Transcription
Music has prepared our hearts. Let's receive it with meekness and gladness. Thank you, Jesus, living Jesus who is in this place today. Not only are we seated with you in a heavenly place, but you are walking in our midst. Thank you, Jesus, that you are among the churches. I pray today that you will speak to my heart. I love these people and I I love this church, but I want you to speak to my heart today. I don't want this to be a sermon. I want this to be a message to our hearts. I ask it in the name of Jesus always. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen.
Would you please read with me from 2 Timothy chapter 3 beginning with verse 1. Are you ready? Now, you're the quiet crowd, so I'm I have to boost you up. I don't know if you got up too early this morning or maybe it's your age. I don't know. Maybe the fourth got to you. You ready? But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Did anybody live in that world?
Thank you for being seated. Jesus talked about 10 young women, five were wise, five were foolish. The five foolish ones had no oil. Jesus gave a parable about seeds being planted and four kinds of plants. Three of them had no fruit. In this passage, we read that there will be religious people or professors of God, but they will have no power. I would submit to you that all of this is a result of no prayer. Just let me review. No oil, no fruit, no power, no prayer. And all of that produces, as I said, people who profess God but do not know God. What it's your typical church member. It's it's a lot of people who just go to church. They are religious. I read in Titus, to the pure all things are pure. That's a wonderful verse of scripture. To pure people, everything is pure. They think purely. They live purely. They pray purely. To the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but even their mind and conscience are defiled. Mind and conscience. They profess to know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. That's that's the battle in the church for pastors today. It's to know that infiltrated among the godly are the ungodly. And in the believing, there's the unbelieving. And the true possessors of Christ are surrounded by mere professors of Christ. The those who profess it do just that. They talk.
Amen. But there is no power, no fruit, no oil, no fire. There's a member of this church by the name of Nate Stevens. He's written a book. I just finished it called, I quote, called to Christ likeness, not Christianity. Wow, I love the title. We've been called to Christ likeness, not Christianity. Christianity is just another religion. It's just another arm of man-made doctrines and ideas and dogma that deceive people into thinking that if they belong to it, they are one with God. Nowhere in the Bible are we called to belong to a group or an organization in name only or a religion. We are called to be like Jesus in every aspect of our lives. So Paul said to Timothy with all of these other horrible attributes that the world is exhibiting, just know this that underlining it all is a group who profess to know God, but in works they deny him and they have a form of godliness, but they have no power. If I read scripture correctly, there's supposed to be power in our living, in our praying, in our worship. It's supposed to be exercised in authority, knowing who we are in Jesus Christ, not dead rhetoric, empty liturgy, church membership. That is exactly what Christianity is. But Christ likeness is being filled with Christ. Knowing that you have authority, knowing that when you pray, God hears and answers that prayer. Paul also told Timothy one time, "Pursue godliness. Go after it." As the deer pants after the waterbrooks, I want my soul to pant after God. Godliness. Well, what is godliness? Godliness means that with all of my energy and all of my effort, I'm trying my best to imitate Jesus. I'm obeying scripture. I follow the Holy Spirit. But it's the thrust of my life every day that I be like Jesus. That is godliness. You hate sin, you love righteousness. You flee sin, you run to the throne of God. You put off the old man, you put on the new man, renewed in Christ Jesus. And I will tell you something, brothers and sisters. Godliness will produce power in your life. There is power in purity. I've said it many times. There is power in purity. There is power in godliness. Jesus said, "All power is given to me in heaven and on earth." And before he left this earth, he said, "I give you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm you." That's authority. That's power. That's godliness. I will tell you something else about godliness. Paul said, "It is profitable unto all things." A man that lives a pro a godly life will live a profitable life. Godliness affects every area of your living. From your wallet to your marriage, your business dealings, your social encounters, godliness will make you profitable. There ought to be such a profitable attitude and aura around a believer that unbelievers kind of stand back in awe at times and wonder how does he or she do that? Where is this coming from? What is it that they have? There's something different about them. I want to tell you right now, if your aim in life is to be godly, you can just look out for blessings to chase you down. Because when you go after God, everything else will come after you. Godliness will make you content. Paul also said to Timothy in the last days there will be people who will preach a gospel of money. And it says their idea is gain is godliness. Paul said it's just the opposite. Godliness is gain. Cuz if you go after God, you are already rich. And when a man has discovered the richness of Jesus Christ, he's living a profitable and rich life. There is nothing else he needs, nothing else she wants. They have found their whole desire of life in the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said godliness with contentment is great gain, great riches, great wealth.
Here is another thing. Godliness will build your confidence when you pray. Listen to that very carefully. You cannot pray effectively without confidence in who he is, what he said, and your right to come to him by faith. Here's how John said it. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. I'm coming back to that in just a moment. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. So, here's the deal about being human. I can't quote it exactly the last song they sang. Uh, something to the effect sometimes it's just so hard being human, right? That was close. Is that the truth? Sometimes we just can't deal with being human. And even after you are saved and walking with Christ, some crazy things can happen to you. From out of nowhere, something in your past can pop up and then your heart condemns you. All of a sudden, you wonder, "Was that forgiven? Did I confess that sin? This happened to me uh a week and a half ago. I was awakened in the middle of the night and I had this I kept it blows my mind. Something I did when I was really really young and really really lost came to my mind and I almost threw up in bed thinking have I dealt with that properly? Well, of course, I can't tell you how many times I've confessed that sin, but you only need to do it once, you see. But the devil has a way of beating you over the head and making you think God didn't hear it or you didn't mean it or it's not all covered. And I honestly had a most frightful, horrible few minutes in bed. It was like I was going to throw up and it was hot fire in my gut. And then the Holy Spirit spoke to me and reminded me of David's words after he had committed such a great sin. Against thee, and thee only have I sinned and done this great evil in thy sight. BUT YOU HAVE forgiven me. You have washed my sins away. YOU HAVE CAST OUT MY iniquities as far as the east is from the west. And I said, "See there, it's taken care of." And I went on back to sleep for 30 more minutes. That's what happens. Satan can bring it up. And when he does, you find it difficult to go to God in prayer with confidence, right? Because you're thinking, "Maybe God's not hearing me. Maybe I'm still going to have to pay for this sin?" But he said, "God knows our heart." I want to stop and say, "I'm glad he knows my heart and he knows my heart and loves me anyway. He knows my heart and has his hand on me anyway. I DON'T KNOW MY HEART, BUT GOD KNOWS MY HEART AND STILL LAY HIS hand on me."
Brothers, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God. You cannot go to God with a defeated spirit and faithlessness and expect anything to happen. Nothing honors God more than when you come to him in confidence cuz you believe he's the God of truth and he means what he SAYS AND HE TELLS YOU TO COME TO HIM. God is honored when I walk to him with confidence. And if I live a life, this is this matters. I have to live a life that builds my confidence. I have to obey God and obey the truth. You can't say, "I'm saved eternally and then live any way you want to." If that if that's your mindset, you aren't saved to start with. Nobody says, "I'm glad I'm saved now. I can live like I want to and I'm still going to heaven." No. Every born again Christian says, "I want my life to please the Lord. I want to mirror Jesus Christ. I'm not trying to get away with anything. I'm not trying TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH I CAN EXPERIMENT WITH, HOW CLOSE TO THE EDGE I CAN GET. I WANT TO PLEASE THE LORD." THAT'S THE kind of confidence you got to have when you approach Christ.
But godliness also produces boldness. There's a difference. Confidence. Boldness. Confidence is what I have in him. Boldness is how I come to him. Here's how John said it. Love has been perfected among us in this that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. When I am living a godly life, when I am pursuing Christ, when my life is lived for his name's sake, it gives me boldness. And let me tell you, ma'am, sir, when there's nothing between you and the Savior, no secret sins, no hidden sins, no deceit, no guile, no trickery. You don't worry about judgment. You don't worry about the rapture taking place. You're not worried that fire is going to fall on you and burn you up. No, sir. When you have lived a life that glorifies Christ, you can have boldness even in the day of judgment and say, "Whenever I stand before him, I stand in the completed work of Jesus. I'm there because of the shed blood of Christ. My boldness comes from the Lord."
Now, there are a couple of things. I've pondered this a lot. that will keep you from praying with that kind of boldness. Now, let me be more specific, and I I I bring this to your attention this morning. I I've had a lot of people tell me how much they miss the Monday night prayer meeting. We're having them. We're having them on Wednesday. The Monday night prayer meeting is on Wednesday. There's nothing holy about Monday. Wednesday, you got to bring your kids anyway. You got to eat a cheap meal anyway. You've been coming anyway. So, hey, come to Monday night prayer meeting on Wednesday. We'll have a grand old time. But I say this because my heart yearns for the kind of prayer meetings, not those that have to be pumped, primed, pushed, not to look out at people who say, "What's next? What do we do now?" I long for the kind of prayer meeting where people walk in and say, "We're about to touch God." I can't wait to lift up my voice to God. I'm not here to be entertained. I'm not here to see what pastor can do next. I'm here to call on the name of the Lord because prayer is a powerful thing on this earth. Oh, oh, oh, how I've prayed that people would come through the doors praying and that when they sit down, they would pray and that they wouldn't have to be told, uh, we're about to start praying now. They will come in praying and pray throughout. That's the thing I long for. But I have to cover all the bases and tell you you cannot effectively pray without boldness. If there is any unconfessed sin, anything hidden, it will kill your confidence, choke your boldness, and you are much more hesitant to pray. This is a an important thing, brothers and sisters. Disobedience nullifies boldness. Are you hearing me? One of those things which is very seldom mentioned, you know, you can't come to God in unbelief. You can't come to God if you've mistreated your wife. The Bible teaches that men who mistreat their wives have their prayers hindered. So you can't verbally abuse your wife before you left the house and then come to prayer meeting and have confidence and boldness to pray. God won't hear a word you say. How many times have you heard me say it? Whatever you do to others, you've done to him. Did you know that the way you treat your wife is the way you treat Jesus? That's the way he sees it. So you can't be tur and snippy, insulting and abusive at home and then come in here and expect boldness and confidence and answers from God. You know, judgment has got to start at the house of God. That's what's happening now. And then you got to take it home. Do some judging at home. If you do not treat your wife with respect, kindness, consideration, God does not hear your prayers. Did you hear me? I heard some women, but I didn't hear many men. I'm always on guard at my house because I know that if I even slightly act resentful or treat her with disrespect or aggravation or irritation, the Lord considers me irritated with him. And I don't want that. Let me tell you something. My heart is bumping in my chest today. I want to know Jesus. And if I had a preacher up here telling me that the reason I can't know him anymore, any fuller, is because I am a a disrespectful husband or a bad daddy, then I want to get it fixed. If I really want Jesus, I will take the responsibility. It's my responsibility, fella. You say, "Well, if she wouldn't do this and she No, it's your responsibility." I know everybody won't receive that. I that's the way it goes. But I'm the man. You see, I'm the man of the house. I'm the priest of the house. She makes the atmosphere of the house, but the man determines the spirit of the house. And the reason the spirit of the house sometimes is cold and dark is that the priest has wandered away from the Lord and is disrespecting those over whom he has been appointed. So I will tell you right now, you can't just come in and get in a big old prayer meeting and feel good and yell and scream and read scripture and make notes. There comes a time when you have to fall on your face at the feet of Jesus and say, "Start all over again. I'm not where I need to be. My attitude is wrong. My marriage has become crusty. And I have become disobedient. And if I want any of that to change, I'm going to have to change myself and take full spiritual responsibility for the atmosphere and the spirituality in my home." Amen.
Let me tell you what disobedience does. What sin does always sin makes you run from God. Always. Disobedience makes you want to hide FROM GOD. FIRST STORY IN THE BIBLE. WHAT happens when Adam and Eve were walking in obedience? They were walking with God in the cool of the day. They had an encounter, an appointment, a rendevu, a relationship with God every single day. I imagine they held hands with each other and kissed each other and God showed up and they all hugged one another. They couldn't wait for God to show up. But when they disobeyed, they hid. Every time disobedience invades your life, you want to hide from God. There goes your confidence. There goes your boldness. It's gone. It starts with your head. It goes to your heart. It moves out to your hands. And then you go to hiding. When you disregard God's word in your head, you know, do good, but you don't do it. It then affects your heart. You start acting out of your heart and then out of your heart you start acting it out with your hands and then that kind of disobedience makes you run from God and hide. And that's why when prayer meeting starts a lot of people just kind of put their head down. I'm not worthy to do this. Yes, my friend that is the devil's great ploy in your life. If you get down to business with God, if you get back in relationship with God, if you do all you know to do, if you walk in repentance, things can change. But if you don't, prayer meeting will be a scary thing. Listen to this. A move of the Holy Spirit will upset you. You will feel uneasy. You'll start saying, "She's out of order. That man's crazy." No. They may JUST BE FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT and find themselves worshiping in truth. But disobedience will make you hide. Last book of the Bible, the sixth seal of Revelation, the wicked people say, "Let the rocks and the mountains fall on us and hide us from the face OF GOD AND him that sits upon the throne." Don't you see? When you're not living right, you're afraid of the face of God. IF YOU'RE LIVING RIGHT, YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM FACE TO FACE. There's nothing fearful about the face of God if you are walking in the truth of God. Everybody knows the story about Achen. Joshua chapter 7. You got to hear these words, church. God told them, "Don't take anything that belongs to the enemy. You don't need it. I'll supply your needs. I don't care how it glitters. I don't care what you always wanted in your life. Don't take it. It's cursed. Achen took it. What did he do with it? He hid it. He covered it up. But something affected the whole camp. You see, folks, hidden sin affects people around you. Hidden sin is going to get you in trouble, but it's going to get somebody else in trouble, too. And it's probably going to be your family members. And so when they found out [clears throat] what had happened, Joshua said, "Listen to this. As long as that thing is hidden, you will never be able to stand before your enemies." Hear the WORD OF THE LORD. GOD SAYS, "As long as you keep it hidden, you will NOT BE ABLE TO stand before your enemies." Does anybody HEAR THAT? THAT'S WHY WE RUN FROM OUR ENEMIES. THAT'S WHY WE SH ARE SHY AND AFRAID. That's why we sit IN CORNERS AND WONDER WHAT'S WRONG IF WE SEARCH our hearts and examine our faith and find one thing that displeases the Lord. It behooves us to surgically with scripture remove it and bandage it with REPENTANCE and let it heal in the forgiveness of God. Look at it. We've got a big enemy out there, church. A massive mighty enemy, but he's already been defeated. AND YET WE CAN'T STAND BEFORE OUR ENEMY. WE CAN'T PRAY boldly in front of our enemy because sometimes we hide things in our heart and it makes us weak and it intimidates us. Oh, how important this is. Listen to this proverb. The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. I love that proverb. The wicked flee. Wicked people, sinful people, disobedient people run when nobody's chasing. They're paranoid. They wonder when it's going to hit. When am I going to be caught? When is this going to catch up with me? Did you hear it? Wicked people, sinful people, DISOBEDIENT PEOPLE RUN. THEY'RE ALWAYS RUNNING AND nobody's chasing. But the righteous are as bold as a lion. AND THAT'S what I'm after in my life is to WALK INTO ANY SITUATION AND SAY, "THE GOD IN ME IS GREATER THAN EVERYTHING else going on around here." AND WHEN PEOPLE COME TO ME and say, "Can you pray about this?" Instead of saying, "Well, you know, I've had a hard week and I haven't done everything right. You know, I'm going through some stuff." YOU SAY, "YES, I can pray for you. I'M A MAN OF GOD. I have been WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS. I have confessed every sin. I AM WALKING IN REPENTANCE. I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS CHRIST. YES, I can pray for you. Oh, for a church that's so filled with the spirit that some OF YOU WILL AT SOME POINT MOVE. just move instead of being like a statue in church. If you would just move. If you could just nod every so OFTEN SO WE WON'T HAVE TO CALL THE funeral director. IF YOU COULD JUST MAYBE LOOK, WATCH THIS. IF YOU COULD JUST GO, IT WON'T HURT YOU AND PEOPLE AREN'T STARING AT YOU. YOU SAID, "THAT'S NOT ME." I KNOW. WHEN JESUS COMES IN, FIRE COMES IN. DON'T YOU GET THAT? JESUS IS NOT IN A DEAD, DRIED UP CHURCH. JESUS IS NOT IN A DEAD, DRIED UP PRETENDER AND PROFESSOR OF THE FAITH. JESUS IS IN THOSE WHO RECOGNIZE OUR LIFE IS IN CHRIST. WE'VE BEEN SET FREE BY THE POWER OF THE BLOOD OF THE LORD. AND I CAN AT LEAST DO THIS. [applause] Some of you still haven't moved. You know, I was recently in a setting. The music was overthe-top anointed and people sat there like it was a show. I can't tell you how I wanted to get UP AND SAY, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?" NOW, these weren't sinners. These were professors, church people. See, I'm about to get in a lot of trouble here this morning. I thought I did very well up to this point. But people, when you realize what Jesus saved you from, [applause] when you realize THE DEVIL HAS NO AUTHORITY OVER YOU, WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT EVERYTHING YOU EVER NEED IS ALREADY INSIDE OF YOU, YOU'VE BEEN BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING. YOU'D HAVE ME OF NOTHING. YOU ARE RICH AND FULL AND BLESSED AND SAVED AND HEALED AND DELIVERED AND JESUS IS COMING TO GET YOU SOON. CAN you say amen? [applause]
You can stand. WHO KNOWS? WE MAY EVEN GET READY for this. WE MAY EVEN GET SOME OF THESE RUSSIAN and Ukrainian men to actually respond. What do you mean by that, preacher? Exactly what I said. I want you to stand when I tell you this. There there is a thing [music] this sin thing will kill your confidence and destroy your boldness. But there's another thing. It's this idea that you're unworthy. Oh, I'm unworthy. I That's why I don't do any of that, preacher. I'm just unworthy. Okay. Let me tell you what the great Apostle Paul said in his few short years of ministry. He started out saying, "I am the least of the apostles." Wow. Couple years later, he said, "I am the least of all the saints." That's a bad self-image. And just before he died, he said, "I am chief of sinners." It got worse [music] as he lived. He recognized what he was. But then he said, "But what I am, I am by the grace of God. I was a murderer and a blasphemer and A PERSECUTOR OF THE CHURCH. But God has shown mercy. And now BY THE BLOOD of Jesus, I am what I am. [music] But pastor, doesn't the Bible tell us to walk humbly before God? He does in Micah. We walk humbly, but we come boldly. And you can come boldly when everything is under the blood. Everything is under the blood. I am what I am by the grace of God. So this whole un unworthy thing, you got to realize if you confess your sins, they're gone. That life you used to live, don't let the devil bring it back. Don't you bring it back. Don't you disqualify yourself because of something you DID BEFORE CALVARY. YOU DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT. CALVARY HAS DETERMINED YOU TO BE A SAINT AND A SON OF GOD, A DAUGHTER OF THE MOST HIGH, and nothing can change that. But that unworthy attitude [music] can keep you from coming to Christ with faith [snorts] and confidence. [music] Be done with it. THROW IT ASIDE. I am what I am by the grace of God.
Father, I thank you this morning for the truth. Father, I don't know how to pray sometimes when I stand in front [music] of thousands of people like this because every grade of spirituality and every degree is different. But I'm [music] asking you this morning to go wherever and to whomever and let this word abide in them richly today. If your blood has washed it away, it's gone. If your grace has forgiven it, it's forgiven. If they've been justified by faith, they are justified. [music] And Lord, I'm asking that you raise up a church of bold, confident [music] warriors of prayer that will not be discouraged just because something doesn't get answered right now. That will not walk around and say, "What did we do wrong? I thought, I thought, I thought, I thought." No, I'm asking for a prayer warrior that will say, "Everything is under God's control. God knows what he's doing. We don't. MAY THE WILL OF THE LORD be done in everything. Can I get an amen from the church? [music] Praise the Lord. Come on down, sister. We got time. She's coming down on a cane. We got people with two really good, strong legs that won't come down. God bless you, sister. [music] I pray for conviction. I pray for people at this church to realize this is not a place you attend on Sunday. This is a battalion [music] of warriors. And we don't just do this on Sunday. We do it every day of the week. Somewhere in a closet, somewhere in a prayer room. We do this all the time. We are God's handiwork. [music] God's workmanship. We are hungry for God. We want to be godly people. Can I get an amen? [applause] So may the God of all peace who raised Jesus from the dead, [music] that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, work in you that which is well pleasing in his sight. To him be glory and honor forever. And now, Lord, let the words of my mouth this week and the meditations of my heart [music] this day be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength, my redeemer. Amen. [music] Blessings on you. See you Wednesday night for Monday night prayer meeting. Amen. Good morning. Good morning. I join Pastor Evan and welcoming all of those who are watching from another place. Let's get right to the word of God. [music]
Heavenly Father, we thank you today. I don't know what to thank you for, Lord. My whole life is a blessing. My very existence is a gift from [music] you, the creator. Oh God, I just ask that in this little pinpoint of time that we not forget why we're here today. This is a gathering of the people of God around the feet of Jesus. [music] And Lord, I don't want anybody to see a preacher. I want them to hear what thus sayaeth the Lord. [music] Thank you for guidance. Thank you for strength. Every one of us is here today on your strength. Thank you that help is on the way. [music] And I ask today, oh, how do I Lord, could you open our understanding? I would like for this to be one of those services where in the weeks and months, maybe years to come, people say, "It was that day that I finally got it. I understand something now. Let it be this day, Lord." And I pray it in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.
And what I'd like for you to do is read several verses with me out of Isaiah chapter 45. I'll pause a lot today because I don't think I should be up here spraying you and hope you get a drop or two. I think this should be a soaking a basking experience. The older I grow and the longer I serve the Lord and the more I preach, the more I have almost a hatred for entertainment in God's [music] house. I don't want there to be one sentella of an entertainment uh mentality here. [music] I brought a message from the Lord and you have the ears to hear it. That's all that matters. So it doesn't matter if you say amen or not. [music] Doesn't matter if people go away and say, "Wow, that's that's null and void in the presence of God." That's [music] pure flesh. God wants to talk to his people today. So let's begin with verse number two. This is God through Isaiah speaking to King Cyrus who wasn't even a believer in the Almighty God. [clears throat] See, he talks to sinners. He He reveals himself to people that don't want to know him. So, we drop down to verse two. Now, let's read together. I will go before you and make the crooked places straight. I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden tr in secret places that you may know that I the Lord who call you by your name am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake and Israel my elect. I have even called you by your name. I have named you though you have not known me. I am the Lord and there is no other. There is no God besides me. I will guard you though you have not known me that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides me. I am the Lord and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create calamity. I the Lord do all these things. And the people of God said, "Amen." Amen.
Please be seated. I think uh Stephen for the sake of CDs today and a title just call this treasures in a dark place. You ever notice how it's human nature to put special things or valuable things in a hidden place or a dark place? art. They don't put extremely expensive art out on the streets for you to walk by and see. Money. Who puts their money on a table in public? Diamonds, uh, antiques, guns. People put precious things in a safe place. That safe place is usually a dark place. It's a vault or a safe or in the ground or under a mattress or in a cookie jar depending on its value. [snorts] You see that's for them. It's not for the public. That's their possession. They are not sharing it. Only certain people, chosen people, occasionally get to see it or get told about it. So, what are we to make of this? Now I have to tell you I I read a book this week by Awtoer called the attributes of God and it set me on fire but not in the kind of way that you think I'm you know exuberant and happy and shouty and no it set my heart on fire and it made me want to get on my face and shut my mouth. No high praises. I don't even know what a high praise is. There's only one kind of praise. I hear that all the time in Pentecostal circles. Let's give him the highest praise. What's a highest praise? What's a lower praise? There's only one praise. I I did not feel like even opening my mouth in his presence a couple of times. I stand before you today embarrassed at trying to deliver this message from God to you. So, so what are we to make of this? That God did his greatest and most awesome works in the dark. He hid his actions. Only later did some who were chosen get to see and understand his marvelous ways. Creation. I'm going to read this to you. The very first chapter in Genesis. I never saw it till this week. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light." All of that creative power and energy was done in the dark. He didn't turn the lights on till he had already created the heaven and the earth. Why? Because there is no way that God was going to let creation see this thing, this marvelous act of bringing everything out of nothing. He did his greatest work in the dark and later people saw the glory of it. Do you remember when God told Moses, "Put lamb o put lamb's blood over the door. Go inside, shut your door, because darkness would fall and the spirit of death would wind its way through Egypt in the dark. Israel never saw it. He never allowed them to see his magnanimous work of delivering them from their oppressors until the sun came up and they saw what the Lord had done. the incarnation as it was stated when I read it. Wouldn't you think that when God comes into the world, there would be a burst of brightness and angels would sing to the whole world and people would be blinded by the brilliance and the brightness of it. But no, God decided to bring his son into the world by putting him into the dark womb of a virgin. Man didn't even deserve to see what happens when God becomes man. It was not a public spectacle. And it wasn't until nine months later that a few people got to see what God had done in the darkness. And then as he grew, there were only those who were chosen, only those to whom the son revealed him that got to see what God had done in the darkness. How about the cross? Now, while they're nailing him to a cross, and when they drop him into the ground with a dull thud, and they are spitting and accusing, it's bright. It's just before midday. God is saying, "This is the worst of mankind right here." But then he turned out the lights and he pulled the curtains and said, "But I'm going to do the best that I can do in my great power, but you can't see it. I won't let you watch him die while he rises on the cross and takes the sins of the whole world on his shoulders." Who can explain that? I will not allow a man to see what I'm doing in the darkness. And when Jesus cried, "It is finished," the lights came back on and they took him down from the cross and they put him in a tomb. And wouldn't you think that that event where a dead Jesus is raised from the dead and brought to life would be done in a theater on a hillside the way he fed 5,000. BUT NO, GOD SAID, "SHUT it up. Seal it off. Do it in a dark place." And by the time that the women got there the next morning, the Bible says it was very early in the morning. It was dark. And when they got there, the tomb was already empty because God did did his greatest work in a dark place. It was later that he revealed the resurrected Jesus to chosen people. Oh, at one point 500 saw him. At another point the disciples saw him. At another point only one or two saw him. Not the whole world. Because God does his greatest work in the darkest place. So that those for whom he has done it will be able to see the glory in it.
So ladies and gentlemen, what does it mean when he says to Cyrus the king, "I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places." Could it be? Could it be you who are saying this is the darkest time of my life don't realize that God is doing the greatest work in your life that he has ever done. He's not showing it to the public. He's not even showing it to you because he's not doing it for you. He's doing it for his own glory. He's doing a deep, dark, rich work inside of you. And you feel like you can't take it another day. And you feel like you're the one that brought it on yourself. And you feel like the biggest failure in the world. You don't even see what God is doing. But God, because I can't explain it. I don't understand it. I will fumble and I will stumble through this. God is at work inside of you. He's bringing about the father's will. He's fashioning and shaping and forming you from the inside out. Not so people can watch you or see you or brag about you. Not even so that you can feel like you've really made progress and you're growing in Christ and you're stronger than you've ever been before. No, God doesn't even care about how you feel. God picked you up. Let me tell you, I'm I'm not one of those preachers or one of those believers that thinks that this is about me hearing the gospel and I accepted Jesus and as long as I live right and I am faithful, then maybe if I don't backslide, I'll go to heaven one day. But I teeter and I totter and I'm up and down. That's how most of you probably feel that as long as you hang on to God by God's grace, you're going to make it. But I don't see it that way. Here's how I think. This is my theology. This is my walk with Christ. I believe he knew me before he created the world. I believe that something was going on about me before light ever came. He was doing something in the darkness. I believe that I was chosen from the foundation of the world to exemplify the glory, THE CREATIVE POWER OF GOD. I believe that I am a pot and he is a potter. I believe that he's doing with me whatever he jolly well wants to do. I DON'T BELIEVE HE CARES ABOUT HOW I cry when he's shaves more clay off of my life. God doesn't get upset because I scream, because he's pruning me and cutting stuff out of my life and taking people away from me and cutting me down to size and squeezing me and tearing me and stretching ME AND I'M SCREAMING AND HOLLERING. GOD DOESN'T CARE ABOUT ALL OF THAT because he has one thing in mind that one day I WILL BE EXACTLY LIKE JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON. No matter what it takes, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CRY AND BEG AND FEEL LIKE A FAILURE, NO MATTER HOW BAD I THINK MY LIFE IS, GOD IS TOTALLY UNCONCERNED WITH THAT. BECAUSE WAY BACK WHEN IT WAS DARK, GOD ALREADY KNEW YOUR NAME. BEFORE YOU KNEW HIM, HE KNEW YOU. AND HE SAID, "YOU MAY NOT KNOW ME, BUT I KNOW YOUR NAME, AND I'M GOING TO BRING TREASURES OUT OF YOUR DARKNESS AND BRING GREAT THINGS TO YOU OUT OF SECRET PLACES." YEP. DARKNESS. I will give you the treasures of darkness. In other words, if you can see it, it's not really that valuable. We're always wanting stuff we can see. God says, "Well, that's trash." No, I'm going to give you treasures out of darkness, things that I did, things that I created for you. That's what I'm going to give you. Now, let me remind you, he's not talking to a believer. He's talking to a wicked king. I tell you, this thrills my soul. He says, "Oh, wicked king, I got a purpose for you. You don't know me, but I know you, and I'm going to use you to bring about my will in my people. I'm about to >> about to get happy." Because if God can use a wicked king, He can use a fool like me. He didn't even believe. I believe. I'm just short sometime. Listen to me now. He said, "Oh, I'm raising you up to subdue nations and loose the armors of kings and bring about my will. I'll give you treasures of darkness and hidden riches in secret places." Folks, where are you looking for valuable things? God is a God of the secret. You know, the Bible says he dwells in darkness. It also says he dwells in an unapproachable light, which no man can understand. It says no man has seen God at any time. But Jesus said, "I've seen him and I'm revealing him to you." But he still says, "I dwell in darkness. I create darkness." What does that mean? He's not talking about wickedness. Darkness there means secrecy, mysterious stuff. Stuff that the human mind cannot comprehend. Listen to me. Can everybody hear me right now? You only know about God what he has allowed you to know at this point. You will spend eternity having God reveal himself. We think because we understand the attributes of God or we know Jesus that we understand God. We know his ways. You don't know anything. That's why we should I said to the elders this morning, sometimes I feel like taking this hand and slapping it over my mouth. I know nothing. And to pretend that I'm smart, to pretend that I'm a student or a theologian, to pretend that I have authority and knowledge is embarrassing because you don't know anything that God has not revealed to you. You have nothing that God did not give to you. For of him, through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory by Jesus Christ in the church world without end. Glory to God. ALL HONOR AND PRAISE to God. Church has become a circus. Preachers jogging up to the pullpit to spew out stuff they've memorized to get people who want to be entertained to respond to them and tell them how good they are so that whoever asked them to preach will ask them to come back. Because the more money, well, the more people you get, the more money you get. And after a while, it's a farce. in the Old Testament and you read it this week if you're going through the Bible. The Bible says that Joshua called all the people together, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children, and they stood and listened to every word that Moses spoke. Joshua read it to them. It says, "Not one word was left out of all the words that Moses spoke to the people." And you know what I said to the council members this morning? If I just started reading the Bible, half of you would leave because you came to get boosted. If that choir didn't sing a couple of faster numbers that you like, you'd sit there like this right now and say, "I don't know. I don't know." Because we are a spoiled people and we we worship unscripturally and we walk with Christ unbiblically. The true believer of God falls in his presence. We are stunned at his glory. We cannot speak of him because we are overwhelmed at his power, HIS SOVEREIGNTY. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM MAKES US CRINGE AND WE FALL BEFORE THE LORD AND SAY, "WHO AM I [screaming] THAT A GOD WOULD KNOW MY NAME?" UH THAT GOD WOULD EVEN COME INTO MY LIFE. WHO AM I? AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT GOD CHOSE YOU. JUST THE way he chose to speak to Cyrus, he is speaking to you today. YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIM, BUT HE ALREADY KNEW YOUR NAME. Oh my god. Even now I I honestly I'm telling you the truth. I stand here I'm embarrassed. Here I am spitting and screaming about him whom I do not even understand him. The God of the darkness of Genesis 1. The God who slid through the Egyptian night and destroyed Israel's captives. The God who took his son and placed it down in the darkness of Mary's womb. And the God who sat on his throne and turned his head when his son took on the sins of the whole world. The God who smiled when his son sat up in a tomb. I don't know who this is. All I can say is Jesus. Jesus. He's my link to the unknown. He's my connection to the creator. He's the only one that can make me see or
hear or understand. He's the one that gave me life. I can't move without him. I don't have any being with without him. And this God, help me now, Lord, has said to you, me, and to those he has chosen. Don't you dare worry. I know your name.
>> Hey, remember he said, "I form the light. Oh, I make you have good times." Oh, I love it when it's light. Hallelujah. Yippi. Yay. Here we are. Woo! glory, but I create darkness. He's not talking about that darkness before creation. He's not talking about how dark it would be in this building if we turned out the lights. He's talking about that place where no one knows what to do or what to say because God is not explaining anything. He's not even talking. You're just forming in the womb of God. Like Jesus bones grew in the womb of Mary, like his blood vessels, his lungs, his heart. Oh, the mystery of the incarnation. Oh, that God would grow in the dark part of a woman. And I find myself not knowing what to do, where to go, how to fix it. And God says, "Well, you can't do it anyway. I grow you in the darkness."
I want to say one more thing if I can find it. Well, there it is. This is in the book of Micah. [snorts] I love this. Therefore, I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. Now, who do you think your enemy is? Michael was saying, "Those of you that oppose me, don't get too happy yet." See, for most people, it's just the devil. The devil. The devil. No. My greatest enemy is Luran. Luran's fle. Ah. Hallelujah. My greatest enemy is my body, my flesh. It will not die. It will not relent. It will not stop. And ever so often it wins. I stumble, but I do not utterly fall. I stumble and then I try to make myself erect again and stand up and say, "Why did I do that? I'm going to fight harder. I'm going to do better next time." Only to wait for another weak moment when my enemy takes advantage of my humanity. But glory to God forever. I said, "Glory to God forever."
MICAH SAID, "DON'T REJOICE OVER me yet, my enemy. FOR WHEN I FALL, I WILL RISE AGAIN. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me." Hallelujah to God. Darkness is a part of your life, my friend.
>> I want to say it now. I'm done. Th this this circus we call church now. Yeah.
>> Where everybody gets together and hoops and hollers and knocks one another out and false prophets blow on people and knock them down and then raise money and everybody's got a ministry. Everybody's got a stick. Everybody's got a gimmick and all the Christians run from one place to the other. It is nothing but an unbiblical selfentered religion. It has taken the sovereignty, the holiness, the magnificence away from God. And they teach that if you have enough faith and say the right words and speak enough scripture, you won't ever have to walk or live or wallow in darkness again.
BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT THIS BOOK SAYS. THIS BOOK TEACHES ME that if I am the creation of God, if I am the pot and he is the potter, he's going to cut. He's going to put me in a dark place. HE'S GOING TO STRETCH ME AND MAKE ME AND MOLD ME UNTIL THAT DAY WHEN HE SAYS THAT'S IT. AND HE WON'T SHOW ME TO THE WORLD. HE'S going to SHOW ME TO ANGELS AND ARCHANGELS AND CHERUBIM AND SARAPHIM AND TO ALL THE CREATION OF GOD UNTO THE HIGH HEAVENS. Are you with me?
>> [snorts]
>> Sometimes I wish we weren't on cameras cuz I find myself thinking if I say this they I'm sorry. I'm I'm a pastor. I want to know something from you guys. You got who got up here this this day and cried and sang and lifted and praised God. lifted your hands and praised God.
>> Do you believe what you just heard?
>> Do you? [music]
>> Okay. I don't want to recap it, but you believe that God is doing his greatest work in your darkest time.
>> Yes.
>> You do believe that?
>> That means then when this service is over, you'll go out rejoicing. You'll go out thanking God for the darkness.
>> You'll go out saying, "If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be where I am today."
>> I want to know how many of you believe what you heard this morning.
>> On this side, I'll get over there in a minute. On this side, I want to know it. Do you believe it?
>> Yes.
>> Do you?
>> Yes.
>> Let me know by an amen. Do you believe it? Yes.
>> So, you honestly do believe
>> that God is at work where it's so thick and [music] dark, unmanageable, inexplicable, frustrating, and scary [music] that God is doing his best work in your life. Then you won't walk out of here either sad, worried, will you? You'll walk out rejoicing, won't you? Either you believe it or you don't. Either you heard a good message that will last for about uh maybe 30 minutes or you've heard the word of the Lord, which is for eternity.
>> All right. For those of you whose families are messed up, God's at work.
>> Don't clap. I'm not being bossy. I just don't want to hear any clapping.
>> Ain't no reason to clap. We have a reason to say thank you, Jesus.
>> For those of you whose marriages are messed up, hey, God's at work.
>> Let him work. For those of you who for some reason your whole identity is based on your job and you lost it. [music] Do you believe it takes this in the darkness to get you there?
>> Then you'll leave rejoicing, won't you?
>> In fact, why wouldn't we stop right now in this service and rejoice? No, I'm not talking about as a group. I'm asking individuals [music] who heard God say today. Nothing is out of my control. I designed it. I created it so that I MIGHT GET GLORY and you might see my glory one of these days. Do you believe this? Then take some time and praise this great God. [music] I worship you Jesus. I worship you Jesus. [music] [music] I hear you, Lord. I listen. I just got a a little note I'm supposed to pass on to somebody. Somebody is thinking because of my extraordinary failure, how can I ever be effective with people again? How will they listen to me? How can [music] I minister to people? Listen. Listen. God is not interested in how capable you are of affecting and touching other people. HE HAS ALLOWED YOU TO go through this so THAT YOU MIGHT MINISTER TO HIM.
>> That you might minister TO HIM. FORGET ABOUT MINISTERING to people. Learn how to minister to the Lord. That's a word from God if I ever got one. I I need to stop now, but I'm w I'm wound up. Don't you see? quit looking at you and look at God. You had a dream of what you wanted to do and what God wanted to use you to do. FORGET ABOUT IT. THAT WAS NOT HIS IDEA. His idea was that you might learn how to praise him IN EVERYTHING. GIVE THANKS FOR this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Fill up the altar quickly. Come. I don't care who come. Just come. We're going to sing a song together and then we're going to leave. Hurry. Please hurry. [music]
In the New Testament, after they had received the Holy Spirit, the Bible says, "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate unto me Paul and Barnabas." See, we got it backwards in the church. We got preachers training to minister to people. We got people thinking that if the pastor can minister to me, it's backwards. Our first priority is to minister to the Lord. You can't train somebody how to minister to the Lord. They have to be broken in the darkness. But we fight the darkness. [music] We curse the darkness. Darkness is a scary place. But not if you know who's there. [music]
>> Did you hear me? If you know who's already there, it's not such a scary place. He's already there. [music] Teach us, oh God, to minister back to you. We cannot minister to anybody else till we have learned to minister and praise and serve you adequately. [music] Teach us that great lesson this morning in Jesus mighty name. And we sing one more time together to you. forever. [music and singing] He will be [music and singing] [singing] [music] and [music] worship him. [singing] Amen. [music]
You know what you ought to do, don't you? I'm not playing. [music] You ought to go out of here with your hands raised at some intervals or one and just say, "Praise God.
>> Praise the Lord."
>> Get your eyes off what you think is wrong or who you think IS WRONG. GET THEM ON JESUS. HALLELUJAH. REJOICE IN THE LORD. BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS. THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT. See you next time. GOD BE WITH YOU. WALK OUT OF HERE PRAISING GOD. [music]
>> Is on the way.