back to indexBerean Community Church Sunday Service October 16, 2022
00:00:30.920 |
A matchless king of all, made the blood pass for me. 00:13:39.400 |
You came from heaven to earth to show the way. 00:13:52.400 |
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, 00:14:42.320 |
You came from heaven to earth to show the way. 00:14:55.280 |
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, 00:15:04.760 |
You came from heaven to earth to show the way. 00:15:17.720 |
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, 00:16:03.520 |
Let me get a few announcements before we get started. 00:16:09.080 |
First of all, today, our members meeting is at 2 o'clock. 00:16:12.880 |
And so that's just enough time for you to go grab lunch, 00:16:15.440 |
come back, and right at 2 o'clock-- not 202, not 203, 00:16:20.080 |
So please come into this room before we make an announcement 00:16:28.360 |
And then after that, obviously, we have booths that are set up. 00:16:31.360 |
And even if you're not a member and you just kind of want 00:16:33.760 |
to know what's going on at church, you can go and visit. 00:16:54.360 |
and how different people are serving at the church. 00:16:56.680 |
And so that's going to start right at 2 o'clock. 00:16:59.600 |
You can grab it and come back and eat it in the cafe, 00:17:05.200 |
College Welcome Lunch is happening on October 23 00:17:31.400 |
And then for those of you who will participate, 00:17:35.580 |
sign up so that they can put you into the groups, 00:17:44.400 |
has a fasting and prayer sign up that's outside. 00:17:53.000 |
trying to invite for November 6, where the gospel message is 00:17:56.920 |
And then there's going to be a Q&A session afterwards. 00:17:59.880 |
But even if that's not the case, if you can sign up and help 00:18:03.200 |
pray for them, and even if that's not the case, 00:18:07.080 |
my message this morning is going to be on prayer and fasting. 00:18:10.000 |
And so I want to encourage you guys to get in the habit 00:18:13.960 |
So if you want to do that without signing up, 00:18:17.280 |
But if you want to participate and get emails as a reminder, 00:18:21.320 |
there is a table set up outside for prayer and fasting table. 00:18:24.600 |
So if you can go there and sign up, it'll be easier. 00:18:27.140 |
I think we've been having some issues online accessing 00:18:36.560 |
This morning, after we pray for the offering and pray set, 00:18:45.600 |
So again, if you are visiting us for the first time, 00:18:52.440 |
As you're going out, you can drop off your offering there. 00:18:54.960 |
And for the rest of you, if you are paying electronically, 00:19:00.800 |
But we want to encourage you to use Zelle more than the others 00:19:07.340 |
Gracious, loving Father, we thank you so much for loving us, 00:19:19.280 |
reviving us, that we may worship you, love you, honor you. 00:19:27.400 |
to guide us and lead us, that your spirit will convict us, 00:19:33.560 |
Lord, let our singing be done in spirit and in truth. 00:19:39.800 |
done as an act of worship, Lord God, to please you 00:19:44.040 |
May it be multiplied for your use, your kingdom, 00:20:57.840 |
This first song, we introduced it last week from Everlasting. 00:21:04.240 |
And I would like to continue to read Psalm 90 from verse 12. 00:21:17.480 |
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 00:21:20.880 |
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 00:21:23.920 |
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, 00:21:34.520 |
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, 00:21:51.400 |
O God, before the mountains were brought forth, 00:22:07.760 |
O'er days of spring and summer felt the earth, 00:22:49.240 |
And though our days are held within your hands, 00:23:06.160 |
We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting God. 00:23:30.120 |
and loss reminds us life is but a sigh, from everlasting 00:23:47.080 |
And though our days are held within your hands, 00:24:00.520 |
We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting God. 00:24:31.840 |
but by your grace you're making all things new. 00:25:03.280 |
And though our days are held within your hands, 00:25:17.240 |
We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting God. 00:25:27.240 |
And though our days are held within your hands, 00:25:41.200 |
We rest within the wisdom of your plan, everlasting God. 00:26:13.520 |
For lawbreakers and thieves, for the worthless, the least. 00:26:34.960 |
Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery, 00:27:12.360 |
The matchless king of all paid the black class for me. 00:27:27.320 |
The vilest sinner's cause can be blest, can be free. 00:27:37.800 |
Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery, 00:28:11.640 |
The songs of gratefulness ever rise, never cease. 00:28:26.600 |
my heart is satisfied in the riches of Christ. 00:28:33.080 |
Oh, what an amazing mystery, what an amazing mystery, 00:29:02.960 |
Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see, 00:29:18.400 |
Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see, 00:29:30.360 |
Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see, 00:29:46.240 |
Oh, what an amazing love I see, what an amazing love I see, 00:30:57.200 |
In fact, I'm not the same person I was three years ago 00:31:04.200 |
I'm not the same person I was three years ago when 00:31:22.200 |
when describing what the blood of Christ did for me. 00:31:38.200 |
but I allowed it to drive every decision I ever made 00:31:45.200 |
He allowed me to go through so much tribulation that 00:32:01.200 |
I was raised in a Christian God-fearing home. 00:32:05.200 |
God was ever-present in my daily life, or in our daily lives. 00:32:12.200 |
It would be impossible to suggest or to even think 00:32:22.200 |
that God was the foundation which our family was built upon. 00:32:29.200 |
and their relationship and their love for Christ 00:32:38.200 |
Yet I struggled every day since I was a child 00:32:51.200 |
Yet being the loving, almighty, wonderful father 00:33:04.200 |
From elementary school till the end of high school, 00:33:08.200 |
I suffered from depression, anxiety, suicide, anorexia, 00:33:14.200 |
drugs, alcohol abuse, and the inability to cope. 00:33:36.200 |
I was a broken mess, seeking love and comfort 00:33:43.200 |
Yet I never found it because I was never looking 00:33:52.200 |
In fact, I rejected him the same way people rejected me. 00:34:00.200 |
like I was garbage piled up on the side of the road. 00:34:12.200 |
was my last year of high school, my junior year. 00:34:22.200 |
Even unconscious, I could hear my mama and my daddy 00:34:25.200 |
crying out to God that I was born to bring God glory 00:34:30.200 |
and that they'd continue to hold on to that dream 00:34:41.200 |
and that they trusted that he would do just that. 00:34:56.200 |
I believe he was telling me that it was now or never, 00:35:05.200 |
everything I desired, and everything I needed was him. 00:35:09.200 |
No matter how far I pushed him away, he loved me anyway. 00:35:17.200 |
and struggled to understand why I was so moved by God 00:35:20.200 |
to live for him when I was so desperate to end my life. 00:35:25.200 |
I cried out to God and prayed for forgiveness, 00:35:29.200 |
that I would live the life he had planned for me 00:35:40.200 |
To be the air that I breathe, the reason I live, 00:35:47.200 |
Although unsure if I would be able to walk daily as a believer 00:35:51.200 |
and stand firm for the word and for my faith in Christ, 00:35:58.200 |
at that moment, I knew I would be choosing to walk alongside my parents 00:36:03.200 |
and their support in walking the straight and narrow 00:36:14.200 |
A book my daddy often talked about was the book of Joshua. 00:36:19.200 |
How fitting, since his only son is named Joshua. Ha ha. 00:36:27.200 |
But during this time, two verses my daddy often mentioned 00:36:32.200 |
that would help me look at my fears and uncertainty 00:36:39.200 |
Joshua 1.9, "Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. 00:36:47.200 |
Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord our God is with you 00:36:56.200 |
And Joshua 24.15, "But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, 00:37:03.200 |
choose for yourself today whom you will serve, 00:37:14.200 |
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. 00:37:20.200 |
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." 00:37:25.200 |
I cannot say that life was peachy keen after choosing to walk this walk of faith. 00:37:32.200 |
There were many more heartbreaking trials and tribulations that I would go through, 00:37:38.200 |
terrible decisions that my sin and worldly desires would choose to go through, 00:37:43.200 |
and struggles I still wrestle with to this day. 00:37:48.200 |
But daily I put my trust in the one who saves, 00:37:51.200 |
and daily I pray for endurance to continue to run towards God and flee from temptation. 00:37:59.200 |
As of September 24th this year, I am now three years in my sobriety from drugs and alcohol. 00:38:27.200 |
He has been there every step of the way, guiding me, holding my hand, 00:38:45.200 |
The educators in my life called me stupid and hopeless, 00:38:50.200 |
and a medical professional referred to me as unsalvageable, worthless. 00:38:57.200 |
As much as I wanted to accept all those titles in my life, Christ died so that I could be saved. 00:39:05.200 |
He loved me so much that he did not let me go to someone like me, 00:39:10.200 |
who has felt worthless my whole life, yet to be told that I am worth a lot, 00:39:18.200 |
that God sent his only son, whom he loved so much, to die so that I could live 00:39:24.200 |
and have a fighting chance to be in his presence. 00:39:32.200 |
I am who I am because the I am tells me who I am, and I am his. 00:40:38.200 |
Thank you, Grace, for that powerful testimony. 00:40:50.200 |
If you can turn your Bibles to 2 Chronicles 7, 13-14. 00:40:55.200 |
I'm going to be taking a one-week break, and I want to talk about prayer and fasting. 00:41:15.200 |
"If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, 00:41:22.200 |
or if I send pestilence among my people, and my people who are called by my name 00:41:26.200 |
humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, 00:41:32.200 |
then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 00:41:40.200 |
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would anoint this time, anoint these words. 00:41:45.200 |
May it go forth and accomplish what you have ordained. 00:41:51.200 |
I pray, Father God, that as we have come to seek you, open our eyes, soften our hearts, our ears, 00:42:01.200 |
that we may hear from you and you alone. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 00:42:07.200 |
The reason why I wanted to take this day to emphasize the prayer and fasting 00:42:12.200 |
is because of what we see going on around us. 00:42:18.200 |
Those of you who have been a Christian for a while, 20, 30, 40 years, maybe plus, 00:42:25.200 |
imagine if we fell asleep in the 80s and 90s, and we woke up today to see what is going on around us. 00:42:36.200 |
It is shocking. It is shocking how far the church has fallen, 00:42:42.200 |
how far our society has embraced immorality so openly, 00:42:49.200 |
and has become so desensitized because the media is pushing it in our face. 00:42:57.200 |
Now, it happened, obviously, through the years. 00:43:01.200 |
And we'd be shocked by one thing, and then we'd get used to it, 00:43:04.200 |
and push the envelope further, and then we'd get used to it and push the envelope further. 00:43:08.200 |
But if you remember what it was like back in the 80s or 90s, or even just 20 years ago, 00:43:16.200 |
it is shocking what is on television. It is shocking what the politicians are saying. 00:43:24.200 |
We have today in our culture where abortion is being debated inside the church. 00:43:33.200 |
Again, if this is the only Christianity you've known, maybe it's normal to you, 00:43:41.200 |
but even the most liberal of denominations, this discussion was not going on inside the church. 00:43:50.200 |
The killing of babies is being debated among Christians or professing Christians. 00:43:58.200 |
The government is trying to get it so that young children can choose to have a sex change 00:44:11.200 |
And they are trying to even push that if the parents are against it, 00:44:15.200 |
that child services can come and actually take away your children. 00:44:22.200 |
This is not just wrong, it's shocking that this is even being debated, 00:44:30.200 |
And if you speak against that in the medical field, you could even lose your license. 00:44:42.200 |
We've always talked about it. We've always prayed for North Koreans. 00:44:46.200 |
We've prayed for the communist government in China and the Middle East. 00:44:52.200 |
This week, there was an article that came out that PayPal was actually going to target people 00:45:02.200 |
Meaning, we know exactly who they're targeting. 00:45:06.200 |
If you basically say that homosexuality is wrong, that you're against sex change for children, 00:45:13.200 |
that they have the right to come into your bank account and take $2,500 from your bank account and shut you down. 00:45:24.200 |
We're trying to move away from PayPal right now. 00:45:29.200 |
The fact that they had the audacity to actually even leak that out, 00:45:34.200 |
that half the country, more than half the country, believes that this is wrong. 00:45:39.200 |
And to have no ripple in our culture that somebody's saying something like that. 00:45:44.200 |
I mean, obviously, every biblically-minded Christian would have to take that stand, 00:45:56.200 |
And if PayPal is bold enough to say something like that, 00:46:00.200 |
think about all the other institutions that are openly hostile toward the Christian faith. 00:46:08.200 |
So, we are in a culture where it is not possible to be a nominal Christian. 00:46:15.200 |
That our environment is forcing us to take a stand. 00:46:24.200 |
That you will either live your life compromised in the biblical faith, 00:46:29.200 |
professing to know God, and yet by your life denying Him, 00:46:36.200 |
Banks are going to target you. Your school is going to target you. 00:46:40.200 |
We're not that far away from college entrance interviews 00:46:46.200 |
that they will ask you, "What is your position on homosexuality?" 00:46:50.200 |
And if you give the wrong answer, they will not let you in based on that answer. 00:46:53.200 |
We are not that far away from your job interviews. 00:46:56.200 |
I'm not talking about years. I'm talking about even now. 00:47:00.200 |
The companies are actually openly saying things like that. 00:47:05.200 |
If they interview you and they ask you that question, 00:47:09.200 |
And you give the wrong answer, if you give the biblical answer, 00:47:17.200 |
On top of that, we've been talking about nuclear war 00:47:22.200 |
probably the closest to we've ever heard before, at least in my lifetime. 00:47:25.200 |
And I know that there was a Cuban Missile Crisis back then. 00:47:31.200 |
where there's actually talks about, "Was Russia crazy enough to do this?" 00:47:37.200 |
And if they do, what are we going to do about it? 00:47:42.200 |
Maybe some of you, it's a little bit more personal than that. 00:47:55.200 |
Maybe you're having problems at home with your wife and husband. 00:47:59.200 |
Maybe you're struggling with your children, uncertainty of future, 00:48:08.200 |
So when we're in these situations, our temptation is to, first and foremost, 00:48:13.200 |
especially in the Western world, is we need to organize. 00:48:16.200 |
We need to march. We need to get enough signatures. 00:48:19.200 |
And we need to get people in the right office. 00:48:21.200 |
We need to change this legislation. We need to fight all of this. 00:48:24.200 |
And all of these things have its place, and it's great. 00:48:29.200 |
The majority of the people in the world do not have the freedom to speak. 00:48:36.200 |
So when the government says that if you go to church, we will shut down your business, 00:48:40.200 |
they have no way to fight that, the majority of the people. 00:48:45.200 |
We have the freedom to speak. We have the freedom to march. 00:48:52.200 |
But along with that, there is a great temptation to think 00:48:55.200 |
that we're going to fight their power with our power. 00:49:03.200 |
The text that I read in 2 Corinthians 7, 13-14 is a dedication service 00:49:08.200 |
after they built the temple where God comes and says, 00:49:11.200 |
"This is the reason why this temple was built." 00:49:13.200 |
And to remind Israel of that time and for many generations to come 00:49:17.200 |
that this is the purpose of God's presence in Israel. 00:49:21.200 |
He says, "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain." 00:49:26.200 |
You notice here, He says, "If I shut up the heavens." 00:49:31.200 |
He doesn't say, "When your enemies have become strong." 00:49:35.200 |
He didn't say, "When poor decisions have been made." 00:49:40.200 |
And even to this day, as crazy as things have become in our generation, 00:49:47.200 |
God is not any less sovereign today than He was yesterday 00:49:53.200 |
He's the same sovereign God who has absolute control over all things. 00:49:57.200 |
He says, "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, 00:50:07.200 |
if you see that there is desperateness in your land, 00:50:22.200 |
then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, 00:50:27.200 |
He says, "I will hear, and I will heal, and I will forgive 00:50:33.200 |
if you recognize that it is I who is sovereign." 00:50:38.200 |
Our natural tendency in the Western world is to organize, 00:50:42.200 |
to march, to elect, to speak, to have conferences, 00:50:53.200 |
especially because we have the freedom to do that. 00:51:01.200 |
when we see that we are desperate and we are in need, 00:51:05.200 |
is to humble ourselves before God and seek His face. 00:51:21.200 |
See, in the early church, fasting was a given. 00:51:35.200 |
In fact, I am saying this because of the exact opposite. 00:51:45.200 |
We just plug in the holes, do the right thing, 00:51:48.200 |
place the right people, certain personalities, 00:51:51.200 |
certain giftedness, and we can keep this thing going. 00:52:00.200 |
We can hold on to a form of godliness and yet have no power. 00:52:05.200 |
We work hard, we labor to establish what we can do, 00:52:15.200 |
You know the testimony that Grace gave this morning? 00:52:18.200 |
No amount of counseling would have changed her. 00:52:21.200 |
No amount of program, no amount of discipleship 00:52:31.200 |
And I believe probably the prayers of her parents 00:52:34.200 |
brought the power of the gospel into her life. 00:52:40.200 |
there's no amount of work, no amount of marching, 00:52:42.200 |
no amount of writing that can bring a soul that was that lost 00:52:47.200 |
to be able to give her testimony this morning. 00:52:56.200 |
"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as hypocrites do." 00:53:01.200 |
He didn't say, "When you decide," or "If you pray." 00:53:09.200 |
In fact, if you read the scriptures in the Old Testament and New Testament, 00:53:12.200 |
you cannot escape example after example of example 00:53:19.200 |
In Acts 13.2, when the first missionaries were being sent out, 00:53:22.200 |
it said, "While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, 00:53:26.200 |
the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart from me Barnabas and Saul 00:53:36.200 |
Acts 14.23, "When they had appointed elders for them in every church, 00:53:42.200 |
they commanded them to the Lord in whom they had believed." 00:53:46.200 |
Even Jesus himself, before he enters into ministry, 00:53:49.200 |
he goes into the woods and he prays and he fasts for 40 days and 40 nights. 00:53:58.200 |
where it says, "Well, God said this and God said that." 00:54:01.200 |
But we forget, and then we emphasize in that, 00:54:04.200 |
that we need to know the Word of God because Satan is going to twist the Word of God. 00:54:08.200 |
But we sometimes skim over the fact that he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights 00:54:17.200 |
A call to prayer and fast is the first response 00:54:28.200 |
Not something we do after we have planned, after we have worked, 00:54:31.200 |
say, "Lord, bless our work, bless our speech, bless this sermon." 00:54:34.200 |
But the first thing that God calls us to do is to humble ourselves and pray and seek him. 00:54:40.200 |
Whatever we do without prayer and fasting leads to arrogance. 00:54:45.200 |
It leads to human reliance. It leads to our pride. 00:54:49.200 |
We think that our organization somehow did it. 00:54:53.200 |
That our way of discipleship is somehow more superior than the church down the street. 00:54:57.200 |
That my pastor can preach better than your pastor. 00:55:00.200 |
And we become arrogant to think that it is our work, 00:55:04.200 |
it is our work, it is our ability, it is our talent, 00:55:16.200 |
"You cannot bear fruit until you abide in me." 00:55:25.200 |
Fasting is a way of humbling ourselves before God 00:55:29.200 |
because our natural tendency is to become proud. 00:55:34.200 |
Even with our children, if they do a little bit better, we compare with other children. 00:55:38.200 |
When they work a little bit faster, when they read a little bit better, 00:55:43.200 |
And as soon as we see ourselves a little bit better, 00:55:49.200 |
So if we're not actively seeking to humble ourselves, 00:55:54.200 |
it doesn't matter what kind of personality, whether you talk a lot, 00:55:58.200 |
or whether you have a soft voice, whether you're introverted or extroverted, 00:56:04.200 |
when we don't humble ourselves before the Lord, 00:56:06.200 |
we actively allow pride to seep into our hearts. 00:56:10.200 |
Fasting is one of the most tangible ways for us to humble ourselves before God. 00:56:16.200 |
Psalm 35, 13 says, "But as for me, when they were sick, 00:56:20.200 |
my clothing was sackcloth, and I humbled my soul with fasting." 00:56:28.200 |
So first and foremost, fasting is an active way for us to humble ourselves, 00:56:36.200 |
In fact, the Day of Atonement is the only time where God commanded fasting. 00:56:44.200 |
He says we ought to fast, but Day of Atonement, it was commanded to fast. 00:56:48.200 |
In fact, it was so prominent in the Israelites in Acts 27.9, 00:56:56.200 |
he calls the Day of Atonement "the fast," just simply "the fast." 00:57:00.200 |
If you read that not knowing, you wouldn't know that he's talking about the Day of Atonement. 00:57:07.200 |
Instead of saying, "The Day of Atonement, the Day of Atonement," 00:57:11.200 |
And the reason for that is because that's how the Bible describes it. 00:57:18.200 |
"On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month, in the Day of Atonement, 00:57:22.200 |
it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls 00:57:27.200 |
and present an offering by fire to the Lord." 00:57:30.200 |
On this Day of Atonement, they were all to fast. 00:57:34.200 |
It wasn't just a few priests and a high priest that went and did all the work 00:57:37.200 |
and the whole rest of the nation just stood there and watched. 00:57:44.200 |
Leviticus 23.32, "It is to be a Sabbath of complete rest to you, 00:57:49.200 |
and you shall humble your souls on the ninth of the month at the evening, 00:57:54.200 |
and evening until evening you shall keep your Sabbath." 00:57:57.200 |
The Day of Atonement was a constant reminder that they were in constant need of God. 00:58:04.200 |
Even if they had the greatest Day of Atonement last year, 00:58:06.200 |
even if they gave sacrifices throughout the year, 00:58:10.200 |
the Day of Atonement reminded them repeatedly over and over and over again 00:58:20.200 |
That's why in Joel 2.12-13, when Israel is called to repentance, it says, 00:58:25.200 |
"Yet even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, 00:58:28.200 |
and with fasting, weeping, and mourning, and rend your heart and not simply your garments. 00:58:35.200 |
Return to the Lord God, for He is gracious and compassionate, 00:58:38.200 |
slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness, and relenting of evil." 00:58:45.200 |
Jonah 3.5, when the reluctant prophet went and preached the gospel, 00:58:49.200 |
reluctantly, the power of God's message brings the whole evil city to repentance. 00:58:59.200 |
And this is the people of Nineveh believed God, and they called, "A fast," 00:59:02.200 |
and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. 00:59:07.200 |
So the first act of every Christian when we are faced with urgency 00:59:18.200 |
is not to organize, to write, to complain, to put fingers, to work harder. 00:59:25.200 |
No, the first and the most important thing that God calls us to do is to humble ourselves and pray, 00:59:37.200 |
Secondly, fasting is the greatest spiritual weapon that we have. 00:59:43.200 |
Not our intellect, not books, not training, but prayer. 00:59:53.200 |
Ephesians 6.10-12, it says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in strength of whose might? 00:59:57.200 |
His might. Not the might of the leaders, not the might of the organization, but His might." 01:00:06.200 |
Why? Because, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." 01:00:13.200 |
Schemes of the devil. There's a reason why this language is used, 01:00:16.200 |
because the devil's work is constant scheming. 01:00:22.200 |
When you are under the influence of our enemy, you do not know it. 01:00:28.200 |
And you notice here, he says, "Put on the full armor of God, so you can get your sword, 01:00:32.200 |
and go find where they are and attack them." He doesn't say that. 01:00:35.200 |
He said, "No, so that you can withstand the schemes of the devil." 01:00:39.200 |
In other words, he's constantly coming for you. 01:00:42.200 |
It's like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, and he's coming for you. 01:00:46.200 |
You don't have to go look for him. He's there. 01:00:48.200 |
And he says, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can withstand the scheme of the devil." 01:00:54.200 |
You see, when we are fighting for righteousness without prayer, 01:00:58.200 |
you are falling right into the trap of the scheme of the devil. 01:01:07.200 |
That you think that somehow, if you have enough accountability, 01:01:10.200 |
that if you read enough books, if you memorize enough scripture by your own strength, 01:01:14.200 |
that somehow you're going to overcome the scheming of the devil. 01:01:21.200 |
He says, "To rely on him, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood." 01:01:27.200 |
In other words, you're not going to see it coming. 01:01:30.200 |
You're not going to see it coming. You're not going to see, "There's the devil. There's what he's doing." 01:01:36.200 |
"Your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, 01:01:39.200 |
against the world, forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." 01:01:46.200 |
So when the devil is active, and it is effective, you don't even know about it. 01:01:55.200 |
And the more effective he is, the more you are unaware that that's what he's doing. 01:02:03.200 |
It is something that I've observed through the years, 01:02:07.200 |
that sometimes righteousness without prayer and humbling ourselves before God, 01:02:19.200 |
Because righteousness easily turns into self-righteousness when we are not humbled before God. 01:02:29.200 |
Every good thing that we do turns into judgment of others when we are not constantly humbled before God. 01:02:37.200 |
And so the devil schemes, even with the greatest intention, even with all our studies. 01:02:44.200 |
The devil is constantly scheming to trip us up. 01:02:48.200 |
And that's why he says, "After you put on the full armor of God," Ephesians 6, 18-19, 01:02:52.200 |
"with all prayer, petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert, 01:02:57.200 |
with all perseverance, petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf." 01:03:04.200 |
After you put on the full armor of God, he says, "Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray, pray." 01:03:18.200 |
You're not simply petitioning. You're crying out. 01:03:24.200 |
In Colossians 4, 2-3, it says, "Devote yourselves to prayer." 01:03:29.200 |
"Keep an alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. 01:03:40.200 |
where his disciples go out and they're casting out demons, 01:03:42.200 |
and they couldn't cast out this one particular demon, 01:03:44.200 |
and they come out and say, "Lord, we did all these miracles, and we couldn't cast out this demon." 01:03:51.200 |
He said, "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." 01:03:58.200 |
There are certain things that God will place in our lives 01:04:03.200 |
that can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. 01:04:08.200 |
God will allow certain things that are happening in our lives 01:04:16.200 |
There's turmoil, struggle, political, financial, whatever that may be. 01:04:21.200 |
There are certain things that God allows in our lives, in our generation, in our churches, 01:04:26.200 |
so that we can pray and fast and humble ourselves before Him. 01:04:29.200 |
Because God's greatest desire for us is not to live in peace and harmony. 01:04:35.200 |
It's not so that you and I can live in a country where we are free to gather together. 01:04:42.200 |
If living in a free country and having the freedom to say whatever we want, 01:04:46.200 |
raise our children however we want, evangelize wherever we want, 01:05:04.200 |
So sometimes persecution is what's best for us. 01:05:13.200 |
Sometimes financial instability is the best for us. 01:05:15.200 |
Sometimes the greatest thing that can happen to us is isolation and loneliness. 01:05:24.200 |
Because in the midst of loneliness, we find the preciousness of Christ. 01:05:30.200 |
When things are dark, the light shines even brighter. 01:05:35.200 |
The greatest thing that He has given us is to pray. 01:05:45.200 |
But fourth and finally, and this is where I want to camp out for a little bit, 01:05:49.200 |
because I believe that ultimately in Jesus' words, 01:05:53.200 |
fasting is an expression of hungering and thirsting for God. 01:05:58.200 |
Remember in Matthew 9, 14 to 15, John's disciples come and ask Jesus, 01:06:04.200 |
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast but your disciples do not fast?" 01:06:08.200 |
And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them. 01:06:14.200 |
Can they? For the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." 01:06:24.200 |
Why are they fasting before Jesus came, and then while they came they didn't fast, 01:06:28.200 |
and then after He leaves, He says they will fast again? 01:06:32.200 |
So according to Jesus, what is the purpose of fasting? 01:06:41.200 |
That's what He is saying here. He says, "Before I came, they were fasting. 01:06:45.200 |
But now that the bridegroom is here, there's no need to fast because I'm here with you. 01:06:49.200 |
But one day I will be gone and they will fast again." 01:06:52.200 |
So what is the purpose of fasting according to Jesus? 01:06:59.200 |
Longing for Christ is the most tangible way that you and I have to humble ourselves 01:07:08.200 |
More than food, more than entertainment, more than any temptation in this world, 01:07:21.200 |
In Luke chapter 14, 16-20, Jesus gives a story about people who wouldn't respond to the call to the banquet. 01:07:32.200 |
And obviously He's talking about the kingdom of God. 01:07:36.200 |
"He said to him, 'A man was giving a big dinner and he invited many. 01:07:39.200 |
And at the dinner hour, he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 01:07:50.200 |
The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it. 01:07:58.200 |
Another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to try them out. 01:08:05.200 |
Another one said, 'I have married a wife and for that reason I cannot come.'" 01:08:10.200 |
John Piper in his book, "Hunger for God," in explaining this text, says this, 01:08:15.200 |
"The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. 01:08:20.200 |
It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, 01:08:23.200 |
but the endless nibbling at the table of the world. 01:08:26.200 |
It is not the X-rated video but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night. 01:08:32.200 |
For all the ill that Satan can do when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of his love 01:08:39.200 |
is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife." 01:08:44.200 |
It is not Satan, it is not the powers, it is not the government, it is not Russia, it is not North Korea. 01:08:51.200 |
He says, "It is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife." 01:08:58.200 |
Fasting is one of the most tangible ways that we can come before God and say, "Yes, I am committed to you. 01:09:06.200 |
You are my groom. You are my Lord. You are my treasure. 01:09:14.200 |
I struggle, I am tempted, my eyes continue to wander, but Lord, help me. 01:09:21.200 |
I am married to you. I hunger and thirst for you." 01:09:28.200 |
In Psalm 42, 1 or 2, it says, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for you, O God." 01:09:37.200 |
When was the last time you can honestly say that you panted for Christ? 01:09:45.200 |
When was the last time you can read this Psalm and say, "Yes, this is my prayer. 01:09:52.200 |
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" 01:09:59.200 |
When was the last time you were so thirsty that you couldn't think of anything else but to drink? 01:10:14.200 |
The water that you drink of this world, you will drink and you will be thirsty again. 01:10:19.200 |
The bread that you eat, you will eat and then you will have to eat again. 01:10:25.200 |
He who eats of me and drinks of me will never hunger and never thirst. 01:10:30.200 |
Hungering and thirsting is expressed in our fasting. 01:10:37.200 |
He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." 01:10:50.200 |
Not the one who has the right friends or gotten a better job or saved enough money. 01:10:59.200 |
Not the ones who read more or more experiences. 01:11:02.200 |
No, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 01:11:08.200 |
If I was to take a survey in this room and ask how many of you are satisfied, 01:11:14.200 |
I know, I've been talking to all of you, but I've been in ministry long enough to know 01:11:19.200 |
That a large percentage of people at all times inside the church are always dissatisfied 01:11:29.560 |
A majority of us live day to day unsatisfied. 01:11:55.800 |
Thinking that if this changes, if my marriage changes, if my children changes, if I get 01:12:01.120 |
a better job, if I can pay off my bill, I could be satisfied. 01:12:07.080 |
But he says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. 01:12:15.120 |
Because our satisfaction doesn't come from this world. 01:12:18.800 |
There's nothing that the world can do to satisfy a soul that is hungering and thirsting for 01:12:45.800 |
He says those who are satisfied are those who recognize they're hungry and thirsting 01:12:56.520 |
We humble ourselves before God, recognizing that he is our satisfaction. 01:13:01.840 |
And so we empty ourselves of all distractions and say, "Lord, I want you." 01:13:10.980 |
If Christ and the gospel is nothing more than a security blanket, you don't need to do anything 01:13:19.940 |
Because you're already justified, most of you. 01:13:28.760 |
So there's nothing more to do because you're already arrived. 01:13:32.440 |
So from this point on, everything else that you're asked to do, everything that you feel 01:13:41.140 |
But if Christ is your life, you will be hungering and thirsting until the day you meet Christ. 01:13:49.100 |
See, whatever we find the greatest joy, we want more of it. 01:13:55.940 |
I've never heard somebody go to a restaurant and eat fantastic food and come out and say, 01:14:18.500 |
Even if you're tired at the end of your trip, you feel rested, don't you? 01:14:26.340 |
You'll work overtime in order to do it again. 01:14:30.180 |
If Christ is just your security blanket, you already have everything that you need. 01:14:35.220 |
But when Christ is your life, you become very sensitive to sin because sin hinders you from 01:14:47.920 |
If Christ is your life, every encumbrance that causes you in your path to Christ, you 01:14:59.700 |
See, fasting is for us to take a break and put aside everything and to come before the 01:15:10.780 |
I need you more than my bank account, more than my wife, more than my children. 01:15:33.980 |
The reason why I wanted to give this message is because our church is growing. 01:15:41.900 |
And humanly speaking, the pastors and elders are overwhelmed. 01:15:55.820 |
We need to rip up these walls again, make more seats. 01:16:01.260 |
We need more people in our children's department. 01:16:14.940 |
Even if we're not doing an A+ job, the church keeps growing. 01:16:24.340 |
He called us to make disciples of all the nations. 01:16:27.140 |
He didn't say make disciples of this many people. 01:16:32.420 |
But I have a growing sense of nervousness and anxiousness. 01:16:46.300 |
Because we've gone through this many times before. 01:16:52.540 |
The growing sense of anxiousness is we becoming more and more self-reliant. 01:16:58.940 |
That as a church continues to grow, and we become accustomed to doing things without 01:17:10.700 |
Because the worst place for a Christian to be is to be fruitful without dependence on 01:17:20.060 |
That things are happening when we're not desperately hungering and thirsting for them. 01:17:26.780 |
Because our natural tendency is to think, I know how to do this. 01:17:36.540 |
And so as a result of that, we become proud without desiring to be proud. 01:17:43.140 |
We're filled with self-reliance because we're growing. 01:17:49.460 |
And we are more susceptible to the schemes of the devil than ever. 01:17:55.340 |
The areas that you and I are the most weakened are the areas that you think you are the most 01:18:06.260 |
You know, when somebody comes up here, and every one of you who is baptized, you're not 01:18:14.340 |
So you spend a lot of time prepping, going over your grammar, praying, asking for people 01:18:20.380 |
to pray, making sure that God covers your weakness, that you don't say something heretical. 01:18:40.780 |
So I was nervous this morning because my son was up here. 01:18:45.740 |
But it's in the areas that we are, what we think we're good at, is where we're the most 01:18:54.700 |
If you're good with money, that's where you think you don't need God's help. 01:19:00.560 |
If you're good with people, you don't need to pray because you're good at it. 01:19:06.360 |
If you're good at organizing, you don't need God's help. 01:19:15.760 |
If you think you're smart, and you're wise, and you're articulate, that's where you are 01:19:22.260 |
Because we are the least dependent on the areas that we think we're good at. 01:19:29.660 |
Organizing forces us to humble ourselves and to empty ourselves and come before God and 01:19:40.820 |
Let me give you some dating advice, all right, since we're at the end of the sermon. 01:19:49.940 |
And those of you who aren't dating, all right, I'm going to get to you too, okay? 01:20:00.820 |
I don't know if you still do that on Facebook, right? 01:20:06.860 |
And you kind of poke to see who's interested, right? 01:20:12.420 |
Go on the website, like dating website, and it's like, you know, poke, poke, poke, poke, 01:20:18.420 |
I poked like 15 people, and then three of them poked back, right? 01:20:21.740 |
And they said, "Oh, I have a chance with these three." 01:20:26.340 |
And then so you poke a little bit further, and then, "Oh, one responded. 01:20:29.260 |
Okay, that's the one that I have the greatest chance." 01:20:31.860 |
And then you go out and you meet them, and then you get disappointed, right? 01:20:39.260 |
And so dating in this culture is just kind of like weighing the pros and cons, and where 01:20:44.780 |
do I have the greatest chance, and then see what works, and if it doesn't work, or they 01:20:52.740 |
Basically dating today is risk management, right? 01:20:56.020 |
You've learned to like how to save face, and the least risk, and the most chance, right, 01:21:06.340 |
As a father, and I'm telling you, I think all fathers will tell, will probably agree 01:21:16.900 |
Because you're, if you want to date somebody, you got to make up your mind first that that's 01:21:30.420 |
You're not tapping to see which one's ripe, right? 01:21:37.940 |
This person that you want to date may be the mother of your child. 01:21:46.140 |
This is a person that you're going to walk with, with the rest of your life. 01:21:51.060 |
So you're not just going or just randomly seeking which you have the greatest odds. 01:21:56.320 |
You have to pray, and you have to make up your mind that that's the one that I want. 01:22:07.740 |
You're supposed to put your neck out there so that she can say, nah. 01:22:12.460 |
But you've made up your mind, and you're willing to win her over. 01:22:18.020 |
So don't pick a girl that you're not willing to change your hairstyle for. 01:22:23.940 |
Don't pick somebody and say, God, if she doesn't like what I like, I don't like, that's not 01:22:29.540 |
Of course you're going to change your hairstyle. 01:22:32.460 |
Pick somebody that you're willing to die for. 01:22:36.680 |
Pick somebody and then work to get that person. 01:22:41.000 |
And if she says no, stick your neck out again. 01:22:54.020 |
But that's what dating was meant, that's what men are called to do. 01:22:58.460 |
You're supposed to pursue them, but you have to first make up your mind, is she the one 01:23:04.300 |
I think because of the way that we're dating, it overflows into our marriages. 01:23:09.980 |
We're kind of like, okay, I'm going to do this, I sacrifice, so you should sacrifice. 01:23:13.460 |
It's like, no, you're picking somebody that you're saying, I'm going to die for you. 01:23:20.100 |
As Christ died for me, I'm going to die for you. 01:23:22.380 |
So you don't go pick around to see which one's ripe. 01:23:24.900 |
No, you make up your mind, and then you commit to that. 01:23:36.240 |
But she's worth it because you've chosen her, and she has qualities that you want for the 01:23:46.140 |
So you make up your mind first before you go to her. 01:23:52.680 |
So that when you get married, and this is for married men, that you're willing to die 01:24:01.020 |
Yes, change your hairstyle, wear different pants, watch different movies. 01:24:10.600 |
But we have guys who can't give up a single thing. 01:24:22.940 |
How can you ask her to marry you if you're not willing to die for her? 01:24:29.060 |
I'm not trying to get into marriage counseling or dating counseling. 01:24:34.400 |
How much of our frustration is coming because we're poking around with Christ? 01:24:45.080 |
If I sacrifice this, am I really going to be able to get that? 01:24:50.240 |
And because of this fear, we're always watching Christ from a distance. 01:24:57.500 |
We get blessed by testimonies, people who talk about their love for Christ. 01:25:03.700 |
We're always regurgitating information that other people are sharing, but it's never yours 01:25:18.220 |
Christ wants us to know that he gave himself for us. 01:25:30.900 |
And he is worth everything that you can possibly imagine to give up. 01:25:39.740 |
Revelation 3.20 says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. 01:25:45.300 |
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him 01:25:55.980 |
Notice he didn't say, "Open the door so I can just come in." 01:25:58.460 |
He says, "Open the door so I can come in and dine with you, that I can have banquet with 01:26:03.580 |
He said, "I came to give life and to give this life abundantly." 01:26:15.180 |
He wanted to restore the life that God placed in you before sin came in. 01:26:20.860 |
He wanted you to know the joy, the everlasting joy that can only be found in the author of 01:26:34.180 |
He came to give life, to give this life abundantly. 01:26:39.060 |
So fasting and praying isn't just opening the door. 01:26:50.700 |
I'm going to be the one who's going to knock on this door. 01:26:57.260 |
So I'm going to put aside all this other stuff so that I can have Christ above all." 01:27:04.860 |
So for that end, I want to encourage all of us, including myself. 01:27:10.540 |
And I want to keep doing that because this is a big blind spot in the Western culture 01:27:19.580 |
I am so thankful that when I first became a Christian, that the people that was leading 01:27:29.340 |
Their weakness was the Bible teaching was shallow. 01:27:36.260 |
But man, to this day, when I think of prayer warriors, I mean, they pray. 01:27:45.420 |
And these are high school, young college students, from 10 to 3 in the morning, every Friday, 01:27:51.540 |
I don't know how many times we fell asleep, and then somebody would poke us and wake us 01:27:58.220 |
But that's how I understood what Christianity was, because that was when I first became 01:28:05.700 |
I am not preaching this message because that's where I am. 01:28:10.220 |
I am preaching this message because I have drifted far from that. 01:28:15.900 |
And I don't want our church to continue to go down this path. 01:28:21.940 |
Until we pray, we cannot, we cannot ask God to bless us. 01:28:31.220 |
Because as soon as we think we are blessed, without desperately hanging to Him, we will 01:29:04.180 |
As our worship team comes up, I want to encourage you to take this time to come before the Lord 01:29:16.860 |
Lord, I want to and I need to humble myself, to empty myself. 01:29:27.420 |
Even though I'm studying the Bible, even though I'm active at church, I've become independent 01:29:39.500 |
So as our worship team leads us, let's take some time to petition the Lord in our prayer. 01:33:31.900 |
You're my friends and you are my brother even though you are a king. 01:33:46.900 |
I love you more than any other, so much more than anything. 01:34:31.900 |
I want you, I want you more than gold or silver. 01:34:47.900 |
You alone are the real joy giver and the apple of my eye. 01:35:56.900 |
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 01:36:00.900 |
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 01:36:11.900 |
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 01:36:20.900 |
Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life. 01:36:24.900 |
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 01:36:29.900 |
Lord, help us that this would be our true confession. 01:36:33.900 |
That you are my shepherd, you are our shepherd, 01:36:37.900 |
and that we would desire nothing else and nothing more. 01:36:44.900 |
that you would allow us, give us the strength to be the aroma of Christ. 01:36:48.900 |
That we would commit ourselves to pray and seek your face. 01:38:19.900 |
And life is worth the living just because he lives.