A Place for His Name

Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Some inserts are nine campuses around the triangle and to our brothers in the way correctional facility soon to be followed when our tent camps of the summa church welcomes all of you this Memorial Day weekend.

Got a Bible.

If you take it out. You have one. If not, maybe somebody around you has one to let you look on with him again to find a way to first Kings chapter 8 first Kings chapter 8 that there might be a bold little difficult to get to. If you never found, so there's no shame at all and open up your Bible to table of contents and just figured out where that is its own. About halfway down the first column I think the first annex you make fun of you for doing that will have them thrown out. We have the kind of power.

Here, the summa church so you find it and as attorney Darrell Tate after national championship.

You've probably seen this in just about every sport you'll see the winning team immediately put on T-shirts and hats for the team's name and an national champs in whatever year that they wanted in a little of the moment. The buzzer goes off there wearing those hats and T-shirts for Saul that as a kid I always thought life how they make those things that quickly and then of course I have a genius in a realization that they have no stash of shirts with theater teams celebration victory on hand just ready for whichever team we are one the championship that I have a second thought, my God, what happens to the losing team shirts. I wonder nobody wants to wear that if your team didn't win will for a long time.

The NFL and the NBA and all the other league sent all those in a wasted church announcing the wrong winner straight to the incinerator but about 15 years ago. Humanitarian aid groups lobby lobby those organizations to have them sent to kids in poor countries who would know that they were inaccurate or really even care. I think at one point when I lived over in Southeast Asia. I remember 1998 seen a Utah Jazz, 1998 championship hat back. Of course, when Michael Jordan was dominating everything a basketball with the bulls that I saw that shirt and I thought was there ever even a chance that the Utah Jazz is going to win, I will even bring that shirt, so bottom line for all of you Carolina fans out there. There are so you travel to enough places in the world you might be able to find that coveted 2016 UNC national championship hat in Haiti or the 2016 Carolina Panthers Super Bowl T-shirt in Tajikistan. That's why we do mission trips, ladies and gentlemen you a chance to get those these items were created to remember to celebrate a great victory with joy but nobody wants to see him anymore because the side of them only reminds losers now of the shame they feel about what they lost in many ways. That's what the temple became for Israel. The temple was supposed to be the greatest expression of Israel's victory.

It was supposed to be there glory. Instead, it is going to become a great symbol of their failure on first Kings.

They were to look at basically the whole chapter as we journey through our story here in the whole story really come now to the story of King Solomon David son dedicating the temple that he's just built for God first Kings chapter 8.

It is hard for us to appreciate what a magnificent structure. This temple was that God had made. Solomon really really really wealthy and the temple on that Solomon builds reflects his wealth was huge. The book of first Chronicles tells us that it took 150,000 more than 150,000 laborers more than eight years to construct it. Everything was layered in gold.

According to first Chronicles Solomon used more than 4000 tons of gold, and more than 40,000 tons of silver, the price of what he used in today's value would be more than $160 trillion. That is trillion with a T. One scholar said that the amount of gold that Solomon used in the temple was about 4 to 5% of all the gold that had been mined on earth.

Up to that point.

As in, of all the gold that we never mind on earth 1/20 of it was in one building and then there were the precious stones, marble and onyx and rubies and emeralds that were all over the walls and the pillars this thing had some serious bling power you were coming out to to Jerusalem. You can see it for a long ways off most awesome thing about this temple, however, was when the glory of God in this thick luminescent cloud descended upon and that's the story you see them bursting separate tells us of the cloud was so thick in the glory was so bright that the priest had that had to leave the temple. Maybe they couldn't stand to be there bursting your seat is when the priest withdrew from the holy place the cloud filled the temple of the Lord and the priest could not perform their service because of the cloud for the glory of the Lord filled his temple. Verse 22. Then Solomon stood before the altar, the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel spread out his hands toward heaven. Many pray many records the prayer for us is a lot of great things we can focus on in this prayer. I'm only going to have time to choose just a few of them but go to verse 29 he says may arise. God be open toward this temple night and day.

This place of what you said my name shall be there so that you will hear the prayer that your servant prays for this place. Verse 33. When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy, because they may send against you in many turn back to you in your praise to your name.

Making request to you in this temple, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people. When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain. When famine or plague comes to the land or when an enemy besieges them in any other cities whatever disaster disease may come when a prayer please made by anyone among your people Israel being away or if they are the afflictions of their own hearts real quick that word afflictions means means there sin simple tendencies on the word to use for know is the Hebrew word… Which is a word that means not just a casual knowledge. It's a word that meant very intimate knowledge is in how a man knew his wife sexual intimacy is the word… Means we are really intimately familiar with the simple tendencies of your heart. You know, I know you exposer to God and admit your weaknesses and you confess it when I do that and spread out their hands for this temple and God hear from heaven, your dwelling place, forgive an act, verse 41 asked for the foreigner didn't belong your people Israel. One is not a Jew but one who is is from a Gentile nation. Anyone our enemy nations when they come from a distant land because of your name. They they heard about you, for they will hear of your great name in your mighty hand in your outstretched arm to hear about all these answers to prayer that we receive in this temple. And so they are to be moved to come and pray toward this temple and I pray God that you will hear from heaven, your dwelling place, do whatever that foreigner ask of you women are still foreigner said so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you as to your own people, Israel, and they know that this house that I built bears your name indeed verse 54, when Solomon finished praying, all these prayers and supplications of the Lord, got out from before the altar of the Lord where he been kneeling with his hand spread out toward heaven.

All the people to his back. He stood and he turned and he blessed the whole assembly with a loud voice saying, praise be to the Lord. Not one word has failed. Of all the good promises that he gave to his servant Moses and then repeated through David and many of the other leaders of looked at through the whole story. Verse 58 may turn our hearts toward him to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws, and to give your ancestors verse 62 than the king and all Israel with him, offered sacrifices before the Lord. Solomon offered 22,000 cattle in 120,000 sheep and goats which is 142,000 animals. This prayer of Solomon expresses what the temple was supposed to be temple supposed to be a place of refuge for Israel and a place where the foreigner could come and find salvation. This temple was the height of Israel's glory. It was the purpose God had said that he had chosen them for what he wanted to use them for the earth.

I got up bless you. If you remember the promise given Abraham and also make you a blessing to the nations. This is the blessing. Sadly, Israel did not heed Solomon's final admonition that Solomon himself did not even come stay faithful to the commands. The decrees and the laws of God like he admonishes the people to Solomon had a weakness. You probably know this if you spent any time in Sunday school at all. Solomon had a weakness in the weakness of women. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, which are areas like housewives midyear we we we we know of him is the wisest man ever to live but that is insane and he liked its exotic women.

It seems because he married all these princesses from around the world so they brought their foreign gods into his house with them and he even began to build little temples and shrines to their gods so that they would be happy, and eventually he began to worship.

There is God's himself. This was a harbinger of the entire future of Israel Israel to have a succession of kings after Solomon that on the whole, not only tolerate the worship of these other gods, but to give themselves entirely to them. Now I know it's easy for you and me to remove ourselves from them. Think well you know we don't do that anymore. I don't have any shrines, the false God set up in my attic or my basement. I did bring a false got here with me to church that while we were worshiping idols: on my pocketbook and sneak a little prayer it's and so I love you too. I love you gobbet I love you too. I don't know I don't do that, but realize that the worship of false gods. In those days was not was about a whole lot more than just religion for them. These God's promise survive these gods they thought were the means to something that they needed false gods in the ancient world called Bales and each one. Each bail was tied to a specific thing that people wanted.

For example there was the bail of fertility, or there was the bail of good health.

Each career field had its own bail. That was the bail of rain or the bailable harvest who was called the bail of hay. The nearby Greeks had gods and goddesses for every you got that some of you does not like I like the nearby Greeks had gods and goddesses for every sphere of life that Artemis and or Diana was her nickname. She was a goddess of prosperity or money how you had the goddess Athena, who was a goddess of intelligence and political prowess in the temple. They are the temple of Zeus.

There's this image of Zeus's head being slid open and Athena being taken out of his mind. So if you want to get straight A's you you worship her. Then there was Nikkei, the goddess of victory and I KE, who was worshiped by athletes and warriors in, and most recently Michael Jordan that she made you run faster and jump higher and soar above the competition.

Then there was the goddess Aphrodite.

She was the goddess of sexuality or beauty you worship her in ancient Greece, thereby having sex with prostitutes in the temples. That's one way to get men back in church, I guess, but that was their means. They even had Clowe seen on the goddess of the sewer system. I'm not exactly sure how you made an offering to her and I don't think I want to know.

Sometimes we light a candle and and and are about things in my house. I'm not sure if I was considered an act of worship or not, but calmed all these gods and all these different spheres that promise something specific in here was the deal when you needed something you could if you were in Israel I could ask God to provide it. Like Solomon tells him to do and you can wait on him or you could turn to one of those false gods and a lot of times people got impatient with God. I did ask God to give him a chance and God didn't do it on their timetable didn't like about he should do it so they lost confidence in God and then there were quite sure that he was gonna take care of them like you promised so they they turned idols got put into at a time of testing. You been one of those and then then then then they turned to one of these idols and said God of the substitute provider on the look to more than I look to you will sadly that's the course that Israel chosen because of that.eventually sent them into exile and out of the promised land given to them just like he promised that he would.

The Assyrians are going to invade the northern 10 tribes of Israel in 722 BC and carry off the northern 10 tribes in the captivity and then another kingdom. The Babylonian kingdom is going to come in 586 BC and they're gonna take captive the final to the southern tribes where Jerusalem was now one of Lee first Kings eight and I will want to go to the book of Ezekiel, because right before the southern to tribes where the temple was right before they were carried off into captivity. The prophet Ezekiel has this vision of the temple right before it's destroyed in this this vision is, last thing we see a Solomon's Temple in the Bible. I want you to see how he gives you a picture of it because it's really important for understanding where the whole story is going to go from here, not superfast in your Bible and just uploaded on the screen here for your first Kings chapter 10 verse four the glory of the Lord the glory that came in on the cloud and and and and rested there and drove the priest out of it because it was so bright that glory rose above the cherubim and move cherubim of the angels and moved to the threshold of the temple, so it leaves the holy place and goes out to the edge of the temple. The cloud follow the temple the presence of God, followed filled the temple and the court was full there of the radiance of the glory the Lord but is no longer on the holy place. Verse 18 in the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim while I watch the cherubim. The angel spread their wings and they rose from the ground.

They stopped at the entrance of the East gate of the Lord's house are going to have to East gate of the temple and the glory of the Lord was above them in the glory of the Lord went up from within the city so it keeps moving out toward the east and stops above the mountain. These two it so you get this image of the glory of God lifting about the holy of holies and traveling out to the outer part of the temple to the holy of holies was there in the center going out the east gate going up the east gate of Jerusalem and going up the mountain. There, on the eastern side, which is the amount of hours and then disappearing up into heaven, and that's the last they see it it departed from Earth. So, you read that right before this temple was destroyed or you think is that it is not the last chapter has a glory in the presence of God departed forever. You might remember if you were here when we went to the story of Noah we saw that God can really close to destroying everything in the flood, but he stopped short number he'd even chosen one family, and set another destroy everything I'm going to restore my presence on earth. Through this one family but is God done now.

Finally she just to set up this time is he. They finally tested him and it is this really the end is the glory of God gone as he departed from the earth forever. No more thankful your Bible that men and Ezekiel.

God had determined to bring salvation to the human race.

He made unconditional promises to Abraham and Moses and the David and even Israel's failures are not gonna stop him from keeping that promise. Interestingly, when you go to the life of Jesus the Gospel of Luke tells us that on Jesus's final ride into Jerusalem. Yet she takes a very interesting route because he's edgy coming into Jerusalem.

It says that he went up and out of our lives.

He got on a donkey came back down which is sort of interesting if you did need to go to the Mount of olives, he asserted he only went out to come by death figures of the Mount of olives comes back down it says that he go to the East gate of Jerusalem, and then he goes all the way into the temple where he takes out a weapon. He cleanses that driving out the money changers were buying and selling in the temple, and he says you tear, you know I'm tear this temple down a rebuild in three days talking about himself. Interestingly, the place of Jesus were drove them out from was the court of the Gentiles and his Jesus is driving out these money changers.

He says 1946. Is it not written, my house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations know what Solomon said it was supposed to be. But you know you've turned into a den of thieves. This was supposed to be. He said a place where foreigners from rendered nations found open me this is a court of the Gentiles to come in here and watch you in worship and they were supposed to seek help in God but instead you turn this into a place where you could just make money for yourselves to Jesus without a weapon. He cleansed the temple restoring it to its original purpose, and then he offered himself up as a sacrifice himself.

Not 142,000 animals like Solomon did, but himself because animal blood could never take away sin and animal blood can never cleanse the heart matter how many animals you use only his blood could do those things. His blood could do what no temple, no matter how beautiful, no matter how much gold how much silk how many diamonds the deer with what what it could never do. They could not only cleanse our sins. It could take it away and it would change our hearts so that we would love and seek God and not give ourselves the idols and then Jesus turns and he says whosoever will, in other words, foreigners from any nation on earth people at any stage of life with what ever they bring to this temple thing from the median break is on the real temple may combine the forgiveness and healing that Solomon promised they can find it in my name, the glory of God. Ezekiel predicted would no longer be found in a beautiful place. The temple, the glory of God. He said to be found in a beautiful person, Jesus, and anyone who comes to him from any nation by faith for forgiveness and healing for their sin will receive at the moment they asked for it and those who come to God through his name in prayer. God says out here the things of their asking to. We are supposed to. You see, take all the promises that Solomon gave them about the temple which is a take those applying to ourselves and when we pray in Jesus name. They pray for the temple whenever ever they were. They turn for the temple may pray when we pray in Jesus name. That's why we everyone what we say in Jesus name of the end. The prayers is not like a signal to God were about to be done so your guy can prepare to close its it foretells what were doing is missing. Just like they turn their face to the temple, and pray we are praying in Jesus name, because all these promises become ours in Jesus because he's the real temple, my Paul says in first Corinthians all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. So everything is in the Old Testament applies to me through Jesus's work towards that look like what does that mean how you apply these promises to you, well give you a handful of things here on this is what it looks like a take of promises and make them your number one God answers prayer God answers prayer, and I know none of the dissing so obvious Sunday school answer you like I came to church to hear that course you can say that you know you some useful answers were the answer was always God. Jesus prayer. The Bible story the kid in Sunday school that the unsocial teacher says what has for part is is gray and bushy tail you give raises hands like either sound like a squirrel but I know the answer to Jesus because were in Sunday school. The I know this is like a Sunday school answer like oh God answers prayer course he does.

But here's my question for you, you honestly believe that he does answer prayer. Listen to these promises again. Verse 29 for a first-team take my eyes. My ears got me open to this temple, but day and night here whenever my service. Pray whatever they pray when you've been defeated by an enemy because you sin against me. When the heavens are shot up because there's no rain even when it's your fault. In other words, when famine or plague comes to the land or blight, or mildew locus or grasshoppers when an enemy procedures you and any of your cities whatever disaster disease may come.

What disaster disease is come in your life into the life you want your kids when any prayer plea is made by anyone among your people Israel for us in the church when you spread out your hands toward this temple, and pray I will forgive then I will act when just forgive all also begin to act on your behalf. Were talking mostly about forgiveness. Yes, that's the big thing but he said I'm also going to get that act in your life. Is it not clear from these promises that he actually answers prayer, and is it not clear that our prayer changes situations in the clear from how Jesus repeated many of the same promises in his own and his own words and in the New Testament, Matthew 711. Ask ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock you know it will be open to you.

Matthew 2122 and all things that you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

John 1413, whatever you ask in my name, that will I do so that the father may be glorified in the son Paul Miller who wrote a great book called a praying life said all of Jesus's teaching on prayer can be summarized in one word, ask, ask first John 514. This is the confidence which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will, anything he hears us know don't we see God's willingness to answer prayer even demonstrated in the life of Jesus himself that if you were here are PRAYER meeting on this past Monday night October story on the Gospel of Matthew records a story of a woman who has this debacle is an issue of blood is a chronic disease she's out of 12 years. She comes up behind Jesus to touch the hem of his garment did you make eye contact with and she just wants to touch the hem of his garment goodbye because she needs him to heal her. Jesus turns around him as all these people are there the crowd. He turns around and says who touched me. He generally doesn't seem to know and his disciples likely meet somebody touch to your corral all the people pressing in on you from every side trying to sign autographs and is the money touch me, touch me in touch me because I know I felt the power go out for me. I explained that that what amazes me about this passage is that Jesus talked about his healing power as if it is if it's a reflex but can't control like it's an involuntary passive response that was generated by this woman's faith and it happened before even consciously knew about and I tell you. Here's what bothers me is a theologian are we talking about Jesus the son of God who knows the end from the beginning. This he really mean to imply that sometimes our prayers are, or that she surprised them. Of course he's not trying to say that he had when I was can happen if too many other places in the Bible says that he does.

The only reason I can come up with that the story is told in this way is because Jesus is wanting to show us that his response to faith is so reliable that it might as well be an involuntary reflex. Again, this is first and foremost like I explained it's about salvation. God forgives and healed immediately. When we reach out and we lay hold of him as our Savior in faith, but it's also about how God continues to act and continue to work in our lives there something we say around here are some at church pastoral team which they were trust exists. God moves faith.

In other words, in acts of power from God that is not available until you believe when you believe God begins to work if you don't believe in the power is not to be there. Peter Peter walked on the water because he believed and when Peter seems to believe he began to sink. I understand the Bible teaches that God is not a genie in a bottle, but it also shows us that Peter's faith activated Jesus's power to hold them above the waves and when Peter stopped believing the power disappeared and he sank well. Does that mean it was God's sovereign will for Peter Grossi I don't know. I didn't even Celica intelligent question to me. Maybe, but also know that that that Peter had he continued to believe he would have stayed on top of the wave and let me let me say this in a deliberately provocative way.

It's over.

Speak in the Gospels, Jesus does not respond to prayer that you could almost say that Jesus criticizes people for thinking that their prayers are going to make God do something Matthew 67 he says you think you be her because you're much speaking you think, as you pray all the time that God can suddenly you he got his like to hear words and easily get inundated like okay what he response to in the New Testament is not words and prayer. What he response of his faith when somebody beliefs and they express that in prayer. Then he acts how many times do we pray to God much speaking but we do it without faith.

When things have begun the practice of in my prayer time is saying to God after. I pray, pray about something and I'll say God I trust you with this reason, I do that because I often find myself telling God about my problems without faith it is going to move.

I get out for my prayers worried about them as I was when I got down on my knees see.

I know that when I place my trust in him.

If you hear me what I mean by this. He has to move is how to manipulate an image that he promised he will ever abandon or let down those who lean on him in faith that a course at mean it is going to do things exactly like I think they should be done just that. I know he's moving with goodness and grace as I continue to believe he promises that he is were trust existing moves recently are are a pastoral team took a short spiritual retreat when the exercise we did as a team is individually we are quiet times we rewrote Psalm 136 and onwards Psalm 136 of the Psalm where the psalmist recounts all the ways God is been good Israel, the specific things. The deliverers of the Red Sea of any part of this trust, but between everything he puts this repeated phrase for the steadfast love for his steadfast love endures forever.

So why had the staff team had them write out all the way to God's work in their lives for their love for the entirety of your life.

And after each major movement, just write the phrase, for his steadfast love endures forever to write your own Psalm in a sense, when I got to the end and I look back over what I'd written and read it out loud. I had this overwhelming sudden sense of how faithfully God God through his steadfast love and worked in my life. My parents godly as they were did not engineer most of the strategic moments in my life.

God did and see in them what I did as I begin to think about my own kids because I worry a lot about being the right kind of parent to my kids and I might what if I don't do something I'm supposed to do what I do something wrong mostly about how I create these moments for them.

What I realize is that God had been the one who would been so faithful to me could not then trust that he would be faithful to my kids to pet his steadfast love seeks to endure forever, so I just said God I trust you to work in their lives.

Yes, I'm afraid about this and that underlies what I'm trusting you to orchestrate these moments because your steadfast love for them endures forever, and I know that he's working see and then when it because I'm believing and then see as a parent I suddenly found myself walking on water are not seeking any of the waves anymore.

She God says when we trust in him with all our heart and we don't lean on him. How should we don't lean on our own understanding. We don't lean on our own abilities.

We acknowledge him in all our ways. He promises to direct our paths. He promises to sustain her steps.

He promises to give us that power that we so desperately need. Are you trusting God with the things in your life that you need is when you lean on him. He moves he promises to be. He has to be your second your second thing that you take from when faced with a critical need, our choices, trusting prayer, turning idols, that's a choice you have is like Israel had a choice you're going to face needs in your life are you going to trust God with them or are you going to turn to a substitute provider that he hears her that looks like what with about-face in any got I'm not sure.

I'm not sure that you can really make me happy and romance in my sexuality. So in that area.

I'm not really going to obey you for limited matters in a moment, hands my board for an hour to live together, can choose to accommodate him to choose what I want to do with my sexuality because I don't really feel like like your way is going to be best that I can't trust you with and he said I'm not sure got him supply all my needs so I'll hold my money. I'm I'll refuse to be generous and I am not a tie and overwork worry about it all the time. I'm not sure that God's plan is really best for me so I'm not, I will lay down my life before hammer my career before him was a blank check and see where you will me to go I'll go in a room and to do all do or I don't really feel like God can take care of me where he sends me so I might go on a mission trip. My kids are going on a mission trip because I distantly trust God to take care of us when were obeying him. See, when you have a need to do one of two things you trust God or you can return to an idol turning to an idol.

I hope you see from this story will drive out the glory of God from your life and will send you and Sue a type of spiritual exile. What are you going to do. Here's the question, what are you going to do when God doesn't answer in exactly the way and on the timetable that you think you should have you had that experience.

I don't know why you're not doing this when you hit that moment, the choice is trusting prayer waiting prayer or now I'm going to take it in my hands. I'm going to turn into an idol. Can you trust that God is moving even when used can't see it. Just because he promised he would. One of my favorite promises that that Jesus gave a prayer, so colorful. Luke 1111 what father among you father among you for son asked him for a fish one set of the fish give him a serpent, a snake if he asked for an egg, the hungry will give him a scorpion.

Maybe parents do that your kid ask you for some chicken nuggets you like a chicken nugget is a cobra play, without question, only that you love your kids even take care of but let's reverse that. I think we we can do that will traverse that if your child parents ask you for a scorpion. Are you going to give them a scorpion.

No, as a parent. Sometimes you tell your kids know not in spite of the fact that you love them, you tell them no because you love cicadas in a different one.

The great ironies of our lives is that sometimes what looks to us like bread, is in reality a scorpion, what looks like a scorpion is in reality bread that write this down. I giving you this before.

Sometimes God answers our prayers by giving us what we would've asked for if we knew what he knew and we trust that just like we do this with our kids. Sometimes our heavenly father looks over our lives and says I'm not going to give you that I'm going to withhold that because you don't really know what I know no good thing is he withhold Psalm 8411 says from those who walk up rightly so, when God says no.

Sometimes he does.

You just have to trust him. What are you going to do when you have that kind of need. Are you going to continue to trust God who gave himself for you at the cross, or you turn to refuge for subs to return for refuge to substitute providers and giving yourself an obedient Stiles. There's number three, testifying to a prayer answering God is a crucial part of our witness testifying to a prayer answering God is a crucial part of the witness of the people of God. Israel in the Old Testament we the summa church today, the foreigner he said was supposed to hear about this prayer answering God and come to the temple and experience that prayer answering another tear about it. But experience him. That's the reputation were supposed to have in this community summa church in Jesus's name throughout the Bible God presents answered prayer as a critical part of our witness. When Moses describe Israel what it was about Israel that would distinguish them from every other nation on earth you. He said it was gonna be in same to be our strong military.

It's not even a BR are great. You know, our great business or the thing that he said. Deuteronomy 474 what great nation is there that has God so near to it as the Lord our God is to us for what ever reason we call upon it.

What is supposed to distinguish this church from all the other things going on in our community.

It's not great music. I love great music is not great preaching is important is that is it's not even great generosity was supposed to distinguish us as answered prayer. When Elijah wanted to demonstrate the Israel which God was the true God.

What was the test that he chose this problem up Mount caramel it which God really answers prayer. Prayer was supposed to be one of the main ministries that we have as a church. It takes up in that there's a passage a lot of people know and ask but like you don't really know.

I do know for longest time.

What the big impact of this on acceptor six. All the apostles are busy taking care of widows and the poor people in the congregation and eventually they say you know what this is important, but we are being taken away from that the things that God specifically called us to, which is prayer in the words of the appointed people that would come alongside and minister to the poor made these people became deacons. We always do is we we say yes so we need to free up people are called to ministry like me to to focus on prayer in the world. We only focus on the work part like what monsters do is to prepare and teach you the work any prayer that I do is supposed to be part of teaching you work that's what you assume it means I'm praying is a way of making sure that preach the word rightly, but the way that's written in Greek.

It's not prayer like just in support of the word prayer is its own ministry. Prayer is something not just that we do as I helped the other things that we do. Prayer is itself the thing that we do to set that makes sense.

In other words, what if we saw this time we have at the end of every service where we have prayer counselors.

No pastors prayer leaders down front with me so that not a simply relief valve that if management overwhelmed and you want to come talk to somebody browse my bribes and what if we saw that his maybe one of the most important things that we do when we come together on the weekend as we are people who pray for needs that are going on in our community and congregation. What if one relief valve. What if it was a key part of our service because what God has given us the ministry is preaching the word yes and being the people who pray and God moves any answers our prayers and telling other people, you can come to God and you can find in him a refuge you will find anything else y'all.

Jesus said, my house shall be a house of prayer for all nations even say a house a preaching is important.

Preaching is is as good house of prayer. They own as you summa church members is not how people describe our church visa give you three words to describe the summa church after being there for six weeks is that one of the three words that they would choose prayer we put a tonic energy in the church in the Lord only in the sermons are preach the small groups do we put the same errors.

Along with that when we put the same energy into prayer. Are we known as a praying people to people here about our answers to prayer and then I want to know one another, God it was your refuge this way. This is a crucial part of her witness. Why I was forced to recognize this one time, and I lived over in Southeast Asia and all these language told you when I got there I could say hi my name is any worse or better. My house is on fire. That's all I can say in their language.

So for a long time because of of how you know how much Islam oppose the I didn't do such. Pray for people in it, or by my second, my commute about. Heck, I can pray for them.

I do pray for them and some of the people, and I pray for God better said that if they were healed and I remember I remember very clearly in the about 14 months. Remember that the day that a group of 13-year-old boy showed up at my doorstep knock on my door and opened the door when I'm said in in the drawing she said I said hello Mr. would you come to my parents house because my mom is very sick and what you pray for. I said absolutely and and one the other kids that blow away. This is a Christian and any other third and 13 Robles what problem there once a yes he is Christian but this is a hard and say this is Amanda God listens to because of the reputation of praying and seen right.

I was forced to that because I didn't know how to preach. This will hit their language. What if that became the substance of our ministry again. Are we out praying for people here were just told your neighbor say cannot. Cannot pray for that about about cannot pray with you or can I pray for you about that.

I do this sometimes about that in preparation for this message.

I thought I need to get back to doing this more often tell the waitress imagines Mdm. like hey you know about the praying ~thanks for our food here to make specific I can pray for you for and I've had times where I taught just some of the just begin to open up to this going on.

My life is going on alive and he became a great way to begin to share the hope in God, I out one of our campus pastors Dr. RJ Everett Kerry said he is yeah I asked waitress that one time and she said yeah. Praying for a new job and Sturgis of Wellman pray that God is an answer that prayer before you bring my food but I will pray that I will provide for you deploy all John's ideas what is in your workplace in your school in your neighborhood, you develop a reputation in the somebody that said, I'll pray for you and I'll teach you to pray and I'll I'll put God's reputation on the line is a God who answers prayer, and I'll point you open him know I have pointed out, Jesus got the angriest when Israel obscured obscured this dimension of the ministry to foreigners and it is covered up with other things the way they needed money changers. They needed people to be.

They need to be able to buy and sell what was most angry about is that they had obscured all these little things had obscured the one simple thing that were supposed that is, the people of prayer. Here's number four we see sin finally drives out the presence of God. Sin draws out the presence of God alter this prayer. Solomon makes God's activity in our lives condition on when we repent. When you get really familiar with your sin when you when you're aware of.

You don't cover you expose it to God. That's when he begins to move. King David said it this way. Psalm 6618 if I regard sin in my heart regard means. I know it's there and I'm not gonna do anything about. I like the sand I'm not gonna turn away from. If I regard cinema heart. The Lord will not hear me if are in, no matter how bad the sin is if you confess that God forgives it, but it's when you say I'm not gonna deal with this. Even if it's a small sin told you never father from God when you're close to him as I know, maybe regard that's in your heart he will hear. Paul tells us in Ephesians we grieve the Holy Spirit by how we treat each other, gossiping of failing to forgive slander into cutting corners, telling lies and moral compromises a few weeks here with a commanding naked in Israel who for some God told her not to do, and he hid the thing that he stole his tent because about a bunch is like about the battle of the power got departed from them, and they died. What is shown us is that unconfessed regarded Harvard sin extinguishes the power and presence of God, like water does to a flame. You come this weekend you like I want God's help. Okay. Is there unconfessed sin in your life. My domain is a sin in your life because of course there is. Is there unconfessed sin in your life that you're regarding your old not doing that will deal with that. He'll forgive you whatever it is, but you gotta confess it humbly in turn away from it. Are there areas of your life that are not under his control. He wants to help you but you gotta surrender to him again in control. First, listen Pekin Pekin heal.

He can forgive whatever you bring to it. But you gotta bring it to whatever you expose before him, no matter how bad it is. He can cover it any healing sin is not more powerful than God's presence.

Yes it is true. Sin drives out the presence of God is also true. The presence of God in your life will drive out sin when you exposure send to him as a God I need you, then he will heal it. He will cover it. He will will will forgiven and he'll begin to fill you with his spirit so that you lose your desire for that sin will change your heart. Whatever you expose to God he can cover and heal.

When you keep it covered. When you keep it in car cover.

That's when his presence departs.

Whatever you expose, he could he'll have you got unconfessed sin in your life that is cut you off in the presence of God do we as a church have things that we harbor and hide that keep us from seeing the power of God flow through us to the community to the nations.

Some church. We are praying people you think were praying people or be known as a people of prayer for all nations. We glorify God in this church by our answer his answers to prayer to be lead other people to open God and pray to him. This is the best thing we can do for world missions. We always quote Andrew Murray Google one who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization is is your small group praying for things are going on the mission field in our church plant you as you say will use my wing partner with and pray for is the greatest thing we can do in evangelism.

I think that statement that Ian balancing the guy was with a lot of prayers that he said he said we should never talk to men about God more than we talk to God about those men. It's the most important thing we can do in in the preaching moment you every time I preach what we have we have a handful of people that are in the boiler room and it's a it's a rumor, people to get together.

Pray for me while I preach, because we know it's a secret power goal is to have teams in every service at every campus.

This most important part of our ministries. What if we get what we saw what we do at the end of the service will face our prayer times is not just something we do to give us power in the real things that we saw. If, as is its own ministry in itself.

Some of you have some things God needs to do in your heart and your prayer time as some of you need to get involved in some of the prayer ministries we have available this church. You can access them on the website. We need to become a people who if you were to describe us.

Where are people of prayer for all nations make one of the people to open God much about your heads.

If you would offer campuses by your heads and just commit this to God or worship teams are campus pastors, no deleted from your father I pray I pray in Jesus name that she would make us a people of prayers of hurt, said the force of the greatest answer to prayer is a spirit, the desire to pray more.

The answer to prayer for prayer.

As I pray that you would answer the prayers that I've prayed about this message and you would move us significantly along the path to becoming a people of prayer I prayed and asked that in Jesus name, amen