Latest / Max Lucado Daily Sermons / When Heaven Celebrates- Minister Max Lucado

Transcript

When Heaven Celebrates- Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Good morning, everybody.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: If you're watching here in the sanctuary or watching online,
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: we send a blessing your way, asking for God's great
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: and matchless grace to be the covering of your heart,
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: the inspiration of your soul, and the strength of your steps.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: These are challenging days in which we live, days of
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: much transition, days of much anxiety and trauma, We turn
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: our attention to one of the great chapters in the
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Bible to help us recenter ourselves on the fundamentals of
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: the gospel. Luke chapter 15. We'll be in Luke chapter
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: 15 over the next, this week plus the next three.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: I encourage you to read the chapter every day to
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: see what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: It's a story of lost faith. It's the story of found.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: And it's the story of what happens when we go
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: from the first to the second. Have you ever been lost?
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: All of us have at one time or another. If so,
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: you can relate to the story of a certain fellow
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: who got lost as he was driving to the cemetery.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: He had a side hustle, a part-time job of singing
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: at cemetery graveyards. He had a great voice, and he
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: had a little part-time job of showing up on invitation
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: to sing at cemeteries. One particular occasion, he got lost.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: He got lost, and he could not find the cemetery.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: He drove and he drove and he drove, and finally,
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: by the time he found it, the hour of the
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: service had come and gone. He drove onto the cemetery grounds,
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: and he spotted over in the far corner the diggers.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: And they were at the grave. And so he went
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: over to the grave. He apologized for being late. He
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: walked over and he looked and he saw that the
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: vault was already sealed. But even so, a man ever
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: committed to fulfilling his task. He told the workers, excuse me,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: but I need to sing. And he stood at the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: grave and he began to sing amazing grace. And the
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: workers were enthralled and they stood and set their shovels
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: down and they removed their hats and they came over
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: and they stood next to him. And the spirit began
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: to move and they began to weep and he began
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: to weep. And he sang and he sang and finally
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: he offered a benediction prayer and it was like a
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: wonderful church service. And then he turned and walked back
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: to his car, his head hung low but his heart full.
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: And that's when he overheard one of the workers say,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: you know, I've never seen nothing like that before. And
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: I've been burying septic tanks for 20 years. The Bible
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: is full of stories of people who got lost. In fact,
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: God's family is like a great big lost and found.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: You know what a lost and found is. It's a
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: big basket or a bin, maybe a closet or a
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: shelf where items that have become dispossessed or separated from
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: their owner. This is where you collect them. Luke chapter
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: 15 describes God's passion. as he sorts through the lost
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: and found of the history of humanity, seeking to reclaim
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: what is his and what a passion it is. I'd
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: like for us to pray, and then we're going to enjoy, hopefully,
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: an overview of Luke chapter 15. Oh, Heavenly Father, high
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: and lifted above, so far from us, yet so near
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: within us. Your thoughts are not our thoughts. Your ways
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: are not our ways. And yet in your great mercy,
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: you chose to condescend, to enter into our world, to
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: become one of us so that we could become one
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: with you. Grant, O Heavenly Father, that the great story
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: of grace would arrest our hearts today. We confess that
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: we get distracted with the fleeting and temporary pleasures and
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: problems of this life at the expense of that which matters.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: O bless us, dear Father, with your sense, with your priorities.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Please forgive our speaker His sins are far too many
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: to count. And grant that we can see Jesus, just Jesus.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Through Jesus Christ we pray.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: And all the church said.
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Some years ago my family did something really wonderful for me.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: I can't recall exactly which birthday it was. I believe
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: it was maybe 40 or 20 or 30 or 40
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: or 50 there's.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Been a lot of them now they threw me a party.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: I didn't know about the party I thought the plan
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: was just for the family to go out to dinner
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: at that time our three daughters were high school and
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: middle school age and the idea was to to go
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: out to dinner I enjoy going out to dinner as
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: much as anyone but we'd all been so busy and
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: I came home really pretty tired And one of the
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: girls had a cold. And so I just told my wife, Dina,
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: and I said, let's just postpone the dinner for another night.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: We'll just have a nice relaxing evening at home. Oh,
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: she would hear nothing of it. And the girls presented
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: a unified front. Oh no, we're going out to dinner.
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: They had a uncharacteristic commitment to that dinner. And they
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: had an uncharacteristic promptness to them. Typically, I was always
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: ready first, reminding everybody it's time to go, time to go.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: The roles were reversed that evening.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Come on, Dad, hurry up. Let's go.
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: It was quite obvious they knew something I didn't. They
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: were aware of something of which I was not. While
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: we drove to the restaurant, my youngest daughter, Sarah, I
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: recall that she giggled the whole way.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: And sure enough, when we entered.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: The restaurant, we went over into one of those rooms
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: they reserve for private parties, and there were a dozen families.
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: Surprise! It was a party.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Luke chapter 15 helps us understand that there is a
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: party awaiting us. And it is as if Jesus knows
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: something about the party that you and I do not.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: And for that reason, these stories are intended to prompt us,
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: to urge us, to prepare us, and to tell us
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: a great celebration is coming. Luke chapter 15 is comprised
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: of three stories. A shepherd, a housewife, a father. A
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: shepherd has a lost sheep. The housewife has a lost coin.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: And the father has a lost son. Lost, but then lost.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Found.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: In each case, there is a party. As a result,
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: the shepherd throws a party for his lost, now found sheep.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: The housewife throws a party because of the lost, now
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: found coin. The father throws a party in honor of
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: the lost, now found son. Three parables, three stories, each
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: with a party. Regarding The three parties, Jesus describes them
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: all or each with the word happy. Happy appears in
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: each of the three stories regarding the shepherd who found
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: the lost sheep. And when he finds it, he happily
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Regarding the
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: housewife who found the coin, she told her neighbors, be
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: happy with me because I have found the coin that
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: I lost. The father defended the party that he threw
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: for his son as he said to the elder brother,
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: we had to celebrate and what? Be happy because your
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: brother was dead and now he is alive. He was
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: lost and now he is found.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: The point is this.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Jesus is happiest when the lost are found. For him,
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: no moment compares to the moment of salvation. For my daughters,
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: the rejoicing began when I finally agreed to get into
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: the car. and begin the journey to the party. For
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: heaven rejoicing begins when a child agrees to be dressed
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: in the salvation that comes as a gift from Jesus
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Christ and begin that journey home. At that point, heaven
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: pours the punch Strings the streamers and throws the confetti.
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Or as Jesus said, there is joy in the presence
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: of the angels of God when one sinner changes his
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: heart and life. A century ago, Luke chapter 15 and
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: the study thereof caused the great British pastor Charles Spurgeon
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: to write these words. There are Christmas days in heaven
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: where Christ's high mass is kept and Christ is not
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: glorified because he was born in a manger. but because
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: he is born in a broken heart. And these are
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: the days when the shepherd brings home the lost sheep
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: upon his shoulders. And when the church has swept her
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: house and found the lost piece of money. For then
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: are these friends and neighbors called together and they rejoice
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: with joy unspeakable and full of glory over one sinner
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: who repents. Now, how do we explain such joy?
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: Why such a stir?
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: You got to admit the excitement is a bit curious.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: We're not talking here about a nation of people who
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: were saved or even a city. We're talking about joy
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: when one sinner, just a single person, one sinner changes
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: his heart and life. How could one person change? create
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: such excitement. And who could imagine that our actions, yours
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: and mine, have a thermostatic impact on heaven? That your actions,
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: yours and mine, create joy in the hallways of heaven. Why?
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: We can live and die on this earth and leave
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: nothing more than an obituary. Am I to think that
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: my decisions cause heaven to have a party?
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: According to the verse, the answer is yes.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: According to Jesus, our decisions change the happiness of heaven.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: Our actions on the keyboard of earth trigger hammers on
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: the piano strings of the celestials. Our obedience pulls the
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: ropes which rings the bells in heaven's belfries. Let a
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: child hear the call of God and the ear of
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: God inclines. Let a sister weep and tears flow from above.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Let a saint.
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: Die and a gate is opened. More important, let a
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: sinner repent. And every other activity ceases and heaven begins
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: to celebrate.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: Remarkable.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: Remarkable, this response to conversion. As far as I know,
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: heaven holds no party when you retire. As far as
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: I know, heaven held no party when you were born.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: As far as I know, heaven holds no party for
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: the college graduate or for someone who gets married. Why
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: the big deal over conversion? And quite candidly, we don't
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: share the enthusiasm, do we? While preparing the message, my
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: heart was struck with conviction. I'm happy when someone is saved,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: but exuberant. Over the moon, does my chest pop? When
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: a soul is saved, the heart of Jesus becomes the
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: night sky on the 4th of July. Why? With explosions
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: of cheer, can the same be said about us? Maybe
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: this is one area in which our hearts, mine and yours,
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: could use some attention. And so we ask the question, why?
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: Why did Jesus and his angels rejoice over one repenting sinner?
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: I wonder if the answer isn't found in the surprise
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: party my family gave me. Maybe the angels can see
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: the party. Maybe the angels know what we do not know.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: Maybe they know what heaven holds. They've seen the table.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: They've heard the music and they cannot wait to see
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: your face when you arrive. Better still, friend, they cannot
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: wait to see you. I'm so happy to report to
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: you that when you get home, something wonderful is going
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: to happen. A final transformation will occur. And you will
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: be just like Jesus. Drink deeply from 1 John chapter
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: 3 and verse 2. We have not yet been shown
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: what we will be in the future. But we know
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: that when Christ comes again, we will be like him.
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: There are a.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: Billion blessings in heaven, but the greatest of the blessings
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: is your final transformation. You will be like him. You
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: will be God's magnum opus, his work of art. The
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: angels will gasp because God's work will be completed. At last,
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: my friend, at last, you will have a heart like his.
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: Can you envision this transformation? Can you envision this moment?
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: Can you envision the heart of Jesus? Because if you can,
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: you can envision yours in the eternal state. Guiltless, fearless, joyous, complete,
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: tirelessly worshiping, flawlessly discerning. I'm wondering what emotions weighed you
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: down this week? What emotions weighed you down this week?
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: Anxiety? Anger?
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: Resentment? I'm so happy to report that all of those
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: anxieties are on their way out. All of those emotions
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: have a short shelf life. And the day is coming. Yes,
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: the day is near in which your heart will be
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: finally purged of all of those struggles.
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: And emotions.
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: You will be like him. And if that were not enough,
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: everyone else will be as well. That's what makes heaven heavenly.
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: We will all be like him. Heaven is populated by
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: those who let God change them. Heaven is the perfect
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: place for people made perfect. Consequently, it will be unlike
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: anything you and I have ever seen. No more arguments,
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: for there will be no jealousy. No more bitterness, for
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: there won't be any secrets. The curse will be no more.
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: Sin will be gone. Every insecurity forgotten. Every fear is past.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: Pure wheat. No weeds. Pure gold. No alloy. Pure love.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: no lust, pure hope, no fear.
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: No wonder the angels rejoice when they see one sinner repent.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: They know that another work of art will soon enter
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: the great gallery of God. They know what heaven holds.
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: Can I pause for just a second? Because some of
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: you are passing through such a difficult time. That is
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: the word the Lord wants you to hear today. That
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: in comparison with the great joy that awaits you for eternity,
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: the challenges that you're experiencing today are simply no comparison.
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: What awaits you far outweighs what you're experiencing. Cast your hope,
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: dear friend, upon the joy of heaven. Will you do that?
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: The reason that the angels rejoice is because they know
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: the beauty that awaits us. But there's another reason for
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: the celebration. Part of it is our arrival, but the
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: other part is our deliverance. You see, Jesus rejoices that
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: we are headed to heaven for sure, but he equally
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: rejoices that we are saved from hell. What happened to hell?
• 18:51
  Speaker 2: Churches don't talk about hell anymore. It's as if the
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: idea has somehow become unsophisticated. Jesus, however, was candid as
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: he describes the dualistic outcome of history. To be clear,
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: hell is reserved not for those who seek to do
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: good but failed. But hell is reserved for those who
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: set out to rebel against God and succeed. Hell is
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: the chosen place of the insurrectionists. Spend a life telling
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: God to leave you alone and he will do just that.
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: One phrase describes hell and that is God is not there.
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: Think for a moment about this question. What if God
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: were not here on this earth? You think people can
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: be cruel now? Imagine them without the presence of God.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: You think we are brutal to each other now? Imagine
• 20:13
  Speaker 2: the world without the Holy Spirit as the controller, the comforter.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: You think there is loneliness and despair and guilt now?
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: Imagine this planet without the prevailing grace of Jesus Christ.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: No forgiveness, no hope, no acts of kindness, no words
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: of love, no more food given. in his name. No
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: more songs sung to his praise. No more deeds done
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: to his honor. If God took away his angels, if
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: God took away his grace, if God took away his
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: promise of eternity, his servants, what would the world be like?
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: In a word, hell.
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: No one to comfort you, no music to soothe you.
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: No reason to offer a prayer, no hope of answered prayer.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: A world where poets do not write of love and
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: minstrels do not sing of hope. For love and hope
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: were passengers on the last ship and the final vessel
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: has departed. And the anthem of hell has only two words,
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: if only. According to Jesus, hell knows only one sound
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: and that is this, the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: From hell comes this sound. woeful unending moan as its
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: inhabitants realize the opportunity that they have missed what they
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: would give for one more chance but that chance is
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: gone for it is given to man once to die
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: and then comes the judgment hebrews 9 27 can you
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: see now why angels rejoice Can you see now why
• 21:58
  Speaker 2: heaven is excited when one sinner repents? Jesus knows what
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: awaits the saved. He knows what awaits the condemned. Can
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: you see why we should rejoice as well? I wonder
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: how we can. I wonder how our hearts can be
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: more like the heart.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: Of Jesus Christ?
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: How can we carry the burden and carry the joy
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: that he carries? I think an appropriate way to wrap
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: up this message would be to issue a challenge to you,
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: a challenge that I give myself, and that is simply this.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: Ask God to help you have his eternal view of
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: the world. Ask God to help you have his eternal
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: view of the world. You see, from his perspective, Every
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: person fits into one camp or the other. They are
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: entering through the small gate or the wide gate. They
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: are traveling the narrow road or the wide road. They
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: are building on rock or sand. They are wise or foolish.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: They are prepared or unprepared. They are fruitful or fruitless.
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: They are heaven-called or hell-bound. When the Titanic sunk, lists
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: of the passengers were displayed both at the port of
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: departure and the port where the boat ship was intended
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: to arrive. And at both places, there were lists. And
• 23:40
  Speaker 2: all of the passengers, all 2,200 plus people were listed there.
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: not according to income, not according to caste, not according
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: to accomplishments, but under one of two categories, lost and saved.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: Our ledger, however, has so many unnecessary columns, wouldn't you agree?
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: When we see people we don't think lost or saved,
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: we see so many unnecessary categories, pretty, educated, from a
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: certain country, of a certain skin color, of a certain background.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: We have so many unnecessary categories. Does he have a
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: college degree? What work does she do? These matters are
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: irrelevant to God. And as he shapes us more to
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: be like Jesus, they become irrelevant to us as well.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: The apostle Paul said, our knowledge of men can no
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: longer be based upon their outward lives. It is their
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: inner state that matters. To have a heart like the
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: heart of Jesus is to look into the faces of
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: the saved and rejoice with a brother or sister. And
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: to look into the faces of the lost and pray
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: and weep. For unless they turn, They're just a grave
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: away from torment. This conversation prompted C.S. Lewis to write
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: this arresting paragraph. He said, it is a serious thing
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses,
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: talk to may one day be a creature which if
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: you saw it now you would be strongly tempted to worship.
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: Or else a horror and a corruption such as now
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: you meet only in a nightmare. All day long we are,
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: in some degree, helping each other to one or the
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: other of these destinations.
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: My challenge to you, my challenge to me is simple.
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: Pray the prayer that says, God, help me to see
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: the world as you see it. Because every person you meet,
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: every person you see, every human being without exception in
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: the history of humanity has been given an invitation to
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: the party. Many are refusing right now. They're just saying no.
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: But when one says yes, There is a celebration. When
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: one acts sluggish, as I did at the party, let's
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: be to them what my daughters were to me.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: Come on. Come on.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: I'm not getting in the car without you.
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: Come on.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: Let's offer urgent prayers, genuine invitations, because every day brings.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Us closer to that final day. May God bless you
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: and bless me.
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: Heavenly Father, as we now receive these words, we ask
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: for your strength to receive them in the way you
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: designed for them to be received. Have mercy upon us, Lord,
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: in this society that is so easily distracted, as we
• 27:32
  Speaker 2: are as well, by pleasures and problems. Grant that we
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: can lift up our eyes and look beyond this horizon,
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: And see the home.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: That is to come.
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: Through Jesus we pray.
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: And all God's people said.
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: Please stand. I want to invite you to come forward
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: for prayer.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: As you're deciding whether today is the day for you
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: to come forward for prayer. Let me tell you the
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: three things for which I'm going to pray. I'm going
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: to pray for healing. Healing. We'll pray for healing, physical
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: and emotional healing. We're going to ask the Lord to
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: bring healing. We're also going to pray for those we
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: know who are lost. Does that phrase strike you as
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: judgmental and harsh? I hope not. You're looking at a
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: man who was once lost, hell-bound, But because people prayed
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: for me and because people spoke to me and because
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: a preacher preached to me, I'm saved. Maybe you can
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: tell the same story. But salvation is fueled by the
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: prayers of saints. Salvation is fueled by the prayers of saints.
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: How many of you think you were prayed into the
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: kingdom by a grandmother, by a mother, by a friend?
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: Do you want to accelerate your prayers for somebody today?
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: Then in just a minute, come to the front. We're
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: going to pray for them. And then most of all,
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: for those of you who are hearing this message saying, well,
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: I think I'm lost.
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: Well, then come on up.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: You can be saved. Because the invitation to the party
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: is extended to you today. I'm going to be quiet
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: for a minute. If you'd like to be a part
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: of this prayer here at the altar, please don't be hesitant.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: Step out into the aisle from the back or the front.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: Come to the front.
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: All praise to you, our King, our Lord. We come
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: today not really to the altar of a church sanctuary,
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: but to the altar of.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: The Almighty God. And quite honestly, O King of kings,
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: we do find it hard to.
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: Believe that you would allow us into the Holy of Holies,
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: that place unseen yet by man, that place where elders
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: cast their Thrones, that place where angels have worshipped since
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: the beginning of time because what they see is worthy
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: of worship for eternity. That you would allow us to
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: come into your presence, though our tongues have spoken words
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: that do not honor you. Our brains have thought thoughts
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: that are not worthy of our calling. And yet you
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: cover us with your grace. Gracious God, thank you.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: You see those in front of you now, Father, whose
• 31:21
  Speaker 2: bodies are weary, who do carry in their minds and
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: in their bodies the wear and tear of life. Cancers, aches, arthritis, dementia,
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: failing organs, weary joints. You have reminded us, Father, it
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: will not be like this forever, but right now, Father,
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: we certainly need your touch. And we volunteer that, Lord God,
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: a physical, miraculous healing We would so make that a
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: billboard of your power.
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: We beg you, Lord. We beg you for healing.
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: In the name of Jesus, Father, I speak healing over these,
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: your children. Depression is not welcome here. Thoughts of suicide
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: are no longer welcome here. Deep resentment and isolation is
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: no longer welcome here. We welcome you, blessed Holy Spirit,
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: to flood over this place with your healing balm. We
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: speak words of power against the COVID. Healing Father for
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: those who struggle and protection for us all. Dearest Heavenly Father,
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: now we also want to pray for those we love
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: who do not know you. Standing before you, precious Lord,
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: are parents who are praying for children, family members who
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: are praying for aunts and uncles.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: Cousins, siblings.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: We mentioned names to you now of neighbors, coworkers, and
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: friends church in your private prayer. Now, please just mention
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: names to the heavenly father. Those who know you, but
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: have been snatched away by the devil. Those who have
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: heard the gospel, yet the seed has fallen on hard soil.
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: Those whose lives have been corrupted by addiction. Those who
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: are willing to lose their soul just for a.
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: Day of pleasure. Oh, almighty God, have mercy.
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: Upon these whom we love, please. Lord, receive those who
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: are coming to you today for the very first time.
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: We rejoice. We rejoice. We bless you, Lord.
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: Those watching online, those here in the sanctuary who are saying,
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: I don't know what all the future holds, but I
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: want to be saved and not lost. Oh, bless you, Lord,
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: for the great work you're doing now. Thank you. And
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: thank you for just giving us an appetizer as to
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: the celebration that is to come.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: We bless you, Lord.
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: Now, as I close this prayer, is there anything else
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: you want to say to God before I say amen?
• 34:55
  Speaker 2: Is there anything else you're just telling? Please remember that
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: greater is he who is in you than he who
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: is in the world. And we close this prayer on
• 35:20
  Speaker 2: a spirit of celebration, positive, that our God hears prayers.
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: And when God hears, he acts. Amen.
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: Amen.
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: God bless you all.
• 35:32
  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay close. As long as you're
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: somewhere out there. That's enough for me.
• 35:50
  Speaker 4: I don't need to hold you near me.
• 35:57
  Speaker 5: Don't need promises to keep.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: Just the thought that you are breathing.
• 36:04
  Speaker 5: Somewhere in this world I see. Even if I'm not
• 36:09
  Speaker 5: beside you. Even if you're never mine.
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: I don't need forever. I just need you to exist.
• 36:16
  Speaker 3: You don't have to stay with me.
• 36:36
  Speaker 5: You don't have to feel the same Just as long
• 36:40
  Speaker 5: as you're still out there Calling softly through my days
• 36:46
  Speaker 5: You don't have to look my way You don't have
• 36:50
  Speaker 5: to be my home It's enough to know you're living
• 36:57
  Speaker 5: In a world.
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: I'm not alone.
• 37:03
  Speaker 5: I won't chase you through the distance Won't disturb your
• 37:07
  Speaker 5: chosen life I'll just keep you in my silence Like
• 37:12
  Speaker 5: a star that.
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: Shines at night.
• 37:17
  Speaker 3: Through the dark and through the blue.
• 37:24
  Speaker 5: I still think of you.
• 37:31
  Speaker 4: You don't have to feel the same Just as long
• 37:35
  Speaker 4: as you're still out there Calling softly through my days
• 37:41
  Speaker 4: You don't have to look my way You don't have
• 37:46
  Speaker 4: to be my home It's enough to know you're living
• 37:52
  Speaker 4: In a world.
• 37:53
  Speaker 5: I'm not alone.
• 38:10
  Speaker 3: I don't need to be your light.
• 38:13
  Speaker 5: I don't need to cross your mind All I need is.
• 38:17
  Speaker 3: Just the truth That you're somewhere.
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: Still alive.
• 38:25
  Speaker 6: You don't have to stay with me You don't have
• 38:30
  Speaker 6: to feel the same Just as long as you're still
• 38:35
  Speaker 6: out there Calling softly through my days You don't have
• 38:40
  Speaker 6: to look my way You don't have to.
• 38:44
  Speaker 5: Be my home It's enough to know you're living
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: In a world I'm not alone