When God Doesn't Listen by Francis Chan

this morning before the first service Matt Mora came up to me and he just says hey you ready for this and I said I'm really not I I'm just not I'm not I'm not there I'm looking at these passages I said I'm reading these passages and reviewing my notes this morning and and I said I realized God is a lot more serious about this than I am God is a lot more serious about himself than I am he's a lot more serious about this topic than I am I'm just not there and I go my struggle is most people would look at me and say wow he's extreme and I'm reading the scriptures and going man no no no look what God's I'm not even there yet I don't even know if I'm a serious and and I'm I'm concerned about that because I don't want to be in this middle ground you know kind of in between God and then where the culture is I want to stand where he is and say no this is what God says and I want all that boldness I want to say everything he does but I'm looking at the Scriptures and going wow he's he's really serious about this it's it's it's to use the words of the gal from our church one time after I preached this message is just a couple months ago I preached a message that's pretty intense remember that one and and and and I saw her at the gym and and she's just like oh you know and you know she was and here were her words she goes man you got you got to keep saying like that she goes because because my god don't play wow that's good that's good my god don't play so that's the title of my sermon now it but but haven't you noticed it like even in our readings in first John I'm when you read it he doesn't mess around he just says look I don't care if you say that you know me if you don't obey my commands you're a liar wow really you can't love the things of the world and also have the love of the Father in you really wait wait you can't you can't say you love God if you hate your brother whom you see if you hate someone else here you don't love God oh really well you can't keep going on sinning if you're really a believer you're not a real believer then it's like wow it's like he just lays it out and he's so serious he just lays this thing out I mean haven't you notice that that's why I go man I I've had a weird view of God that's why last week I'm saying let's just start all over and let's just go what does the Bible say let's take it literally because I'm reading it this morning again I'm going he's a lot more serious about himself than I am about him and so as we wrapped up first John and hopefully you've been reading that daily this month what I'd like you I'd like to challenge you to do is read through the Book of Luke every week it's it's 24 chapters and so if you read four chapters a day you know you'll get it you'll get it done in six days in this way if you miss a day you're okay but but it's it's it's what I'd love you to do is when you read the Book of Luke though forget that you know if you grew up in church Sunday School Church background just forget it all and just read the Book of Luke like it's the first time you've ever heard about Jesus and I challenge you to take his words literally rather than before you get all these churchgoers saying well Jesus didn't really mean that he didn't really mean this he didn't really just read it and go maybe he really means this and what would my life look like if I took this literally because I think we've really messed with the scriptures in our church culture where we change things we soften things to our liking rather than going What did he say let's just take it and let's read through the Book of Luke this weekend let's fellowship over let's talk about it let's get into it because I I just I said I I just have a very serious concern that you know after reading first John over and over again reading some of these passages this week just going man are we missing it because God is pretty serious about what it means to follow him it's like this okay last week I did something that I thought I would never do in my life I went to a NASCAR race and I'm just not into NASCAR don't don't clap because I'm not into it and no no I know some of you guys are but I just didn't get it you know I don't I don't get the thrill or whatever but but several of the racers you know the drivers and we're reading my book and doing a Bible state so they invited me out to the race and said I could sit in the pits you know you know right where they're changing the tires you know and then on I thought you know if I'm going to experience it that's the way to do it people who are the drivers like I don't know their names Rick you know it's just and so so I go and and you know you're sitting there in the pits and and you know and you know the guys you know I'm taking a tire off you know pouring gas in and it was fun I gotta admit it was a good time you know that the sound the rush and you know trying to understand it all it was just it was a good time now I won't go back well unless unless I get to sit in the pit again you know cuz that was pretty cool in fact I go you know next time I want to be I want to help you know how most because I sat there with the headphones like I was doing something you know and I go I go but I wanna you know maybe I can be the guy that slaps the car you know like wouldn't that be fun you know that you know right after the pit stop the guy was runs he goes yeah you know like I can do that you know let me do that okay if you do that I'll come again you know let me do that part but if one of you invites me and says hey you know you want to go to the NASCAR race and sit in the grandstand with everyone else you know I'm it's not like I'm gonna run home and grab my wife beater and head out with you I just don't know I don't know I not that into it um so would you call me a NASCAR fan no okay thank you no you know I'll go of everything's just right you know the way I like it but I'm not going to sacrifice or keep up I don't know who won today or yesterday or if they raised I don't care and and and and I and I say that because when I look at the when I look at Church in America there's so many of you let's face it you'll only participate if everything's just right you've got to have the right speaker the right music the right people you're gonna have the right programs the right time of day can't be too long there better be something good going on for the kids over there you know you better have something at the church where I can just find people who are exactly like me whose personalities I enjoy and I'll fellowship with them everything's got to be just right for you and I'm looking at in the scriptures I'm going man these guys would do anything these followers of Jesus these fans of Jesus and you just kind of wonder are we just playing a game here you know is this the real thing that's why I'm going let's start all over let's start all over like we did last week and go okay who is this guy then we talk about who is this being that we talk about he's pretty intense and this idea of fearing God means really fearing God and this idea of following him is seriously following him no matter what the cost and and that's why even shown the video last week and gone man this is the way people follow around the world and I understand you know we found that had some comments this week about some of the clips might not have been from Christian persecution it was a different type earth the point was is man we've got we've got people around the world that are really suffering and many of them are suffering for the sake of Christ and for his name's sake and we got to be in prayer for them and and hopefully it's a visual it's a picture you go wow that person is that intense that's why if I see the guy that's got every stat and knows the drivers and you know who knows every race like okay there's a NASCAR fan there I'm not I'm just there if everything's set up right and I get special treatment and and and and sometimes when you see the real thing and real believers you go wow that person would give up anything for Jesus and you go I don't think I'm the real thing I don't know if I get it you know I what we're starting off this week today today we're kicking off a week of Prayer like a intense prayer of just really encourage you to really be focused on prayer this week and and with that I I think back to how I was raised in the church and when people would tell me to pray they go just just start talking just say whatever you want to say and when I read the scriptures I don't I don't see that so much I don't see that Ecclesiastes tells us guard yourself as you approach God don't be quick don't be hasty to say anything with your mouth it's in fact and definitely don't start making these vows before God like God I promise I'll never because God's gonna hold you to that it's sir you don't just start opening your mouth and saying careless words before God when you pray there's there's there's there's thought behind it you think about who you're speaking to and what you want to say to em I might understand it's a relationship but have we gone too far in the sloppiness the other thing that because I don't want us to waste a bunch of time see because some of you you could pray all week in God not hear a word you say if you realize that no one ever told me that let's just start talking but it never told me that sometimes God doesn't listen to you and so you're wasting your time you're wasting a whole day you're wasting a whole week a month some of you guys have wasted hours and hours hours praying in such a way that cuts God's actually discussed it by some of the prayers at least that's what the Bible teaches we I had a guy a while back who just said he goes you know my wife and I haven't been getting along and this thing just isn't right he goes I just hears and I got this job opportunity somewhere else and so I'm gonna leave my wife and my family and I'm gonna go which is pray for me that I just have a great new start and I go you got to be kidding me right now I'm praying for you I go I go God's not gonna listen to that I look at what first Peter says first Peter 3 verse somewhere first Peter 3:7 first Peter 3:7 says husbands live with your wives in an understanding way show honor to the woman as the weaker vessel since they are heirs with you of the grace of life so that your prayers may not be hindered so that your prayers will not be hindered he says husbands treat your wife why oh because because she's you know she's not as strong as you you're gonna push our anchors no instead you treat her as this precious vase this precious vessel you protect her you love her you honor her you value her why so that your prayers won't be hindered you understand that's my daughter God's saying and you better treat her the right way well I'm not gonna listen to you and I go and now you're asking me to bless you leaving your wife there's no way I'm not praying for you there's a not too long ago you know we asked for for healing and someone says I need some healing where I could great great I'm glad you have the faith you know James 5 says confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you can be healed and I said so do you have anything you need to confess and he goes no you know it was a little business thing but I think I got that fixed and and there's a little thing here but I got that fixed I know I'm good I'm confessed everything and we're before well you know I'm living with this girl that's a little problem I said and you claim to be a Christian she claims to be a Christian and is sleeping around he goes yeah and you're not married no let me ask you something if you were sleeping with one of my daughters not a wedlock would you have the nerve to come up to me and face me and ask for a favor because well I never thought of it that way I go you're with a daughter of God you're and and now you're gonna approach and you want me to come with you I said man you you're repenting concept forgiving guy he's an awesome father he'll forgive you but there's no way there's no way I can pray for that God's not gonna listen to that why pray James 4 verse 3 says you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your own passions on your passions you see what this is this vs. is why don't why don't you get any answers why don't you receive because because you asked in the wrong way you don't ask the right way you're not gonna get answered he goes see and in this case is you're you're using it to spend it on your own passion you're not concerned about the things of God it's all about you I mean understand we were created for him we're created to do something I'm a created being that that holy God that we talked about last you know week where Isaiah said Here I am send me that's what we're supposed to be out about it's about okay what do you want what do you want from me because but you guys are asking for stuff just for yourself it's all selfish for your own passions he was gonna give you those things James chapter 1 4 6 he says this but let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord he's a double-minded man unstable in all of his ways so he's when you pray if you're gonna pray and you're gonna doubt the whole time you doubt anyone's listening up there he goes just don't waste your time he goes don't don't don't suppose that you're gonna receive anything from the Lord you know let me just let me just break from this for one second and say I don't know that I'm trying to think through what I'm about to say here and make sure I'm not exaggerating but I really don't know that that there's anything I enjoy more than answered prayer you know what I mean when you ask for something specific and then it's answered and it's answered supernaturally and you know there's no way that was coincidence isn't that an awesome feeling and and what it is it's it's knowing that I just spoke to God he heard me and he did what he what I asked for that's insane I just spoke to God and God heard me I know he heard me because that could not have been a coincidence and you just walk away Kahn I just spoke to God I just spoke to God and he heard me it's that there's nothing like that you know how sometimes you'll you'll say oh I got to meet this person who would be you know I talked to God like the Creator like you're breathing right now because of him he made the world I said something to him he goes Francis I heard you and watch what I do now and I'm just telling you there's nothing like that I want you all to experience I want you all to get that you know this preyer thing isn't about oh let's do this you know as Christians were supposed to pray I'm telling you there's nothing like just knowing that God hears me and we're talking to a gal who's not even a follower of Christ and it's talking to her you know a month or two go and just come on guys let me just tell you you know here's some things that have happened in my life and she was just like wow and she goes in probably the greatest thing is just the fact that you know someone's listening to you like it's not all the blessings is not even the answers is just the rush of someone listens to you up there Iko exactly you nailed it you know where security there isn't that when you you you pray and you just go he's doing everything I ask and and and and beyond what I can imagine I can't even believe he answered it that way I would never have thought of it that way that was so good and you just it's just this comfortable it's this piece of everything's right because God of the universe hears my prayers what else you asked for you know Isaiah chapter 58 in Isaiah chapter 58 you have these people who were praying they were even fasting so they were they they weren't even eating because they were praying and they come before God and and you know and some of them are even you know they would strip themselves with a normal clothes and wear the sack cloth and ashes and throw dust over their heads and not eat and really suffer as they cry out to God and what God says to them he goes is that what I wanted he is such the fast that I choose a day for a person to Humble himself is it a bow down his head like a reed to spread sackcloth and ashes under him will you call this a fast a day acceptable to the Lord is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness to undo the straps of the yoke to let the oppressed go free to break every yoke is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house when you see the naked to cover him and not to hide yourself from your own flesh then shall your light break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up speedily your righteousness shall go before you the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard then you shall call and the Lord will answer you shall cry and he will say Here I am if you take away the yoke from your midst and the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday God says what you think you're gonna bow before me and go look how humble I am and I'm gonna listen to your prayers is that what I asked for is what I asked for is to go out and find the people in need and take care for take care of them share your home with other people share your stuff with other people you do that he goes then when you cry out to me I'll go Here I am I love that I love that but it's conditional that's why I go I don't wanna have a week of fasting in prayer if all we're gonna do is fast and pray he says I want you to be the people that I've called you to be I want you to be givers and I believe that's why God's hand has been on this church is because we're trying to care for the people who are in need and that's why I've seen the hand of God in some of your lives why because you live for those people and so it's not about praying more it's it's sometimes it's just about praying you know the prayer of a righteous person that's powerful and effective because an unrighteous first can pray all day and hear nothing but a person who pours himself out for the hungry for the afflicted the moment they say God can you help me with this yeah Here I am it's a beautiful beautiful passage but here's one that if your Bibles turn to Joshua chapter 7 pretty interesting passage this is one of the ones I was really wrestling with they caused me to wonder am I is serious about God's commands and purity as he is and the answer is definitely not Joshua chapter 7 verse 1 it says the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things for akin the son of Carmy son of Zab descent of Zera of the tribe of judah took some of the devoted things and the anger of the lord burned against the people of israel okay what's it talking about what's he talking about this guy named akin there were there was this there were these certain areas where God said just destroy the place and you know destroy everything in there take these certain items just give them to the Lord don't touch them don't you know don't mess with them but one of the guys saw some things in Jericho and he I'm gonna take some and he hid some of this stuff he took some of the spoils from this this this defeat and any and he hid them for himself and it says the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel wait so guy got mad at everyone because of one guy yeah I mean when you read on it you know they're about to go to war now no one knows about akin and what he stole and a man what he had and then in verse four they're about to go to war you know and they're going to to ains is about 3,000 men went up there from the people and they fled before the men of AI and the men of AI killed about 36 of their men and chased them before the gate as far as cherem and struck them at the descent and the hearts of the people melted and became as water then Joshua tore his clothes and fell it fell to the earth on his face before the Ark of the Lord until evening he and the elders of Israel they put dust on their heads and Joshua says alas o Lord why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all to give us into the hands of the Amorite to destroy us would that we had been content as well beyond the Jordan Oh Lord what can I say when Israel has turned their back before their enemies for the Canaanites and all the inhabitants the earth will hear of it and will surround us and then cut off our name from the earth and what will you do for your great name verse 10 the Lord said to Joshua get up why have you fallen on your face Israel has sinned they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them and they have taken some of the devoted things they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings there for the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies they turn their backs before their enemies because they have become devoted for destruction I will be with you no more unless you destroy the devoted things from among you get up consecrate the people and say consecrate yourselves tomorrow for thus says the Lord God of Israel there are devoted things in your midst o Israel you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things from among you so so Joshua you know he's crying he's praying he's fasting the elders are fasting praying and going god what what in the world how did we lose we never lose you're our God and now you turned your back on us and God's us get up Joshua you know why I turned my back on you that's because someone sinned someone took some of those things that I told you guys not to take wait someone one person and you're gonna punish all of Israel and you notice that God says now you're gonna be destroyed because you didn't listen to me and God says you know you better find that guy and deal with it get him out of your myth so I said I couldn't bless you again and and sure enough if you look in verse verse 20 it says an ache and answer Joshua I did it I've sinned against the Lord God of Israel is what I did when I saw among the spoil he starts explaining he goes that there hidden my tent and and so Joshua and they go they find all this stuff in his tent and in verse 25 it says Joshua said why did you bring trouble on us the Lord brings trouble on you today and all Israel stoned him with stones and they burned them with fire and stone them with stones and they raised over him a heap of stones that remains to this day then the Lord turned from his burning anger therefore to this day the name in that place is called the valley of Achor so what did they do they found this guy and they stoned him to death burned him up covered him up and said God are we good now and God says yeah and then they they go the next day and God says I'll be with you in battle now now some of you hear that story and I know what you're thinking that's not fair right I mean 36 people died because the sin of some other guy face it that doesn't seem fair to you does it okay you tell him you know I I I'm just saying when I look at that that again there's one the passage is where I go I'm not as serious about this as you are God you wanted a purity amongst your people so much so that when this one guy did this because the people of Israel weren't on top of it and trying to figure this out they were all punished for it at the moment you got that sin out of the camp you put your blessing right back on these people again it's pretty intense passage but God does that you can see this is the thing is how serious are we about the purity of the church in New Testament remember Acts chapter 5 Acts chapter 5 Ananias and Sapphira you know they come before the Apostles and think about the sin here because here's a couple they sold some land they sold some property and laid the money they didn't have to do that they brought the money to the church and said hey here's here's the money and and and the Apostles go is it all the money and they go yeah but they're lying they kept back a little bit and both of them are struck dead by the Lord like they just collapsed and then the Bible says and great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of it yeah can you imagine I mean it's got it be like if I had bill bill and Kathleen and I said hey you guys come up here I want to ask you something and I want you to tell me the whole truth and then you both just kind of alter the truth a little bit you fell over dead then I said hey Ron you come up here and tell me the truth you'll probably tell me the truth yeah there would be like this okay I understand now okay I don't my god don't play this is the real thing you guys and I know this bothers some of you go away he can't have such a high stand that's why you have a problem with hell you have a problem with any of his punishments you have a problem with him flooding the earth but he says no no you don't understand I I asked you to live a certain way I gave you my spirit to empower you to live a certain way and yet you refused it's some serious stuff but the thing is is it's interesting because even when I tell you that story about Joshua and the army that was going to purge the land you know there there's there's times like you know like like the flood right when God does it himself forget it you know what I'm gonna save Noah everyone else I'll destroy you Sodom and Gomorrah you know what la get out here I'm gonna destroy fires gonna come down from heaven when there's other times when he says you know what I'm gonna use you Joshua you lead this army and you take these people out of there because I'm so disgusted by their sin and in the new testament you he has times when he says you know what that sin so gross to me I'm gonna just I'm gonna strike him dead right now and there's other times when he says now I want you as the church to join with me in this and there are times when he asked us to purge the evil out just like he tells a he tells Joshua you know what you and all Israel you need to partake of this taking out of this evil or purging the evil so you're the ones that are going to stone akin to death and it's it's it's a little different in Matthew it's a little different in the New Testament but in a lot of ways it isn't God is serious about removing the evil from his church in Matthew chapter 18 Matthew chapter 18 Jesus gives us some specific instructions Matthew 18 verse 15 he says if your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault okay so that's different he doesn't say stone him to death he says go tell him his fault between you and him alone and if he listens to you you've gained your brother okay game over the story's over if someone sins against you you go one-on-one don't tell don't tell anyone just go talk to that person confront them on their sin and if they say you know what you're right that's wrong I'm gonna change it goes great you won you won your brother over but then he says if he doesn't listen take one or two others along with you and remember these are the this is the command of God God we talked about last week this is what he tells us to do he goes if that one he doesn't listen to the one person take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses he is obedient listen to you listen here ejects you he goes bring a couple people with you and it all talked to this person in love and it says if they listen to you you win you did it you brought the person back you got him out of their sin and then he says if he refuses to listen to them tell it to the church and if he refuses to listen even to the church let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector because if he doesn't listen when the people of God confront them on this issue he goes you got to get him out of there there you can't let that person stay and be a part of you the Corinthians didn't obey this and God confronts that and first Corinthians chapter 5 first Corinthians 5 starting in verse 1 God says it's actually reported that there's sexual immorality among you and of a kind that's not even tolerated among the pagans a man has his father's wife and you're arrogant ought you not rather to mourn let him who has done this be removed from among you for although I am absent in the body listen to this I am president spirit and as if print as if present I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing when you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present with the power of our Lord Jesus you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord let that last part why so that spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord deliver him over Satan what's he talking about hand someone over to Satan this is the exact same terminology remember when I taught Romans chapter 1 and it talked about how the people just kept going toward their sin and they exchanged the glory of God for these other things and it says so therefore God gave them over to these passions God gave them over to a depraved mind it was God letting go and going if that's what you want here you can have it go I'm done it's the same word here Paul says hand this person over same word give them over give them over to Satan you see if they don't want to live the way God wants them to because let them live the way Satan wants them to give him over to Satan see and the hope is is that person will will be you know enjoying their sin but understand they have no fellowship with God no fellowship with the believers anymore and it's for that person to go I don't like this I miss those days when I felt right but the people of God and before God and the hope is is that it's there's this destruction of the flesh where they come to the end of themselves and go this isn't what I want he says and their soul will be saved that's the goal that's one of the most loving things you can do one of the most harmful things you can do is befriend that person and say oh no it's okay it's okay it's okay it's like no it's not okay God's taking his hand off of them and you need to stand with God and say you know what I'm not doing this to you I'm just joining God and what he's already done he's handed you over and I hand you over also in fact he goes on in verse 9 he says I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people he goes not at all meaning the sexual immoral of this world or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters since then you need to go out of the world but now I'm writing you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or as an ID alter revealer drunkard or swindler not even to eat with such a one for what have I to do with judging outsiders is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge God judges those outside purge the evil person from among you okay this is something that we were taught wrong a lot of us not post a judge not post a judge was it say aren't you supposed to judge yes those that are inside the church who were not supposed to judge or those who don't call themselves Christians and for too long the church has got it backwards we keep judging who the evil world out there the evil world out there and god says stop that because i didn't ask you to judge them I asked you look in your midst and get serious about the period the church and get those people out of there the people who call themselves brothers or sisters because I don't want someone taken the name of Christ Christian and living that way he goes and you shouldn't want that either he goes purge that person get that person out of there Titus chapter 3 verse 10 as for a person who stirs up division after warning him once and then twice have nothing more to do with him knowing that such a person is warped and sinful and he is self condemned because the people in the church that that try to divide us he goes you got to warn them no give him a chance is it's got like a Matthew 18 confront him and love warn him again say you know you did it again what is this why do you keep trying to divide us and break us up and he goes and after a while he goes just have nothing to do with them you got to get it out you got to purge it and I know this is not a it's not a popular doctrine and I know there are many people who are listening to this who say well I don't agree with what he did in the book of Joshua I don't agree with I don't see why you would ever do associate with someone and not even eat with them and understand this too again we're talking about people call themselves Christians some of you guys here you're visiting you know you're checking things out and I'm so glad you're here man and what you do in your own time that's your business you know what I'm not going to get in your face and say oh think you drank too much last night or oh hey I saw you over here over there it doesn't matter you do what you want now I'm just glad you're here and you're checking things out but if you call yourself Christian if you call yourself a brother and if people out there you're telling them oh yeah I'm a part of Cornerstone Church and yet you're holding on to things sin that you refuse to let go of we need to get you out of here but it's for your good too but also for our good because you understand it's not just about you you hurt us I mean isn't it true that if I were an ongoing sin right now I would hurt the church I'm when you got baptized it wasn't just about you you joined a family here that's why even you know today I'm going you know show me your something in me because I don't want to I don't want to mess things up for you yeah you know I'm selfish and I think about me and I want to be right before God but there's another side of this and especially in my position where I go man I can't mess around because if I'm wrong before God I take other people with me and that's true of you also you affect the body you know and I don't knowi I'm weird but you know I must bring that that story of akin and and and and I and I noticed this we are akin akin that spelled a CH a n a chan and I thought I don't know it just hit me you know and I thought wow maybe there's this you know it's a chance in that could affect the camp and I and I go I gotta take that seriously I know that's it's weird that's just the way I think and I and I just go and I gotta take that seriously my sin can have an impact on your life and your sin can have an impact on us and your sin could impact our prayers do you understand this prayer thing is not just about you and God a lot of guys know the Lord's Prayer what's the first word the Lord's Prayer you ever notice that our Haven the Lord's Prayer was something that was meant for us as a group of people to come before God and pray together I know some of you guys prayed it individually some you guys prayed it as a punishment you know but Jesus says here's how you pray our our Father it's it's us it's about us it's always been about us do you understand that when you got baptized you became a part of us and the Old Testament it wasn't about just a consent ah akin that idiot no akin was a part of Israel and so God took his hand off of Israel as a whole because of the sin of this individual because he was a part of a bigger entity and the New Testament he says we now like it or not we're brother and sister we're family and and and and and there ought to be a love that is between you and I where we care for one other where my stuff's your stuff and we really live like family and when we pray we come together as a body and you know that's why we're like come on you know you gotta you gotta know your brothers and sisters even your own neighbourhood take communion with them pray together care for one and let the world see something different because unity is weird unity is weird unity is is something that the world doesn't see they they see everyone ditches each other whenever someone bugs them they're gone they're out of there but unity no that's a different thing and it's unity of purpose it's like I show them something different and let's pray but but you guys we can't do that for all living double lives if we're holding stuff back you guys I want us to have a powerful powerful week of Prayer but that happens when we first repent and realize that our sin affects more than us it affects the whole camp it affects the whole church having said that the elders have been wrestling for the last couple of months with an issue and it's not lightly that I bring it up today as with a lot of prey or a lot of love a lot of concern but as we look at Matthew 18 as we look at first Corinthians 5 as we look at Titus 3 we say we have to do this publicly with a former member of our church who was our one of the pastors wives we told you about and and what we we walked through with him and there's been repentance there's been a working through a wrestling through with some issues but with his wife she has said that she will not forgive him she's chosen not to forgive him of this she has chosen to file for divorce and has no biblical grounds for filing for divorce and so we've confronted her on this she's been involved in another appropriate on in an inappropriate relationship and then as we've gone to her in love and we've taken two or three have gone together in love but her response is to slander those two and three that would come to her and the Bible talks about warning the divisive person and because of the public nature of her position as one of our pastors wives and also because of the divisive nature of her sin is she's trying to divide everyone and say ah you know what those elders and you know my husband and everything else and and trying to make we had to make it a public thing and I understand we prayed for this long and hard and we did as elders we were obedient to first Corinthians 5 and as an elder board there was a point when we got in an elder meeting after all of us in absolute agreement after a lot of prayer and talking letters emails conversations with her begging her loving her giving her more attention than anyone else in the church finally we said you know God's taking his hand off of her and at the altar meeting we prayed and said God we now deliver her over to Satan and understand how difficult that was because that's just not an easy thing to do but the hope is that as God has taken his hand protective hand off of her and as a church now has taken its protective hand over her off of her the hope is now she says you know ok go see how you like it and hope the hope is is that that would destroy you and there'd be a destruction of the flesh that would make you come running back so that your soul would be saved because that's what matters we're talking about eternal things and I understand this is a it's a difficult thing to do but before the Lord we felt like gosh this is the most loving thing we could do for a person it's the most biblical thing we can do and so with it's with a heavy heart that I announced that to you and so we've taken the position that the moment you repent you know get back together with your husband because divorce is a serious issue in the moment you you decide to come back well we'll welcome you with loving arms with open arms I go but until then we can't talk to you eat with you associate with you unless you just want to say you're no longer calling yourself a Christian now what I don't want you to do is get so wrapped up in that worin issue that you don't take the log out of your own eye and in your own life this message is about you it's about me it's about us and wanting the hand of God to bless us going to be like the nation of Israel that we purge that sin and God's blessings fall upon us again and I want to have an amazing week of Prayer I don't have a amazing month year of Prayer I just want to know that God listens to us and his favor is on us and so we do our best to obey these different passages and go okay we're going to care for the poor I mean it becomes natural to us anyways as believers doesn't it you know and we're gonna purge the sin out of our lives which is another thing that's natural for us as believers we don't want this in our lives and so we get it out and so what I want us to do is I thought we've got to kick off the week of prayer with repentance otherwise why would even listen to us it's when we humble ourselves and seek his face it's when we humble of ourselves we turn from our wicked ways and seek his face then he's going to listen to us and come on I don't I don't think anyone's fooled in this room we know there's a bunch of lie in here and it affects you it's killing you but it's also killing us and and yet haven't you had those times when you finally just got it out and you finally just fell on your face bawling your eyes out and go I know this is wrong before God I tried to defend it I've tried to rationalize it I just know what's wrong I God I'm sorry and I'm ready to give it up what a great thing and then it's like Isaiah remember last week where because I'm dead and I you God doesn't know you're not let me forgive you let me cleanse you that's what I want you to leave with and and maybe some of you in this room you're going I'm not ready for that then let me just beg you not to call yourself a Christian certainly don't tell people oh I'm a member at Cornerstone I'm either just say no I haven't decided to follow Christ yet but if you're gonna keep holding on to your sin man if you're not a believer that's fine keep coming but if you're going to call yourself a Christian please either just confess the sin get it out of your life or don't come back here until you're ready to do that because you're killing us and this in no way is about us screwing up I screw up I screw up every day I sin every day but afterwards it's like I was wrong I got to walk away from that I got to get that's that's part of life that's part of the sanctification process I'm talking about a person that's holding on and saying I'm not giving this up yet I'm saying either give up Christ or give up your sin but you can't have both and I think I've shown that pretty clearly through the Scriptures so let's just spend some time you guys I'm not here to judge in the sense of condemning anyone but I am here to judge the church I have to I'm called to do that but it's for your good I mean that's what you signed up for that's what you wanted but the greatest thing is when we can just do it on our own and come before God and come clean I want to have a bunch of spies checking out your life it's not with us about it's about you just coming clean and saying here it is god I'm hurt in this church I'm hurting myself I'm hurting your reputation and I need to change from that so the worst team's gonna come up and as they as they play and as we sang some of you I encourage you right now just spend some time confessing I did this this morning just come God is there anything in me because I don't want to hurt them or your name let me just get it out of there let me get it out of there purge it out of me and the forgiveness of God is a good thing and this peace of God is a good thing if you need to pray with someone I'm gonna have some of the pastors and elders they'll be up here by the prayer room but the rest of you if you just want to pray quietly before yourself and just start confessing things before God if you feel like kneeling if you feel like getting down on the front here and getting on your knees and crying and whatever you want to do just come before God and be honest with it it's got serious about this and I so want but I was talking about those times one is just I know God hears us because we've made things right with him if you want to get baptized today then come up and talk to one the elders maybe this is the time when you go while they're serious I want to be a part of a group like that that was cool the first service one of the guys that got baptized as go why you guys are serious about God now I want to be a part that's awesome it's awesome but if that's you then at any time during the worship come and pray with someone will baptize you today but let's just spend some time before the Lord right now just bow your heads and just start confessing things to him if you confess your sins he's faithful and just to forgive you of all sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness so just start confessing

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Keywords: Francis Chan, Francis Chan Sermons, Revival, Character Of God, Free Sermons, Video Sermons, Jesus Christ, What Is The Gospel, SermonIndex, What Is The Truth, God Listening

Id: zBhnTRCopUw

Length: 51min 31sec (3091 seconds)

Published: Tue May 01 2012