1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:04,820 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 16. 2 00:00:06,120 –> 00:00:08,220 So we read these words aloud together, 3 00:00:08,220 –> 00:00:10,580 be joyful always, pray continually, 4 00:00:10,580 –> 00:00:12,440 give thanks in all circumstances, 5 00:00:12,440 –> 00:00:15,180 this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 6 00:00:15,180 –> 00:00:19,000 Familiar words, and to my mind, 7 00:00:19,000 –> 00:00:21,780 they immediately raise all kinds of questions. 8 00:00:21,780 –> 00:00:23,860 The first one that came to my mind was, 9 00:00:23,860 –> 00:00:26,559 what exactly is this? 10 00:00:26,559 –> 00:00:29,160 I mean, is it that Paul came to the end 11 00:00:29,200 –> 00:00:31,180 of writing this letter and thought, 12 00:00:31,180 –> 00:00:32,939 what do I do for a finish? 13 00:00:32,939 –> 00:00:34,599 I need to throw out some challenges 14 00:00:34,599 –> 00:00:36,680 to Christian people, and I know I’ll challenge 15 00:00:36,680 –> 00:00:39,000 them to be joyful and to pray and so forth. 16 00:00:39,000 –> 00:00:41,200 Knowing that Scripture is written 17 00:00:41,200 –> 00:00:43,439 under the inspiration of the Spirit, 18 00:00:43,439 –> 00:00:45,119 you will immediately sense 19 00:00:45,119 –> 00:00:48,799 that cannot possibly be what we have here. 20 00:00:48,799 –> 00:00:50,799 So what is this? 21 00:00:52,099 –> 00:00:53,540 And I want to suggest to you this morning, 22 00:00:53,540 –> 00:00:54,759 and to show you from the Bible, 23 00:00:54,759 –> 00:00:56,599 that this is nothing other than 24 00:00:56,680 –> 00:00:59,599 life in the Holy Spirit. 25 00:01:01,000 –> 00:01:03,320 Paul is reminding Christians here 26 00:01:03,320 –> 00:01:08,320 of the distinguishing marks of a Spirit filled life, 27 00:01:09,800 –> 00:01:13,839 joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. 28 00:01:14,879 –> 00:01:16,059 Now, if you have your Bible open, 29 00:01:16,059 –> 00:01:18,400 I want you to notice in the context here 30 00:01:18,400 –> 00:01:20,260 that Paul has already been speaking 31 00:01:20,260 –> 00:01:23,120 in verse 13 about love. 32 00:01:23,120 –> 00:01:25,820 Hold them in the highest regard in love. 33 00:01:26,800 –> 00:01:29,480 Also, in verse 13, about peace, 34 00:01:29,480 –> 00:01:31,919 live at peace with one another. 35 00:01:31,919 –> 00:01:34,360 Verse 14, he’s been talking about patience. 36 00:01:34,360 –> 00:01:36,040 Be patient with everyone. 37 00:01:36,040 –> 00:01:38,500 Verse 15, about kindness. 38 00:01:38,500 –> 00:01:40,580 Always try to be kind to each other 39 00:01:40,580 –> 00:01:42,080 and to everyone else. 40 00:01:42,080 –> 00:01:45,400 Now in verse 16, he comes to talk about joy. 41 00:01:45,400 –> 00:01:50,400 So we have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. 42 00:01:51,639 –> 00:01:53,519 What is that? 43 00:01:53,519 –> 00:01:56,180 The fruit of the Spirit. 44 00:01:56,180 –> 00:02:00,059 Galatians chapter five and verse 22. 45 00:02:00,059 –> 00:02:02,980 And you will find in the New Testament letters, 46 00:02:02,980 –> 00:02:04,940 especially the letters of Paul, 47 00:02:04,940 –> 00:02:06,620 that the fruit of the Spirit, 48 00:02:06,620 –> 00:02:09,380 the evidence of life in the Holy Spirit 49 00:02:09,380 –> 00:02:13,660 is presented to us kind of like variations on a theme. 50 00:02:13,660 –> 00:02:18,660 So when I speak to my wife about what I appreciate in her, 51 00:02:19,619 –> 00:02:22,160 I don’t always say the same things, 52 00:02:22,160 –> 00:02:23,940 but I tend to say similar things 53 00:02:23,940 –> 00:02:26,020 that are variations on the theme 54 00:02:26,039 –> 00:02:28,399 of the good that I see in her. 55 00:02:28,399 –> 00:02:31,000 And it’s the same in these New Testament letters. 56 00:02:31,000 –> 00:02:34,300 The distinguishing marks of life in the Holy Spirit, 57 00:02:34,300 –> 00:02:36,960 they are presented like variations on a theme. 58 00:02:36,960 –> 00:02:39,220 There is similarity and overlap. 59 00:02:39,220 –> 00:02:42,259 It’s not always precisely the same thing that is said, 60 00:02:42,259 –> 00:02:44,699 but we are given different manifestations 61 00:02:44,699 –> 00:02:47,979 of the life of the Holy Spirit in a Christian believer, 62 00:02:47,979 –> 00:02:50,259 and in Thessalonians, Paul picks out, 63 00:02:50,259 –> 00:02:54,539 particularly joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. 64 00:02:54,539 –> 00:02:57,800 It’s interesting, he comes to the same in Philippians. 65 00:02:57,800 –> 00:02:59,979 You remember Philippians chapter four? 66 00:02:59,979 –> 00:03:01,339 Rejoice in the Lord always. 67 00:03:01,339 –> 00:03:03,160 I say it again, rejoice. 68 00:03:03,160 –> 00:03:04,899 Then he says, don’t worry about anything, 69 00:03:04,899 –> 00:03:06,360 but in everything by prayer. 70 00:03:06,360 –> 00:03:09,960 Present your petitions before God with thanksgiving. 71 00:03:09,960 –> 00:03:14,039 So he pulls the same three out in Philippians as well. 72 00:03:15,259 –> 00:03:18,580 So what we have here is a sample 73 00:03:18,580 –> 00:03:22,860 of what life in the Holy Spirit really looks like, 74 00:03:23,740 –> 00:03:26,740 and that is why if you look at what follows, 75 00:03:26,740 –> 00:03:28,600 and God willing, we’ll come to it next week, 76 00:03:28,600 –> 00:03:31,639 the very next thing that Paul says in verse 19 77 00:03:31,639 –> 00:03:35,820 is do not put out the Spirit’s fire. 78 00:03:38,740 –> 00:03:40,759 Now, I have to tell you from the heart today 79 00:03:40,759 –> 00:03:42,460 that if there is one area 80 00:03:43,380 –> 00:03:46,580 in which I long for us to grow as a church 81 00:03:46,580 –> 00:03:48,699 more than any other, 82 00:03:48,699 –> 00:03:52,220 it is this whole matter of life in the Spirit. 83 00:03:53,699 –> 00:03:55,779 In a sense, this has been a theme 84 00:03:55,779 –> 00:03:57,339 that has been running right through 85 00:03:57,339 –> 00:03:59,020 the preaching on Sunday mornings 86 00:03:59,020 –> 00:04:01,339 just about for the whole of the last year. 87 00:04:02,720 –> 00:04:05,100 That there are many people within our culture 88 00:04:05,100 –> 00:04:06,880 who have grasped 89 00:04:06,880 –> 00:04:08,500 that Jesus forgives sins 90 00:04:08,500 –> 00:04:10,619 and Jesus gives entrance into heaven, 91 00:04:11,500 –> 00:04:13,380 but have not grasped well 92 00:04:13,380 –> 00:04:15,259 that the same Jesus 93 00:04:15,259 –> 00:04:18,399 comes by the power and the life of his Spirit 94 00:04:18,399 –> 00:04:22,160 to reshape, renew, remake, His people 95 00:04:22,160 –> 00:04:25,700 and to reproduce the likeness of Jesus in you. 96 00:04:26,980 –> 00:04:29,119 And really, this work of the Spirit 97 00:04:29,119 –> 00:04:31,140 is not only the key to understanding 98 00:04:31,140 –> 00:04:32,160 the Christian life, 99 00:04:32,160 –> 00:04:35,200 it’s also the key to understanding the church. 100 00:04:36,140 –> 00:04:37,480 If you think 101 00:04:38,380 –> 00:04:42,220 that our life as a church 102 00:04:42,220 –> 00:04:45,679 lies in the abilities of our staff 103 00:04:45,679 –> 00:04:48,119 or the strength of our programs 104 00:04:48,119 –> 00:04:49,739 or the gifts of our people, 105 00:04:49,739 –> 00:04:51,500 you have not yet understood 106 00:04:51,500 –> 00:04:53,779 what a Christian church is. 107 00:04:55,320 –> 00:04:57,579 The life of the church comes from above. 108 00:04:58,500 –> 00:05:02,339 We hang on and live by the life of the Holy Spirit 109 00:05:02,339 –> 00:05:04,679 and his work among us 110 00:05:04,679 –> 00:05:07,279 and without the breathing of the Spirit 111 00:05:07,279 –> 00:05:09,920 into everything that we do. 112 00:05:09,920 –> 00:05:12,880 Without that, the whole structure of ministry 113 00:05:12,880 –> 00:05:15,119 is like a kind of house of cards 114 00:05:15,119 –> 00:05:17,380 that can collapse more quickly 115 00:05:17,380 –> 00:05:19,079 than you or I could ever imagine. 116 00:05:19,720 –> 00:05:22,779 We hang on the life that comes from above. 117 00:05:25,399 –> 00:05:28,619 You prepare a Sunday school class. 118 00:05:30,359 –> 00:05:31,839 You organize a small group. 119 00:05:31,839 –> 00:05:33,779 You practice up some music. 120 00:05:35,420 –> 00:05:37,619 You run a camp for kids. 121 00:05:38,540 –> 00:05:41,260 We send out another missionary. 122 00:05:41,260 –> 00:05:43,880 I write another Sermon. 123 00:05:45,239 –> 00:05:47,320 And in all these things, 124 00:05:47,320 –> 00:05:52,320 we are like Elijah arranging the wood on the altar. 125 00:05:55,920 –> 00:05:58,359 And it is God who sends the fire. 126 00:05:59,959 –> 00:06:02,920 And without the fire, it is only another lesson, 127 00:06:02,920 –> 00:06:05,399 only another small group, only another anthem, 128 00:06:05,399 –> 00:06:07,420 only another camp, only another missionary, 129 00:06:07,420 –> 00:06:08,859 and only another sermon. 130 00:06:10,440 –> 00:06:13,079 But when God’s fire comes, 131 00:06:13,079 –> 00:06:16,940 lives are touched and changed. 132 00:06:18,260 –> 00:06:19,399 Now, I wonder this morning, 133 00:06:19,399 –> 00:06:22,140 do you feel your need of this? 134 00:06:23,619 –> 00:06:28,279 Do you feel our need of this? 135 00:06:28,279 –> 00:06:30,899 Have you ever come to a place in your life 136 00:06:30,899 –> 00:06:35,220 where you were honestly tired of all that we can do 137 00:06:35,220 –> 00:06:39,320 and hungry for more of what only God can do? 138 00:06:40,559 –> 00:06:42,119 Can you tell the difference? 139 00:06:42,119 –> 00:06:42,940 Can you tell the difference? 140 00:06:45,119 –> 00:06:48,000 Now let’s look then at the distinguishing marks 141 00:06:48,000 –> 00:06:49,760 of a spirit filled life, 142 00:06:49,760 –> 00:06:51,399 his pull this one out here, 143 00:06:51,399 –> 00:06:54,119 and remember that they are also the distinguishing marks 144 00:06:54,119 –> 00:06:55,880 of a spirit filled church. 145 00:06:55,880 –> 00:06:58,640 What does a church that is full 146 00:06:58,640 –> 00:07:00,679 of the Holy Spirit look like? 147 00:07:00,679 –> 00:07:03,359 Well, there is joy, there is prayer 148 00:07:03,359 –> 00:07:06,160 and there is thanks in all circumstances 149 00:07:06,160 –> 00:07:08,339 for this is God’s will for you 150 00:07:08,339 –> 00:07:10,839 in Christ Jesus. 151 00:07:12,179 –> 00:07:14,359 Now let’s begin at the end. 152 00:07:14,359 –> 00:07:18,119 This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 153 00:07:19,600 –> 00:07:22,059 Now really that phrase, God’s will for you in Christ Jesus 154 00:07:22,059 –> 00:07:25,399 is the key to understanding everything Paul is saying here 155 00:07:25,399 –> 00:07:27,660 because if these challenges, you know, 156 00:07:27,660 –> 00:07:30,540 pray always, be joyful always and so forth, 157 00:07:30,540 –> 00:07:32,739 if these were simply challenges being thrown out 158 00:07:32,739 –> 00:07:35,100 by a motivational speaker, 159 00:07:35,100 –> 00:07:38,779 then I think we would rightly say this is impractical, 160 00:07:38,779 –> 00:07:40,519 this is impossible. 161 00:07:42,579 –> 00:07:45,540 But the life that we are talking about here 162 00:07:45,540 –> 00:07:48,480 is a life that is lived in Jesus Christ. 163 00:07:48,480 –> 00:07:50,519 That’s what Paul says. 164 00:07:50,519 –> 00:07:52,839 A life that is being revealed by Christ 165 00:07:52,839 –> 00:07:54,700 is possible through Christ 166 00:07:54,700 –> 00:07:58,839 and is only within the reach of those who know Christ. 167 00:07:59,959 –> 00:08:04,959 James Denny puts it well when he says till Christ came, 168 00:08:05,239 –> 00:08:08,140 no man ever dreamt of rejoicing, 169 00:08:08,140 –> 00:08:09,519 always praying without ceasing 170 00:08:09,519 –> 00:08:11,739 and giving thanks in everything. 171 00:08:11,739 –> 00:08:13,779 See, there isn’t even anything like this 172 00:08:13,779 –> 00:08:16,519 in the Old Testament, not even in the Old Testament. 173 00:08:17,359 –> 00:08:19,000 Because it is only through the coming 174 00:08:19,000 –> 00:08:20,440 of the Lord Jesus Christ 175 00:08:20,440 –> 00:08:23,200 that you experience the gift of the Spirit 176 00:08:23,200 –> 00:08:26,519 bringing the life of God into your inner being. 177 00:08:28,500 –> 00:08:31,040 And if you are in Christ, 178 00:08:31,040 –> 00:08:34,780 you are in an entirely different position 179 00:08:34,780 –> 00:08:36,619 from other people who may go through 180 00:08:36,619 –> 00:08:38,659 the same experiences as you do 181 00:08:38,679 –> 00:08:42,140 but do not have the life of the Spirit within them. 182 00:08:44,719 –> 00:08:49,039 Now what is God’s will for you, then, in Christ Jesus? 183 00:08:49,039 –> 00:08:54,039 Well, first, it is that you should experience joy. 184 00:08:54,539 –> 00:08:56,640 That’s God’s will for you in Christ Jesus, 185 00:08:57,919 –> 00:09:01,119 that you should be joyful always. 186 00:09:03,039 –> 00:09:05,080 And remember that Paul is speaking here 187 00:09:05,080 –> 00:09:07,859 to Christians, young Christians, new Christians, 188 00:09:07,859 –> 00:09:09,940 who had experienced persecution 189 00:09:09,940 –> 00:09:11,780 and knew that there was more coming. 190 00:09:12,880 –> 00:09:14,580 He’s writing to Christians, 191 00:09:14,580 –> 00:09:16,739 who, as we saw the other week, 192 00:09:16,739 –> 00:09:18,859 are mourning the loss of loved ones 193 00:09:18,859 –> 00:09:20,539 who are now with the Lord. 194 00:09:22,020 –> 00:09:26,080 He is writing to people who, we saw in chapter three, 195 00:09:26,080 –> 00:09:28,299 have gone through great trials 196 00:09:28,299 –> 00:09:31,940 and have faced strong temptations. 197 00:09:33,239 –> 00:09:34,719 And he says, in all of this, 198 00:09:34,719 –> 00:09:37,380 remember that you are in Christ. 199 00:09:38,039 –> 00:09:40,340 Because whatever you are facing in your life right now, 200 00:09:40,340 –> 00:09:44,140 there is a joy that is yours that cannot be taken away, 201 00:09:44,140 –> 00:09:47,780 it is yours in Him because He is in you. 202 00:09:49,539 –> 00:09:51,900 As a person in Christ, Paul is saying, 203 00:09:51,900 –> 00:09:53,979 you can choose to be joyful. 204 00:09:53,979 –> 00:09:55,659 There’s a command here, be joyful. 205 00:09:55,659 –> 00:09:57,940 There’s a choice that is involved. 206 00:09:57,940 –> 00:10:00,820 Choose to rejoice whatever you’re facing 207 00:10:00,820 –> 00:10:03,559 in who He is for you, what he has done for you, 208 00:10:03,559 –> 00:10:06,099 in His presence with you, whatever you’re facing, 209 00:10:06,099 –> 00:10:09,140 and in all that He holds in His hand for you. 210 00:10:10,539 –> 00:10:13,219 I just read right through the whole letter again 211 00:10:13,219 –> 00:10:16,539 a couple of days ago to get the sweep 212 00:10:16,539 –> 00:10:20,179 of what Paul is saying to these folks. 213 00:10:20,179 –> 00:10:22,599 And he’s reminding them, if we just review it very quickly, 214 00:10:22,599 –> 00:10:23,859 I won’t give you all the references, 215 00:10:23,859 –> 00:10:26,320 but here’s what God has done for you. 216 00:10:27,580 –> 00:10:30,140 He has graciously laid hold of your life, 217 00:10:30,140 –> 00:10:32,239 He has chosen you. 218 00:10:32,239 –> 00:10:35,200 The gospel that had no impact on the life 219 00:10:35,200 –> 00:10:38,700 of other people who heard it has come to you with power. 220 00:10:39,700 –> 00:10:41,619 He has changed your life now 221 00:10:41,619 –> 00:10:45,239 and He has changed your destiny for all eternity. 222 00:10:45,239 –> 00:10:46,859 And since you’ve come to know Christ 223 00:10:46,859 –> 00:10:48,099 you’ve endured great trials, 224 00:10:48,099 –> 00:10:49,780 you’ve faced strong temptations, 225 00:10:49,780 –> 00:10:52,260 but He has enabled you to stand 226 00:10:52,260 –> 00:10:54,979 so that now your testimony is a cause 227 00:10:54,979 –> 00:10:58,400 of other believers giving thanks to God. 228 00:10:58,400 –> 00:11:00,099 Look back over your Christian life 229 00:11:00,099 –> 00:11:01,739 and see what the Lord has done for you. 230 00:11:01,739 –> 00:11:03,419 He has been teaching you. 231 00:11:03,419 –> 00:11:05,820 He has placed you among other believers 232 00:11:05,820 –> 00:11:08,400 who encourage you and who strengthen you. 233 00:11:08,400 –> 00:11:11,299 He has revealed the ultimate outcome of your life 234 00:11:11,299 –> 00:11:14,099 which will be to be with the Lord forever 235 00:11:14,099 –> 00:11:17,460 in ever-increasing joy in the company of His people. 236 00:11:17,460 –> 00:11:19,520 Now, these things are true of you. 237 00:11:19,520 –> 00:11:21,140 Whatever you’re facing, 238 00:11:21,140 –> 00:11:26,140 so choose to rejoice in them always in Christ. 239 00:11:27,840 –> 00:11:30,119 See, there is nothing false about this, 240 00:11:30,119 –> 00:11:33,219 nothing artificial, no putting on a plastic grin 241 00:11:33,640 –> 00:11:36,400 and with you at the Passover church on Sunday morning. 242 00:11:36,400 –> 00:11:40,619 All of the joy that we experience a Christian believers 243 00:11:40,619 –> 00:11:45,020 flows from realizing our position in Him, 244 00:11:45,020 –> 00:11:50,020 who He is for us, what He has done for us. 245 00:11:53,500 –> 00:11:55,140 Be joyful always 246 00:11:56,559 –> 00:11:59,299 and realizing these things, 247 00:11:59,679 –> 00:12:04,099 it follows that we would give thanks in all circumstances, 248 00:12:04,099 –> 00:12:05,739 notice by the way that Paul says, 249 00:12:05,739 –> 00:12:08,580 give thanks in all circumstances, 250 00:12:08,580 –> 00:12:12,340 he doesn’t say give thanks for all circumstances. 251 00:12:13,460 –> 00:12:15,659 I’ve heard that taught that we should give thanks 252 00:12:15,659 –> 00:12:17,679 for everything however wretched it is 253 00:12:17,679 –> 00:12:20,140 and it’s just not what Paul says here. 254 00:12:22,119 –> 00:12:25,619 Love does not rejoice in evil 255 00:12:26,440 –> 00:12:31,320 and God does not call you to try and contort your minds 256 00:12:31,320 –> 00:12:35,340 to convince yourself that actually you love 257 00:12:35,340 –> 00:12:39,700 that which is most wretched and horrible in your life, 258 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:45,200 but Paul does say gives thanks in all circumstances. 259 00:12:45,200 –> 00:12:47,400 Gives thanks that whatever you are facing 260 00:12:47,400 –> 00:12:49,719 and however bleak and however difficult, 261 00:12:49,719 –> 00:12:52,559 God is on the throne and even here, 262 00:12:52,559 –> 00:12:54,820 your life is in the hands of Christ, 263 00:12:54,840 –> 00:12:57,840 give thanks that the Spirit is at work in you 264 00:12:57,840 –> 00:13:00,840 and that even through this, 265 00:13:00,840 –> 00:13:04,900 He is reproducing the likeness of Jesus Christ in you 266 00:13:04,900 –> 00:13:08,460 that will shine for His praise and honor 267 00:13:08,460 –> 00:13:10,500 for all eternity. 268 00:13:13,020 –> 00:13:14,739 I want to focus in then this morning 269 00:13:14,739 –> 00:13:19,739 on the central invitation, command, 270 00:13:20,260 –> 00:13:24,179 exhortation, expression of our life in Christ 271 00:13:24,340 –> 00:13:26,659 that Paul gives to us here 272 00:13:26,659 –> 00:13:28,580 and that is in verse 17 where he says, 273 00:13:28,580 –> 00:13:30,979 pray continually. 274 00:13:32,400 –> 00:13:36,239 Be joyful always, give thanks in all circumstances, 275 00:13:37,900 –> 00:13:41,340 pray continually, because this is God’s will for you 276 00:13:42,380 –> 00:13:44,880 in Christ Jesus. 277 00:13:46,979 –> 00:13:51,979 Now, whenever the subject of prayer comes up, 278 00:13:52,099 –> 00:13:55,859 it seems to me that we are immediately exposed 279 00:13:55,859 –> 00:13:58,039 to two temptations. 280 00:13:59,580 –> 00:14:02,340 Some of us who don’t pray as much as we should 281 00:14:02,340 –> 00:14:06,020 have an immediate sense of guilt 282 00:14:06,020 –> 00:14:09,979 and of failure and of despair 283 00:14:09,979 –> 00:14:14,780 and that is not God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 284 00:14:17,400 –> 00:14:20,739 Others of us who are deeply committed to prayer 285 00:14:20,780 –> 00:14:22,299 have a different temptation 286 00:14:22,299 –> 00:14:25,099 and that is the temptation to self-righteousness. 287 00:14:26,419 –> 00:14:31,419 Remember, nobody prayed more than the Pharisees 288 00:14:35,159 –> 00:14:37,219 and there is a kind of prayer 289 00:14:37,219 –> 00:14:39,299 that is full of self-righteousness, 290 00:14:39,299 –> 00:14:41,580 full of what a disciplined person you are 291 00:14:41,580 –> 00:14:46,500 and that is not God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 292 00:14:47,359 –> 00:14:51,500 The kind of prayer that is God’s will for you 293 00:14:51,500 –> 00:14:56,500 in Christ Jesus is not prayer that comes out of guilt 294 00:14:56,619 –> 00:14:59,280 nor is it prayer that comes out of self-righteousness, 295 00:14:59,280 –> 00:15:04,280 it is prayer that comes out of joy, be joyful always, 296 00:15:05,159 –> 00:15:07,200 pray continually. 297 00:15:07,960 –> 00:15:12,239 You see attempts to grow in prayer 298 00:15:12,239 –> 00:15:15,320 that simply flow out of efforts to be more disciplined 299 00:15:15,359 –> 00:15:18,119 or more dutiful will always ultimately fail. 300 00:15:18,119 –> 00:15:20,599 This is why it is so notoriously difficult 301 00:15:20,599 –> 00:15:23,520 to get something going in regards to prayer 302 00:15:23,520 –> 00:15:25,719 in the life of the church 303 00:15:25,719 –> 00:15:28,039 because that which simply flows out of guilt 304 00:15:28,039 –> 00:15:30,440 or simply out of duty or even worse, 305 00:15:30,440 –> 00:15:33,359 out of self-righteousness will ultimately fail. 306 00:15:33,359 –> 00:15:36,140 It cannot flow out of guilt. 307 00:15:36,140 –> 00:15:38,919 It must not flow out of self-righteousness. 308 00:15:38,919 –> 00:15:42,299 It has to flow out of joy in Christ. 309 00:15:42,299 –> 00:15:43,719 Let me put this another way. 310 00:15:46,179 –> 00:15:51,179 When the life of the Spirit is in you, 311 00:15:51,919 –> 00:15:53,099 you will pray. 312 00:15:54,400 –> 00:15:57,239 And where the life of the Spirit is moving 313 00:15:57,239 –> 00:16:00,159 in the church, we will pray. 314 00:16:01,799 –> 00:16:04,099 You see, we tend to think that prayer 315 00:16:04,099 –> 00:16:06,820 is the cause of the Spirit moving. 316 00:16:07,799 –> 00:16:10,559 And that is true, ask and it shall be given to you. 317 00:16:11,280 –> 00:16:14,320 But it is equally true that prayer is 318 00:16:14,320 –> 00:16:18,880 the evidence or the effect of the Spirit moving. 319 00:16:20,419 –> 00:16:23,520 So, I have to say that seeing and hearing 320 00:16:23,520 –> 00:16:26,880 on a continuing basis, a stirring among 321 00:16:26,880 –> 00:16:30,200 our congregation with regards to this whole 322 00:16:30,200 –> 00:16:34,840 matter of prayer, a hunger, a realizing 323 00:16:34,840 –> 00:16:38,880 of our own total dependence upon God, 324 00:16:38,919 –> 00:16:41,619 that to me is one of the most encouraging 325 00:16:41,619 –> 00:16:44,679 and uplifting things I see in the whole 326 00:16:44,679 –> 00:16:47,239 of the life and ministry of our church. 327 00:16:47,239 –> 00:16:50,400 Thank God for it, may it be more. 328 00:16:52,960 –> 00:16:56,559 Now notice what Paul says here, pray continually. 329 00:16:57,520 –> 00:16:58,359 What’s that mean? 330 00:17:00,359 –> 00:17:02,280 Now, he’s not suggesting that we give up 331 00:17:02,280 –> 00:17:04,319 our day jobs in order to go full time 332 00:17:04,319 –> 00:17:07,000 on praying, and I can be very sure about that 333 00:17:07,199 –> 00:17:09,239 because he’s just said in chapter five, 334 00:17:09,239 –> 00:17:11,000 he’s just given a rebuke to people 335 00:17:11,000 –> 00:17:12,920 who did give up their day jobs 336 00:17:12,920 –> 00:17:16,040 on a tide of spiritual enthusiasm. 337 00:17:17,439 –> 00:17:18,439 So he’s not talking about that. 338 00:17:18,439 –> 00:17:20,800 He’s not saying that every moment of every day 339 00:17:20,800 –> 00:17:23,599 you’ve got to be in some act of devotion. 340 00:17:23,599 –> 00:17:26,239 What he is saying, is that you are 341 00:17:26,239 –> 00:17:29,239 to pursue a warm and open-ended 342 00:17:29,239 –> 00:17:31,560 and loving and continuing walk 343 00:17:31,560 –> 00:17:34,119 with the Lord every day of your life. 344 00:17:35,119 –> 00:17:38,000 And perhaps, the best way for us to think about this 345 00:17:38,000 –> 00:17:40,680 is just with the analogy of what 346 00:17:40,680 –> 00:17:43,479 good communication looks like 347 00:17:43,479 –> 00:17:46,280 in a healthy marriage. 348 00:17:46,280 –> 00:17:49,000 See, if you asked me 349 00:17:49,000 –> 00:17:52,199 to tell you about 350 00:17:52,199 –> 00:17:54,959 my communication with my wife, 351 00:17:56,280 –> 00:17:57,959 I would find it very difficult 352 00:17:57,959 –> 00:18:00,040 to give you a complete answer. 353 00:18:01,199 –> 00:18:02,880 I could give you a partial answer. 354 00:18:02,880 –> 00:18:03,900 I mean, I could tell you that, 355 00:18:03,900 –> 00:18:05,520 Monday is my day off and we always go out 356 00:18:05,520 –> 00:18:07,260 for breakfast or lunch on a Monday, 357 00:18:07,260 –> 00:18:08,339 and then I could go through the week 358 00:18:08,339 –> 00:18:09,939 and I could identify the times 359 00:18:09,939 –> 00:18:11,380 when, in our regular routine, 360 00:18:11,380 –> 00:18:13,119 we sit down and we talk together. 361 00:18:13,119 –> 00:18:15,219 But if I listed all of that, 362 00:18:15,219 –> 00:18:17,339 I would not have given you a complete answer 363 00:18:17,339 –> 00:18:20,219 as to what communication looks like in our marriage. 364 00:18:20,219 –> 00:18:22,800 This is common experience for all of us. 365 00:18:23,900 –> 00:18:26,260 Because good communication isn’t limited 366 00:18:26,260 –> 00:18:29,079 to the times we sit down and talk. 367 00:18:30,060 –> 00:18:32,339 Good communication between a couple 368 00:18:32,339 –> 00:18:34,760 who know each other well and are really close, 369 00:18:34,760 –> 00:18:36,859 it happens through a glance. 370 00:18:36,859 –> 00:18:38,140 A look. 371 00:18:38,140 –> 00:18:39,839 The squeeze of a hand. 372 00:18:40,900 –> 00:18:45,119 The times when she starts a sentence, 373 00:18:45,119 –> 00:18:46,380 and he finishes it. 374 00:18:47,719 –> 00:18:48,979 Or the other way around. 375 00:18:50,339 –> 00:18:51,760 And perhaps, even most of all, 376 00:18:51,760 –> 00:18:54,239 those wonderful moments when you look 377 00:18:54,239 –> 00:18:57,579 at each other and know exactly what the other one 378 00:18:57,579 –> 00:18:59,660 is thinking without a single word passing 379 00:18:59,660 –> 00:19:01,380 between either of you. 380 00:19:01,420 –> 00:19:02,219 Do you see that? 381 00:19:04,300 –> 00:19:08,280 It’s, in one sense, communication at its very, very finest. 382 00:19:10,339 –> 00:19:13,160 Now, think about your relationship with God like that. 383 00:19:14,420 –> 00:19:18,420 Praying continually means sharing everything 384 00:19:18,420 –> 00:19:20,579 in your life with the Lord, 385 00:19:20,579 –> 00:19:22,119 knowing that the people you meet 386 00:19:22,119 –> 00:19:23,579 and the opportunities that come 387 00:19:23,579 –> 00:19:25,300 and the challenges that you face 388 00:19:25,300 –> 00:19:27,900 are not acts of random chance. 389 00:19:28,839 –> 00:19:30,900 That the Lord is active within 390 00:19:30,900 –> 00:19:32,780 your life, sharing in it, 391 00:19:32,780 –> 00:19:35,060 every day, every moment. 392 00:19:36,660 –> 00:19:38,040 That, everything that happens, 393 00:19:38,040 –> 00:19:40,160 in some sense, comes from his hand 394 00:19:40,160 –> 00:19:42,900 and that you, therefore, have this joy 395 00:19:42,900 –> 00:19:44,900 of talking with him about it, 396 00:19:44,900 –> 00:19:47,420 realizing that you are sharing your whole life 397 00:19:47,420 –> 00:19:50,719 with another person who is actually with you, 398 00:19:50,719 –> 00:19:54,060 asking for his help, recognizing his activity, 399 00:19:54,060 –> 00:19:55,880 sharing your joy. 400 00:19:58,420 –> 00:20:01,380 Now, I want to say something carefully this morning 401 00:20:01,380 –> 00:20:03,959 but intentionally, because I think it’s important 402 00:20:03,959 –> 00:20:07,900 and for some of us, it may be liberating and helpful. 403 00:20:09,959 –> 00:20:14,959 Beware of legalism, especially in this area of prayer. 404 00:20:19,000 –> 00:20:22,900 See, there is real value in teaching 405 00:20:22,900 –> 00:20:25,380 about spiritual disciplines 406 00:20:25,380 –> 00:20:27,380 but there is also great danger 407 00:20:27,380 –> 00:20:32,380 and here’s the danger, disciplines do not flow out of joy 408 00:20:34,099 –> 00:20:37,660 and if you think of prayer simply as a discipline, 409 00:20:37,660 –> 00:20:40,380 you will think of it as something you have to do 410 00:20:40,380 –> 00:20:42,099 but you will never know much of what it means 411 00:20:42,099 –> 00:20:43,400 to pray continually 412 00:20:43,400 –> 00:20:46,459 because you’ve missed the most fundamental dimension, 413 00:20:46,459 –> 00:20:49,020 the joy of relationship. 414 00:20:51,619 –> 00:20:54,780 Some of us were brought up under a legalism 415 00:20:54,859 –> 00:20:57,780 about set times for prayer 416 00:20:59,579 –> 00:21:03,739 and as a result, we kind of live with a continuing sense 417 00:21:03,739 –> 00:21:04,859 of guilt and failure 418 00:21:07,859 –> 00:21:12,380 and the problem with all this emphasis on discipline 419 00:21:12,380 –> 00:21:17,380 is that it drives the joy out of your walk with God. 420 00:21:17,579 –> 00:21:19,680 As Paul says in one place, 421 00:21:19,680 –> 00:21:24,400 the letter kills, the spirit gives life 422 00:21:24,400 –> 00:21:25,959 and if there is an area where we need 423 00:21:25,959 –> 00:21:29,140 to apply that principle, it is surely in relation 424 00:21:29,140 –> 00:21:31,619 to this whole area of our prayer. 425 00:21:32,719 –> 00:21:34,619 So when Paul says pray continually, 426 00:21:34,619 –> 00:21:38,319 he’s not intensifying the burden that some of us 427 00:21:38,319 –> 00:21:42,479 have felt we were kind of weighed down under. 428 00:21:42,479 –> 00:21:46,040 He’s rather liberating us from that. 429 00:21:46,040 –> 00:21:49,439 Get out from under that legalistic burden. 430 00:21:50,420 –> 00:21:55,239 Married couples communicate in different ways. 431 00:21:56,119 –> 00:21:58,579 There is no one pattern. 432 00:21:59,739 –> 00:22:03,319 The principal of good communication in a healthy marriage 433 00:22:03,319 –> 00:22:08,319 is however it works for you make sure it happens, right? 434 00:22:08,979 –> 00:22:12,280 And just as that is the healthy principal in marriage, 435 00:22:12,280 –> 00:22:14,280 so it is the healthy principle in relation 436 00:22:14,280 –> 00:22:18,359 to our walk with the Lord. 437 00:22:18,400 –> 00:22:23,160 Attempts to produce a pattern will always help some 438 00:22:23,160 –> 00:22:26,359 but they will enslave others and that’s the problem 439 00:22:26,359 –> 00:22:28,880 and God wants you to pray in a way 440 00:22:28,880 –> 00:22:33,599 that flows out of your joy in Him. 441 00:22:35,000 –> 00:22:37,520 Know yourself in this matter 442 00:22:39,300 –> 00:22:44,300 and find a way that works for you. 443 00:22:44,800 –> 00:22:49,800 Now I want in the time that remains 444 00:22:50,619 –> 00:22:55,199 for us this morning to give from this text of Scripture 445 00:22:55,199 –> 00:22:59,520 a call to prayer for the whole church. 446 00:23:00,520 –> 00:23:02,219 Pray continually. 447 00:23:03,800 –> 00:23:05,579 That’s life in the Spirit, 448 00:23:06,380 –> 00:23:11,380 that is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus 449 00:23:15,180 –> 00:23:20,180 Now I want to suggest three questions 450 00:23:21,599 –> 00:23:25,079 that I think will be helpful in focusing our minds 451 00:23:25,079 –> 00:23:28,400 on this whole issue of prayer 452 00:23:29,420 –> 00:23:33,339 and drawing us in a positive way 453 00:23:33,339 –> 00:23:38,339 into joyful, spontaneous, faith-filled prayer 454 00:23:39,160 –> 00:23:43,420 that is a distinguishing mark of a life or a church 455 00:23:43,439 –> 00:23:45,979 in the Holy Spirit. 456 00:23:46,920 –> 00:23:51,599 These three questions, or rather the answers 457 00:23:51,599 –> 00:23:53,699 that might be given to these three questions 458 00:23:53,699 –> 00:23:56,560 by any group of Christians 459 00:23:56,560 –> 00:24:00,260 will be a fair indication of the spiritual temperature 460 00:24:00,260 –> 00:24:01,599 among these people. 461 00:24:03,560 –> 00:24:05,520 Let me give to you the first question, 462 00:24:06,760 –> 00:24:08,760 what are we up against? 463 00:24:10,719 –> 00:24:11,979 I want you to think about this. 464 00:24:12,020 –> 00:24:16,599 Do you think about life, ministry? 465 00:24:16,599 –> 00:24:21,380 What do you think we are up against? 466 00:24:24,880 –> 00:24:28,420 Now, I’ve heard, I’m sure you’ve heard people 467 00:24:28,420 –> 00:24:30,780 answer that question in many different ways, 468 00:24:30,780 –> 00:24:33,180 well, we’re up against ignorance of the Bible. 469 00:24:34,380 –> 00:24:35,979 People don’t know it. 470 00:24:35,979 –> 00:24:40,520 Or, well, people just aren’t interested in church, 471 00:24:40,540 –> 00:24:41,939 nobody’s bothered these days, 472 00:24:41,939 –> 00:24:43,260 and there are sports programs, 473 00:24:43,260 –> 00:24:44,920 and, you know, so forth and so on. 474 00:24:46,939 –> 00:24:51,180 Listen, if you think that our greatest challenge 475 00:24:51,180 –> 00:24:53,260 is ignorance of the gospel, 476 00:24:53,260 –> 00:24:55,660 that we just need to tell people, 477 00:24:55,660 –> 00:24:57,660 or indifference to the gospel, 478 00:24:57,660 –> 00:24:59,219 that we just need to find some catchy way 479 00:24:59,219 –> 00:25:00,859 to make people more interested, 480 00:25:00,859 –> 00:25:03,040 then you have hopelessly, hopelessly 481 00:25:03,040 –> 00:25:04,680 underestimated the problem. 482 00:25:05,739 –> 00:25:07,380 If it was just telling people, 483 00:25:07,380 –> 00:25:10,219 then everyone who’s ever heard the gospel would believe. 484 00:25:10,540 –> 00:25:13,859 No, come to the Bible and you will see 485 00:25:13,859 –> 00:25:15,640 that the problem that we’re up against, 486 00:25:15,640 –> 00:25:17,420 what we’re facing is far greater 487 00:25:17,420 –> 00:25:19,119 and far more difficult than that. 488 00:25:19,119 –> 00:25:22,199 The human condition is worse than ignorance, 489 00:25:22,199 –> 00:25:24,099 worse than indifference. 490 00:25:24,099 –> 00:25:27,099 It is blindness to God’s truth. 491 00:25:27,099 –> 00:25:29,560 It is deadness towards God’s love, 492 00:25:29,560 –> 00:25:32,900 and it is rebellion towards God’s law, 493 00:25:32,900 –> 00:25:35,280 and that is in human nature, 494 00:25:35,280 –> 00:25:38,180 even human nature at its most cultured. 495 00:25:40,800 –> 00:25:43,640 And beyond the hardness of the human heart, 496 00:25:43,640 –> 00:25:48,359 there is the whole world of spiritual darkness 497 00:25:48,359 –> 00:25:51,579 about which Christ speaks to us in the New Testament. 498 00:25:54,920 –> 00:25:57,020 Karn and I had a wonderful week 499 00:25:57,020 –> 00:25:59,319 this week in Colorado Springs. 500 00:25:59,319 –> 00:26:00,920 First time we’ve ever been there 501 00:26:00,920 –> 00:26:03,560 and we went because I had been invited to speak 502 00:26:03,560 –> 00:26:04,900 at a conference. 503 00:26:04,900 –> 00:26:08,000 Some wonderful musicians, a number of preachers, 504 00:26:08,020 –> 00:26:10,680 and I had the privilege of speaking 505 00:26:10,680 –> 00:26:12,979 at this conference each day. 506 00:26:13,979 –> 00:26:16,520 We had one afternoon that was free. 507 00:26:16,520 –> 00:26:19,260 And so being in Colorado Springs for the first time, 508 00:26:19,260 –> 00:26:23,119 we knew what to do to head for Pikes Peak, 509 00:26:23,119 –> 00:26:26,599 the highest mountain in the area at 14,110 feet. 510 00:26:30,660 –> 00:26:32,839 And you can drive all the way to the top. 511 00:26:32,839 –> 00:26:36,260 Probably a good number of you have done this at some time. 512 00:26:36,260 –> 00:26:39,859 19 miles of a corkscrew road 513 00:26:39,859 –> 00:26:44,540 all the way up above 14,000 feet, magnificent. 514 00:26:46,579 –> 00:26:49,920 Well, we arrived at the little toll booth 515 00:26:49,920 –> 00:26:52,939 where you pay to use this road 516 00:26:52,939 –> 00:26:57,939 in our little rental car, a PT Cruiser. 517 00:26:59,459 –> 00:27:03,560 And the lady in the little kiosk there said, 518 00:27:03,560 –> 00:27:06,680 well, I can’t promise that you’ll get 519 00:27:06,680 –> 00:27:09,079 all the way up today. 520 00:27:09,079 –> 00:27:11,660 The clouds are coming in, she said, 521 00:27:11,660 –> 00:27:14,099 and they may have to close the summit. 522 00:27:15,479 –> 00:27:18,160 So I looked at Karin, and she looked at me, 523 00:27:18,160 –> 00:27:19,760 great communication, you know, 524 00:27:20,680 –> 00:27:25,680 and then she said it, well, it’s our only chance. 525 00:27:26,000 –> 00:27:27,939 Let’s go for it, and so we did. 526 00:27:28,859 –> 00:27:33,859 Three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon. 527 00:27:35,780 –> 00:27:39,099 Well, I have to tell you that once we got above 12,000 feet 528 00:27:39,099 –> 00:27:40,959 it got seriously windy. 529 00:27:42,140 –> 00:27:44,500 At one point we had to stop, because you just couldn’t 530 00:27:44,500 –> 00:27:46,719 see through the cloud at all. 531 00:27:47,699 –> 00:27:49,359 We thought about turning back, 532 00:27:49,359 –> 00:27:52,780 but there wasn’t a place to turn, 533 00:27:52,780 –> 00:27:54,780 the road was simply too narrow, 534 00:27:54,839 –> 00:27:57,319 and there’s an edge all the way up, 535 00:27:58,500 –> 00:28:02,300 and then the wind began to whip up dust. 536 00:28:02,300 –> 00:28:05,500 I mean, it felt to me like being in a sandstorm. 537 00:28:07,180 –> 00:28:11,760 Eventually it cleared, and we got some magnificent views. 538 00:28:13,579 –> 00:28:16,180 It felt like we had been through some rough weather, 539 00:28:17,420 –> 00:28:20,140 but it wasn’t until the following morning 540 00:28:20,140 –> 00:28:22,380 that I realized exactly what. 541 00:28:22,380 –> 00:28:25,859 Got up, the newspaper under the door 542 00:28:25,859 –> 00:28:29,060 in our hotel room, front page. 543 00:28:30,339 –> 00:28:33,000 Fast-moving wallop. 544 00:28:34,180 –> 00:28:35,859 Front page, Thursday morning. 545 00:28:37,859 –> 00:28:40,079 I said, that is exactly the same picture 546 00:28:40,079 –> 00:28:41,500 as we took from the top. 547 00:28:41,500 –> 00:28:45,420 Storm brings tornado. 548 00:28:49,719 –> 00:28:51,640 Hail. 549 00:28:51,640 –> 00:28:55,560 Less than two hours after the tornado touched down 550 00:28:55,560 –> 00:28:58,39 briefly, near Woodland Park, 551 00:28:58,439 –> 00:28:59,760 the storm that set off alarms 552 00:28:59,760 –> 00:29:03,319 across the whole region Wednesday was gone. 553 00:29:03,319 –> 00:29:05,099 But, the two hours, later defined as, 554 00:29:05,099 –> 00:29:08,260 three-thirty til five-thirty. 555 00:29:08,459 –> 00:29:15,079 The two hours displayed a wide range of nature’s fury 556 00:29:15,079 –> 00:29:16,339 in the Rocky Mountains. 557 00:29:16,339 –> 00:29:21,140 Twisters tearing up stands of trees in Teller County, 558 00:29:21,140 –> 00:29:25,680 funnel clouds dotting the skies over Colorado Spring, 559 00:29:25,680 –> 00:29:29,060 pea sized hail pelting Manitou Springs 560 00:29:29,060 –> 00:29:30,699 and old Colorado City. 561 00:29:33,719 –> 00:29:37,400 And here were in our PT cruiser at 12,000 feet going up. 562 00:29:38,459 –> 00:29:41,459 We’re actually above what was going on, 563 00:29:48,300 –> 00:29:51,660 but we felt the edge of the wind 564 00:29:53,819 –> 00:29:57,219 and there was more going on while we were sittin’ 565 00:29:57,219 –> 00:30:02,099 in our little PT cruiser than we had ever ever imagined. 566 00:30:02,099 –> 00:30:04,339 I tell you, when I asked someone in the hotel, 567 00:30:04,339 –> 00:30:05,939 what was the deal here yesterday? 568 00:30:06,719 –> 00:30:09,699 And she said, didn’t you see the thing on the television? 569 00:30:10,560 –> 00:30:11,739 There was a warning that went out 570 00:30:11,739 –> 00:30:13,380 that everyone was to go to the basement 571 00:30:13,380 –> 00:30:16,439 and they moved patients in the hospital 572 00:30:16,439 –> 00:30:17,839 away from the window. 573 00:30:18,760 –> 00:30:20,280 Where were you? 574 00:30:20,280 –> 00:30:25,280 I mean, you’re 12,000 feet on Pike’s Peak in a PT cruiser. 575 00:30:25,479 –> 00:30:28,280 You’re 12,000 feet on Pike’s Peak in a PT cruiser. 576 00:30:28,280 –> 00:30:33,280 Now, that’s how it is in the spiritual world. 577 00:30:37,400 –> 00:30:40,359 There is more going on behind what’s happening 578 00:30:40,359 –> 00:30:43,439 in your life and your family and your work 579 00:30:43,439 –> 00:30:46,800 and our ministry than you or I 580 00:30:46,800 –> 00:30:49,780 can ever fully see or realize. 581 00:30:49,780 –> 00:30:54,680 We wrestle not against flesh and blood. 582 00:30:55,079 –> 00:30:57,479 The primary problem is never people. 583 00:30:57,479 –> 00:30:59,939 It’s always more that’s behind people. 584 00:30:59,939 –> 00:31:03,160 There are dark parts that are at work. 585 00:31:04,680 –> 00:31:09,160 We may feel the wind at the edge of the conflict, 586 00:31:09,160 –> 00:31:11,579 but there is more going on, 587 00:31:11,579 –> 00:31:16,560 and when you see that, you will pray. 588 00:31:18,739 –> 00:31:19,880 So that’s my first question. 589 00:31:19,880 –> 00:31:23,199 What do you think we’re up against? 590 00:31:23,199 –> 00:31:26,099 Here’s the second question. 591 00:31:26,099 –> 00:31:29,339 What do we want to see happen, really? 592 00:31:30,560 –> 00:31:34,099 What do we, as Christian believers in this community, 593 00:31:34,099 –> 00:31:38,239 want to see happen? 594 00:31:39,079 –> 00:31:41,020 Again, people answer this question 595 00:31:41,020 –> 00:31:42,199 in many different ways. 596 00:31:42,199 –> 00:31:43,520 I’ve heard it answered this way. 597 00:31:43,520 –> 00:31:45,219 Well, you know, we want to help people. 598 00:31:45,219 –> 00:31:46,219 Well, that’s true. 599 00:31:46,219 –> 00:31:47,780 Certainly, don’t want to do less than that, 600 00:31:47,780 –> 00:31:49,140 but is that all? 601 00:31:50,119 –> 00:31:53,439 We want to see miracles of God’s grace 602 00:31:53,439 –> 00:31:56,540 bringing new life to people who are dead in trespasses 603 00:31:56,540 –> 00:31:59,400 and sins by the power of the Holy Spirit. 604 00:31:59,400 –> 00:32:04,400 Bringing people who were blind to the glory of God, 605 00:32:04,599 –> 00:32:07,599 had no sense of His greatness or His power, 606 00:32:07,599 –> 00:32:11,000 to be those who rejoice always and pray continually 607 00:32:11,000 –> 00:32:13,099 and give thanks in all circumstances 608 00:32:13,099 –> 00:32:15,119 because they’ve entered into the will of God 609 00:32:15,119 –> 00:32:18,380 for them in Christ Jesus. 610 00:32:20,000 –> 00:32:22,579 I made a number of new friends this week. 611 00:32:22,579 –> 00:32:24,479 It was one of the blessings of the time. 612 00:32:24,479 –> 00:32:28,859 One of them, a pastor, James Ford. 613 00:32:28,859 –> 00:32:32,119 James is a pastor of Christ Bible Church 614 00:32:32,119 –> 00:32:33,920 on the south side of Chicago, 615 00:32:33,920 –> 00:32:35,640 an African-American congregation 616 00:32:35,640 –> 00:32:37,739 where God is wonderfully at work 617 00:32:37,739 –> 00:32:40,359 and he was one of the other speakers at the conference 618 00:32:40,359 –> 00:32:42,459 and we got to know each other well. 619 00:32:42,459 –> 00:32:46,640 We had breakfast together and he told me his story 620 00:32:46,640 –> 00:32:48,319 of how he came to Christ, 621 00:32:48,900 –> 00:32:53,900 he had been a drug pusher on the south side of Chicago 622 00:32:54,300 –> 00:32:57,640 and someone at work led him to faith in Christ 623 00:32:57,640 –> 00:33:00,359 and very wonderfully, he had determined 624 00:33:00,359 –> 00:33:03,260 that he would preach at every place 625 00:33:03,260 –> 00:33:05,400 that he could remember ever doing a drug deal, 626 00:33:05,400 –> 00:33:10,300 every street corner, every pub, every pool table. 627 00:33:10,300 –> 00:33:12,439 He said, I made it my business to go back 628 00:33:12,439 –> 00:33:14,060 and there was a remarkable work of God 629 00:33:14,060 –> 00:33:16,060 that led to a number of people being converted 630 00:33:16,060 –> 00:33:19,219 and then this got folded into the church 631 00:33:19,219 –> 00:33:20,359 where he is now a pastor. 632 00:33:20,359 –> 00:33:22,859 He was trained then at Moody through that church 633 00:33:22,859 –> 00:33:25,780 and then at Trinity and for the last 25 years 634 00:33:25,780 –> 00:33:29,859 has been the senior pastor of Christ Bible Church, 635 00:33:29,859 –> 00:33:32,780 a remarkable life and ministry. 636 00:33:34,040 –> 00:33:37,579 He told me over breakfast that, 637 00:33:39,180 –> 00:33:41,880 one Sunday as he’d been preaching, 638 00:33:41,920 –> 00:33:46,599 he noticed a lady in the congregation laughing. 639 00:33:47,839 –> 00:33:50,219 You know, you’re trying to be serious preaching 640 00:33:50,219 –> 00:33:52,979 and this lady’s out there sort of laughing. 641 00:33:52,979 –> 00:33:54,920 You think, what in all the world is going on? 642 00:33:54,920 –> 00:33:56,939 So he said to her afterwards, 643 00:33:56,939 –> 00:34:01,060 what did you think was so funny while I was preaching? 644 00:34:01,060 –> 00:34:05,319 And she said, well, I just can’t get over this church. 645 00:34:06,660 –> 00:34:09,540 She said the senior pastor’s an ex-pusher, 646 00:34:10,239 –> 00:34:15,239 the head elder is an ex-crack addict, 647 00:34:15,560 –> 00:34:18,719 and the drummer is an ex-gangbanger, 648 00:34:19,679 –> 00:34:23,159 and she said, God must be desperate these days. 649 00:34:23,159 –> 00:34:28,159 And James Ford said to her, no, God is not desperate. 650 00:34:29,219 –> 00:34:31,219 God is merciful. 651 00:34:32,800 –> 00:34:34,260 Now we are looking, are we not, 652 00:34:34,260 –> 00:34:38,979 to see miracles of grace that bring transformation of life, 653 00:34:40,399 –> 00:34:43,699 now let me add something else, 654 00:34:43,699 –> 00:34:45,820 let me give you another testimony, 655 00:34:47,060 –> 00:34:50,600 mine, the other side of the breakfast table. 656 00:34:52,159 –> 00:34:54,800 I was born and raised in a Christian family, 657 00:34:55,879 –> 00:34:59,399 came to faith in Jesus Christ at the age of six, 658 00:35:00,600 –> 00:35:03,419 sensed that God was calling me to be a pastor 659 00:35:03,419 –> 00:35:05,919 at the age of about 10. 660 00:35:06,760 –> 00:35:11,760 Here are two pastors sitting over the breakfast table 661 00:35:15,800 –> 00:35:18,239 from about as different backgrounds 662 00:35:18,239 –> 00:35:20,639 as you could possibly imagine, 663 00:35:22,260 –> 00:35:23,719 and here is my question, 664 00:35:26,760 –> 00:35:30,919 did my conversion take more power, less power, 665 00:35:32,080 –> 00:35:35,040 or the same power as his? 666 00:35:36,459 –> 00:35:39,820 Was my new birth a lesser miracle, 667 00:35:45,500 –> 00:35:48,479 his new birth a greater miracle, 668 00:35:49,320 –> 00:35:54,100 or had we both experienced the same miracle? 669 00:35:56,000 –> 00:35:58,760 See, the way that you respond to that 670 00:35:58,760 –> 00:36:02,040 will be an indication of how much you have grasped 671 00:36:02,040 –> 00:36:04,340 what the Bible says about the human condition. 672 00:36:05,300 –> 00:36:08,780 We are dead in trespasses and sins, 673 00:36:08,780 –> 00:36:11,459 and dead means dead. 674 00:36:12,419 –> 00:36:14,139 There are not degrees of it. 675 00:36:15,419 –> 00:36:16,739 And, if you’ve not grasped that, 676 00:36:16,739 –> 00:36:18,239 it probably means that half of you 677 00:36:18,239 –> 00:36:19,919 thinks that the fact that you’re a Christian 678 00:36:19,919 –> 00:36:21,540 is just that you had a good upbringing 679 00:36:21,540 –> 00:36:23,719 and you’ve been a good all-around person, 680 00:36:23,719 –> 00:36:28,260 and that’s the very antithesis of the gospel. 681 00:36:29,260 –> 00:36:34,260 It takes the same power to bring spiritual life 682 00:36:38,840 –> 00:36:43,080 to a polite, religious, suburban boy 683 00:36:44,699 –> 00:36:48,659 as it takes to bring new life to a drug pusher 684 00:36:48,659 –> 00:36:50,959 or a gang banger. 685 00:36:52,179 –> 00:36:53,780 And if you don’t see that, 686 00:36:53,780 –> 00:36:55,959 you have not understood the human condition. 687 00:36:58,260 –> 00:37:00,459 That is why we need to pray. 688 00:37:02,699 –> 00:37:07,060 Because without a movement of the Holy Spirit of God, 689 00:37:07,060 –> 00:37:10,659 our kids will end up being nice, 690 00:37:10,659 –> 00:37:13,780 self-centered, career oriented, money driven, 691 00:37:13,780 –> 00:37:15,919 comfort and convenience seeking people 692 00:37:15,919 –> 00:37:17,540 with our religious faith. 693 00:37:17,540 –> 00:37:20,040 And that is not New Testament Christianity. 694 00:37:20,040 –> 00:37:21,020 Is it? 695 00:37:22,679 –> 00:37:25,080 It’s the deadness of traditionalism 696 00:37:25,080 –> 00:37:26,899 without life from above. 697 00:37:28,580 –> 00:37:31,199 And we all know that many churches are full of it. 698 00:37:32,179 –> 00:37:34,540 And that’s why there’s not the experience 699 00:37:34,540 –> 00:37:36,800 or the knowledge of being joyful always 700 00:37:36,800 –> 00:37:40,020 or praying continually or giving thanks 701 00:37:40,020 –> 00:37:42,600 in all circumstances 702 00:37:42,600 –> 00:37:43,800 because what we’ve got is a kind 703 00:37:43,800 –> 00:37:47,300 of self-satisfied appending of religion 704 00:37:47,300 –> 00:37:50,459 to the pursuit of our own self-interest 705 00:37:52,080 –> 00:37:55,040 and lack life that comes from above. 706 00:37:55,820 –> 00:37:58,860 And if that’s our vision for our kids, 707 00:37:58,860 –> 00:38:02,399 we’ve shortchanged them and we’ve shortchanged ourselves 708 00:38:02,399 –> 00:38:04,760 and we’ve shortchanged the church. 709 00:38:06,739 –> 00:38:08,820 What are we looking to see happen? 710 00:38:10,379 –> 00:38:15,000 When Jesus said, you must be born again, 711 00:38:16,060 –> 00:38:18,959 he didn’t say it to a publican. 712 00:38:19,939 –> 00:38:23,020 He didn’t say it to a prostitute. 713 00:38:23,800 –> 00:38:28,520 He said it to probably the most upright man 714 00:38:28,520 –> 00:38:30,280 with the best Bible knowledge 715 00:38:31,500 –> 00:38:33,399 that Jesus probably ever encountered 716 00:38:33,399 –> 00:38:34,800 in the three years of his ministry. 717 00:38:34,800 –> 00:38:38,280 A man called Nicodemus, there in his robes, 718 00:38:39,500 –> 00:38:41,340 there in his morality, 719 00:38:42,719 –> 00:38:45,260 there in the success of his career, 720 00:38:45,260 –> 00:38:47,379 there in all of his Bible studies. 721 00:38:48,379 –> 00:38:51,239 Jesus said to this man, 722 00:38:51,239 –> 00:38:54,340 you need your life reworked, 723 00:38:55,540 –> 00:38:57,820 remade, 724 00:38:57,820 –> 00:39:02,320 recreated from the inside Jesus said that to this man. 725 00:39:05,419 –> 00:39:09,739 The new birth happens 726 00:39:09,739 –> 00:39:14,219 when the Holy Spirit moves in on a person’s life, 727 00:39:14,580 –> 00:39:17,300 irrespective of background. 728 00:39:17,300 –> 00:39:19,580 There are no degrees in this. 729 00:39:21,199 –> 00:39:24,899 And when you see that, you will pray. 730 00:39:28,159 –> 00:39:30,419 You know what we’re up against, you see that? 731 00:39:32,719 –> 00:39:34,860 You grasp what it is that we’re called to? 732 00:39:34,860 –> 00:39:36,260 What we’re looking for? 733 00:39:39,260 –> 00:39:41,780 Here’s the last thing, the last of these three questions. 734 00:39:41,780 –> 00:39:43,199 What do we depend on? 735 00:39:45,179 –> 00:39:50,179 Now I’ve heard that question answered many ways 736 00:39:53,020 –> 00:39:56,520 and the way some people talk honestly, 737 00:39:56,520 –> 00:39:59,780 you would think that the answer is, 738 00:39:59,780 –> 00:40:04,780 we depend on having good pastors and gifted people 739 00:40:05,860 –> 00:40:08,040 and great programs. 740 00:40:10,280 –> 00:40:12,820 And if that is really what you think we depend on 741 00:40:13,419 –> 00:40:16,120 in your heart of hearts that’s very close to idolatry. 742 00:40:18,239 –> 00:40:20,939 We need more than that. 743 00:40:23,419 –> 00:40:27,479 When Paul came to Thessalonica, amazing things happened. 744 00:40:27,479 –> 00:40:30,560 Remember, we saw it from chapter one and verse five. 745 00:40:30,560 –> 00:40:35,120 The word came with power, with the Holy Spirit 746 00:40:35,120 –> 00:40:39,020 and with deep conviction and it brought lasting change 747 00:40:39,020 –> 00:40:41,280 to the most idolatrous people. 748 00:40:42,979 –> 00:40:45,340 And if you follow the story in the book of Acts, 749 00:40:45,340 –> 00:40:50,340 you’ll find that from this extraordinary blessing, 750 00:40:50,580 –> 00:40:55,580 success in Thessalonica, Paul moves on to Athens 751 00:40:56,340 –> 00:40:58,239 and then the next stop is Corinth. 752 00:40:59,780 –> 00:41:00,959 And you would think, wouldn’t you, 753 00:41:00,959 –> 00:41:04,580 that coming off such an extraordinary ministry success 754 00:41:04,580 –> 00:41:06,939 in Thessalonica, this place that became 755 00:41:06,939 –> 00:41:09,219 the model church as he describes it, 756 00:41:09,219 –> 00:41:12,139 coming off that ministry success, 757 00:41:12,139 –> 00:41:17,080 Paul would have arrived in Corinth brim full of confidence. 758 00:41:18,439 –> 00:41:19,879 But if you read first Corinthians, 759 00:41:19,879 –> 00:41:23,040 you’ll find he tells us precisely the opposite. 760 00:41:23,040 –> 00:41:24,959 Chapter two and verse three of Corinthians, 761 00:41:24,959 –> 00:41:27,439 I came to you, he says. 762 00:41:27,439 –> 00:41:30,199 And he’s just coming off Thessalonica. 763 00:41:30,199 –> 00:41:35,199 I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. 764 00:41:38,040 –> 00:41:39,699 You say, Paul, why would you come in weakness, 765 00:41:39,699 –> 00:41:40,719 fear and much trembling 766 00:41:40,719 –> 00:41:44,239 when you’ve just had this extraordinary ministry success, 767 00:41:44,239 –> 00:41:46,820 this blessing in Thessalonica? 768 00:41:46,820 –> 00:41:48,679 And the answer is because Paul knows 769 00:41:48,679 –> 00:41:50,840 that the power doesn’t lie in him. 770 00:41:53,520 –> 00:41:58,639 And he knows that when the Holy Spirit moves 771 00:42:00,320 –> 00:42:03,600 in the ministry of the word, lives are changed. 772 00:42:04,939 –> 00:42:07,320 But apart from the fire that comes from heaven, 773 00:42:07,320 –> 00:42:09,639 and it’s only arranging wood on the altar 774 00:42:09,639 –> 00:42:12,560 and without a movement of the Holy Spirit 775 00:42:12,560 –> 00:42:14,540 that is in the hands of God, 776 00:42:15,719 –> 00:42:18,719 he’s just a man talking in a building 777 00:42:18,719 –> 00:42:23,520 and no one’s life is changed by that. 778 00:42:24,639 –> 00:42:28,520 And so he prays, feeling his own weakness. 779 00:42:29,439 –> 00:42:33,760 Feeling just how much he hangs on the mercy 780 00:42:33,760 –> 00:42:36,500 of God to move by his spirit. 781 00:42:37,300 –> 00:42:42,300 If you think that one life can be released from darkness 782 00:42:46,159 –> 00:42:51,159 by my preaching or your parenting or our programs 783 00:42:54,860 –> 00:42:56,860 you are greatly mistaken. 784 00:42:58,300 –> 00:43:03,300 It is God who opens the eyes of the blind, 785 00:43:04,139 –> 00:43:07,860 it is God who drives back dark powers 786 00:43:07,860 –> 00:43:10,520 that hold people bound, 787 00:43:11,679 –> 00:43:16,560 it is God who brings new birth and it comes from above, 788 00:43:18,340 –> 00:43:22,840 and when we see that we will pray. 789 00:43:25,600 –> 00:43:27,860 Will you bow your head and your heart with me please? 790 00:43:28,219 –> 00:43:33,320 Lord pour out your life by your spirit upon us. 791 00:43:37,860 –> 00:43:40,699 Some of us have just realized that we’re not in Christ 792 00:43:40,699 –> 00:43:42,739 and we know nothing about these things. 793 00:43:42,739 –> 00:43:46,219 Lord, have mercy upon us, give us life from above. 794 00:43:49,439 –> 00:43:51,899 And some of us knowing that we are in Christ 795 00:43:53,139 –> 00:43:55,560 have to confess right now our 796 00:43:56,540 –> 00:44:00,879 lukewarmness, our arrogance, 797 00:44:02,959 –> 00:44:04,479 our self centeredness. 798 00:44:06,919 –> 00:44:09,479 We’ve forgotten what we’re up against. 799 00:44:11,699 –> 00:44:15,479 We’ve lost sight of what we’re about 800 00:44:17,699 –> 00:44:20,959 and we’ve misconstrued our dependence 801 00:44:22,780 –> 00:44:24,560 and we confess it before you. 802 00:44:26,219 –> 00:44:30,459 Fill us dear Lord with your Holy Spirit. 803 00:44:32,239 –> 00:44:34,219 Do that for me. 804 00:44:36,560 –> 00:44:38,620 Do that for us. 805 00:44:41,659 –> 00:44:44,020 Bring us into that life 806 00:44:44,020 –> 00:44:48,219 that is marked by joy and prayer and thanksgiving. 807 00:44:51,399 –> 00:44:54,139 Deliver us from being neither hot nor cold 808 00:44:54,139 –> 00:44:55,760 but just lukewarm. 809 00:44:58,000 –> 00:45:00,199 Oh breath of life, 810 00:45:01,580 –> 00:45:06,419 come sweeping through us. 811 00:45:07,879 –> 00:45:11,840 Revive your church with life 812 00:45:13,560 –> 00:45:14,679 and with power. 813 00:45:17,939 –> 00:45:20,899 For these things, we’re asking with gladness 814 00:45:22,379 –> 00:45:23,659 because it seems to us 815 00:45:24,000 –> 00:45:26,340 that you’re opening a door to that which is real 816 00:45:26,340 –> 00:45:29,439 and authentic and glorious and eternal 817 00:45:31,120 –> 00:45:35,459 and with all our hearts, we want to enter in 818 00:45:37,020 –> 00:45:40,139 through Jesus Christ our Lord, 819 00:45:41,300 –> 00:45:44,239 in whose name we pray, amen.