Sermon
Mary and Martha Worship & Serve | Pr Matthew Chang
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
You're listening to a message to go from ex Church.
-
We hope this message will light up your tea.
-
To look chapter ten Oh yeah, oh yeah before I
-
do as well. Uh just came back from missions last Sunday.
-
Uh in the logs, no, I know that before me
-
there was a team from Unpounded when as well, who
-
you guys are? Whoo who was the one? Who? Oh
-
yeah yeah yeah yeah, how was it? Enjoyed it so far? Liiktoba? Right?
-
Yeah yeah yeah, so part fronts send their regards to
-
you guys as well, some of you. You know, I'm
-
sure it was a very interesting, interesting uh mission treat
-
for you guys. The music, you know, it's like I
-
struggled with the music because they don't need a sound
-
crew one and know the because they only go one setting.
-
Max and you guys were the lucky ones. Okay, I
-
caused I was the invited guess you know. I had
-
to sit right at the front end now beside the speaker,
-
am I I was wearing my Apple Watch. My Apple
-
watch keep ringing and unhealthy sound level. Unhealthy sound level,
-
unhealthy sound level, you know, like oh my goodness is
-
like ah, I had to like stuff a big tahoe
-
just to just to number the tecourse it was getting
-
to hurt, but it was really awesome. Uh, you know,
-
I have fun with them. How many of you have
-
you've been to Indonesian mission trip with ours team before?
-
Only I know there's one group? How many ones? Okay? Great,
-
so I may when before. I'm sure it was fun, right,
-
very fascinating. I tell you these guys are on fire man,
-
I really they they they are so I mean, they
-
are very big heart. Their hearts of worship is so simple.
-
I highly encourage you guys to go and join the
-
mission treap. Really every year I always tell people, Uh,
-
once a year, at least once a year, go for
-
a mission trip local overseas. Go for one mission trip.
-
It's gonna do wonders for your own half, for your
-
own soul, for your own perspective of life as well. Okay,
-
it's very fantastic. So past part front and part Jeffries
-
and the regards to you guys. Okay, I had on
-
that last day, I was I was okay for the
-
four days except for the last day or I had diarrhea.
-
Really it was so bad. But France, but they can now.
-
On Thursday, I cannot. On the fourth day, I cannot
-
before sermon, straight after the summon, then just before flight
-
takeoff as well. So like I was like, oh, it
-
was really hard. But anyway, let's go to the word
-
right now, right, let's cleanse all this all right, turned
-
with me to Luke chapter ten, and I'm gonna read
-
here from verse thirty eight. Okay, I'm sure you you
-
guys are quite familiar with this passage. Okay, Now, verse
-
thirty eight. He has a title that says Mary and
-
Martha worship and sir. Okay, you guys are quite familiar
-
with this. Now that's read it says, now it happened
-
as they went that that he, meaning Jesus, entered a
-
certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcome him
-
into the house. And she had a sister called Mary,
-
who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.
-
But Martha was this stricted with what with not the
-
thought okay, with much serving, And she approached him Jesus
-
and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister
-
has left me to serve alone? Let me rephrase, let
-
me read this again, I underlying this rainpart. Lord, do
-
you not care that my sister has left me to
-
serve alone. Therefore, tell her to help me. Very important, okay?
-
And Jesus answered and said to her Martha, Martha, you
-
are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing
-
is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which
-
will not be taken away from her. All right? So
-
I have some slightest as well, But before I do,
-
I just want to ask one main question. Okay, which
-
is the next light? What's the question? Who was Martha
-
really upset with? Oh? You know how many of you
-
get into domestic fights before, with your spouse, with your
-
husband before. Sometimes you get confused. Now are you upset
-
with me? Are you say? With the kids? I said,
-
with your boss? Why does it feel like you're scolding me?
-
You know how many of you know what I'm talking about?
-
You know what I'm talking about. Right now, we have
-
obviously a situation here. Right now I'm gonna ask a
-
very clear question here. Who is Martha really upset with? Who?
-
Says Mary? Okay? Why the rest? Are you all? Have?
-
You have the Hall York? Your neighbors accountable? Like they
-
don't raise their hand, you better raise their hand? Sid
-
Who says Mary, who says someone else? Who Jesus who
-
says Jesus, Ah, this all theological students are, All theological
-
students are Bible seminary students. Or it must be Jesus,
-
love can be married. Now, why do you say, Jesus, Martha?
-
Mary is the one not putting her legs and her
-
hands into the plow, isn't it? But why Jesus? Because
-
the sentence reveals her frustration, isn't it? The sentence reveals
-
the frustration. Let's look at what I know. You read
-
it a few times. Let's read it again. What did
-
you say? He says here in verse forty lord addressing
-
she's talking to Jesus or not to marry Lord? And
-
the first thing is not Mary is not doing anything?
-
What did she say? Do you not care? Before she
-
addresses Mary, she already came to the conclusion, or at
-
least the presumption that do you not care? Because she
-
felt like Jesus not Caresn't It initially starts with Mary
-
not working? Then after this she feels like, Jesus, your damna.
-
But you're not intervening, you're not helping, you're not making
-
things better, and you clearly know that I'm here, I'm hurting,
-
I'm suffering, you know, so the prayer becomes all the
-
conversation becomes Lord, do you not care? Actually, can just
-
simplify it? You know, if you simplify the whole thing
-
and just say, Lord, do you not care? Okay, do
-
you not care? Then my sister has left me to
-
serve alone, left me, you know, serf alone or victimizing
-
herself in cal you know, you know, you know, had
-
to remind Jesus you don't care. You look at me
-
right now, I'm alone, I'm serving alone, I'm suffering. Yeah,
-
we try to tell God how we feel and tell God, hey, God,
-
you're not doing your job, you know? And then which
-
part betrays her? Someone? What did she do next? Was
-
it a question or an instruction? He was an instruction?
-
You don't instruct the person in all that you don't bother,
-
you know, you instruct the person that your attention and
-
frustration and director towards. Isn't it Therefore? Why tell her? God?
-
You need to tell her? Oh, that's the gist of
-
the story, isn't it? Get me? Right? Therefore, God, you
-
tell her? So what is this whole story about? How
-
is it about prayer. How many of you know what
-
I'm talking about? Sometimes we come before God, isn't it huh?
-
Come before God? We come before God that God, I
-
have a prayer in it. Sometimes our prayer needs are
-
seems that prayer needs until you go a bit deeper,
-
and then you start to realize what you are saying,
-
what you are feeling. Then it betrays you to realize
-
that you are not really having problems. You're having a
-
problem with God because God doesn't answer, God not doing anything.
-
And then you play God, I'm sore, I'm so, I'm sore.
-
I'm sure heard, I'm so victimized. You're not answering anything.
-
Nor then our prayer turns into what telling God what
-
to do? Oh. So, the danger although we are entering
-
into a time of fasting and praying, I'm afraid that
-
many of us, including myself, that you know, the other
-
danger is that, of course the first part is not praying. Now.
-
The other danger is that we pray for the wrong things.
-
There will approach prayer completely wrong. Then you realize that
-
you get enter into prayer frustrated and come out even
-
more frustrated. True or not true? Not, But we want
-
to be able to also, of course, you know, Jesus
-
comes and it's very comforting, you know, towards what they
-
call it, towards our Martha as well. So what Jesus said,
-
you said you are worried and troubled about many things.
-
All these stems from one thing starts to be beginning
-
of something being troubled. Okay, about many things troubled, and
-
many things being vexed, and many things. It is being
-
what do they call it? What do they call it? Annoying?
-
But yet at the same time there is the problem
-
of being having too many things at the same time.
-
It's a quality and a quantity problem as well. Okay,
-
sometimes you don't have quantity. Sometimes you can be frustrated
-
with a very specific problem, and sometimes you have a
-
very specific problem. But it's also overwhelming. So how many
-
of you're not talking about? Sometimes the days can be
-
just overwhelming. It's just like one after another after another
-
after another. Sometimes I give you three problems in a row.
-
You're like overwhelming? Ready, you know how many? You know
-
what I'm talking about? No, no, no, you don't have
-
an overwhelming day before. Sometimes you can have an overwhelming day,
-
isn't it. So it's both the trouble and with many things.
-
But Jesus specific said one thing. There's one thing, not
-
just thing. One thing. So the goal that Jesus wants
-
us to take us it's not just to remove the problem,
-
but to singularize it into one thing. Do you know
-
that one thing that matters that is needed? And then
-
I eventually get us to choose that one thing. To choose.
-
Her means is not telling God to do, but us
-
to choose. It's not God's responsibility, but prayer results in
-
my responsibility. Amazing, you know what I'm saying or not,
-
it's amazing at this conversation now, it's not turning. It
-
starts off with what they call it matha telling God
-
what to do. But Jesus replies that choose one thing
-
and you get to choose it. That's what prayer is
-
meant to be. Okay, that's the whole massaturity kidding something
-
there or not. You're caught something there or not. What
-
I'm telling to you, I'm trying to unpack to you guys,
-
is that prayer is very powerful. A prayer in fact,
-
is actually one of our greatest warfarees is used in warfare,
-
but it is actually itself is the warfare every day.
-
Your biggest better is not getting here to k l
-
getting there to your workplace, trying to get your family
-
sorted yesterday is one of the better. You're better is
-
trying to enter into prayer, into a prayer mode. Okay,
-
So now let's go a bit deeper. Okay, let's go
-
be let's go to the next slight. What do we
-
have the next slight? Ah, Martha's problem. Martha's problem is
-
that she's worried and troubled about many things. But it
-
is not a problem. It's not a problem of the heart.
-
She loves God. That's why Jesus is in the house.
-
Many of you here are here because you love God.
-
You say, yes, I want to love God. I love God.
-
I want to be here on a surfing as well.
-
But a lot of times we lack not heart, we
-
lack wisdom. And Martha is the same thing as well.
-
She lacks wisdom in the same case. Have you heard
-
about the parable of the ten Foolish Virgins? That ten
-
foolish virgins are is meant for who believers or non believers?
-
It's she meant for believers. Actually, so why is it
-
taking said you can follow Jesus, but yet because of
-
the lack of wisdom, you make poor choices. I don't
-
have to remind you if you look through the Bible,
-
how many characters in the Bible have made poor choices.
-
I mean that doesn't mean that you're a Christian, that
-
you're exempted and or known. There is the need to
-
meet wise and good choices in life as well. So
-
it's not a heart problem. A lot of us what
-
we're going through, it's not a heart problem. It is
-
a wisdom problem. And a lot of times is the
-
problem of differentiating what is important versus immediate. Aw sometimes
-
you do a lot of things that are immediate like
-
a factor. Oh, you keep doing doing doing, But sometimes
-
because of that, you get when you have more than
-
one thing to do, you learn are you able to
-
priority times or see through what it's really really really important? Yes,
-
serving is important, But yet are you gonna have Jesus
-
all the time? No? Isn't it? Sometimes listening is more
-
important than talking. Okay, and spiritual versus pragmatism as well. Okay,
-
let's go to the next line. Okay, how many times
-
have we said this prayer is a luxury, praise a
-
luxury here. We've gotta find time to find to pray.
-
You don't have time to pray and energy to pray.
-
Busy and actually, to be honest, you guys have big responsibilities.
-
I understand. I'm totally understanding. And a lot of times
-
you don't have the time, you don't have the energy.
-
But also you don't find a fulfillment in prayer, and
-
because of that, you find prayer to high a cost
-
to pay. There is a saying you know that when
-
you know that without a clear vision, okay, everything becomes
-
a cost too high to pay. Okay, without a clear vision,
-
everything becomes a cost too high to pay. If I
-
tell you that you need to lose weight, but you know, no,
-
I know, I'm saying a lot of different things. You know.
-
We just had our ex business community devotion two days
-
ago or three days ago on Thursday, and I was
-
teaching about sharing about from the Book of Problems. You
-
always hear these four keywords, isn't it always hear Number
-
one knowledge, You hear about the word understanding, You hear
-
the word about wisdom, and you hear the word discernment
-
Karna in the Book of Proverbs, get understanding, get wisdom,
-
get get get you read a book or keep talking
-
about that. But what's the difference between these four knowledge, understanding,
-
wisdom and discernment. A lot of us know that we
-
need to honor our parents, Troy, not you know you're
-
told to honor your parents. Okay, maybe maybe use another example.
-
This one is better. You know that you need to
-
come to office in time. This is not even more.
-
And actually we had someone in the devotion share that
-
you know, this person knows that she needs to come
-
on time. They start work at nine, but they need
-
to show up at eight thirty. We know that, but
-
then they don't have an understanding. They come up, they
-
come in late, and they didn't come in at eight thirty.
-
They came at nine, and she and the person notices
-
that her colleagues are treating her not so nice. And
-
the reason why she found out later is when she
-
comes in late, everybody has to cover for her. Sheep.
-
She impacts everybody's other people's responsibility, things, and everything else
-
as well. Perceptions happens. So from her knowledge and because
-
of her consequences affecting other people, she begins to understand.
-
Understanding is more than no way. Understanding is understanding consequences,
-
implications and impact you. Now she begins to understand why
-
she needs to come in time. Then, but does she
-
do it? She still didn't do it. There is the
-
lack of wisdom. You know you understand, but are you
-
skillfully managing your time? Because wisdom is not just showing
-
up on time and all wisdom is making sure the
-
night before you don't watch your Netflix ahanging. So you
-
look at a person. Why you don't you don't watch
-
it so late? No, I just need to answer my life.
-
So you live. You look at the person. The person
-
is living skillfully correct or not leaving skillful living whit.
-
Wisdom is not like well, I go around talk some
-
deep deep stuff. You know. Real wisdom is live or
-
the person that is wise making wise choices. You don't
-
drink coffee at nine o'clock at night, you know you don't.
-
You know. Make sure that you know that your surrounding
-
is prime for sleep. You eat healthier foods, You manage yourself,
-
you wake up earlier as well. You realize that you
-
don't do quiet time railwad at night, you do it
-
in the morning. You may continually make wise decisions. You
-
know what I'm saying, so from knowledge, you get into
-
understanding because but then you begin finally you realize that
-
understanding heaps down enough, it hits so deep until you
-
realize it it's gonna affect your survival, your success and survival
-
in life. Then you begin to make wise choices in
-
your life. You eat wisely right now, eat healthier food.
-
You start to go for a longer walks. Already you
-
don't don't do what you you don't smoke, you do
-
whatever it is, ready living wisely. The fourth onest one discernment.
-
Discernment means you know where, you know how to measure something. No,
-
if a person tells you something, you know how to
-
measure and you ask where is it coming from? And
-
where is it going? And That's what I'm saying. So,
-
if a person tells me and quotes me scripture, this
-
person is doing something wrong and stuff like that. You
-
know he telling me or a quoting me scripture of
-
what this person is doing wrong. And I listen, and
-
I listen, and I measure is this really in accordance
-
to the world of God? Then I begin to ask,
-
why is this person telling me this thing? And he
-
could be quoting scripture, He could be telling me things.
-
He could be putting online things about things, and I
-
realize this guy has been hurt before I can tell you.
-
Because of that, I realized that you can be quoting scripture,
-
but if you're coming from a place of bitterness and hurt,
-
I have to reject it because I know whatever did
-
you say is taking me to a bad place. Ah.
-
So you have discernment. So that's why you discern the
-
people that come into your life as well. A discerning
-
person is not just they don't all the times, they
-
know the people around them as well. That's why you've
-
got to be careful who you allow in your life.
-
You're going to take care in your in your life,
-
your children, whether they associate with good people and bad
-
friends as well, because you know where they come from
-
and likely where they are going as well. So you
-
need discernment as parents, makes sense or now so we
-
need what knowledge? Understanding, wisdom and discernment makes sense. It's
-
a good framework. So when you read the Book of Proverbs,
-
it's always around these areas. Why I know, okay, you
-
always so the Bible always say what get knowledge? You
-
don't nor Meally they say yes knowledge, but always get understanding, understanding,
-
get understanding, get wisdom, you know, get don't you saying
-
all this comes from the Lord? Now a lot of
-
times when we come into prayer, we have knowledge, but
-
we like understanding. We like understanding. We don't have the understanding,
-
we don't have the wisdom, we don't have the discernment
-
as well. Pray, pray, prayer, and then you just simply
-
apply the Bible verse, you know, when to a tree,
-
I get the God hear my prayer, and then just
-
simply claim money you got. I mean right, we are,
-
we are knowledgeable in the spirit, but like understanding that
-
you know, sheep like sheep that know they're hungry they
-
need to eat, but they don't know where to get
-
their food from, like understanding, which is very very very
-
sad as well. But we don't want to be like that, okay.
-
And so what happens when you lack understanding? How many
-
of you when you pray you find it unfulfilling? You know,
-
I say, you find filling when you get into prayer.
-
And I said, okay, I'm gonna pray right I'm gonna
-
pray right now. Maybe you pray in your car and
-
you're like, oh, how do I prayer? Then you start
-
to it's gonna even listen to me. It's the day
-
I didn't even leave my right very well. Last night
-
I spent like two three hours talking bad about someone
-
and ah, talking about my boss, talking about this. I
-
don't know even not gonna listen. Maybe God sees all
-
my problems readily. I know I pray. I feel even
-
more guilty right now. You know, I pray for this
-
for so long already. Maybe how do I even know
-
that God is going to respond to me as well?
-
How many of you know what I'm talking about? No, oh,
-
you have great prayer life. Oh yeah, great prayer lives.
-
You know. The funny thing is a lot of you
-
think that a great people are pray for one hour
-
to three hours five hours. I've been reading books on
-
prayer well or recently, like people from George Miller. Even
-
know George Miller's from Bristol, if you know, Okay, also
-
books from C. S. Lewis, you know, screw Tail Leapters,
-
Letters of Malcolm and some other books. I've been curious.
-
I'm like, I do these great people how their prayer
-
life is? And you know what I found They struggle
-
with the same things like you and I. They struggle
-
with doubt that George Miller's, Oh don't they sometimes they
-
have on that day itself because they have George Miller
-
has an orphanage, about three hundred plus student kids, no
-
food and all three hundred plus. Oh we prayed last night,
-
So no prayer then walk time in the money, He wrote,
-
not yet. I don't know what I should pray right now.
-
Maybe I should just go out for a walk right now.
-
He just got out for a walk. Then somebody, somebody
-
will handed him some money, and thank you God. That's
-
his prayer, Thank you God. Simple. And I realized his
-
prayers are just simple, stop simple, stop, simple stock, very
-
simple prayers and a lot of simple a lot of simple,
-
common struggles like you and I, not some deep theological
-
Oh I pray, pray, prayer as if like you're gonna
-
unlock some mystery and or some reward coming out when
-
you pray properly. No, no, no, no, no, it's very simple God,
-
He's just prayer. God, help me God. I need this,
-
Oh God, if you'll be very good, if you can
-
take a baby? Is knee pain right now? Oh God?
-
This person is hungry? How how you know, just like
-
a simple compensation. That's the prayer, simple one and a
-
it's not something Oh no, no, very simple? What this?
-
To my surprise? WHOA? Then I realized the key is
-
not so much about lung. It's just the belief I
-
need to pray. I just need to pray because my
-
help comes from nowhere else about God. I mean, right,
-
I got nowhere else to go. I just pray on it,
-
and I just talk talk talk. Okay. So a lot
-
of times we get into all this problem. You don't
-
know what to expect during prayer. You don't know what
-
to expect, you don't know how to pray, you don't understand,
-
and you don't even know what to expect after prayer,
-
after prayer, okay, how you come out like? Okay, I
-
did my ritual, I did my things, but how does
-
it actually impact me or not? Okay? So I hope
-
to give you to give us some tools today that
-
will help us to pray a bit better. Okay, that's
-
been very, very very practical. Okay, let's go to the
-
next line. Let's go to some to give you some tools.
-
I need to identify your that dialer mathers your problems.
-
The common practices that we do that helps us to
-
have a very poor prayer set up. Okay, and a
-
lot of people, all of us do that. I also
-
reguilty of it. First of all, inconsistent timing, very port
-
uh consistency in timing. How many of you plan your
-
prayers every day? Some yes, great? Tell me of you
-
like you tried to plan but then it didn't work out.
-
You get and you pray when you pray when you're
-
there's an urgency and there's alarming, you know, and then
-
when someone tells you to pray, like, how dare you
-
ask me to pray? Right? You'll be praying right now? Okay,
-
So we don't we don't plan our prayers. Okay, we
-
try to most of the time go by feelings and
-
then and that's the problem. That's one of the mag
-
major major problems you need. If I can give you
-
a very important tape, is that you've got to plan
-
your prayer. Consistency trumps and far outweighs all the quality. Prayer.
-
Consistency is far more important, and that is what most
-
of the people, the great people Josh Muller as the
-
ways that consistency is far in a way great better
-
benefits consistency. You know why consistency is more powerful because
-
the battle into prayer is not during the prayer. It's
-
always before a prayer. The worship of Abraham is not
-
when he was trying to you know, the challenge for
-
Abraham when God asked him to offer Isaac. It's not
-
just at the point where he needs to offer Isaac
-
and then you know he took the knife and hold
-
it up there. The challenge for Ibraham was the journey
-
of bringing Isaac. Yeah, that was the challenge. Did you
-
know if you read the books I've been read. I've
-
been doing studies on the Book of Kings, first Kings
-
and second Kings. Some of you like to read the
-
Book of Second King, First King, Second Kings. No, don't
-
like that. When you read that, you realize that there's
-
so many kings, you know, and then go after we
-
go to the second Kings that you're like, wow, suddenly
-
you got Samaria, God Judah got Israel. God Judah is
-
like what happened in the world. But basically the separation
-
between Judah and Israel happened for because of one guy,
-
this king called Jerald Boem. You know what did he do?
-
Because when they're separated, what did he do? He put
-
two golden calfs, one in the North and one in
-
the south. Because at the south, where Judah is right,
-
their capital was Jerusalem, and in Jerusalem was the appointed
-
place of worship for everyone. But the North and the
-
South are fighting, then the Northern Kingdom have a problem.
-
Every time they have to go to worship, they have
-
to go to enemy territory to worship. So it becomes
-
a political problem, you know. So instead, I don't want
-
my people to go there. So one day they're gonna
-
backstap me, you know. So what they do, Let me
-
introduce to you a new place of worship maybe instead
-
of you know, amang, you know, we multiply somewhere convenient
-
beside them. You know. You know, they put two golden
-
calves and tell people you don't have to come all
-
the way down to Jerusalem to worship anymore, and put
-
one calf there. I want to put there, you can go. Convenience.
-
It's like you know, having grab ready, you know, so
-
people stop going down there to worship at the enemy territory.
-
You get me right. It was a political convenience. But
-
when he did that, all the kings sin, you know,
-
the not not not not, the nation, all the kings.
-
I think it was about twenty plus kings. All of
-
them sin and failed because of this two idolatry for
-
so many years, and because of the convenience. But you
-
don't realize that worship and prayer is actually fighting through
-
the convenience. The flash in all that. You know, if
-
this mean this main thing that I've been reading about.
-
You know this book by C. S. Lewis, He wrote
-
about the screw Tech letters. You can read in the
-
first chapter, and he has this guy. This is a
-
conversation between a senior devil okay and a junior devil.
-
Senior devil and junior devil. The junior devil in name
-
is Wood okay, worm Wood Okay. So the junior devil
-
has assignment this older guy. And this older guy has
-
not been going to church. It's an unbeliever. But one
-
day he has I'm paraphrasing or adding a building. He's
-
saying that situationally, this guy, it's having a crisis. He
-
started he was sitting in the park. You start to
-
think that, hey, maybe there is more to life than this,
-
and where am I going? He start to ponder is
-
their heaven and the hell, and the junior devil who's
-
been assigned to him starts to get very scared. Oh no, no, no,
-
this guy is having a moment of spirituality, you know.
-
Oh no, he's going to go to the enemy side,
-
going to seek God. And so what does the junior
-
devil's plan was maybe to give argument and say that
-
God does not exive, God does not care. But then
-
the senior devil comes and say that, oh, you are
-
such an amateur, amateur devil, amateure, junior devil. No, you
-
never get humans to think and to reason. If what
-
I mean right, If you get them to think and
-
to reason deeper and to try to buy into your argument,
-
they will even lean even further. But you must understand
-
humans never equate thinking and doing. But it's very theological brave.
-
They think in terms of not right and wrong. They
-
think in terms of labeling. People don't think about right
-
and around. They think that about who and they I
-
belong to this group and belong this group. So what
-
he's saying, instead, your best attack to this man who
-
is at the verge of having a moment of spirituality.
-
Maybe he's going to a church and going to ask
-
a pastor for advice. Your best attack is what to
-
appear out, and it's the devil. Ah scare you. What's
-
the best attack of the devil? Lunch? Get him hungry
-
and as he sees and he's get hungry and he eats,
-
get a bit more tastes of the practical, the pragmatism
-
of the world. It's already gets him that maybe have
-
a newspaper, a job, maybe someone waking, having a nice
-
lady across the table winking, and he you know, they
-
don't feel good about himself anymore. Enjoy a bit of lifeline,
-
you know, or maybe giveing hi. Maybe a problem and
-
all he's not. Children called him he gonna be a problem,
-
or they did. Now comes there and become a rescue ready,
-
then you've won the trick. Nii I would say, even
-
my hommation. Most of the time, that enemy's greatest tool
-
is the world. Always the world. It doesn't kind to
-
scare you. It's always the virtue of pragmatism and materialism.
-
Materialism isn't just about you wanting money, you're wanting more carties.
-
There is a big problem that materialism is also believing
-
that the physical world is true, and it's the only
-
thing that matters. I only believe when it's going to
-
be happening now. I only believe when I can see
-
it happening tomorrow. You only live life based on what
-
you can understand. See, there is no such thing as
-
the spiritual that is the true heart of materialism. You
-
know what I'm saying? No, why go to see this
-
pastor right now? And what is What can be more
-
fulfilling than a nice subway lunch and a nice mechademia
-
COOKI or maybe some of you like you know, Oh,
-
maybe I want to eat my favor of one time
-
me right now? What can be more for feeling than
-
seeing a guy who might not understand me? Then to
-
go and watch Fantastic for right now? What can be
-
more for feeling than waking half an hour early than
-
you know? Binging? You know the next I know? I
-
know tonight and not watching you know that? What's the
-
latest new Netflix? Wednesday? And know whatever they when I
-
don't know what is the people are watching you know
-
Wednesday or all kinds of things are watching. Oh, it's
-
the tools of pragmatism and immediate gratification to take you
-
away to sweep you away. You don't see what I'm saying.
-
And I say this because all of us go through
-
it true or not. All of us. It's if I
-
can read through last night what you did, it's true
-
or not. All of us go through. All of us
-
are having these invasive thoughts without you knowing it. That's
-
the number one two of the devil. While he is
-
slipping away, and he gives you enough, and he just
-
watches you flowing, flowing, do do do do do do do,
-
and you can't. And he realized that you can't help yourself.
-
You can't saying, en, you can't help yourself. That's why
-
I say you have to plan. And you must understand
-
that you are not just a physical being. You are
-
a spiritual being. Turn to your neighbor and say that
-
wake up. You are a spiritual being. Can turn to
-
the other neighbor saying no, no, get a wake up. Now,
-
you are a spiritual being. You get mean? Right? Am
-
I making sense? Am I going too fast? You're all
-
making sense? Or no? This is very important because if
-
I tell you another forty day fast and pray you okay,
-
I drag your feet, you know. But the first part
-
about making room for God is believing that we are
-
all spiritual beings. And to make room for God, we
-
have to take awate space from the physical. Yeah, take
-
away space on the physical. And you have to be
-
spiritually practical, not physically factical, spiritually practical. But first of all,
-
you gotta set time because if you don't set time,
-
everything else will flood in. Now, so you understand the
-
wisdom right now now I'm telling you, and now I
-
give you the knowledge, but not I give you the
-
understanding why you need to set the time. But now
-
will you have the wisdom to do it or not?
-
You know what I'm saying. Now, you know you need
-
to have set time. But do you understand now? But
-
will you have the wisdom to do it or not?
-
It's another thing, makes sense, okay? Next one we venues ware?
-
Do you pray most of us prayer when they're sleeping
-
after you scroll through it Flix? I mean, I honestly
-
tell you I have a very bad heavy of scrolling
-
as well. My son knows. Okay, you know what, we
-
watch a lot sometimes it's next thing, watch a lot
-
of Cily Cat videos. You know, my son that he
-
enjoys it as well. We watch a lot of Cily
-
Cat videos. Know it's like all these nonsense are very bad,
-
very very very bad. Okay, and sometimes watch all these things,
-
you know, okay, and then you pray when you're lying down,
-
you're in your very nice orthopedic in a pillow, you know,
-
and you're like, and thank you God, such peaceful and
-
you sleep ready before you even pray a single thing. Ready,
-
the peace of God just came over me. You know,
-
I was still, and I would be still and know
-
God and know it's the wrong kind of steal. You know,
-
you're laughing. How many times you did it? Maybe? Is
-
it just me? Or you guys did it before? You
-
don't have come out and repent right now? How many?
-
You know? You know what I'm talking about, right, okay?
-
So we are we are. We have venue's awkward postures,
-
you know, like some of us like to pray in
-
the toilet, you know, Noah or some of you are marry,
-
are like whyondering why am my husband or not? People
-
like to spend so much time in the toilet one
-
you know, it's supposed to be a holy century becomes
-
a holy century for them right now? You know, spend
-
so much time there you know, and it's I need
-
strength right now. I pray, you know, but as well
-
I pray physically, I pray for other things. Suddenly you
-
hear something. No, you're laughing. I tell you. There's so
-
many reported people men pray in the toilet. I tell you, women,
-
I don't know. I don't know, but maybe you confess. Okay,
-
we pray for them. Okay, anyway, we have venues, Okay,
-
awkward postures, you know. Please Okay, Uh, pick a place,
-
pick a place, desonated place. I try to do it
-
at night when my kids are sleeping. I'll do my
-
place in the dark or close major they can see me.
-
Just pray, Okay. I want to be honest with you.
-
I'm not the most consistent prayer. I have my flesh
-
and I battle with it. I honestly I do. I do,
-
uh and uh. And I want to say to encourage myself,
-
and I want to say it to also the encourage
-
material because actually getting to prayer is the battle. Actually,
-
the most imperment is to get into the prayer. It's real,
-
it is a struggle. So many things that will stop
-
you just believing that prayer will make a difference. That's
-
the battle. Okay, find find a player. I would highly
-
encourage at the very least sit, don't lie down, sit
-
with a table or not just sit. Put your hands together.
-
If there's something magical, but putting your hands together. You
-
know your chuck cra comes in together. No, okay, you
-
know why you put your hands together in all the
-
times or now they have they Actually you used to
-
have the sanctuary and the monks that you have prayer beats.
-
You know what that prayer beats? Okay, what do they
-
do with the prayer beats? Go power? No. The idea
-
of the prayer baits or putting their hands is that
-
so that your whole be center into one part, which
-
is your prayer. Because as much as you like to
-
think it, you pray with your body as well. You mean,
-
right with your heart. You believe if your mouth you'll confess.
-
Which gets me to the next point is that I
-
know I'm jumping A few things are when you pray,
-
I want you to verbalize it as much as possible.
-
I know it's very hard to verbalize hundred percent of
-
the time because sometimes it's just it's so deep and
-
it comes out with her. But I encourage you to
-
verbalize at least fifty percent of your prayer. You know
-
why because a lot of times you don't know what
-
you ought to pray. Sometimes you like you know, but
-
when you have to say, when you have to articulate
-
your mind and your body converges into an agreement, you
-
can't mean right, you have to say it. That's what
-
A lot of times when when it comes to people,
-
so I'll tell them pray, I want you to verbalize it.
-
And you realize that you when you say struggling all
-
you like a lot of people struggle and not because
-
lack of war, cap it not the struggle because of
-
the integrity of your prayer. Is it true in my
-
heart that what I'm saying now it almost feels like
-
your body and your words are holding you accountable and all.
-
And you say it, and there's more fear when you
-
verbalize it. And you have to get into that place
-
to verbalize it and say what I'm saying, it's important
-
to do. To do that, the enemy wants you to
-
stop using it. He read that you use your mouth
-
to complain about someone rather than to pray. Verbalize it.
-
There's a difference even in even when you complain about
-
someone you know, theree the difference when you put in
-
your heart when you say out, there's a difference in it.
-
There is a difference. It's another level of sin and
-
wickedness gives me from your heart is one thing. But
-
when you say in the same in prayer as well,
-
you have sincerity. But confession is even more powerful. There's
-
a discipline of prayer and the same why I'm saying, okay,
-
so maybe it can go to the next light. You know,
-
next light, plan your prayer, set a time, remove distraction. Verbalized, really,
-
really learn to verbalize everything that you have. I know
-
sometimes you feel like some of your words you don't have.
-
It's okay, it's okay. God, help me to verbalize. And
-
you realize that when you start to verbalize, your prayer
-
start because you are not just feeling, you are saying
-
and you're witnessing. It takes you to a place that
-
you didn't imagine. I need to confess this or I
-
need to declare this. Some of you you hardly give
-
thanks to anything. When you're like, well, I need to
-
give thanks. When you say it, something changes. All know
-
what I'm talking about here, You guys, okay to pray
-
it Okay, what else is there consistency over your feelings? Okay,
-
I mentioned before. I want to emphasize on that last part,
-
pushing through in prayer. Okay, Now it sounds legalistic, but
-
it applies. I do it for myself that when you pray,
-
set a time for prayer. I know it sounds counterintuitive,
-
but at this one I came for myself and that
-
because I just want to go in deeper into prayer.
-
I just put a clock there. I say at least
-
ten to fifteen minutes, ten fifteen minutes, and I begin
-
to just close my eyes and begin to pray. And
-
sometime I tell my son, so I pray at thisat
-
ten minutes because I want to not just prayer, I
-
want to enter into prayer. You see, this is a
-
very important part about prayer. A lot of times we
-
don't know what we ought to pray. We don't know
-
what we ought to pray. You don't even know what
-
you want. It's even pleasing to God. I want to
-
pray for job. I want to pray for this. Then
-
the very flash immediately it's like Martha asking God. You know,
-
but you don't know what you ought to ask. You
-
ask for the wrong things. And God is a good God.
-
He loves you, but he will not give you bad things.
-
You can mean right when God, When someone loves you,
-
there's only one thing they care about. You're good, not
-
your feelings. You're good. Okay. When you say you love someone,
-
you care about their good. When someone truly loves you,
-
they are willing to give their life for your ultimate good.
-
So love must come with the clear separation of good
-
and evil. Man, they cannot be love without a separation
-
of good and evil. Light versus darkness. You can I'm
-
saying that ultimately for your good. Okay now, and so
-
when we pray call it, we must be able to
-
what they call it. Uh. Okay, let me let me
-
rephrase this again. We don't know what we ought to pray. Okay,
-
let me get this on. When you go to the gym,
-
I mean, if you go to a gym, Okay, what's
-
your go go go to the gym. I want to
-
get healthy, isn't it? But Jim, you've got different goals
-
or so I also go to the gym. Okay, No,
-
it's consistently it seems nice. You can tell my body shape, man, ha,
-
just kidding, just kidding, Yeah, but you know, like there's
-
one thing that you learn and most of you will
-
know that if you want to build strength, okay, you know,
-
let's say, for example, you're aiming for you can do
-
you do all the way until six and the seven
-
you're struggling, you truly build your strength and your muscle
-
on the last one, Corona, when you struggle, when you're
-
like when you're like when you're when you're like, well
-
halfway and you're like you cannot really, then you're like
-
that last how many? Do you know what I'm talking about? Ah?
-
Your coach will always tell you that that last one.
-
If that's the case, what's the purpose for rep? Number
-
one until six to get to the last one? Always? Always?
-
You know, you don't why I'm getting it ready? Life
-
is like that. I want to know you think that
-
one to six is the main cause? Is the goal? No.
-
One to six is to get you to empty yourself
-
and to make room for God. That's why you got
-
to make time. That's why you got to set the
-
time and push you. You think when you come before
-
the pray God, it's like God, this is why I
-
want to pray, pray paper and you pray papay, and
-
I was like, oh, I don't even know what I
-
want to pray. I don't know you're going to hear this.
-
That's when you stay in prayer, not you give up
-
in prayer. That's where you stay because maybe, just maybe
-
God says that all right, now there's finally room. There's
-
finally room. All your plans, all your hopes, all your desires,
-
all the things that you've been telling God, Martha, you know,
-
complaining telling God what to do and not complaining about Marry,
-
complaining about everything and know how the world should run.
-
And now she turned to the seasons as well, you're
-
done tired ready. You don't even know we have they
-
can last push. There's where faith matters. Oh no, no.
-
And you stay there and you begin to be silent
-
and your prayer ten minutes past fifteen, money passed, all
-
the things, all all the people you need to prayer.
-
Then you start to pray, God, what is your will?
-
What am I really really afraid of? You know what
-
really really matters God? You know what I mean? Right? That's
-
when you get there, not set one to six seven,
-
eight night. That's when you're like, oh no, okay, God,
-
I'm scared. And then you start to realize if you're
-
real scared, I'm scared that where you take me may
-
cost me too much. Then you begin to say, then
-
you start to then you start to wrestle again. Oh never.
-
Then I realize, God, I can't plan out of this,
-
I can't manage all this, But I know that you
-
love me. So I'm praying that God, you will have mercy.
-
And if it comes and come, this thing comes, you know, Adi,
-
I want to let you know whatever that you pray for,
-
and you'll ask whatever that comes into your life. God
-
cares for you. Yeah, I don't know why it comes,
-
but you gotta be ready. And then when God plays
-
something before you, you go in boldness and you say, God,
-
all you will be done. I know one thing about
-
the God, that God is always good. The last day
-
of your breath as well, you will also say that
-
God is good. God is good. God is good. He
-
is love and those who and He who loves me
-
seeks my good gives me a hope and a future.
-
And when you gave out everything, ready you surrender yourself
-
to the mercy of God. Ready you come out of
-
prayer realizing that you changed that it's not telling God,
-
but I have changed. I'm beginning to choose faith. Sometimes
-
now when you go you go to work, instead of
-
saying something or not bickering or you know, watching a
-
bit more Netflix and stuff like, you realize that I
-
just prayed, I just I just encountered faith and connection
-
with God. So there's not just knowledge, there's an understanding
-
deep inside my soul. Now I want to be wise.
-
So coming out of prayer, you become a wiser person,
-
and you want more of that. You want more of that.
-
I don't want to make choices just based on the physical,
-
but on the spiritual. And you become and you become
-
get you, and your life becomes changed by it. Maybe
-
you have health problems and everything as well, your prayers
-
all long, but then eventually you just not whatever it is,
-
your will be done, My pain, my suffering, my last
-
pay you. But help me to see you before me
-
and live life according to what you have given me.
-
Everything in life is according to the mercy of God. Really,
-
really according to the mercy of God. Amen. That's why
-
you got to post true set a time When I
-
said a set of time in the duration. Sometimes you
-
don't realize how you said eight ten minutes, ready, have
-
you finish a prayer? Then I say, at another ten minutes,
-
prayer again, But then you say, hey, I finished everything
-
but still got five minutes. That's where I tell you
-
stay in your prayer. You'll be surprised how much it
-
would do for you. These practical tips and this prayer
-
practical tips come, let's stand together.
-
We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more
-
information on our church, please visit as church dot org.
-
We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing
-
that this week is going to be a good week
-
ahead for you. God bless