Prayer | Morning Worship with Pastor Danny Dyer | By Linwood Baptist | And turning their clocks to make it easier everybody who don't see, make sure you let them know next week. Shame on them for nice for you, Florida. Thank you for worshiping with us today. My name is Tom and I want to welcome you to Lynnwood Baptist Church. What a great day Sun came out. Amen. You came out. And we can gather together. So, thank you for being here. If you are a first-time guest, thank you so much for worshiping with us. We have a welcome gift for you in the back in a in a bag and if you have children, we love children. We want them in service and so there are activity bags for them as well to be here with us. We have a lot of things going on in the life of our church. We have a Easter egg hunt coming up and we still need you to help donate some community for that and you can come and bring that packaged candy over to the side table that's over right on that your left side and we are still collecting that. Next Sunday, after morning worship, we will have a pizza lunch and then we will fill Easter eggs. So, we want you to be a part of that and then the next Saturday, the twenty-third, we will have the Easter egg hunt at 1 PM here at Field unless it's rainy and wet and then. It will be in the building but we want you to have it. Number one, if you have kids, you want that, you have if you know anybody in this community, at work, wherever you go, we would love to have them be a part of that and of course, not just the Israeli but invite them to worship with us as well. Wednesday nights, we are continuing a study on the sayings of Jesus on the cross and this Wednesday, it is into your hand. I commend my spirit. So, once you come, we have a meal at 630 and then, prayer and Bible study at seven. Annie Armstrong. So, we were still passing out. Prayer guides. We started those last week. We were taking up an offering to help support our missionaries here in North America every Easter. Season, we at Southern Baptist Joint Churches all across the land to take up this offering to help support missionaries that are reaching people in North America with the gospels. We want you to support this offering. There are envelopes and our where our denotion box if you write a check or donate online, just market Annie Armstrong and all of those funds go to help support our missionaries and they do anything from starting churches to being chaplains in the military to helping to do lots of hands-on ministries whether it gets pro-life clinics or health clinics, all kinds of things that are commissioners do and so, ever since you give me that offering helps to support them. After church today, we have a members meeting right after we conclude. So, you want to be a part of that and of course, we welcome brother Danny here again this morning to speak to us as he continues and let's god leads him otherwise to still preach to us on prayer. I didn't ask him beforehand and I don't want to put you in a box You may speak on whatever you want but he said he was going to preach on prayer. So, it was a test to see if I remember. I did. Thank you for being here today and what a good day it is to get together with god's people. We're going to have a moment of silence and then I'll lead us in our call to worship. Can you bow your heads with me? Our call to worship today is found in Psalm one twenty-two verse one. I rejoice with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the lord. Join me in prayer. Heavenly father, I do rejoice with everyone who has gathered here this morning What a great thing it is to see smiling faces to see those we know and those that were willing to know we come here because it is good to go into the house of the lord. It is good to call upon the name of Jesus. It is good to remember all of your great deeds and all of the wonders that you do both in the past Things you've done this week and things you promised to do today and into the future. We come with expectant hearts because we know that when we gather together and we exalt the name of Jesus, your presence is among us. So, we pray your Holy Spirit to descend on us now, to prepare our hearts now for every prayer, every scripture, every word of testimony, every word that is proclaimed during the message. Amen. That we will respond in faith and obedience. Lord, you have brought us here. Your spirit has led us into this place. Thank you for that and may we unite with joyous song. As we declare the praises of your people. So that when we leave we will say it was good to go together to the house of the Lord. In Jesus name, we pray, amen. Once you stand, as we say, these are the days these are the days of your servant righteousness being restored and still we are the lords in the and told me salvation and these are the days bones becoming as flesh these are the days of David rebuilding a temple of praise the harvest shining lights the year of Jubilee hours until there's no better light Jeho there's no god like Jehovah there is no but there is no god like there is no knowledge into a our sins they are his mercy is more his mercy, his as we constantly evolve what father so tender is calling us home he our sins they his mercy is more his mercy is our sins there are His blood was life was the cause we that we could his mercy this new our sins they are many our sins they are ready his mercy is Be be seated. Good morning. What a beautiful the Lord has given us today You'd like to turn to Psalm 5-one this morning as I was kind of prepared for this this week, I read some work of Pastor Arthur Pink and he said that the Christian who has stopped repenting has stopped growing. And so I would ask, how's your confession life this morning? I need to approve online I think all of us do because when we when we stop repeating, when we stop acknowledging our sin, we start to have separation from god and we stop growing. In Psalm fifty-one, even through 50 and 52, what we see that no matter what we've done or no matter how far we've fallen, god stands ready to welcome us back into his arms if we would repent, acknowledge our sin, and turn it over to Christ. We're going to read verses one through four of chapter 51 this morning. The reading of god's word Have mercy upon me, oh god, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight. And you may be found just what you speak and blameless when you judge Father, this morning, we come to you Acknowledging our sin We confess that. For we know that if we do and you are just, in your grace, in your mercy, you will forgive us. Let sin not stand in the way of our relationship with you. That may we be convicted of that sin May it bother us to mark core so much so that we would confess it and leave it at the cross so that we would be able to focus on you. With a clean heart. We thank you Jesus. We thank you for your gift, for coming, going to the cross, paying the price that we should have paid. But we take great joy in your victory over the grave as we approach Easter, may we always remember that Jesus is alive. He should be at the forefront of all we do, all we say. In his name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Stand with me as we sing this morning. Our final song. How great the chasm between us high the mountain I could not in desperation I turn to spoke your name into then through this your love toward through the shadows imagine so great of mercy such boundless that god stepped where my sin crosses spoken calls me his own praise the every chain there your buried body began to weep of touring tide declared the great has no claim on me let's seal the very Jesus yours is the victory lost and spread every chain there's salvation in your name Christ, my living praise the lord every chain there's salvation in Jesus Christ Good morning, church. Morning. What a great song. I love that. This morning, we're going to be in Psalm one030 verses seven through eight. Reading god's word. Let Israel hope in the lord, for with the lord, there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their iniquities. You know, just want to say, god's grace is overwhelming and grace by definition is freely given. So, there's nothing that you and I can do to earn god's grace and I think sometimes for me at least that's tough because I want to have a part in that. I want to think that I I have the ability to do something for myself. But I'd like to say that it better off that he's in control. Because I fall short every day. And if it was up to me, it wouldn't be good. So, let's just raise that up this morning. Amen. Heavenly father, we want to come before you today and just ask you to come down and be among us. God, we are so thankful for your grace. We we can't even understand your grace. God, I just ask that you give us the ability to depend on your grace. And to to not be boastful in anything that we could do. Because we know that we can't earn anything you've given us. But God I ask that we can take pleasure in that. Because you are so much more righteous than we are. There's so much more holy. God I just want to thank you again for today and for your word. In Jesus holy name I pray. Amen and if you have children who are better suited for the nursery 4 and under, they may be dismissed Good morning again, everyone. Good morning if you don't mind, say word of gratitude. Thank you for being so gracious to me. Um it's been a pleasure to be able to be your guest and visiting with you and filling the pulpit for a time. Um so, I don't know how many more times. Uh I'll need to come up here. Um whether sooner or later but I just want to say thanks. You all have been very gracious. You shared such kind words and I just want to say thank you. Um to yes, it is true. I will be preaching on prayer to conclude the sermon. I almost ran up. When you were given announcements, I keep that up on me sometimes Um Yes, I am concluded. The four-week series on prayer. I, again, part of my gratitude is saying, I know brevity is not my strength and I I tend to preach long and the sermons and so, listening to me is probably what it feels like to run cross country. I never did it for obvious reasons. Um but the good news is is that if there are people in your fellowship that forgot to set their clocks forward. By the time they show up, I'll I'll probably still be preaching. They'll get to at least check, you know, catch a fair bit of the sermon so. Yeah. So, I wanted to conclude this four weeks, this series on prayer and here was my thought before we stop. My thought was, it's possible, I suppose, for you all to hear all of these instructions that we've been discussing and to grow a bit overwhelmed or to grow even discouraged and I thought, here's the word picture that came to my mind. Uh I live about an hour away from here. Um so, imagine this. Imagine if I were to give you directions to my part of town where I live. Um and I want to say, come on out to Grand Valley but in this scenario, your phone is dead. Oh. So, GPS is not available. So, what I'll do instead is I'll just give you directions and you gotta try to remember. I'll say, leave Lynnwood and head out through DeSoto to Highway and if I go that far, you probably think, oh yeah, no problem. I I know how to do that. Okay. At that point, you're thinking no sweat. But then I said, continue on to 435 East and stay on that until it quartz and then you will emerge right on four seventy East and stay on that for a few miles until you exit off of Woodschapel Road. Uh you want to turn right, continue on that winding road until you get to Liggett Road and then you're going to turn right on Liggett, stay on Liggett until it becomes more than school road and then once you enter, hit the intersection, South Arnett, you're going to go up the hill, turn left, go up the hill, turn right into sign at Bryan Road and stay on that until you pass the middle school and turn right into our neighborhood across Creek Drive. Got it? We'll all be there for lunch. Yeah. I can imagine thinking, well, if I have a phone, that would be easy to navigate but how do you expect me to remember all that? I I I can't remember that. So, the fact that we've been covering all the elements on the subject of prayer that we have. We're supposed to be a house of prayer, okay? But it's not really a house, not really building, It's more of a fellowship. Okay, we're at my father's house to be an awesome prayer and the lord's prayer, father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. Okay, try to remember all that and then all after that, it's we going to pray not just that but all kinds of prayers, you gotta pray prayers of adoration, prayers of devotion, prayers of healing, prayers of deliverance, prayer, provision, birds of intercession, birds of supplications. He's like, oh, getting overwhelming, trying to remember all this. That is a lot to remember and I actually could've continued this series on prayer for another 4 weeks and still not even come close to scratching the surface on this topic. So, for this morning's message, I thought I'd relieve some of the pressure. Share some good news. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed, right? I mean, I would like to think that I'm a praying person. I'm trying to be a good Christian. I'm trying to pray that all these different prayers and praying all throughout the day and all. It's just a lot to remember. If you're feeling overwhelmed, take heart. Today, we're going to be discussing the glorious truth Not about what you and your prayers can do but that there is one who prayed for you. Namely Jesus So, we'll be looking at a passage where the son of god, the perfect and beloved of the father, king of all kings, the lord of all lords, paused his earthly ministry to pray for you and Now, normally, and my wife can testify that if there is a normally, I tend to do whatever is not normal. That's just my instinct. Normally, that's what people do. Okay, I'm going to do this. Normally, this is what you're supposed to do. Okay, well, I'm going to do that. So, normally, during a sermon, the preacher reads a couple of verses and then spends the next thirty, 40 minutes, sharing his or her thoughts. Uh trying to explain that text. Well, as we conclude, this series, I'd like to try something a little different. Um I'm going to read a longer passage rather than just two or three verses. I'm going to read a longer passage and I'm going to let god willing the word of god just wash over all of us as I read it and I can assure you, I know myself better than anybody in the room that the words of our risen king are infinitely greater than the sum total of all my best thoughts and ideas. So, if you want to read along with me, I know another one has the same translation. If you, if you don't want to read or whatever, if you just want to sit and listen, I'm going to read. I'm going to do what is most people's nightmare. I'm going to stand up here and read a long passage hoping I don't mess up all the words but I'm going to read. I'm going to start in John chapter fourteen. So, if you want to read along, you can start there. If not, you just want to sit back and listen. Let me read it. But before we read it, let me give you the context of what's going on here. Jesus, at this point, is nearing the end of his ministry on Earth. He's taught his teachings. He's performed his miracles. He's given the signs and now he's set his face heading toward Jerusalem. Meaning, the whole point of his about the climax and him offering his life as a ransom for mankind and it will culminate in his execution by crucifixion on the cross, being buried, and resurrecting from the dead. He has gathered with in this text, he's gathered together in the final hours before his death. Um he's with his disciples and he demonstrates, again, the king of kings, the lord of lords, does this remarkable thing. He demonstrates servant leadership in the greatest act of humility where he gets down on his hands and knees and washes the feet of his disciples and it says, you see how me who deserves to be up here and I'm humbling myself and getting down here, willing to serve those that I love. That's how I want you to be. I want you to emulate my example. So, he does this foot washing with the followers. At the same time, he predicts the betrayal of Judas. He gives the new commandment, a new commandment I give to you that you should love one another. He explains that not just Peter will deny him though that's true but he said, the rest of you are going to scatter and abandon me as and thou are my greatest triumph. So, he's there in the upper room, does this great act of service, tells what's about to unfold. He's going to give like the last bit of teachings before he heads to the cross. before he's arrested and the rest of it unfolds, he's giving like a last download to his followers, okay? So, there we'll pick up in John chapter fourteen. You'll you'll recognize many of these verses in these passages. John fourteen verse one. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in god. Believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, what I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and I will take you to myself that where I am, you may be also And you know the way to where I'm going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me. If you known me, you would have known my father also. From now on, you do not know him or from now on, you do know him, and have seen him. Philip said to him, Lord, show us the father, and it is enough for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long? And you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me, has seen the father. How can you say show us the father? Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the father who dwells in me, does his work. Believe me that I am in the father and the father is in me or else believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the also do the works that I do and greater works in these will he do, because I am going to the father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the father may be glorified in the son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the father, he will give you another help to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Yet in a little while the world will see me no more but you will see me because I live you also will live. And that same day you will know that I am in the father. And you in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments. Uh and them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me, will be loved by my father, Uh, and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas, not Escariot, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my father will love him, and he will come to him and make our, we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me, does not keep my words. And the word that you is not mine but the fathers who sent me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you but the helper, the holy spirit, whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid. You've heard me say to you, I am going away and I will come to you. If you love me, you would have rejoice because I am going to the father for the father is greater than I. And I have told now I have told you before it takes place so that when it does, you may also believe. You may believe. I will no longer talk much with you. For the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me but I do as the father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the father. Rise and let's go from here. I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because the word that I've spoken to you, abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered, thrown into a fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask what you wish and it will be done for you. By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the father has loved me, so I have loved abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. Just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that you may that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. This commandment, this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this and someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends. If you do what I command you, No longer do I call you servants. For the servant does not know what his master is doing but I've called you friends. For all that I have heard from my father and I have made known to you. You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you so that you will love one another. If the world hates you, know that it is hated me before I hated you. If you were of this world, if you were of the world, the world would love you as its own but because you are not of the world only but I chose you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you. Remember, the word I said to you, a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will have, they will also keep yours but all these things, they will do to you on account of my name because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin but now, they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me, hates my father also. If I had not done among them the works that noone else did they would not be guilty of sin but now they have seen and hated both me and my father but the world that is but the word that is written in their law must be fulfilled. They hated me without a cause. But when the helper comes, whom I will send you, send to you from the father, the spirit of truth, who proceeds from the father, he will bear witness about me. and you will also bear witness about me, because you have been with me from the beginning. I said all these things to you, to keep you from falling away, that they will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hours coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to god and they will do these things because they have not known the father nor me but I have said these things to you that when the hour comes that you may remember that I told you, that I told them to you. I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I was with you but now, I am going to him who sent me and none of you asked me, where are you going? Cuz I have said these things to you. Sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send them to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement. Concerning sin because they do not believe. Concerning righteousness because I go to the father. And you will see me no longer. Concerning judgement because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will speak He will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears, he will speak. And he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the father has is mine. Therefore, I said that we that he will take what is mine and declare to you. A little while and you will see me no longer. And again, a little while you will see me. So, some of the disciples said to one another, what is this? Then he says to us, a little while and you will not see me and again, a little while, you will see me. Uh and because going to the father. So, they were saying, what does it mean by a little while? We do not know what he's talking about. Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him. So, he said to them, is this what you are asking yourselves? What I meant by saying a little while and you will not see me and again, in a little while, you will see me. Truly, truly I say to you, you will weep and lament but the world rejoice. You will be sorrowful but your sorrow will turn into joy. When the woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because the hour has come and she has delivered a baby she no longer remembers the anguish. For the joy, for joy that a human being has been born in the world. So also, you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and noone will take your joy from you. In that day, I will ask, you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly I say to you, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive that your joy will be full. I have said these things to you, and figures of speech. The hours coming when I longer speak to you in figures of speech but it will tell you plainly about the father. In that day, you will ask in my name that I do not say that that I do not say to you that I will ask the father on your behalf. For the father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from god. I came from the father and have come into the world and now I am leaving the world and going to the father. His disciples said, now you are speaking plainly and not using figures as figurative speech. Now, we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you. This is why we believe you came from god. Jesus answered them. You now believe, behold, the hour is coming, indeed has come, when you will be scattered, each of you to his own home, and you will leave me alone. yet I am not alone, for the father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me, you may have peace, and in the world, you will have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world. Now, here we go. Here's where he prays for us. But Jesus had spoken these words. He lifted up his eyes to heaven. And he said, Father, the hour has come. Glory your son the sun may glorify you. Since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life that they may know you. That they know you. The only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now Father glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me. The world. yours they were, and you gave them to me, and you have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me. And they received them and have come to know the truth. That I came from you, and that they have believed, and that you sent me. I am praying for them. I'm not praying for the world. But for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them I am no longer in the world but they are in the world and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I have kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now, I'm coming to you. And these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I am not of the rule. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth, your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their work, that they may all be one, just as you, father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and you in me, that they may, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them as you've loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me, where I am, to see my glory, that you have given me because you love me before the foundation of the world. Oh righteous father, even though the world does not know you, I know you. And these that you have sent, these that you have sent me, I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known. And the love which you have loved me, may be in them, and I, in them. So, what I want to do is point out a couple of things, couple of elements worth noting that Jesus prayed for us on our behalf. We have studied how we knocked. Many things that we need to do. We need to remember, we need to pray but take a moment. Take a week off and just know that listen to Jesus praying for us, okay? First, he prayed that we would have eternal life. What was the end goal of Christ taking on human flesh? Well, there's lots of ways to answer that question to reverse the curse of sin and death, to redeem for his father, a people, a bride from every tribe, nation, and tongue. He promises to forgive our sins and to die in our place and he was resurrected as a preview of what awaits us after we die when we are similarly raised into immortality. Jesus promised us and prayed that we would have eternal life. Did you get that? Eternal life where pain and hardship cannot touch you. A place where he will wipe away every tear and we will live with him forever in eternal rest and peace in ever increasing joy. So, imagine knowing your kids newspapers anymore but imagine on your news feed, you see the headline, you think, I don't know if I'm going to click this link. It says, breaking news, fountain of youth, just discovered. That would be incredible, no? Fountain of youth has been discovered. As amazing as that would be. You would still have to live if you drink of it. You would still have to live endless ages in this fallen and corrupted world. But imagine if you could take a drink from the fountain of living water. And live forever in paradise, where pain Jesus said and I add, the father listens to the son, the father answers the son's prayers, and he says, father, I'm praying that you will give them So, if nothing else and the rest of your life goes good, if everything out, from here on out is bad for you, just know that you have the best possible thing waiting for you. You can have the most miserable life for the rest of your days. And still be the most gloriously blessed person to ever exist. You know why? Because Jesus has said, I'm asking father that they may be with me and you, and that they may have each There's no more arthritis. There's no more cancer There's no more betrayal. There's no more inflation it's just perfect peace. Perfect rest. An ever-increasing capacities for joy forever and ever and ever. So first, Jesus prayed. I pray that they would have eternal life. Next, he said, Father, we pray that god that you've kept us in his name so that we may be one just as Jesus and the father are one. Father, keep them in your name that they may be one just as you and I are. God's plan is to create unity among his children like the unity that the father had with the son. Now, no big deal here in this room because everybody pretty much agrees on those things in this room but suppose we have little mix and mingle with the Lutheran Church and with the Methodist Church and with the charismatic church. We're all kind of hanging around. We're all in line, getting the food, and we'll say, you believe what now? What is it? You you read from what version? What kind of songs do you sing? Oh my goodness. So you understand that there's not an exceptional amount of of unity within the Christian church. Do you know? Do you not? Let's just take take a guess. Um does anyone know how many different Christian denominations there are worldwide? Shout out I guess. How many different Christian denominations? Not world religions, Christian denominations across the globe. Okay, guys. Thousands. Thousands Iron 1000 but here but here too but here too Uh close. 45000. Wow. 45, 000 times, we drew a line in the sand and said, nope, not going to hang out with you. Nope, not going to be with you. Nope, you're not like us. 45, 000 times, we've isolated ourselves and boxed ourselves in. Some of that is understandable in this life. And I'll explain why you're saying. Paul says in first Corinthians thirteen, that great Pastor don't love but he says, right now, we dimly as though we're looking through a smudgy glass. So, imagine a dirty, smudgy glass and you're trying to look through the window. You can kind of see, you can kind of make outlets on the other side but not not great and the reason why we live in the world like as though we're looking through a smudging glass is because every last one of us has our own sin, our own personal biases, our own personal preferences because of that, because we've all got it, we start growing lines. Nope, not going to hang out with you. Nope, you don't belong here. Nope, you don't get to sing with us. Nope, you don't get to worship the lesson. We draw all these lines and do a not too long. We got 45, 000 different little sex in groups. When Jesus is prayed, father, I pray that they would be just as you and I are Knowing our proclivity to divide and to fight, and to argue and to draw lines. He knew it would, he knew it was going to be that way. So, he prayed. Father, they're going to want to divide. Father, they're going to want to argue. They're going to want to draw lines, they're going to want to create enemies that aren't really their enemies. They're really their brothers and sisters. So, father, I pray that they would be one. They would figure out how to be one just as you and I are one. And he wanted us to be a preview of the unity that is to come. That will be 1 day. In case it's not obvious, there will come a day when all denominational distinctives will melt away. And there will only be the people of god. You will forget the name Baptist. You will forget the name Methodist. You will forget the name Lutheran. There will only be those who cling to Christ for salvation. Whether they had more liturgical worship, whether they had more relaxed worship, whether they believed this about the Lord's supper, or that about the Lord's supper, or this about baptism, or that about baptism, or this about leadership structure, or that about? all of that will melt away. And will only be the people of God. Amen. Adoring their savior. Jesus pray, I pray father, that they would figure out how to become one. So that it would be a preview to the world. Of what the harmony heaven will be like He prayed that we would strive for that unity so that we could declare to the world what perfect unity and harmony will one day be like. Jesus also prayed not just for the twelve that were in the room and for the feet washing. He said, I'm praying for not just them but for all those who would believe through their testimony which in case it's not obvious, that's everybody in this room. This is the part of where we said, yes, I'm praying for them but I'm not just praying to them also. I'm praying for everyone that will down the road believe in me because of their testimony. You have a spirit, spiritual lineage that traces back to that world. So, because you are sitting here believing right now, it's it's showing that god answered that prayer of the son. That there are those of us who believe in Christ because of their testimony as it passed down, cascading down through the ages. All of these tremendous promises in scripture were not exclusively given to those who were alive at the time. You know, they teach you in seminary. They say, the Bible was not written to you but it was written for you. That make sense? Hey, anyone have any rest? Do you, anybody got a zip code in Ephesus? Nonetheless, belong to the church in Ephesus. So, it wasn't written to you in that sense but it was written for you so that we could watch how the apostle wrote to the church of Ephesus, giving them instruction. We can learn and benefit from that. So, in that sense, the Bible, there there may be certain prophecies, there may be certain promises, there may be certain commands, you might think, well, that's not me. I'm not in the story. That's true in one sense but it wasn't written to you. It was written for you and the promises of god are made available to you in Christ. Second Corinthians chapter one, Paul tells us that all the promises of god find their yes in Christ and through him, we can offer our amen to the glory of god. So, that what here's what that means. Flip through. Any faith. Find a promise. There's one. What does that mean? Paul saying, all the promises of god find their yes in Christ. Meaning, if you are connected to Christ, then, in some way, that promise applies to you. Peter said, there are some very great and precious promises in the Bible. And we don't know them because we didn't read it yet. It's too busy. It's too, it's too hard to wake up early. I mean, Netflix. Netflix has got such a killer season out this this year. It's going to be so hard to read. It's so old and how am I going to understand it? It's confusing on it. You're missing out on so many great and precious promises because you have a plethora of excuses for not coming to it and reading it. Because of that, Let me just say it this way. There are promises in there that will change your life if you just go to it. If you would rab on to it, it would literally change your life if you would just So, all of these precious promises and when he prayed this prayer I'm not praying just for the twelve. I'm praying for all those who would believe in them through your testimony. Just know that he met you and you and you, and you, and you, and me, and you, and you, and you, and the rest of us that are here. He had you in mind, and me in mind, who are praying this prayer. And when he made these promises, he knew that it would find its way to you eventually, whether it's in your lap or on your on your phone. Those promises are available to you. And what did he pray? That we would be sanctified in the truth. Your word is truth. My household, we weren't allowed to watch The Simpsons growing up but when I became an adult, I could decide if I want to watch The Simpson. I, if I wanted to, I did and I remember, it was a an episode or a scene where Bart Simpson, the troublemaker that he was, did something bad and in order to punish him, his dad, Homer, made him sit down and read the Bible as punishment. And I just can't help but wonder if how many people view this like that like, huh. You like writing sentences in school like, oh, this is my homework. This is my punishment. I gotta sit here and do this. It's like, I just, that just tells me you've never read it. I don't know anything Civilizations have been toppled. Empires have been overthrown by what's captured in here. Jesus is saying, this is not punishment. This is not, I'm wrapping you on the knuckles because you live a nasty sinner. Therefore, I'm going to make you read something. This is a in this is life. Jesus said, father, I pray that you would sanctify them. You would set them right. You would purify them in your truth, your word. Truth Lastly, Jesus prayed. Stating that he has made known to us the name of god. He rest himself. What does that mean? The name of god. What does that signify? So, I was thinking of, we read from the Psalms earlier. I was thinking there's a Psalm I believe it's twenty. Psalm twenty. Psalms says, some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we trust and you think he's going to say, we trust in god but someone says, he says, we trust in the name of the lord, our god. Why does he say that? Some trust over this. Some trust in that but we trust in the name of the lord, our god. So, when Jesus says, I have made known to them your name. What is he trying to communicate? What is the aim of god signify Just remember too. In my daily reading, I'm reading in the book of Exodus right after Jesus or sorry, god gives Moses the ten commandments. God's, alright, there you've got all the ten commandments and now, I want you to set up an altar and sacrifice the altar to me and in Exodus twenty verse twenty-four. This is god speaking to Moses in every place where I cause my name to be remembered. I will come to you and bless you. And you read all throughout the prophets and the Psalms how god regards and cares about his name. So, when Jesus says, father, I have made known to them your name. What is he saying? He's saying that the nature and the reputation of god almighty. If you see me, you've seen the father. He made known to them the name, the power, the reputation, the substance, the essence of what the father is. Through Jesus, he demonstrated for us the power of god through miracles. He demonstrated the severity of god's wrath and god's coming judgment against sin. It's not our favorite parts of the life of Jesus but it's there. Uh more importantly, he showed us the kindness and the compassion of god. He made known to us and he says, we'll continue to make known to us his name. Why? So that the love, sorry, so that the love that the father had for the son will be in us and Christ will be in us. Father, I will make known, I have made known to them your name and I will continue making known to them your name so that the love that you had for the son will be in them and that I, the son, will also be in them. I remember hearing the story. This is one of those old stages. He's been around the world. He was an expert in world religions and he didn't really kind of commit to one because he just wanted to be an expert in all world religions and he was asked one time. Um what was what aspect about Christianity was most compelling and what was most remarkable and he said in and out of all world religions, I've been I've ever studied and I've studied them all. He said, Christianity has the greatest claim that I've ever that none of the other can make. I think, okay, what is it? What is it? He said, in Christianity, the most remarkable aspect is that the deity, the the god at the center of it all, promises to take residence within the believer. No one else, no other world religion doesn't. Uh all in the world relations, you're lucky if you make it to him or be absorbed up into some sort of essence. Christian is the only one where he says, I'm coming down. I, the, the god, am going to make my home in Jesus prayed that the love of god would live within us and more than that, he prayed that Christ himself would live within us. And this is where I want to I want to drive it on. The author of the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is a letter in the New Testament written to the church, a group of Hebrew believers, letter to the Hebrews and in this letter, trying to convince a group of very Jewish-minded people that Jesus is better than the old ways of Moses and he spends a long time in that letter saying he was better than Moses in this group. He's better than the law in this way. He's better than Melchizedek in his ways and he gets to the point where he says, you know the priestly they had in the temple. Well, Jesus became a greater priest than the priest they had in the temple and he says in Matthew chapter, I'm sorry, in Hebrews chapter seven verse, I'll read 23 and 2five. Hebrews chapter seven verses 23 to twentyfive, the former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing on office but he holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost. Those who draw near to god through him. Since he always lives to make intercession for them. Amen. Did you hear what that said? Jesus is better than any earthly priest, any human priest because they end up dying. Jesus steps into that role and will remain in that role permanently, perpetually. And he says, he's far better of a priest because he is able to save to the uttermost. Those who are who would draw near to God, because he always lives to make intercession. I try to take saves to the outermost. The way my mind works is there's no depth down in the pit. To which his arm cannot reach. So, you might be thinking, Danny, I'm trying to blend in with all these church people here but you have no idea what I've done with my license, with my life. You have no idea what I've done, what mistakes I've made, you have no idea how far I've gone, you have no idea the sin that's capable of my mind and in my heart. I'm trying to convince myself that god could love a rotten sinner like me but I just don't know. I just don't know and I'm here to tell you that there is no depth that his arm cannot reach. There is no distance that you can run. To which he cannot save to the uttermost. His reach goes farther than you can run. His reach goes deeper than you can fall. The reason is is because he always lives to make intercession for you. Um a big fan of CS Lewis. By the way, just be weary of any preacher who is not a big fan of Sigos. There gotta be something wrong. But I remember C. S. Lewis. He was, you know, made famous by some people only known from his Narnia Chronicles as children's books but he also wrote mere Christianity, the great divorce, screw tape letters, a bunch of Christian apologetics, and philosophical and theological words. Um he was trying to explain one time, how is it that god can hear all these prayers at once? Wouldn't it be a lot, wouldn't it be glamorous if we're all just saying our prayers at the same time? And he said, use an illustration. He's he's a writer of stories and he said, he's trying to illustrate the point that god has an infinite amount of time for you individually and here's how. He said, suppose I'm writing a story and in my story, my main character, let's call her Mary. I'm Mary's story. I've created the world that Mary lives in and I'm bringing her story line right right to the point of intense of like the the plot is at its height and there's a moment of of question. Trump, what's going to happen in in Mary's life? And he said, and I hear the doorbell ring. I can set the pen down. And the world that Meredith lives in, I can set it down and I go on into the door and it's a friend, an old friend. Come on in. Let's have some tea. Let's have some dinner let's go take a walk, have enjoy the evening together, and then thanks for spending several hours with me, dear friends, so good to see you. Until next time. Thanks and goodbye and he comes back. Not one second has passed in for Mary in the world that Mary happens. But the author of Mary's World who lives outside of the constraints of the world that Mary lives in, is free to roam around and think as much as he wants about Mary's predicament. And think as much as he wants, and as long as he wants, gives as much consideration to Mary's world as he needs to help resolve her and when he picks his pin back up, Mary is none the wiser because she's still in the middle of it but the author of Mary's life has had an infinite amount of time to really think and give consideration to her predicament. And Lewis' point is, that's exactly how he is with everyone of your prayers. You offer a prayer. God, please help me with this. And you think, it still has an answer yet. What you don't know is he could've zoomed out and think, hm. I'm going to give this very careful consideration. I'm going to set in motion 10000 things that they will never see to help bring them to the point that will be best for them. So, to hear that Jesus always lives to make intercession for you It's quite a staggering thought, isn't it? First, I'll share. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter twenty-two. This illustrates the point. Luke chapter twenty-two verses 31 to 34. This is Jesus telling Peter, Peter's, hold, I'm ready to go with you. I'll go, I'll go to the mattresses. I'll I'll die for you if that's what it takes. He's about to be told by Jesus. I know you like to think that Peter but actually you're going to deny me and in telling Peter this, Jesus says, Simon, Simon, behold. Satan demanded to have you. That he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. When you have turned, again, strengthen your brothers. Jesus knew that Peter was flawed. Bold as his faith was trying to be, he knew he was going to make mistakes. He knew that he was weak but he assures Peter I pray for you. Knowing that he would deny him. In the hour of his greatest need. In the hour of his trial, Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not and as with Peter, Jesus is praying for us. He's praying for you He always lives to pray for So, here's how I double stand. Are we close? If you would stand with me and I want to give a minute or two of silence as much as we can accomplish silence tonight. And here's what I want you to do. Don't just sit here and wait for the last bit of service with last song. I want you to try a picture in your mind. Jesus leaning in to the throne of his father. Saying your name. Describing to the father the details of the of the circumstances you're in the middle of. I want you to imagine him praying for you right now, by name, with specificity. So, let's have a minute or two of silence. Don't just wait for me to close out in a final prayer. Literally and try to envision and try to almost lean in and try to hear but at least imagine Jesus is praying for you. Let's enjoy the silence of him knowing that our great savior always lives to make intercession for us as he pray for us. So, join me in a moment of silence. Magnificent thought in eternity So you're not bound by time. You have an eternity to employ all omniscience and all power. To deal with my life and my circumstances. To know that I'm not just a nuisance, something that you have to deal with You love me. And you love us in this room. So much so that you offered your son in our in our place to rescue us. And that son conquered over death. Knowing that we would still have trials. We would still likely fail. Our great savior, our great captain, our great king. He says I always live to pray for my people. I make sure I don't lose one of them. My love is able to save to the uttermost. because I always live to make intercession for the lord. You are a great king. Jesus, our savior, thank you for loving us. Thank you for praying for us. I pray that we would live into the courage and the boldness knowing that you've got our back, to surround us in front and behind you pray that we would not fail. Thank you for this time together. I pray now as we close in one final song, may you be pleased in our worship to you because you are our my soul joy Thank you for worshiping with us today. Prayer you have a great week and we look forward to seeing you again real soon. Don't forget, members, we have a members meeting right after service today. Thank you brother Danny for your time with us and for joining us today that Jesus makes intercession for us. He is praying for you. This week. Let's read it. I'll read our benediction. And now unto him, who is able to keep you from falling. And to possess faultless, before the presence of his glory, with exceedingly great joy to the only wise God, our savior, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. And may the grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, abide and continue with us now throughout the remainder of this our short, uncertain earthly life, and pilgrimage, and until we are all safely in the glory everlasting. Amen. God bless you. Amen.