Humility, Dependence, and the Power of Worship

"God helps those who humble themselves so let's talk first about the warrior you'll hear that song sometimes this is how I fight my battles this is how I fight my battles it's it's a warrior it's a person who who recognizes that there is a battle going on and i like what elisha pray that open the eyes of my servant Lord so that he can see what's going on in the spiritual realm I'm convinced that if God would open your eyes to the spiritual realm you would fall on your knees and begin to pray prayer would be your daily staple before breakfast before Starbucks before 300 milligrams of caffeine brewing you would be you'd be praying because God would open your eyes you see the demonic realm that's what's after my family that's what's after my marriage that's what's after my children Oh God but then he had also open your eyes like you did in Elijah's occasion you see the angels of the Lord encamped about you holding fiery swords I'm sure and they're there there's this battle and it's so ironic because this battle we can't fight like we think we fight Navy SEALs and the Marines and let's fight it doesn't work that way this battle you're calling down heaven you're pulling down strongholds it's like prayer and worship are the only thing that engage this spiritual host of heaven Lee's against some spiritual hosts of wickedness that's why the Bible says pulling down strongholds casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ bringing every thought into captivity and there's a spiritual battle going on so we had are called to be warriors and you can see this from mark 14 37 there's a whole bunch I could have taught on this whole opening where Jesus is in the garden and different things but I just want to get to the point here then he which is Jesus came and found them sleeping and said to Peter Simon are you sleeping couldn't watch and pray lest you enter into temptation the Spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak there's so much here and Jesus goes on to get again to say watch watch that term watch is throughout the Bible watching the spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak well what is willing mean well the Spirit of God is a willing participant what does that mean well he will he will willingly participate with you see the Holy Spirit participates Lord I want to go in this direction out when the flesh is weak I don't want to listen to the flesh I want to go to morning worship but did you know we have a third service ok 6:00 a.m. 6:30 in the morning whenever you like here there's a third service going on no preaching just the Word of God just music and God's preaching but anyway Holy Spirit I want to go so he's a willing participant he's willing but the flesh is weak so who prevails the flesh and that's in all areas of life I'm not just you know people say this she stopped beating up the Sheep well the sheep need spankin sometime right come on guys motivated so I'm not just gonna hang my hat on that early morning worship has to do with all forms of worship all types of seeking God with all of our heart with all of our strength so the Spirit is willing lord I want to do that so does the Holy Spirit but the flesh is weak and the flesh pulls us back it's interesting though he said here watch and pray it doesn't say he will keep you away from temptation he will let watching and praying allows you not to enter into it and I'll explain that in a minute so watching is this it's prepared it's armed you're cautious you're alert that's how you need to be as a Christian I have wonderful I have this wonderful analogy now you see all the spring flowers and all the green grass and when I go running out in the desert you know what I'm looking for rattlesnake right now I am looking for the next few months like this I'm walking circumspectly Paul says I'm guarded I'm alert and what does my if I bring my five-year-old in there shake some butterflies and just throwing things going all over no no no no no no watch out watch out that thing bites you I'm gonna claim the promise that no serpent nose knows no snake biting you is going to harm you I'm going to claim that but I still don't want to step on a rattlesnake but see that's how most people Christians live their Christian life chasing butterflies watching out they don't watch out for the lion who said to kill to steal and to destroy the thief the lion that comes after them you will never see in the Bible this image of a lazy lackadaisical aloof Christian because that's plays right into the ends and the plans of the enemy so watching Jesus says be prepared be armed be cautious be alert about what's going on and then he says praying what is praying do well praying gives me strength it gives me discernment and I say Lord what is your will so see it's this image of being prepared and cautious and alert and saying God give me strength God give me discernment God what is your will anybody need those prayers answered hello Lord what is your will for my children what is your will for my life what are you doing here give me discernment is this business deal something you want me to do is this mission trip something you want me to go on is this something you want me to purchase is this something and there's this praying and discernment of of what God's will is I guess I'm gonna go forward but there's a portion of this sermon I've been considering xìng and usually when that happens I'm not supposed to exit and the Spirit is willing but the flesh is leak weak and let me just shoot you straight we're not watching we're not praying this is what's not happening in our homes parents wake up what is coming into your homes Sarah doesn't need a self Mikey doesn't need to be addicted to minecraft and Frankie doesn't need to pick his own friends we are allowing the enemy to rule and reign in our homes remove the ungodly influences remove the ungodly influences in your home if you're able to remove that well chain that's a little hardcore you're the watchman you're the dad not the friend you're the mom not the shopping partner you're to be prepared and discerning and watching we have a we have many people have their their kids picking their own friends why don't really know them oh they're fine mom no they're not they're probably having them look at pornography and tasting alcohol twelve years old be careful you're called to be the watchman in your home that's exactly what's happening in our culture and people often say I don't know what to pray you I don't know what to pray you don't know what to pray pray over them god guard them from less God guard them from fear guard them from anxiety depression addiction eating disorders you name it God and begin to pray over their children over your grandchildren even even if they're not in your home take that position listen if the Bible is not what prayer says it is we might as well just step out of here and go eat lunch my house shall be called a house of preaching my house should be called a house of worship no my house shall be called a house of prayer that's how you're gonna defeat the onslaught of what going is going on our culture do you see the news now some airline is saying you can go on and get your flying tickets and you don't have to be a he or she you can be an X so if I'm sitting next to them on the plane I can't refer to he or she but gender neutral school districts Airlines what is the word we have lost our mind we've lost our moral compass and all of this much of this starts in the home people parents are allowing the Internet to raise their children they're allowing ungodly neighbors to raise their children or high school they're allowing all these things to raise their children raise their kids and I don't know if you saw recent statistics but now 50% of the younger generation thinks that socialism is a good thing well don't get political I'm not political that's biblical there's not free handouts that's not biblical cradle to grave entitlements is not biblical you work or you don't eat and if you work you work hard you work you work hard and God blesses that he doesn't bless laziness and slothfulness that doesn't lead to anything if you people that leave their kids millions of dollars destroy their kids see there's got to be hard work and integrity and God blesses that where are they learning this from the educational system the parents aren't involved what about praying over your kids can be filled with the Spirit of God be set free take away things if you need to who run who rules your house who leads your house you're called to be the watchman not the little one take that little device and you'll watch them scream and throw fit because that addiction is coming out it's no addiction than withdrawing and no different than withdrawing an addictive substance from an adult we have to watch our homes pray over them pray for safety Lord set them free give them strength and boldness I remember hearing a man who at home he would do this he would set up two chairs facing each other and he would sit in the one and he would say devil now you sit in the other now me you're gonna listen to me pray over my family pray over my marriage and he would pray the promises of God over his children the enemy can't do anything with that what does the devil do with that what he does is he gets you out of the prayer closet he gets you out of watching and being prepared and being alert and he dumbs us down but God calls us to that higher standard there is a difference right I had to I brought this analogy again I use this last night my daughter let me use her little pammer put up some pictures work pretty well but sometimes it's sometimes you this isn't gonna work this isn't gonna work sometimes you got to get out the big 25 pound sledgehammer and you have to say not in my house Delvaux not in my house here you've got to go through me before you get to it see this this works great on little nails it works great on little nails but if I'm going to break my concrete driveway that's not going to do anything that's actually going to break under the pressure and what you are facing the onslaught we are seeing today in our nation is it going to require this where you pound the enemy and it might take 20,000 hits I don't know but you come in you're ready for warfare this is how I fight my battles and the enemy says oh he came prepared he came prepared this is gonna this analogy has to shift your focus because there's so much there so little praying so little praying in the church you can actually gauge a church by its prayer meeting I've had one person for many of our large churches in our area one person maybe two they say there's no prayer meeting but and what do they what are the leadership say but look how we're growing look how big we are God must be moving no not necessarily you don't challenge people they'll come there's a form of godliness many times interesting though the Bible doesn't say watch and pray so you won't be tempted when Jesus said hear lest you enter into temptation what is enter entered as fall into I fall into temptation heels here's an illustration by : Smith this will help a lot of people here if you're dealing with temptation and you just can't overcome it listen to this imagine a salesmen knocking at your door you open the door and he tells you what he is selling at that point if you're not interested it's not hard to say sorry I'm not interested try the nice folks next door but suppose you let the salesman in and he sits down makes his presentation he shows you the product he talks to you about how much you need this and how much better your life will be if you have it some relationship begins to form and your mind and your heart become engaged now it's harder to say no is it not have you ever done this you you let them in whatever it is it got the solar companies coming to my door the vacuum a set of knives I don't need oh come on in once I let them you know that sounds good now I feel bad now I have to buy something because I feel bad versus just stopping them at the door this is what it means to enter into temptation here's how temptation works in all of our lives it knocks on the door it knocked on the door of Jesus O'Shea now you're getting blasphemous no the writer to the to the Hebrews said that he was tested he was tempted in all points as we are but was without sin he closed the door on the salesmen that's how temptation works it will knock at the door that's why the thought life is so important what we entertained what we allow to come in and we begin to entertain it well is that you good friend well I can just entertain it it's not dangerous yet is it remember how good I felt mmm that relieves some pressure maybe the person has changed now maybe if it's a relationship and you begin to entertain that guest and as your mind goes your feet soon follow and we open the door to temptation so prayer is the brick and the mortar to building a safeguard prayer is the armed guard always alert prayer is the roadblock preventing an accident so he's saying here watch and pray lest you enter into temptation now ad fasting to this and you just supercharge the engine come on guys you know a supercharger is you all want one you have to cut out a hole in your hood of your vehicle and you have this big blower sticking out with the supercharger and adding tons of horsepower what's the supercharge you're doing all it's doing is allowing more oxygen to go in and combust in the engine explode pulling in more oxygen so that's a prayer and fasting that's what you're doing you're pulling down more of heaven you're filled with the Spirit of God and when you go into somebody's life you can cast out that demon you can say out of my child out of my house you have no authority here why because now you're filled with the Spirit of the Living God you didn't just get off for hours and Netflix watching a lot of junk wondering why your house is falling apart what and why your marriage is going down the toilet because you're not filled with the Spirit of God that's the difference maker see oh yeah you know now this is this has to be grabbed sometimes this has to be pulled out and said we now we're doing damage now I'm going to take down I'm going to pull down those strongholds in my home and in my own personal life you are called to fight see this is not popular you are called the fight passivity is not an option facility is not an option we don't want to tell Christians that you are in a battle you're called to fight Joel Steve's not going to say this Andy Stanley's not going to say this many big mega searchers are not gonna say this they have to well construct a sermon so it doesn't pierce the heart too much too much conviction too much sin or they'll run to the front doors but you have to get before God said what does your word say show me one scripture after the service it says we are going to be passive Christians from here on out are you following the news on what's going on in Africa Christians by the dozens are being slaughtered right now right now last week raping their children and killing them in front of them killing them for their faith right now oh our blessing has become our curse we are so comfortable it's led to complacency and then the next group here is God helps those who become worshipers aw Tozer said that we make new converts into workers rather than worshippers then somebody asked me wait wait a minute wait a minute you missed one weaver warrior worshiper and worker come on ironically they're a worker isn't that funny but when you're a weeper a warrior and a worshiper you will become a worker by default you have it's part of you and there's so many workers that are not worshipers they're not weepers they're not filled with the Spirit of God one of the policies we have here it doesn't work as you know all the time but we want those who work here those who serve here to be in the services to be involved and be built up because you can be a worker and slide away from God rigid going through the motions we're not called to be workers primarily we're called to be worshipers Oh Martha Martha worried about much to do but your sisters worshiping me and then as you worship God you become a worker and we need more workers don't get me wrong I actually visited a hospital home in East Lancaster Saturday or Friday a friend of mine many years ago is dying of congestive heart failure he knew my father and I talked with him and and I talked to the owner of that home and said hey we'd love to bring the church in and add it to the list and then once I contacted Rianna who helps oversee the scheduling guess what she said she's right on we don't have enough can you believe that I just tell this lady we've got a church it can come by and minister to you she's like oh that would be so great that would be incredible but we don't have enough workers so basic I have to tell her we can't we can't a church this size cannot go and invest a little bit now many people do please don't understand I understand my heart this way these kind of messages are so hard for me because on one hand I want to build up and on courage but in the other hand sometimes you got it you got to rally the troops even if you can go once a month we need people to work and help in these areas so the worship are back to the worshiper I shared with you if you were here last week and one of my greatest burdens one of my greatest burden let me tell you you know some of them I mean one is to see people dying of dying spiritually with living water right here but another great burden I have is so many people especially over the years now that aren't here anymore they say I attended Westside oh I attended Westside but they never experienced God can you imagine that I attended church but I never experienced God and of course the famous verse for this is Matthew 15 22 and behold a woman of Canaan came from that region cried out to him saying have mercy on me have mercy on me can you picture this woman Oh Lord son of David have you ever had a daughter or sons demon-possessed it's horrific demon-possessed they're not who they were a little little Sally playing with dolls at five and at fifteen she's tormented you'll lose sleep over it what's going on so she comes to Jesus and says have mercy on me son of David but what he answered her not a word and this is where many people go South instead of the right direction well find then I knew you couldn't help anyway God has it out for me listen there's a time in everyone's life including mine quite often where God answers not a word not a word but we can learn from her and his disciples came and urged him saying send her away for she cries out after us I think it was Brian or al explained last weekend it was so true that not only did Jesus not answer her now his disciples are belittling her and telling her to leave have you ever had others come against you when you're seeking God that just adds icing to the cake like job's wife jokes wife's a curse God and die what kind of spouse is that so God's not answering now the world's against you you think she would run away and cry and get bitter at God but he answered and said I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel so Jesus is saying I was not sent to you woman you're a Samaritan you're a Gentile I know she's a Samaritan no come--as but she was a Gentile Canaanite possibly from the Atlanta Kanan and I'm not I wasn't sent to you I was sent for my people did she give up then she came in what worship him saying lord help me Lord help me see that needs to be our model God you're not listening and you but you still come to and say god lord help me God's attracted to worshipers that's it that's a cry God will not pass by he listens for the praises of his people he listens for the worshipers when they stand even in the midst of a storm and they stand there as the thunders thundering and the rain is pouring down on their heads and they stand there and they say even in this storm I will praise you I will worship you God says I hear that person that worshiper I will help it might not be yes right away but I will help I will listen and maybe in that storm I'm teaching you I'm breaking you I'm molding you I'm shaping you it's so ironic I'm just gonna brag on the worship team for a minute but so many people comment on on our worship team and Brian even said how do you have so many talented voices and and why they they're anointed and I always think you want to go through what they went through you want to fight what they fought from cancer to demonic influence the different things see and often the anointing comes from tremendous pain the pastor just can't anoint himself with his degree that's not an anointing anointing comes from this brokenness where God breaks a person and out of that God says okay now the clay pot is now back in the hands of the Potter you want to be a vase or of us if you're in France you want to be a vase no I've called you to be this and God begins to reconstruct and she came and worshiped him God has attracted to worshipers and I'm preparing for Easter message I like to get something in my heart weeks prior and I said oh God this is incredible I just read I think it was Friday I'm ending one of the Gospels I tried to just keep going through the gospel so I'm always in the Gospels I just want to hear what Jesus is saying and he gets to this and the Bible says who did he appear to the first time did Jesus appear to these men marry in whom he cast out seven demons so this woman who he cast out seven demons she sets free Jesus comes back to her he appears to her first after the resurrection and she was a worship receive God is attracted to worshipers he's attracted to those where there's no deceit and then were there where they're not double faced where they're not hip-hip recruits whether they're worshipping so do you need God's mercy this morning then worship Him worship Him there's so many hymns and songs have came out of pain one one is a new song right now many churches seeing miracles you're the god of miracles do you know he wrote that after his baby died I've told you about the song before the well well known him it is well with my soul it is well with my soul as he's going back over the ocean and there's a spot his daughters drowned and you're gonna write a hymn I see billows what role and they come over keep my ear as well it is well with my soul what a friend we have in Jesus you remember that one what a friend we have in Jesus the guy who wrote that was on horseback I think in 1800s came on to a creek and he was behind his soon-to-be fiance and she was fell off the horse hit her head on a rock or something and died she's laying right there in the creek meet someone else that fiancée dies before their wedding day of an illness and he writes what a friend we have in Jesus have you heard the to God be the glory or all the way my Saviour leads me all the way my Saviour leads me that's it that's one that many churches do that was that was put together by Fanny Crosby she was blind so was John Milton and George Mathis and oh love that will not let me go in William Wofford sweet hour of prayer all blind I don't know if you have problems but that would be it that would be a big challenge what about you you have a baby you can never see your child can you you can never see your child the features hold you can only hold them you can't see what they look like what but out of that pain can come tremendous anointing can come true from a tremendous love of God that's why you'll see many people worshiping with tears coming down their face sometimes at the altar because they know God is the one who set them free they know God is the one although I cannot see God you set me free I was blind spiritually but now I see and from that becomes a powerful worshiper what about Amy Johnson Flynn he giveth more grace God has not promised many him she was confined to her room with crippling arthritis for most of her life oh the great privilege of being a worshiper the great privilege guys it's a privilege it's a privilege to worship God so why are many people bored if there's something you'd rather go do other than worshiping something is wrong if it's the change you say another song doesn't you know what time it is I'd rather go I have to go shooting that movie starts in an hour King stomach is calling my name don't get me started when football season starts show me all the baseball game - but see there's something wrong in the heart a worshiper wants to work sure of course we've got other things to do but the worshiper there's something in your heart that wants to worship so God helps the worshiper he helps the warrior those who want to fight God's battle and warrior is Lord I'm on the same side as you what's going on in our culture I'm on the same I'm gonna fight these battles what's going on in our culture in our nation is a spiritual battle don't give up don't give up we say Pat Shane look what's happening it's everywhere it's ever you're right that's where God will often take an army of tens of thousands God says get rid of them get rid of them give me 300 men why so they're no flesh should glory in my presence nobody will get credit we look back and say but god but God he'll use the least likely how does he raise up possibly the greatest preacher to reach more people than the world has ever seen through Billy Graham through a farm boy with no education in the Carolinas he uses a foolish things that confound the wise and I've read his stories I've read his the moon it's one thing is certain he doesn't even know how he got there God decided to use me and that finally Oh God help us in this area god helps those who are weepers Luke 23 27 and a great multitude of the people followed him and the woman who also mourned and lamented it's this incredible image and when you when you think about what's coming up a resurrection day in a month or so and you think about the cross and the path to the cross and as Jesus is carrying this cross beaten bloodied and these women are weeping for him and mourning and lamenting but Jesus said what did he say he turned to them and said daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me but weep for yourselves and for your children now I don't want to take this text in a direction it's not meant to to be taken but the whole point is Jesus is saying there is coming a time or the judgment is gonna fall a God is gonna fall upon Jerusalem don't weep for me be weeping for you and for your children because you have disobeyed God you have drifted from the Messiah you rejected me here is the Prince of life coming to his own people and they've rejected the Messiah but there's a wonderful principle there because the condition of our nation the condition of the family the condition of everything that's going on should turn us into weepers we don't walk around crying that's it's interesting parallel here because we're called to be weepers but also joy-filled so in one hand we're weeping for the atrocities are taking place and Oh God and we're getting our hearts broken before him but then when we get up we're to be joy filled filled with joy it's not a dichotomy it's not Jekyll and Hyde it's it's the fruit of the Spirit operating in a position of brokenness and weeping why is weeping so important because weeping breaks up the stagnant Fountains of the soul you to feel the pain that we've caused maybe we've caused our children to our families or what's going on our nation how can we allow these things and look how ugly it's getting on this whole issue of abortion for example look how ugly it's getting now you have abortion doctors explaining how they do it and proud how they do it there's people on on the news on clips that I just bought if it's born alive I'll just break its neck doctors where's the weeping where's the Trivette where's the righteous indignation that says oh my god use us to stop this evil instead why don't we do that's not too appealing next YouTube video next YouTube next net oh yeah and we've become callous we've been things that should break us and cause us to weep and look at the condition of the family we've just become callous you don't think Christians become callous look at our entertainment choices what would have never been allowed in our homes 50 years ago is now welcomed and accepted callous and weeping is the only thing that sets us right back up on the right pedestal meaning Christ on the pedestal but it sets us right back up where we need to be a position of spiritual authority psalm 42 3 my tears have been my food day and night my tears have been my food day and night psalm 30 seeing praises to the lord you Sainz and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name for his anger is but for a moment his favor is for life weeping what weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning joy comes in the morning and it's interesting you can't just work this up because she wants me to cry and you know I mean let me try to be a wee poor how does that look it has to take place in your heart and you say God break my heart for the things that break yours God break me let me I want to weep I want to worship you and God begins to do a work in your heart sorrow is so important to our Christian faith not to live in it I look at sorrow as a springboard mmm into what God's called us to do often okay you get up because what happens when you're sorry or mad at something right you want to make a difference and I told you in down by the LAX Hilton I think was exhaling LAX many years ago 12 I don't even know how many years ago now I think I told you in a different sermon but I went and I heard about partial birth abortion I heard about what's going on nation I heard about ungodly legislation I wasn't even a pastor yet and I went back into my hotel room and I prayed I prayed I cried myself to sleep and I said oh God if you give me a voice I will not shut up I will cry out from the rooftop rooftop so I will be that voice crying in the wilderness but what where did it start I had to start with prayer stained pillows and sheets and weeping and getting good lord why how is this happening this is not right and from that there's a righteous indignation we're not even the enemy himself can stop you because you're filled with the Spirit of God but it had to be broken in the prayer closet we're weeping may endure but joy cometh in the morning there's pain and sorrow but there's wonderful advantage of being broken before God the church needs to be broken that you many of you need to be broken there's too much arrogance in this room there's too much pride you haven't shed a tear in years no wonder we're not seeing powerful moves of God I walked a mile with pleasure I walked a mile with pleasure she chatted all the way but let me none the wiser for all she had to say I walked a mile with sorrow and never word said she but all the things I learned from her when sorrow walked with me if we're so filled with pleasure and the things of this world we will be void of the Spirit of God we will quench and grieve the spirit of God watch and pray lest you enter into temptation the Spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak so I'm gonna end on that note if you're saying praise God that means you need to hear this message guys I don't know how else to wake the sleeping church we are being lulled to sleep solve the worship team come up I'm just gonna close in just a minute but also we talk I talk a lot of this is for believers but I also want to encourage people that don't know the Lord you can't you can't call god father if you don't call his son your Savior many our people say the man upstairs oh I know who God is you were in the church I know about God but is has his son saved you and set you free has God redeemed you do you truly know him or do you only know about him because you will never be a worshiper a weeper or a warrior for the things of God if your" [00:00:12]