Sunday Service

Let's go ahead and pray to get started.

Mighty mighty the Lord Our God, the Earth is full of your glory and truly. We see that as we look around and see the Majesty of your creation, we love you Lord and we praise you and we thank you that you're here. We thank you that your spirit is here to really touched deeply. Our hearts says, we open our hearts and our minds to you through the power of your word. That speaks mightily to us. We do pray that your spirit would be upon me that as I speak, I would speak only the words that you have laid upon my heart and that your spirit would reach out and touch each of us, myself included, and Draw Me Closer to you. Draw us closer to you oh Lord, in Jesus name. Amen. well, we are going to start on this series and

I think of all the things that you and I can do is Believers the one that really connects us directly to God more clearly than any other is the power prayer. And just think about this, if God were to take away your ability to come and worship him in this house, it would not take away your ability to come before him and seek him through prayer. It's always there if you were thrown into prison and you didn't have the Bible or anything else to take care of you, God would be there. Because you can just simply. Open your voices to him and pray and seek him, and he's there.

You know, if God were to take this word and burn every single page of God's word in this world today, it would not take away your opportunity to be with him through prayer. He's there. And it is a powerful instrument to change each and every one of our hearts to draw closer to him. I cannot think of any other times when God has move, so mightily, as when I've been in prayer, seeking his face. And that's particularly true of what we're going to talk about today. The idea of recognizing God of praising, his name and bring glory to him. Alone is so powerful. There are times. Regularly, when I will go to pray and that's all I will do, is just praise God. Praise him for who he is, and what he's done. Because it is such a powerful instrument to help us connected him to understand who he is, as you go through what he's done in your life, as you go through, what you seen happened in the world, as you go through the observation of his creation and recognize that and glorifying for it, it changes your life, it draws you closer to him. And we all need that. And so we're going to take a look at that today. Now, I have to say this at the very beginning, I am going to scratch the surface of Praise today. There is so much more deaf to praising God. Then what I have to say today and that you and your minds can just be going over the different ways that you have praised him in the past and can glorify him in the future. My simply remembering who he is, and what he's done. We're going to start by looking at Luke Chapter 11, And we're going to look at one verse from that today. Remember this is The Lord's Prayer and the disciples have gone to him and say it teacher help us to understand how to pray. And so he says this, he said to them. When you pray say, Father, Hallowed be your name. I know there's another part to that will catch that next week. We're going to look at how it be your name this week because that is praise. And that's what we're going to look at the recognizing who God is. And what he's done for your lives is so powerful and so important. We're going to look at three issues today. Number one, God himself who he is, who is this God, who created you, who sustains you and hopefully who is saved you. The second thing is God's work, he's at work in this world is at work in the lives of the people around, you is at work in the governments of our world. And finally, we'll take a look at God and you how he influences and affects your life. Those are all areas of praise and glory and honor that we can give to the Living God Solomon. I, he's just finished the temple and they're having this ceremony, to, to call upon gone, to come into His Temple and be there. And, of course, he does with this great Cloud that comes in and really consumes the temple. Anyway, he is in this prayer and he says, he says, that first Kings 823, Lord, the god of Israel, you can say, Lord the God of all believers. Okay, there is no God. Like you in the heavens above or on the earth below. You who keep your Covenant. In other words, you who are faithful with your servants, who continue wholeheartedly in your way, in other words, God doesn't change. He saying, you're the God who we want to worship. We praise you because you're the only God worth worshiping. We praise you because you have been the faithful unto our lives. We praise you, because you don't change. You're always the same. That's our God.

We need to recognize that he is the all powerful one, the one that can do whatever he desires. And remember, God is a good god. So when he does something it's for good that he chooses to do that, Isaiah 40 verse 28 says, do you not know, have you not heard the Lord is the Everlasting. God the creator of the ends of the Earth. He will not grow tired or weary in his understanding. No one can fathom. Do you want to know who God is? Do you want a comprehend him completely. Well, you're not going to be able to do it, but that shouldn't stop us from seeking that understanding. That should be the desire of each of our hearts to be continually longing to go after him and recognize and know this. All Mighty God, who is above all, who is the creator? Who gave you, and I had a life and then For most of you has redeemed, your life, and brought you to that place where you can be expected of an eternity with him.

Our God sees everything. Think about this one. You know you you can't hide from him. You can't even hide your thoughts from him, whatever you're thinking wherever that goes you know God's right there with you. He's listening to you whether you believe him or don't believe in me still there. And you know sometimes we think we can hide the the bad parts of our Lives. Those struggles. David and his son 139 verse 70 says, where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? Where you can't, he's there with you. He's always in touch with your life. Even more so than you are because he understands where you're going as well as where you are at the present time and where you've been in the past cuz he's there, he's there everywhere, he sees everything. And he is the only one. The only God sometimes we want to play some other things before him. They're certainly demons out there. They want you to put your trust in what they think is good but sometimes we want to give into other things, besides our God will God says no I want you to seek after me. Make me a part of each and every part of your life. And Isaiah 45 verse five. It says I am the lord and there is no other apart from the city. There is no God. I will strengthen you though. You have not acknowledge me. In other words, whether you believe it or not, he's there. He's the only one that is God. He is the only one that can truly make any difference in your life. And the difference. He makes his substantial because it changes your direction when you trust in him to the glory of Heaven, rather than the Despair and the pain of hell, That's a huge Chasm that God breaks for us as we trust in him. So that's our God. Now you can ads tons more to who got ideas and I hope you do. I hope you go home and say I want to know more about my God and I want to know how to praise him and go after and see kit. He is The Great. I Am the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega. He's the El Shaddai. He's all those things and you can't see much much more, but I wanted to give you a taste of how to go to the Living God and praise His name. But it's also the god of works, you know, he's not just that being that is out there and looking down and seeing everything. And knowing all these things he is an active God. A God who is participating in life and that's pretty exciting to know that you have a god that is walking with you through everything you do. And the first thing was that he created you for this world. You know, you're not just a secondary thought you're not just well, you know, he just had to have so many people on the Earth so he made me know he made you because he loves you, whether you recognize him or not, God created you out of love. He created a great universe and he went through that creation for five days and he made everything perfect. When he looked at his creation he said wow I've made a perfect creation for mankind and then he made us In Genesis 1:27 and says. So God created Mankind in his own image and made him. They made us just like him. You know our Spirits are like his spirit. And in the image of God, he created them male and female he created them. He made us. To be like him in that wonderful when we think about, you know, our lives and what God wants from us, that's amazing. Okay, there was a problem that arose from that sin came into the world. When man chose to go his own way, and he allowed to send to come into the world and then not only brought terrible things on mankind. But on the universe itself,

this universe was Touched By Man sin. And eventually God is going to destroy this universe. When he's completed all the other tasks, he's going to create a new universe, in a new Heaven, for those of us who have trusted him to live. And that's exciting news which means that there has to be a restorative process, right? If if we've separated from God because of sand there has to be a restorative process. Otherwise, we live for nothing, right? And God planned a restorative process and he did so through his son Jesus Christ. Who willingly came to Earth and live the perfect life and died on that cross. Romans 14, Nine States, this for this very reason Christ, died and returned to live, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

The dead, those who have trusted in him and passed on, from this life, the living who are alive. But you know what? He died for every single person, even if you don't believe who he is, he died for you.

You still have to trust him and that's the big thing is that we need to say, okay I've recognized you died for me and I give my life over to you. That's the change that he wants to have. The restorative process is not only him doing the work but you accepting that work. That's the restorative process. But when you do when you accept that gift that he offers to you, he gives you something very special. He gives you himself. Himself in the power of the spirit. You see, when I believed that, Jesus Christ was my Lord and Savior. And I prayed and asked him to forgive my sins. He then empowered me with his self, the Holy Spirit came into my life, just like he came into your lives, and you now have power to overcome the world.

Jesus is talking to the disciples before he went to the Cross said, but John 14:16 7 but but very truly I tell you it is for your good that I'm going away unless I go away The Advocate will not come to you but I will go. I will send him to you. In other words, I'm going to give you the guide but it will give you wisdom and guidance and understanding how to operate in this life as God operates in this life, not as humans operate in this life. God wants to build himself up in you and he does that through the power of the spirit. But you know what, is not only the guide in the strength for your life, but he's your guarantee. Bible says that numerous times that he is the guarantee of Eternal lie. There, when you get to heaven, he's the ticket to get in, okay? That's the spirit of the Living God that he has given you. That's worthy of Praise, isn't it? Oh man. I'll say but you know what? He Also has a plan for your life and my life. And he says, that through scripture, you know, I I have this plan that I've given you and I've chosen you and I'm redeeming you but I have something for you to do as well, and if he shouldn't 28 through 10, it says, for it, is by Grace, you have been saved through faith, and then, it's not for yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. In other words, I've saved you because you didn't deserve it, but I wanted to do it. I love you so much. I'm willing to give up everything so that you can have everything, that's what he says but then he goes a little bit further. He says, after I have redeemed you I've got something for you to do. He says for we are God's handiwork created in Christ. Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. In other words got a plan for you to do good works. He's he's got them all set out for you to do the big question is are you willing to do those? And one of the ways that you know that you're ready to do the work is that you're really seeking to do the work and part of that is to build that connection with him and you do so. Very much through the power of Prayer. As you see God, he is ready. He is waiting. He is seeking you already. So there is a connection there and when you go to God and you pray to him, he is there communing with you in those prayers.

God's at work. Now in you there is also something special he's got for you, we've talked about this a little bit but God has a plan for each of Our Lives. Imagine that you're in God's plans. Just as much as I am. You know, God called me to speak his word, okay, he may have called you to do the same thing, but there are other things that God has called you to do. Are you desirous of knowing what God's plan for you is, Jeremiah 29:11 States? This in this statement, remember where the people of Israel were they were being dragged off to slavery in Babylon. Okay, so you get the picture, you know, it wasn't looking real good for his real here, right? But here's what God has to say to them for, I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm. You plans to give you hope and a future. In other words, It doesn't matter what the situation looks like to you from your perspective, from God's perspective that plan is to do good for your lawn and sometimes the plan to do good for your lives, involves us, walking through the struggles of life. Those trials. But he's got a good plan for you. If you were a believer in Jesus Christ, you can know that God is operating with you. But the first step is to really come to know him as Lord and savior. You know, and that's the call that God has on each person's life, I prayed for it earlier. If you remember the prayer I had, you know, earlier in the service as I do every Sunday, I pray for the Lost of this world. And if you don't know, Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, you're lost. You haven't been changed. You are a walking in sin and separated from God, and you will never connect with God into you willingly, come to him. Recognizing Jesus Christ. As being the Savior, who came to this world, who died for your sins and covered them so that you might have life. And when you give your life over to him, you are changed 2nd. Corinthians 5:17 says, therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come the old has gone. The new is here. Are you in Christ? You are new. You are new. You're not the same as you were. When you were born, you've been changed house. That happened over west of all your sins. Have been washed away. You know, it covered all of them. They're gone. Jesus washed them away. Why? Because you willingly asked him to and he does that when we truly ask him, the second thing is he's giving you a new spirit, his Spirit lives in you. A spirit, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. The one who saved you, they're both in you and guess what they're advocating before the father for your life and how you operated and that wonderful that God is communing with God over you Don pedrick, you know? The spirit and Jesus Christ, her advocating before the father for money and you can put your name in there to isn't that exciting on. Here's the other thing that you know, when we go through those struggles, when the difficulties arise, God desires, good for your life and that wonderful when my heart and my desire is for God. He communes for me in this life and brings about goodness. Romans 8:28. And we know that all in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called, according to his purpose. Do you love God. Have you been called according to his purpose? Then you can recognize God's goodness happening in your life. The last thing that we have here is a whole idea of feeling you back up, you know, when you were wandering in sin, separated, from God, all that you had piling into your life where godlessness and disparity and struggles that you were battling in this life and even though you searched and searched for the goodness, that live brought, there wasn't that goodness. But God in his mercy and his grace redeemed, you and changed you. And now he is Desiring to feel you. Fill you with what? Well, think about what God desires for you life. You know, the fruit of the spirit love joy, peace, patience continue on their, you know, his desire to put compassion and kindness and goodness into your life. He's feeling you up with those things. Is that what you're seeking? Is that what you're thankful for? Thank you, Father. That you're changing me. It's recognizing that he is doing all of those things. Now, I'm covered. Like I said, just a bit of a portion of what you can go before the Living God and seek Him in these ways.

And I hope that you will take advantage of this. That when you go before the Lord, you recognize, who he is, you recognize what he's done and you recognize what he's continuing to do in your life, and how is changing you, because these are all things that help you develop that relationship with him. You know. If I love my children. I want them to see that I that I love them by letting them know the good that I see in their lives and how they are. They are changing day by day. And God wants us to recognize how he's changing us and we can go to him and do that.

this is such an important part of prayer, but I'm going to close now, but and I'm doing it a little bit early because I'm going to pray. A prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God, okay. And it's going to be a longer one. Then your typically waiting for because I'm going to use what I just went through and pray that way. So, I want you to pray along with me. Take these into your heart, know them and growing them because it will change your life if it becomes a part of who you are. So let's pray.

Our gracious Father in Heaven, how Mighty you are, how worthy of praise and honor, and glory, for year that God, that has changed life. You created it perfectly, you made us fresh, and new, and righteous, and holy.

And we were stained by our own sin. And we fell away from you and we walked around ways. But father, you're the Mighty God who changed all that.

We thank you for your power in your might and your majesty. You created us and you gave us this beautiful. World to live in a world that looks out on the Stars, that's continue to go on for a lot further than we can see. Galaxy after Galaxy after Galaxy.

All goes on forever. We open our eyes. And is I walk to church this morning. Lord, I just looked up at the beautiful Hills, that surround this community and I literally praise your name, for all, they are. And I do so now because you have placed Us in this gorgeous place in this world and allowed us to enjoy the blessings. You gave us the warm sun. You gave us The joyful river that provide so much for our lives. Lord, you've given so much. May you be blessed? May you be praised. Thank you for your faithfulness. Lord, you are ever present in guiding our lives and we thank you that you don't change that. That faithfulness doesn't stop because we become

sinful. And struggle with our walk. You're always there. You're always present. You're always faithful. You see us and you know, it's deeply, whether we're living the good that you called us to or the unrighteous that we ought ought to avoid are, you know, us and you desire us to walk in the right. Help us to do so, give us that strength.

You are the like the only one.

What other God can we go before? Lord, for there is no other God. Anything else we might choose to worship is a fake Not powerful. Not good, not wholly. Not righteous, not true, you alone or all those things. Lord, and we worship you. Oh Father you who? You're the great Creator and brought us into this perfect world. We thank you and praise you for that and pray that you would continue to

exalt yourself in our lives that we would see your glory as it flows in us and through us and out of us into this world. It is in need. Thank you for that restoration. You gave to our lives. As we trust in you, is our Mighty, Lord, and Savior, thank you for the precious gift of Jesus Christ. And his love for us. That did redeem us because of his willingness to die on that cross to shed the blood that covers our sins. And to give us the life that we have helped us to consume you. Oh, Lord. That you're our lives would be filled with your glory. Thank you for the power of your spirit that truly guides and directs our paths. It gives us wisdom to know the path. We need to Triton to guide. Every step we take as we trust in you, Thank you for the Great and Mighty plan that you give us and that you didn't just leave us here on this Earth. What you've given us an opportunity to serve you Lord. May I have eyes that are open and ready to see that plan and allow it to play out in my life because I'm trusting in your power and your strength to guide me.

Oh father, thank you for the planning my life to give me a life that I can trust you to lead me through. That miraculous change that took place in my life. Lord. What a joyful thing that as I trusted in you, you then continue to pour bountifully. The gifts of your presence in my life. Allowing me to be filled with your spirit. Thank you for the goodness that continually comes to my life and thank you for me to see through the struggles of life to the goodness that you do give Thank you for your continual filling of my life with the good things of God, that love, and joy, and peace, and patience and kindness, and goodness that righteousness might grow in my life.

and that I would have that wonderful growing compassion for the people of this world to help them see the truth. Oh Lord, You Are The Blessing, the kindness to our lives. And may we go out when we go out from this building to not forget that prays for you. is the beginning point of truly recognizing a mighty and powerful and true. You are in our lives, bless us, O Lord, as we go forward. In Jesus name, amen.