Transcription
Is that your testimony? Has God been good to you? Well, well, wait just a minute.
Was God faithful to you when you were unfaithful to him? Was God good to you and did God bless you when you totally ignored him? Would you be where you are today if it weren't for the faithfulness of God? Not one of us. The devil had his way, every one of us would be in hell right now. BUT GOD WHO IS RICH in mercy.
Great is thy faithfulness. Great is thy faithfulness. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Thank you musicians and singers for the blessing you brought to us today. I came in a couple of moments late. I don't know if Pastor Reggie had you shake hands and greet anybody or not. Uh, take a moment. You don't have to move. You don't really have to touch. Just nod and greet and bless somebody.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night for our prayer meeting, but we're going to make it our Thanksgiving prayer meeting. And uh, again, we look about almost like this every Monday night. It's it's almost full. And we've had some Monday nights where we uh, broke the law, and the fire department let us know about it. But uh, if you'll come, we'll find a seat for you somewhere.
Lord, to us who believe, you are precious. The older I get, the longer you let me live, the more precious you become to me. Every other thing in this old world has lost its value to me, but you seem to increase every day. Oh, how precious are your thoughts toward us, and now ours toward you. The older I get and realize what I do have, the more embarrassed I am that I so misused it and so, you were so unappreciated in my earlier years. I loved you, but I didn't cherish you. But I thank you, you've brought us, brought me to that place now. More precious than silver or gold. You've become the breath we breathe and the life we live. You've become the reason to get up every day. Praise the Lord Jesus. So I ask you now to give me that divine help that it takes to stand in front of people, not to to speak, but to preach. Because that's a supernatural thing. Take these words from my lips, make them your words, and bless your people today. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Thank you for being seated. Did you ever have a bad week? No, not day. Week. Did you? Okay. Since prayer meeting last Monday night, I have had the worst week I can recall. It's one thing after another. We throw that phrase around, don't we? One thing after another. But sometimes two anothers hit at the same time. And I've struggled this week. You know, you talk to yourself and read scripture and pray and do all that stuff, and I still struggled.
Started off Tuesday when Sandra and I went to a funeral of a friend in another city. And she was a believer. And her husband was a minister, and it was all good, but it sent me into such a funk. I couldn't explain it. I didn't want to talk on the way home. I, and I'm still, I don't know what it did to me. And then the reports came of things happening in the church. See, this is my life. This is our life. So, you know, you start talking to people, and it seems like that instead of things going forward, they go backwards.
I talked to one lady whose son we helped get him into a rehab program. Oh, he was in bad shape. Let me tell you, this was the last resort. And we got him into a rehab program and they they fixed him up. He was quoting scripture, and he had started eating and gaining weight, and he was positive, and yes, ma'am, and no, ma'am, and thank you, sir. And I talked to him. I saw all of that change. For several months, almost a year. And I was in the restaurant the other day, and I saw his mother. I said, "Hey, how is he doing?" She said, "He was doing fine till last week. He came home just to visit us, and we don't know what happened. He got drunk and had a bad wreck, and now we all got to go to court. We're right back where we started," she said. And I, when she told me that, I lost my appetite. I thought, "Does this work?" Have you ever thought that?
Not long ago, a young man came to see me in my office. He said, "My life is all to pieces. I'm about to divorce my family. I'm losing my family." And um, I got personal problems galore, and we went through it. He said, "But I want Jesus to save me today." And I took his hands, and we got on our knees, almost forehead to forehead, and we cried and prayed, and we did the sinner's prayer, and he squalled and confessed everything, and it went on and on and on for an hour and a half. He got up and hugged me and said, "Praise God! I'm going to fix things." Then this week, I heard that he went ahead, decided to divorce his wife and leave his family. He found somebody else. And I went even deeper. And I said, "You're kidding me, Lord. What was that that I experienced with that young man?" And Sandra can tell you, this week it, we have been bombarded with situations just like that. Till our heart even, till almost midnight last night, getting texts from desperate people. "Help us, please. What should we do? We thought that was fixed, too. That was one that everybody rejoiced about." I mean, we were so happy. We said, "Now, that's an example of what can happen to a man when he gives his life to Jesus." But not last night. He's in bad shape. And so I just continued to do that.
So yesterday morning, I went out on the porch. It's enclosed. And I watched it rain, and it was gray and nasty and foggy and dismal and depressing. And I balled up in a fetal position on the couch and covered myself with about five blankets and sat there and said, "I don't know what I'm doing anymore." It seemed like half the people I laid my hands on last week had a relapse or ended up in the hospital, or it's worse than it was. I'm not kidding you. These are the reports I've got. I even mentioned to Sandra about a a young person I prayed with, and I said, "You know, I really think God touched that young person." She said, "But her dad told me today she had to go to the hospital." And I said, "It didn't take, did it?"
So you see where I'm going with this, church? Am I the only one, or just us on the floor? Are there any people in the balcony that can identify with what I'm saying as believers? And I know I'm filled with the spirit, and I know I'm a child of God, and I know that prayer works, but I'm not seeing it work sometimes. And it looked like the whole week after a big prayer meeting last week, I was high as a kite. It seemed like one hope after another was dashed. One dream stripped apart. One family torn up after prayer meeting.
So, I sat there yesterday. I listened to that rain patter on the roof and watched the leaves blow off the trees and said, "What am I going to do? I cannot go back to that pulpit tomorrow after having all I heard all this bad news this week." But, you know how God is. I got a text from somebody, and it just said, "Read this. It helped me today." And it was the book of Habakkuk. A little tiny, almost insignificant minor prophet in the Old Testament. And I said, "All right, I'll read that one verse of scripture." And I read that one verse of scripture, and I said, "Whoa, that that is talking to me right now." So, I said, "Let me just read the whole thing." So, that's where I'm going with it right now, from the book of Habakkuk.
It opens up like this. "Oh Lord, how long shall I cry and you will not hear?" Now, they're not putting the verses on the screen, cuz I'm just going to do some preaching today. How's that? Did you hear that? "Oh long, how Lord, how long shall I cry and you will not hear? I even cry out to you, violence. Help me. It's all to pieces. Everybody's against me. My life is all to pieces. Help me, God. And you will not save." So, Lord, I'm going to ask you two questions, Habakkuk said. And then, it's, you ever listen to talk shows sometimes on the road, you know, you turn it on. They have a call-in portion. And the host will say, "If you have a question, call in." And people call in. And inevitably, somebody will say, "All right, I have one question. I'm going to ask it, and then I'm going to hang up and wait for your answer." And that's what they do. And that's what Habakkuk's doing right here. God, this is a mess. I got two questions. And when I ask them, I'm just going to hang up and wait for you to answer. Number one, have you heard my prayer? Number two, why do you do things the way you do them? They hurt me. They confuse me. I cannot explain them to anybody. Those are my questions, Lord. Click. I'm waiting on an answer.
God said, "Then I'm going to give you two answers. You asked two questions, I'm going to give you two answers. But before I answer them, know two things. I'm going to work a work in you in your days. But if I tell you now, you won't be able to understand it. But count on it. I'm already working on it. Number two, while I'm telling you all these things, and while you're watching all of this misery, remember this, the Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him." When nobody's talking to you, and when it seems like I'm not responding to you, don't you ever forget I'm God, and I'm on the throne. Nobody can pull me down. Nobody can negate my work. When I decide something, it's done for eternity. You can't undo what I've decided to do. All of your complaining is not going to move me to do one thing faster or better. I am God. I sit in authority. I am sovereign. I created everything. I know all about you. I know your heart. I know your mind, your life, your family. I know your environment. So, just be still and let me be God for a little while, and I will work everything out.
Church, do you believe this, or are you just clapping? All right, he says, here are my answers. Mark it down, he said. That's what it means when when he writes, "Write the vision." Write the answer. Write the revelation. Write it down. "I'm about to speak to your. Write what I tell you down. Make it plain on tablets. That he who runs may read it." Whether you're running to something or from something, make the letters big enough, make my answer plain enough, so that when you're running, you can read it and remember what I'm about to tell you. And that is, the answer is for an appointed time. At the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not tarry. There it is. There's your first answer. I heard you crying. I heard you praying. I'm not answering yet because I'm working things out. Over here and over there. I'm working all things out. It's not just you I'm working on and working in. I'm working on them and that. And I'm adjusting and I'm turning. And I'm making everything work so that I get all the glory, and you will get all of the benefits.
So, can you just let me be God? Can you quit crying and complaining about how bad it is and let me be God? Will you trust me that I already have the solution? That no matter how bad it looks, that's what you're seeing with these eyes. But I want you to see with these eyes. And that's the second answer he gave him. "The just shall live by his faith." There it is. Lord, have you heard me? Not only have I heard you, but I'm giving you the answer, and it's on the way. And it's an appointed time at a certain place. If I were to show you now, you wouldn't believe it. If I were to reveal it to you, you couldn't handle it. So, just trust me that in the meantime, I'm preparing you for the very answer you have prayed for.
"The just shall live by his faith." Jesus said when they came to him one time, the messengers of John the Baptist, and they said, "Lord, your cousin John wants to know if you're the Messiah. Question, what, what, what should we tell him?" He said, "You go back and tell cousin John, the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and whoa, hang on, and blessed is he who is not offended in me." That's the most important part. And blessed is the one who doesn't get upset when I don't do things when they think I should. Blessed is the one that will get their hands off of my business and let me work it out. Blessed is the one who trusts me enough to when they pray it, back up and see the salvation of the Lord. Blessed is the one who will not stumble because it seems to be going in reverse rather than, oh, I'm blessing myself. Sorry. I'm sorry. Blessed is the one who will get out from under the covers and ignore the rain and the fog and the dismal atmosphere and get up and remember that the Lord is in his holy temple. He didn't take a break. He didn't go out for a smoke. He's not on vacation. He hasn't ignored you. He's not tired. The Lord does not get weary. The Lord sits, and the Lord waits, and the Lord reigns, and the Lord controls everything. Blessed is the one that will let God be God.
Oh, praise God's name today. So, can you do that? What have you been doing while you've been waiting? How have you been acting? When you can't hear him and you can't see any results, how have you responded to that? Did you murmur a little bit? Did you wonder if it works anymore? Did you listen to the enemy tell you that you're a fool? Did you let what you see determine what you believe? Rather than determining by faith what you actually see? You know, this is, I got to get the tape. If you see these eyes, that will affect, or with these eyes, it affects your faith. But if you see with these eyes, it affects what you see. And instead of seeing a late God or a deaf God, you will see a punctual, faithful, sovereign Father who is busily engaged in the affairs of his world, but intimately involved in the affairs of your heart.
So, what you've been doing while you've been waiting? You've been waiting on an answer, been waiting on some results. I don't think I'm going to rush through this, folks. Because as I look around, and as, as best as I can see, because of those heat lamps up there, I'm looking at people who had high hopes about something at one time or several times. You got good news, things seem to have changed. You're going, "Yes! Faith works! Yes! I had a good confession! Yes! I called this in prayer every morning in my prayer closet, and I checked it off on my list on the refrigerator. Yes!" But then the relapse. And then the burst bubble. Hope oozes out. And there you stand almost naked, feeling saying, "Me and my big mouth." I called my friends and said, "Worship with me, praise God with me. It's happening!" But now it looks like it's never going to happen. And in that time, that waiting period, what do you do? A lot of people quit going to church. A lot of people just get bitter at God. A lot of people have a kind of uh, spiritual animosity towards anybody that seems to be getting blessed right now. They say, "Help me rejoice. The Lord has touched my family." And they go, "I don't want to rejoice with you. My family's a mess." You see, we're just human beings. And we fall into that. The question is, what are you doing while you're waiting?
You don't mind if I, I bring up a scripture I used last week, do you? Okay. Well, then let's go to jail. Let's go to Philippi. Let's see Paul and Silas being tied to a whipping post, unjustly whipped, no trial, flesh torn off their backs, and then the mob takes them to the jailer and says to the jailer, "These men are trouble. You better not let them out." And he was afraid for his job and his life. So, he took Paul and Silas and thrust them into the innermost prison. That means he, they were on the, in the center, in the middle, on the bottom, and there were other prisoners around them. Now, they'd been preaching the gospel and performing miracles. How do you end up here when you are directly smack dab in the middle of God's will, when you've done everything the right way? And there they are, their feet fastened in stocks. They can't lie down because their backs still bleeding, and it stings, and it's, it's pitch black dark, and it stinks because that's also somebody's restroom down there. But at midnight, when it can't get any bleaker, blacker, darker, or more painful, but at midnight, yes, I'm yelling, yes, I'm going to yell the rest of this message. But at midnight, when everybody else would have gone to sleep, but everybody else would have given up, but at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God. While they were waiting for God to vindicate them, while they were waiting for God to relieve their misery, they prayed and they praised God that they were in his holy will. Hallelujah to God.
So once again, we read that little phrase that says, "And the prisoners were listening to them." I love that. That's why I'm repeating it. "And the prisoners were listening to them." Okay, you're a believer. You're in a bad spot right now. You're saying, "God, I'm crying, and you're not hearing me. God, why do you do things this way? Nothing's happening in your life." But you're surrounded by prisoners, people who don't know Jesus. Here it goes. What are they hearing you say? I mean, what I'm preaching here. What are the prisoners around you? They are truly prisoners. You're free. Oh, you may be beat up. You may, they've been whipped. You may be in stocks, and you might be in the innermost prison, but they're the ones that are in jail. You're as free as a man can be. What are the prisoners hearing you say and pray? That's why God has entrusted you to be there. Can you, can you just suffer a little while till God works things out for his glory? Can you, I'm asking you, church, just a little while. Would you let God work things out and you suffer just a little while? For the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. Folks, if you knew, I don't, I'm just supposed to preach about it. I can't comprehend it. If you knew the weight of glory, the eternal weight of glory that is waiting on you, you would not complain this little short span of time, no matter how bad it feels. You wouldn't complain. You'd say, "What I'm going through is not worthy to be in the same sentence with what God has prepared for them that love him."
So, you praise him. Will you let, just let God work it out? Stop trying to maneuver it. Quit trying to confess something. Because you really don't know what to confess. You just know what you want. And there's a difference, a great difference, in what you want and what God has decided to do. Can you just let him be God? And that's where Habakkuk said, "God, I'm sorry. I see now that you've got a big thing going on in the world. It's not just all about me. I see that you are arranging situations, and you've never stopped working on our behalf. I see now that if it takes just a few days of doing without or suffering for you to bring glory to yourself and answer to your people, I'm willing to be a part of that. I'm sorry I complained. I'm sorry I answered a question and hung up the phone and thought you owed me an answer." In fact, God, this is how I feel right now. I love these verses of scripture. They tear me up.
"Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vine, though the fruit of the olive may fail, and there's no food in the field, there's no sheep in the pasture, no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation." That's what you do. See? Hallelujah to God. That's what you do. You quit looking at you. You stop doting on you. You stop living a melancholy lifestyle because of the things that aren't happening yet, and you say, "Hey, I may have to go through a time when there's no fruit on the vine, and no cattle in the stall, and no food in the field, and no fire in my soul, and I feel like my faith has evaporated away, and people don't understand me. I might have to go through a dry time when I don't feel like I can get a prayer through. Yet, yet, oh God, yet I'm going to rejoice. I can't do anything else, and I can't do anything better than rejoice in the God of my salvation." Hallelujah.
Has anybody tried it recently? He went on to say, "God is the strength of my life. He will make my feet like deer feet. He will make me to jump and dwell in my..." Can I preach just a minute here? "...my high places. He said, 'He will make my feet like deer's feet.' In other words, right now I'm dragging. I feel like I'm wearing 12 double D's through life. I'm walking through peanut butter. I can't seem to pick my feet up. I'm stuck down here in this valley, this low place, this gray, gloomy, foggy, drizzly low place. I've heard nothing but bad reports. It looks like God has gone to sleep. I don't know where he's going to move. I don't know if he's going to move. My feet are heavy. My life is low, but he will make my feet like deer's feet. He will make them tiny. They'll laugh at me now. He said, 'I'll have skinny legs like a deer.' I won't be dragging through life, but while I'm crying, I'm climbing. While I'm hurting, I'm ascending. He will make me jump from one place to another until I get to that place where God alone is worthy of everything."
Somebody help me praise him in here. Don't sit down. I'm about finished. There comes a time when you realize I'm going, I'm climbing. I'm jumping from a higher place to another higher place. And there is a place. It's called my place. God said to Moses, "There is a place by me. Come and dwell here." Folks, that's where we're headed. To a place by him. It's not even when we get to heaven. There's a place right now so close to God you can't imagine it. But, but you having to cry right now, but while you cry, you're climbing. And you're going to get to your high place in spite of it all. What's no sense in recapping anything, is there? You already heard the best thing you can do right now, regardless of what it looks like, is rejoice. Rejoice. I rejoice, Jesus. Rejoice. I can't figure out, honestly, why people relapse. Cuz I got a fellow sitting right back there who was not only a drug addict, but a dealer. He's sitting back over there. Yeah. A dealer. He stumbled into this church one Sunday. Sat up there. And when we started, he, he said to me the other night, "These crazy people started lifting their hands and shouting amen and hallelujah. And I thought, who are these crazy people?" Some of you still think we're crazy. You can't figure out why. If you ever get touched the way I've gotten touched by God, you won't ever question why again. God saved him. Saved him and delivered him. He said, "I haven't had a pill, haven't dealt a pill in, I forgot how many years." He's been married almost 10 years, married a beautiful girl in this church, and they have a beautiful Christian family. He said, "God delivered me." So, can it be done?
Oh, yeah. I don't understand all the whys about that, but I know this. Jesus Christ is stronger than addiction. He's stronger than devils. There is no power like the power of Jesus Christ. And so, I'm telling you, instead of you in your weakness trying to manipulate and maneuver, why don't you back off and do the best thing you can do, and that is rejoice. Rejoice. Why aren't you joining me right now? I rejoice. I rejoice in the God of my salvation. I rejoice in the God of my salvation. While I'm crying, I'm climbing. I rejoice in the God of my salvation. Everything I go through takes me to a better level. I'm on my way to a better place. I rejoice in God my savior.
I wonder if you'd take two minutes with me this morning. Let's sing to God. Anybody got a testimony? Sing it, David. Praise to the Lord. I sing praise. Praise to the Lord. For He is and merciful. His love is great. He's so wonderful. We sing to you. When you go out of here, try going out rejoicing today. Just under your breath, or you could, don't, don't make a scene, you know. Just go out, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. On the way to the car, what would be wrong with filling the parking lot with praises to the Lord? It doesn't end in here. It doesn't, it doesn't become about the Panthers when we get out of the building or anything else. We're Christians. Our life is Jesus. Our whole conversation ought to bless the name of the Lord. Can I get somebody to agree with me? We'll rejoice. We rejoice in Christ Jesus the Lord. Until tomorrow night at 7:00, unless Jesus comes. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen. God bless you. Rejoice in the Lord always. Amen.
Good morning and good to see you everybody today. Let's go to God's word. The 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. Everyone said, "Amen."
Would you please read with me from Second Timothy chapter 3, beginning with verse 1. Are you ready? Now, you're the quiet crowd, so 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, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, 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, 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. Those who profess it do just that. They talk. But there is no power, no fruit, no oil, no fire.
There's a member of this church by the name of Nate Stephens. 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 water brooks, I want my soul to pant after God." Godliness, 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 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 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 indeed 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, something to the effect, "Sometimes it's just so hard being human." Right? I 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 a week and a half ago. I was awakened in the middle of the night. And I had this, I can't, 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. That 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 there 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? Cuz 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 lays 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 go, come to him in confidence. Cuz you believe he's the God of truth, that 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, 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've 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, 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 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, I bring this to your attention this morning. 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 at 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 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 terse 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've 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 any more, 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. 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 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."
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 rendezvous, 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 to 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 worshipping 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 Achan. 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." Achan 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's 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 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 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. 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 and 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] [applause] >> Some of you still haven't moved. You know, I was recently in a setting. The music was over the 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. 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 HAVE NEED 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] [cheering] >> 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 this sin thing will kill you comfort and sin 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 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 as he lived. He recognized [music] 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." 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 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 can keep you from coming to Christ with faith and confidence. 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 of thousands of people like this because every grade of spirituality and every degree is different. But I'm 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. And Lord, I'm asking that you raise up a church of bold, confident 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? 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. I pray for conviction. I pray for people of this church to realize this is not a place you attend on Sunday. This is a battalion 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. God's workmanship. We are hungry for God. We want to be godly people. Can I get an amen? So, may the God of all peace who raised Jesus from the dead, 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 this day be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, my redeemer. Amen. Blessings on you. See you Wednesday night [music] for Monday night prayer meeting.