Transcription
[Music] It's awesome, and then I'd like everybody to grab one of these if you could, and I'm hoping that you'll keep it with you, that you will take it as we get ready on Sunday to begin 21 days of fasting and prayer. And the upshot is that as we're praying, we're believing God's going to do more than we can ask or imagine. And before I forget it, hello West, hello North, hello those are watching online. We are simulcasting, and we're not going to do this indefinitely; we're just doing it for a short season, and the reason why is because it's very important to me that all of us are on the same page spiritually, hearing these same things as we get ready to do something that I believe is going to make a massive difference in the life of the church. And that's 21 days of fasting and prayer, that when you and I fast and pray, we're gonna see God do things in the church and in our lives that are more than we can ask or imagine. So it's kind of a combination of the two ideas: 21 days to see God do that inside.
Just some reminders: that is reappropriation. I Det that we would recollect the goodness of God, we would think who it is that we're talking to, what he has done in our life, and that would lead us to Thanksgiving as we celebrate him, as we enter his courts with praise, and then we present our requests. Philippians chapter 4, in verse 6. And then we have this expectation that the God whose presence we've come before, the God who has been faithful a thousand times more than we could ever remember, that the God who hears us when we pray is the God who is able to do more than we could ask or imagine. Amen.
Here's what we're asking you to join us in praying. You may have lists of things that you're seeking God for. I know that Debbie and I do. We have personal things that we're asking God to do in our life, in the church, and our family. We believe God wants to do, but there are some things that will he will only do if you and I fast and pray, right? So here's seven things, though, we're asking you to join us in praying: that the people of James River church would be strong in the Lord. We're gonna learn more about that tonight because Paul prays that. We're praying that the people, every single person at the South Campus, the West Campus, the North Campus, at the Joplin campus (and that's exciting to think about that that'll be happening), that they will be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. We want families that are strong, individuals that are strong, children, students that are strong. We want to see the growth of the prayer meeting. Listen, that the prayer meeting is a grace ometer. We I can tell you as a pastor, it works with mathematical precision: the more we pray as a church, the more people that pray as a church, the more God does in the church. I'm just telling you, it's true. You want an example of it? Sunday, 52 people came forward to receive Christ. I'm just telling you, that's no accident, that's no coincidence. We've been setting our heart on seeking God, and already we're seeing God do more than we can ask or imagine, right? So we're praying for that. We're praying for people to connect in life groups, because as we get bigger, we've got to get smaller. As we get bigger, we want everybody to be connected, because every single one of us benefits from relationship. So life groups in and a huge launch coming up as we get to the end of August. I'm very excited about that. To design for life Women's Conference, two conferences, two locations, bigger, more people registered than ever before at this time. We're believing it's going to be not only the biggest conference in attendance, but the most powerful in terms of God setting his hand on that place. But doesn't happen just because we show up down at JQH or we show up at junior c. It happens because we pray. If we pray, God will show himself powerful. If we don't, we're on our own, and I don't want to be there, for sure. Spiritual awakening across Missouri, in our nation. Heaven knows we need an awakening. I'm praying that God it will give us a third Great Awakening that would be his story. Wouldn't it be awesome if from the center of the country? You know, there's a I think it's five pound apparel has that shirt, and it's got Missouri, has got Springfield, and it says "Springfield, the epicenter of awesome." Wouldn't it be awesome if Springfield was the epicenter of revival? Wouldn't it be awesome if from this place, this prayer meeting, or this city, revival spread throughout the across the country and change the hearts of Americans? So, oh no! Well, it's happened twice before; it can happen again, and it always happens at our time of greatest need. And I don't know that I can think of a time of greater need than now, right? Our school students, teachers, administrators, we want to pray for their safety. We want to pray for our kids, that as they go back to school, they'll dare to be a Daniel, they'll dare to be different, they'll dare to stand up in a gracious, kind, but godly and powerful, persuasive way to be champions for Christ wherever they are at. And that our faculty, our administrators, our school superintendents, that God will set his hand upon them to be wise, to be influential. They got to watch over them, they got to protect them. Wow! And I'm excited already. Now, ways too fast you say? Oh, nobody's like clapping and cheering like, yeah, tell me about him. Okay, here we go.
Fast one, two, or three meals a day. For those who eat four meals a day, the three is not really a problem, is it? Okay, so maybe you'll do the Daniel Fast 21 days. That's a great way to, that's a really a great way to go. Some of you are saying physically you can't do that, and so we want to make sure everybody—I would encourage everybody at minimum, unless you have a medical reason why you can't—say, "I'm gonna fast one meal a day, and I'm gonna use that time to call on God." Do that for 21 days; watch what God will do. Maybe some of you say, "You know what? I need is so huge, and I want to get a jump start. I'm gonna fast the first three days. I'm gonna fast, I'm gonna call on God." Or, "I'm gonna fast the first day, not eat anything, and then after that, but one, two, or three meals." Maybe a liquids-only fast, that you just say, "You know what? I'm gonna have liquids, I'm gonna broth, and do that 21 day Daniel fast." Fast sugar or coffee. For some of you, that will be death-defying, but you will come out on the other side knowing the power of God has helped you. Show up at work with your eyes open. Fast media. You know, Debbie Knight, one of the things we'll do, just kind of as an aside, we'll turn the TV off for the next 21 days. We're not going to be watching anything on TV, which for some people is a bigger sacrifice than for others. Maybe you'll fast spending and shopping. You know, some people what they do is they take every meal they fast, and the money they saved on that they give to a missions project. That's a pretty cool thing to do. You could get behind Darrell and Christine, is there down in Haiti? We helped them get a Toyota Tacoma, so they're, you know, it's awesome. I'm excited about them anyway. Or whatever ministry that you would like to support. On the back, all of these resources that you have listed are available—they're available at the West's, are available at North, they're available at the South Resource Center. And it's there for you to be able to be encouraged to fast, to pray, to seek God. Now, this starts Sunday, so on July 29th, we're calling—in fact, rather than suggesting, rather than saying some years (you know, this is what I say: I say, "You know what? The staff and I, we're all going to fast; we feel led to the Lord to do that, and we'd love to have you throw in with us and be a part of that")—I'm not using that language this year. I'm using different language. I'm saying, 'cause I just feel a need for it honestly. I'm not saying, "Hey, we're gonna fast if you want to, you ought to." I'm saying, as the pastor, as the lead pastor of James River Church, I am calling for a 21-day fast. I'm calling the people to a 21-day fast. I don't every year feel compelled to do that, but I've got to be honest with you, that in my heart I feel an urgency that we as a church fast and pray. I feel an urgency. Debbie and I feel an urgency that unless we do this, we'll miss what God would have done. And I don't want to miss one thing. I'm telling you, I want everything he's got for us. I want everything he's got for me. And so unless we call on God, unless we fast, there are some things that won't happen. And I believe this, that if you're a part of the church, then if God is putting that in my heart, he's putting in my heart not only for the church corporately, but for the people of the church individually, that there are things God is challenging you to, that God is wanting to do in your life, in your situation—supernatural things that will not happen any other way unless you fast, unless you give yourself, however much and whatever way, that you seek the Lord with all that's within you, so that you might see him do all that he wants to do in your situation.
Jesus said this: when the disciples came and said, "Why couldn't we cast out this demon?" Jesus said, "This kind comes only by prayer" (and then there was a scribal addition, "and fasting"). In other words, what they understood was what Jesus was saying: sometimes to get a breakthrough, you need more emphasis, more focus, more time in the presence of the Lord. Much time with God, much of his hand on you, much time with God, more time with God, more of his power and presence on you. I'm just telling you, it's true. And God wants to do some things. Fasting will fast-track your prayers. Some of you need a breakthrough. You've had something that has gripped you, that has held you back. You've had a situation you couldn't get a breakthrough with. And fasting—God is going to go before you, and I would declare it prophetically, with all the weight and authority of the Lord, that God will give you a breakthrough as you set your heart on seeking Him. I'm not just saying that because I feel like saying it; I'm saying it because I believe it from the depth of my heart that this is a pivotal moment in the life of the church. If you were to ask me why, I couldn't tell you. I can't say, "Well, it's because of this," or "It's because of Joplin." Hey, we need to increase to do that. I'm just telling you that the Lord wants to do something, that in order for us to see him do it, will require us to press in close to him. So we're calling you to a fast. Some of you are going to get wisdom, some of you are going to get a turnaround, some of you gonna get a breakthrough, some of you are gonna get a restoration, some of you are going to get a fresh touch from the Lord, you're going to feel like you were born again all over again. Some of you are going to see a breakthrough in your children's lives, you're going to see prayers long prayed only answered. I believe this with all of my heart. Even as I speak it, I sense the truth of it and the power and the grace of the Lord. So in order to get us motivated to fast and pray, we're talking about problem Wednesday evenings from Ephesians chapter 3, and we're going to talk about it on Sunday. The two Sundays that I'm speaking during the fast: Lisa Harper speaking this Sunday—be a great word. My prayer is that as you hear about prayer, you'll get so excited about prayer and so energized to pray that you will pray with an enthusiasm which I think is critical to answered prayer, that there's something about being enthusiastic, there's something about being faith-filled at the start of it that makes a big difference with what we experience at the end of it. So I'm excited about it.
And so tonight we come to Ephesians chapter 3. Let's bring it up on the screen here. This is one of the prayers of Paul in Ephesians, and in his epistles, and probably I would say this: it's unequaled in terms of eloquence, unequaled in terms of profundity, unequaled in terms of depth. This is an absolutely unbelievable prayer, and it is a great prayer. In fact, if you say, "Pastor, how can I pray for you?" right there it is. You got it. You just pray Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 on down through the end of the chapter. Pray that over Debbie and I, and we'll be happy campers. For this reason, Paul writes: "I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he might strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Verse 16 again: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Be very, very simple. And then we're going to pray.
Number 1: He says, "I pray." Paul understood the power of prayer; that's why he says, "I pray." This is a man who doesn't have time to waste, this is a man who is on a mission, but this is a man who understands that the most powerful, the most meaningful thing he can do is to pray, that if he prays, everything else goes better; if he prays, everything else is different. You and I praying tonight, everything else is different. You may not see it right away with your physical eyes, but if our eyes can be open in the spirit, we would see the difference, we would know the difference, we'd understand the difference. In fact, our prayer meeting might be twice as long. Paul says, "I pray." He says it not only because he knows the power of prayer, but he says it because he wants them to see the example of prayer, that it's good for people to hear you pray. Moms and dads, it's good for people, it's good for your kids to hear you pray, it's good for your friends to hear you pray, because when you and I pray, powerful things happen. Oh, I know you're just saying blessing or grace over the meal; it's a powerful moment when we understand the power of prayer. We pray much more powerful prayers. Paul says, "I pray." I mean, it's the most powerful thing any human being can do. When we pray, we're touching heaven, we're changing earth. When we pray, we're moving beyond surface things down to the root cause. We're no longer dealing with symptoms. When you and I pray, we're dealing with the cure. When we pray, it changes absolutely everything. That's why Paul says, "I pray."
Second, he says this: "I pray that out of his glorious riches." Now, no, last time we talked about that, but as I mean almost it was the end, and I was trying to tie it up so we could pray, so I'm gonna go back and talk about his glorious riches again, because they're really glorious. Okay? The answers come from God, and because he is God, he is infinite and abundant, which means the answers are as infinite and abundant as he is. So when we go to God, we're never going to hear, "I'm sorry, but we ran out of that last week. Here's a rain check; come back in two weeks and we'll see if we can fulfill it." No, his glorious riches are inexhaustible. What's interesting is Paul's using that phrase, and already in the book of Ephesians he's talked about glorious riches, great riches, inexhaustible riches four times. It's very, very interesting. Look at it in Ephesians chapter one, and verse seven: "In him" because all of this gives us a sense of what we're receiving from him, and the nature of God to be the gracious Giver, and not only the gracious giver and the gracious meter of needs, but the one who gives and meets them in such an over-the-top way that it's hard to imagine. When you come, when I come, when we kneel, when we pray, what's happening? In to a treasury that is vast beyond our wildest imagination. "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace." So God forgave you, and he lavished on us his riches. I mean, His grace is greater than your sins, which you know is massive, right? I mean, he lavished it on us, his forgiveness, the riches of God's grace. So how big is riches? Well, it's as vast as his grace that he lavished on us. And then it says, "Oh, and with all wisdom and understanding." It's almost like, "Yeah, I'm gonna forgive you, I'm gonna cleanse you, I'm gonna do all of that to save you, and yeah, I think I'll throw in a few extra things." That's the generosity of our God, that's the amazing nature of our God. You asked for a loaf of bread, and he gave you the bakery. You needed a loan, and he gave you the bank. If you don't see God as being that over-the-top in the answer to your prayers, you will pray with less faith and enthusiasm in your prayers, understanding the vast, the expansive generosity of God.
Look at this, I got to keep going here. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened, in order that you might know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." So his riches, you got a glorious inheritance, and you've got it in such a way that along with his power, it is incomparably great. There is nothing you could ever compare the power of God to. It's not like anything. You watch the ocean, you see the crashing waves, you say, "Wow, that just reminds me of God's power." No, it is not even comparable. You say, "Oh, but I watch the planets in orbit, and I see how they go through space in perfect synchronization, and the ever-expanding galaxies, and we have known space and unknown space, and there's billions of galaxies, and wow, it shows us the greatness of God." No, it doesn't. In the truest sense, it doesn't. It does, but it doesn't, because it's his greatness cannot be defined by galaxies in orbit. His greatness is incomparable, his power is incomparable. I mean, we can liken it to things, and the Bible does, and we in our humanity, but ultimately we have to understand that even that fails to capture even in the tiniest detail the majesty, the greatness, the infinite goodness of our awesome God. And his power? Well, it talks about—to go back—talks about the riches of his glorious inheritance. That glorious, that word glorious, doxa, doxology, it's like it makes you start wanting to worship, that when you see how good he is, when you see how awesome he is, you just want to worship Him.
Well, chapter 2, and verse: "And God raised us up with Christ, and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." Why? In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace. You know what? For all time and eternity, whatever our salvation is, and this tells you we don't begin to understand it. One second in heaven, you will be stunned for like a hundred thousand years, because instantly you're gonna understand. We kind of know, we see through a glass darkly, we vaguely comprehend the amazing love of God and the miraculous nature of our Redemption. And the angels are—and for all eternity, you are seated next to Christ. For all eternity, you are a child of the Father: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." You are his son, his daughter. And for all eternity, it is an example of the incomparable riches of His grace. That word incomparable is the idea of throwing beyond the marks. It's from like the Greek games, it's like the shot-putter and the mark, you know, like, "There, that's what you need to do to be a champion," and so you know, but instead of just going just past the mark, it's like you're Superman, and instead of throwing it a hundred feet, you're throwing the shot put like a hundred miles. That's the idea: it's just so far exceeds anything beyond reason or imagination.
Chapter 3, verse 8: "Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." That means you can't qualify it, you can't quantify it, you can't track it, you can't trace it. You'll say, "Where did this come from? How did we get this? How did this happen?" There's no way to figure it all out. You're just gonna be sitting there saying, "I can't believe it, that God would love a sinner such as I. How wonderful, how lovely." I mean, you know, just like, "How can that be? How can it be this over-the-top grace of God?" I mean, all of this idea is just simply this: that whatever God does is so over-the-top, so beyond our ability, so beyond what we could imagine, which really is great for a person like me, because I kind of operate on the principle that too much of a good thing is almost enough. So you know, if it's just awesome.
Number three: "Betty might strengthen you"? No, "that he might strengthen you." The word strengthen is used four times in the New Testament. Used of John the Baptist: he grew in strength, he was strengthened. Used of Jesus, Luke chapter two, verse 40: he grew in wisdom and stature and strength, he was strengthened. It's used in First Corinthians chapter 16, verse 13, where it says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." And you think that's a command, like, "Man, I better build my spiritual muscles, I better get strong." No, it's in the passive, which means it's not something you do, it's something that's done to you. The idea is that he's the one who makes you strong, he's the one who works in you. That's what prayer does. When Paul says, "I am praying that he might strengthen you," what he's saying is, as you're praying for people, literally it's like they're getting an injection of strength. As you and I are spending time in the presence of the Lord, literally it's like the Spirit of God is strengthening you. Listen, when you're praying for your kids, speaking as a parent, we've prayed over and over again, "Make our kids strong, make our kids strong." When I went home, I didn't see them curling the refrigerator or lifting my car off its wheels, but I'll tell you what: today I see strong kids. And every time that prayer was prayed, the strength was being infused into my children. And now today, strength is being infused not only into them, but into my grandchildren. When you pray, it strengthens you. When you pray, it strengthens people around you. When you pray, it's like infusing your marriage with strength. When you pray for the church, it's like infusing the church with strength. When you pray, it's like infusing your situation, your life, and the lives of people around you with strength.
Number four: "that he might strengthen you with power." Dunamis, dynamite is the word, but it's more than just like power. Think of it this way: it's miraculous power. When you and I pray, what happens is there's a power, and it's like a supernatural power, it's a miraculous power, it's a power that is stronger than any power we know in humankind, in our natural earth. Prayer strengthens us. Listen, as we get ready to pray, we're going to get strong. Master musicians to come through the Spirit? How does it happen? Well, Jesus said this: "You receive power" (Acts 1:8) "when the Spirit of God comes upon you; when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you'll be my witnesses." So the Spirit of God is working, he's living in us, he's strengthening us, he's drawing us, he's moving us, he's pushing us forward, he's guiding and directing us, he is making us strong.
Number six: "in your inner being." We're bringing the house lights down, because what I want is I want you to get ready to pray and to call on God. Listen, in your inner being, honestly the Bible speaks more and gives more emphasis to the inner being than it does the outer being. Paul says this: "The outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed." What? Day by day renewing. You, God: men look on the outside, but God looks on the heart. Remember, for Samuel 16, the Lord said that to Samuel: "Don't look at the outside, don't get caught up in the physical; realize that the battle's spiritual." I mean, Paul saying the same thing when he says, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood." It's not a physical battle. Your fight's not with that person; your fight's with the enemy who's working behind that person. And so it's a, we live life from the inside out. And if our spirit's strong, then our life's going to be strong. And if our spirit's weak, I don't care how much you seem to have it together; if your spirit's weak, you're weak. And how much you can benchpress, I don't care how many marathons you can run; if you're weak on the inside, you're weak. Sure out of shape on the inside? Then out of shape in the most important area of a person's life.
So, snapshot of all of this. Paul says this, bring up Ephesians 3 and verse 16 again, just the bursts, like if you don't mind: "I pray that out of his glorious riches" (I mean infinite, inexhaustible, incomparable, over-the-top, generous and abundant beyond our ability) "he might strengthen you" (God strengthen you) "with power" (miraculous power) "how his Spirit pours it." You know, you're not having to grab hold of it; the Spirit's putting it into you, because he lives in you, in your inner being. Listen, you leave different every time you come into God's presence. You leave different every time you come into this altar. You leave different.