The Adult in the Room | Viny Costa

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

Thank you for joining us.

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Good morning.

Folks, at 9 a.m.

The congregate congregants, they were on fire.

They were laughing, yelling, participating.

At some point I was like, let's call security, because it's getting too much.

But in case you feel you want to participate, that makes my life easier.

So feel free to say amen.

Go get it.

Say whatever you want to say for the glory of God.

Well, good morning, good morning to everyone watching online.

My name is Vinnie, and I have the honor of serving here at Celebration Orlando as one of the pastors, one of the elders.

On behalf of our pastors Keith and Megan, I want to welcome you.

Also, I want to encourage you today.

I truly believe God has a word for us this morning, and I'm excited to receive it together.

We are in our ninth week studying the Sermon on the Mount.

The most precious collections of Jesus' teaching.

We're talking about Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7, also Luke chapter 11.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention Luke 11 · chapter mention

These core teachings, often called the theology of Jesus, form the foundation of his doctrine.

Jesus covers several key topics in his sermon, including the Beatitudes, we know that very well, the call to be salt and light, teachings on lust, divorce, adultery.

Jesus talks about the importance of not judging others, the relationship between the law and the kingdom of God, the cost of discipleship, and many other essential teachings.

However, there is one particular topic that Jesus emphasizes several times throughout the Sermon on the Mount.

He repeats the subject at least three times, showing that he wanted to give it special attention, and that's exactly what we're going to talk about today.

So are you ready?

We'll be talking about prayer.

Any Pentecostal here in the house?

We'll be talking about prayer.

Two Pentecostal here in the house.

Would you please open your Bible in Matthew chapter seven?

Open your Bible to Matthew chapter seven.

We're gonna start on verse seven.

We don't, if you don't have your Bible with you, we have one up here for you.

So don't worry.

And I would love to invite us all to read together this passage.

Don't speed reading this one because at 9 a.m.

everybody was and I'm like, calm down, English in my second language.

Matthew chapter 7, starting on verse 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Let's read together in 1, 2, 3.

Ask and it will be given to you.

Seek and it will find.

Knock and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.

Or which one of you, if his son asks for him for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent.

If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?

Amen.

Ask, seek, knock.

Ask, seek, knock.

If you are taking notes this morning, hopefully you are.

I have titled this message The Adult in the Room.

The Adult in the Room.

Shall we pray together?

God, we're so grateful for your sweet presence here.

We're so thankful for the opportunity of coming here together to worship, to glorify your name.

We are excited to receive what you have for us.

So we ask for you to plant in our hearts the eternal seeds of your word.

Encourage us, correct us, change us.

We are open to receive.

In Jesus' name.

And the church says, I need to confess.

There have been plenty of times in my life when I prayed, I begged God for something, I really believed for it, but things did not turn out the way I hoped.

Have you ever experienced that?

When it seems like God didn't answer your prayers.

I have prayed for healing and sometimes God did not heal.

I have prayed for God to open doors and God closed them instead.

I have prayed for miracles and I did not see them happen.

I believe we all have all experienced this at some point.

I remember years ago reading a book when I was in seminary titled Disappointed with God, where the author just shares several stories of people who abandoned their faith because they didn't God didn't respond then in the way they wanted.

When we face situations like this, it is so easy to get frustrated, to get even angry at God.

It's so easy to feel disappointed when we realize that apparently God did not meet our expectations.

When God's answer to our prayer is yes, oh my gosh, we rejoice.

We go to church, we lift up our hands in worship, we even give it even give our tithe.

What about when God's answer is no?

What about when God answer God's answer is not yet?

Or not now?

Some walk away from their faith because to then God was never truly their Lord.

He was simply a means to get what they wanted, more like a genie in a lamp.

Others try to use it scripture itself to convince God to change his mind.

Lord, I read in Matthew chapter 7, starting on verse 7, that he says, If I ask, I will receive.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

The Bible says, Lord, that you are a good father and you know us, you know what I need.

So it's just a matter of me asking, and I will receive.

And I imagine God looking down from heaven and saying, But that's not what the passage says.

Read carefully what Matthew chapter 7, starting on seven, says.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

The passage we read, it's not saying that you will get everything you ask for, it is actually saying that God is committed to answering your prayers, but not necessarily in the way you expect.

Ask, receive, seek, find, knock, and it will be open.

God will answer, but not necessarily in the way you expect.

Matthew chapter 7 doesn't say that if you ask, you you receive exactly what you are what you requested, or if you knock, you will find exactly what you were hoping for.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

What the passage does say is that even though we are evil, even though we are evil, we still know how to give good things to our children.

But watch this.

That doesn't mean that we give them everything they ask for, right?

I have a six-year-old daughter who loves celebrating her birthday parties.

When she turns five, she told myself and my wife, I want an under-the-sea theme birthday party.

And I did our best.

We put together a party and she celebrated it.

Right before turning six, she told us, I want a rainbow theme birthday party.

And we did our best and we threw a party.

But a couple of weeks ago, even before turning six, out of nowhere, she told me, Daddy, I already know the theme for my seventh birthday party.

And then I said, Yeah?

What is it?

She said, I wanted to be in Texas.

I want to wear a cowgirl hat, a cowgirl boots.

I want to sing Happy Birthday riding a horse, and I want a playlist playing Shania Twen.

I look at her and I said, Who are you?

Give my daughter back.

Do you know what's interesting?

We said yes to the Under the Sea Party.

We said yes to the Rainbow Party, but I don't know if if we will be able to say yes to Texas horses, cowgirl props, Shania Twin.

As a father, I want to give the things she's asking for, but I don't say yes to everything.

Are you guys here with me?

The passage teaches that God gives good things to those who ask for good things.

This is what the Bible is saying.

In other words, God's answer is yes, when what we are asking is in alignment with his will, which is always good, perfect, pleasing.

In summary, Jesus is teaching that God delights in answering prayers, he wants to bless us, he wants to give us good things, but always according to his will, not ours.

Always according to his time, not ours.

Matthew chapter 7, Jesus is saying, God will answer your prayers according to his will, but at the same time, Jesus says, the part you play is ask.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Ask.

And it seems so hard.

What do you mean?

God will only answer according to his will, but at the same time, Jesus is saying, Yes, yes, ask.

Seek.

Do your part.

Isn't it amazing to know that you have a God that wants to hear your requests?

Isn't it great to think that he wants to know your desires?

Do you know you don't bother God with your requests?

In my Bible, right before the portion the portion we read, we have a title for that portion.

And the title in my Bible is Jesus Encourages Us to Pray.

So what Jesus is teaching in Matthew chapter 7 is when you pray, make sure you ask.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

And then you would ask me, Vinny, but what do you mean ask?

Ask for what?

Jesus is saying God will answer prayers according to his will.

Jesus is saying for us to ask, but ask for what?

I have a list for you.

Because we are really good at asking, right?

That's an easy part.

But ask for the things you desire.

Bring your heart's desire before God.

Ask for your house.

Ask for the trip you want you want to take.

Ask for a boyfriend.

Receive all the singles in Jesus' name.

I could mention a couple of names, but I want to make sure Pastor Keith will invite me to preach again.

But God is revealing to you that it's you that I'm talking about.

Ask for the things you want.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Ask for the things of this world.

We had a myself and my family, we used to live, we used to rent an apartment here in Metro West, and we had a mold issue.

We reach out to the landlord and he said, I'm there's nothing I can do about it.

So we said, Okay, so I think we're going to move out.

So we start praying if that was the right timing for us to move out.

But not only that, we were praying very specific prayers because what Jesus is saying is, ask.

I don't know if I'm asking is according to God's will, but I'm going to do my part, which is so God, we want a house with a backyard.

God, we want to live in this condo.

God, it would be amazing.

This is my wife's prayer.

If we have this specific type of laundry.

And my prayer was more like, God, let it be cheap.

Right.

We've prayed for a couple of months.

I want to say three or four months.

We visited over a hundred houses, but God gave us exactly what we are asking for.

Especially the cheap part.

So ask for the things you want.

There's nothing wrong with that.

If it is aligned with God's will, you're gonna get it.

So ask for it.

Vinny, what else I can ask for?

Ask for forgiveness of your sins.

What about that?

Have you noticed sometimes your character does not reflect God's character?

What do we do in situations like this?

We run back to God and we say, forgive me.

Forgive me because I said what I shouldn't have said.

Forgive me because I watch what I shouldn't have watched.

We ask for the things of this world, but we also ask for forgiveness.

Do you know what else you can ask for?

Protection.

God, I'm flying spirit this week.

I'm kidding.

I never flew spirit.

I don't even know why I said that.

God, I'm facing opposition.

Would you please protect me?

God, my wife is furious at home.

Protect me.

You can ask for things of this world world, you can ask for your desires, you can ask for forgiveness, you can ask for protection, but pay attention.

You can ask for God to change you from the inside out.

Huh?

What about that?

That's a dangerous prayer, right there, friends.

It's very easy to pray for a new car.

Hard is when you ask for God.

Hey God, do you see everything that is in here?

Change it.

God will start touching touch areas that you will be like, oh it's painful.

Yes, it is.

Guys, I remember almost 20 years ago, 19 years ago, um, I moved out of my parents' house and rolled myself into the seminary, so I had to move in.

Um, a new apartment, new everything.

So the seminary, it was again an internship, 24 hours.

So um they welcomed us on uh like 8 30 p.m.

on a Wednesday.

They had pizza for us.

I was like, okay, this is great.

It's going to be great two years.

If they are welcoming us like this, it's going to be great.

I met all my friends that I would spend the next two years with, and they then they said, You guys can go uh to your bed tomorrow.

We're gonna it's going to be a busy day.

And then on Thursday morning, they woke us up at 5 30 in the morning.

And I was like, Okay, this was not what I was expecting.

But I took my Bible, I was changing and ready to spend time with God.

Since I am in the seminary, they said, We're going to exercise this morning, we're going to run for 35 minutes.

What are you talking about?

We had extremely intense two weeks, very, very intense, full of exercises, but also full of interesting conversations, studying doctrines, reading the Bible.

Two weeks later, on a Tuesday morning, I was desperate to spend a time with my acoustic.

I am a musician.

Last time I played was a while ago.

So I was I was just being very honest with God in the morning, and then I asked God, God, I miss so much my acoustic.

I would love to have an opportunity to play.

It's been a while.

God, I also wanted to tell you, I'm here full-time in seminary.

Would you please change everything you want to change inside of me?

I asked him.

Oh my gosh.

That was a random Tuesday morning.

Around 2 p.m.

We were gathered in this room, and then the leader walked in with an acoustic.

And I'm like, huh?

Come on.

This is great.

And I look at it, and of course, the first very first thing I thought is, I pray about this in the morning.

And then the leader said, We're going to have two hours just to worship God together.

We're just praying, we're just worshiping and praying, and I'm like, Yeah?

And then with my 17 years old brain, I thought, I pray in the morning about this.

I think I am the best musician in the room.

He's going to hand me the acoustic.

And then he goes, Wesley Uja, please lead us in worship.

He gave it to someone else who years who years later would become my brother-in-law.

Beef! No.

Yes.

And Wesley led us in worship for two hours, and it was a blessing for everybody, but one person.

Me.

I was bitter.

I was angry at God.

At Wesley, as a leader.

And as everybody was singing, I was like, I prayed about this and I didn't get it.

Why?

So when we were done, the leader said, You guys have two hours, go to your apartment, take a shower, read your Bible, do whatever you want to do, be back here in two hours.

And then I thought, okay, I'm not going to the apartment.

I don't want to take a shower.

I don't want to do anything like that.

What I want to do is play the acoustic.

So I'm going to ask Wesley if I could borrow the acoustic.

I'm going to go to the corner.

I'm going to play just me and God for a couple of hours.

So I asked Wesley, Wesley, how are you?

Good.

Great time in worship.

I was wondering if I could have the acoustic.

I just really want to go to the corner and pray and pray and play.

And then he goes, I'm playing, don't you see?

Guys.

I was angry.

And then I decided to go to the apartment.

Angry, grab my backpack, my Bible.

I'm just walking towards the apartment, angry, thinking, what's happening?

And then out of nowhere, it was like a 15 minutes walk.

Out of nowhere, it started raining.

But not only raining, I'm talking about pouring.

I'm talking about being completely wet.

My Bible is falling apart.

Two pages, and Timothy just flew away.

That's what I'm talking about.

So I walked into the apartment completely wet, 100% wet, walked into my room to realize that I forgot the windows opened.

Oh man, what a day.

Calmly, I shut the door and I yell at God.

And I said, What are you doing?

What's happening?

Matthew 7.

It says, if I ask, I ask for the acoustic.

This is crazy.

The acoustic was right there.

You didn't give it to me.

What's going on?

Just yelling at God.

And then I stopped talking for one second.

But I remember the last thing I said was, I yasted you for having an opportunity to play the acoustic.

And as I shut my mouth, I heard God speaking in my spirit.

And he said, But you also asked for me to change you from the inside out.

So trust me and trust the process.

Ask for the things of this world.

Ask for protection.

Ask for the things you want.

Ask for forgiveness.

Ask for God to change you.

But you know what else?

Ask for others.

Don't be a liar.

Let me be honest with you.

Because if there is one thing we're really good at doing, is I'm gonna pray for you.

And we never do.

Pray for others.

Use the tool Jesus is putting in our hands.

When you pray, ask.

Ask for others.

Ask for the things you want.

Ask for forgiveness.

Ask for God to change you.

But not only that, friends, when you ask, do it authentically.

Do it authentically.

You don't need to copy anyone's prayer, friends.

Just be real, be honest with God.

At the end of the day, prayer is an open-hearted conversation with Him where you can say everything you need to say.

It's all about pouring your heart out in God's presence, laying everything before Him.

So if you are angry, pray with anger.

If you are grateful, pray with gratitude.

If you are anxious, pray with anxiety.

If you are afraid, pray with fear.

If you have no words, just tell him, hey, you know what?

I don't even know what to say.

If you are restless and you don't understand what God is doing, just say, God, what are you doing?

He doesn't want to have masked conversations.

He loves authentic real talks with us.

So ask for the things you want to ask, but ask in an authentic way.

Just be you in the presence of God.

All sovereign, most high God, creator of heaven and earth, in your exalted magnificence and infinite mercy, I come humbly to prostate myself before your August throne of grace, beseeching you to incline your heavenly ears to my supplication.

Who are you?

If that's you pray, cool, I'm fine with that.

But if not, why are you praying someone else's prayer?

Just be authentic, just be real with God.

When you are driving on I-4, be real with God, especially when you are driving on I-4.

Be real with God when you are facing opposition.

Be real with God when you cannot stand anymore.

Be real with God.

God will answer your prayers according to His will.

Jesus is saying, ask.

So ask for everything you want to ask, but do it in an authentic way.

But not only that.

I might shock you now with my second point.

When you ask, Cara, don't worry about your selfish prayers.

Don't worry about your selfish prayers.

Guys, many times I've prayed and made requested requests that are pretty selfish.

Lord, I'm heading to Millennium All.

Please save me a parking spot that is close to the entrance.

I've prayed that.

Lord, I'm going to Universal Studios on Saturday.

It better not rain.

I prayed that before.

Lord, heal my grandfather who is fighting cancer.

Seems selfish, doesn't it?

Other people need parking at millennia as well.

With so many important things to pray, you are praying for in not your rain.

So many people need to be healed, and you are only praying for your grandpa.

I've prayed selfish prayers, and I'm not embarrassed about it.

Do you know who else prayed a selfish prayer?

Abraham.

Abraham prayed a selfish prayer.

In Genesis 18, the Bible says that God told Abraham he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

And what Abraham did, what did Abraham do?

He started praying and negotiating with God in what almost feel like a persistent and slightly annoying back and forth conversation.

God, Abraham goes, if there are 50 righteous people in a city, would you still destroy?

And God says, no, if if there are 50, I won't destroy.

God.

If there are 45 righteous people in a city, would you destroy?

No, if there are 45, I won't destroy.

God forgive me.

What if there are 30 righteous people in a city?

Would you destroy it?

God said, No, I won't destroy it.

God, what about 20?

It's annoying.

God is like Abraham.

Come on.

No, I won't destroy.

God, what about 10?

If there are 10 righteous people in the city, would you destroy it?

And God goes, No, I won't destroy it.

And often we read that and we think, Wow, Abraham is so compassionate.

He's so righteous.

Come on, he's praying for the city, but he was really praying for the entire city.

Or was he actually concerned about just one person?

The answer is in Genesis 19, 29.

So it was dead.

When God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered who?

God remember who?

And sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Ha! Abraham was worried about his nephew.

Lot, who was living in the cities, God is about to destroy.

So that conversation was not necessarily about the 50, the 40, the 30, the 20, the 10.

That conversation was about his nephew.

And guess what?

God answered Abraham's selfish prayer.

God delivered Lot from the city.

Let me tell you, God can handle your selfish requests.

God isn't bothered with you with your selfish prayers.

He knows what to do within.

He is the adult in a room.

He knows what to do with it.

He understands you.

He loves you.

He knows you.

He's aware of your limitations, your faith level, your maturity.

He's the adult in a room.

Sometimes my daughter asks me for things that I think she has no idea what she's talking about.

But you know what?

I am the adult in a room.

So it's my responsibility to know what to do with it.

Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.

God is the adult in a room.

Your job is to pray.

He will make the triage.

He will go, uh no.

No.

Oh, crazy.

No.

But it's your job to pray.

There is no such thing as a wrong prayer.

The only wrong thing is not praying at all.

Now, there are immature prayers, childish prayers, even crazy prayers.

Prayers we don't even say amen.

I remember years ago praying with a group of people, and then the girl just said, God, get my boss fired so I can get a promotion.

And I'm like, I'm not saying amen to that.

For sure, immature prayers, selfish prayers, for sure, childish prayer, crazy prayers.

But God knows exactly what to do with it.

Our job is ask, pray.

His job is make the triage.

Somebody says, when you cannot pray as you should, pray as you can.

When you cannot pray as you should, pray as you can.

In Genesis 18, Abraham prayed for Lot.

In Genesis 32, Jacob prayed and fought with God.

In Exodus 32, Moses prayed for God to forgive the people.

Hannah and for Samuel, she wept before the Lord, asking for a son.

Samuel prayed on behalf of Israel.

Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20 prayed for more years of life.

Daniel prayed and God shut the lion's mouth.

Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem.

Jesus prayed at the Jordan River before his baptism.

Paul prayed against God for churches and people.

The disciples were praying when the Holy Spirit came down in Acts.

Even Charles Purgeon, the prince of the preachers declared, I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.

History proves prayer changes everything.

So ask, speak, knock, ask, speak, knock, ask, stick.

And knock.

Minus 13 in my clock.

So I will wrap up this, addressing one last thing.

Can I do that?

Just one more thing.

This might be a common question for many of you.

You might ask me, Vinny, at the very beginning of your message, you said that God answers prayers according to his will.

Do you remember that?

But Vinny, you also said that we need to pray to ask authentically for things we want.

But if God is sovereign, if God has his own will and will only answer prayers aligned with it, why do I even need to ask?

Why do I even need to pray?

And the answer is very simple, my friends.

Because that's the way God chose to manifest his will on earth.

When we pray according to his will, things happen.

It's a powerful collaboration between our prayers and God's will.

Our prayers not aligned with God's will, it's not efficient.

God's will is ready to be manifest on earth, is just waiting for our prayers.

How crazy is that?

It's just a perfect match.

I try to encapsulate this idea by saying this is the method God established.

Do you know what's mind-blowing to me?

First Timothy chapter 2.

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

Look what Paul says.

He goes, first of all, then I urge that supplications, prayer, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quietful life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

It's pretty clear what's the desire of God, what's the the what's God's will here.

And on verse 4 it says, God desires all people to be saved.

That's God's desire.

How he's going to do that, verse 1.

First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayer, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.

God desires all people to be saved, and how he'll do that?

Through your prayer.

Collaboration.

It's a match.

Over time, we learn to pray according to God's will.

We learn to submit our desires, anxieties, and fears in his presence.

And as a result, our prayers begin to change.

Our prayers begin to change.

We start learning to pray what is good and God with joy respond to our prayers.

So keep asking.

Keep seeking.

Keep knocking.

Be persistent in your prayers until you learn how to pray in alignment with God's will.

And that's when you we discover something precious.

And I hope you'll never forget this.

I've been thinking and processing this since January 5th.

Prayer is not just a way for me to receive from God what I want.

It is also a way for God to receive from me what He wants.

That's when my prayer aligns with God's will.

So ask.

But not just that.

Ask according to God's will.

Ask for yourself.

Ask for others.

Ask authentically.

Real, raw, alive.

Ask even if it seems selfish.

He's the adult in the room.

He knows exactly what to do with your prayers.

Understand God's will, partner with your prayers is powerful.

It's the perfect match.

Don't give up on prayer.

Be persistent.

Ask, seek, knock.

Ask, seek, knock.

Can you tell your neighbor?

Ask, seek, knock.

And leave the rest with God.

Ask, seek, knock, and leave the rest with God.

Do you receive this word this morning?

Is it a blessing for your heart?

God, thank you so much for this time in your presence.

Thank you for your precious word.

Thank you, God, because you have your own will, but you want to partner with our prayers.

What a privilege.

Thank you because when we pray, we can ask.

We can ask for the things we want.

We can ask for protection.

We can ask for forgiveness.

God, we can ask for you to change us from the inside out.

We can ask for healing.

But not only that, we can ask in a very authentic way.

I don't need to copy anybody else.

You are focused on hearing my prayer.

Thank you, because I don't need to be worried or I don't need to fear my selfish prayers.

You are the adult in a room.

You know what to do with every single one of them.

Thank you because you are ready to manifest your will and you are just waiting for us to pray.

I pray that you encourage us to be men and women who pray, who ask, who seek, who knock.

We're gonna ask, seek, and knock, and we're gonna leave the rest for you.

You know what to do with it.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Would you please stand up?

We're going to worship God one more time.

Thank you for joining us to learn more about Celebration Orlando, a church devoted to reaching the lost, equipping the found, and helping the hurting.

Follow us on social media using the handle at celebrationorl or visit our website, celebrationorl.org.