Walking Alone At Night | 8/29

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hello church family welcome to service i'm lou and i'm nicole and here are today's announcements ladies of sgt our women's fall kickoff will be on saturday september 11th at 9 a.m it will be a time for women of all ages at our church to come together and hear what god has for us this coming year sunday discipleship classes begin in two weeks if you want to grow in your knowledge of the lord and his word these classes are especially for you to learn more visit our church website or grab a brochure in the lobby pre-marital classes are kicking off on september 10th if you are getting married through our church be sure to register today you can secure your spot online by visiting sdtchurch.org marriages we are so glad that you are here with us this morning for everything else happening at sgt visit our website or the app and check out our digital bulletin if you are new to our church we also invite you to visit our welcome center located in our lobby well good morning good afternoon good something i hope today i know for all of us um as we're here and you could stand up if you'd like those of you joining us online we're glad you're with us i know for all of us we've come carrying something today or something's holding on to us or we just walked in the midst of the painful time [Music] difficult news the anxieties that are constantly knocking at the doors of our life and we were praying this morning with the ushers and we were praying this that at those doors those things would fall off of you and the grip of that would be released from you and as you walk in here you would be gripped in the presence of the lord it doesn't negate your circumstances or the pain you're in the midst of but that you would feel his presence even greater and that we would worship him we would worship him despite our circumstances and even our feelings but yet in the midst of him and he is faithful to embrace us with that grip so god may we be gripped by you and your love gripped by the sacred community of brothers and sisters and family here coming together gathering in this place turning our eyes towards heaven and saying our help does not come from the world or the next news report our help does not come from just even the things we can monetarily get or the places we can run away to our help comes from the lord the maker of heaven and earth let us be gripped by you today and your presence that in the midst of our circumstances in the midst of our feelings and the reports we just received that your presence would invade and surround us and embrace us and we would worship you for you are the god who is near you are el roi the god who sees us and so lord we turn our eyes and our hearts towards you and we worship you in jesus name amen amen let our [Music] our praise be a sign that we are here for you we are here for you jesus let your breath come from heaven fill our hearts with your life we are here for you we are here for you god [Music] you alone are holy [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] we are here for you sing let your word oh let your word move in power let once come to life we are here for you for you jesus we are here for you sing to our hearts [Applause] [Music] you alone our holy only you our worthy god let your fire fall down to you our hearts lift it up to you our hearts are okay and nothing here is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] just make that your cry today let your fire fall down all across this island let your fire fold your purging fire of love well let your fire fall down come on cry out to the lord today let your fire fall down we welcome you with praise we welcome you with praise almighty god of love be welcomed in this place let every heart adore let every soul awake almighty god aloud be welcome in this place we welcome you with praise we welcome you with praise almighty god of love be welcome in this race let be welcomed in this place be well come in this place be welcome in this place oh jesus [Music] be welcome in [Music] just welcome him today be welcome in this place be welcoming [Music] just let every circumstance begin to fall away let them grow deep be welcome in this place be welcome in this every eye on you jesus oh be welcome in this place be welcome sing one more time to you our hearts to you hearts are open nothing oh [Music] to you ourselves [Music] foreign oh [Music] [Music] thank you jesus [Music] holy spirit [Music] you are so worthless we've come to join the song sung long before our lives to raise a voice we've seen your faithful head your mercy without end [Music] a thousand generations [Music] [Music] we lift our voice with heaven sing it worthy lord oh you are so worthy of my this praise we leave [Music] [Applause] jesus we glorified jesus be glory [Applause] generations you are worthy lord of all [Music] to worthy enthroned upon the praises of a thousand generations you are worthy [Music] [Applause] worthy you are so worthy [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus [Music] is [Music] we give you our highest praise lord of all isn't he worthy of our highest [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you are worthy a thousand generations you are worthy lord [Music] [Applause] [Music] worthy [Music] a thousand generations you are worthy [Music] worthy [Music] [Music] singing [Music] we lift our horns [Music] you are so worthy [Music] you are so worthy [Music] of my highest praise [Music] [Applause] all my highest praises [Music] singing [Music] is [Music] lord [Music] now [Music] [Music] do [Music] shout your praises unto him let him hear your voice don't worry about the tone for the sound if he hears you he hears your heart send praises up to him with all your might be encouraged his day in the midst of what we're seeing and hearing that he is in control he is [Applause] thank you lord we're so grateful that you don't leave us here alone but that you're with us and you would speak to us as the bible says through a willing vessel and so god we just receive that word god we just want to be a people of praise god we want it to be that every time that you look at this island there's praise waiting for you from your people god we know you are above the circumstance you are above the news so we look to you now christ make us a people whose eyes are fixed on you jesus fixed on you god [Music] jesus fixed on you fixed on you [Music] [Music] is [Music] my hope is built on nothing less singing in jesus blood and righteousness i dare not trust i dare not trust the smoothness but holy trust in jesus name [Music] o christ [Music] [Music] through the storm he is the lord oh lord you are sing this out if you're in a dark place today sing it out when darkness seems to hide his face i rest on its unchanging grace and every eye in the storm began my curls [Music] we [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] when he shall come come on let's celebrate this when he shall come with trump i said sing it out o may i then [Music] trust in his righteousness dressed in israel [Music] [Music] before [Music] strong through the storm [Music] [Music] [Applause] through the storm the lord oh lord [Music] [Music] light of the world oh we just want to sing your praise this morning jesus oh how good you are to every generation oh we'll never stop singing your praise your praise your praise or you worthy of yours [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you deserve the glory yes you were [Music] you deserve the glory come on sing this out today is [Music] [Music] all fear is gone because i know because [Music] is [Music] christ the side rock i stand all over [Music] all other ground [Music] the sun [Music] [Music] one more time just our voices [Music] oh lord that is our heartbeat we find our stability and our security in you and in you alone as holy scripture declares in first corinthians 10 you are the rock you are the rock we find our safety and security and stability and strength in you jesus you are our rock our rock and we surrender to you god the holy spirit right now in a fresh new way as we were lifting our praises unto the lord i could hear him speak to my heart and i believe he speaks this to all of us that are gathered here in the sanctuary those joining us online when you surrender i mean you really authentically surrender to the holy spirit and to the wind of the spirit on the inside the wind of the spirit on the inside because scripture speaks of him as the the ruach or the pneuma the breath the voice the wind of god when you do that you will never ever stumble when the winds of adversity come on the outside if you make that your posture on the inside do that right now whatever you're navigating through and i know different situations i'm cognizant of that as your shepherd i pray that all of us now o lord in a deep fresh new way would surrender to the wind of the spirit [Music] the ways of the spirit the voice of the holy spirit the bible the word of god and the promises therein and as we do we thank you lord that when those winds of adversity come on the outside no matter how strong they are how intense we will not stumble nor fall but we'll stand strong and secure and move forward in you through you and by you in the name of jesus amen amen amen now listen before you're seated i believe it's appropriate for us to lift up some prayers unto the lord i know right now there are many in louisiana in the southern states there that are dreadfully afraid extremely anxious as the hurricane ida is about to hit it was a category four and they're even elevated now to almost a category five that wind intensity is catastrophic catastrophic and so we need to pray for lives to be protected as it moves across those southern states ask god in a special intense way to protect them amen all of us are so aware of what's unfolded in afghanistan the intensity of that that's not a political posture it's a prayer posture that we need to take and ask that god would intervene that we would pray for president biden and his team and the generals that they would go to their knees and seek god for wisdom now in this situation that needs his intervention god's intervention god's intervention but we we want to pray for the afghans we want to pray for believers that are there we want to pray for the lost they're the muslims that are there we we want to pray for missionaries that are there we want to pray for our service men and women and those precious families you can only imagine those 13 families that are navigating now through the waters of such deep grief oh how we need god how we need god and sometimes we're not aware of the fact that in haiti they went through that catastrophic uh earthquake we want to pray for them we have some of our own from our body that are from there and and also there's a missionary that that's there several that we support and someone in our own church that's there now so let's pray together father we pray for those suffering in haiti as a result of that that intense earthquake that occurred we pray that you would be with them and strengthen them and minister to them father god this nation has undergone so much may they really turn strongly to you lord the assassination and the earthquake and so many things that are going on there father we also pray for all those in afghanistan father god we ask that a miracle would happen of your divine intervention father we pray that god you would save these radical muslims that you would deliver this land from the grip of satan and darkness that you would lord allow the safe exit of those who god want to get out and we pray that you would protect our servicemen and women and minister your comfort to these grieving families and lord we do pray that our leadership would really find their place by finding it on their knees even as abraham lincoln said as as a great president that he would seek you and cry out to you for your help in your intervention may our leadership and our president do the same in the name of jesus and we pray father god for those that are really fearful now with the hurricane that's moving in on the land surge of water we pray that god you'd protect lives give strength to those who are their god making decisions and having to rescue and protect we ask that lord you would slow down the strength of these winds and lord bring deliverance we pray almighty god protect them we had our own concerns last weekend and it really just went off away so lord just just just stop this and cause those winds to cease and let a miracle happen we pray we ask this in the name of jesus and again we renew our connection with you our whole heart in jesus name everybody said amen i'm glad we could agree together in prayer those who are here those who are joining us online and oh i just want to encourage you that are joining us online some of you right now hundreds join us live streaming i'm so glad that you're with us and some of you watch it a little bit later on during the week thousands will do that throughout the week but oh i'd love for you if you can to come and join us actually here in person the reason i say that there's just something special that happens when you're together actually together in the sanctuary so if you're part of this family team and army i know there are those who are watching out of state and that's great you can't join us but not that it's great that you can't join us but we understand why you can't join us but if you can and there's not some extenuating circumstances or a heart or health condition that you would you would join us but again i know there's different leaders in our body that you they have to remain at home and and watch and i understand that all compassion i'm just glad that we're able to connect if not here in person at least online but if you can get here do that now i'm going to share with you a message that i believe god wants me to communicate with my whole heart to you i'm passionate about this i know the tremendous importance of this especially in this day and in this hour with this generation so i'm going to ask you to listen with your whole heart not to a sermon but a message from god's heart through my heart to your heart now the title of it is unique i don't think i've ever given it uh this title i've been uh here at the church pastoring for 32 years and the last 22 as the senior pastor and i don't think i've ever titled a message walking alone at night but that's the title walking alone at night now it's not good to be alone it's even worse to do it when you're enveloped with darkness at night when you're vulnerable so naturally just that those uh few words would precipitate some level of concern or anxiety boy i never want to walk alone especially when night is descending i think you'd concur and agree with me that in our culture in our nation and the nations on this planet darkness is descending with greater intensity and density the scripture says in isaiah chapter 60 and verse 2 behold the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people that's a very tangible concrete reality behold the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people but the lord will arise over you and his glory that's the brilliance and the radiance of his light will be seen upon you it's so important that we have the light of god but when we gather together join together the illumination intensifies exponentially as we do that we don't want to be found in this day and our walking alone do you know in the greek new testament the word saint never ever occurs in the singular it's always in the plural saints take note of the emphasis then what the new testament is communicating to us of the tremendous importance of being together and not alone because when you're alone you are vulnerable and the enemy can attack you and assault you circumstances can can strangle you your faith needs to be coupled with others we need that mutual encouragement and affirmation tactile communication touch verbally spiritually in prayer we need that desperately and we ought never to be walking alone at night in a dark hour in a dark time i remember at 10 years old i was staying at my buddy's house david dunn i was staying beyond the curfew that my mom and dad had given of course they couldn't get in touch with me there was no cell phone i knew i'd get in trouble when i got home but nevertheless i still had a rebellious heart and i decided to stay out later than i was allowed to and so i did and then finally i said oh my goodness look at the time i gotta go dave i'm gonna get in big trouble already just getting into the house they probably lock the doors and my mom and dad they're gonna wait for me to be banging on the door they'll wait for a little bit i'll feel uncomfortable and then finally they'll open the door well i left and i mean it was the dead of night there was cloud cover so there was no reflection of the moon i could barely see the steps in front of me and i had a journey of maybe a couple miles that i had to walk to get home i knew there were certain gangs in the area and i had to be careful i was reared in chicago and so i was heading home and i knew if i could cut through this one field and it was not a field that was high it was low it was like a football type field area at bloom high school that i could cut off the time so i decided to embark on that journey and it was dark and i was walking alone and by the time i got about halfway through the field i realized i had come upon a group of guys that were together having a time and it was a gang and i didn't know if they saw me and so i was walking i was trying to be like you know what they call ninja and all sudden i heard one of them go hey you see him i thought oh my get him so i heard about 10 guys get up let me tell you i probably would have won the gold medal i never ran so fast in my life i wasn't superman but i definitely was faster than a speeding bullet i mean i was going and i could hear a few of them almost gaining on me so i really kicked it into gear and my legs were doing something and they've never done before never will do again but i will i even outran my house i forgot where i was at whoa i had to go in reverse and then i got in and i was safe aren't you glad yeah but the fear that surfaced that i was in the night hour all alone and then what was accentuating that is my greatest fear came to pass i was getting chased by a gang that i knew would not treat me nicely the worst thing we could do is to be walking at this time alone scripture actually indicates that there's going to be a bit of a propensity within the body of christ in the eschaton in the study of eschatology in the end days that there would be a great falling away a time when people would begin to disconnect now all of us have experienced some level of disconnect and i understand it when we have to wear the mask we have the social distancing i get it i'm not saying that any of that intrinsically is evil but there has been a propensity within all of us to begin to disconnect the enemy's way is always to do that holy scripture says that sin brings death death the greek word thanatos means to split separate divide fragment that's his plan that's his strategy he wants to separate us divide us get us away from meaningful relationships of support and accountability and challenging i often wondered how am i going to stay in this for the long haul i want i i don't want to just do the 100 yard dash in my relationship with god i want to be fully and absolutely committed 24 7. and i remember a young man one time asked me that the very same question that i had in my heart as a young believer growing he said pastor how in the world do i stay committed and i said i'll tell you the same thing the lord told me years ago you want to stay committed you've got to stay connected you want to stay committed you've got to stay connected as a student of church history i i marveled at the fact that there were those who were incredible men and women of prayer and men and women of the word but i took note of the fact that even though they were committed to prayer and committed to the word they became isolated alienated and independent they only had superficial somewhat artificial relationship with others sometimes we do that in our society we think we can be mentored or come under the tutelage and have a meaningful relationship with god by simply our diet means things online on a computer or on television that can be very artificial there's something about the pulsating reality of someone that's looking at you breathing with their eyes and inviting you to walk strong in the relationship with god i don't minimize for one moment there's many of us there are many of those who are joining right now online or we'll see it later on and i know that it can become a form of growth and maturation development spiritually but ultimately you are not going to really mature and get strong in your relationship with god unless you have meaningful relationships with others i actually had a bit of that disposition in my own heart as a young man i said i'm going to do this on my own i'm going to be a strong man of prayer and a strong man of the word and i'm going to be independent because i was rejected and resisted quite a bit when i started to share my faith with others so i thought i'm you know i'm an island alone but one with god is a majority and i'm going to do this on my own but i'm so glad that those who mentored me discipled me exhorted me about the importance of being connected with others not to try to do it on my own alone that it was so dangerous and from church history i learned and realized that those men and women of god that were independent isolated but they were strong in prayer and strong in the word many of them stumbled because there was a third component that i took note of as i studied history church history in particular and that was the ones who stayed for the long haul the marathon stayed committed they were connected relationally with others they were not just men and women of prayer and the word they were men and women who were accountable and connected relationally to others i realized at that point in my walk with god it was extremely important that i would do that that i would heed what is told to us in hebrews chapter 10 and verse 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is in the manner of some but encouraging one another and so much more as you see the day approaching not forsaking what the assembling of ourselves together now i'm not going to insult your intelligence but you tell me if you were going to go and buy a car would you want just the various parts of that car gathered together or would you want them assembled would you want to just say oh there's the engine there's the wheels there's the carburetor there's the transmission hmm why didn't anyone put it like together right or a computer if there was just all these computer parts laying on a table and said there it is you enjoy it i have no idea how to work this computer it's lost its purpose and i can't unleash its potential because it needs to be put together the word that's used here means exactly that the writer here in the new testament the book of hebrews doesn't use the word gather together but says assembling to fit together all the parts being fused and joined together be it of a car be it of a computer be it within your own life could you imagine hypothetically i know it might sound graphic but if i threw my hand over there my other hand over there my arm and leg over there my torso in the middle and my head was over there you know i would be going absolutely nowhere discombobulated completely dissected and separated disconnected i'm not going anywhere see when something is not put together correctly you dismiss its purpose being fulfilled and its potential being unleashed so for us as the body of christ we need to be connected to fulfill our purpose individually and corporately hear me individually and corporately we have to be connected fit together and the propensity as we're warned in here is but encourage one another do this and so much the more as you see the day approaching contextually it's just put right in the idea of eschatology the end days there's going to be this tendency to be disconnected that's why in the new testament it'll speak about the word koinonia that's a word that was selected to try to say we've got to get this meaning of being together far deeper it can't be just as if they had it online or over television it can't be just listening to something on your computer and i'm not opposed to any of that but it's got to be more than that it has to be so much more than that and the new testament writers said listen we've got to communicate and they do it over 20 times in the scope of the new testament to communicate this level of connection and intimacy that's more than just saying we're fellowshipping and we're gathering and so the word koinonia communicates this idea of such intense connection that what you do affects me and what i do directly affects you that we're that closely connected be it the parts of the human body or a computer or a car and in this case our relationship as the body of christ koinonia is achieved listen in any marriage there's like three different levels there are couples that talk with one another sometimes that ends up in a divorce why because talking is simply an exchange of information it's like you have a roommate instead of a spouse you're just talking exchanging information and data the next level is better you're going deeper it's we're communicating communication is expressing and sharing your heart very important it's beautiful but there's even a deeper level that's what coinani is all about it says you're connecting that means you're sharing your life the totality of your being with another talking exchanging information communicating exchanging your hearts but connecting you are exchanging and imparting and sharing your life that's all of you every part of you where you're weak where you're strong where you're successful or you're a failure where you've had victory over this sin but you are really struggling with this one you've got to have someone there in your life that you can bear and share your heart and i mean pour it out that will cause you then to not only be connected but you'll remain committed you'll be in it for the long haul so you have to say lord i want that sense of sharing of life you know the apostle paul will say it this way in first thessalonians 2 and verse 8 it comes up on the screen and this is what he says and this is what he says and those of you at home there we are all right stay connected with me up there all right we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of god but our lives as well would you say that with me our lives as well paul is saying listen i don't want you to just read these epistles i don't want you just to hear me on the radio i'm joking or on television i want you to look at me face to face eyeball to eyeball i want this to be close i'm not just here to share my words or the gospel i'm here to share my life with you i don't know if anyone here is familiar with epaphroditus he's a close colleague of the apostles speaking about him he says i considered it necessary to send to you epaphroditus my brother fellow worker and fellow soldier my brother my fellow worker and my fellow soldier 22 years ago when i established kind of a a motto a theme a motif for us as a church i said we'll we'll see ourselves as we're a family we're a team and we're an army and it's based on this scripture because the apostle paul says of epaphroditus you are my brother my team member and my colleague in warfare my brother fellow worker and fellow soldier we're a family a team an army and i want to emphasize that because all of those involve what connection just the last week or two i've done a couple funerals and to walk with the family through those very difficult waters of grieving especially with the loss of a precious 36 year old daughter and to be with them and i saw the beauty of the family maybe you've never had that that that pains me i've had that with my family a close family i come from but a family connecting together connecting together how important it is that that's not something you do superficially or artificially it's authentic it's heart to heart you don't just do it on the phone they don't just you know send you a message it's something together especially when you're going through difficult waters you are a family and as a team as a team you you have to come out now i played for the chicago bulls and the chicago blackhawks and the chicago bears football basketball baseball cubs yeah none of you guys know sports i didn't play for any of those teams but one thing i do know i don't care how good a quarterback you are like brady if he goes out on that field alone he's not going to be known as a great quarterback it's got to be a team so when the apostle paul says let my fellow worker were part of the same team a team has to come together it's not a one-man show it's not just one skill one gift one talent oh no oh no it is all of us as a team connected and moving forward and then as an army the tremendous importance of serving and protecting and watching over one another they've interviewed many many soldiers service men and women the marines and in the navy the soldiers air force they were asked when you were in the intensity of a battle what would come to mind would you say i'm here i'm fighting and i may even give my life were you saying that you were doing that for the flag or the nation and almost every one of them said no i was doing it for those i was battling with they were my brothers my sister we were in this battle together yes amen we are in this together as a family a team and an army and god wants us to move forward in that same spirit you know psychologists sociologists those who've studied human behavior medical doctors they'll indicate the tremendous importance and value of coming together being connected with one another they'll indicate that it impacts you with your mental health your emotional health physiologically and even spiritually do you realize they've even done studies of those at secular universities by secular scientists that did specific study of those who faithfully attend worship services they formed this conclusion and they actually said it in kind of a funny way they said it amazes us that having studied those who consistently habitually gather together assemble together connect with one another in worship services and they do it each week we have discovered they add to their life almost 10 years and it's amazing because it's the very individuals that want to go to heaven but they end up staying here on earth even longer because they gather together studies that reveal the reality of the importance of us doing that ephesians and chapter 4 in verse 16 says this the whole body join and knit together by every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share causes growth of the body you know that's saying that we need one another in order to gain direction and protection let me just show you a picture here of a roman formation and how they handled their shields it was called a testido not a mosquito but a testido it's it's a latin word for um a tortoise not a turtle but a tortoise because a tortoise has a harder shell and they would put their shields in this way they would interconnect them sometimes we don't catch that imagery when in ephesians chapter 6 it says hey put on the full armor of god take up the shield of faith that shield was not to be handled just independently it was to be connected interconnected with another shield in order to create protection upon the soldiers in rome think of the importance again to us the mental picture the metaphor the analogy that is being used here to say for us lord help us to run this race together to connect with one another with our shields because see i need your faith to help me to move forward with mine i need your faith to help me in the protection that i get when i get assaulted with doubt and unbelief i need someone else to link with and i've had so many individuals in my life that have been there when i have gone through times when i've become cynical and skeptical and i'm getting beaten alive by doubt and unbelief and i'm questioning i'm in a jungle of question marks i'm so glad that i can say hey i need your shield help me i can link it to yours into yours and to yours and you begin to feel that protection that comes because you're joined together join together [Applause] second corinthians in chapter 3 and verse 2 says this you are a letter written on our hearts known and read by everyone you are a letter from christ you're a letter from christ but you know every letter contains what letters how profound pastor you are you're really you're sharing some really profound things this morning every letter contains letters each individual letter has got to be what connected and assembled with another letter to begin to form a word and then words have to be connected with other words to form a sentence or a phrase and then eventually a message is communicated now think of that in relationship to all of us we have a message we want to communicate to the world right but each one of us are a letter and you are so important as that letter when you don't show up when you don't connect you are missed you're gravely missed and i'm not saying this in a superficial way this is not a hyperbole i'm not giving some exaggeration i'm meeting with all my heart if we want to communicate to this world god is love and each one of us represented a letter what if i said hey listen where's the g i need the g the g gets up says here i'm here okay come on up i got the g where's the o the o always a little shy it's like oh man i am i really valuable because it just seems like i go around and around and around and around i'm not nice and you know strong and stiff like an i or an l i said no no come on we need you get up here d where are you d dee oh i'm kind of like i don't know who i am i'm kind of round and i'm straight round and straight come on up here god g o d where's my eye come on up oh i know you feel like a stick yeah you don't feel important at all you are extremely important god needs you to form this message to this our generation yes we need you i get up here s me yes what you want to be a z no there's only one z you're an s come on up god is love l l you're not are you with us online l where's l all right oh get up here real quick we got you v thank you e good l oh pastor elle didn't show up today why doesn't think he's valuable needed he just it's not here anymore so we got god is of where you had al we need you the world needs you the lord's message isn't it interesting that jesus when he taught us the most important prayer he doesn't do it with my father give me my daily bread forgive me of my sins and those who've offended me keep me from temptation keep me from the evil one now how did jesus teach us he reminded us we do this corporately it impacts us of course individually but we do this corporately you are our father who's in heaven holy is your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us you see how it snaps the back of self-centeredness selfishness and inordinate preoccupation preoccupation with me it snaps the back of it the best way to love yourself is not to be narcissistic but to be selfless give us this day our daily bread forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who've trespassed and sinned against us lead us so that we don't fall into temptation deliver us from the evil one i get so motivated when i think of us and it can become very intimate and close at one of my grand children's birthday party yesterday i saw my grandkids running around and i said oh god i want to be strong for us i want to be strong for us we are motivated when we realize the picture is bigger than us individually see the l that's sitting at home got in the car drifted away didn't think that he or she was important was so needed for the message and that's exactly what the devil wants to do is to diminish your understanding of your incredible value no you're valuable pastor because you get up and stand behind this pulpit if you don't know my heart by now that i believe with everything in me the call on your life is just as significant just as strong just as important as mine we are in this together to glorify jesus christ now i'm going to do everything in my power to be fully here and fully committed but i know i've got to be fully connected and i'm just one part one letter in that message but i'm only one letter and we've got to do this together this generation definitely and desperately needs us when we lift our voice to god like i lifted it up this this morning i'll declare the names of god and i'll declare his name over all of us when in the old testament is called l that means that means mighty one l you are mighty over all of us el shaddai will be he is the almighty god not only mighty but el shaddai he's almighty god elohim is is is that incredible majestic plural it's it's god you would translate as gods but it means that one god it's a picture of the trinity but he's the creator elohim you are the creator over all of us adonai you are lord yahweh you are the god that is present over all of our lives and be present in every life that is here you are jehovah jireh you're our provider you are jehovah rapha the lord our healer you're a jehovah niece you're the you're the god that covers us you're the banner over us jehovah sid canoe you're the righteousness that we have you are jehovah makadesh you're the one who sanctifies my soul your jehovah elroy you see all things your jehovah shalom you're the peace over our lives you are theos god but more than that pater chaos father god but even more the revelation in romans 8 15 you are abba father daddy god unto all of us heavenly father i ask that you would show us now in a deep way how valuable and how important each one of us are in the role the call the part that we play and that we need to be not just gathering but assembled and interconnected so that we would be the sons and daughters the family and the team and the army that you've called us to be lord we ask that you'd be glorified in our lives in the name of jesus we want to be the letter that shows up we want to be the shield that's available to be connected to another shield yes we do we don't want to walk in this night hour alone but with one another we want to be part of this big family and this team and this army and we don't want to just be men and women that pray and know the word we want to be men and women that are connected to other men and women meaningful deep relationships that i could be appalled to a timothy you'd use my life to invest in another that god would call you to be to be like a mary into a young woman's life use us lord make us one and they'll know we're christians by our love for you and for one another let's stand together i know you know this is a this is an old song that was sung many years ago some of the older here will know it some of the new you might be completely unfamiliar but it's just that challenge to us to recognize i'm not walking this walk alone i need i you know i'd never be yet i think i'm in my 47th year following jesus i'd have fallen a long time ago if i didn't have others that were there when i felt really weak they became strength to me when i was doubting everything they were a voice of faith to me i didn't believe in myself at all and they believed in me struggled with a sin or two and more than that they were there to let me know god will forgive you get back up get back up you need a voice i'm just one voice to you but you need voices around you this world desperately needs us the spirit of god is about to move so strongly you don't want to be far off and disconnected you want to be right there where god has you with your brothers and sisters loving him loving one another and moving forward because he is about to do an incredible work on this earth because of that the enemy and the intensity of his assault is going to be way beyond you could imagine it will be you're going to feel it at times but when you know you're not alone there's others with you you'll be strong you'll keep moving forward because the enemy is going to come with great intensity because god is about to move like you have never seen him move before i know that i know that so lord unite our hearts may we be ready and run this race together in jesus [Music] in the name we are one in the spirit we are one in the lord [Music] [Music] oh we will work with each other we will work side by side we will work with each other we will work side by side and we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride and they'll know we are christians by our love by our love yes they'll know we are christians by our love we are one who we are one in the spirit we are one in the lord we are one in the [Music] spirit and we pray that our unity will one day be restored and they'll know we are christians by our love by our love [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we are christians [Music] i feel i want to pray this prayer right now if there's an ailment a sickness a disease in your body i believe that jehovah rapha is here ready to touch you i ask you heavenly father to reveal yourself with a christ's glorifying power that would enter his body her body now in jesus name that god's healing power his healing touch would course through your body his healing virtue and the manifestation of that through the work of the spirit would happen right now right now in your body in jesus name removing this sickness this disease this infirmity and the promise in psalm 103 in verse 3 he who forgives all your sins and transgressions and heals all your diseases we link our shields together right now in faith and we believe there will be an outpouring of your healing power your healing virtue in jesus name be healed be healed be healed in the name of the lord not by volume not by our authority but by the authority of christ and the promise of almighty god you are our jehovah prophet the lord our healer now just say i receive this from you lord i receive this over my mind and over my body over my soul over my spirit let's lift the let's lift the praise unto the lord pastor matt i don't believe god is done yet oh and they'll know we are christians oh yes they'll know we are christian's [Applause] [Music] we are christians [Music] [Applause] we praise you lord we praise you we bless you lord listen i believe god wants us to press in a little deeper he has something he wants to speak to you he wants to touch you he wants to minister to you in a very significant special way we go out of the boundaries of our normal service time and right now we just say lord we welcome the presence of your spirit to do what you desire in each of our hearts and lives let me ask you pastor matt maybe a song that we sang earlier we want to lift that unto the lord we look to you we press in harder we press in stronger we connect more deeply we thank you lord god almighty for your presence right here in your house for your house is a house of prayer your house is a place of communion and connection with you and all that you want to do almighty god let your voice come over every year every life every soul every spirit shake them to the core of their being bring deliverance o god to those that have been captured by demon forces we break that power from you right now you're gonna feel that release in jesus name i take authority over every demonic force that has tormented your mind your body your soul and your spirit and i endure that spirit to be gone from your life in jesus name loose her loose him right now this moment the authority of god crushes you right to the ground may your mind be sound may that suicidal thought be completely removed from you in the name of jesus let the lord of glory touch you he's going to provide all the finances that are needed are you kidding god is so abundant he is jehovah jireh the lord our provider he is able he's willing and he's more than powerful than anything that comes against you turn to him look to him if you don't know jesus say jesus come into my heart leave me my savior and to be my lord i welcome you into my heart and to my life god i've been backslidden i've been a captive of this addiction well now in jesus name the spirit of the lord is upon me and he's anointed me to set at liberty those who are in captivity let the captivity come down in the presence of almighty god there can be no strap no chain no bondage for where the spirit of the lord is there is liberty [Applause] come on let's give a shout of praise in this place [Applause] the darkest night you can light it up oh you can light it up oh god of revival let hope rise [Music] [Music] can light it up oh you can light it up oh god of revival that hopefully [Music] people come awake in this island oh god of revival pour it out and pour it down every straw [Music] you can light it up [Music] death is overcome [Applause] lift it up [Music] [Music] i hear you can light it up [Music] oh you are anyone oh god [Applause] [Music] no mountain you can't move all things are possible there's no broken body you can't raise no so that you can't save all things are possible [Applause] cause there's no prisoner of all you can't break through no mountain you can there's no broken body you can't raise things [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] is [Music] hit the ground oh god of revival pour it out for the darkest night you can write it up [Music] is [Music] we thank you lord we praise you god for your wonderful glorious presence with us now sensitive i realize but i'm just gonna ask you to extend your hand in the direction of someone around you would you do that and pray for them you don't have to touch them you don't have to hold their hands you have to put your hand on their shoulder but just extend that prayer for them and ask that god would touch them in the name of jesus oh come close to the lord you've been distant now you're close your heart's been cold now let it be on fire you've been disconnected now you're reconnected if you've lacked commitment now you're gonna go deep in your commitment to god and may his healing power be on you may his strength be on you may his wisdom be afforded to you may the direction of the most high guide you and lead you and direct you may he prosper and bless your family and your children may he envelop you with his will undergird you with his strength and cover you with his joy may the fullness of the spirit be upon you may the gifts of the spirit be unleashed through your life may the fruit of the spirit manifest through you may you be baptized inundated overflowing with love and joy and peace and long-suffering that patience that comes from god meekness and goodness and kindness and self-control be in you and upon you may you not be isolated but connected and being a witness in this dark world with his light in the name of jesus in the name of jesus now we're going to sing that song one more time of god make us just be that one that we would be in love with him in love with one another and they'll know we're christians by that love the love that they see evident in us by being one and revealing jesus to this world remember the old testament when the high priest would enter into the holy of holies he would do it as as one individual one individual and he would encounter the ark of the covenant the manifested presence of god see we're going to go in like one when we're in jesus our great high priest and the power of god is going to flow through us because we are so one in him like the one high priest that entered into the holy of holies and the ark of the covenant and the manifested presence of god just exploded we thank you lord [Music] [Music] and we pray [Music] and they'll [Music] one more time [Music] the enemy is not afraid of a big church but he is terrified of a united one so may we be united god oh holy spirit unite us unite us as one unite us as one this was not a message about isolation it was a commissioning don't get isolated and run away and hide don't even do that with a small group and board up the windows we have been commissioned now to be a light in a dark world and to do it together thank you jesus that we're not alone and thank you for the power his spirit has given us to be the witnesses that this world needs well we want to thank you for your faithfulness your generosity you can give online or you can give in the lobbies and the containers but we're grateful for that and that's a picture of not doing things on our own none of this would be happening and we wouldn't have this if everyone didn't contribute and pour into it and we see the blessing of his kingdom coming and his will being done on this earth so thank you for that giving and hey don't do this alone if you're carrying a burden pain sorrow or you just feel like i don't got enough strength to make it through today nevertheless this week we have leaders that are going to be right up here in the front after service come pray with them they want to pray with you and over your life online you can go to the website click on prayer request and we'll be praying for you there as well we love you all may the lord bless you and keep you may his face shine upon you and be gracious to you may he turn his face towards you and give us his peace amen and amen if you're new join us in the welcome center and also please be aware of those praying at the altar enjoy fellowship in the lobby we'll see you next week we are one people in his love [Music] [Music] him you [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle

Views: 1,154

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Smithtown (Location), Smithtown Gospel Tabernacle, SGTchurch, SGT Church, SGT, Church, Church (Type Of Place Of Worship), Sermon, Jesus Christ (Deity), God (Deity), Gary Zarlengo

Id: TgU9uV5IDxc

Length: 95min 35sec (5735 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 29 2021