WEBVTT 00:00:02.830 --> 00:00:05.490 Thank you for speaking in the quietness of this 00:00:05.490 --> 00:00:08.390 place. We want to hear your voice. Help us to 00:00:08.390 --> 00:00:10.949 know how we can partner with you and stand in 00:00:10.949 --> 00:00:15.310 the gap to win a lost world to your cause. In 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:23.949 Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The year was 509 B 00:00:23.949 --> 00:00:28.210 .C. The Etruscan army was bearing down upon the 00:00:28.210 --> 00:00:30.769 city of Rome. This was in the days of Rome's 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:33.640 infancy. before they became the mighty nation, 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:37.280 the empire we read about in history books. The 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.899 Etruscans numbered in the tens of thousands. 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:43.340 Their swords and their spears gleamed in the 00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:47.579 afternoon sun. On the other hand, the Roman army 00:00:47.579 --> 00:00:50.700 was just a little ragtag team. They retreated 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:53.799 inside the city walls, locked the gates like 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:56.939 a dog with its tail between its legs. There was 00:00:56.939 --> 00:01:00.659 only one thing. that stood between the Etruscans 00:01:00.659 --> 00:01:05.000 and sure victory. They had to pass over the Tiber 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.239 River that was made out of stout beams. There 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:11.859 was only one ghost of a chance the Romans had 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:14.099 to save their city, and that was to cut away 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:17.159 the bridge before the Etruscan army got to it. 00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:22.079 So it was a race against time. The Etruscans 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:24.159 coming closer and closer to the foot of that 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.299 bridge. The Roman soldiers had their axes out. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.480 Chips flying, trying to cut away the bridge before 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:32.620 the Etruscans reached the foot of that bridge. 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:36.000 Soon it was apparent there would not be enough 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.400 time to complete their task. And a young Roman 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.859 soldier by the name of Horatius, he stood in 00:01:44.859 --> 00:01:49.640 the gap between the oncoming Etruscans and the 00:01:49.640 --> 00:01:52.459 foot of that bridge. And he unsheathed his sword. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.840 and began to swing left and right, manfully cutting 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:59.400 down soldier after soldier, fighting for what 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:02.879 seemed like hours. His muscles ached. He felt 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:05.519 the sting of the sword as he tried to glance 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:09.340 those swords off. He did not retreat. He did 00:02:09.340 --> 00:02:12.460 not give up. He kept fighting, defending the 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.199 foot of that bridge until finally he heard the 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:18.039 creak and groan of that bridge as it swept into 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:24.340 the river. Rome was saved that day because of 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:29.180 one man who stood in the gap. I want to talk 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:31.099 about standing in the gap today. We're going 00:02:31.099 --> 00:02:34.740 to talk about intercessory prayer. And this will 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:39.800 lead into what each of us can do to prepare for 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.060 the evangelistic meeting starting on October 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:47.400 24th. This morning I'd like for us to look at 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:50.960 our key passage, Ezekiel. Ezekiel, we're going 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:54.060 to be looking at several passages this morning, 00:02:54.099 --> 00:02:57.840 but if you would begin in Ezekiel chapter 22. 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.659 Ezekiel is one of those heavyweight prophets. 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:08.020 Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 30. Please look 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:11.379 at your Bible. I want you to see this powerful 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:15.840 passage about standing in the gap. How many of 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:18.460 you have heard that expression, standing in the 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:21.319 gap? Well, you know that's a biblical term. It's 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:26.219 right here in Ezekiel 22, verse 30. Before we 00:03:26.219 --> 00:03:29.860 get there, I want us to glance just quickly at 00:03:29.860 --> 00:03:34.860 the first 16 verses. God has an indictment against 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:40.099 His people. Rather than being faithful, rather 00:03:40.099 --> 00:03:43.500 than exercising fidelity to the covenant relationship, 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:47.400 they have broken every one of the Ten Commandments. 00:03:47.770 --> 00:03:50.129 If you just flow through the first 16 verses, 00:03:50.370 --> 00:03:53.330 I've actually written, Pastor Greg, in the margin 00:03:53.330 --> 00:03:55.870 of my Bible, here's number six that they broke. 00:03:56.009 --> 00:04:00.110 They were a bloodthirsty city. Then on and on, 00:04:00.250 --> 00:04:03.870 they cursed God's name. Rather than honoring 00:04:03.870 --> 00:04:07.469 their parents, they defamed their parents. In 00:04:07.469 --> 00:04:11.370 verse 8 there, it says they profaned the Sabbath. 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:13.650 And on and on, they broke every one of these 00:04:13.650 --> 00:04:17.800 Ten Commandments. And God was having to... Remove 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:21.199 his hedge of protection and allow the Babylonian 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:23.959 army to come in and decimate the city and for 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:26.319 the people, the citizens, to be carted off into 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:30.680 Babylonian exile. But before allowing such stringent 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.800 measures to take place, God first looked across 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:39.500 the land looking for someone who would stand 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:42.639 in the gap so that his judgment could be averted. 00:04:43.319 --> 00:04:50.300 So let's look at verse 30 now. Verse 30. God 00:04:50.300 --> 00:04:54.720 speaking, so I sought for a man among them who 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:58.160 would make a wall and stand in the gap. There's 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:02.360 that phrase before me on behalf of the land that 00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:05.779 I should not destroy it, but I found how many. 00:05:08.959 --> 00:05:14.180 Isn't that a sad commentary? No one. Out of the 00:05:14.180 --> 00:05:18.129 hundreds and thousands, of Israelites, God could 00:05:18.129 --> 00:05:22.610 not find a single person who was standing in 00:05:22.610 --> 00:05:26.490 the gap and interceding in behalf of a wayward 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:32.550 nation. And so God had to allow judgment to fall. 00:05:34.370 --> 00:05:39.389 Standing in the gap, standing in the gap, I believe 00:05:39.389 --> 00:05:42.550 that the enemy comes in today like a flood. It 00:05:42.550 --> 00:05:45.600 says that in... Isaiah chapter 59, verse 16. 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:49.019 Have you seen it? The enemy comes in after your 00:05:49.019 --> 00:05:51.360 roommate. The enemy comes in after your family, 00:05:51.500 --> 00:05:54.379 after your spouse, after your work associate, 00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:57.920 after your neighbor. There's all kinds of heartache 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:03.000 and woe. We live in an age of uncertainty. Just 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:07.199 this past week, Wednesday, we had an individual, 00:06:07.560 --> 00:06:11.839 Charlie Kirk, that was assassined by an assassin's 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:17.079 bullet. We live in a crazy age, and the devil 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:20.259 is trying to take this generation down, and God 00:06:20.259 --> 00:06:23.360 is looking for individuals who will stand in 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:26.779 the gap. What does that mean, stand in the gap? 00:06:27.220 --> 00:06:30.839 Do you know in antiquity, their cities were much 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:35.660 different than today, obviously. But the cities 00:06:35.660 --> 00:06:38.259 were not like Atlanta, Nashville, Chattanooga. 00:06:39.019 --> 00:06:43.079 Back in that day, their cities had high... fortress 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:45.759 walls around them to keep the enemy out, right? 00:06:46.259 --> 00:06:49.000 And so watchmen would stand on the wall. They 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:54.759 would look out and see if there was an encroaching 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.279 enemy. And if there were, they would have to 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:02.480 give the trumpet a distinctive sound. And all 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:04.439 the individuals that lived out in the rural, 00:07:04.620 --> 00:07:07.100 they would scurry their families into the city, 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.939 close the wall, close the gates, lock those gates. 00:07:11.389 --> 00:07:13.689 so that they could be safe from the enemy. The 00:07:13.689 --> 00:07:15.930 enemy would often besiege the city. They would 00:07:15.930 --> 00:07:18.709 cut off the supply line. They would cut off the 00:07:18.709 --> 00:07:22.810 water source. But they would also come with their 00:07:22.810 --> 00:07:27.709 battering rams and pound, pound after pound, 00:07:27.850 --> 00:07:30.790 those city walls. And sometimes they would penetrate 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:34.930 the wall and make a breach, a hole, a gap in 00:07:34.930 --> 00:07:39.269 the wall. In that instance, the defenders of 00:07:39.269 --> 00:07:42.339 the city, A brave soldier would have to stand 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:46.120 in that gap, draw his sword, and say over my 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.579 dead body, are you going to come in and take 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:53.459 out my family and my fellow citizens? Over my 00:07:53.459 --> 00:07:57.860 dead body. You see the visual, standing in the 00:07:57.860 --> 00:08:00.660 gap. I believe God is calling us to stand in 00:08:00.660 --> 00:08:05.819 the gap in prayer. There are many illustrations 00:08:05.819 --> 00:08:09.730 in the Bible. of individuals that were intercessory 00:08:09.730 --> 00:08:12.750 prayer warriors. Now here's where a little bit 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:15.069 of the professor comes out in me. I want you 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:19.889 to turn to your seatmate. Turn to someone next 00:08:19.889 --> 00:08:25.170 to you. Who is an example in the Bible of an 00:08:25.170 --> 00:08:28.949 intercessory prayer warrior? I'm going to give 00:08:28.949 --> 00:08:32.909 you 20 seconds, 20 seconds to share with your 00:08:32.909 --> 00:08:36.600 neighbor. Who is an example? of an intercessory 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:47.399 prayer warrior. Okay. Time's up. I wear hearing 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:49.700 aids. You're going to really have to yell this 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:53.299 out. Raise your hand. I'll kind of look at where 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:55.919 your hand is. Who is an example of an intercessory 00:08:55.919 --> 00:09:01.779 prayer warrior? Yes. Abraham. Who else? Over 00:09:01.779 --> 00:09:09.190 here. Daniel. Job. In the back, right behind 00:09:09.190 --> 00:09:16.970 Maria first. Yes. Paul. Maria. David. Okay. Over 00:09:16.970 --> 00:09:22.289 here. Moses. Man, you are getting all the ones 00:09:22.289 --> 00:09:26.450 I'm thinking of. Way in the corner. Hannah. I 00:09:26.450 --> 00:09:30.009 love that. I'm glad you mentioned a lady. Yes, 00:09:30.070 --> 00:09:35.950 one more. Jesus. Oh, my. All the examples that 00:09:35.950 --> 00:09:37.669 I thought of this morning. You got every one 00:09:37.669 --> 00:09:40.950 of those. So let's just take a look. I want to 00:09:40.950 --> 00:09:45.090 start with Moses. Let's start with Moses. Didn't 00:09:45.090 --> 00:09:47.289 we just talk about Moses this morning in Sabbath 00:09:47.289 --> 00:09:50.570 School lesson? This goes right along with what 00:09:50.570 --> 00:09:53.250 Cindy was teaching this morning in our Sabbath 00:09:53.250 --> 00:09:57.309 School class. Turn to, rather than the Exodus 00:09:57.309 --> 00:10:01.929 32 story, I want you to turn to Psalms. Psalms 00:10:01.929 --> 00:10:11.549 106. Psalms 106, the psalmist makes a reference 00:10:11.549 --> 00:10:16.870 to this incident where Moses stood in the gap. 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:22.269 Psalms 106, and let's begin reading with verse 00:10:22.269 --> 00:10:28.129 19. Are you ready? They, the Israelites, made 00:10:28.129 --> 00:10:33.450 a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molded image. 00:10:34.700 --> 00:10:37.159 Now, when Moses went up to the top of Sinai, 00:10:37.299 --> 00:10:40.320 he was gone for 40 days, 40 nights. He went there 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:43.879 to get the sacred tablet, the ultimate expression 00:10:43.879 --> 00:10:47.120 of God's covenant with humanity. And while he 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.299 was gone, the Israelites were fasting and praying, 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:56.840 right? Right? No, they weren't. They were dancing 00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:59.919 around, having a sexual orgy, dancing around 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:04.120 in nudity around this golden calf with... The 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:07.480 music blaring. In fact, it was so loud, the music, 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:11.820 that when Moses and Joshua stepped off the summit, 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:15.679 Joshua said, I hear the sound of battle. That's 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:21.200 how powerful and loud the beat was in this music 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:25.000 that was going on. And God had a conversation 00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:28.919 with Moses. Verse 23. Therefore he, God, said 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:35.529 that he would do what? Destroy them had not Moses, 00:11:35.610 --> 00:11:39.610 his chosen one, stood before him in the what? 00:11:40.309 --> 00:11:44.769 In the breach or the gap. That word in the Hebrew 00:11:44.769 --> 00:11:48.389 is paretz. It's the same exact word used back 00:11:48.389 --> 00:11:52.870 in Ezekiel 22, verse 30. God looked for someone, 00:11:53.070 --> 00:11:59.049 someone who would stand in the gap. And right 00:11:59.049 --> 00:12:02.590 here we have an example, a biblical example of 00:12:02.590 --> 00:12:08.970 Moses who said, God, God, think about what the 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:11.629 nations, the surrounding nations will think if 00:12:11.629 --> 00:12:15.490 you take your people out. I want your name to 00:12:15.490 --> 00:12:18.590 be honored, not shamed. And if you're going to 00:12:18.590 --> 00:12:23.149 take them out, take my name out too. Take my 00:12:23.149 --> 00:12:26.409 name out too. Now let's quickly digress. God 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:32.200 is not a God. of anger and wrath. But you know, 00:12:32.240 --> 00:12:36.019 he is the life giver. And just like a little 00:12:36.019 --> 00:12:41.539 growing embryo fetus in the mother's womb has 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:44.639 to be attached with that umbilical cord to stay 00:12:44.639 --> 00:12:49.399 alive, if we separate ourselves from the life 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:53.419 giver, what are the consequences? Death. And 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:55.860 so by their very actions, they were breaking 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:58.820 the covenant. They were chasing after the Canaanite 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:01.379 idols. They were worshiping this golden calf 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:04.460 rather than connecting themselves with God. And 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:07.700 the consequence is death. And Moses stood in 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:11.860 the gap and said, God, please let me die in their 00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:17.360 place. A direct type of what Jesus would later 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:21.620 do. I praise God for that. Someone mentioned 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:26.769 Abraham. When the three angels, the pre -incarnate 00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:30.610 Christ and his two angelic hosts came down to 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:34.190 Abraham's tent, they were on their way on a mission, 00:13:34.309 --> 00:13:36.350 right? They were going to Sodom and Gomorrah. 00:13:36.389 --> 00:13:39.509 Those cities, those degenerate cities of the 00:13:39.509 --> 00:13:44.610 plain were about to be incinerated. And the pre 00:13:44.610 --> 00:13:47.669 -incarnate Christ talked with his friend Abraham 00:13:47.669 --> 00:13:50.679 and said, this is what I'm about to do. Please, 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:53.919 if there's 50 righteous, won't you spare it? 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:59.679 Lord, if there's 45, 40, 30, 20, 10, if there's 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:04.480 just 10 righteous in that great sinful metroplex, 00:14:04.659 --> 00:14:08.519 won't you spare it? There were not 10 righteous 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:12.360 in that big urban center. That's a sad commentary. 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:17.370 Some of you mentioned Daniel. He recognized by 00:14:17.370 --> 00:14:20.389 the prophecy of Jeremiah, a colleague of his, 00:14:20.509 --> 00:14:24.470 that the days of exile were about completed. 00:14:25.210 --> 00:14:28.470 Seventy years you will go into Babylonian exile. 00:14:28.730 --> 00:14:34.309 It was year 68. And in Daniel chapter 9, he looks 00:14:34.309 --> 00:14:37.049 at the prophetic time clock and he says, Wow, 00:14:37.629 --> 00:14:40.110 we're about to be released, but that was conditional 00:14:40.110 --> 00:14:45.889 upon repentance. And Daniel looked around. He 00:14:45.889 --> 00:14:48.950 didn't see any repentance and obedience. So he 00:14:48.950 --> 00:14:53.450 stood in the gap and said, God, we have transgressed. 00:14:53.730 --> 00:14:58.250 We have sinned. And because Daniel stood in the 00:14:58.250 --> 00:15:02.629 gap, I believe, on the fact of his repentance 00:15:02.629 --> 00:15:06.509 and his obedience, the Israelites were released. 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:10.009 He stood in the gap. Praise God for that. Another 00:15:10.009 --> 00:15:12.049 example I don't think was mentioned, but was 00:15:12.049 --> 00:15:17.539 Elijah. Elijah. Did anyone mention Elijah? All 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.580 right. It says in James chapter 5 that an Old 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:23.139 Testament example of an effective, fervent prayer 00:15:23.139 --> 00:15:27.740 warrior is Elijah who prayed and it stopped raining. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:32.539 He prayed again and rain resumed. But look back 00:15:32.539 --> 00:15:36.360 at 1 Kings quickly. 1 Kings chapter 17. There's 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:41.539 a remarkable story of Elijah standing in the 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:44.159 gap and praying. Do you remember when he stayed 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:50.080 with the widow of Zarephath? And she willingly 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:55.179 gave up her bread and so forth. This woman had 00:15:55.179 --> 00:15:57.720 a son, and this son became deathly ill and died. 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:01.519 We read the story there in 1 Corinthians 17. 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:07.360 And it's amazing. It's amazing what happened. 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:11.860 Look at verse 19. He said to her, Give me your 00:16:11.860 --> 00:16:16.710 son. So he took him out of her arms and carried 00:16:16.710 --> 00:16:24.070 him where? The upper room. Let that sink in. 00:16:24.529 --> 00:16:28.289 Can you picture Elijah scooping up that ashen 00:16:28.289 --> 00:16:34.210 white boy, that limp son, dead, carrying him 00:16:34.210 --> 00:16:37.970 up the steps to the upper room, and he laid that 00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:41.210 little boy out on the little cot. And he prayed, 00:16:41.350 --> 00:16:47.250 God, restore the life of this boy. Nothing. God, 00:16:47.269 --> 00:16:51.730 please restore the life of this boy. Nothing. 00:16:52.090 --> 00:16:58.629 A third time. God, please restore his life. And 00:16:58.629 --> 00:17:01.149 that little boy opened his eyes, coughed, sat 00:17:01.149 --> 00:17:05.130 up. And that little boy went dead into the upper 00:17:05.130 --> 00:17:14.329 room. He came down alive. It hit me the other 00:17:14.329 --> 00:17:19.410 day that we can carry our dead loved ones in 00:17:19.410 --> 00:17:24.650 our arms to the upper room of prayer. Father, 00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:27.109 would you please revive the soul of my brother? 00:17:28.329 --> 00:17:33.730 He's dead. He's dead. He's been dead for 38 years. 00:17:33.829 --> 00:17:35.930 He's been away from you. Lord, would you please 00:17:35.930 --> 00:17:39.849 revive the soul of my neighbor, my work colleague? 00:17:41.349 --> 00:17:44.650 You put my roommate. You put that name in that 00:17:44.650 --> 00:17:47.930 slot. God, would you please restore their life? 00:17:48.450 --> 00:17:51.750 And I believe our loved ones go dead in the upper 00:17:51.750 --> 00:17:56.849 room. They came out alive. This gives me courage 00:17:56.849 --> 00:18:01.029 to pray. The prayer of one. The prayer of one. 00:18:01.109 --> 00:18:05.089 Ladies and gentlemen, the prayer of one makes 00:18:05.089 --> 00:18:08.740 an eternal difference. Yes, there's power in 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:11.059 collective prayer. There's power in corporate 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:13.500 prayer. There's power when we come together, 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:16.519 assemble together as a united family of God and 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:19.619 intercede together. But in these examples, every 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:22.880 one of them, the prayer of one person makes an 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:26.339 eternal difference. And I believe that God is 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:28.579 asking us to pray. As these meetings are coming, 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:31.920 October 24th, we can lift up the people around 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:35.970 us and say, God, please do something. in their 00:18:35.970 --> 00:18:38.630 lives. Use me as an instrument. Use me as a vessel 00:18:38.630 --> 00:18:43.450 to reach out and invite them to come. Now, I 00:18:43.450 --> 00:18:46.289 believe the most powerful example. Who said Jesus? 00:18:47.029 --> 00:18:52.329 Someone said Jesus. Yes. Jesus is the most, the 00:18:52.329 --> 00:18:55.650 greatest example of an intercessory prayer warrior. 00:18:55.950 --> 00:19:00.970 What does it say in Hebrews 7 .25? He ever lives 00:19:00.970 --> 00:19:07.670 to make what? Intercession. And when we pray, 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:09.589 we're not praying alone. We're not praying in 00:19:09.589 --> 00:19:12.589 isolation like we used to have to hovel in COVID, 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:16.430 you know, being socially isolated. But when we 00:19:16.430 --> 00:19:20.569 pray, we are joining Jesus, the most powerful 00:19:20.569 --> 00:19:23.230 prayer warrior there's ever been. Look at Isaiah 00:19:23.230 --> 00:19:28.009 59. Isaiah 59. This is a powerful reference to 00:19:28.009 --> 00:19:32.069 Jesus, our mighty prayer warrior. Isaiah chapter 00:19:32.069 --> 00:19:38.230 59. This is a stark chapter. Wow, just the context. 00:19:39.230 --> 00:19:42.670 Look at Isaiah 59, verse 2. Are you guys there? 00:19:42.769 --> 00:19:44.970 I want you to see this in your Bible. Boy, when 00:19:44.970 --> 00:19:48.369 we get to verse 16, this will blow you away. 00:19:49.390 --> 00:19:52.069 All right, but starting chapter 59, verse 2, 00:19:52.210 --> 00:19:55.109 it talks about the deplorable condition we find 00:19:55.109 --> 00:19:58.809 ourselves in. Verse 2 says, but your iniquities 00:19:58.809 --> 00:20:02.470 have separated you from your God. Your sins have 00:20:02.470 --> 00:20:06.170 hidden his face from you. It says down in verse 00:20:06.170 --> 00:20:10.170 10, we stumble as dead people. It says in verse 00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:13.349 11, the end of the verse, salvation is what? 00:20:14.269 --> 00:20:18.650 Far from us because our sins, our transgressions, 00:20:18.650 --> 00:20:21.970 our iniquities have separated us from him. So 00:20:21.970 --> 00:20:27.109 seeing this damnable situation, Jesus... The 00:20:27.109 --> 00:20:31.769 incarnate Jesus steps up to the Father and has 00:20:31.769 --> 00:20:36.029 a conversation. Look at verse 16. This is amazing. 00:20:37.509 --> 00:20:45.150 Verse 16. He, Jesus, saw that there was no man. 00:20:45.450 --> 00:20:50.269 Now, does that sound like Ezekiel 2230? God looked. 00:20:50.329 --> 00:20:54.480 He looked. He looked across the land to see if 00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:56.559 there was anyone who would stand in the gap. 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:00.299 He found no man. Jesus saw the same situation, 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:04.440 verse 16. He saw that there was no man and wondered 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:09.319 that there was no intercessor. So then it keeps 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:13.920 saying there, he stepped forward. Jesus stepped 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:20.259 forward. He said, Father, I'll become that man. 00:21:22.250 --> 00:21:27.650 And Jesus became the incarnate, God in the flesh. 00:21:29.690 --> 00:21:33.029 He walked in our shoes. He healed and touched 00:21:33.029 --> 00:21:36.130 in our cities. He walked in our streets. And 00:21:36.130 --> 00:21:39.890 eventually, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he began 00:21:39.890 --> 00:21:44.329 to assume the collective weight of the sins of 00:21:44.329 --> 00:21:48.349 the world. My sin, your sin, was pressed upon 00:21:48.349 --> 00:21:54.099 his frame. And Luke 22, 44 says, it was so oppressive 00:21:54.099 --> 00:21:57.059 and so heavy, he sweat as it were, dropped the 00:21:57.059 --> 00:22:02.380 blood. Jesus took on the helmet of salvation 00:22:02.380 --> 00:22:06.779 and the sword and the shield and he became the 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:12.180 heavenly Horatius who stood in the gap, who stood 00:22:12.180 --> 00:22:14.619 in the gap between a holy God and an imperfect 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:18.680 people. Not that he had to beg God to save this 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:22.140 people. But God the Father, God the Son, God 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:25.859 the Holy Spirit all joined forces together to 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:30.900 fight the evil Etruscan army. The devil and all 00:22:30.900 --> 00:22:33.980 his evil hosts. And on Calvary's cross, it says 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:41.859 in Isaiah 53, verse 6, he bore our iniquity on 00:22:41.859 --> 00:22:44.720 his own body. In 1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 24, 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:52.380 he took on sin for us. And because of that, we 00:22:52.380 --> 00:22:56.339 live. We live. I love the point, Cindy, you made 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:58.599 this morning, that what is forgiveness? Forgiveness 00:22:58.599 --> 00:23:04.680 is asking Jesus to assume our sin and to pay 00:23:04.680 --> 00:23:11.660 the price in our behalf. Good news for us, heavy 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:14.839 consequential for him, yet he was willing. Praise 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:19.920 God. I am so thankful. When I discovered... At 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.720 the age of 19, the age of many of you SALT students, 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:27.180 when I discovered that beautiful reality at the 00:23:27.180 --> 00:23:30.579 age of 19, back as a student at Southern Adventist 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:33.259 University, it broke my heart. And I said, God, 00:23:33.380 --> 00:23:36.400 I want to be yours for the rest of my life. If 00:23:36.400 --> 00:23:40.079 you're willing to do that for me, I want to give 00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.779 my life, my future, my all, everything I have. 00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:47.549 Lord, it belongs to you. You are so good. He 00:23:47.549 --> 00:23:50.710 is the one who stands in the gap. Praise God 00:23:50.710 --> 00:23:55.130 for that. Now, that was biblical characters. 00:23:55.769 --> 00:24:00.490 I want to fast forward, come a little closer 00:24:00.490 --> 00:24:03.710 to our day. When I was a Southern student, salt 00:24:03.710 --> 00:24:08.509 student, I used to be a student as well. 1978, 00:24:09.089 --> 00:24:11.910 I stumbled on campus. I was confused about my 00:24:11.910 --> 00:24:14.509 faith, confused about my calling, confused about 00:24:14.509 --> 00:24:21.779 my life mate. I was confused. And that year I 00:24:21.779 --> 00:24:26.220 found Jesus. I had several teachers that stood 00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:29.440 in the gap. And one was the name of Manon Hamm. 00:24:29.660 --> 00:24:33.660 She wasn't in the religion department. She was 00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:37.039 an English teacher. But she used to come in before 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:40.480 class. I took honors comp. I took biblical lit 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:43.400 from her every class period. She came in early. 00:24:43.500 --> 00:24:47.539 She would walk. around the room, put her hands 00:24:47.539 --> 00:24:49.859 on those desks, and she would pray over her students. 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:54.779 She knew us by name. And that year, I found Jesus. 00:24:56.500 --> 00:25:00.220 That year is when I came to the end of my goodness, 00:25:00.299 --> 00:25:02.740 my righteousness, and I said, God, if there's 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:04.779 anything that's going to get me into heaven, 00:25:04.819 --> 00:25:08.480 it's you, your righteousness alone. And I surrendered, 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:12.099 and I praise God for that. I'm thankful I left 00:25:12.099 --> 00:25:17.420 Southern with a clear... A clear understanding 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:21.700 of my faith, my calling, and my life made. Got 00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:23.640 married right after Southern. Southern's a good 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:28.579 place. God has called me back to Southern to 00:25:28.579 --> 00:25:30.960 teach now. Wonderful, wonderful. And you know 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:35.440 what? As I come back, I feel impressed. God, 00:25:35.740 --> 00:25:38.720 you have asked me to pass it forward. And so, 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:45.220 students, I pray for each of you every day. And 00:25:45.220 --> 00:25:49.559 I see students making decisions for Jesus. Okay, 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.859 so I need to go back to my story. I left Southern 00:25:52.859 --> 00:25:57.559 determined to set the world on fire. I was an 00:25:57.559 --> 00:26:00.660 intern, did a ministerial internship in Birmingham, 00:26:00.819 --> 00:26:06.039 Alabama before going up to seminary. I told my 00:26:06.039 --> 00:26:08.799 conference official, can I please do my internship 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:11.460 first because I'm burnt out on studies and I 00:26:11.460 --> 00:26:13.700 just want to get out into the real work. And 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:17.079 so I landed in Birmingham. I was determined to 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:20.740 have record baptisms and just be all in for Jesus. 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:24.220 And about six months through that experience, 00:26:24.380 --> 00:26:27.079 I was giving about 20 Bible studies all over 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:29.400 the place. I was doing youth ministry. I was 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:32.579 the Pathfinder director. It seems like nothing 00:26:32.579 --> 00:26:37.380 was happening. And I got discouraged. And midway 00:26:37.380 --> 00:26:40.980 through that year, I went down to Sylacauga, 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:43.900 Alabama. I was having a study with a lady there. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:47.240 And for the third week in a row, she either didn't 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:49.400 show up or didn't have her study done. And I 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:51.539 was so discouraged. That was the straw that broke 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:55.640 the camel's back. So I drove over to the parking 00:26:55.640 --> 00:27:00.680 lot, the gravel parking lot of Sylacauga, Alabama 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.799 Church, the Adventist church there. And I sat 00:27:03.799 --> 00:27:06.839 there, and I just cried. God, what's wrong? What's 00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:10.740 wrong? How come I'm putting in so much time, 00:27:10.779 --> 00:27:13.940 effort, energy, and nothing is happening? God, 00:27:14.019 --> 00:27:17.779 what is wrong? And that's where 1 Timothy chapter 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:23.380 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2. Turn there, church. 1 00:27:23.380 --> 00:27:32.269 Timothy chapter 2. This is where 1 Timothy. I 00:27:32.269 --> 00:27:35.349 was begging God to show me what was lacking in 00:27:35.349 --> 00:27:38.769 my life and ministry, and I opened my Bible. 00:27:38.829 --> 00:27:41.269 This is where it opened to. I began reading. 00:27:41.450 --> 00:27:44.289 Paul, a seasoned pastor, talking to young Timothy 00:27:44.289 --> 00:27:47.349 how to have a successful ministry. Here is what 00:27:47.349 --> 00:27:51.549 he said. 1 Timothy 2, verse 1. Therefore, Paul 00:27:51.549 --> 00:27:57.230 said, I exhort, I beg, I urge, I plead, first 00:27:57.230 --> 00:28:02.950 of all. That caught my attention. First. First, 00:28:02.950 --> 00:28:05.390 first of all, what am I supposed to do first 00:28:05.390 --> 00:28:07.730 of all to have a successful ministry? That word 00:28:07.730 --> 00:28:12.009 is protos, protos in the Greek. Same word used 00:28:12.009 --> 00:28:16.190 in Matthew 6, 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of 00:28:16.190 --> 00:28:18.029 God and his righteousness, and all these things 00:28:18.029 --> 00:28:20.450 will be added unto you. First of all, Paul said, 00:28:20.670 --> 00:28:23.730 before giving out glow tracks, before giving 00:28:23.730 --> 00:28:26.190 Bible studies, before conducting evangelistic 00:28:26.190 --> 00:28:28.950 meetings, before directing Pathfinder clubs, 00:28:29.069 --> 00:28:32.720 first of all, what did Paul say? tell Timothy 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:42.779 to do? Pray. Pray. Why should prayer be our first 00:28:42.779 --> 00:28:47.000 order of business as Adventist Christians? Notice 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:51.859 verse 4. Speaking of God who desires some people 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:58.059 to be saved, all people to be saved and to come 00:28:58.059 --> 00:29:04.589 to a knowledge of the truth. Man, it hit me like 00:29:04.589 --> 00:29:08.210 a dagger in the chest. Lord, I've been doing 00:29:08.210 --> 00:29:11.329 all this stuff, spinning wheels, giving studies, 00:29:11.690 --> 00:29:15.450 doing this, this, this, and I haven't, I've been 00:29:15.450 --> 00:29:20.029 praying, but I haven't been praying. There's 00:29:20.029 --> 00:29:24.130 a difference between prayer and prayer. You know 00:29:24.130 --> 00:29:27.769 what I mean, church? You pray, Lord, thank you 00:29:27.769 --> 00:29:30.549 for this food, amen. Now I lay me down to sleep. 00:29:30.630 --> 00:29:33.470 I pray the Lord my soul to keep. We pray. But 00:29:33.470 --> 00:29:37.650 do we pray? And I really felt impressed that 00:29:37.650 --> 00:29:40.150 God wanted me to make out a 10 most wanted list, 00:29:40.269 --> 00:29:43.809 people that he was laying on my heart, and to 00:29:43.809 --> 00:29:48.190 really pray. And so I began to do that, and I 00:29:48.190 --> 00:29:51.029 began to see miracles happen. Not so much out 00:29:51.029 --> 00:29:54.970 here at first, but here. I began to change, change 00:29:54.970 --> 00:30:01.190 my attitude to wanting souls for my glory versus... 00:30:01.839 --> 00:30:05.180 Lord, you died for these people. You love these 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:08.240 people. You want all people to be saved and come 00:30:08.240 --> 00:30:12.740 to a knowledge of the truth. God gave me a shepherd's 00:30:12.740 --> 00:30:15.960 heart, a compassion for people, and then I began 00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:19.220 to see results happen. I began to see baptisms 00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:24.839 happen. We're starting meetings October 24. We're 00:30:24.839 --> 00:30:28.470 doing lots of preparatory work. Pastor Greg, 00:30:28.630 --> 00:30:30.710 thank you. Church, thank you. Salt students, 00:30:30.890 --> 00:30:34.589 thank you for all that you're doing. But I really 00:30:34.589 --> 00:30:37.849 hear Jesus whispering to us, first of all, first 00:30:37.849 --> 00:30:41.430 of all, first of all, what are we supposed to 00:30:41.430 --> 00:30:49.609 be doing? Not just pray, but pray. Pray. I believe 00:30:49.609 --> 00:30:56.880 that when we work, little happens. But when we 00:30:56.880 --> 00:31:04.559 pray, God goes to work and miracles happen. When 00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:09.099 we pray, I'm sorry, when we work, little happens. 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:13.579 But when we pray, God goes to work and miracles 00:31:13.579 --> 00:31:20.359 happen. And I believe that is the case. So, I 00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:24.720 want to tell two closing stories. Who closing 00:31:24.720 --> 00:31:28.740 stories? First of all, before I get into those 00:31:28.740 --> 00:31:32.859 two last stories, I went to a conference in spring 00:31:32.859 --> 00:31:37.440 of 2011, a discipleship conference. Melvin Santos 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:41.319 taught it, and he talked about having a three 00:31:41.319 --> 00:31:44.779 -ring binder. This is a prayer list on steroids, 00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.099 folks, a three -ring binder where you have five 00:31:48.099 --> 00:31:51.900 tabs, and you pray for your personal, your family. 00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:55.680 The second tab, you pray for your church, your 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:59.019 school, your conference. Third tab, you pray 00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:01.200 for outreach, the harvest, the people around 00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:03.700 you. I'm praying for my neighbor Jerry next door 00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:06.819 and Larry and Teresa around the corner. I'm praying 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:09.880 for my neighbors. And then the fourth tab is 00:32:09.880 --> 00:32:13.380 special needs. There are marital needs and there 00:32:13.380 --> 00:32:15.740 are financial needs and there are health needs 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:18.220 of people around, my students, so forth. I'm 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:20.420 praying for that. The final tab is the daily 00:32:20.420 --> 00:32:25.430 tab. In those first four tabs, I just list prayer 00:32:25.430 --> 00:32:28.750 requests. And every day I take a different tab 00:32:28.750 --> 00:32:31.269 and I just scan through that. And, Lord, who 00:32:31.269 --> 00:32:34.150 do you want me to labor for today? Then under 00:32:34.150 --> 00:32:38.190 the daily tab, I will write out paragraph prayers. 00:32:39.250 --> 00:32:43.349 P1, P2, P3. Go to the end of the year. P365, 00:32:43.509 --> 00:32:47.430 whatever. And just labor with God. Labor. Labor 00:32:47.430 --> 00:32:49.630 for your brother. Labor for your co -worker. 00:32:49.809 --> 00:32:53.460 Labor. And you know, God brought that to me in 00:32:53.460 --> 00:32:57.680 the nick of time because in June of that year, 00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:02.240 I learned about the prayer journal in March. 00:33:02.839 --> 00:33:06.019 Two months later, three months later, whatever 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:11.599 that is, in June, my daughter got into a serious 00:33:11.599 --> 00:33:14.599 dating relationship with someone we had major 00:33:14.599 --> 00:33:17.960 concerns about. Those of you who are parents, 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:20.099 grandparents, you know exactly what I'm talking 00:33:20.099 --> 00:33:25.359 about. I won't go into detail. We had major concerns, 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:29.180 and I would share. Beth, he's a nice guy, but 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:32.140 he's not the best for you. He's not the best 00:33:32.140 --> 00:33:35.039 for you, and the more we brought up, the more 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:39.599 pushback we got. Dad, don't run my life. Don't 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:42.779 tell me what to do. Now, we as parents have every 00:33:42.779 --> 00:33:46.269 right to express concern, but... Nagging does 00:33:46.269 --> 00:33:51.809 not work. Okay? Express your concern, parrot, 00:33:51.890 --> 00:33:54.109 but nagging does not work. So God impressed me. 00:33:54.150 --> 00:33:58.130 David, stop talking to Beth and start talking 00:33:58.130 --> 00:34:03.109 to me. So driving around the conference, I was 00:34:03.109 --> 00:34:05.089 ministerial director, evangelism coordinator, 00:34:05.349 --> 00:34:07.410 Kentucky 10 at this time, driving around the 00:34:07.410 --> 00:34:13.480 conference, 110 churches. I'm praying, Lord, 00:34:13.659 --> 00:34:18.579 please save my daughter. Save my daughter. Show 00:34:18.579 --> 00:34:22.219 her. Open her eyes. You know, about five, six 00:34:22.219 --> 00:34:25.679 months went by. Thanksgiving rolled around. They 00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:28.300 were still dating. Judy said, it's over, David. 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:30.699 I said, as long as there's a God in heaven, it's 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:34.420 not over, Judy. Let's keep praying. So around 00:34:34.420 --> 00:34:36.699 Thanksgiving, she broke up with this guy. It 00:34:36.699 --> 00:34:39.179 wasn't because of the concerns we saw, but her 00:34:39.179 --> 00:34:45.079 roommate said, Beth. You're going downhill. You 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:47.440 need to break up with this guy. She saw the light, 00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:50.320 did that. A couple months later, she met Ben, 00:34:50.639 --> 00:34:52.500 her current husband. They've been married for 00:34:52.500 --> 00:34:58.300 16, will be 13 years now. Wonderful guy. And 00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:02.960 what happens if they marry the wrong one? Parents, 00:35:03.099 --> 00:35:07.059 you keep praying even harder. You keep praying. 00:35:07.139 --> 00:35:11.139 Never give up praying. Now, one final story. 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:18.980 One final story, and that is just a short time 00:35:18.980 --> 00:35:22.900 after that. This was July 6th of 2013. It was 00:35:22.900 --> 00:35:25.380 a Saturday night. My brother that's been out 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:28.199 of the church and away from God for about 35 00:35:28.199 --> 00:35:34.840 years, he went to a convenience store Saturday 00:35:34.840 --> 00:35:42.900 night late off of Tazewell Pike, Knoxville. And 00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:45.840 on his way, he crossed the double yellow, plowed 00:35:45.840 --> 00:35:51.679 into another pickup. A major accident, and they 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:54.019 had to cut him out with the jaws of life, and 00:35:54.019 --> 00:35:57.019 they had to life flight him to UTC Medical Center, 00:35:57.179 --> 00:36:00.380 where he was in a coma for two and a half weeks. 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:04.940 Just about every bone in his body was crushed. 00:36:05.139 --> 00:36:07.559 Just about every organ in his body was bruised 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:10.320 or lacerated. He lingered between life and death. 00:36:10.460 --> 00:36:16.340 And that next morning, I'm at his bedside, listening 00:36:16.340 --> 00:36:19.420 to him gurgle through a breathing tube and a 00:36:19.420 --> 00:36:22.500 zillion wires coming out of him. And I said, 00:36:22.539 --> 00:36:28.380 God, it's over. It's over. And I felt impressed. 00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:32.219 God was telling me, David, it's not over. He 00:36:32.219 --> 00:36:34.980 reminded me of Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry 00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:39.679 bones. David, if I can put a valley of dismantled, 00:36:39.719 --> 00:36:44.260 crushed, broken, brittle bones together and make 00:36:44.260 --> 00:36:48.079 them whole, I can piece your brother together 00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:52.820 and heal him physically. And if I can breathe 00:36:52.820 --> 00:36:57.340 my spirit, my life into those corpses and they 00:36:57.340 --> 00:37:01.829 rise up an exceedingly great army. I can revive 00:37:01.829 --> 00:37:04.750 your brother spiritually. So I began to pray, 00:37:04.829 --> 00:37:07.550 God, heal him physically, heal him spiritually. 00:37:09.070 --> 00:37:11.110 Two and a half weeks later, he came out of the 00:37:11.110 --> 00:37:14.110 coma. Seven weeks later, he left the hospital. 00:37:16.349 --> 00:37:19.070 He'll never be able to work again a day in his 00:37:19.070 --> 00:37:24.309 life. In fact, I just got word on my ride here 00:37:24.309 --> 00:37:27.849 this morning, his wife Harriet, my sister -in 00:37:27.849 --> 00:37:30.789 -law, said, David, we put him on hospice. He 00:37:30.789 --> 00:37:32.849 just broke his hip, and he only has three to 00:37:32.849 --> 00:37:37.769 four weeks to live. So my brother's time is coming 00:37:37.769 --> 00:37:40.670 to a close. But I began to see God work miracles. 00:37:41.269 --> 00:37:43.610 He got to where he could walk. Their marriage 00:37:43.610 --> 00:37:47.989 was restored. And he called me one day, David, 00:37:48.110 --> 00:37:52.090 I want to read my Bible again. What translation 00:37:52.090 --> 00:37:57.949 would you recommend? Is that my brother? I was 00:37:57.949 --> 00:38:00.030 doing evangelistic meetings in Bowling Green, 00:38:00.150 --> 00:38:04.110 Kentucky. David, you're doing meetings. I'd like 00:38:04.110 --> 00:38:08.650 a set of those sermons. Is that my brother? I 00:38:08.650 --> 00:38:11.789 have watched God do miracles in John's life. 00:38:12.230 --> 00:38:14.489 He still hasn't been back in church, but he's 00:38:14.489 --> 00:38:17.710 a long way from where he used to be. And I'm 00:38:17.710 --> 00:38:21.210 so thankful, I'm so thankful that God kept him 00:38:21.210 --> 00:38:25.130 alive another 12 years to give him a second chance. 00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:32.219 So I want to ask you, I want to ask you, who 00:38:32.219 --> 00:38:38.860 do you know who is in the spiritual ICU unit? 00:38:42.780 --> 00:38:48.760 Who do you know who is in the spiritual ICU unit? 00:38:50.420 --> 00:38:57.710 And what are you going to do about it? Ezekiel 00:38:57.710 --> 00:39:01.329 chapter 22 verse 30 says, I looked across the 00:39:01.329 --> 00:39:03.590 land. I looked across Ringgold, Chattanooga. 00:39:03.630 --> 00:39:07.309 I looked for someone to stand in the gap. Will 00:39:07.309 --> 00:39:09.570 you be that someone? Will you be that someone 00:39:09.570 --> 00:39:14.070 to make an eternal difference in your neighbor, 00:39:14.170 --> 00:39:16.230 your loved one, your family, your co -workers? 00:39:16.369 --> 00:39:20.170 Make an eternal difference in their life. Let's 00:39:20.170 --> 00:39:25.230 pray. Lord, we are so thankful that you ever... 00:39:25.659 --> 00:39:29.639 live to make intercession for us. Today, you 00:39:29.639 --> 00:39:32.900 bid us, you call us, you invite us to join you 00:39:32.900 --> 00:39:36.360 in this intercessory role. We're thankful that 00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:41.739 you are the heavenly Horatius. You are one greater 00:39:41.739 --> 00:39:45.159 than Abraham, greater than Daniel, greater than 00:39:45.159 --> 00:39:50.579 Elijah. We thank you that you paid the ultimate 00:39:50.579 --> 00:39:54.420 price giving your life so that we could live. 00:39:55.119 --> 00:39:57.760 Lord, we just want to share this good news with 00:39:57.760 --> 00:40:00.400 this community. Please do whatever needs to be 00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:04.139 done to prepare all of us and the hearts of this 00:40:04.139 --> 00:40:06.780 community to receive you this next several weeks. 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:11.599 Thank you. Use us. Use us. May we make out this 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:15.139 prayer list in this little trifold. May we respond 00:40:15.139 --> 00:40:18.659 with kindness and friendship, and may we give 00:40:18.659 --> 00:40:22.159 human invitations for people to come October 00:40:22.159 --> 00:40:25.809 24. Thank you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. 00:40:26.469 --> 00:40:26.829 Amen.