The Amazement of the Almighty - 3/9/26 - Bro. Austin Elkins - Meadows Baptist Church

Welcome to the podcast of Meadows

Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North

Carolina. We're so glad you joined us

today. If you enjoy today's message, be

sure to subscribe, follow, and share

with your friends. Now, let's join

Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from

God.

>> He's worthy tonight.

>> Amen. And thank you ladies for those two

beautiful songs. And I tell you what, we

ought to never stop.

>> Amen. And uh he said in everything, give

thanks. Amen. For this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I

tell you what, there ain't nothing that

we we faced yet or will we ever face we

can't give thanks in the face of.

>> Amen. And you say, "Preacher, you don't

know where I'm at." Well, you just think

about where Jesus went.

>> Amen. And uh

>> Hebrews said, writer of Hebrews said,

"Who for the joy?" That's right.

>> Set before him, endured the cross. Jesus

went to Calvary with a thankful heart.

>> You get a hold of that. That'll help

you. Amen.

>> Man, I appreciate this man of God being

here with us this week and been looking

forward to having him back with us. He

was with us, I guess, what were you with

us? November, I guess it was. Jubilee

preached for us on Sunday and I don't

guess that I mentioned this. I guess

first time I met you was 2017 I guess it

was Jubilee winter jubilee maybe I think

maybe and uh preach preach there and uh

I've tell you I've always admired his

preaching and I appreciate God using him

and he has used him and he is using him

and he's got his hand on. I'll say this

give me undivided attention tonight and

I told him to preach whatever God puts

on his heart. Amen.

>> And I know he'll do that tonight.

Preacher, you come and I love you in the

Lord. Thank you for being here. And I

appreciate you preach to us. Take as

long as you need, brother. God bless

you.

>> Amen. Well, it's good to be saved, isn't

it?

>> Amen. I sure love the Lord. Appreciate

all his goodness to us. You can be

turning Isaiah 59 tonight. Isaiah

Isaiah 59 · chapter mention

chapter 59. We'll give you the thought

that the Lord has impressed upon our

hearts for this evening. And I sure

appreciate the privilege it is to be

back here at Meadows Baptist Church. And

uh thank you pastor for the invitation

and all the kindness and church. Thank

you so much for the wonderful

accommodations and all that you've

already provided. Got in the room there

about 5:00 and appreciate the Lord

allowing us to get safely up here. You

pray for our voice. We've been in

revival for the last several weeks uh in

different places. So we pray we and uh

and it's now springtime and you know

what that means. I've got them wonderful

allergies. So you pray God would help

our voice this week and thank God. I

enjoyed the good singing tonight.

Enjoyed the fellowship and I love uh

getting to fellowship with you. I've

thought about you ever since I left here

uh back in the fall. I really enjoyed

that Sunday. Got to spend with you and

just thank the Lord for all that he's

done. Let's stand together tonight as

you're uh able in Isaiah 59. We'll read

a few verses and I'll give you the

thought that is in our heart and uh

we'll uh give invitation for we're done

tonight and ask God to do only what he

can do. And we're trusting him and

preacher I thank you. I love you. love

you and your family. Been trying to pray

for us, pray towards these days. And I'm

excited to see what God's going to do. I

believe he's a big God and he's a good

God. He if we'll listen to him, do what

he says. Ain't no telling what he'll do.

And uh Amen. I so appreciate that. And

I'm thankful for it. Isaiah 59 and we'll

start reading in verse number one. The

Bible says, "Behold, the Lord's hand is

not shortened that it cannot save,

neither is ear heavy that it cannot

hear, but your iniquities have separated

between you and your God. And your sins

have hid his face from you that he will

not hear. For ye hands are defiled with

blood, your fingers with iniquity. Your

lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath

muttered perverseness. None calleth for

justice, nor any pleadith for truth.

They trust in vanity and speak lies.

They conceive mischief and bring forth

iniquity. They hatch cockatrous eggs and

weed the spider's web. And he that

eateth other eggs dieth, and that which

is crushed breakth out into a viper.

Their webs shall not become garments,

neither shall they cover themselves with

their works. Their works are works of

iniquity, and the act of violence is in

their hands. If you will skip uh down to

verse number 11, the Bible says, "We

roar all like bears, and mourn soar like

doves. We look for judgment, but there

is none, for salvation, but it is far

from us. For our transgressions are

multiplied before thee, and our sins

testify against us, and our for our

transgressions are with us. And as for

our iniquities, we know them in

transgressing and lying against the

Lord, and departing away from our God,

speaking oppression and revolt,

conceiving and uttering from the heart

words of falsehood, and judgment is

turned away backward, and justice

standeth a far off. For truth is fallen

in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Yay, truth faileth, and he that

departeth from evil maketh himself a

prey. Notice this next verse. AND THE

LORD SAW IT, and it displeased him that

there was no judgment. And he saw that

there was no man, and wondered that

there was no intercessor. Therefore, his

arm brought salvation unto him, and his

righteousness it sustained him. For he

put on righteousness as a breastplate,

and an helmet of salvation upon his

head, and he put on the garments of

vengeance for clothing, and was clad

with zeal as a cloak. Let's pause and

ask God's help again tonight. Father in

Jesus lovely name. Father I stand where

no man needs to stand alone tonight. God

I beg you for a little while that you

touch our voice and body. AND GOD TOUCH

OUR mind and our heart that we'd be the

vessel you'd have us to be in this hour.

God for the sinner that you'd deal with

them and save them. And for us as your

people, oh God, that you'd draw us again

and that you'd revive us again. And oh

Lord, it wouldn't be for our glory. It

wouldn't be uh for US TO LOOK ON

OURSELVES. UH BUT it'd be for us to get

our eyes on you again. Uh and when it's

all said and done, we'll give you THE

PRAISE AND THE honor and the glory and

thanksgiving. Thank you, Lord, for being

so good in Jesus' name. We ask with much

thanksgiving. Amen. And amen. You can be

seated. Thank you for standing as we've

read and prayed together again tonight.

Isaiah chapter number 59. As I come to

these uh verses in your hearing, I I

I'll be honest. I I love the book of

Isaiah. It is known as uh the little

Bible. It's got the 66 chapters like our

Bible has the 66 books. Praise the Lord.

He's got me some water. Amen. Appreciate

that, dear brother. Amen. We'll make

good use of that. That ain't nobody's

spit bottle, is it? Amen. Praise God. I

got to make sure in these mountain

churches. I've come from back home. You

got to check. Hallelujah. Amen. But one

thing I love about Isaiah, it's that God

revealed much to this great man of God.

AND GOD SHOWED HIM MUCH ABOUT our Lord

and our Savior, uh, Jesus Christ. God

used him not only to be a mouthpiece for

the future, but God used him to be a

mouthpiece for his day and for his hour.

Let me remind you that when you're

looking at the Old Testament prophets,

it was not just for fortelling future

events, but it was for forthtelling what

needed to be dealt with in the day in

which they lived. Isaiah dealt with

political corruptness. He dealt with

kings that went astray and went ary. HE

SAW GOD DO GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS. AND

NOW HE IS standing in a nation that is

filled with wickedness. And the judgment

OF GOD IS ABOUT TO SET IN. And God is

looking for ONE MAN TO STEP BETWEEN his

wrath AND MAN'S SIN. BUT THIS BIBLE

tells us in verse 16, "AND HE SAW that

there was no man and wondered that there

was no intercessor." Isaiah standing

there prophesying in the midst of one of

Israel's darkest days. And it seems

hopeless and sad. But let me say, as

dark as the days were, and as dark as

THE DAYS ARE NOW, THERE IS A GOD THAT

WANTS US TO DRAW NIGH TO HIM. He said,

"DRAW NIGH TO ME AND I will draw nigh

unto you." HEY, THERE IS A GOD THAT IS

WANTING AND WILLING FOR US TO COME TO

HIM in prayer, to come TO HIM AND CALL

OUT ON BEHALF OF OUR NATION, ON BEHALF

OF OUR NEEDS, ON BEHALF OF OUR NEIGHBORS

that are lost in their sin and HEADED TO

HELL. GOD, HELP US TO DRAW back to God

again.

>> In Isaiah's day, there was major

disloyalty to God.

In that day it was so vile and so

wicked. There was DANGER ON EVERY HAND.

THERE WAS disintegration of the home and

the family AND THERE WAS DISOBEDIENCE

AND DISGUST in the public life and in

business.

The heart of the people had turned for

the most part away from God. Therefore,

and the therefore for the family and

society followed. Great light had been

given to them, had been given to Israel.

Therefore, GREAT RESPONSIBILITY WAS

REQUIRED of them. And can I say there's

not a nation on the face of the earth

than the last 250 years that God has

blessed more than the nation we're

sitting in tonight.

>> There is not been a place where more

light has come to and gone out of than

the United States of America. I'm

patriotic to the core, buddy. I love our

nation, but I'm heartbroken. Hey, over

the sin AND OVER THE MESS THAT IS IN OUR

land tonight.

>> We can sit and complain till the cows

come home. Matter of fact, that's what a

lot of people did in those prophets

days. They would hear the message AND

THEN THEY WOULD TURN, THEY WOULD sit in

THEIR LITTLE GROUPS AND THEY WOULD TURN

AND SAY, "WELL, things are bad. Things

are horrible AND THINGS ARE AWFUL. WELL,

GUESS WHAT? THAT'S WHERE IT IS

EVERYWHERE. AND LET US SAY TONIGHT, GOD

HELP US. WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE SPITTING

WIDOW CLUBS, HEY, TO FIGURE OUT THE

WORLD'S PROBLEMS. IT IS TIME FOR GOD'S

PEOPLE, HEY, IT'S TIME FOR US TO STEP

BACK BETWEEN THE JUDGMENT OF ALMIGHTY

GOD AND THE SIN OF OUR NATION. AND THE

SIN OF OUR FAMILIES AND THE SIN OF THOSE

WE'RE TRYING TO WIN FOR GOD AND MAKE A

DIFFERENCE in that place.

>> Amen.

>> Ezekiel dealt with the same issues in

his day for he said he said of THE LORD

SAID I SOUGHT for one that would step

into the gap and make up the hedge BUT

HE SAID I FOUND NONE.

>> Can I just remind us? You say, "What in

the world are you dealing with tonight?"

In Isaiah's DAY, HE'S DEALING WITH

RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES who need major

major help.

>> You're right.

>> And if there's ever been a day of

religious hypocrisy, it is today.

>> Right?

>> But God's wanting to do something.

Aren't you glad for a God that wants to

do something to help? HE WANTS TO STEP

IN. HE WANTS TO INTERCEDE. HE WANTS TO

MAKE a difference in the people's lives.

>> Amen. but is looking for one somebody

>> to step up to the bar. He's looking for

one somebody to stand. I'll never forget

one of my heroes preached a message out

of this and it broke my heart and I'll

never see it the same way again. Oh

friend, GOD WAS LOOKING FOR ONE PERSON

TO PRAY. GOD WAS LOOKING FOR ONE PERSON

TO GET A HOLD OF HEAVEN. GOD WAS LOOKING

GOD WAS WAITING. HAD GOD DESIRED AND

DESIGNED IT FOR US TO APPROACH HIM, BUT

HE FOUND NONE.

Look at verse 16. And he saw that there

was no man and wondered that there was

no

intercessor.

The word for wonder there is not used

like we use it in our day. We wonder

when the Amazon delivery guys going to

show up

>> and leave more of them annoying boxes on

our porch. Amen. We wonder when it's

going to rain again. Or we wonder what

how things are going to go with this or

that. But God is not wondering because

he does not know. You're

>> right.

>> That word wonder right here in the

context. It speaks of amazement. It

speaks of shock. It speaks of

appalation. God is looking down and he's

wondering in the shape of the religious

WORLD IN THE SHAPE OF THE HOME LIFE OF

THE NATION OF ISRAEL IN THE SHAPE OF THE

MESS THAT THEY ARE IN WHY IS NOBODY

STEPPING UP TO PRAY.

>> I would say that today I hope it's not

the case but I wonder in our day and

this is the burden of my heart for

tonight. God settled it in me pretty

well for tonight.

for just a little while. I'd like to

preach on that thought about the Lord

looking down. And I like to call it

this, the amazement of the Almighty.

>> The amazement of the Almighty. You know

why? Because I genuinely believe in our

day, God's looking for somebody that'll

step in and pray. God, the Bible is

filled with intercessors. Those, hey,

that had the SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEART

OF GOD. HEY, THEY CHOSE THAT WAY. THEY

DESIRED THAT WAY. I think of Moses, that

great man. He was a great man of prayer.

HE WAS A FRIEND TO THE LORD. He re the

reason HE WAS SO GREATLY USED IS HE WAS

A MAN OF intercessory prayer. I think

about those like Abraham who stood there

in between God and Sodom and Gomorrah

and his nephew Lot and their family. and

he stood there with the Lord. In Genesis

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18, the Bible said Abraham stood

yet before the Lord and he would not let

God go until he knew

>> that everything was going to be all

right, at least to the best of his

ability. I think about the man of God,

Samuel, who was standing there at the at

that place that we have come to know

called Ebenezer.

And there he stood and there Israel

began to beg him to SACRIFICE AND TO

PRAY TO GOD FOR THEM BECAUSE THE

PHILISTINES HAD COME AGAINST THEM.

>> RIGHT?

>> And oh friend, Samuel prayed. He offered

that sucking lamb and he began to bleed

across that altar and he prayed to God

and God heard and GOD ANSWERED AND GOD

MOVED in a mighty mighty way.

>> Do you know what? I still believe that

God is able.

>> Amen. to hell.

>> I still believe that God's able to save

your lost family members and my lost

FAMILY MEMBERS. I STILL BELIEVE HE can

step in, hey, to a wicked and ungodly

nation LIKE OURS AND SHOW MERCY TO US.

HE'S BEEN SHOWING MERCY AND HE'S BEEN

REAL GOOD. HEY, BUT IT'S TIME FOR US,

HEY, THAT KNOW GOD TO STEP BACK INTO

THAT PLACE AND SEEK HIM AGAIN.

Number one, I got to hurry tonight.

There are the issues of defiance

described.

I don't have time to go through every

verse, but let me say this. It was a day

of popular sin.

>> Can I come down here?

>> All right.

>> I don't want to scare nobody.

>> Sometimes it just helps me think a

little bit. I don't know. It makes

people pay attention, too, because

they're scared I'm gonna come up to

them.

>> Amen.

It was a day of popular sin. You know

what the popular sin of the day was?

Idolatry

to put it pretty flat.

They would build these idols out of wood

and stone and different things. They

would cover it and they'd melt gold down

and brass and silver and all these

things. They'd carve stuff and and

they'd make it look like animals or men

or half men, half animals or whatever.

They'd make all kinds of things. It's

what the people of the land were

involved in,

>> right? It was what the Canaanites were

doing. God said, "You're supposed to."

That's why he wanted them destroy them

so they wouldn't worship like they did.

He didn't want their worship getting

infected with that mess.

>> By the way, we got to keep our worship

pure. Got to keep it right because

worship is the basis of who we are. It's

what we are. It's how we're going to

LIVE OUR LIFE. WORSHIP CONTROLS EVERY

other aspect of our life.

>> God knew that. And that's here. They're

dealing with idolatry. They were dealing

with Molech. They were dealing with

Baal. They were dealing with asteroth.

THEY WERE DEALING WITH THESE HORRID

OTHER S. YOU SAY, "WHAT WAS IT?" IT WAS

AT ITS CORE devil worship.

>> They were evil. Oh, friend. It was so

vile. It was so evil. It was immoral. It

was immodest. IT WAS UNGODLY. OH,

FRIEND, HOW BAD THEY WERE. AND HERE'S

THE THING ABOUT IT. THEY W THEY DIDN'T

JUST QUIT completely and go to idolatry.

Sunday technically their Sunday to

Friday

they were worshiping Baal, Ashroth and

Molech and all them other false gods.

>> Matter of fact, they sacrificing babies.

Yeah,

>> they take that that they take them

little babies,

>> precious little things, and they'd put

them into the hands of that half bull,

half man, and they'd watch them little

babies roll off into a fire.

They'd call it sacrifice and worship to

their false gods. It was wicked. It's

ungodly. And by the way, it's still

wicked and ungodly.

>> Just because they call it Planned

Parenthood doesn't change the sin.

>> Amen.

>> That's exactly right.

But oh friend,

what they would do is they would worship

that way. They would participate in this

pagan mess six days a week, but they

would step into the temple. They would

go to the tabernacle. They would go to

the high. They would still try to

worship Jehovah God. They'd say, "The

temple of the Lord, the temple of the

Lord, the temple of the Lord are these."

They would GO THROUGH THE RIGHTS and the

ceremonies and the rituals. They would

BRING SACRIFICES EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T a

good sacrifice. They were giving their

best to every other thing under the sun

instead of God. They were bringing

injured stuff and LAME STUFF. STUFF THAT

NOBODY STUFF YOU WOULDN'T GIVE A DOG AND

THEY WERE TRYING TO BRING IT TO GIVE TO

THE GOD OF HEAVEN. HEY, THEY WERE LIVING

one way DURING THE WEEK AND THEY WERE

LIVING ANOTHER WAY ON THE LORD'S DAY.

>> And if that doesn't sound familiar, I

don't know what did. That's right.

>> Their popular sin. They wanted to live

any way they want. Oh, and by the way,

their idol worship had all kinds of

wicked music around it. It had all kinds

of WICKED GROTESQUE DISPLAYS OF

IMMORALITY around it. IT WAS FLESHLY. IT

WAS CARNAL. HEY, THAT'S ALL IT WAS WAS A

DISPLAY OF THE FLESH OF OPENING UP DOORS

TO DEMONIC ACTIVITY. IT WAS VILE. IT WAS

WRETCHED. HEY, THERE WERE LIES. THERE

WERE FALSEHOOD. AND GOD LOOKED down

and he got tired

>> of putting up with the hypocrisy of the

day.

>> Right.

>> Because of their hypocrisy in their

worship. You know what it caused?

>> It caused hypocrisy in their jobs.

>> It caused hypocrisy in the homes. It

caused hypocrisy and lies and failure in

every ASPECT OF SOCIETY BECAUSE THEY HAD

FORSAKEN GOD.

>> AMEN.

>> Oh friend, there's the popular sin. Can

I say there's the poor situation?

You know who was paying the price for

the sin of mom and daddy?

>> The next generation.

>> You're right. You know what I'm saying?

When I look around, when I go try to

preach youth stuff different places, you

know who's paying the price for this

generation of hypocrites and this

generation of sin and wicked LIVING ONE

WAY SIX days a week, coming to church on

SUNDAY LIKE EVERYTHING'S ALL RIGHT. HEY,

YOU KNOW WHO'S PAYING THE PRICE? The

next generation is

>> these little babies around here is going

to be the ones paying the price. These

teenagers I preach to every week,

they're going to be the ones, they are

the ones PAYING THE PRICE FOR THE busted

homes and the busted MARRIAGES AND THE

THING DADDY'S ON THIS AND MAMA'S ON THIS

AND THEY'RE GONE LIVING THIS WAY AND

THEY'RE MARKING AND DOING THAT WAY. HEY

FRIEND, WE'RE IN A DAY GOD HELP US LIKE

THAT. AMEN.

>> The issues of defiance described, he

said, "Truth had fallen in the streets."

He said, "Anybody that was trying to do

right was now public enemy number one.

If I've ever seen a day where if you'll

just try to live for God,

>> Yeah. Come on.

>> He'll be cast aside even from some

church folk."

>> You're right.

>> Like you're crazy. I know there are some

crazies in every family, but just living

for God. Oh, friend. Hey, LIVING FOR GOD

USED TO BE THE NORM. AND NOW IT IS NO

LONGER the norm.

>> It is abnormal and everybody treats you

like you're abnormal.

>> The issues of defiance described number

two, I got to hurry. There are, notice

this. There's the intercessor's

departure. Verse 14, and judgment is

turned away backward. Justice standeth a

far off. Truth is fallen in the street,

and equity cannot enter. Yay, truth

faileth, and he that departeth from evil

maketh himself a prey. And the Lord saw

it, and it displeased him that there was

no judgment, and he saw that there was

no man, and wondered that there was no

intercessor. You say, "Well, what in the

world does this intercessor have to do

with anything?" Number one, let me say

this. There's the work described

pictures. The picture in my mind, the

picture as far as scripture goes, the

picture of a judge in a court of law.

You remember when Job said, "Neither is

there any daysman betw twix us that he

might lay his hand upon us both."

>> Do you know what God's LOOKING FOR RIGHT

HERE? YOU KNOW WHAT GOD'S LOOKING FOR

TONIGHT? HE IS LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY

THAT'LL STEP IN BETWEEN HIS HOLINESS AND

HIS WRATH AND THE SINFUL PEOPLE, HEY,

THAT NEED SOMEBODY TO CARE. HE'S LOOKING

FOR ONE SOMEBODY THAT'LL BRING THE TWO

TOGETHER.

>> AMEN.

>> OH, FRIEND. He is looking. It's the

picture. Oh, and I I don't know if

you've ever been in a modern day

courtroom or not. I had the I don't know

if it's a displeasure or not. I had the

duty to sit on a federal case one time

to see the workings of the law, to see

what it looks like when the defendant

steps up to the bar to be handed

judgment.

Oh friend, this work described, it's a

picture of the judge who has his gavl

raised getting ready to SLAM IT DOWN IN

THE final decree.

There's the work described, but there's

the willingness and desire.

We know that God sits with his gavl

ready to drop

>> right

>> AT ANY MOMENT.

>> WE KNOW that what the Bible says about

the sins of our day.

>> Yeah. We know what the Bible says about

the sodomy and about the abortion and

about the mess, the wickedness, the

murder, the drugs, the drunkenness, the

dope, the fornication, adultery, all the

GARBAGE WE'RE SEEING IN OUR DAY. WE KNOW

WHAT GOD SAYS.

But have we gotten so used to it?

>> Yeah.

>> Have we gotten so numb? Have we gotten

so

accustomed to just living life

>> in this day and saying, "Well, it's just

a bad day. Well, it's just a dark day

>> that we have lost our heart of concern.

Does anybody have a desire to step to

between a holy God, a righteous God, and

a poor and hurting people that are

wrapped in their sin?

The work described the willingness and

desire. He is looking for somebody.

He is wandering and he is calling and he

is asking and he is waiting. The Lord

sees the misjudgment. The Lord sees the

mess. THE LORD SEES THAT THERE IS NO

EQUITY. HE SEES THAT TRUTH IS FALLEN IN

THE STREETS.

>> And he waits for one to step up.

>> Can I say there's never been a move of

God in all genuineess in history without

at least one

>> Yes.

>> that was willing

>> to step in that place.

preacher.

>> Oh, friend. Everybody thinks, "Well, the

preacher is the one that puts it in his

pocket and brings it." Oh, no.

>> Come on.

>> I can promise you as great a man of God

as brother Josh is as he's coming in the

end of this week. I can promise you he

doesn't have revival in his pocket.

>> You're right.

>> And I can promise you I didn't. I ain't

got enough room for it in mine.

>> Right.

>> But you know what it takes? It takes

God's people. Right.

>> If my people which are called by my name

shall humble themselves and pray and

seek my face and turn from their wicked

ways, then will I hear from heaven

>> forgive their sin and heal their land.

As the judgment hangs,

as the gavl stands,

God is waiting for somebody.

Most I'll be honest tonight, there's

probably most of us probably would not

even be here had it not been for

somebody doing the same thing for us.

You're

>> right.

>> We had a mama or a daddy. We had a

grandma, a grandpa, an uncle or an aunt.

SOMEBODY THAT GOT BETWEEN US AND HELL.

SOMEBODY THAT GOT BETWEEN US AND

JUDGMENT. SOMEBODY DID IT FOR ME. HEY,

SOMEBODY DID IT FOR YOU. HEY, YOU

PRODICAL THAT HAVE COME HOME. HEY, YOU

KNOW WHAT IT IS FOR SOMEBODY TO BE OUT

IN THE BARN WHERE GOD IS BEGGING THE

LORD TO bring you HOME AGAIN. AND YOU

WOULDN'T BE HERE HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR

SOMEBODY STEPPING UP. I WOULDN'T BE HERE

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THOSE INTERCESSORS

IN MY LIFE. HEY, THEY'VE MADE THE

DIFFERENCE. IT'S TIME FOR YOU AND ME TO

MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

YES.

>> Somebody come to the piano for me,

please, while I'm finishing this up.

They'll think I'm quitting and they'll

be excited.

>> Come on, brother.

>> The work described the willingness and

desire.

Somebody

have a desire.

There's the wonder of a departing deity.

And the Lord saw it.

This displeased him that there was no

judgment.

He saw that there was no man

and wondered that there was no

intercessor.

God in astonishment

and all in appolation and in shock.

I believe it hurts the heart of God.

>> Amen.

>> That no man will step up.

>> Right.

>> It was a dark day. It was a hard day. It

was a bad day.

But Isaiah saying from the heart of God,

somebody's got to do it.

>> Right,

>> church? I'm asking you tonight. I'm

begging you tonight. Somebody's got to

do it.

>> For this generation, for this church,

for this pastor and his family, hey, for

this generation of young people,

somebody's got to do it.

>> Right.

>> Thirdly, and lastly, and we're done.

Let's stand across the building. I'll

give you this thought. Go ahead, sis.

Whenever you're ready.

Nobody looking around. This altar is

open.

There's the internal decision.

Therefore, his arm brought salvation

unto him, and his righteousness it

sustained him. For put on righteousness

as a breastplate, and a helmet of

salvation upon his head, and he put on

the garments of vengeance for clothing,

and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

There's a beautiful picture of Christ,

the great strong arm of our God,

the one who is able, the one who does

care when nobody else cares.

You say, "Well, if the Lord was going to

see on the Lord, if the Lord was

prophesying about, then why in the world

does he need us?" Oh, friend,

he wants us.

He desires for us to make a difference.

Before you make a difference in witness

and song and preaching and service of

any kind, you're going to make a

difference in prayer.

You'll never be in your service what you

are not in prayer.

There's the power of the coming one. I'm

glad God's able. There's the person of

courage.

Abraham stood.

Moses stood. Samuel stood, David stood,

Job stood at the altar every morning and

he said, "It may be that my children

have sinned in their heart."

Daniel prayed in that pagan land and beg

God to bring them back home.

All of these stood in the gap

for somebody else. Remember what Jesus

said to Peter?

But I have prayed for thee

that the faith fail not. When thou art

converted, strengthen the brethren.

Oh, what a great thought.

Take your feeble efforts. You say, "My

prayers aren't big enough. I'm not a

mighty prayer warrior."

That's the trick. That's that's the

secret.

Nobody really is. but they've just got a

big God that they're learning to to

depend on.

There may be people you're praying for

right now you never thought you'd have

to pray for.

There may be situations you're having to

pray through right now you never thought

you'd have to pray through.

Keep at it.

Oh, keep at it.

God's able. He's a big God. He's a good

God.

And he wants us to draw nigh. He wants

us to get close.

Folks are still praying. People doing

business with the Lord tonight.

You mind God?

These altars are open this evening.

You got plenty of time tonight.

Maybe you went back to se to your seat

and realize you maybe didn't pray about

something you should have. Maybe didn't

pray long enough. We got time.

Truth is about all of our lives, we've

been through things that we never

thought we'd have to go through.

Prayed for people. He said something

there in that imitation, praying for

situations you never thought you'd have

to pray for.

Every one of us has got an own

particular trial that we're facing.

You said, "Preacher, I'm burdened.

Preacher, I'm burdened. I I prayed and I

don't feel like I'm getting an answer or

I'm getting an answer, but I don't feel

like it's the answer that I want.

Don't feel like God's telling me what I

want to hear." Preacher, would you pray

for me?

There's nobody looking around but me.

God sees that.

God sees those hands.

Lord spoke to my heart through that

message tonight. You know, your prayers

might be the difference between

somebody's

life being preserved.

I tell you this, my heart broke while he

was preaching cuz I thought to myself,

wonder how many people

that I've failed to pray for as much as

I should have.

>> Their life's in shambles now.

Oh God, help us.

These altars are still open.

Some still praying.

If it was left up to your prayer life to

make a difference,

would it make a difference?

>> What would this church be if everybody

prayed the way that you do for it?

We think many times

those verses Bible says where sin

abounds grace much more abounds. And the

thing about it is that's true in every

situation.

But I think the saddest thing

about where sin abounds, grace does

always much more abound. But the faucet

that turns the grace on is prayer.

>> Right?

>> And though there's grace in abundance,

so many times we'll let sin overtake

because we refuse to pray.

Father,

Lord, thank you for challenging my heart

tonight.

Thank you for the man of God being

obedient.

And Lord, I pray every heart in this

place was obedient to the word of God

that was shared tonight.

Lord, our church, our country, Lord,

each individual Christian in this place,

we need you,

God. We need your help, Father. And we

pray that you would have grace and

mercy, Lord. Help us to be that

intercessor that we're called to be. To

stand in the gap, to make up the hedge,

Lord, to be the one that rings the bells

of heaven

or with our prayers each and every day.

Give us ferveny and urgency in these

days, Lord, of apostasy

to pray and to pray more

to pray more earnestly.

And Lord, I pray for the remainder of

this meeting, God, you would help us. We

ask it all in Jesus name.

Amen.

>> Thank you for joining our service today.

We'd love it if you join us in person

the next time you are able at Meadows

Baptist Church. Our physical address is

2988

Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North

Carolina. Our service times are Sunday

school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning

worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening

worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday

evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m. For

more information, visit us at

meadowsbaptisturch.com.

Thanks again for tuning in.