Knowing God's Will

So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So So and everybody welcome to our bedroom hey if you don't know we have kids camp this week and this they're doing toy story and so you guys get to be a part of it even if you're not a kid yeah come on Lord we just love you we thank you that you said to be like to inherit the kingdom we're gonna be like a child so thank you for toy story thank you for the creativity of this house God we thank you that you've invited us all in to take the seat at your table this morning thank you that does the power of the cross and your blood is alive today as much as it has ever been and it ever will be that there's no there's nothing we could do to ever be more loved than we are right now we honor you this morning we thank you for your presence we love you and everybody said amen all

right guys let's worship this morning there's nothing that can set me free but the blood that flowed down was his hold on me I've been washed by the blood of the lamb there's nothing that could ever save me alive in Christ been washed by the blood is the power there's power in the blood only in the blood is there power yes there's power in the precious blood of the lamb there's nothing that could strengthen me like the fire that falls from the heavenlies I'm filled with power for eternity I've been washed by the blood of the lamb I've been washed by the blood of the lamb Is there power Yes there's power in the blood Only in the blood Is there power Yes there's power in the precious blood of the lamb Is there power Yes there's power in the blood Only in the blood Is there power Yes there's power in the precious blood of the lamb In the precious blood of the lamb There is power, power, the one worth and pride In the blood of the lamb There is power, power, the one worth and pride In the precious blood of the lamb There is power, power, the one worth and pride In the blood of the lamb There is power, power, the one worth and pride In the precious blood of the lamb

In the precious blood of the lamb There's nothing that could separate His kingdom's come and it shall remain Raised with Him and in peace we reign We've been washed by the blood of the lamb Yeah, we were washed by the blood of the lamb Is there power? Yes, there's power in the blood Only in the blood is there power Yes, there's power in the precious blood of the lamb Is there power? Yes, there's power in the blood Only in the blood is there power Yes, there's power in the precious blood of... In the dangerous world we live Is there power? Yes, there is power In the precious blood of the Lamb Is there power? Yes, there is power In the blood of the Lamb Only in the blood Is there power? Yes, there is power Come on, let's sing it all together one more time Is there power? Is there power? Yes, there is power Only in the blood Is there power? Yes, there is power In the precious blood of the Lamb Is there power? Yes, there is power Like every wandering heart

Every wayward son I know the weary road But on the darkest of days Still my heart could say I know I never walked alone I never walked alone When I was gone, all alone My father's eyes were on the horizon He always knew that in the end He was the one I would come home to Every hour I wasted That all I lost My father was waiting To say with open arms Welcome home Oh Welcome home Oh After the miles I walked In the time I lost alone That hopeless home Though I stumbled and strayed Lord, I found the way back home And it was just one step away Oh Just one step away Oh When I was gone, all alone My father's eyes were on the horizon He always knew that in the end

He was the one I would come home to Every hour I wasted That all I lost My father was waiting To say with open arms Welcome home Oh Welcome home Oh Welcome home Whoo! Whoo! Whoo! Come on, every voice, let's sing this here Cause this is where we belong This is where we belong This is where we belong This is where This is where we belong. Come on, let's put our hands together and sing it again. This is where. All along, my Father's eyes were on the horizon. He always knew that in the end, He was the one I would come home to. Every hour I wasted, that all I've lost. My Father was waiting to say with open arms, Welcome home. Yeah, so good. Hey, can you guys welcome back our good friend, Mariah? She's back. A little worse for wear, but I'm back.

I'm so grateful to be here this morning. As Jacob said last week, we welcomed our fifth baby girl, Clara, into the world 12 weeks ago. And I can't even believe how fast it goes. I'm just so thankful for this community that's helped lift us up in this really sleep-exhausted time. Let's just embrace our home this morning. We just sang, welcome home. Home is His presence. We're home in His presence. Holy Spirit, we just let ourselves just slip into your home, your heart this morning. We thank you so much for your strong love that's here for us today to carry us, to guide us, to support us. We do not walk alone this morning. We let go of our shame and our guilt that would try to put any distance between you and us, Lord. We know that you've gone the whole way. We just let you embrace us today. How we need you, God. We are weak and frail. Come on, anybody just want to confess that this morning, that I am weak and frail, fickle in all my ways, it seems sometimes. But you love me, God. You love me. You grant mercy and grace to me. We do not deserve this love, but we will receive it today. We will receive it today. Your cross was not in vain. We will receive the love of Christ this morning.

♪♪ Sing this with me, Father true. ♪ Father true and merciful, bound to me with love. ♪ ♪ Adopted in it, free from all sin. ♪ Jesus, Savior. ♪ Jesus, Savior, glorified, Your offering none could give. ♪ ♪ I stand before You, humble and in awe. Yeah. ♪ ♪ And all to You, God, for all You are to me and all to You. ♪ ♪ And all to You, God, for all You are to me. ♪ ♪ But there is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. ♪ ♪ Your love. There is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. ♪ ♪ Your love. Oh, nothing like it. Holy Spirit, gift of God, teach my soul to soar. ♪ ♪ Train me in Your holy ways, Lord. And all to Him. And all to You, God. ♪ ♪ For all You are to me, all of it. And all to You, God. For all You are to me. ♪ ♪ But there is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. Your love. There is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. Your love. Oh. ♪ ♪ There is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. Your love. There is nothing like, there is nothing like Your love. Your love. Yeah. ♪ ♪ Oh, we'll love You forever. Oh, we'll love You forever. Oh, we'll love You forever. ♪ ♪ Pour it out, pour it out on Him. Sing to Your King Jesus. Oh, we'll love You forever. ♪ ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever. I'll love You forever. I'll love You forever, Lord. ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever. I'll love You forever, Lord. ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever, Lord ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever, Lord ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever, Lord ♪ ♪ No matter what ♪

♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever ♪ ♪ I'll love You forever, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, forever and ever and ever ♪ ♪ Oh, through my weakness I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my brokenness I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my sin, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ I'm loving You, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my sin, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my weakness, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my pain, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ I'm loving You, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ I'll never give up on loving You, loving You ♪ ♪ Watching You, holding You, needing You ♪ ♪ Loving You, loving You ♪ ♪ Ooh, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ I'm loving You ♪ ♪ Through my sin, I'm loving You ♪ ♪ And You wash it away ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, I know ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ There's no one like the Lord ♪ ♪ Cause we crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪

♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you all ♪ Give him your questions this morning. Give him your hesitation. ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ Crown him with it! ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ Crown him with your weakness. ♪ We crown you, King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you, King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you, King of Glory ♪ ♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪ ♪ We crown you, you are worthy ♪

♪ We crown you Lord of all ♪ ♪ There is nothing like ♪ ♪ There is nothing like ♪ ♪ Your love, your love ♪ ♪ There is nothing like ♪ ♪ There is nothing like ♪ ♪ Your love, Your love ♪ ♪ There is nothing like, oh no, there is nothing like ♪ I've never known it! ♪ Your love, never known another love ♪ ♪ There is nothing like, there is nothing like ♪ I've never known it! ♪ Your love, Your love ♪ ♪ There is nothing like, there is nothing like ♪ ♪ Your love, Your love ♪ ♪ There is nothing like, there is nothing like ♪ ♪ Your love, Your love ♪ ♪ It binds up the broken hearted ♪ ♪ It saves those crushed in spirit ♪ ♪ You're binding us up in love, strong love ♪ Come on, can we just take 30 seconds and just thank Him for His love this morning? Come on, with your own words, just tell Him. Father, where would we be without Your love? The Word says, for you who knew no sin became my sin so I could become your righteousness. Thank you for the love of God. Thank you that the love of God is stronger than the power of death. But there's no match for Your love, Jesus.

Thank you. Thank you that we are loved because you are good and that's the end of the story. Come on, receive that this morning. You are loved because He is good. That's what you can build a life on. You can build a church on, a marriage, a family, all of eternity. I am loved because He is good. Come on, let's sing one more song this morning. Thank you. Come on, let's sing that again, Heavenly Father, every voice. Heavenly Father, you always amaze me. Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life. Give me the food. Give me the food I need to live through today. And forgive me as I forgive the people who wrong me. Lead me far. Lead me far from temptation. Deliver me from the evil one. Now look. Look out the window. The birds are composing. ♪ Closing ♪ ♪ Not a note is out of tune or out of place ♪ And I walk through the meadow. ♪ I walk through the meadow and stare at the flowers ♪ ♪ Better dressed than any girl on the runway ♪ So why should I worry? ♪ So why should I worry?

♪ Why do I freak out? ♪ God knows what I need ♪ You know what I need ♪ Cause your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is strong Come on, let's sing, the kingdom of the heavens is now advancing ♪ The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing ♪ Invade my heart, invade my heart ♪ Invade this broken town ♪ The kingdom of the heavens is buried treasure ♪ What you sell yourself to buy the one you found ♪ The two things you told me ♪ That you are strong ♪ And you love me ♪ Yes, you love me ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is strong Come on, let's keep singing it this morning Your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Your love is, your love is, your love is strong ♪ Our God in heaven, hallowed be ♪ Thy name above all names

♪ Your kingdom come, your will be done ♪ On earth as it is in heaven ♪ Give us today our daily bread ♪ Forgive us weary sinners ♪ Keep us far away from all vices ♪ And deliver us from this prison ♪ Give us today our daily bread ♪ Forgive us weary sinners ♪ Keep us far away from all vices ♪ And deliver us from this prison ♪ Give us today our daily bread ♪ Your love is, Your love is strong ♪ Your love is, Your love is, Your love is strong ♪ Your love is, Your love is, Your love is... ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ Sing Your God ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Get away from all our biases and ♪ ♪ Deliver us from this prison ♪ ♪ Cause Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪

♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Your love is ♪ ♪ Strong Your love is ♪ Amen. Jesus, we love you. Your love is strong. Bible says it's like a strong tower and the righteous run into it and they are safe or they are saved, amen? Amen, we're saved this morning. Thank you so much, worship team. Can we give it up for them on the Toy Story stage? So good. So good. Well, we have a really special morning planned for you. I'd like to ask Pastor Zach, if you would just stay up here with me for a second. Pastor Zach has been here since we launched the Altar Fellowship in 2019, moved his family here from North Carolina, shift in their ministry from traveling to seated in one place. And after serving these last seven years,

we have said, Pastor Zach, feel free to take a sabbatical, take a rest. And we believe that there's certain things that can only be produced from your life from rest. And so today is our last Sunday with Pastor Zach before the Haggerty's head off on their sabbatical. So we wanna bless them. Yes, give them a round of applause for all they do for our house. Thank you. So if we just have, can we have the rest of the, yeah, all the Haggerty ladies and girls, if you guys can come up and join. And if we can have the elders, we wanna pray for them and send them off. So good. Look at this amazing army of women that Pastor Zach is raising up at the house. So just extend your hands out to the Haggerty's and we just pray, Holy Spirit, that you would send them and bless them on their journey. Father, I thank you for rest. Lord, I pray that this summer, Lord, as they take extra time to be a part of their own family, Holy Spirit, that you would fill them with love and joy. Father, I pray for safe journeys on their travels when they visit other cities. Lord, I pray for times that they can unplug, but they plug into you, Holy Spirit. Father, I pray that you bring peace in their car

as they go on road trips, Lord, and just bless them, Lord, for greater intimacy with you and greater intimacy as a family and as a marriage, Lord. Bless their marriage, Lord, and we just thank you for the return to come and we bless the rest and we send them in the mighty name of Jesus, amen, amen. We love you guys. We'll see you soon after second service. Awesome, well, I'm gonna hand it off to Elder Clint here as we continue. Thank you. You know, I was asked to call for the offering this morning, and so about a week and a half ago, I kind of started praying, Lord, what do you want that to look like? We take an offering every Sunday if you've been here for any time, and there's only so many ways that you can say, tithe your 10%, have some cash on hand to go above and beyond, help a friend, help a neighbor, help someone in need. But as I was praying, I got a little snippet of something my mom used to say to me when I was a boy, and that was, don't put the cart in front of the horse, which was her nice way of saying, you're all out of order, and that doesn't work. It just doesn't work. If you put the cart in front of the horse, where's it gonna go?

Nowhere. So it took me to Proverbs 24, 27. It says, to prepare your outside work and make it fit for yourself in the field, and afterward, build your house. And this proverb teaches the principle of first things first, okay? It's advising you that you should establish your income before you build the comfort and luxury of your home, okay? Exodus 23, 19 says, the first part of it anyway, I won't share the second half. The first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. The first fruits of that land that you're supposed to set up for your income before you build your luxury home, your comforts. Today, that looks a little different. So the point I'm trying to make is that if we aren't careful, we get the house, the car, the bills that come along with them, and there's no money left to tithe with, which is what really brought this all about for me because about 13 years ago, when Rebecca and I fully committed to serve the Lord with all our heart and to tithe properly the way He calls us to, we could barely do that. When we started tithing our 10%, we didn't have anything left over.

I didn't have five bucks to give to somebody that needed five bucks, okay? So I guess what I'm trying to say is we had to make some adjustments. And I don't know where you're at this morning. I pray that most of you give faithfully to this house, if this is your home church or the house where you call home. I pray that you have extra cash laying around, that you can see a need and fill a need when it arises. But if you're not, if you're where I was 13 years ago, you've got too much house, you've got too much car, you've got too much bills, and there's nothing left to tithe with, I pray, Holy Spirit, I pray you pray, Holy Spirit, show me where I can make some adjustments. Where can I free up some money so that I can be a blessing to my local church, my community. Pastor Matt preaches all the time, a strong house, strong family, strong community, okay? So I just wanna encourage you this morning. Let's search our hearts. Let's give like we're called to give to this house. And if you're not, let's figure out a way to arrange things that we can. So let's pray for this offering this morning. As you know, there's three ways to give. You got the envelope and the seat back in front of you. You've got the app and you've got the QR code

you can scan there. If you guys would stand with me. If you've got an envelope in your hand, you can raise up and just participate. If you give online, that's great. I would say really quickly before I pray for this offering, I tried the, I felt the Lord wanted me to get back to writing a check for my offering on Sundays here at the altar about two years ago. And it was a great thing, but I was terrible with it. So I was like, Rebecca, you wrote the check, right? And she's like, I thought you wrote the check. And I'm like, oh. So we had to hunt back and realize that we were almost $2,000 behind in our giving in just a few short months. So we went back to guaranteed online giving. It works better for our busy house of seven people. Might be a tip for some of you, I don't know. Let's pray for this offering. Lord, we love you. We thank you for your provision, Lord, that you give all of us. Everything that we have is yours first and yours in the end, Lord. So we just thank you for the opportunity to sow back into your community and into the people of this house and the people of this community and the people of this region.

Lord, we thank you. We thank you that when we do that, Lord, that spirit of giving grows in us, Lord, and that is the true blessing. The true blessing is what we receive from becoming a giver. So Lord, I just thank you for this house of givers. And I just ask that you just bless this money. Multiply it like the loaves and the fishes, Lord. Send it beyond this house where every need is filled. Father God, we thank you, we love you. We pray this in Jesus' sweet name. Amen. Here we go. It's been a couple of years since I've preached behind a table. That's awesome. So we've been a couple of years in Australia back now, and I apologize for the accent. If you don't understand it, just nod your head and just say, Holy Spirit, interpret for me, and that'll be good. We, after our time in Johnson City, Chris and I actually bought a house out in Fall Branch. And after being five years right out in the country, we just didn't want to go back to a big city anymore. So we originally were from Sydney, which is, at the time, was Australia's largest city. Melbourne, not Melbourne.

Melbourne and not Brisbane, too, just like. That's anyway, just get off the track. So Melbourne's now the biggest city, but just millions of people is so much tension and just anyway, we went, we were praying to the Lord and said, Lord, we will go wherever you want us to go. I kind of hope that that's your prayer too, that you would just do whatever God wants you to do. You know, whether he thrusts you into significance or just buries you in obscurity, whatever he wants to do with you, that's gonna be the best thing. It's exactly what he wants, that's good. So we just said, but look, we'll go anywhere that you want, but if we've got the choice, Lord, could we go to the country? And the smaller, the better. So we live in a little town in New South Wales called Mattong and Mattong has a population of 158 and that includes all the farms around about. Now the farms in where we are is nothing like farms here. And so like a small farm over there would be a couple of thousand acres. And so, you know, but we were already used, being out in Fall Branch, we were already used to seeing tractors down the road. Now we've got tractors going down the road and it's really good. So we're thrilled to be back here and catch up with everybody.

It's good to hear your accent again. I have to like get my ear tuned in. I have to wear hearing aids these days and it's because of two reasons. One, I grew up in the 60s and 70s and was just addicted to real rock and roll. Very loud. And then we came to Johnson City and it's just like, that's the first time I've like, I've really felt like in the last two years, it's just like, ah, that's right. This is what worship can look like. You know, it's just so great. Great having, seeing a banjo and a fiddle there and just like, like I love these other instruments, but they're kind of like, they're the deal. There you go. So good. Well, I'm gonna open up the scripture to you. Is that gonna be good? You're happy for that? And I started, while I was over here last time, I started bringing my Bible to church. And I only did that because Pastor Matty did. Oh, could you give me that bottle of water? Ta. Now I'm set. Okay.

So because he had a Bible that, because I used to just like, I'd preach from my screen and just like everybody does. And there's something about it, you know, I'm just like, it just kind of reminded me of my early days. I got saved at the age of 22, 1980, you can work out. Yes, that means I was born in the 1950s. Very hard thing to do when you're scrolling on the computer to find your birth date. Like, you know, you've got to do that quite a lot to get down into the 1950s. But I live in denial, and that's good. I pretend that I'm about 22 still, got saved when I was 22. And yeah, that was before like all of your iPhones and technology and, so people actually brought a Bible to church and the thing was, you would sit there in the pew, the preacher would turn to a passage and it was kind of like, I'm very competitive and it's like, it's a race. I'm going to see if I can get there before the preacher does. And it's a great way of finding your way around the scripture. Like, it's really good, like, anyway. And then I noticed Pastor Matty would preach from written notes. And I thought, well, if that's what he's doing, I'm just here to help.

So I'm going to do what he's doing, just to help. It's not what I would have done. I've been a preacher for donkey's years. And is that an expression you all, you get it though, don't you? It's a good expression. and you can take that one home, put it in the bank. I've been doing that for donkey's years. You can, yeah, no, just. If I say something that you don't understand, like an expression like that, just, what, you're allowed to call out to me, okay? So I'm just like, well, no, I'll do that. And I think after five years here, I just got converted to it. Because I think there's a mistake in always using your technology. I mean, technology is great, don't get me wrong. I still love technology, always and forever, just. But there's just something about handling the book and thumbing your way through it rather than going like this. And the preacher isn't wondering whether or not you're actually scrolling through on Facebook or Instagram or something. You know, just like, I know what you do. Okay, so. So I've been doing that even in conference, it's great. The only conference speaker who actually goes old school. And anyway, get on with it.

I've got nothing to do with anything. Let me read a verse to you. 1 John chapter five. And verses 14 to 15 says this. And this is the confidence that we have toward him. Oh, you guys have got that up on the screen. Okay, so we'll see how, Trevor, are you around the place or are you upstairs? Okay, just like wherever you are, see how good your guys are and if they can look it up in the ESV. So I'm now an ESV boy, because I'm a foreigner, okay, so. Okay, so let me read. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. You guys are really great up there, awesome. Got that up on the screen. This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, that's the clincher, that's the one that stops us. That's the one, like so many people just, firstly, they just don't know what God's will is. So they pray hoping that God will listen to them. You know, they pray hoping that there'll be an answer, but there's not a real confidence in them because they're just not sure. This is particularly true when they pray for something

and they don't get an answer straight away. And maybe you've been praying for something for a year, two years, 10 years, 20 years, and you've stopped praying because you end up with this one here because you don't know what his will is. And that's what we're gonna talk about today, understanding what God's will is. Because here's the thing, if you are praying according to his will, even if you don't get the answer to your prayer straight away, think of Abraham. There's a good, almost three decades before he gets his answer to prayer, and yet he's called the father of faith. He doesn't give up, like he doesn't waver in unbelief. He just keeps pressing on. Okay, so this is the confidence. If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. Boy, I tell you what, that is a part of prayer that I've only just recently been meditating on, is that God is so in control of everything in our world, and he invites us to speak to him. Those of you who are old enough, do you remember the old Alfred Hitchcock movies? And the thing is that Alfred Hitchcock, you'd always look for it, because somewhere in the first 10, 15 minutes, he would actually be there. Like he'd be in a photograph, or he'd be walking past with a dog, just like,

and it would actually be the director of the movie is in the movie. And what we don't realize is that God, who's the director of the world, is in the very thing he's directing. Like, imagine if you were in that movie that, that, you know, like, Birds or something like that. Yeah, that was Alfred Hitchcock. And in that one, he's walking past a store, if I remember right. But imagine if you were in that movie, an actor in the movie, but you don't realize you're an actor because this is your real world. Like, just pretend. And imagine if you just suddenly realized that that guy right there is the guy in charge of the script. And I can talk to him. Hey, listen, I don't know what's happening right now. Could you just help me out? Like, is there an encouragement for me? Like, just, you know. This is the confidence that we have with him. If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. My goodness me. Like, how many times have I prayed for people for healing? Nothing immediately happens, but there will be some manifestation of something. Like, suddenly they'll have like warmth going through their body or the opposite,

coolness or tingles or like, you know, just like there'll be these little tiny signs. It's not the thing they're praying for, but it'll be this little tiny sign. And I'll be saying, you've got his attention. Right now as we're praying, you've got his attention. Like, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, we know that the answer is yes. It's what that scripture says. We know that we've obtained the thing that we've desired of him. Okay, so now here's where I'm gonna go with this message. Because that little term, God's will, mucks up everybody. And here's the thing, because the Bible uses that language in all sorts of different ways. And if we don't realise that, we will start thinking God is saying one thing when he's saying something completely different. Let me show you. So here are the different ways that God's will is expressed in the Bible. And I'm gonna have five of them. So those of you who are taking notes, I'm gonna have five little points here. The very first thing, what is God's will? God's will is everything that brings pleasure to God's heart.

That's the very first point. And let me take you to a passage that so many people quote. And honestly, I'll speak theologically for a moment. They don't realise this is one of the expressions of God's will. 1 Timothy, chapter two, verses one to four. And tell me if you've heard this passage preached about, spoken about. First of all then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now there's a teaching that is gaining ground in Australia. Unfortunately, America sneezes and the world catches cold. So it comes from here. And the teaching that's getting around is that everyone gets saved, like everyone. Well, unfortunately, Jesus doesn't believe that but this passage, it just said that God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Well, if that's his will, then it must happen. So here's the thing. First point, God's will is everything that brings pleasure to God's heart. Would it please God's heart if there was a massive revival broke out in Johnson City, Elizabethton, Fall Branch, like Bristol, would it bring pleasure to God's heart? Yes, absolutely. Well, it's allowed to be a. Simple as that, so go for it, you know. You're praying for someone, you're praying for yourself, for healing. Would it bring pleasure for the crippled, would it bring pleasure to God's heart for the crippled to stand up and walk? Yes, it would. You know, so we're asking these questions like, is it God's will to heal me? It's allowed to be as simple as, if I was miraculously healed right now, would it bring pleasure to God? It's allowed to be that simple. And so go for it. So that's the very first one, everything that brings pleasure to God's heart. The second one is the will of God is everything that expresses God's righteousness. So come back with me to Micah chapter six. Micah, Hosea, Joel, Amos.

What's after Amos? Obadiah? Amos, keep turning. No, it's Jonah. No, it was Obadiah, I got that right. There you go. After Jonah is Micah, righto. I knew a guy who had a trailer, he called the trailer Nahum, because it follows my car. It just. Micah six, verse eight. He has told you, oh man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with God. This is an expression of God's will. Like, so when Moses is up on the mountain, and he's going to give an expression of his will, this is my will. And what does he do? He gives us 10 commandments. Like, I mean, that's for another whole message as to what that means for us today. But it's just the fact that God didn't actually say, well, you got to have a banjo, you got to have fiddle. Like, there was no Dobro. Like, what's gone wrong there? This place has gone to the pack, it just.

Like, he doesn't express how we're supposed to worship. He expresses how we're supposed to live. Like, so everything that expresses God's righteousness is God's will. So clearly, if I'm not expressing his righteousness, if the prayer that I'm praying is not a righteous prayer, then it's not God's will. Okay. Third one. God's will is his specific purpose for your life. So come with me now over to Romans. Romans chapter 12. And Romans chapter 12. I'll read the first couple and then I'll go into a little bit further on. He says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. And then he goes on, like in verse three, for the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more holy than you ought, but to think soberly. And so he's going to unpack that a bit

and then he's going to show us what he means by that, verse six, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, in proportion to our faith. If service, in our serving. The one who teaches, in his teaching. The one who exhorts, in his exhortation. The one who contributes, in generosity. The one who leads, with zeal. The one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. So God has specific plan for each one of us. Like, here I am, a preacher, a teacher. You. probably are not called to do what I do, like we all have different gifts. I'm not a particularly good encourager. If you want encouragement, you talk to Christine, you know. If you need encouragement and you come to Passerine, you're probably likely to get an instruction list of what you need to do and how stupid it was that you got to where you are anyway. And all the non-encouragers said yes. Like we're all different, you know. I am not a worship leader unless it is their power. Like we cut an album, the first album, when was that, 21? And we were in the old building down there in downtown Johnson City and the worship team put like the worship team off the platform and they were on the floor and everybody and we just kept it there for some weeks if not months. And so the worship team would be like in the middle here. We're all just around and I'd be like seriously, I'm a foot behind Zach and he's got me in his ear and he's just like, it's a real challenge for him to keep focused, you know. I do remember one time I think I just started my own harmony and Zach just like turns around and just like, okay, yeah, we'll go with that. And I found myself accidentally leading which is not a good thing because it's not a gift. Some people need to realise that. It's okay. So what's God's will? God's will for your life? Well, God's will for your life might be very different. Can you see we're talking different

things right here? God's will for your life, whatever would bring pleasure to him. God's will for your life, whatever is bringing, expressing his righteousness in your life. God's will for your life, like whether he wants you, you know, to be married, to be a teacher, to drive a truck, you know, just like, you know, pump gas, like just all the different things that he has for us. Okay, fourth one. God's will is the restoration of what is ruined and I'm going to go back to a favourite passage in Isaiah chapter 53. Great passage, Isaiah 53, the Suffering Servant. It's so pointedly, this chapter is so pointedly talking about Jesus that in the late 1800s and up to the mid-1900s, it was believed amongst the many theologians that Isaiah 53 was written by a Christian well after the time of Jesus because it's too good and so if you don't believe in prophecy, then you're looking at it right clearly in front of your face and of course then they found the Dead Sea Scrolls and there was the And of course, then they found the Dead Sea Scrolls and there was the Great Isaiah Scroll, like one of the parchments that they found was an entire scroll of Isaiah's Gospel, Isaiah's Gospel, Isaiah's prophecy, written midway between 1 and 200 BC and Isaiah 53 is in there. Let me look at a couple of verses, verse 10. For the mountain, I better be in chapter 53, would be better, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Jesus. Well, let's just stop and think about that for a moment because if it was the will of the Lord to crush Jesus, I really don't think that was bringing pleasure to the Father's heart. Maybe the outcome of it, definitely, but in the moment, this is not a fun time for God the Father, but it was the will of the Lord to crush him. Did you know that sometimes God will do things that bring him pain. Not everything he does brings him pleasure, but for the joy set before him, Jesus will endure the cross and offer himself through the person of the Holy Spirit. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. When his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. It's the will of, it's the will of God is to restore what's been destroyed and ruined. Well these are all

just very different ways of, we're hearing that expression, the will of the Lord. Here's one, number five. God's will is his eternal predestined plan. Over to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1, just after Galatians. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 11 and 12 says this, in him, that is in Christ, in Christ we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Like, just stop and think about that for a second. Having been predestined, that means the destiny is set beforehand, it's pre-destiny, so it's not like God's making it up as he goes, he's actually set the journey. He's gone onto his Google Maps and he's actually put the target on, which I had to do this morning because I got lost 50 meters from the turn off Milligan Highway and it's just like, and once I realized where I was, it's just like, oh you idiot. Like God sets the destiny beforehand. Having been predestined, it's the word that preachers don't want to preach about because it's the curly one and guess what, in two weeks we're going to talk about that. Well you're not going to miss now, spot the heresy. Quick, make sure Kashif is here. Having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. He works it all out, he works all things according to the counsel of his will, not yours, he's not bending to circumstances, he works all things, he's got this figured out beforehand. Jesus on the cross was not God's oops, what are we going to do now? Like he was always, there was never a plan B, there was always a plan A. Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world, before the world was even made, before Genesis 1 verse 1. It was already in God's predestined plan that Jesus would go to the cross for us. And God is just directing traffic, whoa, like where do you go with that? Verse 12, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. Like I mean, that was our role in it. We got swept up in this cosmic, wonderful, predestined plan for a purpose and that purpose was actually to be for the praise of his glory. So that should just change the way we live our life, I

We're okay. So here is where we go with this one, because we've got everything that brings joy to God's heart, we've got everything that expresses his righteousness, we've got his specific purpose for your life, we've got the restoration of what's ruined, and we've got his eternal predestined plan. Can you You see that if you mix the terms up, you will start, you will tie yourself up in knots. And I've seen people do it. When we don't realize what God's will means within its various contexts, then it seriously screws us up. Example, Isaiah 53, we just read that. Did it bring joy to the father's heart? No, it didn't, but was it his will? Yes, it was. So, but we just said that God's will is everything that brings joy to his heart. Yeah, it's just like in the right context, that's true, but not in every context. And that's the path that we get called to walk. And that's why we need the Holy Spirit with us. What about this one? God's will for my life. I've actually met this one. Like, I'm just gonna speak to you now as someone who's been in ministry for longer than most of you have been alive. And I'll say this to you. One of the common things that I've dealt with amongst good-meaning Christians is, you know, I'll use you as the example, Josh.

Okay, God has called me to play the banjo. And it's just like, and next minute, you are badgering Pastor Zach. Like, you're just like, on his case, I've gotta be up there. Because I'm not allowed to bury my talent. Because if I bury my talent, Matthew chapter 24, or is that 25, can't remember. But like, if I bury my talent, then I tell you what, I get assigned to outer darkness, and I better not do that, because this is God's will for my life. And it's because what he's doing is he's suddenly taking God's specific purpose for him, but he's mixing it up with God's predestined plan. Like, and I better get this one right, because if I stuff this one up, then God is not happy. And so you get people who start pushing themselves forward. I've met this with budding preachers. I've met it here at the altar. One of my favorite talks, as preachers would come to this church, and I don't know half of you here, so maybe some of you are, you know, ordained in one church or another, and I would sit down with them, and I would be talking with them, and I would give them my speech. And what's my speech? My speech is, it's the buried speech. Like, you know, and I would talk to them about, you know, Jesus said, if a grain of wheat

just stays like that, it's just a grain of wheat. But if it's planted, then it will grow up and produce 50, 60, 100-fold. Like, you know, just like, fantastic. Now, my revelation in coming here, because when God sent us, Christine and me, over here, you have to understand, I was, like, really well-known in Australia. I've written many books, and I would speak in many conferences, and, like, you know, just be invited all over the place to bring what I bring, whatever that is. And I'll tell you what, when I came here, my role is to support Pastor Matty. And it's not to promote Pastor Ian. My role is to be sitting in that second seat, right there, and saying, yeah, that's right, whenever Pastor Matty said something, like, really profound. But when Pastor Zach, I've worked with so many worship leaders, I have never met any that have such an amazing turn of phrase as your worship director here. Like, he's a wordsmith as much as a worship leader. And, like, but what's my role? I'm just like, that's good. Like, I'm just basically being, like, a gray hair, and just saying, that's good. That's good, boy, you're doing good. Like, you know. And it just, like, it just, it raises the field.

But how many times would I be on the platform? On Sunday? I don't know. By the end, I was probably more on than at the beginning. But, like, honestly, I don't think I spoke more than one every two months. But, like, here was my revelation. The grain of wheat gets planted. It feels like it's being buried. And it has no idea if it's being buried into its death or it's being buried into its future. It feels exactly the same. So I would sit down with pastors who come, and they move state to come here, thinking that this platform would be the launching pad for their ministry. And I would sit down with them and I'd just say, well, I'll tell you what, if that's what you're coming for, you're gonna find that you're gonna die here. And you gotta be prepared for that. Because if God wants to actually bury you, not plant you, if he wants to bury you, so long as that's what he wants, that's what he gets. And so it's kind of like, when you feel that you have a gift or a call on your life, you gotta watch it that you don't try and promote yourself. And it's because you're misunderstanding God's will. Like you actually might be gifted as, I don't know, a schoolroom teacher. But at this point in your life, there's just not the capacity for it.

And this may be a season where you don't. You know, maybe you're a mom and you've just had another child. And you know, and it's just like, maybe this is your season to raise your kids. Like this is not the season to promote your ministry. Like it's just, it's all okay. Because like when you're in your 20s, when you're in your 30s, you just think you gotta do everything now. You don't realize that in 30 years time, you're probably still gonna be around the place. And you're gonna have a lot more time up your sleeve than before. There you go. Even that little kid just says, that is so good, but mom, I want you to be my mom. How about this one? I've heard this one. Oh, well, like God works all things according to the counsel of his will. God made me this way. And it's, he made me this way. Does it express his righteousness? Ooh, maybe not. Like, can you see how when we mix them up, the five, we get everything wrong. And we just think, you know, the house collapsed in the storm. It's just like, oh, well, it's the will of God.

Just like, did it bring pleasure to him? Like, yeah, we left the country and next minute you've got that massive, like, hurricane go through. Like, doesn't make sense in our world. Because in our world, we have cyclones. It's the same as a hurricane. It just spins the other way. Because we're on the other side. That actually is true. It really is true. Your toilet does spin the wrong way here. And it messes with your head. But I won't give you a physics lesson on that one. We won't talk about Coriolis forces. But here it is. And there was all this crisis happened around here. Well, see, when we conflate all the different ways of looking at God's will, we can start thinking, oh, well, this is God's eternal plan over Irwin. You know, oh, well, yeah, well, of course, it's Irwin. You know, it's those people living up in the hills. Probably moonshine up there. Probably making crack up there, I would imagine. Like. I've seen some of those trailers, you know, it's just like, it ain't good, and we're mixing it all up, and it stops us from actually doing what I was really proud of you guys, like you know, just suddenly rallying everything, and it was awesome to behold from Australia, and like, you know, just what was going on there. I imagine there are still people suffering,

just by the by, it doesn't go away within six months or something, but the fatalists would get it wrong, and it's just because they're basing everything on Ephesians 1.11. How about this one? The prayer went unanswered. It can't be God's will. Boy, let's be honest, probably all of us in the room have concluded that at one point or another. It didn't get answered, so it can't be God's will. I was speaking at a conference once, and one of the guest speakers at the conference, famous Pentecostal teacher, actually, over here in the States, in one of your big seminaries, and he was there with his wife, and she's American, and at the end of my session, and I'd been talking something about the Holy Spirit, can't remember what, something about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I mean by that like healing and miracles and prophecy, interpretation of tongues, it's just like those kind of things, and at the end of a conference session, there's always people who want prayer for one thing or another, and so I've been ministering to people, and now everyone's gone because we're having a break, and I notice back over there, there's the guest speaker and his wife. Like have they been in ministry for decades? So no, I have no idea what they're sitting, what they're doing here. Maybe they're just enjoying the atmosphere, which I kind of get, you know, sometimes you don't want to be with all the people, and you just want to just sit, you and Jesus, you don't even want to pray, you just want to be. So I sat down in front of them, turn around, like, so what are you guys here for? Are you just sitting, or do you want prayer? And he says, well, actually, he said, we'd like some prayer, and I'm just like, well, okay. It's not often that you get to pray for the visiting speaker, like the conference speaker, they're usually doing all the ministry. I'm just like, oh, okay, so what are we praying for? And she says, look, she says, I've just never spoken in tongues. And she said, I've prayed so many times, I've prayed, I think she'd prayed something like for 15 years. And she said, I've just never spoken in tongues. And she says, I've got all the big wigs in America. Is that actually an expression over here, a big wig? Like you get that? Okay, so I've had all the big wigs pray for me, all of them. And she says, nothing. And she says, doesn't God want to give me that gift? And I said to her, I said, all God's gifts are for all the people. And she says, I believe that. Well, how come he hasn't given it to me? I said, I don't know. I said, let's have her pray, shall we? And so, well, now she's been in ministry for decades. So you get someone like that to pray, and like she's praying,

like she can only pray in English, but she's praying. They're beautiful prayers. You know, they're not little repetitious, hallelujah, thank you, Jesus, hallelujah, Lord, help me, I'd like to do this, thank you, Jesus, hallelujah, Father, heavenly God. You know, it's just like, these were like serious prayers. And I said, okay, so what we're going to do is we'll pray. We're going to ask Luke 11, 13, It says, if you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? So we're gonna ask Him. So I'm gonna get you to ask Him. She's asking God for the Holy Spirit, just like, and beautiful praise, beautiful. And I said, okay, well, we're just gonna stop praying in English now because we're just going to assume that we've asked and He's gonna give it to us. How much more will He give the Holy Spirit? So we're just gonna believe that. Okay, I said, so we're just gonna, so pray. And then at some point, very soon, I'm gonna say, stop speaking in English, but keep speaking. And so she's like, so Heavenly Father, I'm just, thank you for this opportunity. And then Ian says, okay, now stop speaking in English, but keep praying. Nothing. Nothing. I mean, she was trying. Nothing, she got nothing.

And I'm just like, okay, like, she says, this always happens. And so I have a little encouragement to her. It's just like, look, it messes with the Western mind because we're taught in the West, part of the Western culture is that everything has to make sense. We say it in our language, be reasonable. Because reason is really important for us. That person is acting irrationally. Like, it's like, this is a big thing for us in all Western culture is the mind. It's gotta make sense to us. And speaking a language you've never heard before, you've never learned before, and yet you're going to speak it even though you don't know what that language is and you have no idea if you're even saying anything that makes any sense at all to God, but you're just gonna speak it. And it's just like, that does not make sense at all. Like, I mean, seriously, I'll just let you know, it doesn't make sense. And so I'm just like, well, what's going on? Like, so I give her an encouragement about that. So we pray again. And then I'm just like, okay, well, now stop speaking in English. And just the first sound that just like you feel to say, just say it, doesn't matter.

Just like, nothing. And I'm just like, I have this little thought within my mind, do you like singing? She said, oh, I love singing. I said, do you like, do you just invent your own songs? Oh, I love doing that. Like, I just love singing. I'm just like, okay, well, could you just make up a tune right now? Like, not with words, but just a ooh-ah. Like, I won't ruin the audio by giving an example because mine would not be pretty. But she just had this beautiful melody. She's just like a ooh-ah. Like, just, you figure it out. And I'm just like, I'm listening to her, and I'm just like, that's beautiful. I said, now just put some shape to it with your mouth and with your tongue. And instantly, this beautiful tongue, this beautiful tongue. She's in tears. See, just because you've got a prayer that goes unanswered doesn't mean that God is saying no to you. You gotta know his will. And if you know his will, that he wants to fill you with his Holy Spirit, and he wants to give you all of his precious gifts, then maybe there's a journey that we need to walk on in order to step into that reality.

I'm always amazed that Jesus told his disciples when in the resurrection, and just as he's about to ascend into heaven, he says to them, stay in Jerusalem until you're clothed with power from on high. Did you realize it was about 10 days later, seven to 10 days, depending on how you do your calculations, but it's a week later that suddenly you get Acts chapter two and you've got them all there. They're still there. They're all gathered together. They don't know what to do They don't know what to expect. They don't know what's going to happen. But Jesus said, stay in Jerusalem until you get it. Now, they could have said after day one, well, I'm here, how come nothing's happening yet? Oh, maybe I am clothed with power from on high, and just invent it. Or what happens after day four? You know, there were 500 people saw Jesus, and there's only 120 of them in the upper room when this happens. Like, where's the other 380? They've gone home. Why? Well, because, well, clearly, we can't stay here forever. Like, how long is this gonna take? Maybe we missed it. Maybe God did clothe us with power from on high,

and we just didn't recognize it. We just need to get on and do the job. And yet, on that particular day, for those that stayed there, see, the answer was always yes. But there was a process to step into it. And maybe you're going through a process right now. Right now, you're going through a process, where, and it might be for all sorts of reasons of what God is doing with you, and he might not even share with you what it is. But we just go with it. I reckon that's an important one for people who have got, like, an outstanding, outstanding, not an outstanding, but a not-happening prayer for healing. It's just like, are we gonna give up after two prayers, three prayers, four prayers, five prayers, six prayers, seven prayers, 20 prayers, 200 prayers, 1,000 prayers? Like, because how many people have I met that they won't pray again about their significant medical condition, because when it doesn't happen again, it'll just be another disappointment? And hope, sorry, hope deferred makes the heart sick. That's in Proverbs somewhere. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. And so you'll meet people who don't pray again, simply because they're trying to protect their heart

from being disappointed yet again. And it's just like, we're misunderstanding the will of God. That's what it's saying to us. Just keep praying, keep praying, like you keep praying. And maybe you go to your grave. Look at that. Maybe you go to your grave having not received the thing that you prayed for. Guess what? You just look like one of the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Like, I mean, that Jesus commends, because they're doing His will. How about a work opportunity just came up. Is it God's will or not? And people get like all confused. But they should just ask simple questions. If I took this job opportunity, would it bring pleasure to the Father's heart? If I took this opportunity, would it be a righteous step? Like in other words, have I sought like counsel from trusted people? Have I taken wise, humble? That was Micah 6, 8, you know, do justly, love kindness and walk humbly. Am I doing this humbly? Am I doing it kindly? Like, just like am I considering those around about? Like just, it's allowed to be that simple

rather than is this God's will? Is this God's will? I better get it right, because if it's not His will, do you want to know something? In the book of Revelation in one of the churches, Jesus says to one of the churches, He says, behold, I open doors that no man can shut and I shut doors that no man can open. Do you know what I found? If you don't know that this opportunity in front of you is God's will or not, if there's a door in front of you, do you know what I've discovered? So long as you're being humble and wise, so long as you're going by doing the right path, and this is, you know, an expression of righteousness, and you've looked at all of that, try the door. Because God knows, if He had. He hasn't told you, yes, you must do this job. Like, if he hasn't said that, then try the door. And if it opens, go through it. Yeah, but what if it was wrong? If it was wrong, he'd slam it in your face. He shuts doors that no one can open. He opens doors that no one can shut. Get myself confused there. How about this one? The salvation of loved ones. And, you know, the predestination debate comes in then. Maybe they're not chosen.

Well, you go through the list. Would it bring pleasure to God's heart if your wayward son, wayward daughter, your wayward work friend, your neighbor, would it bring pleasure to God's heart if they came to repentance? Yes. Would it be an expression of his righteousness? Yeah, it would, because it would honor the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And it would say that there really is power in the blood. Yeah. Would it fit with his specific purpose for that person's life? Well, certainly wouldn't be against it. His specific purpose for their life would not to be, you know, a drug dealer. So, you know, and if they got saved, then they might end up having to change their profession. But it's like, that's, would it restore what was ruined? Yeah. Would it be his eternal predestined plan? And here is my little encouragement for you who are dealing with that one. Do you know Jesus? Are you in him? Are you one of the redeemed? Has God made a covenant with you? If your answer to that is yes, God has made a covenant with me,

do you wanna know that that means that God made a covenant with you? It wasn't just you saying yes to Jesus, because this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us. Paul says, I think it's in Galatians, now that you know God, or rather are known by him. The truth is that it started with him, because there is such a thing as an eternal predestined plan. And you are caught up in that eternal predestined plan. You are, unbelievably so, you are caught up in covenant relationship with a God who makes covenant. And he doesn't play with that covenant. He is committed to you more than you are committed to him. He is so committed to you, because he has cut a covenant with you. And here's the thing, you can now pray for those people that are closest to you. Maybe, as I said, a wayward child, and they are your child. And in your relationship with God, you can bring your covenant relationship with him to bear. God, I am in covenant with you. It's not just that I love you and serve you, but I'm in an actual agreement between us. There is a contract that you initiated and I signed. And God, that must make a difference for my children, for those that are closest to me. That must make a difference for them.

It must, because I'm in covenant with you, and that child is in literal relationship with me. Now, God, I know that for the most part, you don't do what you did with Saul of Tarsus, blind them and make them fall off their donkey or their horse or whatever it was. Like, for the most part, you don't do that with people. But I am praying for this. specifically and I am in covenant with you and I'm expecting that what that means is that you will go to extraordinary lengths to give that one and offer that they won't refuse. You will go to extraordinary lengths and God I understand, I understand that I'm praying something that is very scary for my child because I know that if you go to extraordinary lengths and they do not repent then it's actually worse for them because to him who much is given much is expected and it's just like so I understand God that my prayer is a frightening prayer but I'm praying it because I am in relationship with this one, they're mine and I'm expecting that my covenant with you has an implication to them. Now that way I am praying that way based on Ephesians chapter 1, God who works all things according to the pattern, according to the purpose of his plan. I am now back in the beginning of this sermon I am now on the Alfred Hitchcock movie and I am interceding to the producer for someone who's in the movie with me and I'm saying God I'm expecting that the script is going to be good and I'm believing for it and I'm not going to be moved by what I see because I tell you what if you ever do pray that prayer for someone who's very close to you chances are they won't tell you what's going on, chances are they won't tell you the dreams they're having, the encounters they're having, they just they'll keep all that from you, they won't tell you that someone just joined their work team who's full-on believer like they don't just they won't tell you that they're secretly started reading the Bible, they won't tell you, you won't know, you won't know until the last hurrah.

So God we thank you that you're in charge, we thank you that you have good things for us and there are many things in our world that would bring pleasure to you if we stepped into them and we just embrace that with freedom, we thank you Lord, we thank you that you've clothed us with your own righteousness, thank you that we're righteous now, not in our own works but because of what you have done on the cross, we thank you for that and we just delight to be who you've called us to be and to step into the wonders of your righteousness, we want to thank you that you've got plans and purposes for all of us and we just thank you that we'll take the opportunities that are in front of us and we won't push our way but we'll let you promote us and it's all gonna be good and God we just want to thank you that you restore what's broken and there are things even as we're praying right now, Lord I know that there are people in this room right now and there are broken things in their life, marriages, relationships, children, their workplaces, I know that there are brokenness in here and God you delight to restore what's ruined and so bring that to bear in their life and for those of us who've got friends, family, workmates, very close people to us, very close, who are far from you, then Lord we intercede for them and that your mercy would overflow for them in Jesus' name, amen. Amen, well God bless you and time for a break, coffee, whatever and I will see you at another time. WAIT FOR IT... Oh