Don't they don't they you know, they work Impulse impulse But waiting time strengthens your faith and it draws you into that deeper more intimate relationship with God because as you're waiting There's no other option.

And then of course, I'm not going to talk too much about this. But number three they rested in his sovereignty They rested in his sovereignty and that is that's that's vital That's the heartbeat of the Christian faith. This is the only way Life makes sense in life.

Is there so much debauchery that's going on in our country? It is it's it's beyond beyond If you would have if you would have took somebody back in the 1940s and fast-forward them to here They would think they were dreaming or something. They're not how corrupt this is and that's why his sovereignty You have to rest in that Trusting in sovereignty is the only way to handle unanswered prayers Here's what sovereignty is I summed it up for you in case you're wondering Forgotten by men but remembered by God So men will let you down Your situations will let you down circumstances will let you down forgotten by man, but remembered by God that's why Jeremiah 17 says blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and Whose hope is in the Lord? it's you'll never see these scriptures say blessed is the man who has tons of gold now that could be a By-product of seeking the Lord. I'm not again, but bleh It's always blessed as a man who trusts in the Lord blessed as a man who hopes in the Lord Blessed as a man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand the path of sinners or sit and see his scornful but his hope he meditates on the Word of God and Then I have to share this one with you Philippians for be anxious for retirement, but nothing else be anxious for nothing nothing, but in everything everything Whoo, that's a lot by prayer and supplication supplications certain requests With Thanksgiving, how you doing? California residents.

Oh boy. We're gonna have to camp out in that for a minute till we get our attitudes changed Everything with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God So here's what goes and the peace of God, it doesn't make sense It's your past understanding it will guard your heart and your minds through Christ Jesus But don't miss this because people say where's the peace of God? I read this but I don't I don't get it. But are you thankful thankfulness ushers in the peace of God? Lord, I'm thankful.

You know, what's best. You know what you're doing and This type of prayer it rebuilds the broken it shapes the shattered it fills the empty It restores the fallen it returns the joy to the believer. It comforts the fearful.

That's what prayer does Look at what prayer does it rebuilds you it shapes you it fills you it restores you Returns you to the joy of the Lord and it gives you comfort in the midst of difficult situations Prayer is not one of many options It is the only option you get on your face before God and you begin to cry out and say Lord Change me shape me direct me. Oh church. We must be desperate people again We must be desperate people again.

Where will you go? Where will you flee? Who will you run to? There's a song we sometimes sing it says closer than a brother closer than my breath Rescued out of darkness rescued from my sin my maker and my master somehow calls me friend another one I kind of have on Rewind early in the mornings Just says caught up in your presence Caught up in your presence. I just want to sit here at your feet caught up in this holy moment I don't want to leave trust me. You get a quiet hour a quiet heart in a quiet place And you begin to meditate on those things let those worship songs come in in your heart If you want solitude you need surrender If you want solitude you need surrender There's a closing verse, I don't think we have it on this screen we might it's in Job and Job of all places he said Do you not know this of old and the book of Job is really old? So saying don't you know this this has been around forever since man was placed on the earth That the triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment and We're gonna read I think maybe none the next time I teach Herod who thought he could silence God died a horrible death Herod thought he would silence God he dies a horrible that you don't play with God you make him Lord you make him Lord And I love what Adrian Rogers I believe it was him Now they got your attention.

He said you don't make him Lord. You don't make him Lord. He is already Lord But you have to recognize it You have to recognize it and fully surrender fully surrender I'm reading this Bible like I'm reading it.

I'm doing with the guy I'm listening to the pastor. I'm listening to teachers. I'm reading him.

I don't understand it the Bible says God forgives you He says that this man comes down from heaven He dies on the cross for all my sins and all I gotta do is just confess that he lived and he died and rose Again, and all my sins been washed away. I'm as white as snow his blood coming man. I'll make no sense to me.

I'm like Like okay with those sins the sins of the gospel. That's not me I've done unspeakable crimes like it's not happening for me like the that he says he throws your sins in the sea of forgiveness But why do I still have this? Suffering in this self-hatred in this anger in this bitterness And why am I why do I feel feel like I'm in bondage in my mind and I remember I'm never crying so hard And I'm bawling I'm bawling I'm crying and I'm about to leave I'm like man this Christian thing ain't working like I don't know what to do like I I I'm more miserable now Than I am in prison like I was in that jail cell but for some reason I feel him more bondage And I just can't get past the person in the mirror I hate the guy standing back my mom's not answering me, and I just I really I'm starting to get a suicidal spirit again I'm like God like you saved me from my life sentence. Why I'm reading I'm listening to the pastors what they're telling me to do.

I'm prying out to you. I'm at the altar every day I'm making the altar cause I'm crying. I'm really I'm being dizzy.

Why am I still in bondage? Why am I still in chain? Why are you not getting rid of like it says you throw my sins away that you forgive me Why can't I forgive myself, and I'm crying and I'm bawling and I I'm really about to pack my bag And I'm going back to Florida. I'm going back to a lifestyle and Malcolm's walking by and he's like brother was wrong. I said well understand it I Said I hate my I said God I said I Said Lord I said mug I I hate myself And okay, I really hate the person I am and I don't know what I'm gonna do in my life Like I have no job skill My mom don't answer the phone.

I have nothing that this book is supposed to help me I see the evidence of life being changed around I hear testimonies every day people that are graduating the program getting married Having kids getting buying businesses, and it's just I hate I hate myself like I hate the person I'm like I want to go get drugs when I go get drunk want to go numb again And he said well, I want you to pray this prayer He said close your eyes He said ask God to open up the eyes you understand you first to receive his love and his forgiveness And I'm telling you man I prayed that prayer was so hard because I was so angry and so mad at the person standing in the mirror I just wanted to die and I prayed that prayer so hard And He said now continue to read and I said God. Can you please help me to forgive myself? Can you just please come and live in me God? Can you just take away this bondage and I kept reading and I came across a verse in the Bible October 6 It was first Timothy 113 this is once I was a blasphemer I was a prosecutor and I was a violent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelieve See I didn't understand Paul's life at that time But I knew everything I've ever did because I knew God not that it was okay It was that I did it in ignorance and now now that I know that God really has lived He really did come fully God and for him to die on the cross for me the shedding of his blood was the atonement My sin, and I really believe that man I felt I literally felt this weight lift on me I felt the Holy Spirit come inside of me and my life changed and I started having this unspeakable joy Like I stopped having nightmares I saw the understanding the Bible started becoming real Wow I Saw that and I'm like, I don't even have to give a final that's I talked to Brian to on Instagram He's in a different state. He works at a mission now.

He had a 40 years 40 years and God worked behind the scenes and We shared his whole testimony. He did good even cuss once in the whole testimonies But I share it on my Facebook page in the church Facebook page It might be it's something like a former one percenter Gives his life to Lord or shares his testimony. If you don't know what that is, that's okay.

It's good but just what a life and That's what I want to close with Even maybe maybe maybe you're not here. But those watching or maybe there are some here. You've never fully surrendered Your life you've never repented and that's why it's not working The gospel doesn't work without repentance trying to be a good person Doing better All these things that you have to repent and believe That God's love and grace will save you.

That's what repent is and believe