Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

a

I wonder how many times we’ve heard that Scripture?

Most of us hold onto this for reason of national purposes.

We say, we’ll pray and God will heal the brokenness in America.

God will help end racism.

God will tear down walls of poverty, kill injustice, restore the meaning of marriage, and so on.

But that’s too easy because we get to deflect God’s call from ourselves onto something external.

Meanwhile, how are things in your land?

How are things progressing in the brokenness in your home?

How is God healing the racism in your heart?

How is He doing as the Lord or your finances?

How’s your marriage?

Are you humbling yourself, seeking God’s face, praying, and letting him heal your land?

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

What about our church?

Are we investing the fervency in prayer that God is asking us?

Is our church humble enough to pray for our land, our marriages, our homes, our pastors, our community?

How would you grade our church today in the subject of prayer?

As the pastor here, I often feel convicted about how little time we as a church focus on prayer during our worship.

Prayer is the Root of Worship

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!

I started this series with a definition of worship: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God.

It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness (not mine); It is the nourishment of the mind with His truth (not mine); It is the purifying of the imagination by His beauty (not mine); It is the opening of the heart to his Love (not mine); It is the surrender of the will to His purpose (not mine)” All of these things are predicated on us being people of prayer.

In other words if we are going to be a church of worship, we must FIRST be a church of prayer!

I started this series with a definition of worship: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God.

It is the quickening of the conscience by His holiness (not mine); It is the nourishment of the mind with His truth (not mine); It is the purifying of the imagination by His beauty (not mine); It is the opening of the heart to his Love (not mine); It is the surrender of the will to His purpose (not mine)” All of these things are predicated on us being people of prayer.

In other words if we are going to be a church of worship, we must FIRST be a church of prayer!

Lets go back to :

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Gifts of Grace

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Marks of the True Christian

9 Let love be genuine.

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

10 Love one another with brotherly affection.

Outdo one another in showing honor.

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

People are blown away by the success of churches in South Korea and the victory there.

It doesn’t take long to realize the reason is 6:30 AM prayer meetings; weekly prayer groups and constant meditation on God.

People were blown away by Lisa’s miracle.

I knew a miracle was coming because God’s people decided to pray - not me - you did and look what God did that night.

I hear quite a bit of talk about the desire for these kind of things, but very little action.

Prayer is the Power in Ministry

I’m not talking to everyone today.

I’m talking to the group of you out there that will settle for average.

You know God’s doing something here; you’ve told me you feel like God is doing something here and your on the edge of your seat.

You’re competitive group.

The group that likes winning and hates losing.

The group that’s hard working and not afraid to sweat.

Who loves the challenge of working their why to the top.

Who don’t settle for minimum wage.

Who have a drive in them to be the best they can be.

Give ear to my words, O LORD;

consider my groaning.

2  Give attention to the sound of my cry,

my King and my God,

for to you do I pray.

3  O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch

I’m not talking to everyone today.

I’m talking to the group of you out there that will settle for average.

You know God’s doing something here; you’ve told me you feel like God is doing something here and your on the edge of your seat.

You’re competitive group.

The group that likes winning and hates losing.

The group that’s hard working and not afraid to sweat.

Who loves the challenge of working their why to the top.

Who don’t settle for minimum wage.

Who have a drive in them to be the best they can be.

My job is to EMPOWER you to be a soul-winner.

A constant example of consistency to everyone around us.

God never called anyone to mediocrity.

He has not called us to be wishy-washy- having a form of godliness - He’s called you to be a warrior.

A person who refuses to allow the enemy to have his way among God’s people and in God’s house.

· God never called anyone to mediocrity.

He has not called us to be wishy-washy- having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof.

· If you ever feel like you don’t need challenged and you are comfortable where you are- Honey you are in trouble.

· There should be a drive in you that hunger for more.

I love what I feel but I know there has to be more out there.

If I could just get about 30-40 people who hunger for God.

Who aren’t asking for permission or waiting for permission, but leading the way because they’re tired of marriages failing, they’re tired of defeated lives, they’re tired of cancer diagnosis.

Where in the Bible does it tell us to give up and accept the effects of sin?

No where!

I scoured the New Testament trying to find where in ministry does God exclude prayer.

Do you know what I found?

Nothing.

Everything God does in the work of ministry He does through prayer:

Prayer is the way you defeat the devil (, )

Prayer is the way you get the lost saved ()

Prayer is the way you acquire wisdom ()

Prayer is the way the person who fell away comes home again ()

Prayer is how the believers get strong (; )

Prayer is the way we find laborers for the mission field here at GCC and across the sea ()

Prayer is how we cure the sick ()