Brother Gary Sunday Morning 5/27/12

Brother Gary Sunday Morning 5/27/12

Rev 12:1  And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

The woman represents God’s church here on earth.  The sun represents the New Testament and the moon represents the Old.  It was God’s design that produced this beautiful woman.  It is the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and prayer that brought forth. 

This beautiful woman stands on the moon.  There were many men and woman that prayed earnestly before Jesus came.  In the days of Noah, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  He did this because he communed and walked with God.

Moses’ parents were given a son in a difficult time of history.  In his time the decree was that all the boy babies should not live.  God mercifully allowed his parents to have their son given back to them.  Even when Moses was taken from the home later, their prayers were working and God was working.

How Hannah longed for a child in a difficult time spiritually.  God was still God.  He looked on the heart-cry of Hannah and gave her a son, Samuel.

King David was definitely a man of prayer.  We’re glad that he was and he recorded a lot of prayers.  His son Solomon’s heart was turned toward God and he sought Him for what could only come from God.  God granted him his requests.

Hos 14:1  O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

Hos 14:2  Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

It is a wonderful attribute of any man or woman of God: parents, teachers...  It is a wonderful attribute of men and women to elevate prayer. 

Pray, “Take away all iniquity” and ask God to receive us graciously.

We pray and ask a lot of God and of each other.  When I ask you to remember a prayer request I’m asking a lot.  When you bring a prayer request in, I appreciate it.  Many that you request are out of my circle of life.  Your request reminds me to pray for these dear ones. 

After we have prayed and God answers, may God help us to turn and render the calves of our lips in thanksgiving.  There is no work too little to give God praise.

In the Gospel Day there was a priest by name Zacharias.  He was doing his turn of offering incense in the temple.  While he was there he was visited by Gabriel who told Zacharias that he was going to have a son in his old age.  God has great respect of you and I praying and worshipping God in prayer.

The church was to be clothed in the sun.

Mat 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

This light happened when Jesus passed by them.  We in this audience will each have Jesus pass by, whether we are saved or unsaved.  He is the light of the world.  Darkness oppresses and depresses souls.  It comes with such strong unbelief that they feel that there is no way that they can change.  The miracle is not in what they are able to do, but that Jesus passes by and brings light and hope to them.

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

I cannot stress enough the importance of prayer this morning.  In order to pray and commune with God there must be the humbling before God in confessing and repenting and turning toward God.  After we are saved there is the desperate need to discipline and train our self to enter into the closet and shut the door. 

We each have our own mind and the ability to reason but it is in the secret communion with God where God shows us His way that is much better than our way. 

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Every one of us makes the choice of reasoning things out our way, and God will not argue with us.  You can choose your own way, but if you choose your own way, study what the Bible teaches that your reward will be. 

When you choose God’s way you say, “God you created me and you know what is best.  You know how to instruct me in this higher way.”

God wants you in the closet by yourself praying.  He wants you to shut the door of all your cares, problems and decisions.  You say, “God I want to spend this time with you.  I’m here because I need something from God and you have instructed me to enter the closet and shut the door.”

Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

God doesn’t want vain repetitions but He wants us to enter into the closet in reality.  Not praying the prayer that is 20 years old of bless, bless, bless.  No, praying, “God I believe that you have new things for me to pray about today.  I’m here to receive from you.”    

Through prayer He helps our infirmities so that instead of our hindering ourselves with our infirmities and stumbling over them.  He is there to help us through our infirmities.  God wants you to mature so that when you enter into the closet you are not praying the selfish prayer that you were when you will a little boy or girl.  God wants us to pray the prayers of a mature Christian.

When we come to the Father in prayer, we pray, “Our Father.”  This takes the barriers away that are between different skin colors or cultures.  He is our Father.  They are our brother.  That individual that is of a different personality… leave it alone, he is my brother. 

If we become so independent that we feel, “I’m against this one or that one, or I have a question about this one.”  Get into the closet and pray, “Our Father.” 

For many years the Jewish people didn’t want to say the name of God because they had such reverence.  We need to hold the name of God in great respect.

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

When I see the church clothed in the sun, it is among the reasons that Jesus prays for us.  I would be a dark storm cloud if it wasn’t for Jesus.  I would be a grouchy, old, dark man if it wasn’t that Jesus prayed for me.

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

He was praying that they be kept.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Keep them from evil.

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

He prayed for help to His people to be set apart from the world and to be cleansed from the nature that desires to be a part of the world. 

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Jesus prayed that you’d be sent. 

I’ve been convicted deeply on praying in the Holy Ghost.  Unless we pray in the Holy Ghost, our lives will be so full of so many things that we will never know that God wants to send you some place. 

Start in the closed and then when God speaks to you, “Son or daughter I want you to go here or there.”  He will lead you, guide you, and direct you.

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Jesus set Himself apart to do the Father’s will.  You talk about a choice.  You may have been in Gethsemane before.  We are glad that Jesus was there and the angels were there.  Jesus said I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified.

He went to Gethsemane and from there to Calvary.  He prayed there, “Not my will.”  We need to reach the place that Jesus reached and pray, “Dear Father, Dear son, and the Holy Ghost, whatever your will is I submit to it.” 

One of the greatest liberties that we will have is when we reach the place of total surrender.  It is only when you surrender totally to God that everything else is surrendered. 

If you are breathing then you are on the brink of a miracle.  If you can hear me, if you can read, if you feel the least amount of conviction, if you can find one promise in the 66 books of the bible, you are blessed.  Jesus surrendered so that you can have the power to surrender. 

You can come before Him and surrender your regretful past.  Immediately as you do, you are forgiven and all the sins that you committed are cast as far as the east is form the west.  You are given a clean sheet to fill.  You can have new life.  It is wonderful to be born again. 

It is wonderful to be walking up the King’s Highway.  When you surrender everything to Him then He chooses your future. 

Each one that chose their own way looks back at their life with regrets.  They look back at all that they lost because of the choices that they made. 

There are some things that you don’t want to surrender for success.  There are some things that you don’t want to surrender for treating mankind right. 

There is a law of sowing and reaping.  There are teachings in the Word of God that you don’t go contrary to without regrets. 

After you have surrendered fully to Him then you can surrender everything to God.  When we surrender the dilemma to God, “Dear God I’ve paid on this place for 25 years and have paid 2500 on this place to make it marketable.  I can surrender everything to the God that can give something better than 1,000,000 dollars.”

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Jesus prayed for you and me.  Isn’t it wonderful that He prayed:

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

It is wonderful that not only did He teach us to be one but He wanted us to be one with Him.

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

It is wonderful that the presence of God can be real in our lives.  There are many blessings that I would miss if I don’t have the attitude that a child can edify me.  I remember Sister Edith, a frail old sister, she got up and began to testify, reading the scriptures, and the presence of God went through that little church witnessing that “This is one of my children.”

Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Joh 17:24  Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

He prayed that we be with Him in eternity.  Is there anything so precious as an invitation?  Is there anything that moves your heart as someone saying, “I would really like for you to come and see me.”

We are so blessed to have that invitation that Jesus gave.

“Whosoever thirsts let Him come to me and drink.”

There isn’t anyone that isn’t thirsty and there are millions that are trying to satisfy that thirst with what their carnal mind would lead them to.  They try to satisfy that thirst and are disappointed again and again, and lose a little more of what God entrusted them with.

God spoke to me and I believe it to be from God.  I’m applying it to my life and I’m asking you to apply it to your life.  When things were going so poor in Noah’s day, God spoke the thought: “My spirit will not always strive with man.”

If you are thinking that you’ll wait for a more convenient time then you are being very unwise.  He wants to fulfill His will in your life.