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>> Good morning, church.
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>> Good morning.
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>> It is really good to see each
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and every one of you here today
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at Pioneer Memorial Church
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to worship with us
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on this wonderful Sabbath.
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So thank you one and all
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for being here.
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We also want to greet each
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member who is watching online
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or listening on the radio
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or accessing our service
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any other way.
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Today, we're here to worship
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God.
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Today, we're here to praise God,
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to worship God, to look to Him
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as a congregation and say, "God,
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what do you have for us today?"
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And so thank you for being here,
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because we know God will show up
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in very big ways
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for each and every person.
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Let's continue on with our
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worship service
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by our call-to-worship time.
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And so please join me
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when prompted
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by the words on the screen.
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And it begins by saying...
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Let's bow our --
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Let's bow our heads.
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God, today, we come together
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and we gather knowing that
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You are here and we gather
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because You are here.
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We ask that Your spirit touch
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our hearts and our lives.
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We ask that You come into us
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and fill us so that we can
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know more about You.
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We desire nothing
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but You today, God.
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And so, as we gather here,
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we ask, as You always are,
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to be here and change us
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to be better reflectors
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of your character.
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We ask this in your name. Amen.
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¤
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¤
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¤
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>> It happened just
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a few hundred yards
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from this very spot.
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It was last millennium.
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I was a seminary student,
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getting my master's,
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and along with me,
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a number of my friends decided
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to play football.
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Flag football.
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We joined with the intramural
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program here at the university.
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And just over yonder, over that
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way, a few hundred yards --
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It was winter, of course,
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we chose a name for our team.
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We called ourselves the Moombas.
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And I asked my friend
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who suggested and says,
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"What does that mean?"
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He said, "Well,
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they use it in Australia,
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and roughly translated, it means
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'Everybody have a good time.'"
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That sounds like our football
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team, because we certainly
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weren't going to win, so we
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might as well have fun, right?
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So, indeed,
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we did not win that much.
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We weren't the worst team,
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but we were definitely not in
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contention for first place.
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And one particular game
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exemplifies that fact
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with one glowing exception.
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We were down in the points.
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In fact, we were quite down.
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We were on defense,
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standing in our end zone.
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The offense had the ball the
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first or second yard line there.
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We were in danger of once again
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being scored upon when my friend
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Rob called time-out.
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Now, time-out is normal
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to be called for, you know,
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maybe the offense would plan
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something or whatnot,
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but defensive time-outs --
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that doesn't happen a whole lot.
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And what happened
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next hardly ever happens.
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My friend Rob called
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a defensive huddle.
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Now, a huddle -- that's
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where you gather all the players
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around in a circle
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and you talk strategy.
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And, again, usually, this is
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an offensive thing,
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not a defensive thing.
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But we're the Moombas
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and we're having a good time.
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So we gather in a huddle
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and we look to Rob.
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We said, "Well, what do you
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want?"
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He said, "Okay, here's the plan.
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When their center hikes the ball
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to their quarterback,
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the quarterback is going to drop
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back in the pocket.
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He's going to look and then he's
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gonna pass it
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straight down the middle.
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When he does so,
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I am going to leap
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in the air and block the shot --
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block the pass.
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And I'm going to block that ball
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right into --" and then he
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points to another guy in the
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huddle -- "right into your
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hands, so be ready."
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Now, normal people would think,
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"How do you know that?
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And if you know that,
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why didn't you tell us
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all the other plays
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for the rest of the season when
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we were losing so badly," right?
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But we're the Moombas.
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And so, "Break!"
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And our guy
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goes out to the side here.
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Rob lines up in the middle.
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Kid you not. True story.
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They snap the ball.
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The quarterback dropped back
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in the pocket.
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Looks left, looks right.
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Passes straight down the middle.
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Rob, who has the benefit
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of being 6'7" with
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the wingspan of the Titanic,
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jumps up and he swats the ball,
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and I kid you not, right into
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the waiting arms
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of our teammate.
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Now, the story should end
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where our guy runs all the way
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and scores a touchdown,
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we win the championship,
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and we have T-shirts.
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No, none of that happened.
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I think we lost the game
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just like we normally did.
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But for just the tiny, little
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ripple in the fabric of time
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that that little story made,
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I think it nonetheless
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illustrates quite well
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a profound truth.
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Sometimes, the only way to get
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done what needs to be done
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is to huddle up.
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And what's true in football
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is sometimes even more true
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in the church.
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Sometimes, to get done what
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needs to be done in the church
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can only get done
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when we huddle up.
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If you have a Bible,
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take a look, please,
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at 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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While you are looking that up,
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let me just briefly remind
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you where
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This is Part 4 and the final
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part of this series entitled
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"The Shot of a Lifetime."
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In Part 1, we learned
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what the shot of a lifetime is.
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The shot of a lifetime is not
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getting a dunk in a big game
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or hitting a home run
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or becoming rich or famous,
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as important as those things
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may be.
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The shot of a lifetime
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is coming to know
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Jesus Christ as your
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personal friend and savior.
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There's nothing
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better than that.
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There's nothing beyond it.
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It's the highest privilege
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that a human being can have.
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It is the ultimate.
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It is the shot of a lifetime.
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We also talked in those early
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parts about unity, that
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Jesus has called us
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to this immense level of unity.
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Jesus prayed, you know,
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John 17, "Father,
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may they be one as we are one.
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I in you, and you in me."
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Wow! That's sky-high unity.
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And we learned that that unity
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is not merely
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for the blessings of fellowship
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inside of the church,
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as good as those can be.
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It is primarily a blessing.
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It's a launching pad
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for discipleship, for helping
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other people to also know
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Jesus Christ as their personal
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friend and savior.
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We looked in Part 2 about
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how this is an individual call.
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God has called each one of us.
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Each one of us has been doused
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in the blessings of God,
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dripping wet
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with the blessings of God.
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Of course, the responsibility
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and the privilege,
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the joy of making disciples
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lies with each one of us.
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And last week, we talked, in
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Part 3, about the specific ways
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to reach other people for Jesus.
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We looked at spiritual gifts
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a little bit.
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creativity that God calls us to
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to reach other people for Him.
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Which brings us to Part 4.
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1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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Very short verse.
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And my guess is -- And
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those of you
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if you have your Bibles open,
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there's enough unanimity
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amongst the various
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translations that we can kind of
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do this one together.
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What's the first word
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of that verse?
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>> "Pray."
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>> "Pray." That's right.
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Pray without what?
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>> Ceasing.
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>> Ceasing.
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Pray without ceasing.
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Let me put that up here.
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1 Thessalonians 5:17.
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"Pray without ceasing."
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Now, the "pray" part
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we would expect, right?
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Even an atheist,
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if he walks into a church
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and cracks open a Bible,
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expects to see the word "pray"
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at some point, right?
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It's just part of the
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religious Christian drill.
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But pray without ceasing.
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Without ceasing.
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I mean,
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how many things do you do
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without ceasing, right?
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I remember when my daughters
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were 3 years old, respectively,
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at different times.
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It seemed that, sometimes, they
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would ask questions without
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ceasing, right?
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You know, "Daddy, Daddy..."
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You know.
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The only thing,
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generally, that we do
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without ceasing is breathing.
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What happens when you stop
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breathing long enough?
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Yeah, yeah.
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In other words,
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the Apostle Paul,
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under the inspiration
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of the Holy Spirit of God,
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was inspired to put praying
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on that level -- life or death.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
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I would submit to you
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that this is the holy huddle.
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Prayer is the holy huddle
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that God is calling us
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to continually, perpetually --
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In the original language,
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it means "without gaps."
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Don't stop, don't let there be a
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gap, always have an attitude
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of prayer.
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This is the holy huddle.
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God is calling us
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together into this huddle,
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sometimes as a corporate body,
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sometimes in smaller groups,
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sometimes just us,
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just me and God.
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You and God together,
00:18:02.88\00:18:04.11
this holy huddle.
00:18:04.21\00:18:06.11
And he says,
00:18:06.21\00:18:07.12
"Do it without ceasing."
00:18:07.22\00:18:11.85
Wow. And inquiring minds
00:18:11.95\00:18:15.82
want to know, "Why?
00:18:15.92\00:18:18.99
Why?
00:18:19.09\00:18:21.33
Why put such a sky-high value
00:18:21.43\00:18:25.40
that you would call for prayer,
00:18:25.50\00:18:27.04
this holy huddle of prayer,
00:18:27.14\00:18:28.77
not just once, not just twice,
00:18:28.87\00:18:29.90
but 24/7, 365?
00:18:30.01\00:18:31.94
Why? What is it that happens
00:18:32.04\00:18:34.54
in that holy huddle
00:18:34.64\00:18:36.38
that is so good that God asks us
00:18:36.48\00:18:38.91
to do it continually?"
00:18:39.01\00:18:40.82
I think there's at least three
00:18:45.79\00:18:46.79
reasons that the Bible gives,
00:18:46.89\00:18:48.06
three answers to that question.
00:18:48.16\00:18:49.59
Let's do some digging.
00:18:49.69\00:18:51.26
Acts 10:1, please.
00:18:51.36\00:18:53.09
Acts 10:1.
00:18:53.19\00:18:59.40
And we are talking about
00:18:59.50\00:19:00.20
discipleship,
00:19:00.30\00:19:01.97
reaching other people for Jesus,
00:19:02.07\00:19:03.07
using unity in our midst
00:19:03.17\00:19:05.07
as a springboard
00:19:05.17\00:19:06.37
to help other people to know
00:19:06.47\00:19:07.41
Jesus Christ.
00:19:07.51\00:19:09.11
Now, what we're going to read
00:19:09.21\00:19:09.74
here in Acts 10,
00:19:09.84\00:19:10.78
this is definitely
00:19:10.88\00:19:12.28
a discipleship environment
00:19:12.38\00:19:13.95
that we're jumping into here.
00:19:14.05\00:19:14.52
You see,
00:19:14.62\00:19:15.68
the early Christian church,
00:19:15.78\00:19:17.25
for all of the blessings
00:19:17.35\00:19:18.82
and the wonder, the miracles --
00:19:18.92\00:19:19.82
I mean, Acts 2,
00:19:19.92\00:19:20.69
Pentecost comes.
00:19:20.79\00:19:21.59
The Holy Spirit is pulled up.
00:19:21.69\00:19:22.62
Peter preaches for 3 minutes
00:19:22.72\00:19:24.09
and 28 seconds, and 3,000
00:19:24.19\00:19:25.56
people are baptized.
00:19:25.66\00:19:26.90
Miracles are being done.
00:19:27.00\00:19:28.10
There's these incredible divine
00:19:28.20\00:19:30.37
conflicts that take place
00:19:30.47\00:19:31.47
amongst Christians
00:19:31.57\00:19:32.53
and the religious rulers,
00:19:32.63\00:19:33.67
and it's an amazing time
00:19:33.77\00:19:35.27
to be alive.
00:19:35.37\00:19:36.81
But for all of its blessedness,
00:19:36.91\00:19:39.24
the early Christian church had
00:19:39.34\00:19:40.68
a profound discipleship problem.
00:19:40.78\00:19:46.28
And it's about to be addressed.
00:19:46.38\00:19:49.05
Acts 10:1 says, "At Caesarea --"
00:19:49.15\00:19:51.45
this is on the coast
00:19:51.55\00:19:52.45
there of Palestine -- "there
00:19:52.55\00:19:53.59
was a man named Cornelius,
00:19:53.69\00:19:55.66
a centurion, in what was known
00:19:55.76\00:19:57.23
as the Italian Regiment.
00:19:57.33\00:19:58.96
He and all his family
00:19:59.06\00:20:00.20
were devout and God-fearing.
00:20:00.30\00:20:02.33
He gave generously
00:20:02.43\00:20:03.50
to those in need and --" What's
00:20:03.60\00:20:05.23
that next word there?
00:20:05.33\00:20:06.37
"Prayed."
00:20:06.47\00:20:07.90
"And prayed to God regularly."
00:20:08.00\00:20:10.64
Now, this man
00:20:10.74\00:20:11.97
is not a Christian,
00:20:12.07\00:20:12.97
as we'll find out here, at least
00:20:13.07\00:20:13.78
not at this point in the story.
00:20:13.88\00:20:14.94
He's not a Christian,
00:20:15.04\00:20:15.68
but, obviously, he believes
00:20:15.78\00:20:16.21
in God.
00:20:16.31\00:20:16.81
to Judaism, but he's a Gentile.
00:20:19.25\00:20:23.59
That comes important later
00:20:23.69\00:20:25.32
in the story.
00:20:25.42\00:20:26.15
Verse 3.
00:20:26.25\00:20:27.19
"One day at about 3:00 in the
00:20:27.29\00:20:28.32
afternoon, he had a vision."
00:20:28.42\00:20:30.13
Later on, we would learn this is
00:20:30.23\00:20:31.16
during his regular prayer time.
00:20:31.26\00:20:32.96
"He distinctly saw an angel
00:20:33.06\00:20:34.60
of God, who came to him
00:20:34.73\00:20:35.63
and said, 'Cornelius.'
00:20:35.73\00:20:38.37
Cornelius stared at him in fear.
00:20:38.47\00:20:39.93
'What is it, Lord?', he asked.
00:20:40.04\00:20:41.97
The angel answered,
00:20:42.07\00:20:43.30
'Your prayers and gifts
00:20:43.41\00:20:44.34
to the poor have come up as
00:20:44.44\00:20:45.77
a memorial offering before God.
00:20:45.87\00:20:48.18
Now, send men to Joppa --'"
00:20:48.28\00:20:49.98
that was south on the coast
00:20:50.08\00:20:51.15
there -- "'to bring back a man
00:20:51.25\00:20:52.85
named Simon, who is called
00:20:52.95\00:20:54.02
Peter.
00:20:54.12\00:20:54.95
He is staying with Simon,
00:20:55.05\00:20:55.98
the tanner,
00:20:56.08\00:20:56.92
whose house is by the sea.'
00:20:57.02\00:20:59.59
When the angel who spoke to him
00:20:59.69\00:21:00.72
had gone, Cornelius called
00:21:00.82\00:21:01.89
two of his servants
00:21:01.99\00:21:02.72
and a devout soldier
00:21:02.82\00:21:03.76
who was one of his attendants.
00:21:03.86\00:21:05.23
He told them everything that had
00:21:05.33\00:21:06.53
happened and sent them to
00:21:06.63\00:21:08.06
Joppa."
00:21:08.16\00:21:08.86
Now pause for just a moment.
00:21:08.96\00:21:10.77
Let's be clear about this.
00:21:10.87\00:21:12.57
This came about
00:21:12.67\00:21:14.14
because of prayer.
00:21:14.24\00:21:16.30
Cornelius, though he's not
00:21:16.40\00:21:17.41
a Christian, is in prayer.
00:21:17.51\00:21:19.87
He is in prayer regularly.
00:21:19.97\00:21:20.98
Again, if we were
00:21:21.08\00:21:21.71
we would see that.
00:21:22.51\00:21:23.21
And it's in the context
00:21:23.31\00:21:24.25
of prayer here
00:21:24.35\00:21:25.51
that the next thing happens.
00:21:25.61\00:21:27.28
Notice carefully here.
00:21:27.38\00:21:27.82
Verse 9.
00:21:27.92\00:21:29.12
"About noon the following day,
00:21:29.22\00:21:30.79
as they were on their journey
00:21:30.89\00:21:31.72
and approaching the city,
00:21:31.82\00:21:33.15
Peter went up on the roof.
00:21:33.25\00:21:35.22
to --" What?
00:21:35.32\00:21:36.79
To pray, okay?
00:21:36.89\00:21:37.39
So he's doing
00:21:37.49\00:21:38.29
the same thing here -- to pray.
00:21:38.39\00:21:39.66
"He became hungry and wanted
00:21:39.76\00:21:40.96
something to eat, and while
00:21:41.06\00:21:42.00
the meal was being prepared,
00:21:42.10\00:21:43.20
he fell into a trance.
00:21:43.30\00:21:45.07
He saw heaven opened
00:21:45.17\00:21:46.57
and something like a large sheet
00:21:46.67\00:21:48.34
being let down to Earth
00:21:48.44\00:21:49.50
by its four corners.
00:21:49.60\00:21:51.14
It contained all kinds
00:21:51.24\00:21:52.07
of four-footed animals,
00:21:52.17\00:21:53.17
as well as reptiles of the Earth
00:21:53.27\00:21:54.41
and birds of the air.
00:21:54.51\00:21:55.44
Then a voice told him, 'Get up,
00:21:55.54\00:21:57.15
Peter, kill and eat.'"
00:21:57.25\00:22:00.62
Now, if you want to offend
00:22:00.72\00:22:04.09
any self-respecting Jew,
00:22:04.19\00:22:06.05
tell him this, okay?
00:22:06.15\00:22:08.06
Let down a sheet
00:22:08.16\00:22:09.42
containing probably some
00:22:09.52\00:22:10.59
clean-meat animals.
00:22:10.69\00:22:12.06
But reptiles?
00:22:12.16\00:22:13.33
No, that is not
00:22:13.43\00:22:14.83
appearing on the dinner plate
00:22:14.93\00:22:16.16
of any kosher Jewish restaurant
00:22:16.26\00:22:17.50
that you or I know of, okay?
00:22:17.60\00:22:19.13
And so, in answer to this
00:22:19.23\00:22:20.57
command -- "Rise up, get out
00:22:20.67\00:22:21.77
your steak fork, cut off a
00:22:21.87\00:22:22.90
slice here, have lunch" --
00:22:23.00\00:22:24.84
Peter says the only thing
00:22:24.94\00:22:26.44
that probably most Jews
00:22:26.54\00:22:27.71
of his day would say.
00:22:27.81\00:22:30.21
"Get up, Peter, kill and eat."
00:22:30.31\00:22:30.85
Verse 14.
00:22:30.95\00:22:31.85
"'Surely not, Lord,'
00:22:31.95\00:22:32.98
Peter replied.
00:22:33.08\00:22:34.18
'I have never eaten anything
00:22:34.28\00:22:35.42
impure or unclean.'
00:22:35.52\00:22:38.62
The voice spoke to him
00:22:38.72\00:22:39.12
a second time.
00:22:39.22\00:22:40.76
'Do not call anything impure
00:22:40.86\00:22:43.06
that God has made clean.'
00:22:43.16\00:22:46.86
This happened three times,
00:22:46.96\00:22:47.96
and immediately, the sheet
00:22:48.06\00:22:49.06
was taken back to heaven."
00:22:49.16\00:22:51.47
Hmm. "While Peter was wondering
00:22:51.57\00:22:53.37
about the meaning of the vision,
00:22:53.47\00:22:54.34
the men sent by Cornelius
00:22:54.44\00:22:55.60
found out where Simon's house
00:22:55.70\00:22:56.84
was and stopped at the gate.
00:22:56.94\00:22:58.11
They called out,
00:22:58.21\00:22:58.91
asking if Simon,
00:22:59.01\00:22:59.87
who was known as Peter,
00:23:00.04\00:23:00.71
was staying there.
00:23:00.81\00:23:02.38
While Peter was still thinking
00:23:02.48\00:23:03.68
about the vision,
00:23:03.78\00:23:04.71
the spirit said to him, 'Simon,
00:23:04.81\00:23:07.82
three men are looking for you.
00:23:07.92\00:23:09.32
So get up and go downstairs.
00:23:09.42\00:23:11.12
Do not hesitate to go with them,
00:23:11.22\00:23:12.52
for I have sent them.'
00:23:12.62\00:23:14.62
Peter went down
00:23:14.72\00:23:15.59
and said to the men,
00:23:15.69\00:23:16.96
'I'm the one you're looking for.
00:23:17.06\00:23:18.93
Why have you come?'"
00:23:19.03\00:23:21.10
A first reason that God asks us
00:23:29.24\00:23:31.01
to regularly huddle with him
00:23:31.11\00:23:34.14
in prayer is that when we pray,
00:23:34.24\00:23:38.18
Christ leads.
00:23:38.28\00:23:42.65
When we pray, Christ leads.
00:23:42.75\00:23:48.26
Why did the spirit here --
00:23:48.36\00:23:49.56
During Peter's prayer time,
00:23:49.66\00:23:50.56
why did the spirit have to say,
00:23:50.66\00:23:51.53
"Peter, go ahead
00:23:51.63\00:23:52.39
and go downstairs.
00:23:52.49\00:23:53.16
Don't be afraid to go
00:23:53.26\00:23:53.86
with those guys."
00:23:53.96\00:23:54.56
Why did he have to say that?
00:23:54.66\00:23:57.03
Because Peter was a Jew,
00:23:57.13\00:23:59.23
and they were Gentiles.
00:23:59.33\00:24:01.24
Exactly. Now, Jewish custom
00:24:01.34\00:24:04.24
of the day was pretty strong,
00:24:04.34\00:24:05.31
pretty universal.
00:24:05.41\00:24:06.91
They did not socialize
00:24:07.01\00:24:07.94
with Gentiles.
00:24:08.04\00:24:09.18
They saw them definitely as
00:24:09.28\00:24:10.35
the enemy almost all the time.
00:24:10.45\00:24:12.45
And, so, these Gentiles come.
00:24:12.55\00:24:13.55
So God has to guide him here.
00:24:13.65\00:24:15.72
And it's a really, really
00:24:15.82\00:24:17.22
good thing that the spirit did.
00:24:17.32\00:24:19.95
In fact,
00:24:20.06\00:24:20.59
had Peter not be praying --
00:24:20.69\00:24:22.12
had been praying, had Cornelius
00:24:22.22\00:24:23.63
not been praying, it's quite
00:24:23.73\00:24:25.83
possible that you and I
00:24:25.93\00:24:26.90
would not be sitting here today,
00:24:27.00\00:24:29.36
because, you see, up
00:24:29.46\00:24:29.90
to that point,
00:24:30.00\00:24:30.67
for all the blessedness
00:24:30.77\00:24:31.63
of the early Christian church,
00:24:31.73\00:24:32.60
they had one major problem.
00:24:32.70\00:24:34.64
They still assumed that
00:24:34.74\00:24:35.87
salvation was just for the Jews.
00:24:35.97\00:24:38.07
You know, Jesus said
00:24:38.17\00:24:39.14
to the woman at the well,
00:24:39.24\00:24:40.78
"Salvation is from the Jews."
00:24:40.88\00:24:42.71
But the disciples in the early
00:24:42.81\00:24:43.78
Christian church extrapolated
00:24:43.88\00:24:45.08
that a little too far and
00:24:45.18\00:24:46.58
essentially limited salvation
00:24:46.68\00:24:48.42
to those that were Jews.
00:24:48.52\00:24:51.62
But when Jesus died
00:24:51.72\00:24:53.05
on the cross -- Remember,
00:24:53.15\00:24:54.36
we read this earlier on.
00:24:54.46\00:24:55.36
"If I am lifted up,
00:24:55.46\00:24:56.56
I will draw all people to me."
00:24:56.66\00:24:59.96
The church
00:25:00.13\00:25:00.60
So, in the most dramatic
00:25:01.90\00:25:03.13
fashion, God, in prayer with
00:25:03.23\00:25:06.50
Peter, goes after his stomach.
00:25:06.60\00:25:08.10
[ Chuckles ]
00:25:08.20\00:25:09.17
If you want to mess
00:25:09.27\00:25:10.37
with somebody,
00:25:10.47\00:25:11.64
mess with their plate, okay?
00:25:11.74\00:25:13.61
They will remember it.
00:25:13.71\00:25:15.14
They will pay attention, right?
00:25:15.24\00:25:16.51
Feed your kid green beans.
00:25:16.61\00:25:17.58
When they don't like green
00:25:17.68\00:25:18.41
beans, you'll hear about it.
00:25:18.51\00:25:19.71
Even to this day,
00:25:19.81\00:25:20.72
I won't tell you what,
00:25:20.82\00:25:21.45
but if you serve me
00:25:21.55\00:25:22.15
a certain vegetable,
00:25:22.25\00:25:23.15
I will not eat it, okay?
00:25:23.25\00:25:25.05
Right? If you want to mess with
00:25:25.15\00:25:27.22
somebody, mess with their plate.
00:25:27.32\00:25:28.06
This was a huge tenet
00:25:28.16\00:25:29.46
of Judaism.
00:25:29.56\00:25:30.29
One of the identifying marks
00:25:30.39\00:25:31.53
in those days is that they did
00:25:31.63\00:25:32.53
not eat those foods,
00:25:32.63\00:25:34.03
and God uses this not to make
00:25:34.13\00:25:37.07
every meat clean.
00:25:37.17\00:25:40.57
Some people wrongly use
00:25:40.67\00:25:41.57
this story to say that
00:25:41.67\00:25:42.60
every single meat now is clean.
00:25:42.70\00:25:43.74
You can eat pork, you can eat
00:25:43.84\00:25:44.71
snake, you can eat cockroach,
00:25:44.81\00:25:46.07
scorpions, et cetera.
00:25:46.17\00:25:46.88
No, no, no, no, no, no.
00:25:46.98\00:25:48.11
Leviticus 11 was written before
00:25:48.21\00:25:49.88
there was a Jewish nation.
00:25:49.98\00:25:51.78
It's a human thing,
00:25:51.88\00:25:53.15
not a Jewish thing.
00:25:53.25\00:25:55.08
Instead, Peter himself
00:25:55.18\00:25:56.79
confesses later in the chapter,
00:25:56.89\00:25:58.05
"God has shown me that
00:25:58.15\00:26:00.46
I should call no man unclean,
00:26:00.56\00:26:03.53
no person unclean."
00:26:03.63\00:26:04.99
And let it sink in and sink in
00:26:05.09\00:26:06.46
well.
00:26:06.56\00:26:07.10
If Cornelius
00:26:07.20\00:26:08.26
had not been a man of prayer,
00:26:08.36\00:26:09.70
if Peter had not been
00:26:09.80\00:26:11.00
a man of prayer, if they had
00:26:11.10\00:26:11.97
not been praying that day,
00:26:12.07\00:26:13.40
then it is quite likely
00:26:13.50\00:26:14.40
that the Gentiles --
00:26:14.50\00:26:15.40
certainly not in the way here --
00:26:15.50\00:26:16.44
they would never have been
00:26:16.54\00:26:17.44
reached in this fashion.
00:26:17.54\00:26:18.74
Cornelius, as later happened,
00:26:18.84\00:26:20.31
would never have become
00:26:20.41\00:26:20.94
a Christian.
00:26:21.04\00:26:21.64
would not have come.
00:26:22.81\00:26:23.85
And, again, you and I may not be
00:26:23.95\00:26:25.01
sitting here today
00:26:25.11\00:26:26.98
because we're Gentiles,
00:26:27.08\00:26:28.62
and, praise the Lord,
00:26:28.72\00:26:29.18
the Gospel came our way
00:26:29.28\00:26:32.15
because somebody prayed.
00:26:32.25\00:26:35.56
When we pray, Christ leads.
00:26:35.66\00:26:37.93
And when we think about
00:26:38.03\00:26:39.29
discipleship, when we think
00:26:39.39\00:26:40.60
about reaching other people,
00:26:40.70\00:26:42.13
this story illustrates in spades
00:26:42.23\00:26:43.87
that we must be
00:26:43.97\00:26:44.97
a praying people.
00:26:45.07\00:26:46.57
You know, when we are in
00:26:46.67\00:26:47.90
a discipleship situation,
00:26:48.00\00:26:49.57
those of you that have sought
00:26:49.67\00:26:50.97
to share your faith before,
00:26:51.07\00:26:51.91
it is so important to hear
00:26:52.01\00:26:53.27
the whisperings of the spirit,
00:26:53.38\00:26:53.94
is it not?
00:26:54.04\00:26:54.84
You need to know
00:26:54.94\00:26:56.08
when to open your mouth.
00:26:56.18\00:26:57.35
You need to know when to keep
00:26:57.45\00:26:58.11
your mouth shut.
00:26:58.21\00:26:59.68
You need to remember things that
00:26:59.78\00:27:01.02
you did not remember before,
00:27:01.12\00:27:02.48
but they were stashed there,
00:27:02.58\00:27:03.22
and the spirit
00:27:03.32\00:27:04.02
taps your brain on its shoulder
00:27:04.12\00:27:05.12
and says, "Hey, remember this?
00:27:05.22\00:27:05.99
You need to say this
00:27:06.09\00:27:06.65
at this point."
00:27:06.76\00:27:07.36
The spirit
00:27:07.46\00:27:08.19
can put you in locations
00:27:08.29\00:27:09.79
that you would not otherwise be.
00:27:09.89\00:27:11.36
You need to be praying
00:27:11.46\00:27:12.96
if you are seeking to disciple
00:27:13.06\00:27:14.30
others for Jesus.
00:27:14.36\00:27:17.93
Now, one quick caveat here.
00:27:18.03\00:27:20.54
This is not a sermon
00:27:20.64\00:27:21.30
on Bible study.
00:27:21.40\00:27:23.20
But if it were,
00:27:23.30\00:27:24.34
I would say this.
00:27:24.44\00:27:26.54
If you study your Bible but you
00:27:26.64\00:27:28.51
don't pray, you're dangerous.
00:27:28.61\00:27:32.35
If you only pray
00:27:32.45\00:27:34.28
and you don't study your Bible,
00:27:34.38\00:27:35.95
you're dangerous.
00:27:36.05\00:27:38.59
If you only study your Bible
00:27:38.69\00:27:39.82
but you don't pray,
00:27:39.92\00:27:40.66
then you have no soul.
00:27:40.76\00:27:41.59
You have no connection,
00:27:41.69\00:27:42.32
living connection,
00:27:42.42\00:27:43.06
with Jesus Christ,
00:27:43.16\00:27:43.96
and so you become a legalist,
00:27:44.06\00:27:45.09
you become a Pharisee, very well
00:27:45.19\00:27:46.80
known for your theoretical
00:27:46.90\00:27:48.33
knowledge, but no substance.
00:27:48.43\00:27:50.73
And you're dangerous.
00:27:50.83\00:27:53.03
But if you only pray
00:27:53.13\00:27:54.20
and you don't study your Bible,
00:27:54.30\00:27:55.64
let's be honest,
00:27:55.74\00:27:57.07
every now and then, we don't
00:27:57.17\00:27:58.44
hear correctly.
00:27:58.54\00:28:01.41
And the Bible is there to bring
00:28:01.51\00:28:02.48
us back to reality.
00:28:02.58\00:28:03.95
It's a corrective, okay?
00:28:04.05\00:28:05.08
So the two need
00:28:05.18\00:28:06.05
to go together, right?
00:28:06.15\00:28:07.75
And if you are studying your
00:28:07.85\00:28:08.88
Bible and if you are praying
00:28:08.98\00:28:11.02
and if you are seeking to reach
00:28:11.12\00:28:12.32
other people for Jesus,
00:28:12.42\00:28:13.52
great things can happen.
00:28:13.62\00:28:16.46
For when we pray, Christ leads.
00:28:16.56\00:28:19.53
And that whispering voice
00:28:19.63\00:28:20.80
is there to guide us
00:28:20.90\00:28:22.00
along the discipleship path.
00:28:22.10\00:28:23.93
And, again, Peter most likely
00:28:24.03\00:28:25.90
would never have heard
00:28:26.00\00:28:27.27
God's very explicit discipling
00:28:27.37\00:28:29.50
instructions except that
00:28:29.60\00:28:31.61
he was in the habit of prayer.
00:28:31.71\00:28:36.54
So, let me just ask you, in the
00:28:36.64\00:28:38.65
quietness of your own mind,
00:28:38.75\00:28:41.82
how is your hearing?
00:28:41.92\00:28:45.15
I don't mean
00:28:45.25\00:28:45.79
your physical hearing.
00:28:45.89\00:28:47.82
I mean your spiritual hearing.
00:28:47.92\00:28:50.16
How is your sense of hearing?
00:28:50.26\00:28:54.46
Are you praying regularly?
00:28:54.56\00:28:55.60
Are you in prayer with God?
00:28:55.70\00:28:56.97
Are you not just speaking,
00:28:57.07\00:28:58.00
but are you listening, as well?
00:28:58.10\00:28:59.03
Are you huddling with Jesus?
00:28:59.13\00:29:00.70
Are you praying that He might
00:29:00.80\00:29:01.84
speak and guide and, yes,
00:29:01.94\00:29:03.30
lead not just in your life,
00:29:03.41\00:29:04.81
but in the lives of those you
00:29:04.91\00:29:06.24
are seeking to help to know
00:29:06.34\00:29:07.28
Jesus?
00:29:07.38\00:29:08.01
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:29:08.11\00:29:09.31
there is no substitute for this.
00:29:09.41\00:29:12.65
You can't fake God.
00:29:12.75\00:29:14.48
You can't
00:29:14.58\00:29:16.02
fake genuine spiritual results.
00:29:16.12\00:29:17.72
I mean, you know, people may
00:29:17.82\00:29:19.19
look at the outside
00:29:19.29\00:29:20.52
and may wonder certain things,
00:29:20.62\00:29:21.82
but when it comes to sharing
00:29:21.92\00:29:23.16
Jesus with others, you can't
00:29:23.26\00:29:24.39
fake results like that.
00:29:24.49\00:29:27.13
There's only one path,
00:29:27.23\00:29:28.70
and it's in the holy huddle
00:29:28.80\00:29:30.33
of prayer, and praise the Lord
00:29:30.43\00:29:32.60
that we can huddle with Jesus
00:29:32.70\00:29:35.60
and that, when we do so,
00:29:35.70\00:29:36.94
He will lead
00:29:37.04\00:29:40.21
as we make disciples for Him.
00:29:40.31\00:29:44.91
That's the first reason
00:29:45.01\00:29:47.18
to huddle in prayer with Jesus.
00:29:47.28\00:29:48.92
There is a second.
00:29:49.02\00:29:51.92
Take a look, please, at
00:29:52.02\00:29:52.32
Isaiah 6:1.
00:29:56.36\00:30:02.30
This is certainly
00:30:02.40\00:30:03.13
one of my favorite portions
00:30:03.23\00:30:04.03
of the Book of Isaiah and,
00:30:04.13\00:30:05.17
indeed, of the Old Testament.
00:30:05.27\00:30:08.67
This is talking about
00:30:08.77\00:30:10.01
Isaiah's official call,
00:30:10.11\00:30:12.84
commission into God's work.
00:30:12.94\00:30:14.64
He's already been functioning
00:30:14.74\00:30:15.28
as a prophet
00:30:15.38\00:30:16.24
in the first five chapters here,
00:30:16.34\00:30:18.41
but this takes it
00:30:18.51\00:30:19.18
to a whole new level.
00:30:19.28\00:30:21.18
And he's going to talk here
00:30:21.28\00:30:22.58
in Verse 1 about a guy
00:30:22.68\00:30:24.15
by the name of Uzziah,
00:30:24.25\00:30:25.02
King Uzziah.
00:30:25.12\00:30:26.32
King Uzziah had reigned
00:30:26.42\00:30:27.12
for more than 50 years
00:30:27.22\00:30:28.99
and had been one of the primary
00:30:29.09\00:30:30.76
bulwarks against Assyrian
00:30:30.86\00:30:32.86
incursions into Palestine.
00:30:32.96\00:30:35.20
And he's just died.
00:30:35.30\00:30:36.33
This was
00:30:36.43\00:30:37.37
a time of great uncertainty.
00:30:37.47\00:30:39.30
Israel, Judah -- people did
00:30:39.40\00:30:41.04
not know what the future held.
00:30:41.14\00:30:42.40
Was there disaster
00:30:42.50\00:30:43.34
on the horizon?
00:30:43.44\00:30:44.14
Were they were about to be
00:30:44.24\00:30:44.47
Isaiah is wondering the same
00:30:45.51\00:30:46.84
thing, and that's where
00:30:46.94\00:30:48.01
we join the story.
00:30:48.11\00:30:49.51
Isaiah 6:1.
00:30:49.61\00:30:50.88
"In the year that King Uzziah
00:30:50.98\00:30:51.81
died, I saw
00:30:51.91\00:30:53.38
the Lord seated on a throne,
00:30:53.48\00:30:55.12
high and exalted, and the train
00:30:55.22\00:30:57.72
of his robe filled the temple.
00:30:57.82\00:31:00.62
Above him were seraphs,
00:31:00.72\00:31:02.86
each with six wings.
00:31:02.96\00:31:05.29
With two wings, they covered
00:31:05.39\00:31:06.43
their faces, with two,
00:31:06.53\00:31:07.83
they covered their feet,
00:31:07.93\00:31:08.96
and with two, they were flying,
00:31:09.06\00:31:10.40
and they were calling
00:31:10.50\00:31:11.17
to one another.
00:31:11.27\00:31:12.70
'Holy, holy,
00:31:12.80\00:31:15.37
holy is the Lord Almighty.
00:31:15.47\00:31:17.77
The whole Earth
00:31:17.87\00:31:19.21
is full of his glory.'
00:31:19.31\00:31:23.21
At the sound of their voices,
00:31:23.31\00:31:24.41
the doorposts and the thresholds
00:31:24.51\00:31:26.08
shook and the temple
00:31:26.18\00:31:28.08
was filled with smoke."
00:31:28.18\00:31:30.29
You know, there are times
00:31:34.59\00:31:35.46
when I am glad that the Bible
00:31:35.56\00:31:36.69
is a written document
00:31:36.79\00:31:38.36
rather than a video.
00:31:38.46\00:31:41.03
Book of Judges comes to mind.
00:31:41.13\00:31:43.87
But there are times
00:31:43.97\00:31:44.80
when I wish I could at least see
00:31:44.90\00:31:47.64
a little video clip, because
00:31:47.74\00:31:50.07
this must have been astonishing.
00:31:50.17\00:31:53.61
Can you picture this?
00:31:53.71\00:31:54.74
Isaiah -- the spirit of prophecy
00:31:54.84\00:31:56.38
tells us
00:31:56.48\00:31:57.01
when he is given this vision,
00:31:58.81\00:32:00.42
this vision of God Almighty
00:32:00.52\00:32:03.35
descending into His temple.
00:32:03.45\00:32:06.09
And this is more than
00:32:06.19\00:32:06.96
the Shekinah glory that was
00:32:07.06\00:32:08.52
hovering over the mercy seat
00:32:08.62\00:32:09.62
there in the Most Holy Place.
00:32:09.72\00:32:10.66
This is more than that.
00:32:10.76\00:32:11.66
There's some more detail here.
00:32:11.76\00:32:13.19
This doesn't happen very often
00:32:13.29\00:32:14.56
in Scripture,
00:32:14.66\00:32:15.30
where God shows up and there
00:32:15.40\00:32:17.00
are details, discernible
00:32:17.10\00:32:18.20
details, of His person.
00:32:18.30\00:32:19.63
This is one of them.
00:32:19.73\00:32:21.24
God is there high
00:32:21.34\00:32:22.40
and exalted on His throne.
00:32:22.50\00:32:24.87
In other words, He's in control.
00:32:24.97\00:32:26.98
This is a place of leadership
00:32:27.08\00:32:27.84
on that throne.
00:32:27.94\00:32:29.31
And the train of his robe
00:32:29.41\00:32:31.38
fills -- I mean, what was that?
00:32:31.48\00:32:33.01
You know, we have weddings,
00:32:33.11\00:32:34.42
right?
00:32:34.52\00:32:35.12
And there's long trains
00:32:35.22\00:32:36.15
on the bride's dress.
00:32:36.25\00:32:37.39
None of them
00:32:37.49\00:32:38.49
have filled the temple.
00:32:38.59\00:32:41.06
But God's does.
00:32:41.16\00:32:43.19
And these seraphs are there,
00:32:43.29\00:32:44.13
these holy, righteous,
00:32:44.23\00:32:45.09
sinless beings.
00:32:45.19\00:32:46.06
These angels are there.
00:32:46.16\00:32:46.90
They're hovering.
00:32:47.00\00:32:47.83
With two of their wings,
00:32:47.93\00:32:48.66
they're covering their faces.
00:32:48.76\00:32:49.63
Even in their sinless,
00:32:49.73\00:32:50.90
righteous state,
00:32:51.00\00:32:52.03
never having sinned, untainted
00:32:52.13\00:32:53.47
by corruption and selfishness,
00:32:53.57\00:32:55.30
they consider themselves
00:32:55.40\00:32:56.37
unworthy to view this.
00:32:56.47\00:32:57.64
So their faces are covered,
00:32:57.74\00:32:58.91
their feet are covered
00:32:59.01\00:32:59.61
in respect.
00:32:59.71\00:33:00.34
They're hovering
00:33:00.44\00:33:01.01
with the other wings.
00:33:01.11\00:33:02.04
And, apparently, the only thing
00:33:02.14\00:33:03.58
that is fitting for this
00:33:03.68\00:33:04.65
occasion is to speak those
00:33:04.75\00:33:07.48
words, "Holy, holy, holy is the
00:33:07.58\00:33:12.85
Lord Almighty."
00:33:12.95\00:33:16.56
And so powerful are the words
00:33:16.66\00:33:18.19
and the presence of God
00:33:18.29\00:33:19.86
that they saturate the building
00:33:19.96\00:33:21.36
to the point of destruction.
00:33:21.46\00:33:23.57
Because that's what it means.
00:33:23.67\00:33:24.67
If the doorposts and the jambs
00:33:24.77\00:33:26.50
and the frames on my house
00:33:26.60\00:33:27.70
are rattling, something --
00:33:27.80\00:33:29.80
this is not good.
00:33:29.90\00:33:30.67
Something is about to happen.
00:33:30.77\00:33:32.44
The very foundations
00:33:32.54\00:33:34.44
of the temple of the Living God
00:33:34.54\00:33:36.64
are in danger of giving way
00:33:36.75\00:33:38.65
beneath the weight of
00:33:38.75\00:33:39.78
the awesomeness, the grandeur,
00:33:39.88\00:33:41.32
and the holiness of God.
00:33:41.42\00:33:45.15
Now, what would you say at that
00:33:45.25\00:33:50.79
moment if you were Isaiah?
00:33:50.89\00:33:53.40
Well, what did he say?
00:33:59.30\00:34:02.27
Verse 5.
00:34:02.37\00:34:05.54
"'Woe to me,' I cried.
00:34:05.64\00:34:08.91
'I am ruined,
00:34:09.01\00:34:11.11
for I am a man of unclean lips
00:34:11.21\00:34:12.91
and I live among a people
00:34:13.01\00:34:14.15
of unclean lips,
00:34:14.25\00:34:15.55
and my eyes have seen the King,
00:34:15.65\00:34:17.72
the Lord Almighty.'"
00:34:17.82\00:34:19.52
Let's be real clear about this,
00:34:26.16\00:34:27.40
what's happening here.
00:34:27.50\00:34:28.80
I think this is one of
00:34:28.90\00:34:29.80
the major reasons
00:34:29.90\00:34:30.90
why people don't genuinely pray,
00:34:31.00\00:34:35.77
because sometimes, what we find
00:34:35.87\00:34:39.17
in prayer -- genuine prayer,
00:34:39.27\00:34:40.44
not just, you know, thanking
00:34:40.54\00:34:42.24
God for the food and et cetera,
00:34:42.34\00:34:44.15
genuine, honest prayer --
00:34:44.25\00:34:45.45
sometimes, one of the first
00:34:45.55\00:34:46.78
things we find when we honestly
00:34:46.88\00:34:48.02
pray is bad news.
00:34:48.12\00:34:52.59
Because when we pray,
00:34:52.69\00:34:53.79
we are naked before God.
00:34:53.89\00:34:56.93
There are no secrets in prayer.
00:34:57.03\00:35:00.63
God sees it all.
00:35:00.73\00:35:02.83
And if you are being honest
00:35:02.93\00:35:03.87
with Him, He will show you.
00:35:03.97\00:35:04.73
He will reflect
00:35:04.83\00:35:05.47
that back to you.
00:35:05.57\00:35:06.77
You cannot help but see yourself
00:35:06.87\00:35:08.74
as you truly are if you
00:35:08.84\00:35:10.11
genuinely engage in prayer.
00:35:10.21\00:35:14.48
I think this is why some people
00:35:14.58\00:35:15.18
don't pray.
00:35:15.28\00:35:17.65
To which I would say,
00:35:17.75\00:35:20.15
that is a profound tragedy.
00:35:20.25\00:35:23.22
Because God is not interested
00:35:23.32\00:35:26.42
in showing your flaws or mine
00:35:26.52\00:35:28.42
just to lord it over us.
00:35:28.52\00:35:31.03
God is not interested in showing
00:35:31.13\00:35:32.26
you your weaknesses
00:35:32.36\00:35:33.63
simply to make you feel bad.
00:35:33.73\00:35:34.83
Far from it.
00:35:34.93\00:35:35.66
In fact, the only reason
00:35:35.76\00:35:37.63
that God reveals our true,
00:35:37.73\00:35:40.24
filthy, sinful state
00:35:40.34\00:35:42.17
is that He might set us free
00:35:42.27\00:35:43.71
from that very thing.
00:35:43.81\00:35:45.67
That's why He does it.
00:35:45.77\00:35:46.98
Don't shy away from that bad
00:35:47.08\00:35:49.58
news that comes in prayer.
00:35:49.68\00:35:50.95
It is your doorway to paradise.
00:35:51.05\00:35:53.68
It is your stepping-stone
00:35:53.78\00:35:54.82
to righteousness, to being set
00:35:54.92\00:35:56.15
free in Jesus Christ.
00:35:56.25\00:35:58.39
And, indeed, this is exactly
00:35:58.49\00:36:00.09
what Isaiah finds.
00:36:00.19\00:36:01.99
Verse 6.
00:36:02.09\00:36:03.59
"Then one of the seraphs
00:36:03.69\00:36:04.79
flew to me with a live coal
00:36:04.89\00:36:06.03
in his hand, which he had
00:36:06.13\00:36:07.00
taken with tongs from the altar.
00:36:07.10\00:36:08.73
With it, he touched my mouth
00:36:08.83\00:36:09.93
and said, 'See?
00:36:10.03\00:36:11.77
This has touched your lips.
00:36:11.87\00:36:13.27
Your guilt is taken away
00:36:13.37\00:36:15.37
and your sin atoned for.'
00:36:15.47\00:36:18.21
Then I heard the voice
00:36:18.31\00:36:19.37
of the Lord saying,
00:36:19.47\00:36:20.81
'Whom shall I send?
00:36:20.91\00:36:22.18
And who will go for us?'
00:36:22.28\00:36:23.71
And I said, 'Here am I.
00:36:23.81\00:36:26.41
Send me.'"
00:36:26.51\00:36:30.55
In the space of a prayer,
00:36:30.65\00:36:32.69
Isaiah goes from being
00:36:32.79\00:36:33.79
a spiritual loser
00:36:33.89\00:36:35.76
to being a missionary for God.
00:36:35.86\00:36:37.63
A second reason that God
00:36:43.40\00:36:44.47
calls us to huddle in prayer
00:36:44.57\00:36:47.80
so often is simply this.
00:36:47.90\00:36:50.77
When we pray, our fears flee.
00:36:50.87\00:36:55.38
You know, there's so many
00:36:55.48\00:36:56.38
lessons that we could pull from
00:36:56.48\00:36:57.28
this little story of Isaiah.
00:36:57.38\00:36:58.61
I think this is
00:36:58.71\00:36:59.18
one of the better ones.
00:36:59.28\00:37:01.15
When we pray, our fears flee
00:37:01.25\00:37:03.62
because they cannot bear up
00:37:03.72\00:37:05.09
under the weight of the atoning
00:37:05.19\00:37:06.45
power of Jesus Christ.
00:37:06.55\00:37:08.72
When we are honest in prayer
00:37:08.82\00:37:09.82
with our fears,
00:37:09.92\00:37:11.23
God knows exactly how
00:37:11.33\00:37:12.39
to melt them with
00:37:12.49\00:37:13.83
the brightness of his presence.
00:37:13.93\00:37:15.60
This is one of the things
00:37:15.70\00:37:16.63
that prayer is for.
00:37:16.73\00:37:17.80
And notice carefully.
00:37:17.90\00:37:18.87
It's again specifically
00:37:18.97\00:37:20.37
a discipleship context.
00:37:20.47\00:37:22.54
Isaiah, when he had this
00:37:22.64\00:37:24.21
renewal experience in prayer,
00:37:24.31\00:37:25.51
he is immediately sent out
00:37:25.61\00:37:27.34
to disciple others.
00:37:27.44\00:37:29.78
"Who will go for us?", God says.
00:37:29.88\00:37:31.08
Isaiah, now refreshed,
00:37:31.18\00:37:32.68
"Here I am, Lord.
00:37:32.78\00:37:33.88
I'm ready now. Send me."
00:37:33.98\00:37:39.19
One of the biggest reasons that
00:37:39.29\00:37:40.32
people don't share their faith
00:37:40.42\00:37:41.22
is because they're afraid.
00:37:41.32\00:37:43.29
We talked about this briefly
00:37:43.39\00:37:44.09
a few weeks ago.
00:37:44.19\00:37:46.76
They're afraid they won't say
00:37:46.86\00:37:47.66
the right thing, that they won't
00:37:47.76\00:37:48.43
have the right answer.
00:37:48.53\00:37:49.23
Somebody is going to stump them.
00:37:49.33\00:37:50.03
They're gonna mess up.
00:37:50.13\00:37:51.70
They're going to, you know,
00:37:51.80\00:37:53.27
stub their toe and swear.
00:37:53.37\00:37:54.54
Something's going to go wrong,
00:37:54.64\00:37:55.07
right?
00:37:55.17\00:37:56.50
And so they're afraid of it,
00:37:56.60\00:37:57.37
and so they don't witness.
00:37:57.47\00:38:00.48
What fears are holding you back
00:38:00.58\00:38:02.78
from sharing Jesus with others?
00:38:02.88\00:38:06.28
What are they?
00:38:06.38\00:38:09.05
And whatever they are,
00:38:09.15\00:38:11.72
may I gently challenge you?
00:38:11.82\00:38:14.12
Don't let another day go by,
00:38:14.22\00:38:16.12
bring them to Jesus,
00:38:16.22\00:38:17.79
lay them out clearly,
00:38:17.89\00:38:19.53
tell Him honestly what they are,
00:38:19.63\00:38:21.93
and let Him take them away.
00:38:22.03\00:38:24.63
Because it is in prayer that
00:38:24.73\00:38:25.87
God works, that Jesus works.
00:38:25.97\00:38:27.34
When we pray, our fears flee.
00:38:27.44\00:38:34.34
So the second reason
00:38:34.44\00:38:36.34
that Christ asks us to huddle
00:38:36.44\00:38:37.25
with Him in prayer.
00:38:37.35\00:38:38.21
There is a third and final one
00:38:38.31\00:38:39.65
for today.
00:38:39.75\00:38:41.15
Psalm Chapter 34, please,
00:38:41.25\00:38:42.58
Verse 4.
00:38:42.68\00:38:43.25
Psalm 34:4.
00:38:43.35\00:38:48.89
So, Psalm of David,
00:38:48.99\00:38:50.69
at a time in his life --
00:38:50.79\00:38:52.33
He had fled from King Abimelech,
00:38:52.43\00:38:54.13
pretended to be insane.
00:38:54.23\00:38:55.00
It was a tumultuous,
00:38:55.10\00:38:56.26
chaotic time.
00:38:56.36\00:38:58.07
David was not feeling confident.
00:38:58.17\00:39:01.70
And so he sought a solution
00:39:01.80\00:39:03.77
and he found one.
00:39:03.87\00:39:05.24
Verse 4. Psalm 34:4.
00:39:05.34\00:39:07.08
David says, "'I sought the Lord,
00:39:07.18\00:39:09.84
and He answered me.'"
00:39:09.94\00:39:11.15
Does that sound like prayer
00:39:11.25\00:39:11.61
to you?
00:39:11.71\00:39:13.15
Yeah, it does to me.
00:39:13.25\00:39:14.32
This is prayer.
00:39:14.42\00:39:15.18
David prays. He's in trouble.
00:39:15.28\00:39:16.55
He's uncertain. He's unsure.
00:39:16.65\00:39:17.82
He doesn't know
00:39:17.92\00:39:18.45
what the future holds.
00:39:18.55\00:39:19.65
So he prays.
00:39:19.75\00:39:20.52
"'I sought the Lord,
00:39:20.62\00:39:21.62
and He answered me.
00:39:21.72\00:39:23.36
He delivered me
00:39:23.46\00:39:24.23
from all my fears."
00:39:24.33\00:39:25.39
That's what we just learned.
00:39:25.49\00:39:26.26
"'Delivered me from all my fears
00:39:26.36\00:39:26.90
in prayer.'"
00:39:27.00\00:39:27.40
Verse 5.
00:39:27.50\00:39:28.10
"'Those who look to Him
00:39:28.20\00:39:28.86
are radiant.
00:39:28.96\00:39:29.50
Their faces
00:39:29.60\00:39:30.37
are never covered with shame.
00:39:30.47\00:39:31.80
This poor man --'" probably
00:39:31.90\00:39:33.20
tapping on his chest there --
00:39:33.30\00:39:34.60
"'called, and the Lord heard
00:39:34.70\00:39:35.60
him.
00:39:35.70\00:39:36.27
He saved him out of
00:39:36.37\00:39:37.17
all his troubles.
00:39:37.27\00:39:38.84
The angel of the Lord encamps
00:39:38.94\00:39:40.64
around those who fear Him,
00:39:40.74\00:39:41.81
and He delivers them.
00:39:41.91\00:39:43.78
Taste and see that the Lord
00:39:43.88\00:39:45.95
is good.
00:39:46.05\00:39:47.45
Blessed is the man
00:39:47.55\00:39:48.62
who takes refuge in Him.'"
00:39:48.72\00:39:49.95
>> Amen.
00:39:50.05\00:39:52.92
>> David went from being
00:39:53.02\00:39:54.79
uncertain and hesitant to being
00:39:54.89\00:39:56.89
bold and confident,
00:39:56.99\00:39:58.73
and that transformation
00:39:58.83\00:40:00.26
all started when he prayed.
00:40:00.36\00:40:04.23
A third reason that Christ longs
00:40:04.33\00:40:06.27
to huddle with us and prays
00:40:06.37\00:40:08.14
so often is that when we pray,
00:40:08.24\00:40:10.57
lives are changed.
00:40:10.67\00:40:14.41
And not just ours,
00:40:14.51\00:40:16.78
but others, too.
00:40:16.88\00:40:19.05
A final story.
00:40:19.15\00:40:20.55
And I am going to intentionally
00:40:20.65\00:40:22.78
change some of the details,
00:40:22.88\00:40:24.75
the identifying details,
00:40:24.85\00:40:25.95
of this story
00:40:26.05\00:40:26.96
so that you hopefully will not
00:40:27.06\00:40:28.22
be able to identify the people
00:40:28.32\00:40:29.29
that are involved.
00:40:29.39\00:40:30.56
But the substance of the story
00:40:30.66\00:40:31.86
is absolutely true.
00:40:31.96\00:40:35.20
Many years ago, I was
00:40:35.30\00:40:36.53
traveling on the West Coast.
00:40:36.63\00:40:37.53
I was in California.
00:40:37.63\00:40:39.07
And unbeknownst to me,
00:40:39.17\00:40:40.27
a friend of mine knew that
00:40:40.37\00:40:41.67
I was traveling through that
00:40:41.77\00:40:42.70
particular part of California,
00:40:42.80\00:40:44.51
a pastor friend of mine.
00:40:44.61\00:40:45.41
And he calls me up and said,
00:40:45.51\00:40:46.64
"Hey, I see that
00:40:46.74\00:40:47.61
you're in our area here.
00:40:47.71\00:40:48.91
Hi. How are you?
00:40:49.01\00:40:49.58
And can we
00:40:49.68\00:40:50.41
get together right away?"
00:40:50.51\00:40:51.68
I said, "Well, sure.
00:40:51.78\00:40:52.88
Good to hear from you.
00:40:52.98\00:40:53.95
What's up?"
00:40:54.05\00:40:54.82
We met together, and
00:40:54.92\00:40:56.15
he shared with me what was up,
00:40:56.25\00:40:57.69
and, indeed, it was quite
00:40:57.79\00:40:58.39
serious.
00:40:58.49\00:41:00.22
He explained that
00:41:00.32\00:41:01.69
they had a local grade school
00:41:01.79\00:41:03.22
and Adventist high school
00:41:03.32\00:41:05.33
there, academy, and there was
00:41:05.43\00:41:07.20
a group of about seven students
00:41:07.30\00:41:08.56
they had matriculated through
00:41:08.66\00:41:09.56
all of those years.
00:41:09.66\00:41:10.40
They had graduated
00:41:10.50\00:41:11.40
a few years ago and had kind of
00:41:11.50\00:41:13.74
gone away from the church.
00:41:13.84\00:41:16.17
Not much interest in spiritual
00:41:16.27\00:41:17.17
things, kind of gotten
00:41:17.27\00:41:18.11
into the wrong circles
00:41:18.21\00:41:19.41
from drinking, et cetera
00:41:19.51\00:41:20.24
that was going on there.
00:41:20.34\00:41:22.24
And then, one day,
00:41:22.34\00:41:25.21
somebody in that group suggested
00:41:25.31\00:41:27.28
that they get a game.
00:41:27.38\00:41:30.65
And I'm not going
00:41:30.75\00:41:31.39
to give much details on it.
00:41:31.49\00:41:32.22
Those of you that are aware
00:41:32.32\00:41:33.09
of such things, you'll know
00:41:33.19\00:41:33.99
exactly what I'm talking about.
00:41:34.09\00:41:34.72
But there is a game.
00:41:34.82\00:41:36.12
It is sadly readily available
00:41:36.22\00:41:39.79
where you can ask questions
00:41:39.89\00:41:40.86
of the game,
00:41:40.96\00:41:42.40
and it supposedly will give you
00:41:42.50\00:41:44.17
answers back on these topics,
00:41:44.27\00:41:46.40
any topic that you choose.
00:41:46.50\00:41:48.40
Well, they got it.
00:41:48.50\00:41:50.57
They got that game.
00:41:50.67\00:41:52.47
And they knew better.
00:41:52.57\00:41:53.91
They had gone through, as I say,
00:41:54.01\00:41:54.84
our schools.
00:41:54.94\00:41:56.61
But they thought, "Well, surely
00:41:56.71\00:41:57.71
this can't be that dangerous."
00:41:57.81\00:42:02.88
They begin to ask questions of
00:42:02.98\00:42:04.12
the game, and the game answered.
00:42:04.22\00:42:06.96
You know, the devil loves
00:42:07.06\00:42:08.69
half-truths or even 90% truth.
00:42:08.79\00:42:11.49
If he can just put 10%
00:42:11.59\00:42:13.09
deadly error in there,
00:42:13.19\00:42:13.80
he's happy.
00:42:13.90\00:42:14.66
He's happy, okay?
00:42:14.76\00:42:16.03
Bald-faced lies -- rarely,
00:42:16.13\00:42:17.80
rarely told by the devil, okay?
00:42:17.90\00:42:19.37
And, so, he begins to give
00:42:19.47\00:42:20.80
answers, and the answers are
00:42:20.90\00:42:22.40
incredibly accurate for these --
00:42:22.50\00:42:23.87
"Wow, this is interesting.
00:42:23.97\00:42:24.61
Well, ask him
00:42:24.71\00:42:25.27
this or ask him that."
00:42:25.37\00:42:26.84
And pretty soon, the game
00:42:26.94\00:42:27.54
is beginning
00:42:27.64\00:42:28.11
to give directions back.
00:42:28.21\00:42:29.44
Now, this is just pure
00:42:29.54\00:42:30.15
and simple.
00:42:30.25\00:42:30.58
of the devil, okay?
00:42:31.45\00:42:33.05
And if you are dabbling
00:42:33.15\00:42:34.95
in the occult,
00:42:35.05\00:42:37.02
if you can hear my voice
00:42:37.12\00:42:37.92
right now, if you are dabbling
00:42:38.02\00:42:38.85
in the occult and you think
00:42:38.95\00:42:39.95
that you can control
00:42:40.06\00:42:41.16
what is happening,
00:42:41.26\00:42:42.49
you are wrong.
00:42:42.59\00:42:44.46
You are absolutely wrong.
00:42:44.56\00:42:46.13
Every single story of people
00:42:46.23\00:42:48.13
who "dabble in the occult,"
00:42:48.23\00:42:50.33
you stick in it long enough,
00:42:50.43\00:42:51.43
you cannot get out
00:42:51.53\00:42:53.54
of your own accord,
00:42:53.64\00:42:55.67
as you're about to see.
00:42:55.77\00:42:57.91
The game told them to go
00:42:58.01\00:42:58.94
to a cemetery.
00:42:59.04\00:43:00.94
They went to the cemetery.
00:43:01.04\00:43:02.88
They went to a certain grave.
00:43:02.98\00:43:04.18
They went to the grave.
00:43:04.28\00:43:05.68
And they were asked to call
00:43:05.78\00:43:07.22
someone, and they did.
00:43:07.32\00:43:09.22
And out of the grave came
00:43:09.32\00:43:10.25
"a ghost."
00:43:10.35\00:43:12.42
Now, we know that there
00:43:12.52\00:43:13.29
are no such thing as ghosts.
00:43:13.39\00:43:14.19
Amen?
00:43:14.29\00:43:14.62
>> Amen.
00:43:14.72\00:43:15.16
>> We know
00:43:15.26\00:43:15.99
what the Bible has to say.
00:43:16.09\00:43:17.09
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,
00:43:17.19\00:43:18.63
among other texts in the Bible.
00:43:18.73\00:43:19.96
You know, "The living know
00:43:20.06\00:43:20.86
that they shall die, but the
00:43:20.96\00:43:23.06
dead know..."
00:43:23.16\00:43:23.80
>> Nothing.
00:43:23.90\00:43:24.73
>> Nothing, zero, zip, nada.
00:43:24.83\00:43:26.13
When you're dead, you're dead.
00:43:26.23\00:43:27.17
It's like a dreamless sleep.
00:43:27.27\00:43:28.64
You can't have any communication
00:43:28.74\00:43:29.90
with anybody who's still living.
00:43:30.01\00:43:31.11
That's what the Bible says.
00:43:31.21\00:43:34.84
But we also know that the Bible
00:43:34.94\00:43:35.64
says that the devil
00:43:35.74\00:43:36.54
can impersonate the dead --
00:43:36.64\00:43:38.38
and, sadly, with a great
00:43:38.48\00:43:39.75
amount of accuracy.
00:43:39.85\00:43:41.98
And so there's a demon
00:43:42.08\00:43:43.59
impersonating this dead person,
00:43:43.69\00:43:45.15
and the dead person
00:43:45.25\00:43:46.39
begins to get quite aggressive,
00:43:46.49\00:43:48.06
this demon, and making requests.
00:43:48.16\00:43:49.69
And by now,
00:43:49.79\00:43:50.39
absolutely terrified.
00:43:51.43\00:43:53.53
And when they refused
00:43:53.63\00:43:55.20
what this evil spirit asked,
00:43:55.30\00:43:57.60
one of the young adults
00:43:57.70\00:43:59.50
was possessed.
00:43:59.60\00:44:01.20
Again, if you play with fire,
00:44:06.14\00:44:07.08
you will get burned.
00:44:07.18\00:44:11.61
They called my pastor friend,
00:44:11.71\00:44:13.68
who called me.
00:44:13.78\00:44:14.62
And I said,
00:44:14.72\00:44:15.68
"Yeah, let's go right away."
00:44:15.78\00:44:18.52
We met with this group of young
00:44:18.62\00:44:19.72
adults at a local Adventist
00:44:19.82\00:44:20.59
church there.
00:44:20.69\00:44:21.42
We went to the front pew.
00:44:21.52\00:44:22.39
And they were carrying
00:44:22.49\00:44:23.32
their friend -- The friend,
00:44:23.43\00:44:24.69
essentially from the time
00:44:24.79\00:44:26.36
at that cemetery, he was
00:44:26.46\00:44:29.96
breathing,
00:44:30.07\00:44:30.63
but he could not communicate,
00:44:30.73\00:44:31.60
couldn't open his eyes,
00:44:31.70\00:44:33.00
could not control his movements.
00:44:33.10\00:44:34.00
They carried him from place
00:44:34.10\00:44:34.64
to place.
00:44:34.74\00:44:35.47
They carried him
00:44:35.57\00:44:36.57
into the church.
00:44:36.67\00:44:37.57
They put him there on the front
00:44:37.67\00:44:38.34
pew.
00:44:38.44\00:44:39.01
He just kind of flopped there
00:44:39.11\00:44:40.21
on the pew.
00:44:40.31\00:44:41.38
And we huddled.
00:44:41.48\00:44:45.01
We prayed.
00:44:45.11\00:44:48.75
We pled the blood
00:44:48.85\00:44:49.32
of Jesus Christ.
00:44:49.42\00:44:51.55
You know, the one thing
00:44:51.65\00:44:52.69
the devil hates more
00:44:52.79\00:44:53.29
than anything else
00:44:53.39\00:44:54.19
is the blood of Jesus Christ.
00:44:54.29\00:44:57.19
We can pray
00:44:57.29\00:44:58.26
for all manner of blessings.
00:44:58.36\00:44:59.26
The devil doesn't like
00:44:59.36\00:44:59.73
that either.
00:44:59.83\00:45:00.43
that says, "Game up for you,
00:45:02.16\00:45:03.63
Satan," is the blood
00:45:03.73\00:45:04.50
of Jesus Christ.
00:45:04.60\00:45:06.27
When Jesus was on that cross,
00:45:06.37\00:45:07.34
what were his final words?
00:45:07.44\00:45:08.04
"It is..."
00:45:08.14\00:45:08.80
>> Finished.
00:45:08.90\00:45:09.80
>> "It is finished."
00:45:09.90\00:45:11.14
Now, the Great Controversy
00:45:11.24\00:45:12.01
wasn't quite finished yet,
00:45:12.11\00:45:13.17
but the end had been secured.
00:45:13.27\00:45:15.91
And when you plead the blood
00:45:16.01\00:45:16.95
of Jesus Christ, the devil
00:45:17.05\00:45:18.51
has no option but to leave.
00:45:18.61\00:45:20.85
And so we prayed there
00:45:20.95\00:45:22.32
with our holy huddle.
00:45:22.42\00:45:23.69
And the young man stirred
00:45:23.79\00:45:25.19
a little bit.
00:45:25.29\00:45:25.95
He stirred.
00:45:26.05\00:45:27.02
He opened his eyes a little bit
00:45:27.12\00:45:27.99
and closed them again.
00:45:28.09\00:45:29.26
And it came in my mind
00:45:29.36\00:45:30.53
the very story that we read here
00:45:30.63\00:45:31.53
a couple Sabbaths ago.
00:45:31.63\00:45:32.29
You remember Jesus,
00:45:32.39\00:45:33.03
when He met the man
00:45:33.13\00:45:34.30
who had legion inside of Him,
00:45:34.36\00:45:35.43
and He commanded him
00:45:35.53\00:45:36.70
to come out, and then
00:45:36.80\00:45:37.60
this conversation took place.
00:45:37.70\00:45:38.87
There was a little delay.
00:45:38.97\00:45:40.74
We huddled again.
00:45:40.84\00:45:41.74
We began to pray and we pled
00:45:41.84\00:45:43.47
the blood of Jesus Christ,
00:45:43.57\00:45:44.41
asking, by the power
00:45:44.51\00:45:45.21
of His Holy Spirit,
00:45:45.31\00:45:46.24
that the blood of Jesus Christ,
00:45:46.34\00:45:47.38
and we commanded that demon
00:45:47.48\00:45:48.54
to leave.
00:45:48.64\00:45:50.31
And after several minutes
00:45:50.41\00:45:51.18
of praying, he did.
00:45:51.28\00:45:56.45
And that young man was set free.
00:45:56.55\00:46:01.79
He opened his eyes, he blinked,
00:46:01.89\00:46:03.83
did not know where he was.
00:46:03.93\00:46:05.96
We reminded him
00:46:06.06\00:46:06.66
of the circumstances,
00:46:06.76\00:46:07.66
and, "Yes, I remember, I
00:46:07.76\00:46:09.13
remember."
00:46:09.23\00:46:12.27
Ladies and gentlemen,
00:46:12.37\00:46:15.60
when we pray, lives are changed.
00:46:15.70\00:46:21.04
Prayer itself is not a thing,
00:46:21.14\00:46:23.45
but God is,
00:46:23.55\00:46:24.75
and He works through prayer.
00:46:24.85\00:46:26.65
That holy huddle of being
00:46:26.75\00:46:28.05
with him -- there's nothing
00:46:28.15\00:46:28.78
magic about mouthing --
00:46:28.88\00:46:29.95
making words with your mouth
00:46:30.05\00:46:31.09
or supposedly an attitude
00:46:31.19\00:46:32.25
of prayer, but there is great
00:46:32.35\00:46:33.56
power in Jesus Christ.
00:46:33.66\00:46:35.52
And He has chosen, in these
00:46:35.62\00:46:36.86
holy huddles, to give His power
00:46:36.96\00:46:38.69
to change people's lives there.
00:46:38.79\00:46:40.90
Some of you may be thinking,
00:46:40.96\00:46:41.93
"But, Pastor Shane,
00:46:42.03\00:46:43.57
that was an extreme example.
00:46:43.67\00:46:45.10
I mean, that's demon possession.
00:46:45.20\00:46:46.63
That's like one of the most
00:46:46.74\00:46:47.80
extreme forms of discipleship
00:46:47.90\00:46:48.87
you could ever imagine."
00:46:48.97\00:46:50.84
Hear it and hear it well.
00:46:50.94\00:46:53.91
Every conversion is a miracle.
00:46:54.01\00:47:00.15
Whether you are possessed
00:47:00.25\00:47:01.18
by a demon or just distracted
00:47:01.28\00:47:03.05
from spiritual things,
00:47:03.15\00:47:04.35
like millions of people
00:47:04.45\00:47:05.25
in this country,
00:47:05.35\00:47:06.12
every conversion is a miracle.
00:47:06.22\00:47:08.89
We would like to think --
00:47:08.99\00:47:09.89
I mean, wouldn't it be great
00:47:09.99\00:47:10.63
if we could just smile
00:47:10.73\00:47:11.76
and be nice and have clean
00:47:11.86\00:47:12.86
restrooms on a Sabbath morning
00:47:12.96\00:47:14.10
and people would be baptized?
00:47:14.20\00:47:15.33
Wouldn't that be great?
00:47:15.43\00:47:17.43
Now, we need clean restrooms,
00:47:17.53\00:47:18.30
and you please smile
00:47:18.40\00:47:19.17
when a guest comes in.
00:47:19.27\00:47:20.50
But if their hearts are to
00:47:20.60\00:47:21.54
be changed, I can't do it.
00:47:21.64\00:47:22.87
You can't do it. Only Jesus can.
00:47:22.97\00:47:25.01
And that is why,
00:47:25.11\00:47:26.07
when we are seeking
00:47:26.17\00:47:27.38
to reach other people for Jesus,
00:47:27.48\00:47:28.74
we must pray.
00:47:28.84\00:47:30.61
We must pray.
00:47:30.71\00:47:31.48
We must intercede for them.
00:47:31.58\00:47:33.88
I don't understand all the rules
00:47:33.98\00:47:35.58
of the Great Controversy.
00:47:35.68\00:47:37.29
All I know
00:47:37.39\00:47:38.89
is that there are times
00:47:38.99\00:47:40.52
when I don't pray, and there is
00:47:40.62\00:47:42.06
no progress, spiritually, with
00:47:42.16\00:47:43.56
someone I'm seeking to reach.
00:47:43.66\00:47:45.53
And then there are times
00:47:45.63\00:47:46.36
when I remember and I pray
00:47:46.46\00:47:47.73
and I intercede, and things
00:47:47.83\00:47:49.20
happen in that person's life.
00:47:49.30\00:47:51.33
And I've seen people become
00:47:51.43\00:47:52.97
Christians and join the church
00:47:53.07\00:47:55.14
because other people were
00:47:55.24\00:47:56.40
interceding for them in prayer.
00:47:56.50\00:48:00.84
So, again, I ask you,
00:48:00.94\00:48:01.91
how is it with you?
00:48:02.01\00:48:04.98
How is it with you
00:48:05.08\00:48:05.95
and the holy huddle?
00:48:06.05\00:48:08.42
Are you
00:48:08.52\00:48:09.08
who prays every now and then
00:48:10.65\00:48:14.92
or are you a disciple-maker
00:48:15.02\00:48:15.62
for Christ
00:48:15.72\00:48:17.73
that lives a life of prayer?
00:48:17.83\00:48:21.86
Throughout this series, we have
00:48:21.96\00:48:23.06
seen, in multiple places,
00:48:23.16\00:48:23.93
that Christ
00:48:24.03\00:48:24.70
is calling us to unity.
00:48:24.80\00:48:26.40
As we learned a few Sabbaths
00:48:26.50\00:48:28.27
ago, unity is actually a
00:48:28.37\00:48:29.74
location.
00:48:29.84\00:48:31.97
It is found by the church
00:48:32.07\00:48:32.97
only as we are found
00:48:33.07\00:48:35.21
at Jesus' wounded side.
00:48:35.31\00:48:38.61
And prayer turns out to be
00:48:38.71\00:48:41.05
how we travel to that location.
00:48:41.15\00:48:44.15
Ellen White has that famous
00:48:44.25\00:48:45.39
phrase in "Steps to Christ."
00:48:45.49\00:48:46.49
"Prayer does not bring God
00:48:46.59\00:48:47.89
down to us but, rather, brings
00:48:47.99\00:48:49.32
us up to God, right to the very
00:48:49.42\00:48:51.96
side of Christ."
00:48:52.06\00:48:53.73
And as we are united
00:48:53.83\00:48:55.33
as a church, as a campus,
00:48:55.43\00:48:56.63
as a worldwide body,
00:48:56.73\00:48:58.07
as we are united,
00:48:58.17\00:48:59.50
we seek to share Jesus
00:48:59.60\00:49:01.27
with other people, and to do
00:49:01.37\00:49:02.80
those two things successfully --
00:49:02.90\00:49:04.07
to be united and to share Jesus
00:49:04.17\00:49:05.61
with others -- we must have
00:49:05.71\00:49:06.88
Christ leading and His courage
00:49:06.98\00:49:08.28
and His power to change lives,
00:49:08.38\00:49:09.88
all of which flow freely
00:49:09.98\00:49:11.81
to the soul that frequently
00:49:11.91\00:49:13.65
and regularly lives in prayer
00:49:13.75\00:49:15.15
with Jesus Christ.
00:49:15.25\00:49:17.62
Ladies and gentlemen, this is
00:49:17.72\00:49:18.49
not a flag-football game.
00:49:18.59\00:49:20.96
This is the Great Controversy.
00:49:21.06\00:49:22.66
This is the kingdom of God,
00:49:22.76\00:49:24.36
and eternity is on the line,
00:49:24.46\00:49:26.23
so, please, let us unite
00:49:26.33\00:49:28.10
in Christ.
00:49:28.20\00:49:29.83
Let us use that as a springboard
00:49:29.93\00:49:31.37
to make disciples for Him.
00:49:31.47\00:49:32.57
And let us pray together,
00:49:32.67\00:49:34.74
individually, corporately,
00:49:34.84\00:49:35.94
regularly throughout the day,
00:49:36.04\00:49:37.34
each day that we may have what
00:49:37.44\00:49:39.31
we need to let the world know
00:49:39.41\00:49:41.01
that their friend and savior,
00:49:41.11\00:49:42.14
Jesus Christ, has come,
00:49:42.24\00:49:44.18
and that by God's grace,
00:49:44.28\00:49:45.58
they, too, might make
00:49:45.68\00:49:47.52
the shot of a lifetime.
00:49:47.62\00:49:49.48
>> Amen!
00:49:49.58\00:49:51.25
[ Applause ]
00:49:51.35\00:49:52.92
¤
00:50:00.10\00:50:01.76
>> Jesus, indeed, you are
00:52:47.93\00:52:48.93
a merciful savior.
00:52:49.03\00:52:51.20
You love, Lord, to pull us out
00:52:51.30\00:52:52.60
of the muck and the grime of sin
00:52:52.70\00:52:53.94
that we have
00:52:54.04\00:52:54.47
Thank you. Thank you for that.
00:52:55.57\00:52:58.17
Lord, as we seek to help others
00:52:58.27\00:52:59.41
to have this same experience,
00:52:59.51\00:53:01.38
please, Lord, please huddle
00:53:01.48\00:53:02.98
with us.
00:53:03.08\00:53:04.38
Remind us, Lord,
00:53:04.48\00:53:05.55
throughout the day,
00:53:05.65\00:53:06.35
every day, to be listening
00:53:06.45\00:53:07.52
to You and to Your voice.
00:53:07.62\00:53:08.65
Great things can happen
00:53:08.75\00:53:09.65
when we do.
00:53:09.75\00:53:10.95
Please, Lord, may this become
00:53:11.05\00:53:13.25
a church, a campus,
00:53:13.36\00:53:16.02
a worldwide movement of prayer.
00:53:16.12\00:53:19.29
This we ask in your name. Amen.
00:53:19.39\00:53:21.63
¤
00:53:21.73\00:53:23.43
>> Before you go, let me take
00:56:39.63\00:56:41.00
just a moment to share with you
00:56:41.10\00:56:42.10
an opportunity to get into
00:56:42.20\00:56:43.73
the Bible in a fresh, new way.
00:56:43.83\00:56:46.10
All across the world,
00:56:46.20\00:56:47.47
more and more people are hearing
00:56:47.57\00:56:48.57
the call to examine
00:56:48.67\00:56:49.77
the Scriptures for themselves.
00:56:49.87\00:56:51.91
If you've felt drawn to learn
00:56:52.01\00:56:52.94
more about God's Word,
00:56:53.04\00:56:54.11
but you don't know
00:56:54.21\00:56:54.61
where to start
00:56:54.71\00:56:55.91
or you're just looking for
00:56:56.01\00:56:56.91
a more in-depth examination
00:56:57.01\00:56:58.25
of Bible truths,
00:56:58.35\00:57:00.05
then I have something right here
00:57:00.15\00:57:01.42
that I believe
00:57:01.52\00:57:02.08
you're going to enjoy.
00:57:02.18\00:57:03.95
I would like to send you
00:57:04.05\00:57:04.99
a series of Bible-study guides.
00:57:05.09\00:57:07.32
Each of these study guides asks
00:57:07.42\00:57:08.82
and answers very important
00:57:08.92\00:57:10.23
questions, such as these
00:57:10.33\00:57:11.56
examples right here.
00:57:11.66\00:57:13.06
Why does God allow suffering?
00:57:13.16\00:57:15.16
Can God be trusted?
00:57:15.26\00:57:17.80
Each of the initial five guides
00:57:17.90\00:57:19.30
begins with a story
00:57:19.40\00:57:20.74
to introduce the subject.
00:57:20.84\00:57:22.40
Then, through a series
00:57:22.50\00:57:23.30
of focused questions,
00:57:23.41\00:57:24.91
you'll soon be learning portions
00:57:25.01\00:57:25.94
of the Bible
00:57:26.04\00:57:27.24
you may never have known before.
00:57:27.34\00:57:29.31
And when you're through,
00:57:29.41\00:57:30.55
you'll be able to share
00:57:30.65\00:57:31.38
with others these inspiring
00:57:31.48\00:57:32.88
truths from God's words.
00:57:32.98\00:57:35.52
Just call our toll-free number.
00:57:35.62\00:57:36.82
It's on your screen now.
00:57:36.92\00:57:38.32
877, the two words HIS-WILL.
00:57:38.42\00:57:41.79
Friendly operators are standing
00:57:41.89\00:57:43.56
by to send you these guides.
00:57:43.66\00:57:45.29
Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL.
00:57:45.39\00:57:47.30
Call that number.
00:57:47.40\00:57:48.80
And don't forget to join me
00:57:48.90\00:57:50.63
next week right here
00:57:50.73\00:57:52.13
at this same time.
00:57:52.23\00:57:53.34
¤
00:58:00.51\00:58:02.21