church i'm gonna ask you to stand right
now if you would and open up your bibles
to hebrews chapter one
hebrews chapter one
together tonight we'll go as far as we
can
oh no we're gonna fly on this book we're
gonna really really move on this one
the book of hebrews rather than right
now tonight as we've kind of eaten up
some of the time rather than get much
into the introductory part of it we're
just going to read
two verses together and go as far as we
can on them hebrews
i'm going to ask all of you that are
here tonight if it's possible i do not
want to take you away from your church
if your church that you attend is
dependent upon you
then you need to pray about uh maybe not
coming on wednesday nights here
but if you have the ability to do that
and you're not gonna in any way
uh leave the the church that you attend
in the lurch then then you're fine
you're great
but i ask all of you to be very
sensitive to this request
all of us don't know in our lives
catholic we have catholic friends
they need this wednesday night teaching
the book of hebrews like you can't even
begin to imagine
because almost everything in this book
will be new to them
because for some reason i think i know
the catholic church avoids studying this
book verse by verse because if you study
this book verse book verse by verse
you will wake up to the realization
there's only one priest
and and he's not a man
and he says
you come to me with your confession
directly
and you confess to me
and i will set you free
and i am not only your priest i'm your
atonement and i am your attorney i am
your judge i am your defense i'm
everything
okay and his name's jesus and you'll
meet him in a whole new light
whole new light church uh hebrews
chapter one i'll read verse one if
you'll read verse two in our responsive
reading together hebrews chapter one god
who at various times and in various ways
spoke
in time past to the fathers
by the prophets
father speak to us your truth during the
journey of hebrews
dear god in heaven save souls open our
eyes draw us closer and may we become so
intimate with the one who loves us the
most
that we would find ourselves every
single one of us completely
completely transformed
the truth that transforms in this book
will cause us to be different people and
how we need that in this time
we love you god and praise you in jesus
name and all god's people said amen amen
you can be seated book of hebrews
presents as you can well imagine jesus
christ as the one and only
throughout the entire book
the book of hebrews will take jesus
and shine the light of his person shine
the light of his ministry shine the
light of his work
and not only that by virtue of so many
analogies or types
in the book of hebrews in fact there are
books you can buy
regarding typology found in the book of
hebrews
because it's all of listen it's all
about jesus
it's all about
jesus in the book of hebrews
fulfilling the old testament
references to
atonement forgiveness sacrifice blood
uh innocence for the guilty
in ways that
the book of hebrews shines light on the
old testament
which allows us in our 21st century to
understand the old testament so much
better
so if you just think about it and i
should have done it as a prop and put on
like big sunglasses
because the book of hebrews is like big
glasses
and you look through the lens
of the old testament and then all of a
sudden
the taking of the dove and sacrificing
it and laying it this way and the blood
right and the entrails of the animal
laid out and the priest washes them and
performs this thing and it's one thing
that you and i read in the book of
leviticus and we go why am i reading
this book
and it makes no sense to us
listen i'm not going to mention his name
but you all know his name but a friend
of mine who's jewish says the priesthood
in the old testament was just a it made
it made up a bunch of glorified butchers
think about it if you were a priest in
the old testament you were bloody all
your life
cutting this taking the blood putting it
over here sacrificing this pulling this
apart bringing this it was crazy right
until you look at the book of hebrews
and then you find out that all of that
stuff that we thought was nothing
speaks of exact detail regarding christ
atoning work for us
and you're going to learn about that
in this book
every
way in all of scripture
the prophet from the bible for us when
we read it is to see the
centrality of jesus in the
bible that is so vitally important and
so we're going to be seeing some things
by way of
getting ready for this church you might
be blessed by a few things here hebrews
chapter 10 for example verse 7
says behold i have come in the volume of
the book it is written of me to do your
will
o god the author of the book of hebrews
there in 10 verse 7 he's quoting psalm
40.
in psalm 40 it speaks about the messiah
if you're jewish tonight you know that
already
us gentiles we're just figuring that out
that psalm 40 announces that it's the
messiah who says behold or lo
i come
and in the volume of the book in the
volume of the book it is written of me
did you get that everybody it's written
about me
the messiah jesus
so how do you know it's jesus because
the writer of the book of hebrews we
don't know who the writer is by the way
if you say what do you keep saying the
writer we don't know who it is
most people believe it leans toward paul
highly possible but for some reason his
name is left out
maybe
there's
a purpose to that and i believe there is
but will you note this what's the name
of this book the book of what
book of hebrews is written to listen
jews
who
moved out of judaism
and into christianity or as jews say it
today they don't say they're christians
a jew who comes to christ today says
they are believers i like that by the
way they are believers everybody's a
christian these days satan's probably a
christian
right
i thought you were a christian this guy
robs a bank and what i thought you're a
christian you know what listen forget
about that title
if you're a follower you're a follower
and it's obvious if you're not a
follower you know what you run around
and hide behind labels
and so when a jew came to know that
jesus is the messiah they became
believers
and
so it's very very possible that the
authorship of this book
as it speaks to the hebrews we're
talking about hebrews who came to know
christ as messiah but we're going to
come to passages of this book church
that's going to blow your mind because
you're going to be challenged for years
maybe decades in your life you've been
told oh that verse or those verses that
passage that teaches you can lose your
salvation and it's right here in the
book of hebrews and it's the exact
opposite
those verses that some have used against
you to think that you could lose your
salvation it's the verses that are
warning the person who was a hebrew
leaving judaism and now follows jesus
but doesn't really wind up following
jesus decides to go back to make animal
sacrifices
they don't lose their salvation
they never had their salvation
they they warmed up to the things of god
they got near to the truth they instead
of drinking in the lord the word that
they
are guilty of is that they sipped they
tasted of the heavenly gift they didn't
eat it up
the book of jeremiah says that you and i
as a believer when we find the word of
god we eat it up did you know that
that's one of the signs by the way of a
real believer a real believer so amazing
because if you get in between them and a
bible you're going to get they're going
to bite your finger
they just
that's one of the beautiful things about
being around new believers they devour
the word
but there'll be those in the book of
hebrews they're
they're guilty
of hanging around church
but never being truly converted john
chapter 5 verse 37 john 5 37 says that
the father himself jesus said who sent
me has testified of me listen to this
jesus is speaking the father he says has
testified of me what a statement the
father god almighty has sworn an oath
and as and has upheld who i am
he says you have neither heard his voice
at any time nor seen his form but you do
listen to this verse 38 but you do not
have his word abiding in you because
whom he sent him you do not believe you
search the scriptures
for in them you think that you have
eternal life and these are they which do
testify of me that's jesus speaking is
that a tremendous statement
are you guys here
jesus was speaking that to those who
weren't believing him
and believing the scriptures and i love
the fact that he says listen okay it's
obvious you're not listening to what i'm
saying and you're not believing who i am
you ought to at least pay attention to
the one who sent me oh and by the way
you're not paying attention to him
either so maybe you ought to read the
word
like you guys are scholars
and boast in the word
because that very word testifies of who
i am jesus says this
remarkable
but the book of hebrews and the
supremacy and centrality
of the biblical account of who jesus is
colossians chapter 2 verse 16 tells us
so let no one judge you listen in food
or in drink
or regarding the festival or a new moon
or sabbath somebody asked me that on
sunday pastor jack should we not be
having church on saturday
i said no well somebody told me that
we're wrong here because we should be
having church on saturday not sunday
and i said well were they jewish
no
well listen i said go to colossians 2.
so listen to this next verse you get you
get caught up in things about well this
and that and all this and thing wait a
minute colossians 2 verse 16 and 17
verse 17 says these things which are a
shadow of the things to come but the
substance is christ you want to know
what the sabbath is
first of all if you're jewish
okay then you need to be concerned about
the sabbath
but if you are a jew who comes to follow
christ guess what
and those of us who are gentiles
every the bible teaches every day is a
sabbath for the believer
every day there's not a certain day did
you know that if you want to go to
church and worship god on monday
god says right on
if you go on tuesday and
wednesday
all of you
you're not sinning by being here but a
legalist will think so
no and the bible here says in colossians
2 that as we get into the study of the
book of hebrews that it's all about
jesus christ that all the rules and
regulations were shadows
but the substance is christ
that goes from religious practices
and just the constant
following of rules and regulations and
all these things man-made things or even
let's give it credit even things that
came from
moses because the book of hebrews is
going to tell you that moses gave you
the law but christ came and set you free
with his own blood and righteousness the
law could never save you but christ's
savior the law says god is holy and
jesus comes and says i will take you who
are unholy and make you holy by my
saving power it's absolutely amazing
you're going to learn in the book of
hebrews that even the temple itself in
jerusalem
was
made after the pattern which god showed
moses that was in heaven
you know the ark of the covenant just
think right now if the ark of the
covenant can you imagine imagine if i
pressed the button and the ark of the
covenant came up here we found it we
found it
tradition would say get back get back
don't touch it
i understand where you're coming from if
we're living in the old testament
economy and god's glory is associated
with the ark of the covenant don't touch
it you're going to die you saw indiana
jones remember what happened when that
german touched the thing that nazi guy
touched the ark and he just melted right
there in front of you right that was
right on
if it was the old testament
but do you know if the ark of the
covenant popped up on this stage tonight
did you know you could come up take
pictures of it touch it
nothing would happen to you did you know
that
nothing would happen to you why because
it's only a shadow the substance is
christ
if there was a temple still standing in
jerusalem did you know today you could
walk right in there you could walk into
the holy of holies you want to know why
it's not holy of holies anymore
the lord has left the house
it's not about a building it's not about
artifacts it's not about things like
that and i know that that challenges our
traditions
and some of you are going to have a hard
time in this book with traditions
versus what god has said
but just remember this
the substance is christ
don't pride yourself in your religion
and in your deeds
humble yourself before him who is mighty
to save and watch what happens it's a
world of difference
one is laborious tough hard and you have
you sometimes have a good feeling that
because you had a good day
but most of the time it's such a heavy
load to bear
and you listen if that's if that's your
life you have a view of god that he's
always upset at you about something and
if he's not really upset he's just he's
not happy either
and you just like you're kind of like
walking on glass all the time
on the other side because christ is the
substance
there's liberty and freedom in your life
now listen to me
when i say liberty
i mean
i'm not bound by my desires anymore
my flesh and its desires
every day take
a more distant back seat
the old man is dying
my old man year old man you have an i
don't care how young you are if you're
christian you have an old man inside of
you that's what the bible calls them the
old man see i'm only 19. you got an old
man inside of you if you're a christian
that old man says things that you're not
supposed to say
and he thinks things you're not supposed
to think
and thank god you have a struggle with
that old man because now you're born
again
the spirit life wars against the old
life of who you once were
but listen that relationship
is not based upon
your performance
it's based upon christ's performance
and instead of listen ins instead of you
saying really really it's all based on
his performance not mine
well then
i like this liberty
let's live it up
you don't know what i'm talking about
then
you have no idea what i'm talking about
you're still over there on that side of
the podium
because over here is where you find out
how much he's crazy in love with you
over here is when you find out that what
he's got for you is way better than what
the world of you can ever muster or put
up
and when you find out that when you just
give up a little bit he winds up showing
you what he wants to do with your life
and it is so can i use this word it is
so intoxicating that there's nowhere
else to go
and i see people who struggle with their
relationship with jesus but they're
still trying to get high on the world
they're still trying to get a buzz and a
feel but they'll be religious on sundays
or maybe even on wednesdays but then
they still to cope i need this to cope
little do you know that when you come
over here with all of your problem and
dilemma because it's a love relationship
anyone who loves someone else doesn't
want to see the one that they love
go through hardship
and the lord wraps you up
on a daily basis hey listen for some of
us who are
and
just perpetual state of
god i need you
he walks me by the hour
by the hour
and there's no greater way to live
it's free it's liberating
and it's it's like walking with a friend
on a trail or maybe along the beach
or whatever it is
he's amazing
in hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 hebrews 10
1
there the scripture tells us for the law
having a shadow
of the good things to come
and not the very image of the things so
the law is a shadow pointing about
something that's better listen everyone
you need to hear this the law of god
found in the old testament is righteous
holy pure and good
are you hearing me
just think of the ten commandments
if any person
any culture any city i think every city
should have the ten commandments you
know when you pull into when you drive
from diamond bar to chino hills and you
go through grand avenue out there in the
country isn't that beautiful out there
and uh
you're driving along and it says welcome
to chino hills
you know what we should do i think we
should do this if i was
if i was the dictator
i'd have every city in america have this
town welcome to
welcome to mayberry
and have had the ten commandments posted
on both sides of that sign
you say you can't do that yeah that's
our problem
[Applause]
yeah yeah you're right we can't do that
we'd rather have people murdering one
another and ripping off one another and
sleeping around and beating up and drunk
and
are you hearing me
i mean you kept with the 10 commandments
up somebody might feel bad
about what
hello about what
well you can't put the ten commandments
up because people might read them
thou shalt not murder
we don't want to quench anyone's first
amendment right
right think of it
now i'd like to do a big social
experiment post the ten commandments
entering every classroom
for one year just one year
may god may god touch school boards
across the land that the school board
would say things are out of control
we're going to do a huge experiment
we're going to put the ten commandments
back up in class like they were in 1961
and maybe junior might read it and
respect this teacher
can you imagine
what's what's the harm
because we sure ain't doing good now the
way we're going on that one
but that's not what i was going to say i
was going to say that in hebrews chapter
10 right in the middle of verse 1 it
says they can never listen uh
image of these things can never with
these same sacrifices
which they offer continually year by
year he's talking about earthly
priesthood
make those who approach perfect or
complete
verse two for then would they not have
ceased to be offered
for the worshipers once purified would
have known more consciousness of sin
this is what jesus does jesus when he
comes into your life he removes the
guilt i mentioned guilt earlier tonight
he removes the guilt from you you know
that thing that you did six years ago he
removes that from you you know that
thing that you're hiding and hoping
nobody finds out he removes it
he removes it
an earthly priesthood doesn't have the
power to do that
listen you could go in the foyer tonight
after service and say pastor jack i need
to confess a sin
you can tell me whatever you want to
tell me
i can't do anything about it
i'm going to get i'm going to get mail
on this next comment right here
i do not say this to be mean i say this
to be purely theologically accurate for
your betterments it is this
you confess to a human about your sin
you're still guilty of that sin
it didn't do you any good
he has no power
to forgive you because it wasn't his
blood
it has to be the priest's
blood
for you to get forgiveness from the
priest
everything of the old testament was
pointing you toward a high priest
remember the high priest the aryanic
priesthood aaron
but did have you read about aaron's life
they were types
aaron simply wore
the
high priest clothing and we'll get into
all the parts in the future of all the
intricacies of that why those stones and
that order and why 12 of them why did
this gown have to be made out of this
why did his hat his miter have to be of
a
it's all a shadow of jesus
each of those things speak regarding a
work that the messiah
performs
so when you say father forgive me for i
have sinned jesus said shh
don't call anyone on earth father you
only have one father and that's your
father in heaven call no man on earth
your father
wow
first john tells you that if you confess
your sins to god he's faithful and just
to forgive you
paul told timothy there's only one
mediator between god and mankind
and that's the man christ jesus
it's not listen it's not billy graham
it's not the pope it's not it's not uh
charles stanley dr david jeremiah it's
not me or anybody else
and you should say you should say
hallelujah
there's nothing like flying nonstop
flying direct
right why get off at destinations and
lose your bags
fly straight to jesus
when you pray pray straight to him when
you cry out go straight to him when you
confess go straight to him
we're going to learn a lot in the book
of hebrews i'm telling you right now
it's going to be fireworks on wednesday
nights
because we need these we need these
i'm still reading hebrews 10.
i'm not finishing this we're never going
to get into i've got points i've got
data here i've got verses
tons of them
so
verse 4 says
hebrews chapter 10 verse 4 4 it is
not possible that the blood of bulls and
goats which take
which could take away sins therefore
when christ came into the world
he said
sacrifice an offering you do not desire
but a body you have prepared for me
translation
all of the animal sacrifices of the past
only covered up
never took away the sin christ comes
into the world and says speaking of the
father you've given me a body
what was that body for
think now
why did jesus come into this world with
a human body
yeah you could say it
i'm hearing it sacrifice
then john chapter 1 verse 29 john the
baptist said behold the lamb of god who
takes away
the sins of the world
god provided his son a body that's the
plan of redemption for god
to die in our place
what an act of love there's no greater
display
not that just a man would die in our
place that's something
but god
would do this for us
is absolutely awesome
so with the time we have we'll start
i'm going to regret it and we'll repeat
it
next week
so we're looking right now and we'll be
looking at this for a few weeks is the
fact that we're talking about the noble
god and i want you to write that down to
the top of your notes
the knowable god
every chapter of the bible every book of
the bible every page of the bible is an
articulation by god announcing i'm
knowable
god has gone through great lengths to
produce for you and to preserve for you
this book called the bible think of it
the bible here we are in the 21st
century and we're still talking about a
book
and the truth of this book cannot be
quenched
it can be destroyed it can be outlawed
doesn't change a thing
why because god is knowable
in the book of hebrews we're going to
find out how incredibly knowable he
allows himself to be
he's personal
he's knowable first point is that he's
personal
the god of the bible is personal and we
see this in chapter one verse one when
it says here in hebrews 1 look at there
it says god who
and i just want you to write that down
god who this immediately
challenges us to realize that
it's god who initiates the conversation
between him and yourself
and i want you to think about you right
now how has god reached you ask yourself
this question in your own life can i
articulate how god has reached me
because the bible teaches us that it is
god who
and i want to deliberately hang right
there with a question mark
not god who like who he is though he is
knowable
this is the god who
initiates the conversation with you
god transcends all things that are to
reach into your soul that's why the life
that you and i live
we need to be so awake we need to be so
uh dialed in listen dialed into
everything about life please listen if
you're watching or you're here tonight
and you feel like your life has been so
dumbed down and so
uh
numb
because of the world that you and i are
in now in life this time
i want you to know something
don't let the narrative of the world
define you
don't listen don't
don't let it happen to you
there seems to be this
sucking sound of a vortex going down a
drain and people are swirling
in hopelessness
and there's nothing we can do
and we're hearing things like this
listen
look i'm an old guy i can tell you this
right now
people who think
they don't need to go back to work
because the government will pay them
listen
they're falling for a demonic trick
it's not a political trick
it's a satanic trick we're living in a
satanically energized age here's what
will happen to you
god from the beginning told adam work in
the garden
there's meaningful
benefits to that
when you are no longer producing the
human psyche that have been that you've
been created by god listen god's active
you've been creating the image of god
and when you sit around literally listen
if you sit around and you just press the
remote or you just put on your slippers
and you go from one room to the next you
look out the window and you get a check
in the mail
and you say i could just live like this
it is a death march
don't do it
don't do it i'm pleading with you i'm
not kidding if you'll your mind listen
your mind will start to calcify your
mind will start to harden
you'll have no motivation
you your life will wind up
being worth nothing
and you'll have zero self-worth listen i
hope i'm wrong and what i'm about to say
i'll probably get a phone call from
media tomorrow but i'm telling you i
don't want to be right on this
if we
keep people sequestered and they have no
reason to get out of bed brush their
teeth or comb their hair listen you and
i have seen nothing in the way of
suicide numbers that compared to what's
coming
america will be a suicide nation if we
don't get back to work because god made
you and i to till the garden to build
things to do things to make our life
matter that's what he's put within us
and right now there's a thing there's a
violin being played and money's coming
out of it and and you're just getting
lulled into this cancerous
world view
it's satanic and he's going to inject
you with his bite in the not-too-distant
future and that will bring you into
state of coma you'll just become a toast
in your life
and then the money will run out it will
run out
and you'll be so lethargic you won't
even know
how to get a job
you won't know how to interview
nobody wants to hear this anymore but
it's pure truth i'm telling you right
now
satan's on the march
and this is an energized culture
thank god that he initiates the
conversation he's speaking to you
tonight and he's saying listen i made
you to live a life not this i made you
to be somebody not this
the god who
is is the god who initiates the
conversation and i love how the opening
chapter of this book
to me is reminiscent of genesis chapter
1 verse 1. look
hebrews 1 1 says god
who
and we'll hear how he spoke to us
do you see an apology with the hebrews 1
verse 1 no do you see any apology with
genesis 1 verse 1 in the beginning god
created boom
don't you love that
first book of the bible can you imagine
just some another never heard about god
why don't you read the bible
well i'm an atheist so what why don't
you read the bible if you're if you're
an atheist then you're safe
if he doesn't exist then read it for fun
and the he turns to the first page
in the beginning god created the bible
just says it
there's nothing pc about it right think
about it well not is that is that proper
is that proper talk
that in the beginning god created
you think god cares honestly do you
think he cares
i don't know how i feel about that
he doesn't care
in the beginning i created that's what
god says i don't know how to put it
there was a beginning i did it
i was there
and it happened
well we want you to say you're sorry
can't say i'm sorry
i'm god and i did it
are you guilty then of creating
everything
guilty
i did it in the beginning
god
hebrews
opens up
god
right from the start
god initiates the conversation he
reaches into the souls and to the minds
and the hearts of people
to bring life he does this
it's beautiful
and by the way in both of those opening
statements of those great books of the
bible there's an assumption that people
know that god exists isn't there
an assumption the bible assumes
people
know that god exists
that's why i believe the greatest number
of people who come to christ
do so
at a very young age
children
the greatest evangelistic outreach
taking place at this church
is not its multiple broadcasts or it's
outreaches and missionary work you know
it is
it's those buildings that are behind
this building
children's ministry
amazing that's the biggest
every week evangelistic outreaches
children are coming to christ every
every week because you know why because
they're smarter than us
we're all polluted and clouded with junk
a kid looks at a bird
god must have done that
they have no problem with it have you
noticed that
they get it
but i love the fact that the bible
assumes everybody knows that god exists
i'm not exactly sure i may be wrong
i'm not sure
if anywhere in the bible
i can find an atheist
i find pagan worshipers
right i find people worshiping
poles and carved images i find people
worshiping
the stars and the sun in the bible
and again i'm not kidding
i may be wrong but i don't think i've
seen an atheist in the bible
somebody even
caesar
it's a
god rome worshipped all these gods
somehow not too long ago
our insane culture
concocted
what they thought at the time was some
sort of a soothing balm
against
the concept of god and somebody said
we're atheists
and i actually don't think i've ever met
an atheist
now maybe you're an atheist here tonight
and you can't wait to tell me that
but i got news for you
i won't believe you
you're going to try to tell me that
you're an atheist and i'm going to tell
you i don't believe you you say i don't
believe in god i don't believe in you
you want to know why
because every
atheist i've known when they get cancer
yeah when their baby gets kidnapped
[Music]
pastor will you pray
i'm serious
being an atheist is a luxury
you can afford it
but not for long
because when life happens
yeah
i gotta end i gotta tell you i'll leave
you with this i
i'm told to never say this because he
was a horrible man but i don't know i'm
just gonna tell you i don't approve of
the man
but for some reason i just loved the guy
and i was so sad when he died but you
guys remember christopher hitchens
don't listen don't go to youtube filthy
language
just
terrible he was a brilliant man
atheist toured the world debating
believers and crushing them
it's kind of
until he met up with a
i think he met up with
he never recovered from his meeting with
john lennox he never recovered after
william lane craig got done with him
frank turek debated him
but most of the time he crushed
the believer in god
but christopher hitchens if you ever
listen to him rant and rave about
atheism
number one he never had one answer
not a one
he only had critiques
and his big angst his big critique was
i don't know why god allows this in the
world
and if i were god i would never would
have allowed vietnam if i were god i
wouldn't allow cancer on the earth and
if i have you ever heard him
he's
he's was furious
about how god was running the universe
and i listened to
i don't know how many i might have
listened to 100 hours of him talk over
his lifetime
and it dawned on me
that guy's got great faith
no i'm serious it's like one of the few
original thoughts i've ever had in my
life
so let me have it for a moment and we'll
wrap it up
it was
wait he's got great faith
now it's
wrong
but it is great
so how do you mean
every time he went to defend his atheism
he drifted off of it real quick because
it's got no answers and everybody knows
it's foolishness
and then then he would spend 90 minutes
attacking how god runs the universe
how can you attack someone who doesn't
exist
who are you upset with god i thought
you're an atheist oh
and that's true in your life
it's true in your life the man or the
woman who you know who says they do not
believe in god ask them why
don't let them get away with it ask them
what for their own soul ask them why
why
because
if i were god
oh
are you hearing me people
god is personal
we're going to learn this in the book of
hebrews he initiates the conversation in
your life
listen to him when he speaks he's the
authority
not us
he's got the answers
we have the questions
father
lord
creator god
we ask of you this night
you would speak to our hearts
by revealing to us more and more
your nearness
your presence
there may be
a person right now
who knows so much of their shame and
their guilt
and they might even be the person who
would say
this all sounds nice but i'm so bad
god would never have me
lord will you
do what you do
because i'm praying that prayer first
because that was my life that was me
so lord i know that you know
how to persuade them
i pray that you would begin
and initiate the conversation with them
with that person
lord i pray tonight
for the man or the woman the boy or girl
who's struggling with religious
performance versus
the freedom that's in jesus
and i pray lord
for them that you would initiate the
conversation with them
[Music]
father there are those here tonight no
doubt always in our lives we're asking
you for guidance asking you for answers
we don't know what to do do we go left
do we go right do we stand up do we sit
down is it this or that
lord i pray that as they seek you that
they would not jump before you say jump
that they would not
move before you say move
that they would wait on you
i know that every bit of their fiber is
going to be screaming
got to give the answer now or we got to
do it today or
whatever it might be but you're going to
say in that still small gentle voice
wait
be still
and may they sense you initiating the
conversation
[Music]
so father we ask you lord tonight that
you transform us as a church i'm praying
dear god in fact church will you will
you stand and join me in this prayer
please
um i can pray it by myself and i have
the faith to pray it
but
i don't want god to answer the prayer
and you not get to enjoy it
so
we're going to be in this one together
okay
father i'm asking you that you would do
something here on wednesday nights
that cannot be explained
i'm asking you father with my brothers
and sisters tonight that as crazy as our
world looks
well lord that you would do something
wonderfully crazy
in response in our lives
[Music]
lord we give you ourselves tonight
i'm asking you to just take over
wednesday nights
lord if it's your will
will you teach us wednesday nights
and lord if it matters to you
we'll we'll do wednesday nights lord if
if nobody comes
but lord if you want to do wednesday
nights into every home and every
town and community lord if you want to
take what's going on here and just
please do something so authentic that
that hell itself couldn't stop it that
no demon could
hinder it that no devil lord could
resist it that whatever you're doing in
these last days god that it would
actually cause
there to be an awakening
in california and that it would sweep
out
what out east and down south to the tip
of the keys of florida all the way lord
to the tip of the aleutian islands in
alaska
we'll throw hawaii and midway in there
too and guam and
god we just pray that you would take and
you would do an amazing thing that would
start right here
we're not asking for any reason
but for you to be glorified
we are lord we will confess we are
jealous for you
we want you to move in our lives
we are satisfied but we're not
we're not looking anywhere else you have
quenched our soul but we're not
satisfied because we want to see you do
something radical in our lives we want
to see you move
before this show's over god before you
wrap things up and before you call us up
out of here god we want to see you move
we're going to see your glory
god sweep across california may people
be convicted of their sin
fall on their knees and say jesus be
merciful to me
father god that you would just take over
and do such great things
in our state lord even today you know
what i'm talk you know exactly what i'm
talking about when that person on the
phone today
made that little funny laugh about
california
as they sat there in washington dc oh
california it's gone what there's
nothing that can be done with california
well lord
i know you heard that because i heard it
and i'm asking you lord in jesus name
that you would just prove this nation
wrong when it comes to california you
made it you own it
god we pray that you would move mightily