You guys having fun this morning?
It's cool, It's funny. MM was just saying earlier that
it's funny how prayers get answered.
He's like, man, I, I really want to see more people come to the
front and, and worship God passionately.
And I suppose God has to cut the electricity in order to make
that happen. So it's pretty exciting.
So hey, we, we've been talking a lot about just the mystery of
God, like just be be able to come in on a Sunday morning
life, grieve your own times with the Lord and just experience
more of that mystery, the more of the glory of God and.
I think we got. A just a taste of that this
morning. Is that better?
I don't. I don't.
I'm so used to having the. The one that fits on my head is
OK, so is. This better right here.
This is good. OK.
Awesome. My wife's telling me this is the
better way to go. All right.
Man, so we've been just experiencing the the glory of
God. Just recently, just even in our
services and I just I've just been praying more of that that
we would not take advantage of, of the fact that we have an
opportunity to come together to experience God here, that we
don't just come in routine And sometimes God physically has to
change some things up in order to make that happen and that we
wouldn't come just as OK, this is where we're we're coming in
routine. Already got a text this morning.
Stayed the obvious, right? The lights not working,
everything's not working. And you know what?
No problem. And in fact.
The late in fact yesterday when Alex came over, he's he's
basically Eli's piano T2, but he he came over and Alex is the
one. Placed here in the keys and he,
you know, he just, he's like, man, I think we, you know, we're
just talking about, it's funny. It's kind of comical.
Like we're talking about LED lights and stuff, which I'm not
for, you know, like I'm not like big flash, all that kind of
stuff. That's just not my ideal.
I'm fine with it. But I was like, hey, if we focus
on character and making sure people get what's important
around here, you can have all the lights in the world.
OK, You got whatever you want. Maybe not the smoke machines.
I'm not really into that. Not gonna say that's a good step
too far, too far. But it's just funny yesterday,
Like, wow, we're gonna go big. We're gonna, you know, they're
just all. Talking.
I'm just like kind of thinking I'm like, I don't know, We'll
see what happens, you know? And I just, the Lord knows how
to humble us pretty quickly as you come into the room, it's
like, hey. We don't need any of that stuff.
It really doesn't matter. So we're just going to do it old
school, right? I mean, kind of old school in a
way. But like Edson came up to me.
He's like, do you know that George Whitfield, he spoke to
30,000 people with no microphone.
And Ben Franklin was one of the, he was not even a believer.
He testified to that. And so we might have to even do
it halfway through. I don't know, seconds from now
we'll have to do it. Just old school.
Like really old school. No mic so but you can pray for.
That I'm not, I don't know. I don't know if I'm George
Driftfield so but go ahead and turn your.
Bibles to John chapter 12. We've been in John chapter 12
for the last three weeks now and I was like, I've been wanting to
get into 13 and here's another Sunday where I'm like, Lord,
you're not allowing me to go to chapter 13.
And you'll see why, man, it's so rich.
The Bible is so good. And.
Chapter 12 hopefully. Will be a blessing to you all.
But and the title of the message is his patience incorrection
leads us to transformation. OK, his his patience
incorrection leads us to transformation, ultimately
holiness and fruitfulness, which we'll see in a second.
So let's start reading from verses 27 to verse 50.
All right. And then finally, next week we
will be in 13, I hope. All right, so verse 27.
Now my soul has become troubled, and what shall I say, Father,
save me from this hour. But for this purpose I came to
this hour. Father, glorify your name.
Then a voice came out of heaven. I had both glorified it and
we'll glorify it again. So the crowd of the people,
proud of people who stood by and heard it, were saying that it
had thundered. And others were saying, it's an
Angel has spoken to him. But Jesus answered and said,
This voice has not come from my sake, but for your sakes.
Now judgement is upon this world.
Now the ruler of this world will be cast out, and I, if I am
lifted up from myself, if I am lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men to myself. But he was saying this to
indicate that kind of death by which he was to die.
The crowd then answered him, We have heard out of the law that
the Christ is to remain forever. And how can you say the Son of
man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of man?
So Jesus said to him, for a little while longer, the light
is among you, Walk while you have the light, so that darkness
will not overtake you. He who walks in darkness does
not know where he goes while you have the light.
Believe in the light, so that you may become sons of the
light. These things Jesus spoke, and he
went away and hid himself from them.
But though he had performed so many signs before them, yet they
were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of
Isaiah the prophet, which he spoke.
Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom the arm of
the Lord has been revealed. For this reason they could not
believe. For Isaiah had said, said again,
He has blinded their eyes, and He had hardened their heart, so
that they would not see with their eyes and perceive with
their heart, and be converted as I heal them.
These things Isaiah said, because he saw the glory, saw
His glory, and He spoke of Him. Nevertheless, many even of the
rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees, they
were not confessing him for fear that they would be put out of
the synagogue. For they love the approval of
men rather than the approval of God.
That'll just preach right there, right?
And Jesus cried out and said, he who believes in me does not
believe in me, but in him who sent me.
And he who sees me, the one who sent me, I have.
I have come as light into the world so that everyone who
believes in me will not remain in darkness.
If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not
judge him, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the
world. He who rejects me and does not
receive my sayings as the one who judges him, the word I spoke
is what will judge him at the last day.
For I did not speak on my own initiative, But the Father
himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to say
and what and what to speak. I know that this is His
commandment. It's eternal life.
Therefore, the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has
told me. All right, guys.
Well, I have a few. Points here this morning and
then we'll we'll land and we'll close but one of the things that
I want to point out to you first is that Jesus was troubled I.
Don't know if you saw. That in verse 27 it says my soul
is troubled. Just pause for a second.
Jesus one time said this. Do not be troubled, right?
In fact, in a couple of a couple of chapters.
Later he's going to say, do not be troubled.
Yet we know Jesus is not a hypocrite.
He's saying I, I am troubled and this trouble.
This means mental horror. It also means disturbed.
I looked up. The word it just means
unsettling. It's a harassing thoughts if
you're I don't know if you've ever.
Felt that way. But Jesus is feeling this.
He's feeling harassed because what he's about to do on the
cross, what he's about to do. You know, Jesus was not numbed
out. He didn't go.
I just went to the dentist this week.
I had to get a crown. If you've ever got one of those
things, it is brutal, right? Or a root canal, hate them.
You know, like, I don't know if everyone's ever got one of
those. It is not fun.
And I was thinking about this. I was thinking that, you know,
if you're totally numb, you're not going to be able to feel
anything. The idea is if you've ever
gotten a crown before, sometimes you need a root canal and
sometimes you don't. But if you're numb, if you don't
feel any pain, you're not necessarily feeling that the
root dying. And if the, if the, if the nerve
dies or the root dies, then you can get infected.
And if you have no pain, you could actually have worse
problems, right? So Jesus, he's not numbed.
He, he did not numb out. He felt all the pain and the,
the word trouble means a harassing thought.
He had all these harassing thoughts, knowing what's going
to happen to him going to the cross.
And so I love the fact that when Jesus says he's a high priest
and he's be, he's able to identify with everyone in the
room. He's able to identify what it
means to actually walk into this life.
He didn't numb out. So many of us numb out, right?
Like maybe physically, yes, all right, we go to the dentist.
That's a good numb out. By the way, I'm thankful for
lidocaine. I don't know about you but but
if we just numbed out and we didn't feel any pain, the pain
is is an indicator something else is wrong.
Right. And I was thinking about that
like it is easy just to numb out and just kind of go throughout.
Life but that wasn't Jesus's plan, right?
He felt everything and just think about this God hates sin
like think about all the sin in your life.
Think about everything that you've ever.
Done. Just you.
Just you alone. Think about everything you've
done, whether it's gossip, lust, envy, anything, greed, whatever
it is, that's just your sin. Now imagine all the sin of the
world, all the people that he keeps going across, and he's
thinking about all the people who have not yet been born that
will sin. All the weight, the literally
the weight of the world's sin and the people he's dying for is
on him. No one's ever felt that way.
And the worst excruciating pain is that we'd be separated from
God for a few days. He'd be separated from God.
He just. He's he's being rejected, he
experienced the full wrath of God, the fullness of it, not
just like 99%. But the full wrath of God, 100%
of the wrath of God would come towards him and I love this when
he says, shall I say save me from this hour.
Now, one of the reasons why I like using this translation in
particular is is that when it says this in some translation,
maybe yours and that's fine. I just saying that what shall I
say, question mark? Father save me from this hour.
I like this version because he's he's.
He's, it's like hyperbole in a way.
He's like saying, he's like saying, look, father, save me.
What should I say? Like save me from this hour?
Like what do you want me to say? I mean, This is why I came.
Like I I, I'm, I don't save me from like, yes, I I I don't want
to go through the excruciation. Like how many know, like
normally, like for, for all people, it is, it is normal to
fear death. And as far as like not dying,
what will happen to you? Because we know what will happen
to us. We know if we're in Christ,
we're going to see Jesus and he's going to accept us into his
Kingdom because of what he did on the cross.
But you're not afraid to die. You're just afraid how you're
going to die. You're like, no one knows how
you're going to die, right? I mean, you don't know and and
maybe that's what keeps you up at night, right?
And that's normal. That's like a normal fear.
It's like, I don't know how I'm going to die.
Oh, it's like just in my sleep, just kind of pass.
Away to heaven. Right.
So Jesus is saying he's like, what should I say?
I'm like, I'm troubled. And most of us when we're
troubled, we numb out, right? We just numb out.
We're like, hey, quick, just, you know, we're talking about
like, you know, grab your phone, grab your phone just anytime
you're in line, right? Just watch people.
Just become an observer of people.
Like when you watch people right at the dentist's office,
especially the dentist's office, they're occupied more so because
they don't want to think about what's going to happen next or,
or a doctor's office, right? You're just people numb out
there just trying to distract themselves.
Literally, I walked in the dentist's office, everybody's on
their phone and I purposely didn't want to be on my phone.
I just wanted to watch. I was like, this is crazy.
All right, Next, MM, is Mike in here?
MMM's in here. All right.
He goes and it's you numb out, right?
You just don't want to think about what's coming next.
That's not Jesus. He fully accepted the weight of
this and he's just saying, man, I'm troubled.
I don't like what's coming, I don't like the pain and knowing
that I'm going to be beaten right and all that.
He went through the thorn thorns on his.
On his head and the, the mocking, the beating, people
pulling out his beard, spitting on him, all these things.
Like nobody likes that. That's not normal to like that.
Jesus didn't like that, but it says here in Hebrews 12/3 he
despised the shame. He despised all this shame that
was coming because he the shame was was the.
Experiencing the wrath of God. Experiencing.
The creator of the universe. Can you imagine just going like
if you go up to Tyler? Waltham.
He's got the best beard in the entire house, right?
And look at that thing. That is a beautiful thing.
My wife here would say she's like, you can't grow a beard
fully, so don't even you're not Tyler Walton.
I'm like, I know. So you just go out and pull his
beard, right? Just like yank his beard.
He's not the creator of the universe.
No problem, right? It's just a human being and he's
a good guy. But but Can you imagine doing
that to the creator of the the one who created you?
You're pulling and plucking, trying to pluck his.
Beard It's ridiculous. He he despised the shame.
He endured the cross with. Joy.
I don't understand how that happens.
I don't think he did that with a big old smile on his face.
But I think internally there was a It wasn't happy, but he was
joyful. How many know the difference?
Deep inside, he was joyful, knowing that one day the lights
are going to go off on Oviedo High and there's going to be
still people singing about his death and resurrection.
I don't think you caught that. See most of us.
We're we're trained. Pain, numb pain numb out.
And then maybe you're like, oh, I'm not a drug deal, I'm not a
drug guy. OK fine, maybe you're ATV guy or
get this, maybe you just eat any stress.
Eaters in the room, right? You just eat.
But I'm not saying, OK, you're this horrible sin, you know, but
I'm saying your pain is an indicator.
It tells you something. It, it, it, it, it's an alarm.
It's at the check engine light. It's like saying, hey, look,
something's terribly wrong. And Jesus is saying what?
Where did he go to? 1st When something was terribly
wrong, he went to his father. He said, What shall I say?
Should I, should you save me from this hour?
No. Jesus willingly gave his life.
He wanted to. Why?
Because He loves you. He loves you.
Think about all the like all the passages.
That say right, he could have had 12 was it 12 like Matthew
2653? He could have 12 legions of
Angel save him no problem. He didn't need any help.
He just could have had that right away.
He could have had help. But he says look and and Luke
and Matthew records this this famous prayer, right?
Your will be done. Not my will, but your will be
done. And then he says something
interesting. Glorify your name.
The whole purpose of all this He says, glorify your name.
And then a voice came out of heaven, right?
When was the last time you heard God's voice audibly?
Anybody please see me by the side here.
If that has happened to you, I'd.
Love to talk to you about that experience.
I'm not saying it can't happen. I'm just saying God can do
anything, but I just that probably doesn't happen
normally, but it did hear and it's funny.
They, they're at that point people started saying, oh, maybe
it's an Angel or maybe that's Thunder, right?
How many know God's always speaking, but it's man who is
deaf. God's always speaking, always in
his word. He speaks this to our hearts,
confirms things. This is his glory.
How many guys ever thought about even?
This week that the glory of God is something that you actually
pursue in your life. I want to see his glory.
I think in a, in a very simple way, like I said, you know, we
the lights went on all the stuff, you know, we rely so much
on technology, but sometimes it's refreshing.
We don't have all the bells and whistles.
Because people could just come up here and they could use their
voices. We got this experience a little
bit of the glory of. God and I think think this is a
coincidence at all. As I'm preaching this message,
as I thought through it, even just in this moment, I was like,
man, the timing of God as this message will land, you'll see it
all come together. It's amazing how.
Like we just need to pause sometimes and think through
this. The savior of the world was
troubled. That's why he could say to us,
don't be troubled. The savior of the world could be
troubled. So that all of us can experience
his peace. If you have every, if you have
any peace this week, knowing where you're going when you die,
it is because he was troubled. You never have to go through
that excruciating, painful thought of you being beaten.
For your sin, because it's already been done, so you get to
experience peace. But it's in our pain when we
experience like, so you're like, wait, hold on a second time up.
I experienced a lot of pain this week, emotional pain, pain for
pain relationship, all that he said that's going to happen.
But in the midst of that, if you go to Him immediately and you go
to Him to find comfort, you can actually receive that piece
because He was. Troubled.
There's a phrase, and it's not popular in modern
evangelicalism. OK, now whoa.
Big word. OK, but you thought that was
big. This is a bigger word.
OK, PSA. It just stands for penal
substitutionary atonement. Edson's like, yes, finally we're
getting to the big words. He likes those big words.
He's writing that in his notes for for this Week for a Life
Group. OK quiz.
What's PSA mean? OK, why is that important?
A lot of modern preachers today. Don't like that word.
They don't like the idea that the Father was glorified and
allowing his Son to go through all that so that you might be
saved. But I'm telling you, that's what
we believe here. There needed to be a substitute.
For you in order for you to find life.
And that's hard to see that like if you've ever watched the
Passion of the Christ, maybe you just watched it out of
curiosity. When you watch all that, he,
you're, you understand. Substitute.
Like substitute teacher. Someone comes into the place.
You're a teacher. And for the day there's a
substitute when you're watching that movie, understand he is
your substitute. You.
Should have gone through all that and then died.
Not just died and then gone to heaven after you got all the
beatings and died, but going to hell for all of eternity.
But instead, he went through all that.
That's why he's so troubled. He's like, I don't, he's like, I
don't want to go through this, this physical pain and emotion
of being separated from God. But I'm doing this so that
others might not be troubled for all of eternity.
We might have life. OK, The second thing, verse 31
and 34 says this. Now judgement comes in the
world. So judgement comes on the world.
And then the ruler of this world, which we know is the
enemy, will be casted out. And then he says, And if I'm
lifted up, I'll draw all men to myself.
So there's three victories on the cross, 3 victories,
judgement to the worldly system yes.
Who likes that? Who wants that?
Who's like the justice meter? Who's got a high justice meter
like justice, You know like who has that?
Well, that's good. That's a good thing.
You know why that's good to have a high justice meter?
Because that's God, but he's. Also the Most Merciful, and so
you see in this passage. There will be justice.
If the enemy has tormented you, there will be justice.
That's good. I know not everybody might be
awake this morning. That might be too much for
everybody thinking like, wow, way to the future.
But that is good for you and the everyday.
Why is that good for you? Because I don't know about you,
but I'm tempted every week to sin, right?
You know what's so glorious about heaven is that you'll
never be tempted. One guy's excited about that.
Awesome. I'm excited about that.
How many thought of you? How many of you thought about
heaven this week? Just one time.
How about two times?
345? OK, Usually the older you are,
which is that section. They want heaven more than and
they're not ashamed of it. Then those who are younger, like
the college, college like not I haven't thought about having in
like 3 or 4 months, right? It's true.
You think about it a little bit more.
I thought about it this week a lot as I'm sitting there with my
mouth open wide and they're just, you know, do whatever they
want to my jaw and my teeth. I'm like, oh Lord, I'm going to
have nice luscious long hair. You know those.
Those guys, do you know those guys?
You know those dudes that are OK, so think of what's that guy?
OK, so we went to a wedding. And there's this.
I don't even know. Colombians could have beautiful,
long, thick hair like that. I was like, wow, what the heck?
I don't think they're full Colombian.
And he sings the flute. I'm like, is that guy?
Is that guy married? He plays the is that dude
married? No, he's not married girls.
I mean like like he just playing.
I don't know. I don't want to play the flute
in heaven, but I'm like that guy.
I'm like, look at. I was like, I was looking.
At the bride and groom. Because that's where your focus
focal point. But I kept looking over.
I'm like, gosh, gosh, that guy is gorgeous.
And he plays. I'm like, what the heck?
You know, OK, the ruler of this world will be punished for all
of eternity for taking this hair away from me.
No. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.
I'm kidding. I'm really kidding.
I. Don't know if that was the
enemy. It could have been God.
I don't know. OK.
But it says. How many guys OK, thought this
week how many people are afraid to die No, no joke, no, no joke
came wrong. How many people are afraid to
die? Most people, you go to the if
you, if you had some guts, you know, you go to the office, you
just go around the room. How many guys are.
Afraid to die? We'll just take a serve.
We'll just anonymous. Right, right on a piece of.
Paper guaranteed to be like 100%.
People are afraid. To die.
And this is what Jesus is saying.
He's saying this in this hour, He's foretelling his death.
He's saying, look, no worries, I'm going to defeat the last
enemy I'm. Going to defeat death, that is
Hebrews 214 the greatest enemy is death and he will defeat that
so therefore we do not have to be worried one.
Bit about dying. Revelation 12/10.
The enemy accuses us day and night, and we will overcome by
the what? The blood of the Lamb and the
word of our testimony. How many of that, how many of
you guys not maybe not afraid of death, but how many of Got have
been accused by the enemy this week, right?
You said something you didn't mean and then, right, you even
apologized. You worked it out.
You get in the car, you drive away.
And the enemy's still messing with you.
You're a failure. You always will be a failure.
You can never get it right. Whatever it is.
What Jesus is saying is my death will do three things.
You will. I will crush the little voice
box that's inside of your head that accuses you all day long.
It's done. Not only that, but I will, I
will literally bring you out of every fear, the one last
remaining fear that everybody on this planet has their the fear
of death. You will no longer have that.
And 3rd, I will save you from your sin.
I will you will find forgiveness, he says when
people, when where is this? I am lifted up and I will draw
all men to myself. He gets that right from John 3,
but he gets that. From I just read it actually
this morning which is crazy from numbers.
Right, The people had got bitten by a snake, right?
Because they what? Complain.
God says stop complaining. If you need any verse to help
you stop complaining. That would be it, right?
And the snakes came and bitten the people and they're like
Moses. You're you're, you're the guy
that's connected to God, which is so sad.
To watch that in that passage. You're the guy that's connected
to God. You're the guy that's connected
right, right. So so pray for us says OK, Lord,
pray for these people once again.
They they screwed up. Please forgive them.
He's like I. Want you to do this.
I want you to put a snake on a stick and everyone who looks at
him, it'll be it'll be lifted up and every time you look at that
snake. You'll be healed.
It's kind of weird. I know a snake.
Why is it, you know, the idea is that salvation is outside of
them. And as you look at Jesus, as
he's lifted up, if you look at him and believe in him, all men
will be saved. Does that mean all men?
Every. Person on the planet.
People like universalist like Universalist church.
They love this passage. They just believe everybody is
saved. But all this is important for
your Bible students. All means.
Right, without distinction means all kinds of people.
Good news. Italians get to go to heaven,
Portuguese get to go to heaven, right?
All right, all kinds of people, girls, guys, slave, free,
whatever, short, tall, all kinds of people get to be saved.
But it's not all without exception.
All without distinction, but not all without exception.
Does that make sense? Is that hopeful?
So when you read the Bible and look guys, there's like 20 other
verses in the Bible that says. All all all all.
And you got to know what that means.
OK, so final call here, verse 35.
So Jesus said to them, while little while while while there's
light among you, walk while you have light, so that darkness
will not overtake you. He who walks in.
Darkness does not know where he goes.
This is so. Important he is getting the
final call. Guys, listen.
You don't understand. I mean, I I saw this and This is
why I had to I had to preach on this because I was like, OK,
let's just go to the 13. This is.
The final public call we're. Only at chapter 12 and this
thing goes all the way to chapter 21.
This is the final public call that Jesus has to be saved.
I kind of wanted to. I didn't want to be too.
Intense this morning. But I kind of wanted to like
title it Final boarding call sounds like a movie, but so it's
crazy when I I was kind of thinking about this.
So when? When?
We had our first mission trip, I.
Don't know if you've had any in your own.
Experience this, you get to the airport, we're normally late.
That's not unusual for us, so. This drives people crazy.
When I get rides to the airport, someone's like.
OK. What time is your flight?
Oh, it's at 3:00 PM Or what time would you like me to pick you up
like 2:30? I mean, I'm sorry, like. 12 or
no, I don't have to be there 3 hours early, I just need to be
at 45. Minutes cuz I TSA Pre-check.
In and out, I like to literally go through the thing, you know,
the little tram and I like to walk literally on the plane just
like that. I'm flying this week cuz I'm
like, oh Lord, I better be careful what I say.
I'll probably miss my flight. But but the first time like we
went on a first Antioch mission trip of our church, it was in
2012. OK.
We are going to Mexico and I think it was five of us, Kathy,
you were with us and we're running, you know, to, to the I
think. We're we're in San Diego at the
time, or Orlando. Or, you know, Midway Chicago,
OK, we're connecting there. So I'm like running and the, you
know, the 10 minute rule before the flight leaves, like it's 10
minutes, they close it. The doors literally like closing
like this. And I'm like, yeah, like this.
No, no, no, no, no. And they literally let us in
just in the nick of time, you know, like they're, you could
hear your names, you know, like final boarding call, like
they're they're say like the last flight call before it
closes the gate. Well, it's a little.
Different than what we experienced in New Orleans, so.
We're in new. Orleans and two people.
I don't know if I should say their name.
I'm, I'm going to say their name.
Cole Newhouse. And Christian Bravo, yeah, two
of them. So they're in OK, we're up in
the lounge. We're just chilling in the
lounge up in you know, cuz they, they got me free in one of these
like credit card lounge things. So we're.
All up there. We're getting like disgusting
food, you know, like potato soup that's been like 3 days old.
We're just eating that and we're enjoying our time and
everything. And Eli and I were like.
It's we're on the same flight, by the way.
I'm like, I think it's time to go.
And so I go downstairs and down the elevator into my out of my
flight just made in the nick of time sitting there and I'm like,
where's Christian and. Cole, what are they doing?
And I texted, I'm like, dude, they're the ladies like we're
going to close the door. Like come.
Oh, I have thought the flight they looked at the wrong number.
I think that there was like the flight number and they thought
that was the time. I don't know how that got mixed
up. Something got mixed up.
So they're coming down and literally the door closes and
I'm like they close the door like it's it, you're done.
That's it. Final boarding call.
You missed it. How do you do that?
They were literally like they're right above us.
Like they're just dilly dallying.
I don't know what don't dilly dally.
Right. Don't dilly dally in the
Kingdom. Yeah.
OK. So I want to show.
You this how incredibly patient God is.
Arthur Pink says this. He's a old theologian.
Why does God not suddenly killed a prideful liar like he did with
Ananias and Sapphire? Why does he not 'cause the?
Earth to open up and. Devour all those who dishonor
like the sons of Korra simply this because he's patient,
because he's patient. Luke 13, six to nine, says this.
A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard.
He came looking for the fruit on it and did not find any.
And he's and he said, cut it down, right?
Three years I have come looking for this fruit.
And. I haven't found any.
Then just what do I do, You know, let it alone, Sir, for
this year, I'll until I dig around it and put fertilizer in
it. If it bears fruit next year,
fine. If not, cut it down.
God is incredibly patient. I'm just going to rattle off
these verses because I want you to get something here, right?
Romans 24. Do you think lightly of the
riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience and
kindness. Do you know that this leads us
to repentance? It's His kindness that causes us
to pause to see His glory and then to be transformed.
Second, Peter 339 says God is patient towards sinners, not
wishing for any to perish, but for to come to repentance.
I love that God is patient towards sinners, not wishing for
anyone to perish. He's not like ha ha, you missed
the flight. You know, but he's he desires
and look, guys, this is awesome. I'm like sometimes.
You know, sometimes. There's these obscure passes,
and I'm not saying John 12 is like some obscure passage, but I
don't know, when I got into this passage, I was just saying like
normally people just go on in chapter 13, the washing the
feed. But this, There's something here
that I don't think personally, I've noticed in my prior reading
that in his love and in his mercy.
All these people if you if you've been.
Following with us for the last 5 1/2 years that we going through
John their their first. I'm just kidding.
I don't I don't know how long it's been like a year and a half
or something like that two years.
So. When we when we started it John
chapter 1 and going through like seeing the glory of God, like do
you know John chapter 1? Does anyone know John chapter 1
the the most famous passage, right, the world, the word
became flesh, right dwelt among us.
That's God. He came, and he dwelt among us,
right? And then he finds.
Finds his disciples John chapter 2.
What is it? Winning a can of right.
He turns water into wine. Beautiful.
It's amazing. Right, he turns our dull lives
into something joyful and amazing in the Kingdom of God.
Chapter 3, what happens? He meets Nicodemus, this
religious phony, right? And, and he's asking questions
and he doesn't get saved right there in the middle, in, in, in
that chapter. But later on, somehow after
watching the glory of God be displayed, he gets saved.
And then chapter 4 the, the, the woman at the well, right?
This this woman who is, who is with five other people.
Right in her life. Sexually.
Immoral to the NTH degree. I don't think anybody in this
church. Probably has lived a life like
that, and if they have. You've seen it in that passage.
There's forgiveness, there is forgiveness.
Chapter 5 The man who is lame for 38 years, he gets saved.
Not only does he get healed, but he gets saved.
So are you. He's like.
What do you what do you want? I want to be healed, be healed.
Chapter 6. Feeding the 5000.
Chapter 7 Rivers of living water will flow through you.
If you believe right, the power of the Holy Spirit will come
into your life. Chapter 8 right.
He's. Dealing with a woman who's
caught in the act of. Adultery Chapter 9 What is it?
He heals them. He heals the man born blind,
Chapter 10. He is the Good Shepherd Chapter
11. He raises Lazarus from the dead,
Chapter 12. Mary breaks the alabaster jar at
Jesus feet and we haven't moved on from there.
Do you see the glory of God? God can run circles around your
life. He could do whatever he wants
and he's choosing in this moment.
And all their unbelief is the all these people that have, it's
like the I call them like the in betweens, the in betweens, the
stories, the in betweens. Like all these people, he's, he
does this great miracle. And then it's like some believe
and many reject great miracle, great miracle, great.
And in between is these reactions.
This is where you and I come in. This is where we come in.
What do you choose? Do you want to believe the glory
of God and follow Him? Or do you want to go your own
way? Do you understand?
I was thinking I was researching.
This was like Genesis 5 through 8.
I don't, you know, it doesn't tell you the amount of years.
You have to kind of do some math.
But 100 you don't. You don't know know what I was
going to say was this. No one was preaching for 100
years. I've only been preaching for 14
years, 100 years of preaching. But now is he preaching?
He's building a boat. He's telling everybody repent
because the floodwaters are coming.
Do you understand at one time in your life, if you have not
received Jesus, His patience will run out?
I'm not sure if I said anything more important than what I just
said like in the last 14 years. Do you understand how gracious?
If you're troubled, I don't think you would be caring about
the the weight of the world. You would just be caring about
the weight of yourself. And in this moment in time, he's
troubled. And what does he think about you
that's profound. That is really profound.
I do that for you, by the way, not for me, because that is
amazing. There should be a doubt in your
mind. About the love of God right now.
That while he was troubled, he takes one more opportunity to
say while you have light. And do I think it's a
coincidence that we've been having trouble with our lights
this morning? Do you understand that before
electricity, which is probably what maybe what I need somebody
to tell me the year like what, what year did the electricity
come in with that? Was it a?
100 years ago? No, it's not even 100.
Years ago is. It about 100.
I mean, we this this, this globe has been literally turning.
For 6000 years and maybe maybe the last, I don't know, Not even
100 years, 1870. Five.
There you go, buddy. 1875. Yeah.
So Dick would probably understand.
When that when that was right. Just kidding.
Just kidding, Dick. OK, Yeah. 1835.
There's a wrong there, right? No.
So 1875, that's not that long ago, but do you under, do you
understand? What he's saying because they
they didn't. I mean, they couldn't.
Flip the switch. They couldn't use a generator
like we're using right now. We're using the generator, but
during those times they had to walk only in the daylight.
And Jesus is saying, while you have me, believe in me, because
at some point I'm shutting the lights off.
And some of you in this room have the lights off.
I. Was just trying to show you one
thing and then we'll I want to show you in Romans chapter 1 and
then we'll we'll start to make our way to a close here for the
wrath of God verse 18 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who
suppress the truth and unrighteousness because that
which is known about God is evident within them for God made
it evident to them for since the creation of the world his
invisible attributes, his internal powers, the divine
nature has been clearly seen being understood through what
has been made so that we're without excuse.
Talk about the glory of God. I mean this is amazing.
This is this passage fits so well for.
For that, though, even though they knew God, they did not
honor him and give him thanks. For they became futile and
speculation, and their foolish heart was darkened.
The lights were out. Profession.
Profession to be wise. They thought they were wise.
Think about like professors at UCF.
They think they're so wise, but yet they're fools.
And exchange the glory of an incorruptible God for an image
of the form of a corruptible man, and the birds and four
footed animals and crawling creatures.
Therefore, God. Gave them over.
To the lust of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies
will be dishonored among them for the exchange the truth of
God for a lie, and worship and serve the creature rather than
the Creator, who is blessed forever.
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions.
For their women exchanged natural function for which is
unnatural. In the same way the men
abandoned the natural function of the women who burn in the
desire towards one another. Men with men committing indecent
acts, receiving to their own persons deep penalty of their
error. And just as they did not see fit
to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved
mind, So that those things which are not proper, proper, being
filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of
envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, their gossip, slanders,
haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of
evil, disobedient to parents without understanding,
untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.
And although they know the ordinance of God because it's
written on their hearts from birth that those who practice
such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but
they give hearty approval of those who practice them.
Get it this Let me just say it like this if you keep saying.
My way, my way, my way, my way, my way, my way.
God will eventually say find your way.
What is he saying to us this morning?
Because I don't think everyone is like, I just want to go my
way. Like in the sense maybe the
extreme of Romans 1. Some maybe, but some may not.
Some are just thinking they're OK, right?
I love what Spurgeon says. We have waited for God's sound
at the dead of night and looked out for him and expected him in
the heat of day and figured he might come here.
And yet another son went down. But he's not here.
He waits a very, very long time. Patience is, which keeps him
from coming. Now he might be thinking, OK,
loved ones, I'm so thankful that God is not yet here.
But for your own soul, are you thankful that you still have a
pulse? Because God is wanting to teach
us. There's so much more that He
wants to teach us as a church. There's so much more that He
wants to show us. He wants to reveal the glory of
God, but yet we're maybe not ready for that.
There's so many passages I can share with you, but I wanna, I
wanna just, I wanna close on a few things here.
I can have Alex come up, but I'll read a few more.
Nehemiah 930 You bore with them for so many years.
This is Nehemiah's prayer. He's talking to God.
He's saying you admonish them by your spirit through your
prophets, yet they did not give ear.
Therefore you gave them into the hand of the peoples, into of the
lands. And then Hebrews 10/26 says
this. If we go on sinning willfully
after receiving the knowledge of truth, there's no other
sacrifice. And we just, we had lunch with
the Kims the other day and we, we went to, we went to
Canterbury and some of you guys know what Canterbury is, right?
I like our church got started there.
We did ADS there. We did world mandates there.
We did our A1A conferences, we did our mission conferences.
We did so much there and we helped them during hurricane
outreaches. I remember.
When we were. Just picking up, you know, just
trash and everything. And we just, we love those
people. But they sold just recently and
a lot of, a lot of it, they probably sold, God had to shut
the lights off in that place because they began to open up.
They got so desperate for money, they began to open up to new
age. And I remember, I remember going
on a canoe ride in the back because they let us, they let
our church basically just do canoe rides back there and hike
and whatever you want to do really.
They, I mean, like we said, we felt like we owned the place.
And. I remember like 11 evening,
we're as a family, we're just on a canoe and we're looking over
and this this woman with like purple hair.
She's like, like doing this like raking thing or whatever, some
weird thing. And I found out it was like some
new age raking. And I'm like, why would they do
that? Why would they let these people
on this property? This is a precious property that
was. Dedicated to the Lord, I mean.
They just, they had the stations of the cross.
You could do that around the lake.
I mean, it's just a just a moment.
You can just a powerful time. You can meet with God.
And I'm just, I have so many memories there of just meeting
with the Lord and he had to shut the lights off.
But we went there and we're just like, man, we, we just, we want
to redeem this place. Lord, we, we sent a letter.
We're just like, would they just donate like 10% of of the land
to our church? You guys could be believing with
us for that, but we brought the Kims there and we're just
praying. We're just like, Lord, come on,
like this. We want to see the glory of God
again because it's so sad to watch.
Like the signs are just smashed there.
Things are just literally just looks like the place has been
abandoned like some. Like some horror movie, you
know, like. And I'm like, Lord, redeem this
place. And I just, I, I was thinking
about a little bit, but how quickly how something can shine
so brightly and then the lights turn off.
And I was thinking about like man, Isaiah 55, which is our
family verse rise our family chapter.
It says call on the Lord. Seek him while he may be found.
Come, eat, buy bread which that you cannot afford, like come.
And. You.
You can't. You can't buy heaven.
You can't buy eternal life. But just come and I love this
towards the end of John is our end of this passage.
You know, there are people that were coming and they were
believing, but then it says, you know, just in parentheses it
says, right. It's like it's not literally in
parentheses, but just this little note that said for they
love the approval of man rather than the approval of God.
And then I was reminded of Revelation 21, five through 8.
He who overcomes will inherit all these things, and I will be
his God and he will be my son. And I saw.
It like I underlined it because I was like, what?
Like I can understand the unbelieving, abominable
murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, liars.
All of them will be in the lake of Fire.
Like, OK, yeah, I understand that.
But it says the cowardly. The cowardly, Like what?
Look in the Greek, still the same word, the cowardly, those
who give in to their lust, their pleasures, but also those who
are afraid to associate with God and to be gods and to be his and
to walk with him, those who are afraid.
It says if you deny me before people, I'll deny you before my
Father who's in heaven. I'm not saying this is an easy
message to receive this morning. I'm just saying this is true.
This is Jesus, this is he's speaking.
My concern guys for this morning is it says in in Revelation,
Revelation 314. Some of you know this passage
really well, right? I mean, you've maybe heard it
preached, but it says in Revelation 14 or 314 to the
Angel, the Church of Laodicea, I know your deeds.
He doesn't say intentions. He doesn't.
Say I know your intentions. I know your works.
That you're neither cold. Cold means you want nothing to
do with God and everybody knows it, and you just.
Nothing in your life lines up with God.
That's God's not talking about that crowd neither.
Hot, hot, hot means you're red hot for God.
I mean like you're in, you're a Mary, you're at his feet, you
love Jesus, you're in, you've given your.
Life. But he's talking about this
lukewarm, this mixture. So because you're lukewarm,
neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
It's almost just like, have you ever had anything lukewarm?
If you if you, if you went to Chili's, Mitch.
And you had a Luke, you had a lukewarm, you had a lukewarm
burger. You know, like just kind of like
just it's kind of not cold. There's not a cold Patty that
they just brought out of the freezer.
Nor is it the way it's supposed to be cooked.
And you kind of like eat and you're like, whoa, you spit it
out of your mouth. Listen, listen.
That might sound really harsh that Jesus would spit the
lukewarmness in the room out of his mouth, but.
You could do hot. Hot tea is wonderful hot food,
cold smoothie. You don't want a hot smoothie.
I think what I'm most concerned about in this church, we've seen
so much fruit in the last so many months.
It's been amazing to watch. I've gloried in so much of it.
I've, I've just thank God so much of it.
I it's cost something. It's cost a lot more than
anybody in the room would know. But I'm concerned about plateau.
I'm concerned about growing to a point and then settling and
being OK with it and not being able to hear the warnings of
scripture. To be able to hear you're like
and every warning you're like, that's not me, that's not me,
that's not me. And to be all into the hype and
the excitement of whatever is going on.
And to miss what Jesus is trying to speak, to miss the.
Glory of God. Lukewarm has too much hot to be
cold and too much cold to be hot.
You think about that. I've had some time to think
about that, but you think about that later, OK, With Jesus, if
you look at all of Scripture, what God is most concerned
about, You look from Genesis to Revelation, and I'd rather over
and over and over again, but you just trace the theme what Jesus
with the Lord God, Yahweh is looking out for.
Is mixture mixture? Do you have mixture?
In your life, let me show you something because you say I'm
rich and I have become wealthy and have need of nothing.
Have you ever said that I don't need?
Do you not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind
and naked? And I advise you to do this by
keep that word in mind. Keep that word by, just store it
by from the gold refined by fire, so that you may become
rich in white garments, so that you may clothe yourself, that
the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed in the eye.
Solve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love underline He loves us as a church.
Those whom I love, I reprove. Some of us are deaf, can't hear
and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and I will dine with him and he with me.
Sometimes when life is so good and you think you have no need,
but God is saying, don't you hear the knock?
I want to meet with you and you're like, I don't have any
need. I'm good.
I mean, life's good. We're good, we're good.
It's all of America, by the way. You ever just?
Just let it just trust me. You're like, what is this guy
doing up there? How many just keep hearing the
knock and you don't answer the door because you're afraid of
what's going to what? Maybe God would say for better,
for worse, but he says I reprove those that I love.
Maybe it's pride. Maybe no one can get through to
you. Maybe people have been trying to
say something to you. God's been trying to say
something to you and you can't hear him.
He's just knocking. Want to come in?
I want to meet with you. I want to fellowship with you.
Come everyone who thirsts Isaiah 55, come to the waters.
You who have no money, come by. Eat.
I want to just land on this. I know it's a lot, but I just
want to land on this story. I think this will tie it all
together. Chapter 25 Matthew it says this.
The Kingdom of heaven will be comparable to 10 virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 5 of them
were foolish, and five are prudent or wise.
For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with
them, but the prudent took oil in the flask along with their
lamps. And now while the bridegroom was
delaying talk about the patience of God, they all got drowsy and
began to sleep. But at midnight there was a
shout. Behold, the bridegroom come out
to meet with him. Then all the virgins rose and
trim their lamps. And the foolish said to the
prudent, Give us some of your oil, for the lamps are going
out. The prudent answered, No, there
will not be enough for us, and you too should go instead to the
dealers and buy some for yourselves.
And while they were going away to make the purchase, the
bridegroom came, and those who are ready went in with him to
the wedding feast, and the door was shut.
Later the virgins also came and saying Lord, Lord, these are the
unwise. I want to understand.
These aren't the cold in Revelation 3.
This is the mixture, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord.
Like that means I think I know the Lord, I'm with God, I do my
quiet times every day. Lord, Lord, open up to us.
But he answered this truly. I say to you, I do not know you.
I don't know. Who you are?
Be on the alert then, for you do not know when this day is
coming. You do not know when God's going
to shut the lights off. You don't know.
I don't know literally. I don't know if these things are
going to make it or not. But I want you to notice some.
I want you to see one thing. The foolish and the wise go into
a convenience store and they all buy lamps.
The foolish go up to the counter, I'll take a lamp.
Next lady, take a lamp, next one take a lamp.
And then the YS come in. They say, hey, I liquidated all
my cash, I have nothing left. Not only will I buy the lamp,
I'll buy the oil. Do you?
Want to know the ultimate problem with the foolish?
They all had lamps, right? What was the problem with the
foolish? They didn't give all their lives
to God in his Kingdom. It's not enough to just say I
believe. It's not enough to just assume
everything's OK, everything's good, I'm good, I'm fine.
But to be desperate, you know, the only woman that I see in
this chapter in John chapter 12 that had oil, not only a lamp,
but oil was who Mary isn't that awesome how it all comes
together? Isn't that beautiful?
The scriptures Scripture interprets scripture.
It takes a whole Bible to make a whole Christian and just seeing
the the beauty of this. Mary had the extra oil so
therefore she could endure to the end.
She was prepared. The foolish were unprepared.
They just want a bare minimum. Is there any bare minimum people
in the room? Just I just want to make it in.
I just want to get by. That's not going to be.
Enough in the end times, because this passage Jesus is saying is
all in context. Chapter 232425 is all in context
of when things get really hard in the end days and he's saying
don't be the foolish, don't go bare minimum because in the end
he will say I don't know who you are and they're going to say
well. Lord, Lord, I mean, I know
everything about you. I have.
Systematic theology book on my bookshelf.
I don't know you. I don't I don't know who you
are. You didn't give your.
Life. To me, you bought the lamp, but
you didn't bring the oil and now it's too late.
The lights are off. You got what you wanted.
You want a mixture. You want a God in the world.
You wanted both. That was what your life was
about. Your life was both.
I want the comforts of this world, and I also want God to
come with that. And God saying that's not
enough. It's all or nothing with him.
Where's this all going? Isaiah 35 shows you something
here. Without holiness, it says in
Hebrews 12, without holiness no one will see the Lord.
And it says be careful you don't fall short of the grace of God.
What he's saying is you can take the grace of God in vain and not
use it to live life. And he's saying this in Isaiah
35 verse 3. Encourage the exhausted.
So what does God do? He wants to discipline us.
He wants to come in and correct us.
He wants us to hear His voice so that we might walk with Him all
the days of our life. He says this encourage the
exhausted and the strength in the feeble.
He says that in in the context of discipline in Hebrews 12, say
to those with anxious heart, Take courage, fear not, behold,
your God will come with vengeance.
The recompense of the God will come, but He will save you.
Then the eyes of the blind will be open, the ears of the deaf
will be unstopped, the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue
of the mute will shout for joy. It's the grace of God coming in
right. The waters will break forth in
the wilderness and the streams and are above, and the scorched
land will become a pool and a thirsty ground springs of water
in the haunt of jackals. It's resting place.
Grass will become reeds and rushes.
And listen to this. A highway will be there.
What is this highway that God wants to produce in your life?
A roadway. And the highway will be called
the Highway of Holiness. Do you feel that?
I'm not kidding. Do you understand what this
whole thing is about? This whole thing is about you
becoming like Jesus. It is not about your comforts.
God is not interested in your American comforts, but He's
interested in you knowing Him. It's a highway to holiness.
He brings every bit of discipline in our life and
uncomfortability in our life for the purpose of becoming more
like him. It's a highway to holiness.
Isn't that good? The unclean will not travel on
it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and the fools
will not wander on it. Guys, I, I, I don't know.
I. Understand it's been a wonky
morning, but I do not want you to miss this.
This is recording. You can go back and listen to
it, but the word of God is so powerful and if you if you just
listen to the voice of. God in this moment and don't
think it's. Angels or Thunder talking but.
Listen to the voice of God for your sakes.
You'll see the beauty of the scripture come alive in your
life and you will have true comfort.
The comfort that God always wanted to give you.
Do you know where true comfort comes from?
When we don't numb out in pain and find His comfort.
When we actually receive his grace, his the beauty of God
like be able to when we're open to his correction.
When we have true humility like Mary, we will see His glory.
And when we see his. Glory, the fruitfulness will
come into our life, the fruitfulness of what holiness
and we will be then effective witnesses.
It's Jesus family mission. It's what he's called us to do,
be effective witnesses to this. World.
But we have to be able to be quiet.
And hear him in this noisy crazy.
World that we live in, that we can actually hear his voice.
He's saying there is more. In your individual life, yes,
corporately, but in your life, I've seen it.
And a lot of times he takes me, he kind of takes me for like, I
go first and a lot of these things I'm like, you know, like
just going through whatever. And it's like, man, it's just
I've been seeing God's glory in my times with God in the last
three or four weeks. And it's been hard, but it's
also been good because he's like, John, I have more for you.
And so then there's more for this church.
And if you don't listen to my voice and they don't hear my
voice and accept my way, my way like my way of correction, my
way of, of molding my people. If they don't accept that, they
will plateau. They will settle in the land,
they will settle in the wilderness and not come to that
place of promise that come to the place where we could
experience God together as a people continually all the days
of our life. So you think you can see and
you're you think you have clothes, but God say no, you're
blind, you're naked and you're poor.
Come and buy from me. Take from me.
I'm good take from me and receive and a lot of times, you
know, certain messages, they don't make sense until weeks
later. I think these are one of those
times where it's just like you, it's like we can't see it until
we go through it and it's like the lights are on.
And while it's still while the lights are still on, God is
asking. He's begging you to come to Him
to receive all that He has for you in this season, in this
moment before we go on mission. He wants us to come to Him
because He wants us to see His glory.
And He could see that He is patient with us.
He is so patient with us. How many times in your life has
has the Lord just showing you His patience?
Maybe hopefully this time is now and how He's called you to get
out of that sin. Stop that.
Grow. Run, run.
Stop giving into that. Don't give into those lies.
Don't give into that sin. He's calling you to himself and
he's saying my patience at times it's seen in Scripture can run
out. Don't take advantage of my
patients, but receive my grace in this hour and you will be
transferred. Amen.
So, Father, thank you for this morning.
Thank you for all the. Craziness that happened and I
just, I even thank you for that because I think it's just even a
glimpse of what it means when we go through trials and like we're
inconvenienced by the trial. We're not.
Seeing what you. Ultimately want to do and if we
don't slow down and sometimes we're just seeing even and even
hear people. Frantically running around the
room like Oh my gosh, like it's like it was like the end of the
world. And it's it all worked out like
and just showing us just even as a.
Really just even as a a small little picture.
Of what it means when you come into our lives and want to speak
something and we're not willing to listen because we're, we have
our agenda. We have, we're focused on what
we want in this life, the comforts in this life.
We numb out and we want what we want.
But ultimately, when we surrender, we can become like,
marry and receive all that you have and be.
Prepared and have the oil. In our lamp so that whatever
comes our way we're ready to hear well done good my good and
faithful servant come in to the joy of my house and we want to
hear that So God, I just ask you right now for every person in
the room for every person in this room.
You might just be having that like all of us are at times just
that stubbornness, that hard, hard just walking in the
darkness and just we just ask you while there's light receive
receive the light. He's saying that Jesus is saying
in this. Chapter It's the last time, he's
saying, and perhaps it'll be the last time.
For you to hear this. Walk in the light.
Walk in the light while you have the light otherwise.
You will walk in darkness for all of eternity.
God, I pray for those who've been believers for a long time
or for a short time. Or for no time at all.
I just pray that they would run to the light, that we would
desire the light just as we desire.
Just as we saw the lights go out and we started opening up the
doors, we just saw light come through.
And it's just taking advantage of that light.
Running to the light while we have light, while you're with
us, while we have a pulse, while we have life.
But we just ask you right now, in Jesus name, all across the
room, Lord, we just pray. For salvation, we pray for that
you'd sanctify us. We pray that we hear your voice
and to walk with you no matter what comes our way.
That we be a church that's in it for the long haul.
That we not be just in it for the short term.
We not just be in it for our own selfish game or just to just
just to make a name for ourselves, whatever that might
be, whether it's through albums or books or creativity or
whatever. It is, God, that our life is not
about us. You came to give your life for
us. That's why you were troubled.
So that while you were troubled, you'd say they might have peace,
they might have life. And we ask you for that now in
the name of Jesus, God, we pray for life.
We pray for life across the room that we would be in this for the
long haul. We pray for prayer warriors to
rise up and say we have not prayed enough.
Forgive us, Lord, for not praying.
I saw the Kims yesterday and they were praying soon as they
got out of the car praying. Look Lord, make me a prayer
warrior like them. We want to pray like them.
We want to pray God. We ask you God for for more, for
more humility in our lives to receive all that you have
praying. Wake us up God, May we not be
spit and vomited out of your mouth.
May we not be amongst the lukewarm of this city.
God, will we be hot for you Jesus?
May we be like on fire for you God, in Jesus name.
In Jesus name. May there be a fire in US again,
a fire in US and never lose that God.
We, we ask you, God, that you'd drive away all lukewarmness out
of this place. Lord, that that is normal, that
it seems so normal to so many, but it's not normal to you.
And we just say and like we just ask you for a glimpse of the
throne room of God that all across right now, just even
churches, all across, how many churches have just paused and
said, just God, give us a glimpse.
Give us a glimpse of what's happening in heaven right now.
There's no lukewarmness. The 24 elders who are around the
throne are. There's not one bit of
lukewarmness of the angels who've been created literally
for worship. Just as we're being created for
worship. We've been created to worship
you wholeheartedly, not lukewarm wholeheartedly.
We ask you right now, Jesus, we just pray that we would be able
to hear your voice and we would not be like the crowd to just
say always that Thunder and be distracted always.
That may be an Angel, but is the voice of God for our sakes, for
our sake, for our sake. Jesus is pleading with you.
This morning come into the life so that you may never walk in
darkness ever again. And we ask you, Lord, that we
would come. Let us come and worship you with
sound. No, sound doesn't matter.
What matters is that one day the lights are going to be shut off.
One day there will be a shout. Behold, he is here.
Will we have oil? In our lamps.
Or we'll be. Frantic in the end times,
wondering is he real? What's going on?
I spent too much time in my own pleasures and then it was too
late. So how will he find us?
Will he find us in worship? Will we find us in our own
selfishness? Will He find us the day he comes
back? How will he find us?
Church, How will he find you?
How will he find you? Will he find you just building
your own Kingdom? How will he find you?
Will he find you serving his people?
Will he find you worshipping? Will he find you with him?
Will we find you with just evil and doing whatever you want and
then saying Lord, Lord, and you have no oil.
And we ask you God, that we would liquidate our lives.
We liquidate our lives at the convenience store and we just
say, Lord, take it all. We don't want just the lamps, we
want the oil. We might be prepared for your
coming in Jesus name.