The Greater Work - Week 1

What's his name? Amen? Amen, and amen, somebody give the

Lord a handclap.

It's good to be back with everybody this week, and

we're going to be moving into a new series today

called The Greater Work. We want to talk about over

the next few weeks. We're going to talk about prayer.

But I want to refocus in a maybe a different concept,

a different way than we, uh than we think about

prayer because most of us spend, if not all, a

majority of our prayer lives asking God for something.

Let me say that again. Maybe you, maybe, maybe that's

not you, but we spend.

Most of our prayer lives asking God for something, and

we think that's what prayer is. But the reality is

that's not. That's only a portion, a very small portion

of prayer. Because even even when we get down to

the prayer, to the bare.

Tax of it, God already knows owes our.

Needs before we present them to him. He doesn't even really.

Need you to bring your need.

He already knows your need, and he's already promised to

provide your need.

Let me say that again.

He's already promised to provide your need. He's already promised

that prayer is communication with God.

It's that constant contact.

Where we talk to God, where we receive from God,

and we have that open line of communication. The apostle

Paul says this. He says, listen, pray without cease, pray

without stopping. Always be in a manner of prayer. And

if we will always be in a posture of prayer

in our lives, it takes care of some.

Of the other crazy stuff that we do too.

Amen, if you're constantly understanding that, you've got to open

line with God, just the if you had.

Jesus on speedakerphone all the.

Time, you had it tucked in your pocket, you probably

wouldn't say some of the things you say to some

of the people you say them to. Amen, if you

really thought Jesus was listening. And the reality is he is.

It's an open line of communication. But we're talking about

intentionality in our communication with the Lord. So if you

got a Bible, go to Luke chapter twenty two. Luke

chapter twenty two, we're going to start reading in verse

thirty nine. Luke twenty two thirty nine, it says, coming out,

he went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed,

and his disciples also followed him. When he came to

the place, he said to them, pray that you may

not enter into temptation. Let me stop right here and

give you the backdrop of what's happening.

So this is Jesus.

He's moving into the garden of Gasseimine. He has been

with his closest ministry partners, with those disciples. He's been

there with them. They've just taken communion together. He's given

great revelation in that place. And now they've headed out

to the place of prayer. And we know that he

is just soon to be arrested. He's soon to be

beaten beyond human recognition. He's about to be spit on.

He's about to be mocked. He's about to be swung

from a cross and shed his blood for the remission

of our sins and endure a painful, painful death so

that we could be reunited with a holy God. He's

about to go through something that most of us will

never experience. And now we find him in the place

of prayer Verse forty one. And he was withdrawn from

them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, Father,

if it's your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless,

not my will, but your will be done. Then an

angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him, and being

in agony, he prayed more earnestly. Then his sweat became

like drops of blood falling down to the ground. When

he rose up from prayer and had come to his disciples,

he found them sleeping from sorrow. Then he said to them,

why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter

in to temptation.

Let's pray. Father.

We thank you for your word. It's the only change

agent on the face of the planet. And I pray

right now that you do a work.

So profound at the very fabric of our beag.

That we look back to this moment and we say

that is when my walk with Jesus changed, That I

saw something deeper.

That made me see things truer.

Lord, I ask you to bless our time together in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

You know, here's the thing that captured me. Although we're

not going to spend a lot of time about it,

is that that Jesus is praying.

He knows what he's about to endure.

Because he has a perfect picture of the future, and

he prays and then the Angel visits him, strengthens and

it says that.

He prayed more earnestly.

Now he had just said those words that scholars argue

and fight about what they actually mean. We for a

couple of thousand years we have argued over what was

he really asking the Father to take away what liight

ahead of him? Was he really asking his father to

spare him from that? And we have argued this point

of theology that it wasn't Jesus worried, it wasn't him

actually asking for a reprieve, And and there's great, great

energy and books and effort has gone into to.

Looking at that question.

But then it says that he prayed even more earnestly

than that, And we don't know what he prayed even

more earnestly than that. But the reality is is when

we look at this picture of prayer, it's a much

different picture of prayer than what most of us.

Do on a daily basis.

Amen, It's much different picture of that prayer than what

we do when we Now, I lay me down to sleep,

and I pray the Lord my soul to keep, And

if I should die before I wake, I pray the

Lord my soul to take You know, you don't need

to pray that if you're saved, because to be absent

from the body is to be present with the Lord.

What we need to understand is how I.

Come to him and I see significant change in my life,

not in the situations around me, Because if I could

respond differently, if I can respond differently than the world

in the situation I find myself in, that attracts attention

to Jesus. That becomes a testimony in a display of

His power and his love and his grace.

Not that I don't go through something, but.

How I go through it. That's what paints a picture

to the world. Prayers where God does the greater work

in you so that he can do the right work

through you. He does a greater work in you so

that He can do the right work through you.

See, when God truly.

Does something in you, then he can get something right

out of you.

Most of the time.

We are consumed with what should I do, what should

I be?

How should I this? How should I that?

And it's not a natural spilling out of our relationship

with Jesus because the things in us are not right.

But when He can get things right in us. He

doesn't worry about what comes through us if he can.

Fix what's truly in us.

Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth

speaks or the life responds. Out of the abundance of

the heart, what's in here is going to come out.

And if this is right, then that will be right.

When we read this, let me go back to verse

thirty nine again. It says coming out, he went to

the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed, and his

disciples followed him. When he came to that place, he

said to them, and listen to what he wants them

to pray. He says, pray that you may not enter

into temptation. Prayer is the workshop where formation happens. He said, listen,

here's what I want you to pray. I don't want

you to pray that my life is spared. I don't

want you to pray about who's the greatest. I don't

want you to pray about all of those things. What

I want you to pray about is that you would

not succumb or fall into temptation, not that you wouldn't

be tempted, not that you wouldn't have an opportunity to

make the wrong choice, but that you would pray that

when the opportunity comes, you make the right choice. He says,

let's fix our hearts on holiness.

I want you to.

Pray that you so clearly see the image of the

Father that sin repulses you, that those things that once

drew you, that those things that once enticed you, that

you have disdain for those things that I like to

say this way, I'd.

Rather eat dirt than sin.

That those things they're not appealing to me because my

heart is completely melded into the heart of the Father.

Leonard Ravenhill used this great quote. He said, a sinning

man will stop praying, and a praying man will stop sinning.

Now listen, I preach this.

I use that quote in a scripture a few years ago,

and it stirred up more. I don't know why people

got so mad. I don't know why people got mad.

I didn't even it's not even my quote. Come on, somebody,

people like you can't just because I pray.

I don't see it.

No, it's the spirit of this thing. I don't want

you to leave here and think all I need to

do to be like Jesus says, pray every day. What

He's saying is that the more I'm conformed into the

image of God, the more time I spend in the

presence of holiness, the more time I climb in the

lap of the Father and I start smelling like him.

The more I want to look like the world and

have the things of the world and be the things

of the world.

I want more of Him.

So that means I distance myself from those things that create.

Distance between me and Him.

That's true formation. It's when we pray God to help

me make the right decision. God, not fix my bad God,

don't you don't have to fix my bad decisions. I

just want you to keep me from making another bad one.

I'm willing to I'm willing. I'm willing to walk through

the consequences of what I walk through. But let me

have my eyes fixed on You so that next time,

so that as I onboard people into my journey and

I invite them into my life, that.

They see me make the right decision moving forward.

See, prayer is about formation, not about getting something from God.

Because if I get God, if I can clear up

my belief system and get my heart right, my natural

response to everything is a God response.

So I stop needing and wanting, and I just experience

because he's in control. Listen, Church, He's in control of everything.

If you will let him.

Have control, He's already moving and working. If you will

take your hands off the staring wheel. You know, if

I could sing, I would sing. I'd sing carry Underwood.

Right now, a faster Clay is inviting me to I'll

just let him have the will. I'm not gonna try

to sing it.

Amen.

Prayer is not about getting God to align with your plans,

but allowing your heart.

To align with his.

You know a lot of times we go do what

we want to do and then we invite God into it.

You know, we we we we see something good and

we go do it and then we say, God, jump

over here and bless it.

God. I you you know, my.

Heart, Lord, I just want to serve you, and I

just want to I just want to lift your name up.

I just want to make a name for you. So

I'm gonna go do this. Lord, I'm gonna go do this,

and I just want you to bless it. You know

that that concept reminds me of of the Apostle Philip

as he's leading this red Hot revival in Jerusalem, and

people are getting saved and healed and set free. And

the signs and signs and wonders are happening every time

they get together in corporate groups, whether it's a house

church or larger gatherings, and God speaks to him and

he says, listen, I want you to go. I want

you to go to the desert, and I want you

to sit by the road and I just want you

to wait. And Philip had to be thinking, No, God,

what I'm thinking about is starting another early morning worship service.

I'm you know, we need to go to two services

because we've got.

To get more people in the building.

And then I need to hire a few more people,

and I need to increase the staff, and uh, we've

got to have new chairs and go ahead and invent

air conditioning now, God, because it's hot and that now,

see God, that's.

What we need to be doing. Put it in your world. God, God, you.

Know what I need to do is, uh, I need

to become manager. So what I'm gonna do is I'm

gonna make up a story about that guy and get

him fired.

Because I can run things better.

And then, you know, if I have more money, I'm

gonna give more to the church.

So uh.

But what you you don't realize is you're not ready

for leadership. What you don't realize is you don't manage

what you got and if you have more, it's.

Gonna hurt you even worse.

And when you take that management role and you haven't

found those leadership skills, those people are going to crush

you and break you.

And you're going to turn.

To some crutch other than Jesus to self medicate all

the pressure that you find yourself under.

And God is keeping you right where you're at.

Because he loves you, not because he's mad at you,

because more money doesn't always equal more life. Prayers not

a back kiding God to align with your plans, but

allowing your heart to align with his. In Luke, chapter

twenty two, verse forty one, says that he was withdrawn

from them about.

A stone's throw.

He knelt down and prayed, saying, Father, if it's your will,

take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will,

but yours be done.

Jesus is wrestling with this whole thing.

He doesn't want I can assure you even the Son

of God walking in flesh does not want to endure

what's about to happen. His flesh did not welcome what's

about to happen. Now, the spirit part of him completely

knew what was at stake. The spirit part of him

completely knew, But he also knew that at the snap

of his fingers, every knee would bow and every tongue

would confess. He knew that with a scepter and with

an iron fist, he could stand up and he could

assume control and make everyone bow. But that wasn't the

plan of the Father. And he said, here's the thing, God,

I I want. I want if this is.

Really your will.

See he didn't say, he didn't say, not my will,

but yours be done. First thing, he says, If this

is really your will, I'm willing to do it.

He said, if this is.

Your will, I'm just double checking. I'm just double checking

because I need my heart to line up with your

heart so this is not as torturous as I know

it's going to be. I need my heart in alignment

with yours. And an angel the Lord shows up and

comforts him, and then he really starts praying, and it

says he prayed more earnestly, and.

He laid out every.

Every thought that he had, He laid out every other

idea that could possibly work come on somebody, and he

still came to the conclusion that the most important.

Thing is for my heart to be aligned with your heart. Father,

that if I can have.

Spiritual alignment there, even though this is going to be horrendous,

I'm going to get through it because I'll see your glory.

That on the other side, something greater than the temporary

pain and discomfort that I'm experiencing right now will be

the payoff that there is something greater. I want you

to know that no matter how hard things are right now,

there's something greater. There is something greater, because you're built

for more than.

What is happening in your life right now.

Alignment always brings an encounter with the new dimension of

God's glory. He said, not my will, but yours be done.

And then he prays more earnestly, and he gets up,

and this is what he listened. He goes back to

the disciples, and he looks at him and he says, hey,

wake up, wake up, and pray that you not enter

into temptation. He wakes them up. He says, pray the

same thing I just told you to pray, only do

it better this time. Only Stop saying your sorrowful.

And falling asleep. This is what he says.

Stop using your brokenness as an excuse to missing and

counter with the Father. Stop using your limitations as an

excuse to be changed by God. He says, Pray that

you enter, not into temptation. Stop saying, well, you know,

I'm stressed out God, so I just need four more twinkies.

I don't even have twinkies in my house. I'm fat

off potatoes and meat, chili and soup. He says, Hey,

everybody has an excuse, but there's a remnant. There's there's

a remnant that will push past it. There are a

few who are so hungry for alignment that they will

walk through the discomfort.

Into glory.

The greater work is transformation before assignment. Here's where we

have gotten it Here's where we've gotten it wrong. Here's

where the church has gotten it wrong. Is that we

think you should just go and start doing. But the

reality is is that it's important for you to see

transformation and renewal before.

You start doing. That hurts me so bad to say,

because I.

Need you to go do things. I need you to

put your hand to the plow. But if you get formation,

we don't need a program for you to do anything.

We don't need a system for you to do anything,

because you're just out there doing it. See, transformation is

before the assignment. The Bible says in Psalm forty six,

be still and know that I am God. He says,

be still, get on your knees, in your closet and

find out who I am. Because when you find out

who I am, it transforms who you are. That there

is no greater work than prayer itself. There is no

greater work than the inward renewal that God wants to

do in you and through you. There is no greater

work than being shaped and molded into God's image so

that we look a little more like him. You know

one of the pasca. You guys can come and get ready.

You know one of the most moving stories. And I'm

not I'm not moved by sad stories. I'm moved by

overwhelming overcoming odds. I can watch a sports movie where

you know, the guy that was throwing twenty strikes out

and I just cry like a baby. But sad stories

really don't move me. But one of the most moving.

Stories I've ever heard.

It's the story how the hymn I Have Decided to

Follow Jesus came about. It was written from by a

missionary in India about a man who had found Christ

and Christ transformed his life. And the elders of this

tribe they were angry that he was preaching the gospel

and people were being transformed, and they brought he and

his family. They had tom kneel in front of this

the entire village, and they told him, we need you

to recant of your faith in Jesus. And he said,

I'm not gonna do that. And they took his wife

and they separated her from the group, and they said,

if you don't recant, we're gonna kill your wife. And

he looks at that leader and he says those words.

He says, I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back, No turning back. They killed his.

Wife, they took his children, they separated him. They were screaming.

He said, here's your chance, recant. Where are you going

to kill your children? As his children were murdered, he

looked into heaven and he said, though none go with me,

still I will follow.

And then he said, we're going to give you one

more chance, and they put the blade to his throat

and they said racan't.

And the last words from this man's mouth were the

world behind me, the cross before me. I have decided

to follow Jesus.

No turning back and listen.

That sounds so awesome that in that moment he was

able to make that declaration. But I want you to

know that that kind of resilience is.

Not formed in the moment.

It's formed over years of silence and isolation, being formed

and renewed by God. It's in the moments of isolation

and obscurity where God so forms us on the inside

that we trust him to the level that we can

follow him like that.

If we wonder why we bend our knee.

At the slightest moment of inconsistency, it's because God is

not through forming us. God is not really through.

At the foundation of our being. He is not finished

with us.

We think we're a finished product, and then we've got

it made, but we must spend more time with Him.

And then when we're called on the carpet, when we

have to stand and make a declaration of faith or

our bodies respond in a moment of insecurity and fear

and overwhelm, it stands up and says, I have decided

to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. And

for some of you in this room, that sounded like

a horrible thing, that that man would let his entire

family die, and all he needed to do was recant.

And some of you even thought if he just would,

then he could go back home and he could tell

Jesus he was sorry, and Jesus would take him back.

And that's true.

But what you don't understand was that the Lord so

trusted him through those years of formation that he knew

the result that would happen would be so.

Overwhelming and bring so much life into darkness.

Because as we hear the rest of the story that's

not written in the song, it's the same leader of

the village who executed him and his family were so

overwhelmed by his dedication and loyalty to the Lord that

he gave.

His life to Jesus.

And then he led the entire village to repent and

turn their lives over to Jesus. And then a song

was written that so shook the foundation of men through

so many decades that thousands and thousands and thousands of

people turned their life to the Lord because of a

stand of man made born in those quiet moments of prayer.

And if that sounds foreign to you, maybe you've never

even truly met Jesus. You've never asked him to forgive

you of your sins, you never ask him to be

the lord of your life. But you want to be

able to stand for something. Listen, you're never going to

be You'll never live for anything until you find something

you can die for. And if you're here today and

you've never experienced Jesus, you've never asked him to forgive

you of your sins and be the lord of your life.

But today you feel something strange down at the heart

level of who you are, the Holy Spirit drawing you.

This is your moment with every head bowed and every

eye closed. If you're here today and you want to

invite Jesus into your life, you know you're far from him.

You know that if you die today, you don't have

the assurance of knowing and you would make it to heaven.

And maybe you've.

Been here for years, maybe you're serving on a team

and then a group, but suddenly the Holy Spirit is

awakened something and you know things are.

Not right between you and the Lord.

Or maybe this is your very first time and you've

realized that things are not right between you and the Lord.

This is your moment. So if you're here and you

want to invite Jesus into.

Your life, slip up your hand and say that's my

pastor pray for me. I want to surrender my life

to Jesus. Amen, I want things to be right when

I stand in that moment of conflict. I want to say,

no turning back, no turning back. I'm gonna wait just

a moment. The Holy Spirit's moving. Just put your hand

up and put it right back down. If that's you,

I want to I want to turn my life over

to Jesus. I want to repent of sin, those things

that I've allowed to creep into my life. Amen, every

eye open, every head looking around, everybody stand to your feet.

As if you raised your hand.

When you get down to the front, in just a moment,

I need you to tell the person you're praying with

that that you want to pray to receive Jesus. It's

important that you that you tell them that, or they're

going to pray for miracles, and I want you to.

I want them to be able to pray the right.

Prayer with you.

But now, if you're hearing, you would say, Pastor, I

want that resoluteness. I want that level of faith that

shakes the world like that's story. I want my heart

so aligned with the Father. But I need to overcome

some obstacles. I need to overcome some fear. I need

to overcome some shame and some guilt and maybe even

some anger towards God. I need to get past some

things so that I can step into that perfect alignment.

If that's you, in just a moment, I'm going to

count to three, because I believe there's a few world

changers in this room. I believe there are some some

world changers. I believe that God has given you the

assignment to really shake things in this community and beyond.

And if you want to step into that, this is

for you. If you want to be that world changer.

When I count to three, I want you to step

out and move on our alter team to come. Unless

you're planning on responding to the altar call, only count

of three. If that's you, give my life to Jesus

or I'm ready to take that next step and give

everything to stand in the gap and be a difference maker.

That's you.

On the count of three, I want you to step

out and don't look to see if anybody else is moving.

Just get out and go one, two, three, step out

and move right now. I want to be a I

want to be a difference maker. Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen,

Amen amen. Fears falling away, fears falling away, insecurity is

falling away.

Favor is opening.

The windows of heaven are opening for people to experience

Him in.

A new or more fresh way. Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus,

thank you. The alders are open, asked, Clay must worshiped.