This content is a church service announcement and sermon, focusing on the importance of prayer and spiritual growth in the new year, framed by themes of God's goodness and the commitment required for a deeper relationship with Him.
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Hey everyone, thanks for visiting us. We
hope you had a happy new year and we are
looking forward to all that God is going
to do here at Sherwood in 2026. If
you're looking for a devotional to get
you started in this new year, we have
Experiencing God by Henry Blackabe
available in our bookstore. This
morning, Pastor Paul Godheart will begin
a new sermon series titled Stay at the Mountain.
Mountain.
We have an opportunity for you to serve
our community in our next serve day on
January the 17th. We are going to be
gardening, prayer walking, and
volunteering to clean at a local nursing
home. We hope you join us on January the
17th for serve day. Coming up on
February the 6th through the 8th, we
have Echo for our high school students.
This weekend experience is all about
casting vision for a lifetime of
disciplem. If you would like to
register, you can do so out of the
connection center after the service or
go to sherwoodbaptist.net/
students. To kick off our midweek
classes, we have family supper starting
this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. followed by
a night of worldview with Pastor Paul
Godheart at 6:30 right here in the
worship center. The rest of our midweek
classes will start the week of January
the 12th. We have a new class for our
men that will begin on January the 14th
at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship center.
The class is called Lead Strong and will
feature meaningful scripture reading,
thoughtful discussions, and real life
application. For a full list of our
weekday classes, you can head over to sherwoodbaptist.net/grow.
Out at the connection center today, you
can sign up for serve day, register, or
get more information for Echo and pick
up a growbook.
Let's celebrate what God is going to do
in the new year.
>> Good morning, church. Happy new year.
Let's stand together and let's celebrate
>> Would you sing with me?
>> I'll testify the blessings on blessings
you poured on my life. When I start remembering
remembering
Fear turns to worship. Tears turn to
praise. Chains of depression are broken
by grace. When I start remembering
how good you've been.
Yeah. You've been so so so so so
good to me.
Yes. You've been so so so so
good to me. Can we testify of that this morning?
The eney's weapons fall to the ground
and aries of heaven always surround when
I start remembering
how you carried my cross. You called me
by name. You love me like I was, but you
didn't leave me that way. Was dead, now
I'm dead. Yeah, that's what you did.
Yes. You've been so so so so so
good to me.
You've been so so so so
good to me.
From morning to night, the lows and the
highs. I look back on my life and all
that I see is you've been so so so so
Let's sing these truths together.
Yes, we know God is good. He's good all
the time. And we know all the time that
our God is good. Yes, we know God is
good. He's good all the time. And we
know all the time that our God is good.
>> Yes, we know God is good. He's good all
the time.
>> And we know all the time that our God is good.
good.
>> Yes, we know God is good. He's good all
the time. And we know all the time that
God is so so so so
good to me.
Yeah. You've been so so so so
good to me.
From morning to night, the lows and the
highs. I look back on my life with all
that I see. born tonight. The lows and
the highs. I look back on my life and
all that I see is you feel so so so so good.
Psalm 107 verse1 says, "Give thanks to
the Lord for he is good. His love
endures forever. There's nothing that
can stop our king." So let's celebrate
it. Here we go. You
so so so so good.
good.
Come on church.
You been so so so good
good
every day, every night. You been so so
so so good
in the highs and lows. You've been so so
so so so good
good
There is no more for heaven now to fear.
my steadfast,
to this my hope, my hope is only Jesus.
For my life is holy bound to his.
Oh, how strange and divine I can see.
All is blind yet not
The night is dark, but I am not forsaken.
forsaken.
For by my side, the Savior, he will stand.
stand.
I labor on in weakness and rejoicing.
For in my need, his power is displayed.
To this I hold. My shepherd will defend me
me
through the deepest
valley he will be.
For the night has been won and I shall overcome
overcome
I know I am here.
The future sure the price it has been paid
paid
for. For Jesus
and suffered for my heart
and he was raised to
the grave
to this.
My sin has been defeated.
Jesus now and ever is right.
All the chains are released I can see. I
am free and not I but through Christ in me.
me.
Every breath I long to follow Jesus
for he has said that he will bring me home.
home.
And day by day I know he will renew me
until I stand with joy before the Lord.
Who is this my
hope is only Jesus.
All the glory ever
in me
to this my hope my hope is only Jesus
all the glory
Ever more to
when the race is from still my sh
I but you Christ in me.
When the race is complete still my lips
shall repeat and not I but through
Christ in me.
Yet not I, but through Christ in me.
Yet not I, but through Christ
generations
falling down in worship to sing the song
And all who've gone before us and all
who will believe
Your name is the highest. Your name is
the greatest. Your name
stands above them all.
All thrones and dominions, all powers
and positions. Your name
stands above them all. And the angels cry.
cry. Holy
Holy
all creation cries.
cries. Holy
Holy
you are lifted high. Holy,
If you've been forgiven
and if you've been redeemed,
If you walk in freedom,
if you bear his name,
sing forever and ever.
For the angels cry, holy
holy
holy,
Your name is the highest. Your name is
the greatest. Your name
stands above them all.
Above all worlds and dominions,
all powers and position. Your name
stands above them all.
Your name, your name is the highest.
Your name is the greatest. Your name stands
your name as
You will always be holy,
You will always be holy,
>> Amen. >> Amen.
Let's take a moment real quick just
close. If you would just close your eyes
for a second. No distractions beside,
Our God, Jehovah Gyra, the provider, has
done so much for us this past year,
bringing us into this year.
Let's lock in right here, just him and
us in this moment.
And let's give him the honor that he's
due with our personal worship. Yes,
we're corporate together, but let's
let's get personal with the Lord and
sing that chorus one more time. And
let's call him what he is. He's not just
holy. He's holy, holy, holy, the highest
name above all names. Let's sing that
together. And the angels cry. Sing it to
All creation Christoly.
You are lifted high. Holy.
You're holy forever.
>> Oh Lord, hear your people sing.
Holy
to the king of kings. Holy.
You will always be holy.
Holy forever.
You will always be. Holy,
>> Right here, right now. Lord, we declare
you are holy forever.
It's nothing surprising, nothing new to
you. You already knew it. But Lord, we
give you our worship. We give you a
sacrifice of praise. You are worthy of
every single bit of it. Lord, we love
you. We thank you. It's in your holy
name we pray. May everybody said
>> All right. So I am being joined on stage
right now with uh Ryan and Stephanie
Bennett. And uh you all know the
Bennetts if you have been around the
church for more than like 48 hours. They
are like uh institutions here at the
church. So anyway, we have this time,
first part of a brand new year that we
pray over those deacons who are coming
into the role for the first time or
coming into the role for here at
Sherwood. And this year that is going to
be Ryan Bennett stepping into that. So
if you all would give him a round of applause.
applause.
And that is
that is by no means a role that he only
is the one filling. There is a part in
which Stephanie is serving alongside and
helping care and shepherd with people
right here in the church. If you were
here this last week, you'll remember I
did a message and we were focused on
three different attacks that the en
enemy brought against the first century
church. And one of those was bringing in
confusion on the inside. And a part of
God's plan was instituting that deacon
body to help serve and care for the
needs within the body. So, at this time,
we are going to pray over them as a
couple as they step into this role. And
then I'll also tell you about this card
in just a moment. So, if you would join
me in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank
you so much for the Bennets. Thank you
for their willingness to serve in this
area. God, thank you for just the heart
that you've given them to shepherd and
help care for people. So Lord, we pray
at this time that as Ryan is stepping
into this role as being a deacon within
the church, that Lord, you would fill
him with wisdom. You would give him eyes
to see needs before they they become
problems. And Lord, would you strengthen
them as a couple as they serve in this
role, Lord, thank you for bringing them
into this position within the church. We
give you praise in Jesus' name. Amen.
>> Amen. So, let me remind you all about a
card that you are going to have an
opportunity to pick up one of these on
the way out. You will find Ryan is by no
means serving in this role along. He is
one of 27 deacons that's serving this
upcoming year. We have put this card
together so that not only would you see
the people and be praying for them, but
also sometimes if you're in the hospital
or if you are going through a hard time
and somebody gives you a call and they
say, "I'm a deacon at Sherwood." We want
you to know what they look like. That
way when they show up at your house,
you're not afraid of them. So don't be
afraid of them. So please be in prayer.
Pick up one of the cards outside. We
will be grateful for that. And if you
all would give Ryan Stephanie a round of applause.
>> Amen. Good morning. Doing great things.
I'm so grateful Pastor Paul brought that
picture of all the rest of the deacons
up on stage with him because could you
imagine 1500 people going to Ryan said,
"Brian, I got a problem. I need you to
take care of this."
Well, now is the time to receive the
offering. And so, as we pray and as we,
you know, come together to give, the men
are going to come forward, but there are
a number of ways that you can give. If
you're watching from online or you're
here in the room, you can go on
sherwoodbaptist.net/give /give and you
can give online or the men will come by
with the plates and you can place your
offering plate offering inside of the
plate when it comes past you or you can
use the tap feature or so you can tap
right on your seat side or right in the
seat in front of you. You can tap to
give right there on the seat in front of
you. So let's pray and just ask the
Lord's blessing. Father, we thank you.
Father, we come this morning and we
bring our first fruits to you. Lord, we
thank you for all that you've done in
2025. And Father, we're expecting great
things in 2026,
Father. Not great material things, but
Lord, that you'd be with us. That's the
greatest gift we could ever have as
believers. And so, Lord, I pray that
today, God, that as we give this
morning, God, we give with grateful
hearts, Lord, that we would give
willingly and joyfully. Lord, we love
you and we thank you. It's in Jesus name
we pray. And all God's people said, >> "Amen."
Clothed in splends
Majesty
Eyes like fire, voice like thunder.
Filling up our hearts with wonder
Saints and angels sing the song. All
creation joins along
proclaiming who you are.
You are holy.
Glorious and lifted up, seated on our
praise. You are worthy.
Who was and is and is to come. Forever
One lamb.
You are holy.
You're glorious and lifted up. Seated on
our praise. You are worthy.
Who was and is and is to come. Forever
you will reign.
You are holy.
Glorious and lifted up. Seated on our
praise. You are worthy.
Who was it and is and is to come.
>> Eyes like fire, voice like thunder.
Filling up our hearts with wonder
Saints and angels sing the song. All
creation joins along
proclaiming who you are. Will you join
us in worship to the all sufficient
matchless matchless power here with us
this very hour?
All the elders fall to their knees in
proclaiming who you are.
You are holy.
You're glorious.
Lift it up. Seated on our praise. You
are worthy.
Who was it is
to come forever. You will reign. You are holy.
holy.
Glorious
lifted up. Seated on our praise. You are worthy.
worthy.
You're soy.
You're so worthy.
It is
to come. Forever you will wait. You are holy.
So in July of 1999,
myself and three other guys hiked the 29
9mm Crow Pass Trail outside of Eagle
River, Alaska. It was a trip of a
lifetime for anybody who enjoys nature
and adventure. I've got a picture of the
four of us. I want you to see. By the
way, that was the last time we looked
like we had any energy whatsoever based
on this trip. Because for the next 3 and
1/2 days, we hiked where there were no
campgrounds, no convenience stores, no
cell phones, just untamed Alaskan
wilderness. Like I said, it was a nature
lovers dream. Woods and rivers,
mountains and glaciers, moose and
grizzly bears, they were all there for
you. Now, each of us, we carried an 80
lb backpack along the way while hiking
over those mountains and along some
snowy cliffs. Now, this is one of those
pictures of why women live longer than
men. That was me. I am on a 9in wide icy
path with a 75 ft drop below me.
Probably not the smartest thing I've
ever done in my life. We also we crossed
where the glacial runoff was so fast and
got so deep at certain points you had to
hold on to the next person otherwise
you'd be swept down the river. It was
easily easily the coldest water I've
ever been in in my life. But it wasn't
all cold water as well as strenuous
activity. In fact, we had some leisurely
times of getting lunch and napping. You
can see me in the very center right
there. I was leading the way on napping.
along the way. It was great. Now, at the
end of our first day, after going up
3,000 ft in elevation, we camped next to
Crystal Lake. And this is a lake that
was fed by a glacier. And the water had
different shades of blue. That's really,
really hard for me to explain, and it's
hard to even capture in a picture. So,
to give you a perspective about where we
actually were, I've got another image
that shows our camp from up on a
neighboring hill. That little tiny part
down in the bottom where the yellow
arrow is at, that is a white and a blue
tent. But if you look up, you'll see the
the water. You'll see the lake. You'll
see the mountains at a distance. It was
absolutely isolated and beautiful
terrain. After three and a half days of
hiking and climbing and freezing, we did
a lot of freezing. We finally finished
this particular trail. And it was a trip
that was filled with incredible memories
as well as lasting lessons. Now, I don't
think I'm exaggerating when I say this,
but this particular trip changed my
life. I know we throw around those terms
like something changed a person's life,
but I I believe without a doubt it
actually changed my life. Here, here's
the reason. It gave me a greater love
for hiking and adventure as well as
nature. Instead of just going through
and watching a program on Alaska, I got
a chance to actually experience it
myself, to walk the terrain, to to see
the animals, to be out there in the
midst of the wilderness. It was one that
challenged me physically and mentally in
ways that I never even imagined. the
physical challenge. It came through the
distance as well as the type of terrain
and and that's understandable. But there
was a mental challenge. I was not
anticipating on this as well. Mentally,
I realized that a person's mindset at
the beginning of the day is going to
change that day. If your mindset, if
your mentality, if your perspective at
the beginning of the day was bad, you
were going to have a miserable day.
>> If you woke up and your perspective,
your mindset was, I'm about to go on an
adventure. You would have a great day.
>> So much of it came back to the mindset
that you entered the day with. It was
one of those times that I feel like the
mindset helped me understand what I was
going through because let me just say
day two I unlocked a couple of different
levels of frustration I never knew
existed inside of me. So I also learned
to rely on others who were on the team.
Uh one of the guys in this group he was
from the area. He had actually hiked
this particular trail before. So, we
relied heavily on him and heavily upon
his experience. There was another one of
the guys who had a 44 strapped to his
chest, and that was to deal with the
grizzly bears that were along the way.
And by the way, you didn't get too far
away from that guy. You didn't go to the
restroom without telling him, "Hey, I'm
behind the bush over there." Um, so
another one of those guys helped
everybody pack. And along the way, he
stressed over and over, "Do not take any
extra weight with you." That's right.
Everybody does not need their own tent.
Everybody does not need their own little
cooking stove. Everybody does not need
all of these pieces. Keep it as light as
possible. That was absolute wisdom. And
my part, I was in charge of reading the
map and making sure we all stayed on
course and on time. Everyone had a role
on this particular trip. But here's the
funny part to me. As strenuous and
difficult as certain parts of that hike were,
were,
for an experienced mountain climber,
none of it would have been a challenge.
For an experienced mountain climber,
they look for the biggest mountains to
climb. They look for the most difficult
mountains to climb. For the experienced
mountain climber, they they will push
themselves to their physical as well as
their mental limits. Uh they will strive
to do what very few people in the world
have ever done. And in order to
accomplish those specific things, they
set their sights on what's referred to
as the seven summits. The seven summits
are the highest mountains on each of the
different seven continents. this image
that's coming up. It lists the seven
summits. It tells us their location as
well as it actually gives the height.
Now, you can see if you can read it at
the top, Mount Everest is the tallest.
That's the granddaddy of all of these
different summits. I would try to
pronounce the other ones, but at least
three of them are above my pay grade.
So, I will let you read those online
after this is over with. Now, while
there are no official registries, there
are independent databases that list only 416
416
climbers who have ever scaled all seven
summits. Other sources will say it's
around 500, but either way you look at
it, it's an extremely small and elite
group of people. The first person to
ever climb all seven summits was a
businessman from America by the name of
Dick Bass. He did it in the mid 1980s
and his accomplishment inspired others
to take on the same challenge. The
oldest person to ever take on all seven
summits did so at the age of 63.
The youngest person did it at 15.
I don't know what I was doing at 15, but
I was not scaling mountains like that.
The person who holds the record for
doing this the fastest was a man by the
name of Steven Plane out of Australia.
He scaled all seven summits in 117 days
back in 2018. Elite is an understatement
for that guy. Now, I want you to take
everything you just heard about
mountains, everything you just heard
about mountain climbing, everything you
just heard about adventure, and I now
want you to take that and move it into
the realm of prayer.
Just as there are elite
mountain climbers,
there are elite prayer warriors.
A in fact, those are the people that
elite group of prayer warriors are those
who either out of desperation, out of
desire or both were not content to pray
in the flat lands of religion. They
scaled mountains with God.
They experienced God and they watched
his answers come in ways that to this
day we're still talking about their
disciplines in prayer help shape and
inform the generations that came behind
them. In scripture there's a small list
of people that were especially known for
their prayers. That list would include
Jesus, Moses, David, Hannah, also
Elijah. You would also find that in
history there's a small group as well.
If you think about the people who have
shaped our understanding of prayer, it's
also a very small list. It's people like
George Mueller, Andrew Murray, Ian
Bounds, Corey Tinboom, David Cho, and a
few others. This group of people didn't
just pray.
Prayer defined them. >> Right?
>> Right?
to the point that when you think of the
name George Mueller, prayer comes to
mind. When you think of Ian Bounds,
prayer comes to mind. It's not that they
were not great at other pieces, but
prayer defined them. And while that
group is elite,
it is not exclusive.
Any bornagain believer can join that group.
group.
>> Amen. It does not require you to go to
seven continents. It does not require
you to scale seven physical mountains.
But here's the piece. Listen. It will
require you to conquer seven mountains
of growth that are specific to prayer.
And here's what I mean. This is in your
notes. When we pray, we're going to face
mountains of growth and mountains of
need. You're going to face both of those
different mountains as you pray. God
develops our discipline at the mountains
of growth. God develops our faith at the
mountains of need. The mountains of
growth lead to greater effectiveness in
prayer. The mountains of need lead to
greater frequency in prayer. And we need
both of those mountains. Now, for this
particular series, we are focused on the
mountains of growth. And just to be
clear, there's far more than just seven
of these mountains that are out there.
We're only focused on these seven
because these are the ones that seem to
make or break most people when it comes
to prayer. Each of these different
mountains presents a different challenge
and each mountain will require a person
to learn a new discipline. Let me say
very few people conquer all seven.
That's the reason why the list of those
prayer warriors is so small. We're not
thinking in the hundreds. We're thinking
half a dozen, maybe a dozen people in
that particular list. But I don't want
that itself to be something that would
would cause you concern. I don't want
you to be discouraged by that. For the
person who is willing to be stretched by
God, he will be the one to prepare you.
He will be the one to strengthen you and
he will be the one to guide you through
each of these different mountains. So
what are the seven mountains of growth
that I'm referring to? They include the
mountain of quitting,
doubt, forgiveness or forgetfulness,
self distraction, impatience, and the
flesh. Those are not in your notes. I'm
just giving you an overview of where
we're going in this. Starting today,
continuing for the next 40 days, we are
asking God to train us to conquer each
of those seven mountains. Now, for those
who are willing to take on that specific
challenge, you will experience God in
ways that other people only dream of.
You will enjoy greater communion with
God than maybe you've ever enjoyed in
the past. You will see how God uses
silence and speaking, listening and
waiting, obedience and his word to
prepare us in prayer. You will unlock
disciplines that will be used for the
rest of your life. You will experience
more attacks from the enemy than you've
probably ever experienced in the next 40
days. And at the same time, those same
attacks will leave you frustrated and
many times without energy. But listen,
if you make it to the end of this, you
will never be content with lifeless
prayers in the flat lands of
Christianity again. Amen.
>> That's what we're up against right now.
So, if you would turn with me in your
Bibles today to Exodus chapter number
24. Exodus 24.
Today, we are setting our sights on the
mountain of quitting. There are so many
challenges connected to this first
mountain that you could refer to it as
the Everest of the group. And by the
way, if we don't deal with the side of
quitting up front, you'll never take on
the other mountains. We have to focus on
what are the things that cause people to
quit to give up on the fact that they
can have a strong vibrant prayer life.
So if you are in your passage there,
Exodus chapter 24, you're going to see
that today the reading of God's word
will be just a little bit different. So
Good morning everyone. Today I have an
opportunity to be able to actually read
the passage that we're going to be going
through this morning from the location
that matches where the passage is from.
So right behind me over here you're
going to see the bottom of Mount Si and
this is a place in which Moses was at
when he heard from God receiving the ten
commandments and also where this
particular passage comes from today. So,
Exodus 24:es
12 and 13, it says this. Now, the Lord
said to Moses, "Come up to me on the
mountain and remain there. Stay there
and I will give you the stone tablets
with the law and the commandment which I
have written for their instruction." So,
Moses arose with Joshua, his servant,
and Moses went up to the mountain of
God. Let's walk through that passage together.
>> Father, as we go into this text,
we need you to make it come alive.
Lord, the things that we think we know a
lot about, we begin to tune out. And
Lord, there's a lot of information that
is out there about prayer, but Lord, may
the information we know not get in the
way of learning what you desire to
teach. So Lord, would you walk us
through your word today in Jesus name? Amen.
Amen. >> Amen.
>> Amen.
>> So before we get into the text itself, I
need to make a couple of key connections
today. H in the previous years, many of
you will know that I have taken one of
the first Sundays of the year to give a
theme for that specific year. And notice
I did not say I'm giving a new vision
for a year, but rather I give a new
theme for that particular year. Vision
rarely changes. Vision is a clear
biblically grounded picture of the
preferred future that God is calling us
to. A yearly theme helps us to engage
that vision from a different angle of
need or preparation. Now, the vision at
Sherwood is to see people awakened by
the gospel to a life of knowing Christ
and making him known. That is our clear
biblically grounded picture of a
preferred future that God is calling us
towards. Now, to accomplish that, we
need to address certain needs and we
also need to be equipped in certain
ways. And each of the different themes
that we share along the way allows us to
focus time and energy and effort on that
one part to help us accomplish vision.
So, in previous years, our themes
included vision. That was the first of
those years. We talked through what does
it look like for people to be awakened
by the gospel to a life of knowing
Christ and making him known. Another one
of those themes was testimony. It's the
importance of sharing with others what
God has done in your life. Another one
of those themes was obedience. That is
living faithfully as an examples so that
our lives are different and desirable to
others. Then last year we talked about
pursuit. that is how do we pursue Jesus
in every part of life? Not just on
Sunday morning, not just in a worship
service, but with every part of life.
And this year, our focus is going to be
on prayer. Helping believers communicate
effectively with God. Now, our prayer
theme that you're going to hear multiple
times over the course of this year is
stay at the mountain. Stay at the
mountain. Now the theme that I just
mentioned, it comes from this passage
and this particular passage helps us
address the first major mountain of
growth. So let's take a few moments and
let's establish the context of what
we're getting into. On a recent trip to
Egypt, I taught a theological as well as
a thematic survey of the book of Exodus.
And in that teaching, I shared that
there are three big themes that you will
find in the book of Exodus. redemption,
covenant, and worship. Redemption,
covenant, and worship. So God redeems
his people from bondage. That's found in
chapters 1-15.
God forms his people through covenant.
That's found in chapters 16- 24. And
then God brings his people into worship.
That's found in chapters 25- 40. Now,
Exodus chapter 24 is the final chapter
of that middle section, that middle one
that is focused on covenant. So, in this
chapter, it includes a formal
ratification of that covenant, but it
also transitions into God's instructions
for the tabernacle. And let me just say,
there were a lot of instructions.
The next seven chapters, chapters 25 through31,
through31,
here's what we have. God spoke, Moses listened.
listened.
That's seven chapters.
God spoke, Moses listened. By the way, a
lot of our prayer needs to be structured
in the same way. >> Amen.
>> Amen.
>> God speaks and we listen. Amen.
>> Now, those instructions, they ended in
Exodus 31:8.
Our primary text today, that's verses 12
and 13. It is in a section where Moses
was being positioned by God to hear from
God. Don't let the simplicity of that
get past you. God positioned Moses in a
certain way so that Moses was able to
hear from him. Okay? Listen to it like
this. Every environment, every setting,
every heart posture is not equally
conducive to hearing from God.
Can God speak from anywhere? Yes.
Can we clearly listen from anywhere? No.
Distracted people rarely hear clearly
from God.
I want you to notice now the positioning
of Moses. So all the way through all of
these are going to be in your notes. But
notice the way God is positioning Moses
for this time of prayer. For Moses to be
positioned to hear from God, he needed a
heart to obey. That's a heart posture.
In verse number 12, God says, "Come up
to me on the mountain and remain there."
In verse 13, it says, "So Moses arose."
Did you see that? He didn't delay. He
didn't offer objections. He didn't give
excuses. He obeyed. Obedience positions
us to hear from God. Did you hear that?
Did you hear what I just said? Obedience
positions us to hear from God. When I am
finding myself in a place where I'm not
hearing as I've heard in the past, one
of the first questions I ask is, "God,
what commands have you already shared
that I was unwilling to obey at that
time?" Sometimes you need to go back to
a place where disobedience occurred so
that you step into obedience so that you
can now be positioned to hear from God.
Here's the next part. For Moses to be
positioned to hear from God, he needed
to go where God called. God called him
up to the mountain.
>> Prayer giants over the generations have
understood the importance of getting
away from the noise so that they could
be isolated and alone with God. It might
be that they go to a prayer closet. It
might be that they go to a church and
they sit in a sanctuary without others
around. It it might be that they go to a
garden. Some people go to the beach.
They walk at sunrise. They walk at
sunset. Some people go to a mountain. It
it really doesn't matter the place. But
here's what you will find in that.
Wherever it is, the world gets shut out.
People are kept at a distance and the
person is able to be undisturbed
>> to be able to hear from God.
>> Here's the next one. for Moses to be
positioned to hear from God. He couldn't be concerned with time.
be concerned with time. If you are looking at your watch and
If you are looking at your watch and saying, "God, I got seven minutes.
saying, "God, I got seven minutes. Please talk to me fast." You are never
Please talk to me fast." You are never going to develop a deep prayer life.
going to develop a deep prayer life. It's not going to happen. In in this
It's not going to happen. In in this particular text, verse 12 says, "God
particular text, verse 12 says, "God told him to remain there on the
told him to remain there on the mountain." When you get to verse 18, it
mountain." When you get to verse 18, it says he remained there 40 days and 40
says he remained there 40 days and 40 nights. That's a long time in prayer.
nights. That's a long time in prayer. Now, every time in prayer is not 40 days
Now, every time in prayer is not 40 days and 40 nights, but let's ask this
and 40 nights, but let's ask this question. What if God wanted to start
question. What if God wanted to start you with 40 minutes?
you with 40 minutes? Would you have the time?
Would you have the time? Or maybe another way to ask it would be,
Or maybe another way to ask it would be, would you take the appointment?
would you take the appointment? You see, the issue there is when it
You see, the issue there is when it comes to time, we're protective of our
comes to time, we're protective of our time. We we think we always have to do
time. We we think we always have to do something else. And yet, we understand
something else. And yet, we understand by those who've come before us that
by those who've come before us that prayer is not preparation for the work.
prayer is not preparation for the work. Prayer is the work. It's what God's
Prayer is the work. It's what God's doing in that time of prayer that
doing in that time of prayer that changes so much. Now, in this story, we
changes so much. Now, in this story, we begin to understand that the length of
begin to understand that the length of time matched what God was about to do
time matched what God was about to do for Moses. Here's what I mean by that.
for Moses. Here's what I mean by that. It was 40 days and 40 nights because God
It was 40 days and 40 nights because God was about to give Moses full
was about to give Moses full instructions regarding the tabernacle,
instructions regarding the tabernacle, regarding proper worship, and regarding
regarding proper worship, and regarding the priesthood. Listen to this. Moses
the priesthood. Listen to this. Moses willingness to remain at the mountain
willingness to remain at the mountain had a direct impact on all of Israel's
had a direct impact on all of Israel's ability to worship.
ability to worship. And did you know that the book of
And did you know that the book of Exodus, this section, has some of the
Exodus, this section, has some of the strongest theology of worship found
strongest theology of worship found anywhere in the Bible? Much of how we
anywhere in the Bible? Much of how we know how to engage God in worship comes
know how to engage God in worship comes out of this particular section of
out of this particular section of scripture. His willingness to stay
scripture. His willingness to stay informs our ability to approach God.
informs our ability to approach God. Here's the next one.
Here's the next one. For Moses to be positioned to hear from
For Moses to be positioned to hear from God, he needed to delegate
God, he needed to delegate responsibilities.
responsibilities. When God called Moses up to the
When God called Moses up to the mountain, verse number 13 tells us that
mountain, verse number 13 tells us that Joshua went up a little bit further with
Joshua went up a little bit further with him. And then according to verse number
him. And then according to verse number 14, Moses told the elders, "Wait here
14, Moses told the elders, "Wait here for us until we return to you. And
for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and her are with you.
behold, Aaron and her are with you. Whoever has a legal matter, let him
Whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.
approach them. God didn't tell Moses how long he was
God didn't tell Moses how long he was going to be on the the mountain. But
going to be on the the mountain. But Moses had enough wisdom to know problems
Moses had enough wisdom to know problems are going to happen. Issues are going to
are going to happen. Issues are going to come up and somebody needs to be able to
come up and somebody needs to be able to address those issues. So he appointed
address those issues. So he appointed Aaron and her to be temporary judges in
Aaron and her to be temporary judges in his absence. Here is an incredible
his absence. Here is an incredible lesson. Is everybody looking this way?
lesson. Is everybody looking this way? Some of your eyes are glazed over
Some of your eyes are glazed over already. Come on. Let here's an
already. Come on. Let here's an incredible lesson. Take this away with
incredible lesson. Take this away with you. Here it is. Here it is. Are you
you. Here it is. Here it is. Are you ready for it? To meet with God on a
ready for it? To meet with God on a deeper level. You may not be able to do
deeper level. You may not be able to do everything you're currently doing.
everything you're currently doing. >> I'm going to say that again because I
>> I'm going to say that again because I enjoyed it so much. To meet with God on
enjoyed it so much. To meet with God on a deeper level, you may not be able to
a deeper level, you may not be able to continue to do everything you're
continue to do everything you're currently doing. This is important. A
currently doing. This is important. A yes to someone else is often going to
yes to someone else is often going to have to be followed with a no to God.
have to be followed with a no to God. When he calls you into deep times of
When he calls you into deep times of prayer, he has to get your full
prayer, he has to get your full attention.
attention. If you're battling it out with God, I'd
If you're battling it out with God, I'd like to do this, but I've already got
like to do this, but I've already got this committed. Like, you're in trouble
this committed. Like, you're in trouble already.
already. Here's the next one. For Moses to be
Here's the next one. For Moses to be positioned to hear from God, he needed
positioned to hear from God, he needed to be alone.
to be alone. verses 15-18, it describes Moses going
verses 15-18, it describes Moses going to the top of the mountain, the cloud of
to the top of the mountain, the cloud of God's presence covering that mountain,
God's presence covering that mountain, the people at the bottom seeing the
the people at the bottom seeing the presence of God like a consuming fire on
presence of God like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain, and then God
the top of the mountain, and then God personally calling Moses into the cloud.
personally calling Moses into the cloud. Everybody was not called into the cloud
Everybody was not called into the cloud with him. Everybody was not called into
with him. Everybody was not called into that moment. In fact, even Joshua didn't
that moment. In fact, even Joshua didn't step in with him. But I want you to
step in with him. But I want you to remember that is prior to the cross.
remember that is prior to the cross. Prior to the cross, only a handful of
Prior to the cross, only a handful of people at a certain time could ever
people at a certain time could ever approach God in that way. But because of
approach God in that way. But because of what Jesus has done for us, we now both
what Jesus has done for us, we now both have access as well as an invitation to
have access as well as an invitation to draw near to God. There's a time that
draw near to God. There's a time that you pray together with other people, but
you pray together with other people, but there's a lot of time that you pray
there's a lot of time that you pray alone. It's just you and God.
alone. It's just you and God. >> Here's the next one. For Moses to be
>> Here's the next one. For Moses to be positioned to hear from God, he needed
positioned to hear from God, he needed to be okay with waiting in silence.
to be okay with waiting in silence. >> Verse 16, it says, "The glory of the
>> Verse 16, it says, "The glory of the Lord rested on the mount on Mount Si and
Lord rested on the mount on Mount Si and the cloud covered it for six days. And
the cloud covered it for six days. And on the seventh day, he called to Moses
on the seventh day, he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. Did you get
from the midst of the cloud. Did you get it? FOR SIX DAYS, FOR SIX DAYS, Moses
it? FOR SIX DAYS, FOR SIX DAYS, Moses recognized God's visible presence, but
recognized God's visible presence, but he did not hear God speak to him. For
he did not hear God speak to him. For six days, he rested outside
six days, he rested outside and he waited for God to call him
and he waited for God to call him inside. He didn't recklessly enter in.
inside. He didn't recklessly enter in. By the way, sometimes we recklessly
By the way, sometimes we recklessly enter God's presence. We're distracted.
enter God's presence. We're distracted. We're focused on everything else. We're
We're focused on everything else. We're rushed and we just come in and we're
rushed and we just come in and we're very blunt and we just kind of drop
very blunt and we just kind of drop down. It's like, "All right, God. Here's
down. It's like, "All right, God. Here's the situation. I got this, this, this,
the situation. I got this, this, this, and this." And instead of us coming in
and this." And instead of us coming in with the right heart posture, the right
with the right heart posture, the right understanding of who he is and who we
understanding of who he is and who we are, we come in with our demands.
are, we come in with our demands. >> He waited outside the cloud to be called
>> He waited outside the cloud to be called in. HE ALREADY KNEW GOD called him to
in. HE ALREADY KNEW GOD called him to the top, but he waited to be called in
the top, but he waited to be called in further.
further. Here's the thing. It's in the times of
Here's the thing. It's in the times of waiting and silence
waiting and silence that God settles us.
that God settles us. Unsettled people can't hear from God.
Unsettled people can't hear from God. >> If you're so focused on everything else,
>> If you're so focused on everything else, you're distracted the whole time you're
you're distracted the whole time you're there.
there. The more we make it about us and the
The more we make it about us and the more we try to rush God, the more we're
more we try to rush God, the more we're not focused on him, it's in the silence
not focused on him, it's in the silence and the waiting
and the waiting that we settle into his presence and we
that we settle into his presence and we can start to hear from God. Here's the
can start to hear from God. Here's the next one. For Moses to be positioned to
next one. For Moses to be positioned to hear from God, he couldn't focus on his
hear from God, he couldn't focus on his own comfort, his own understanding, or
own comfort, his own understanding, or his own needs.
his own needs. Did you know I just listed 90% of what
Did you know I just listed 90% of what people pray about right there?
people pray about right there? If you look back at what your prayer
If you look back at what your prayer life looks like, most of the time the
life looks like, most of the time the bulk of our prayers, they are focused on
bulk of our prayers, they are focused on our comfort
our comfort based on our understanding and
based on our understanding and completely about our needs. And then we
completely about our needs. And then we throw up a person's name like, "Oh yeah,
throw up a person's name like, "Oh yeah, Lord, and bless that person." Now, we
Lord, and bless that person." Now, we spent the bulk of our time focused on
spent the bulk of our time focused on self. The very beginning of this chapter
self. The very beginning of this chapter tells us that Moses had already been up
tells us that Moses had already been up on the mountain with God and had now
on the mountain with God and had now descended.
descended. God's calling him back up the mountain
God's calling him back up the mountain again. I I've talked to some people who
again. I I've talked to some people who have run marathons. I have not. You can
have run marathons. I have not. You can look at me and tell you're not a
look at me and tell you're not a marathon runner. I've talked to some who
marathon runner. I've talked to some who have run marathons and here's what I can
have run marathons and here's what I can tell you. When they run it, they don't
tell you. When they run it, they don't want to run it back.
want to run it back. >> Amen.
>> Amen. >> Once you make it the 26.2 two miles or
>> Once you make it the 26.2 two miles or whatever it is, it's more than what I'm
whatever it is, it's more than what I'm going to run. Once you make it that far,
going to run. Once you make it that far, you don't want to turn right back around
you don't want to turn right back around and do the same thing backwards. And
and do the same thing backwards. And yet, God called him right back up to the
yet, God called him right back up to the top of the mountain again. I've stood at
top of the mountain again. I've stood at the base of that mountain. Let me just
the base of that mountain. Let me just tell you, that is not an easy climb. So,
tell you, that is not an easy climb. So, in this this section, it's easily one of
in this this section, it's easily one of those things where Moses could have
those things where Moses could have said, "God, I was just there. Why didn't
said, "God, I was just there. Why didn't you tell me when I was already there?
you tell me when I was already there? Why' I have to come back? He's making it
Why' I have to come back? He's making it about himself if he did that. Or God, I
about himself if he did that. Or God, I I don't understand why I got to come all
I don't understand why I got to come all the way to the top of the mountain right
the way to the top of the mountain right now. Like, you could talk to me down
now. Like, you could talk to me down here. That's based on our own
here. That's based on our own understanding. Or he could say, "God,
understanding. Or he could say, "God, I've got some things that you've not
I've got some things that you've not answered my life right now." And he's
answered my life right now." And he's making it all about himself. I I want
making it all about himself. I I want you to notice in this particular text,
you to notice in this particular text, the focus of that trip, it wasn't even
the focus of that trip, it wasn't even about Moses. God called him back up to
about Moses. God called him back up to give him stone tablets that had the law
give him stone tablets that had the law and the commandments for the children of
and the commandments for the children of Israel. Moses hiked back up the mountain
Israel. Moses hiked back up the mountain for someone else's primary needs.
for someone else's primary needs. Remember,
Remember, someone is waiting on the other side of
someone is waiting on the other side of your obedience.
your obedience. When you are in those quiet moments with
When you are in those quiet moments with God, watch the way God brings someone
God, watch the way God brings someone into your life who needs to hear exactly
into your life who needs to hear exactly what he has just shared with you in
what he has just shared with you in those quiet moments. Here's the final
those quiet moments. Here's the final piece there. For Moses to be positioned
piece there. For Moses to be positioned to hear from God, he had to be okay
to hear from God, he had to be okay remaining in God's presence. The cloud
remaining in God's presence. The cloud of God's presence, it settled, according
of God's presence, it settled, according to the text, settled on the mountain.
to the text, settled on the mountain. That's the same word that is used of
That's the same word that is used of Jesus in John 1:14 when it says he dwelt
Jesus in John 1:14 when it says he dwelt among us. He tabernacled among us. He
among us. He tabernacled among us. He made his abode among us.
made his abode among us. But here's the thing. The closer we get
But here's the thing. The closer we get to him, the more we see sin in
to him, the more we see sin in ourselves.
ourselves. The longer you spend in his presence,
The longer you spend in his presence, the more he brings up issues that you
the more he brings up issues that you had no idea were sitting in the recesses
had no idea were sitting in the recesses of your heart. He'll bring up stuff that
of your heart. He'll bring up stuff that was sitting in a corner of your heart
was sitting in a corner of your heart from three years ago and 10 years ago.
from three years ago and 10 years ago. And when he brings it up, there's a
And when he brings it up, there's a conviction that comes with it. And he
conviction that comes with it. And he will show you this part was wrong. And
will show you this part was wrong. And when the conviction comes, that is the
when the conviction comes, that is the time, that is the time to confess that
time, that is the time to confess that sin. before God and thank him for the
sin. before God and thank him for the forgiveness you have in Christ.
forgiveness you have in Christ. Now, let's pause here. I recognize
Now, let's pause here. I recognize there's been a lot of information shared
there's been a lot of information shared and you're looking at your notes and
and you're looking at your notes and you're saying, "There's a lot more
you're saying, "There's a lot more information to come." And you're right.
information to come." And you're right. We We want to make it worth your while.
We We want to make it worth your while. If you're going to come to church on a
If you're going to come to church on a Sunday, we want you to walk away ready.
Sunday, we want you to walk away ready. We don't want anybody to say, "I didn't
We don't want anybody to say, "I didn't get anything out of it." If you didn't
get anything out of it." If you didn't get anything out of it, you're not
get anything out of it, you're not listening.
listening. >> Okay? So, we're going to walk through
>> Okay? So, we're going to walk through these pieces, but here's the reason we
these pieces, but here's the reason we took so much time with that section. Did
took so much time with that section. Did you know that each of the different
you know that each of the different pieces I just described, each of the
pieces I just described, each of the things that you see modeled in Moses'
things that you see modeled in Moses' life, they are the basis for the primary
life, they are the basis for the primary excuses people give to stop praying.
excuses people give to stop praying. You're going to see it here in just a
You're going to see it here in just a moment. When people quit praying, you'll
moment. When people quit praying, you'll often hear them use one of these
often hear them use one of these excuses. I don't see the point.
excuses. I don't see the point. That's an understanding issue. That's
That's an understanding issue. That's what happens when a person is leaning on
what happens when a person is leaning on their own understanding and not on God's
their own understanding and not on God's understanding. That's a person who has a
understanding. That's a person who has a low view of prayer and a high view of
low view of prayer and a high view of self. that they see prayer as a good
self. that they see prayer as a good option in their devotional life but not
option in their devotional life but not vital to their relationship with God.
vital to their relationship with God. They evaluate the effectiveness of
They evaluate the effectiveness of prayer by asking questions like, "Did I
prayer by asking questions like, "Did I get what I want? Did I get it when I
get what I want? Did I get it when I wanted it? Did I get it the way I asked
wanted it? Did I get it the way I asked for it?" And if any one of those answers
for it?" And if any one of those answers comes back no, they get discouraged and
comes back no, they get discouraged and it often leads to them to quit praying.
it often leads to them to quit praying. Here's the next. I don't have the time.
Here's the next. I don't have the time. It's a priorities issue.
It's a priorities issue. We'll never find time to pray. We make
We'll never find time to pray. We make time to pray. We prioritize prayer over
time to pray. We prioritize prayer over other things. Packed schedules and
other things. Packed schedules and constant digital noise
constant digital noise has become a standing justification to
has become a standing justification to say, "I don't have time to pray."
say, "I don't have time to pray." It's not that we're too busy.
It's not that we're too busy. He said we have the wrong priorities.
He said we have the wrong priorities. We all have time for the things that are
We all have time for the things that are important to us. We make the time, we
important to us. We make the time, we find the resources, we we get the focus
find the resources, we we get the focus from somewhere. Uh when we begin to
from somewhere. Uh when we begin to prioritize productivity and
prioritize productivity and entertainment over other things, we will
entertainment over other things, we will struggle to ever experience deep
struggle to ever experience deep communion with God. Wrong priorities
communion with God. Wrong priorities will convince people they don't have the
will convince people they don't have the time. And the more they've convinced
time. And the more they've convinced themselves of that, the more they're
themselves of that, the more they're able to stop praying. The next one, I
able to stop praying. The next one, I don't like what God said.
don't like what God said. It's an obedience issue. God will guide
It's an obedience issue. God will guide us when we pray and he often guides us
us when we pray and he often guides us back to a verse in scripture, back to a
back to a verse in scripture, back to a story in scripture, back to a lesson
story in scripture, back to a lesson from scripture. He convicts us when
from scripture. He convicts us when we're wrong. He encourages us and
we're wrong. He encourages us and challenges us to do what is right. When
challenges us to do what is right. When God speaks, hear me. When God speaks, he
God speaks, hear me. When God speaks, he gives grace to obey. Did you know it
gives grace to obey. Did you know it doesn't matter if we like what he said
doesn't matter if we like what he said after that? When God has spoken, he
after that? When God has spoken, he gives grace to obey. Here's the
gives grace to obey. Here's the situation. Sometimes we don't want
situation. Sometimes we don't want guidance. We want approval.
guidance. We want approval. >> We've already made up our mind of what
>> We've already made up our mind of what we're going to do and we just want God
we're going to do and we just want God to rubber stamp our decision.
to rubber stamp our decision. God doesn't operate like that.
God doesn't operate like that. He speaks truth.
He speaks truth. Sometimes truth hurts. And when the pain
Sometimes truth hurts. And when the pain gets to be too much, people stop
gets to be too much, people stop praying. The next one, I don't like what
praying. The next one, I don't like what God did. It's an expectation issue.
God did. It's an expectation issue. And it's the response of a person who is
And it's the response of a person who is now disappointed with God. Maybe it's a
now disappointed with God. Maybe it's a situation where they've prayed a long
situation where they've prayed a long time about a major need and God chose to
time about a major need and God chose to do something different. Often times you
do something different. Often times you will find that it's praying for healing
will find that it's praying for healing or praying for a prodal or praying in
or praying for a prodal or praying in the context of suffering and they didn't
the context of suffering and they didn't get the answer they wanted. So now the
get the answer they wanted. So now the person's mad with God and because
person's mad with God and because they're mad, they're saying, "I'm not
they're mad, they're saying, "I'm not going to go through that pain again if
going to go through that pain again if God's not going to answer." And they
God's not going to answer." And they stop praying. Here's the next one. I can
stop praying. Here's the next one. I can do it myself. It's a pride issue. Most
do it myself. It's a pride issue. Most believers would theologically agree that
believers would theologically agree that God answers prayer. But many believers
God answers prayer. But many believers functionally trust their own effort,
functionally trust their own effort, their own money, and their own planning
their own money, and their own planning over God. They they think that yes, God
over God. They they think that yes, God can, but he won't do it for me. So, I
can, but he won't do it for me. So, I have to do it myself. Often, quiet
have to do it myself. Often, quiet self-reliance
self-reliance will lead to a life of little prayer.
will lead to a life of little prayer. And a little prayer soon becomes no
And a little prayer soon becomes no prayer. They quit praying. The next one,
prayer. They quit praying. The next one, I don't know what to say. Well, it's an
I don't know what to say. Well, it's an understanding issue. For seven chapters,
understanding issue. For seven chapters, Moses didn't say anything. Some people
Moses didn't say anything. Some people think it's their job to entertain God
think it's their job to entertain God for 30 minutes in prayer. Let me just
for 30 minutes in prayer. Let me just say that is not our job. It It's not
say that is not our job. It It's not that that God needs us to entertain him.
that that God needs us to entertain him. It is prayer is a time that we're
It is prayer is a time that we're sitting and listening. we're sitting and
sitting and listening. we're sitting and we're sharing. You often find that we
we're sharing. You often find that we would benefit from talking less and
would benefit from talking less and listening more. A lack of understanding
listening more. A lack of understanding will lead a person to quit praying. The
will lead a person to quit praying. The next one, I don't feel comfortable with
next one, I don't feel comfortable with God. It's a relational issue. People are
God. It's a relational issue. People are uncomfortable in God's presence because
uncomfortable in God's presence because of sin, because of shame, because of
of sin, because of shame, because of lack of intimacy. They think that being
lack of intimacy. They think that being perfect will somehow make them feel
perfect will somehow make them feel worthy. And when they feel worthy, then
worthy. And when they feel worthy, then they'll start to pray. But that's a
they'll start to pray. But that's a vicious cycle. The issue is none of us
vicious cycle. The issue is none of us are perfect. The issue is none of us are
are perfect. The issue is none of us are worthy. That's
worthy. That's >> right.
>> right. >> The only reason we're brought in is
>> The only reason we're brought in is because of what Jesus has done for us.
because of what Jesus has done for us. >> If you wait until you think you are
>> If you wait until you think you are worthy to enter the presence of God, you
worthy to enter the presence of God, you will never enter and you'll stop
will never enter and you'll stop praying.
praying. >> The next one, I don't like silence.
>> The next one, I don't like silence. That's a conditioning issue. In a world
That's a conditioning issue. In a world of constant noise, silence feels
of constant noise, silence feels uncomfortable. We've conditioned
uncomfortable. We've conditioned ourselves to get nervous or restless or
ourselves to get nervous or restless or bored if there's not constant
bored if there's not constant stimulation that's happening around us.
stimulation that's happening around us. When things get quiet, we try to fill
When things get quiet, we try to fill the space many times with pointless
the space many times with pointless talking. We just want to say something
talking. We just want to say something because the silence bothers us. But
because the silence bothers us. But remember, God uses the silence to settle
remember, God uses the silence to settle us. Two more.
us. Two more. >> I don't like to wait. That's a patience
>> I don't like to wait. That's a patience issue. For the record, I don't know of
issue. For the record, I don't know of anyone who likes to wait.
anyone who likes to wait. >> If you're impatient, that just makes you
>> If you're impatient, that just makes you human. Nobody likes to wait. But prayer
human. Nobody likes to wait. But prayer is a waiting game.
is a waiting game. >> Amen.
>> Amen. >> God is not in a hurry. He works from and
>> God is not in a hurry. He works from and for eternity. If we don't learn the
for eternity. If we don't learn the discipline of waiting, we will quit
discipline of waiting, we will quit praying. Here's the last one. I don't
praying. Here's the last one. I don't like the cost.
like the cost. It's a value issue.
It's a value issue. We will find time and resources and
We will find time and resources and focus for anything that we actually
focus for anything that we actually value. When we value prayer, we will
value. When we value prayer, we will find time for prayer.
find time for prayer. >> Amen.
>> Amen. >> If we don't value prayer, we look at the
>> If we don't value prayer, we look at the cost. A strong prayer life does not just
cost. A strong prayer life does not just happen. It's going to cost you time.
happen. It's going to cost you time. It'll cost you discipline. It'll cost
It'll cost you discipline. It'll cost you saying no to good things so that you
you saying no to good things so that you can say yes to the best things. In this
can say yes to the best things. In this situation for Moses, it cost him 40 days
situation for Moses, it cost him 40 days and 40 nights. If you go to Dan or not
and 40 nights. If you go to Dan or not Daniel, but Deuteronomy chapter 9:9,
Daniel, but Deuteronomy chapter 9:9, you'll also find that it cost him a lot
you'll also find that it cost him a lot of meals. He fasted this entire 40 days
of meals. He fasted this entire 40 days and 40 nights. When the cost gets too
and 40 nights. When the cost gets too high, people quit praying. Now, I have
high, people quit praying. Now, I have given a whole lot of information this
given a whole lot of information this morning. And to help those truths and
morning. And to help those truths and others that are coming begin to sink in,
others that are coming begin to sink in, uh we are providing a free prayer guide
uh we are providing a free prayer guide for everybody to pick up on the way out.
for everybody to pick up on the way out. for a person who maybe you've already
for a person who maybe you've already got a strong prayer life. Here's what
got a strong prayer life. Here's what we're encouraging you to do for the next
we're encouraging you to do for the next 40 days. Add this to what you're
40 days. Add this to what you're currently doing and you'll see it's not
currently doing and you'll see it's not extensive by any means. For somebody who
extensive by any means. For somebody who has struggled to develop the habits and
has struggled to develop the habits and the disciplines of prayer, I encourage
the disciplines of prayer, I encourage you let this help lay the foundation in
you let this help lay the foundation in your life. You'll find a 12inut format
your life. You'll find a 12inut format for prayer. 12 minutes. We're not asking
for prayer. 12 minutes. We're not asking people to start with an hour. We're not
people to start with an hour. We're not asking them to start with even 30
asking them to start with even 30 minutes. We're asking people for the
minutes. We're asking people for the next 40 days, would you commit to 12
next 40 days, would you commit to 12 minutes a day for 40 days to help lay
minutes a day for 40 days to help lay out some disciplines in the area of
out some disciplines in the area of prayer? In just a few moments after the
prayer? In just a few moments after the this part and after Ken gets back up and
this part and after Ken gets back up and starts to share some of the
starts to share some of the announcements, there's going to be a
announcements, there's going to be a small two-minute video that'll explain
small two-minute video that'll explain how to walk through this piece. But
how to walk through this piece. But here's what I'm going to ask as we
here's what I'm going to ask as we close.
close. I'm going to ask
I'm going to ask that you would give me the next 40 days
that you would give me the next 40 days for us to go on a journey together with
for us to go on a journey together with God.
God. 40 days.
40 days. I'm asking you
I'm asking you to pray and ask God to make prayer fresh
to pray and ask God to make prayer fresh in your life.
in your life. I'm asking you
I'm asking you to ask God to give you a deeper burden
to ask God to give you a deeper burden and passion for prayer than you have
and passion for prayer than you have ever had before.
ever had before. Parents,
Parents, please hear me.
please hear me. Your pattern in prayer becomes the
Your pattern in prayer becomes the foundation for your children's pattern
foundation for your children's pattern for prayer.
for prayer. If our prayer life is weak, they're
If our prayer life is weak, they're going to struggle to have an example of
going to struggle to have an example of what it looks like to have a strong
what it looks like to have a strong prayer life.
prayer life. So, as we close out this service, I'm
So, as we close out this service, I'm going to ask you if you would bow with
going to ask you if you would bow with me for just a moment. Our band is going
me for just a moment. Our band is going to be coming back up. There's going to
to be coming back up. There's going to be a final song that we are going to go
be a final song that we are going to go through together.
through together. But as we are making this transition at
But as we are making this transition at this point, I I want to encourage people
this point, I I want to encourage people that if you recognize that God has been
that if you recognize that God has been burdening your heart for a stronger
burdening your heart for a stronger prayer life, or even if you've not
prayer life, or even if you've not recognized it until this morning, now
recognized it until this morning, now you're saying, "I see that there's
you're saying, "I see that there's pieces that are missing." I want to
pieces that are missing." I want to encourage you today
encourage you today to spend time with God and say, "God,
to spend time with God and say, "God, even if I'm struggling in my heart in
even if I'm struggling in my heart in this, God, help me to be willing.
this, God, help me to be willing. Would you train me for these seven
Would you train me for these seven challenges?"
challenges?" It might be that husbands and wives
It might be that husbands and wives would like to find a place at the altar
would like to find a place at the altar and pray together over what the next 40
and pray together over what the next 40 days is going to be. Whatever it might
days is going to be. Whatever it might be, I encourage you to do business with
be, I encourage you to do business with God. Father, we thank you, Lord, for
God. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word and we ask you today that you
your word and we ask you today that you would help us to not be in a place that
would help us to not be in a place that we're just simply going through the
we're just simply going through the motions of prayer, but Lord, may we
motions of prayer, but Lord, may we engage with you. And God, we are
engage with you. And God, we are painfully aware of the fact that unless
painfully aware of the fact that unless you are the one calling us in and
you are the one calling us in and drawing us in and giving that desire,
drawing us in and giving that desire, then Lord, we walk away unchanged. So
then Lord, we walk away unchanged. So God, you have to be the one to do the
God, you have to be the one to do the work. So Lord, would you do it at this
work. So Lord, would you do it at this time in Jesus name? Amen. As you stand
time in Jesus name? Amen. As you stand at this time, some of our pastors and
at this time, some of our pastors and their wives are at the front already. We
their wives are at the front already. We encourage you to allow the spirit to
encourage you to allow the spirit to guide you.
I just want to sit here at your feet. I'm caught up in this holy
I'm caught up in this holy moment
but more than anything that you can do,
that you can do, I just want you.
when I've just gone through the motions. I'm sorry
I'm sorry when I just sang another song. Take me
when I just sang another song. Take me back to where we started.
back to where we started. I open up my heart to you.
when I've come with my agenda. I'm sorry
I'm sorry when I forgot that you're enough. You
when I forgot that you're enough. You take me back to where we started.
take me back to where we started. I open up my heart to you.
Oh, I just want to sit here at your feet.
feet. I'm caught up in this holy
I'm caught up in this holy moment.
moment. Lord, I never want to leave.
Jesus, you don't owe me anything. But more than anything
But more than anything that you can do,
that you can do, I just want you.
I just want you and nothing else.
and nothing else. Nothing else.
Nothing else. Nothing else will do.
Nothing else will do. I just want you.
I just want you. Nothing else.
Nothing else. Nothing else.
Nothing else. Nothing else.
I just want you. Nothing else.
I just want you, but nothing else.
but nothing else. Nothing else.
Nothing else. Nothing else will do.
Nothing else will do. I just want you.
I just want you. Nothing else. It's our prayer. There's
nothing else. Nothing else. One more time. Lord, I
Nothing else. One more time. Lord, I just want you.
just want you. Nothing else.
Nothing else. Nothing else will do.
I just want to sit here at your feet. I'm caught up in this holy
I'm caught up in this holy moment.
But more than anything that you can do, I just want you.
God heard your prayer. The reason I say that is because most of
The reason I say that is because most of you got up this morning
you got up this morning and you said, "God, I want a change in
and you said, "God, I want a change in my life."
my life." And you said, "God, I don't want 2026 to
And you said, "God, I don't want 2026 to be the same as 2025 or the years that
be the same as 2025 or the years that were behind that. I want something new.
were behind that. I want something new. I want a new relationship." And today,
I want a new relationship." And today, God spoke to you.
God spoke to you. He said, "This is how you start
He said, "This is how you start in prayer.
in prayer. It's not doing more.
It's not doing more. is starting in prayer.
is starting in prayer. And so, as the pastor mentioned, there
And so, as the pastor mentioned, there will be prayer books. Commit yourself to
will be prayer books. Commit yourself to that work first to pray. God, I'm going
that work first to pray. God, I'm going to be disciplined and ready to pray. And
to be disciplined and ready to pray. And so, as you walk out of here today,
so, as you walk out of here today, you'll find those. It'll be a prayer
you'll find those. It'll be a prayer center that is right back in the back
center that is right back in the back and you'll be able to grab one of those
and you'll be able to grab one of those for yourself and for your family. But
for yourself and for your family. But then also I want to mention if today if
then also I want to mention if today if you came here today and you need to make
you came here today and you need to make a decision for Jesus Christ you you know
a decision for Jesus Christ you you know within your heart you have not given
within your heart you have not given your life to Jesus
your life to Jesus >> and today is the day.
>> and today is the day. We would love to know about it. And so
We would love to know about it. And so if you take your phone and you tap on
if you take your phone and you tap on your seat side or right at the seat in
your seat side or right at the seat in front of you, you type in there
front of you, you type in there relationship I need to know more about
relationship I need to know more about Jesus Christ. We would love to have
Jesus Christ. We would love to have someone call you. In addition to that,
someone call you. In addition to that, if you need to be baptized, you need to
if you need to be baptized, you need to find a church home, any of those
find a church home, any of those questions that you may have, we want to
questions that you may have, we want to talk to you and pray for you and help
talk to you and pray for you and help you in your next step with Jesus Christ.
you in your next step with Jesus Christ. In addition to that, if you're visiting
In addition to that, if you're visiting for the very first time today, we want
for the very first time today, we want to say welcome and thank you so much for
to say welcome and thank you so much for coming today. Church family, we're
coming today. Church family, we're grateful for all our guests.
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