1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:05,400 Oh, crossing family. It is so good to be with you 2 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,080 celebrating 50 years of ministry. 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,200 And we cannot celebrate it without thanking God for the 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:17,280 incredible leaders, elders Jerry and Allison, pastor staff, and 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:22,040 every single one of you who have helped this church become what 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,360 it is. You are a part not just of this 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,200 church's story. You are a part of this church's 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,480 future, and it is my privilege. To call this church home with 9 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,440 each and every single one of you, well, it was Thanksgiving 10 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:36,840 week. And if you know Thanksgiving 11 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,840 week's a big week at Hensel House and it was Wednesday night 12 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:46,000 and Andre had made chicken and Andre's from Jamaica. 13 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:49,400 So when he makes chicken, it's special. 14 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,160 And we have brought in tons and tons of chicken and it was hot 15 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,720 and everybody had made their plate and we are getting ready 16 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,160 to eat. And then we remembered that we 17 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,960 are Christians and that we needed to pray before the meal. 18 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,720 And it's on the plate. It's steaming. 19 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,200 I can't wait. And we go, who wants to pray? 20 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,920 And we call on one of the kids. And this was strategic because a 21 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:13,840 lot of times kids will just do a real short prayer so we can get 22 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:15,800 to the eaten. Like, God, we love you. 23 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:16,800 Thanks for this food. Amen. 24 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:18,080 And that's kind of what we were looking for. 25 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:20,080 To be honest with you, we weren't really wanting to 26 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,160 connect with God. We wanted to connect with that 27 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,400 food, but we just didn't want to sin before we did. 28 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,240 And Jude, his son, raised his hand. 29 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,440 And said, I want to pray. And we're like, OK. 30 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:37,160 And so Jude prayed. And I mean, Jude went to the 31 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,240 throne room, folks. Jude started his prayer with 32 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,960 God. You're a great God. 33 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,280 You're the very best God that there is. 34 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,680 You saved us from our sins. You're in heaven, and heaven is 35 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,600 a beautiful place. And one of these days we get to 36 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,560 go there and be there with you, and we get to go there because 37 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,640 of you putting Jesus on the cross. 38 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,960 And we're like all of a sudden, like we went from one to eat to 39 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,840 oh, we're going to be here for a while. 40 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,960 And then he went long enough that I don't want to say who 41 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,080 peeked, but people started looking and making eye contact 42 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:17,600 with each other during the prayer. 43 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,080 Going like, how do we know, like, how long do I need to put? 44 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:22,920 Do we need to put the chicken back in the warmer? 45 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,800 And then while I'm looking at Jude, just, you know, in the 46 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,760 throne room. He stops his prayer. 47 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,080 I'm thinking he's catching his breath. 48 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,120 And Jude takes a big bite of chicken. 49 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:39,720 And we were like, hey, if you get to eat, we get to eat. 50 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:44,520 Say Amen today we're going to spend some time talking about. 51 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,920 Prayer and I want to welcome all of our different locations, 52 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:51,560 those of you watching online and those of you who are part of our 53 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,840 Crossing inside family. If you're new to our church, 54 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,400 we're in the middle of this series called 50 for 50, where 55 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,800 we're spending 50 minutes a day for 50 days leading up to 56 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,680 Easter, asking God to move in us, to change us and to use us 57 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,880 like never before. And there have been two main 58 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,760 scriptures that have been kind of guiding us on this journey. 59 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,320 First one is in Mark chapter 12. Love the Lord your God with all 60 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:18,720 your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all 61 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:20,840 your strength. The 2nd is this. 62 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:24,160 Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater 63 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,440 than these. And then Matthew chapter 28, 64 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,200 verses 18 through 20. Then Jesus came to them and said 65 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,360 all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 66 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,920 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 67 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,920 in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 68 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,160 and teaching them to obey everything. 69 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,560 I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always to the very 70 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,960 end of the age. And so far in this series we 71 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,560 have talked about engaging in the Bible. 72 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:59,400 We've talked about fasting and Sabbath and exercise. 73 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaking of exercise, last week we did our frigid 5. 74 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:08,200 K or our not so frigid 5K and I want you to know what God did 75 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,760 through it we had. 892 participants and we were able to 76 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:17,760 give $25,000 away. That means that because of those 77 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,519 of you who went on this journey, we will be able to spend send 78 00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:24,640 $25,000 to not only help rescue people from sex trafficking, but 79 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,640 also rehabilitate those who have been rescued. 80 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:31,560 And I should say this, last year we did the frigid 5K and it was 81 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,360 the most beautiful Saturday of winter. 82 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,360 And this year we did a Frigid 5K and it was an incredible 83 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,040 beautiful day. And I'm wondering, I'm just 84 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,560 throwing this out there that if we were to do a 5K every single 85 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:48,480 week, we might enjoy living here during the winter months. 86 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:50,200 That's something for us to consider. 87 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,520 I would walk 3.1 miles every Saturday to have beautiful 88 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:55,760 Saturdays. From January through February, 89 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,400 so that's something for you to put on your calendar. 90 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,880 Now we are three weeks away from Easter and we are going to be 91 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,040 having so many different services at many of our 92 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,240 different locations and adding extra services. 93 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:07,720 I want you to be aware of this. You can go to 94 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:12,440 thecrossing.net/easter to get your service time because things 95 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,640 are going to be different at many of our locations and I'm 96 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,160 asking every person who's a Christian. 97 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:18,560 If you're not a Christian, you don't have to do this. 98 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:20,120 You can. But if you're a Christian, if 99 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,320 you love Jesus, I'm asking you to do 4 things. 100 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:25,680 Now I'm asking you to do 4 out of four things. 101 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,200 Some of you might be going. I'll do one out of the four. 102 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,320 And I want you to know that if that was you in school, 25% is 103 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,160 an F OK? You want to be a failure. 104 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:39,280 No, you might be going. I want to do 2. 105 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,520 Out of four, That'd be great. You know what 50% is in school? 106 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:49,560 That's an F We might be going. All right, fine, Clayton. 107 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,200 I'll do three out of four. That's a 75%. 108 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,200 That's AD minus. The only way for you to get an 109 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,560 A, for those of you who are overachievers is free to go. 110 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,560 Four out of four. The good news is these four are 111 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:01,440 super easy. Ready. 112 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,840 First thing I want you to do, I want you to bring someone. 113 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:04,920 I don't want you to invite somebody. 114 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,360 I want you to bring somebody. There's somebody in your life 115 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,640 who needs Jesus, who needs some hope. 116 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:12,680 Who needs a bedrock formed in their face? 117 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,880 So that way they can navigate. The storms of life, you bringing 118 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,400 somebody can make all the difference in the world. 119 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,760 Second thing I'm asking you to do, park far away. 120 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,840 Here's a rule that I have nobody who comes to our church should 121 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:30,440 have a longer walk than me. And I'm asking you to go out of 122 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:31,760 your way. If people are come to our church 123 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,480 for the first time, or if they're a young mother, they're 124 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,960 coming in late, they're coming in hot and if you've taken up 125 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,280 all the great parking. Spots. 126 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:41,280 You're going to make it even harder for them to get into 127 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,080 church, harder for them to check their kids in. 128 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:44,320 They're going to miss part of the worship. 129 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:45,480 They're going to miss part of the sermon. 130 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:47,840 And one of the ways that you can love people that you may never 131 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:51,160 meet is by parking far away. Now if you are a person who 132 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,240 leverages our handicap spots, I'm not talking to you and I 133 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:55,920 don't want an e-mail, so I just want you to hear me. 134 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:57,760 If you need a great spot, take it. 135 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:03,240 But if you are capable of making an extra, you know, 100 foot 136 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:08,320 walk, God bless you for that third thing, serve somewhere. 137 00:07:08,840 --> 00:07:10,760 There's going to be lots of opportunities for you to be the 138 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,840 hands and feet of Jesus. And a lot of times people 139 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:15,720 made-up their decision about whether or not they want to be a 140 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,880 part of a church before they ever hear the worship and before 141 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,160 they ever hear the sermon. And they are making the decision 142 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,400 about whether or not they feel like this, the church for them, 143 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:26,040 by the way they interact with you. 144 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,360 And this would be a great way you can reach out to your campus 145 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:31,040 pastor or somebody on that staff and say, hey, how can I help out 146 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:32,320 on Easter? And then the fourth thing I'm 147 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,720 going to ask you to do is would you start praying over those 148 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:37,040 services, over the people that God's going to bring into our 149 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,800 church, that they would have a life changing encounter with 150 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,080 him? About a year ago, I was invited 151 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:46,960 by some women in our church to come to their prayer meeting. 152 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,760 This prayer meeting that happens at 48th Street is the one accord 153 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,120 prayer meeting. It is the longest running 154 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:57,200 ministry at our church and we spent that Wednesday morning. 155 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,280 They were talking about the history and the reason why they 156 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,640 meet and what they pray about, and they shared their passion 157 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:05,960 for prayer and they communicated that. 158 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:08,880 They lifted me and our leaders and our elders and our staff up 159 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,240 and you in prayer on a regular basis. 160 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,000 We continue to talk for a while And then they extended their 161 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:21,560 hands and they took their small hands, grabbed my big monster 162 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,760 mitts and I was thinking this the long what, what did their 163 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,000 hands look like when they started this ministry? 164 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:29,800 Because their hands don't look like that now. 165 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,320 And they held my hand and they prayed. 166 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:39,640 And I thanked them. And I walked outside, and I got 167 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,919 in my vehicle, and I was overcome with emotion. 168 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:47,880 And I just started bawling in my vehicle because I was 169 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:52,000 overwhelmed by this question. What if the success of the 170 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,400 crossing has little to do with the power of the preaching? 171 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,560 What if it has little to do with our organizational strategy that 172 00:08:59,560 --> 00:09:02,520 we've implemented? What if it has very little to do 173 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,880 with the quality of the staff that we have tried to recruit? 174 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:10,240 And what if it is simply God answering the prayers of these 175 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,920 faithful women praying for our church every Wednesday? 176 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,160 I know for some of you, when we say we're going to talk about 177 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,880 prayer today, for you, it's complicated. 178 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,040 For you, it's confusing. Some of you are going, God knows 179 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,160 what we need before we ask, so what's the point? 180 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,400 Sometimes it feels like our prayers don't work, and 181 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,800 sometimes it feels like they do. And sometimes it feels like they 182 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,280 bounce off the ceiling, and sometimes they don't. 183 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,080 For some of us, when we talk about prayer, there's a lot of 184 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,760 hurt. We've prayed for things to 185 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:47,880 change for weeks, months, years, and they haven't. 186 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,560 There's some of you right now that you have a prayer that 187 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:54,760 you've been praying for as long as you can remember, and for 188 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,640 some reason it seems like God answers the prayers of everybody 189 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,760 else that's in your friend group, but he's not answering 190 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:03,960 yours. I also know there are some of 191 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,840 you that are brand new to your faith journey and you don't even 192 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:10,120 know where to start. When it comes to prayer. 193 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,400 Listen to me. Everything is hard and awkward 194 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,920 when you first start including prayer. 195 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:20,840 But as we've been going through the series, there's been this 196 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:23,360 line that's kind of been govern us that we got from Steve 197 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:24,600 Weatherford. That's what it is. 198 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:27,840 Amateurs make decisions based on their emotions. 199 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,600 Pros make decisions based on their commitments. 200 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,360 And if we want to go pro in prayer, we're going to commit to 201 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:40,040 being people of prayer even when we don't feel like it, when you 202 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,800 make the decision that you want to be aligned. 203 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,520 With God that when you want to be in relationship with Jesus 204 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,720 filled with the Holy Spirit, you will soon notice that prayer is 205 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,440 a natural part of the life of a Jesus follower. 206 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:58,120 As you've been reading through the Bible, you'll notice that 207 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,560 the writers are regularly praying. 208 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:02,920 And what are they praying for? They're praying for other 209 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:05,440 believers. They're praying for boldness, 210 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,520 they're praying for protection from the enemy, and they're 211 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,640 praying for new ministry opportunities. 212 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,440 When you're reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, these are 213 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,600 the books of the Bible that chronicle what Jesus did when he 214 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:24,400 walked on earth. And you'll see how frequently 215 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:29,960 Jesus prioritized prayer. He would withdraw from the 216 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:31,960 crowds. He would get up early. 217 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,840 He would stay up late. All to pray. 218 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,160 Now hear me think about this for a second. 219 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:45,600 There has never been anyone closer to God than Jesus. 220 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:53,480 There has never been anyone more powerful to walk planet Earth 221 00:11:54,080 --> 00:12:00,040 than Jesus. And yet Jesus still prioritized 222 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:03,400 prayer. It was where he received his 223 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:05,800 direction. It was where he received the 224 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,560 power to. Accomplish the ministry that God 225 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:11,760 gave him to do. So if you and I want to be close 226 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,760 to God, if you and I want to have direction for daily living, 227 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,040 if you and I want to be empowered to make a difference 228 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:23,800 in the world, we have got to prioritize prayer if Jesus 229 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:28,040 prioritized. It how much more should we So we 230 00:12:28,040 --> 00:12:31,440 know that prayer is assumed in the life of a believer That if 231 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,240 you are going, Yep, I'm following after Jesus prayer is 232 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,440 going to be part of what your life should look like. 233 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,280 But some of you are going, so when we pray, what should we 234 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,000 say? The great news is that Jesus 235 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,200 knew you were going to ask this question. 236 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:46,600 If I'm going to start praying today, Clayton, what am I 237 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:50,360 supposed to say? Jesus actually teaches us how to 238 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:53,000 pray. Many of you actually know this 239 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,520 teaching by heart. Before Jesus gets into the 240 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:57,560 teaching, he kind of gives us some ground rules. 241 00:12:57,680 --> 00:12:59,720 So let me at least walk you through the Jesus ground rules 242 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,880 when it comes to prayer. Matthew Chapter 6. 243 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,920 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. 244 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,800 For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the 245 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:12,120 street corners, to be seen by others. 246 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:17,280 Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 247 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,080 Now a a couple of things. When you begin to make a 248 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,480 commitment to prayer, you'll realize that Jesus expects you 249 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,480 to be a person of prayer. Notice how many times in the 250 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:28,800 next. Couple verses that I'm going to 251 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:30,520 read. It says when you. 252 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,640 It says it in verse five. It says it in verse six. 253 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:37,600 It says it in verse 7. Jesus expects people who are 254 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,120 followers of him to be people of prayer. 255 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:45,440 When you pray now, prayer is supposed to be a conversation 256 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:48,080 between friends, not a performance. 257 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,920 That's what he's getting at. God knows your heart. 258 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:55,520 Are you trying to impress the people around you or are you 259 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:59,600 trying to connect with God some people? 260 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,360 We're trying to put on a performance instead of 261 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,880 connecting with God. Now hear me, There is nothing 262 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:12,640 wrong with praying in public. There's nothing wrong with 263 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,080 praying before a meal at a restaurant out loud. 264 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,240 There's nothing wrong when a group of believers get together 265 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,680 for you to pray. But hear me, the Bible. 266 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,440 Because the Bible tells us to let our light shine before men, 267 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,480 that they may see our good deeds, and that they will turn 268 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,480 and glorify God on the day of His return. 269 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:35,560 However, if you're using your prayer life publicly to show off 270 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:40,520 on earth instead of show up in heaven, your heart's not in the 271 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:42,920 right place. If when you get ready to pray, 272 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,560 you're going, boy, I've got a real good prayer. 273 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:46,880 I hope these. People are listening. 274 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:51,600 You're doing it wrong. But if your goal in prayer is 275 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,840 you want to be close to God, you want to acknowledge God in your 276 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,520 life, You want to receive direction from him, it'll be way 277 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,280 less about the words because your heart will make you worthy. 278 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:06,360 I follow a guy on social media who many years ago we tried to 279 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:11,640 hire onto our staff and due to an it didn't work out and 280 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:15,560 recently due to some, you know, unforeseen events, he is going 281 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:19,120 through a a bitter divorce. And one of the things I've been 282 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:24,440 noticing on his social media is that for the first time ever, he 283 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,800 is posting picture after picture of him spending time with his 284 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,360 kids. Every time he's hanging out with 285 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,920 his kids, it's an adventure. He's going the extra mile. 286 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:39,240 And I wonder where was all of where were all of these posts? 287 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:42,160 Where were all of these adventures? 288 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:45,880 Where was all of this attentiveness in the previous 289 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,600 years? Could it be that he's now trying 290 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,960 to show off how good of a daddy is because he's getting ready to 291 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:55,360 go through a custody battle? That the reason he's doing all 292 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,960 of these things with his kids? Why wasn't that a priority in 293 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,680 the past? And now all of a sudden he wants 294 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,800 everybody to know how epic of a person he is? 295 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:07,040 Your hearts can get in the wrong. 296 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,200 Spot if we're not careful. Verse 6. 297 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:17,800 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to 298 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:21,680 your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what 299 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,680 is done in secret, will reward you. 300 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,560 Hear me? God is way more impressed with 301 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:31,520 what happens in the secret place. 302 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:37,520 When no one is looking, when no one else is listening, when it's 303 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,320 just you and God, are you just as committed? 304 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,960 Are you just as desperate? Are you just as Eloquent or? 305 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,600 When you are in public, do you put on a bit of a show? 306 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:55,080 The other thing that Jesus is teaching us here is that your 307 00:16:55,400 --> 00:17:01,280 private prayers release public power that your Father, who sees 308 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:04,319 what is done in secret, will reward you. 309 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:10,319 God rewards people who seek Him when no one else is looking. 310 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:16,680 There is a reward to be had in your private prayer life and I 311 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,440 wonder if some of. Us. 312 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:23,880 Might be missing out on it that when we start connecting with 313 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,040 him, there could be a blessing associated or associated with it 314 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,000 because prayer is not about being noticed. 315 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,840 Prayer is about being near to God. 316 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:41,520 Verse 7:00 and 8:00. And when you pray, do not keep 317 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:45,120 on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard 318 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:49,800 because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your 319 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,960 father knows what you need before you ask him. 320 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:55,320 This one can confuse us if we're not careful. 321 00:17:55,880 --> 00:18:00,640 We know that Jesus spent long amounts of time in prayer, and 322 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,520 we're told in scripture that we're supposed to pray 323 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:07,240 continually. So then what does it mean to not 324 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,800 Babble, To not keep saying stuff for a really long time? 325 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:12,720 Here's what they're getting at. It's people. 326 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:15,760 Who are mindlessly repeating the same thing over and over again. 327 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:18,840 This was a Pagan practice, that Jesus was going, hey guys, we're 328 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,440 going to be different than this. The pagans thought that if they 329 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:25,520 just said the same thing 10 times, If they said the same 330 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,440 thing 15 * 20 times, that they'd be forgiven or that they'd be 331 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:30,640 heard. And so they would go into their 332 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,560 prayer life and they would just go on this rote routine where 333 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,920 they just say the same thing over and over and over and over 334 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,480 and over and over and over and over again, thinking that by 335 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,240 their many words they would gain access. 336 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,800 Like God is basically saying there's a lock on the door of 337 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,400 your prayer life. And until you've spent 15 338 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,800 minutes in prayer I won't hear you. 339 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,560 Or until you've asked something 100 times, I won't answer it. 340 00:18:56,080 --> 00:18:58,320 But that is not even close to how God works. 341 00:18:59,120 --> 00:19:00,920 God knows the very hairs on your head. 342 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,920 He notices when the birds fall out of their nest. 343 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,480 You already have his attention when you are praying and you 344 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:13,440 say, dear God, he goes, what? When you say Heavenly Father, he 345 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:17,440 goes, yeah, before you even start your prayer, he already 346 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:20,920 knows what you're thinking. Imagine what it would be like if 347 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:22,760 you were to say the same thing over and over again. 348 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,800 Remember, prayer is a conversation between friends to 349 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,720 your spouse. You called your wife up on the 350 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:28,800 phone. I called Jenny. 351 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,560 And let's just say it's a private conversation between us 352 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,760 so I don't have to be eloquent. I can just be real with Jenny. 353 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:42,400 Jenny, you're a good cook. You're one of the best cooks. 354 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:45,040 And tonight I need a cheeseburger. 355 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,840 Jenny, I want a cheeseburger. I want a real nice cheeseburger. 356 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:49,240 I want a medium rare cheeseburger. 357 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,880 Jennifer, what I'm trying to tell you, it's deep down inside, 358 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,320 in my heart of hearts, when I get home all the way down to my 359 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,560 stomach, I need a cheeseburger. And I want it stacked high, 360 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,280 maybe two or three. And I want there to be some 361 00:19:58,280 --> 00:19:59,840 Pickles. I want there to be some Pickles 362 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:01,480 on the cheeseburger. And I want, I want there to be 363 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,320 onions, if possible. And I want them to be the 364 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,320 sauteed onions. But Jennifer, I want a 365 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,240 cheeseburger. And I'm telling you, if I don't 366 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,000 have a cheeseburger, I'm not going to be able to get through 367 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,200 the day. Do you think Jennifer would stay 368 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,000 on that phone call? Yeah. 369 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:16,960 She wouldn't ought to get through that. 370 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,680 Jenny, you're a Christian. For those of you who don't know 371 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,520 what that is, that was a reference to when you used to 372 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,680 hang up a phone. I I just. 373 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,360 Time traveled. OK, It's early. 374 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:30,000 They're like, I don't understand this. 375 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,320 Yeah. Parents, explain it to your 376 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:32,040 kids. All right? 377 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:34,640 If you're asking what this meant, you should be in kids 378 00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:35,520 church. All right? 379 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:38,240 That's what that's what that is. Hear me. 380 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,920 When you go to pray to God, you don't have to say the same thing 381 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,080 over and over again. Now, there could be a burden on 382 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,440 your heart and you could talk about the same situation over 383 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,880 and over again. But if you're thinking that you 384 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:53,200 have to say enough words, or the right combination of words, or 385 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,200 if you have to stay on the phone call long enough to finally get 386 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,160 God to answer you, that is not how our God works. 387 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,360 You can be driving somewhere and go, God, I just need your help 388 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:04,840 in this and you can. Amen. 389 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,160 And he hears it. He knows it. 390 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:12,040 He is after the depth of your relationship. 391 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,400 He's not after repetition. He's looking for some 392 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:19,040 desperation in us. Then we get to the part. 393 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:23,840 That's even more confusing. He knows what we need before we 394 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:26,120 ask. So then what's the point in 395 00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:30,200 prayer? Why should I go to him if I if 396 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:31,280 he already knows what I'm going to ask? 397 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:37,680 That's because prayer has less. To do with changing God and more 398 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:42,040 to do with changing us. When we go to prayer, we're not 399 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:44,200 trying to align God to our priorities. 400 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,040 What happens in prayer is we align ourselves to His. 401 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:52,920 God uses prayer to align our perspective to His and to give 402 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,480 us the power we need and the insight we need for daily living 403 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,720 and ministry. Watch how this unfolds in the 404 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,080 example that Jesus gives. This is the part that almost 405 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:05,640 everybody knows. This, then, is how you should 406 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,880 pray. Our Father in Heaven, hallowed 407 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,520 be your name. This prayer begins with a 408 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:18,000 statement of relationship of who God is. 409 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,600 It begins with worship for who God is. 410 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:25,960 When we're praying, we are praying to our Father. 411 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,960 Romans gives us more insight into this when it says that God 412 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,680 is ABBA, He's Daddy, He's our father. 413 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,320 He's our dad. And we should be able to 414 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:41,120 approach the throne room of God, knowing that we are going into 415 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:45,120 the place where Daddy is, with the same level of comfortability 416 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,360 in the throne room as you would crawling up on your father's 417 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,920 lap. Do you think when my kids come 418 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:55,920 to me that I don't already know what it is that they want from 419 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,680 me? Food. 420 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,880 Play basketball and some video game thing. 421 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,720 It's the three things. That's what all I'm good for 422 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,880 right now in their life, OK? Every time they come to me. 423 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:12,400 And do you think that my kids come into my office and say 424 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:19,760 Clayton Buchanan Hensel, lead pastor of the Crossing Church in 425 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:24,800 three States and 11 locations. I'm coming to you today asking 426 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,280 you for some V bucks so that this afternoon when we get on 427 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:31,520 this stupid game that you bought us, that we're slightly addicted 428 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,720 to in ways that we're not fully ready to comprehend, which might 429 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,200 be impacting our attitude, we're asking can we get $8? 430 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:41,320 Do you think that that's how my kids come to me? 431 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,240 No, they come around the corner. Hey Dad. 432 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:55,760 Mom said no, but I was wondering, you know why? 433 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,920 Because I'm Dad. When you get ready to have what 434 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:04,360 Dad doesn't care about the needs of his kids, doesn't want to 435 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:06,400 hear what's going on in their heart and in their lives. 436 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:10,760 When you get ready to pray, you're talking to him, to a dad 437 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,960 who cares and who knows what's best. 438 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,160 So sometimes the answer to your prayer is not what you want, but 439 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,080 it's what you need. Matthew Chapter 7, verse seven 440 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,360 or verses 11 or 7 through 11. Ask and it will be given to you. 441 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,400 Seek and you will find knock and the door will be open to you. 442 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:35,240 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds and 443 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:37,160 the one who knocks the door will be opened. 444 00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:39,960 Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a 445 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,920 stone, or if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a snake. 446 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:49,040 If you then he's talking to us though, you are evil. 447 00:24:49,360 --> 00:24:51,680 Know how to give good gifts to your children? 448 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:55,360 How much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to 449 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:59,080 those who ask him? He's basically saying you know 450 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,120 how to give a good birthday present, you know how to give a 451 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,320 good Christmas present and you're a jacked up human being. 452 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,640 If you know how to give good stuff to your kids, how much 453 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:12,440 more am I, in all of my perfection, able to give good 454 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:18,120 gifts to those who ask me, our Father, who aren't in heaven? 455 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:23,000 Then it shifts to a declaration about who God is that you and I. 456 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,000 When we are praying, we are talking to a throne, sitting 457 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:30,720 Galaxy, creating, all knowing, all powerful God, and He has the 458 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:35,160 ability to do things beyond our ability to even imagine them. 459 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,280 There is nothing out of His reach. 460 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:42,480 There is nothing that is beyond His power. 461 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:47,320 And when we pray like it, it reminds us to flip the script. 462 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:51,000 Because sometimes when we're going through life, here's what 463 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,880 happens. Satan tempts us into thinking 464 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,360 that our God. Is really, really small and our 465 00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:03,040 problems are really, really big. And when we pray like this, our 466 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:07,040 father, a dad who wants to give good gifts to his children. 467 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,120 Who art in heaven? Hallowed be your name. 468 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:15,320 Who's really big? Through prayer, God becomes 469 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:19,120 bigger and our problems become smaller. 470 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,960 Praying like this reminds us that it's the exact opposite, 471 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:26,680 that it is not that our problems are too big and our God is too 472 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:32,000 small, but our God is incredibly big and in His hands all of our 473 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,840 problems are small. Verse 10. 474 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:41,000 Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in 475 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:45,200 heaven. This is not my will be done and 476 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,600 my Kingdom come. This is not your Kingdom come 477 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,960 and your will be done. When we go to prayer, we are 478 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:56,280 asking for God to have control, to take over, to reign in our 479 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:58,840 lives. Our prayer life should be 480 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:02,440 designed to bring about God's will here on earth. 481 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:06,360 We want to see the Kingdom of God grow and expand. 482 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:10,320 We want to see evil restrained. We want to see people saved, 483 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,880 lost, people found, God glorified. 484 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,040 That's the purpose of our prayers more than anything you 485 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,120 and I could ever ask for personally. 486 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,880 Our priority should be to have God's will. 487 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:26,000 Done in our lives, in our marriages and our parenting and 488 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,360 our work and our relationships, and in the lives of people 489 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:34,400 around us. Then verse 11 give us today Our 490 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:37,480 Daily Bread. Here you see desire, 491 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:41,120 independence, that we turn to God for our supply. 492 00:27:41,360 --> 00:27:43,440 This helps us recognize that everything. 493 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:49,040 You and I have comes from Him. Prayer reminds us that 494 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:52,560 everything we have comes from God. 495 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,720 This shifts our focus from us being our own supplier, us being 496 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,600 in charge, us carrying all the weight, us having to do all the 497 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,040 work. And it shifts to God, I need you 498 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,920 to get me through the day. God, I'm going to go into work 499 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,480 today, and I have a tough conversation coming up. 500 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,040 I need your help navigating that conversation. 501 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:14,720 God, My emotions have been out of whack lately and I need. 502 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:18,080 You to kind of level them out. God, I have to navigate this 503 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:19,720 challenge and without your wisdom I could. 504 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,040 I could cause hurt, I could cause pain. 505 00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:26,320 You get to a point where you realize that without God, you 506 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:29,520 have nothing to. Offer You have nothing to give. 507 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,400 You get to a place in desperation where you can say 508 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:36,200 things like this. God, if it's not from your hand, 509 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:40,560 I don't want it. The only thing I want in my life 510 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:43,040 are the things that you would place there. 511 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:49,040 Verse 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven 512 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:54,120 our debtors here. We recognize and confess our 513 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:58,040 sin. Here we recognize that you and I 514 00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:03,800 need. A savior this is not, however, 515 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:07,320 without the context of our horizontal relationships. 516 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,760 So while you're going God, I need to be forgiven, and God I 517 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,440 need. I need your grace. 518 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:13,600 And God hears the things that I've been doing that have been 519 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:17,920 wrong. He's also going keep an eye on 520 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:21,120 your other relationships. Because when you keep an eye on 521 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,240 your other relationships, it changes the way you treat 522 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,960 people. Because when you realize how 523 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,560 much you have been forgiven, when you realize how much 524 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,720 forgiveness you need, what are the chances you're going to have 525 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,640 a little bit more grace for the people in your life who need 526 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:42,680 some grace who need forgiveness? When you and I are honest about 527 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,800 our failures, it gives us patience with the failures of 528 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,280 others. When I realize my need for 529 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:53,520 forgiveness, it allows me to be a little bit more generous with 530 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,680 the people that I need to forgive. 531 00:29:56,080 --> 00:30:00,240 Verse verse 13. And lead us not into temptation, 532 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:06,720 but deliver us from the Evil 1. Here we ask God to keep us from 533 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,080 sinning. We ask God for protection from 534 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,920 Satan. You and I have an enemy, and he 535 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,480 never takes a day off. Wanting to attack. 536 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,400 Satan is after your marriage. He's after your family. 537 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,600 He's after your friendships. He's after our future. 538 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,760 He's after our legacy. He's after our reputation. 539 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:30,400 He's after our heart. Satan has not lost his or. 540 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,080 Satan has lost his authority, but he hasn't lost his power. 541 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:36,640 When Jesus died on the cross, rose from the grave. 542 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,440 The Holy Spirit empowers the life of a believer. 543 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:44,600 Satan does not have authority over you, but when you neglect 544 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:48,120 the authority of God in your life, Satan can use his power to 545 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,880 destroy your life. When we fail to operate in the 546 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:54,680 authority that God gives us and has granted us, Satan will use 547 00:30:54,680 --> 00:30:57,400 his power to deceive and to destroy us. 548 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,160 The example of prayer that Jesus gives. 549 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,960 Is a much? Broader definition An example of 550 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,360 what you and I typically pray. Am I right? 551 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:10,560 You see, prayer is about engaging in our part of God's. 552 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:14,040 Plan. You're going through this prayer 553 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:15,040 and you're going, Hold on a second. 554 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,200 God already promised that a bunch of this stuff will happen. 555 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,400 Chuck, we were talking about this, and Chuck said it this 556 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,520 way. God can do everything on his 557 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:24,240 own. But that's not how He sets 558 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,440 things up. He wants us to be in 559 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,960 relationship with Him. God promises to provide for our 560 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,920 needs, and He tells us to ask for Him to give us what we need 561 00:31:34,080 --> 00:31:36,760 for daily living. God promises to forgive our 562 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,800 sins, and through prayer He tells us to ask for our sins to 563 00:31:40,800 --> 00:31:43,680 be forgiven. God promises that his Kingdom 564 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:46,000 will be spread throughout all the whole earth into every 565 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,160 nation. And he tells us to pray for His 566 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,240 Kingdom to come. Prayer is one of the ways that 567 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:57,560 God wants to engage with us and for us to engage with him in his 568 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:01,440 saving work. And one of the fears is that as 569 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,240 Christians, we have somehow overtime turned God into a 570 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:08,720 vending machine. And then we get frustrated at a 571 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,520 God who doesn't give us what we want. 572 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:12,600 We get frustrated. With a God who? 573 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:16,320 Gives us what we need. And instead of us going to 574 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:22,040 prayer and having it change us and align us to His will, we go 575 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:24,320 in prayer trying to get God to do what we want. 576 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:28,880 Think through this prayer. This prayer that Jesus just 577 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:30,760 teaches us. Covers all the desires that you 578 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:33,480 and I should have. It places us in a position of 579 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,800 submission and dependence. Hear me crossing family. 580 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:40,120 Your family does not need more of you. 581 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:45,360 They need more of Christ in you and prayer brings about the 582 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:49,760 things of God in your life. Your Co workers don't need more 583 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:56,320 of you, they need more of Christ and you, your kids do not need 584 00:32:56,320 --> 00:33:01,280 more of you. Your kids need more of Christ in 585 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:05,120 you. And when we go to prayer, we are 586 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:08,840 begging God, asking God to bring about his Kingdom reign, not 587 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:13,920 just on earth but in our lives. And we're allowing His word and 588 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,120 His will to change us. It's impossible for me to talk 589 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:22,080 about prayer and not spend a little bit of time in prayer. 590 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:27,280 James chapter 4, verse two says we have not because we ask not. 591 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,440 And so I'm going to do something, you know, a little 592 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,640 bit different before we go into our time of invitation. 593 00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:36,360 I would like to spend just a little bit of time praying over 594 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:37,960 our church for the next 50 years. 595 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,480 And if you're comfortable doing this, what I'm going to ask you 596 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:42,480 to do is if you, you know, you guys stay safe, you don't have 597 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:43,640 to stand. I'm not going to do that to you. 598 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:47,080 But if you just turn your hands over and kind of pray like this 599 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:50,040 in a in a state of dependence, submission, saying God if if 600 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:52,400 you're not in it and I'd like the opportunity. 601 00:33:52,400 --> 00:33:55,480 To just pray over our church for the next 50 years. 602 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:00,920 Heavenly Father, it's dangerous for me to do this because 603 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:02,720 obviously everybody's hearing the prayer that I'm praying to 604 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:05,920 you and got to be tempting for me to try and make it sound 605 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,040 really good and really awesome, and I'm just hoping that you'll 606 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,840 protect me from any sin in that. God, I do want to thank you for 607 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:15,679 the fact that you've just been abundantly good to us in ways we 608 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:18,199 cannot even fully understand and appreciate. 609 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,840 God, there's times in our pride We think we're just like you, 610 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,920 but you are holy. There's times we think we're 611 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:28,040 good. But man, you sent your son to 612 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,400 redeem us and nobody would have thought that up that you'd have 613 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:32,800 sent your son to die on our behalf. 614 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,480 And God, I don't ever want our church to get over how good you 615 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:40,719 are, how you redeem fathers of church. 616 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,080 We want to see your Kingdom come. 617 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,760 We're asking you to inhabit us with your spirit, mold us into 618 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,000 your image. God help us to do the work that 619 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,840 you've called us to do. Help us to be a light and a 620 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,640 difference maker, not just in our communities, but in our 621 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:00,120 families and our marriages and our parenting and in our 622 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,920 workplace. God, we're asking you to reign 623 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:08,400 in US. God, we need you to give us what 624 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:10,720 we need. You know what we're going to 625 00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:12,320 face. You know the challenges. 626 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,800 That are ahead of us. We're asking you to give us 627 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,400 exactly what we need, not so much that we aren't dependent 628 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,120 and desperate for you, and not too little where we see a lack 629 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:25,760 of provision from you God, We're asking you to bear fruit in us. 630 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:29,280 If it's not from you, God, we don't want it. 631 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:34,000 The only thing we want are the things that you want us to have 632 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,880 and then help us to be a goal, a good steward of it. 633 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:39,680 God. I feel like in the coming years, 634 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,440 in the coming culture, our church is going to need a 635 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:47,680 greater level of boldness, not just in the preaching and not 636 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:51,120 just in the staff, but in every person who calls on your name, 637 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:53,320 that we would have a boldness to face what lies ahead. 638 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,480 But God, when you give us this increased boldness, I also just 639 00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,720 ask that you give us an increased desperation for your 640 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:04,720 presence. God, I'm asking for forgiveness. 641 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:09,200 God forgive us for our pride of thinking we can do it better, 642 00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:12,480 for thinking that we could do it on our own, for thinking that we 643 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:17,160 could do it without you. Forgive us for our idolatry and 644 00:36:17,160 --> 00:36:19,520 all the ways that we worship other things other than you. 645 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:21,960 God forgive us for a lack of. Commitment. 646 00:36:22,240 --> 00:36:27,200 Or lack of desire. God forgive us for a lack of 647 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,360 love. God forgive us for a lack of 648 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:34,600 generosity. God forgive us for knowing more 649 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,480 about politics and sports than we do about your word. 650 00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:44,240 God forgive us for wanting more from you instead of wanting more 651 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,720 of You. Forgive us for our fear. 652 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:50,800 Because you've shown how faithful you are over and over 653 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,760 and over again, and yet it doesn't seem like it takes all 654 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:55,880 that much for us just to fear the future. 655 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:00,600 God, I'm asking that you'd protect this church. 656 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:05,160 Got to keep the people who call this church home free from 657 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,760 temptation. Got to ask that you'd watch over 658 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:09,520 their marriages and keep them strong. 659 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:15,080 God, that you would help us to see what you want us to do and 660 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:16,800 give us the courage to walk it out. 661 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,080 Got to protect us from Satan's lies. 662 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,040 Protect us from doubt. Protect us from burning out and 663 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:29,480 protect us from blowing up. Got deep down inside. 664 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:33,400 We want to see this church become a church that highlights 665 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,720 you, that everybody in our community notices that there's 666 00:37:37,720 --> 00:37:40,320 something different about us because of you. 667 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,240 Got a long time ago I asked this, and I'm asking it again 668 00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:47,600 that one day that there's 1000 people adopted at this church, 669 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:50,920 that there's a thousand kids in foster care, got that? 670 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:53,880 One of these days, you'd open up the door for us to rehab Section 671 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:56,560 8 housing to make sure that people are treated with decency 672 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:58,920 and compassion. God, I pray that you would 673 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:01,960 release campus pastors and future staff from our church 674 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:05,680 missionaries who would inhabit the globe Got to pray that you'd 675 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:07,760 open up the doors for us to offer counseling and medical 676 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:09,960 services for the underserved in our communities. 677 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,280 Got to pray that you would make our churches the very best place 678 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,920 for kids and that they would find you early and that they 679 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:19,960 would avoid the heartache that has plagued so many of us. 680 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:25,080 Got to pray that you'd make this church, this region, the hardest 681 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:31,640 place on planet Earth to get to hell from God. 682 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:33,240 That the people of this church would love you. 683 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,440 They would embrace the people you're trying to reach, that 684 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,880 you'd raise up leaders to lead them all the various capacities 685 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:45,440 that are going to be needed. And God, the prayer I've been 686 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:47,480 praying since you let me be the pastor here. 687 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:53,480 God, this sermons nothing. This service is nothing. 688 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:59,040 This church is nothing. I'm nothing unless you're in it. 689 00:39:00,720 --> 00:39:04,080 So, God, we're asking you to do what only you can do, in ways 690 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:09,040 that only you can do it. God, I'm asking you to light a 691 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:11,120 fire in this church that Satan can't put out. 692 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:13,000 In your name, I pray. Amen. 693 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:15,000 We're moving to a time of decision. 694 00:39:20,400 --> 00:39:23,320 So if you're here today and you've never started an intimate 695 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,160 personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 696 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,680 For some reason or another, you think you can't have it. 697 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:33,480 For some reason or another, you're thinking you got to get 698 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,440 some stuff figured out before you can have it. 699 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:40,720 That's just not how God works. Before you were created God's 700 00:39:40,720 --> 00:39:43,040 love for you. Sent his son to die for you, so 701 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:44,720 that way you can have that relationship. 702 00:39:46,040 --> 00:39:48,440 One of the defining. Marks of our Church is that 703 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:50,880 people start a relationship with him every single day. 704 00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:53,880 And if we have time to pass around the microphone, around 705 00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:58,040 this room, around your just down your row, you would realize just 706 00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:02,640 how good of a God we serve and how mighty His redemption really 707 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:04,720 is. If you knew some of the things 708 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:07,920 that he has saved the people in this room from, you would come 709 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:11,680 to this conclusion really quick. God can save me, too. 710 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:15,760 And we owe you an apology, because we haven't probably 711 00:40:15,760 --> 00:40:18,680 always been honest about all the bad things that we've done to 712 00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:20,800 realize just how much God actually loves us. 713 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:25,760 But if you want to take your time, everybody's on the hook 714 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:27,680 now. Because I said that you can look 715 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:31,520 at somebody go, so tell me what God saved you from, and you can 716 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:33,520 take my word for it. You can take their word for it. 717 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,040 But I can tell you if you're here today and you've never 718 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:38,280 started a relationship with Jesus Christ, I would tell you, 719 00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:49,270 don't put it off. Because man, it makes a 720 00:40:49,270 --> 00:40:55,590 difference. And so you're thinking, man, I'm 721 00:40:55,590 --> 00:40:57,670 not worthy. I'm not good enough. 722 00:40:58,000 --> 00:40:59,280 I just want you to know you're right. 723 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:03,040 You're not worthy. You're not good enough. 724 00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:07,520 That's the beauty of the gospel. Jesus was worthy. 725 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:12,520 Jesus was good enough. And God took the worthiness of 726 00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:16,520 Jesus, the goodness of Jesus, and he placed it on us as 727 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:21,520 sinners, and he took the unworthiness of us and the 728 00:41:21,520 --> 00:41:25,400 ungoodness of us. And he placed it on Jesus on the 729 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,240 cross. So you're not worthy of God's 730 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:31,040 love and God's redemption on your own accord. 731 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:33,680 You are made worthy through Christ. 732 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:40,840 All you have to say is I believe that God is real, that Jesus is 733 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,000 alive, that he came and died on behalf of my sins. 734 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,080 And I have faith in his work on the cross. 735 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:49,880 And then be obedient to the things that God has called you 736 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:53,280 to do. You can do life on your own. 737 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:59,440 I just wouldn't recommend it. And every voice that you are 738 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:06,000 hearing that is saying not now, not today is from the Evil 1. 739 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:13,480 The voice that says maybe next week, the voice that says 740 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:16,960 tomorrow, the voice that says after you get things figured 741 00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:22,120 out, that voice is Satan's, it's not Jesus's. 742 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:28,040 Jesus says come to me, all of you who are weary and heavy 743 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,880 laden trying to do life on your own, trying to navigate your own 744 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,720 sense. Come to me and you will find 745 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:42,080 rest for your soul. So just a few moments when the 746 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,880 people in this room get up here and pray, you can walk right 747 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:46,640 over there by the baptistery and there'll be somebody who would 748 00:42:46,640 --> 00:42:49,520 love to talk to you about starting that relationship with 749 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,480 Jesus to the rest of you in the room. 750 00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:56,000 Man, I got to be quick. Recently I had a chance to hear 751 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,680 a woman by the name of Sarah give a Devo. 752 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:05,440 And her husband was a pastor in Savannah, GA And she was talking 753 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,240 about how they moved there. And it was just hot and it was 754 00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:10,960 swampy and it was humid and it was nasty. 755 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:14,440 And her husband came home like pastors typically do and have a 756 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,200 really bright idea. That's a really bad idea. 757 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:20,480 And he came home and said, honey, I'm going to have 758 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:21,960 everybody in the church over to our house. 759 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,200 And over the next couple weekends we're just going to run 760 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:27,320 everybody who calls our church home through our house. 761 00:43:27,640 --> 00:43:29,560 And so, you know, we're going to need to have some food figured 762 00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:30,840 out. We're going to have the place 763 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:34,080 cleaned up and looking right. And she's like, OK, OK, OK And 764 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:39,080 she goes, honey, we have a bunch of young boys and our boys smell 765 00:43:39,360 --> 00:43:40,880 and it's hard to keep the house up. 766 00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,480 And so can I just go, can I go get some potpourri? 767 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:45,880 And he said, no, we're not spending money on potpourri. 768 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:49,200 And so she started going about her day of trying to get the 769 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:51,160 house cleaned up and food figured out. 770 00:43:51,160 --> 00:43:53,360 And as soon as she'd clean one room, the boys would make a 771 00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:54,920 mess. And so she was kind of getting 772 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:56,480 frustrated. So she started praying. 773 00:43:56,880 --> 00:43:59,280 And she was praying. She's like, God, it's hot here 774 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:04,000 and it's humid and our house isn't all that nice and it's not 775 00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:05,120 the way I want it to be. And. 776 00:44:05,240 --> 00:44:08,320 Every time I clean one room, these three kids that you gave 777 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:10,400 me. Run in and they make a mess in 778 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:13,440 that room and God in the house doesn't smell the way I want it 779 00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,080 to smell And I wish I had some potpourri and I don't. 780 00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:23,280 God do you even see me. She gets a phone call the next 781 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:26,240 day from a lady in the church and she said, hey, I want you to 782 00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:29,520 come over to the house and she goes, OK, so she went over to 783 00:44:29,520 --> 00:44:33,520 the house and she went by the by the phone. 784 00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:35,120 This is back when phones were on walls. 785 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:39,280 Gosh, 2 phone jokes in one week. And there was a calendar next to 786 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:41,000 it because that was when you talked on the phone and then you 787 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:43,040 wrote something on the calendar. Some of you guys are like, Oh 788 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:45,120 yeah, Golly, Clayton, how old are you? 789 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:47,440 Yeah, I know, all generations here. 790 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:56,680 And written on the calendar, it said give Sarah potpourri, she 791 00:44:56,680 --> 00:44:57,840 goes. That was all I needed to know. 792 00:44:59,320 --> 00:45:02,040 But God sees me and he hears the cries in my heart. 793 00:45:02,600 --> 00:45:06,560 And he answers. What would you pray for? 794 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:13,680 If you believe that God would deliver it, what if God is 795 00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:17,000 already answering every prayer that you are praying for this 796 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:21,520 church and for this community? How would you pray if you knew 797 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:24,800 that God was going to answer every prayer that you prayed for 798 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:27,560 this church and for your family for the next 50 years? 799 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:29,960 What kind of prayer would you pray today? 800 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,800 If you love God, if you love what he's doing at this church, 801 00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:40,240 I'm asking you to do just that. To get on your knees and beg God 802 00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:45,680 to do a mighty mighty work in our presence and in the future, 803 00:45:46,480 --> 00:45:51,160 that 50 years from now when your grandkids or great grandkids are 804 00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:54,120 at this church, that they would be living in the blessing. 805 00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:57,320 Of the prayers that we prayed. Would you stand with me? 806 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:01,240 God, I've already prayed. So I'm not going to say a whole 807 00:46:01,240 --> 00:46:05,760 lot, but I'm just asking you stir something up. 808 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:10,280 I don't know if you're going to stir it up in 1000 people this 809 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:21,630 weekend, or 500 people at least stirred up in me. 810 00:46:22,390 --> 00:46:22,790 Amen.