Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] It feels like there's a continuation from what God started doing during the time of worship that links well with what I want to share on.
[00:00:08] So if you found this morning slightly strange, the long silence, it can be a little bit strange, but it's very simple, actually.
[00:00:19] We really feel like God has spoken to us very clearly in this season, that he's calling us to be Mary's and to sit at his feet.
[00:00:27] And there's many distractions that can take us away from simply sitting at his feet, and even good things.
[00:00:37] We often think of the sins that distract us, but it can be the very best things. If it's not God and it keeps us away from God, even those things actually can become.
[00:00:47] Get in the way of us and the Lord.
[00:00:50] And so in these moments when we wait on the Lord, we really have no other prerogative than finding his face. We really have no other plan in mind other than Lord Jesus, we want you. And how obedience works is you don't obey after it makes sense.
[00:01:09] You obey when he speaks as quickly as possible and as fully as possible. Because delayed obedience is also disobedience.
[00:01:17] And partial obedience is also disobedience.
[00:01:20] And for the sake of us walking in step with the Spirit, when He speaks to us, we go there, even if it doesn't make sense to us. And so that's just to explain to you guys, like a moment like this, this morning, where we were just for a moment, pausing.
[00:01:33] I'll tell you guys what I had in mind.
[00:01:37] I want to follow you, Jesus. And that was it. And then from there, we're going to wait on him, and we're just creating room for Him. We're just creating space. And the reality is we don't exactly know what it looks like.
[00:01:49] We don't know what it looks like. But when the Lord leads us into something, we do it properly. So there's this concept in Scripture of the Sabbath of rest in the Old Testament, and it was absolutely countercultural at the time. Every other nation would work and advance their military and advance their city seven days a week, and Israel would take one day off and do absolutely nothing.
[00:02:13] And you know, at its core what that day tested was. Do you believe that your wealth and your power comes from your own ability?
[00:02:23] Because that thing inside of you starts screaming when you take a day off, and it doesn't make sense. Like, lord, how are we going to feed ourselves, Lord, how are we going to move forward? Lord, what about this? What about that? And when you do nothing for a full day, then who gets the glory. When you as a nation dwell, only God can. You are working one day less than the other people. So that was the concept that was testing them, that you may know that I am the Lord your God, and that he is the one that provides for us. And so that's the concept of waiting that we're often challenged with is when we become quiet before the Lord, or when we wait before the Lord, it's as though his heart is that everything would come to a screeching halt in our lives because only then he gets all the glory.
[00:03:07] The moment that everything comes to a screeching out and there is zero human effort involved, then he gets all the glory.
[00:03:14] But for us, that feels so vulnerable, it feels so out of our control that we would rather be doing something, we would rather be moving forward in some way. But then that's actually self reliance, it's human reliance. And then man can still take the credit for it and take the glory. And so I believe in these moments when God asks us to pause or to wait, I'm not exactly sure what we're waiting for other than that God is trying to break something of self reliance in us, something of wanting to manufacture something, because when it comes to a complete stop, then he gets all the glory. When we wait completely and it makes no sense, and then we see God is still coming through, God is still doing something, then only he can get the glory. And so that's something that I believe that God is doing in us.
[00:04:06] As I've been praying, asking the Lord, what are you saying to us? In the season, like often when I'm preparing a sermon, I'd ask the Lord, what do you want me to preach about?
[00:04:15] And what I felt God just continually saying is, but I've already told you, have you done what I've asked? And so oftentimes when God asks us something, not oftentimes, every time when God asks us something, there'll come a time when he asks you, how did you steward that word that I gave you?
[00:04:33] Did you do something with it? And there's something in us as humans when we hear the Word of God, we get very excited about the Word itself, as though the fact that God spoke is the thing.
[00:04:44] But then the next day we want him to say something else, the next thing, especially if it's revelation, it tickles our ears, it makes us feel nice, but we can actually give account for how we obeyed every word that he spoke to us. And so in this season, the Father, through many different sources and many different people, through His Word. And through his spirit, he's clearly confirmed to us that he's calling us to be a people that Mary that sit at his feet. And just as I've been praying like, lord, where do we go next? Where do I take your people? The words have been, well, have we obeyed what he's asked us fully?
[00:05:19] And so now the question is, what does that look like? It's an interesting question. Just to be real with you guys, for someone in my shoes, who's one of the leaders here, Lord, what do we need to change up in this church? If you spoke to us, wait, what does it look like to wait in this season? And the reality is we don't always know. And the Lord knows and that's the important part. He will lead us forward. But we're going to give account for how we responded to what he has spoken. And so I want to just for a moment ask you how have you obeyed the words of waiting in this season?
[00:05:52] If you've been with us this past few months, maybe for the visitors you wouldn't know that, but for the past few months, the Lord's been clearly speaking about being a people of his presence, about digging wells, about drinking only from him.
[00:06:04] Last week, Gordon spoke about being transformed, not being conformed, so removing every other lover and being a people that only has eyes for him. And every other thing is moved away. And it's about removing distractions and living with, with. With margins. Not busyness, but living in a space where we create space for God. And so I want to ask you, have you obeyed that? Have, have we done something about that? This is not me saying like, this is not me saying, why are you not. That's not. I'm not saying why are you not listening? It's not that thing. This is me speaking from what I feel God is saying to us, including myself. God is asking us, have you obeyed the last thing I spoke about? How have you implemented rest?
[00:06:43] How have you implemented creating space in this past two, three months? If you've been so busy that you don't know where is up and down, and you've been running around left and right, and you're asking me, uncle, what do you mean create space? I'm busy.
[00:06:56] And I ask you, how have you created space?
[00:07:02] We never have time for.
[00:07:05] We won't have time for more of God. You have to find time. You have to make time. It's about priorities.
[00:07:10] You know, time management isn't actually a thing.
[00:07:13] It's about choosing what's priority and doing that first. And Everything else comes afterwards. And I'm not saying the other things aren't important. Please, please hear me here. But the Lord is asking, have you stewarded the words that I've given you and have you found my face and have you rested? Because there's going to come a time where God is going to say the next thing, and then we want to go with that thing. And there's going to come a time when he moves on, and we are going to be asked, how did you respond to what he spoke? And so we don't know exactly what it looks like, but that's not important.
[00:07:45] The question of what does it look like? Is anyways a question of I want to control, I want to know. That's not the point. The question is, lord, I want to obey if that's what you ask me. And so I do want to invite every single one of us this morning that if you haven't fully put things in place in this season to find space, to. To make. Find spaces wrong. Because you have to make.
[00:08:06] Have you done that before God moves on with us? Have you created space before God gives us the next word?
[00:08:16] Are you confident that we have become a people of his presence in this season? Or was it a nice word to have? And are we waiting for the next word to have?
[00:08:25] Does it make sense?
[00:08:27] So, Father, I want to pray for us this morning, for every single person sitting here, that you will help us to obey these words that you've been speaking to us, that we will make room for you in our lives, that we will create space.
[00:08:42] Lord, will you help us to remove every distraction and every little piece of busyness in our lives that's keeping us maybe away from you? Even the things that are good, if they keep us too busy, are they worth it?
[00:08:56] Martha was doing good things when she was cooking for Jesus.
[00:09:02] But Jesus says that Mary found the one thing that will be not. Will not be taken away from her.
[00:09:11] So, Father, will you help us in the season to obey fully and just even as we're sitting here? Father, will you. Will you show every individual and every heart here? Lord, how can we obey more? How can we position ourselves better, Lord, that. That when you speak the next word to us, that we can confidently say, God, we followed well, we did what you asked.
[00:09:32] There will come a season where we're much busier again. And my word, when that season comes, I want to know that I waited on him when he asked to wait.
[00:09:41] So, Father, will you come and show us if there's any other way that we can position ourselves well, that we can be a people not just of hearing, but but of doing.
[00:09:50] I pray this in Jesus name.
[00:09:53] Amen. Amen. So just. Yeah, I'm going to shorten what I'm going to share quite a bit. I just want to share briefly on the cost of intimacy.
[00:10:04] The cost of intimacy. So just in line with us sitting at his feet. There's many different aspects to sitting at his feet. And when it comes to finding Jesus, do you guys know that there's actually something that we have to sacrifice?
[00:10:19] Actually, I'm sure all of us felt it already this morning. Because when it comes to letting go of the things we hold on to, you know why we don't? Because it hurts. Amen.
[00:10:29] I can testify this week I was wrestling with things I have to let go. And it's not bad things, but they're taking time that could be for the Lord, or they're taking headspace that could be for the Lord.
[00:10:40] And so in that sense, I think all of us would agree. We understand that intimacy actually comes at a bit of a cost. There is a letting go in order to taking hold of. And so the message is simply this. Close fellowship with God requires a tender conscience.
[00:10:57] Close fellowship with God requires a tender conscience and a sensitivity of heart, even to the small things.
[00:11:07] Close fellowship with God requires a tender conscience and a sensitivity of heart, even in the small things.
[00:11:13] And the closer we desire to walk with God, the less we can tolerate what grieves God. The closer we want to walk with God, the less we can tolerate what grieves him. And so intimacy with God requires holiness.
[00:11:30] So in Matthew 5:3, it would say, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So there's this link in Scripture from purity to seeing the Lord. Those that are pure in art shall see God. Matthew 5.
[00:11:45] Sorry, it should be 5. 8. Sorry.
[00:11:49] In Hebrews 12:14, it says, Strive for peace with everyone and strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
[00:11:59] Do you guys see the train of thought in Scripture? Strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. So there's this golden thread throughout Scripture that who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, he that has clean hands and a pure heart. The concept in Scripture is only those that are holy actually can see him.
[00:12:22] And so we need to understand that holiness is not legalism. Holiness is an environment for intimacy.
[00:12:32] Holiness is not legalism. Holiness is an environment for intimacy.
[00:12:36] Holiness creates an environment for intimacy. Now that Actually makes a lot of sense if you think about something like marriage.
[00:12:44] We know in marriage that intimacy in marriage requires faithfulness.
[00:12:49] Would you guys agree that intimacy in marriage, there is a requirement, and that's faithfulness. And that's the exact same heart that the Lord has with us, that holiness creates the environment for intimacy. Then God knows, okay, you put me first. You actually do choose me. And in that space, we can be intimate with Him.
[00:13:09] Now, we're not saying that we need holiness in order to enter into his presence. I need to just clarify that we know that it's only by Jesus work that he tore the veil and he brought us in. And that scripture of who may ascend the hill of the Lord, he that has cleaned, we all actually know none of us qualify for that. So let's just settle that one quickly. It's Jesus that makes us holy so we can come near. But then, for those who have been brought near by the blood of Jesus, your holiness still determines how close you walk to him.
[00:13:40] Because holiness is the environment for intimacy.
[00:13:45] So, for example, in Psalm 25:14, it says this.
[00:13:51] The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him.
[00:13:55] And he makes known to them his covenant. That word, the friendship of the Lord. In your translation, you'll see that they find it very difficult to translate that word. Some translations will say, the secret of the Lord.
[00:14:05] The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him. So you could basically say, the secret counsel of the Lord, the deep, intimate friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him.
[00:14:18] So that friendship of the Lord, specifically the Word is speaking about the secret counsel of the Lord.
[00:14:23] It's like, for those who fear Him.
[00:14:27] Let's say you invite many friends over, and many friends are hanging out in your kitchen, and many friends are hanging out in your living room. But the friendship of the Lord, the secret counsel, the one that he invites into his bedroom, is the one that fears him, those he will bring closer.
[00:14:41] So the secret, intimate counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him.
[00:14:47] And we see that golden thread throughout Scripture, that there's a cost to intimacy.
[00:14:52] There's a price that we have to pay.
[00:14:54] And it's a beautiful thing when we realize.
[00:14:58] I remember for myself when I was struggling with getting free from pornography in my life years ago, and this revelation came to me that every time that that temptation comes, it's an opportunity for intimacy. Actually, I just never knew it.
[00:15:14] In that moment, if I would say no, I would be creating an environment for intimacy. Because blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall See, God and the enemy was not so actually concerned about the sin itself as it was about getting me away from the Lord. And what an exciting thing it is when we realize that holiness is not some legalistic weight on our shoulders. Holiness is an opportunity to create an environment for intimacy. Just like in marriage, there's a faithfulness required with intimacy. There's a commitment that is required that your spouse wants to know, do you choose me? And when you break that, what happens to your intimacy in that marriage? When you break that, what happens to intimacy? It's gone. You have to then, by miracle, fight for that marriage again. If you've broken faith.
[00:16:00] Faithfulness in the marriage, so we understand in marriage it makes sense. It's the same with our God.
[00:16:06] The secret counsel, the secret friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him.
[00:16:11] And so just in the season of God pulling us closer and saying, will you be Mary's at my feet?
[00:16:19] The Lord is calling us to have a sensitive heart, even to the small things in our lives. And that he will come and make our consciences so tender in the season.
[00:16:28] So you might be saying to me, yanku, I do go to church, I do read my Bible.
[00:16:35] I don't commit those big sins. I don't drink every night, I don't commit fraud, I don't sleep around. And that's wonderful. But the obedience that God calls us to is much more than just obeying the ten commands. The obedience he calls us to is obedience to his still, small voice. That when we are in the Word and God challenges on something and it's a whisper that we will obey. Obedience is when God, when there's a check in our spirit, when there's something not right, when we just lose peace for a moment because our conscience just isn't sitting well. Obedience is being sensitive to those things.
[00:17:17] And when we realize that the sensitivity in our heart, the sensitivity to his voice, the sensitivity of our conscience is opportunity to come close to him. Then we get excited about the small moments when you feel him checking your spirit to not do something or to you just walk astray to the left or to the right.
[00:17:35] So the Lord has given us, every single one of us, a conscience inside of us. You guys know that conscience. You guys know that feeling.
[00:17:43] So conscience is a gift from God that He gives to all people, not just Christians, but unbelievers as well.
[00:17:50] All people are given a conscience by God that all people inwardly would to some degree know actually right and wrong.
[00:17:57] And do you guys know the feeling when you do something wrong and you know, you shouldn't that thing that bothers you.
[00:18:01] So I remember for myself when I was still an unbeliever, I was 6 years old and I had not given my life to the Lord yet. And I remember stealing something from a friend of mine. We were playing Legos. You guys know Legos? Those toys? And we were actually at my parents home group, community group. Can you believe I was stealing at com and I, they had a Lego set and they, we had very few Legos because it's very expensive and they had all the nice ones. And I remember taking a piece of Lego and taking it home. And it's amazing, I can still remember that moment to this day how my conscience bothered me, how it irritated me. Do you guys know that feeling, that scratching feeling on the inside? And you guys know what was amazing?
[00:18:44] As I ignored it, it went away.
[00:18:48] The next day I was still a bit bothered. But now when it caught me yet it was a very nice toy. And so I would play with it and the next day I would be less bothered and the next day I would be less bothered.
[00:19:00] And years later it was mine, it was now mine. And I did not feel bad in the least when I played with it.
[00:19:08] And that's how our consciences work.
[00:19:10] God gives it to us as a gift. And guys, when we come to the Lord, often he'll come and make us very sensitive again. But even as children, you guys can relate as children, how sensitive were our consciences before we went and seared them, before we went and hardened them.
[00:19:27] So that's how our consciences work. So in scripture 1 Timothy 4:2, it writes, Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. So that's basically what happened to my conscience. As I ignored stealing that thingy and not taking it back, my conscience became seared. And you know, it was wonderful. Well, it wasn't in retrospect, very wonderful, but for me at the time, it didn't bother me anymore.
[00:19:57] And in Hebrews 3, verse 12 and 13, it says, Take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in you, in any of you, an evil, unbelieving heart leading you to fall away from the living God. Just want to, you can take note that it says, take care of brothers or brothers and sisters. That means he's writing to believers, okay? He's writing to believers.
[00:20:21] Take care, brothers and sisters, lest there be in you an evil, unbelieving heart. He's writing that to a believer. An evil, unbelieving heart leading it to fall away from the living God. Next verse. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
[00:20:41] So I'm sure you guys have heard this before. I think we've spoken about this. But there's a certain something that sin does to us when we ignore it. Scripture would call it our conscience is seared. Or it might say we become callous. You guys know what a callus is?
[00:20:57] So. So this past few weeks, I've been slashing a lot because everything is growing fast and the garden is looking crazy. So I've been slashing, slashing. But I've got soft hands. Okay.
[00:21:08] Yeah, I don't work as much with my hands anymore. And so it. After half an hour, it was hurting and it was red, and I got a blister after 30 minutes of slashing, which just shows how soft I am. But it.
[00:21:20] I would then stop because it is sore. And that's how conviction works. You stop because it is sore and you have the blister. Ouch. Oh, that's not good. That's what it actually looks like in our heart when we're doing something and God says, hey, don't do that. Hey, stop. Okay, I'll stop. And you know what? Next week, I went back and did it again, obviously, because the grass is growing. But. But next time, I could slash for much longer.
[00:21:42] And as I kept doing that, I've actually noticed that I can keep going now. And what you'll see over time is that that skin will become very hard.
[00:21:50] And then you get other guys. That's not like me who can slash for days at end.
[00:21:54] And it's like nothing. Their hands are rock hard, and it's become callous. And that is the exact picture that scripture gives us about the effects of sin. So sin is deceitful. It says, you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. So sin will tell you it's not that bad. And you know that that line that we always throw, God will understand.
[00:22:15] I don't know what that means. He will understand or it's not that bad.
[00:22:21] There's something in us that loves to tiptoe or play with the line, like, how far is too far?
[00:22:31] And as we. As we keep.
[00:22:33] As we keep ignoring that thing, it will become so hard to the point that initially.
[00:22:38] There's a moment, initially when we get convicted that we can respond and turn to him. But from that moment onwards, if you choose to ignore that conviction or your conscience Every time you ignore that, actually next time you won't feel it as strongly.
[00:22:53] You'll be able to do it much easier, and your conscience will just feel cleaner. It's actually not. It's just you've been ignoring it and you've been able to callous your heart.
[00:23:03] So that's actually something we're able to do.
[00:23:08] And it often is in the very small things. When the Lord whispers something to us, there's opportunity. There's a moment for us to, in that moment, we can obey.
[00:23:20] And the beautiful thing is, as we looked at that Scripture, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[00:23:26] The promise is that there's life in obedience in that moment when we choose Him.
[00:23:32] There's a promise that we will find more of Jesus in that moment. As he whispers something to heart and we respond to the Holy Spirit's whisper, we will find life after that. But as he whispers and we don't answer, we actually grieve the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:49] And there is the danger that we will be so hardened in our hearts, we become so calloused that we don't hear his voice anymore. We don't experience the tug, the tugs at our heart when he's tugging us.
[00:24:03] And so when God is calling us to be a people of his presence and when he's calling us to sit at his feet, what it actually requires in us is that God needs to come and make us sensitive again.
[00:24:14] He needs to come and soften our consciences again.
[00:24:17] He needs to come and come and make our conscience so tender again that when there's a whisper, just a whisper in our heart to say, is that pleasing to the Lord, Do I need to be doing that? As you hear the whisper, like, yeah, I want to be sensitive again. Let me in this moment, respond to that. And you will find that you, in those moments, create an environment for intimacy. There's a promise that, blessed are the pure in heart. They shall see God.
[00:24:45] And the thing is, we live in this world.
[00:24:48] Scripture would say, as foreigners, as exiles. Let's look at the Scripture in Peter, it says, my last scripture. It says, dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul. That, dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles. That's written to New Testament believers. He was not referring to geographical.
[00:25:14] They don't belong there, even though many of them probably did and run for their lives. That's actually writing to all believers. I can actually call all of you guys dear foreigners and exiles, because we are not citizens of this world, we should feel a little bit out of place. Amen. The moment you don't feel out of place in this world, like you're a bit of an alien, then there's something wrong because we don't fit in. We shouldn't fit in. We're not citizens of this world. We are all foreigners and exiles.
[00:25:41] And so he says, abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul.
[00:25:48] And there are these moments when the Holy Spirit whispers to us, when we feel this conviction. And it's. And it's not just about the big sins or the Ten Commandments.
[00:25:59] It's about when God is saying, that thing. Won't you, for this moment just put on your phone and stop scrolling and come to me. It's those small things where God is saying, I know that movie says PG13 and U16, so you're allowed according to the world to watch it. But. But who made the world the guide on those things? When. When God says, I don't. I don't actually have peace as I'm listening to this song. I don't have peace as I'm watching this movie. I don't have.
[00:26:26] As. As I'm wanting to give money to the police officer. That thing in your heart that just saying, don't do that.
[00:26:39] There are so many examples that the problem is that proximity to the world makes us dull. The things that once shocked us becomes normal to us. The things that once grieved us even become our entertainment.
[00:26:54] And it's because proximity has the ability to dull our senses. Because we so used to it and near to it that it doesn't bother us anymore. And when God is saying. When God is speaking to us about being a people of intimacy, what he's saying is, come fully out of the world and let me come and make your consciences tender again.
[00:27:13] That you will be a sensitive people. That when I whisper, you listen.
[00:27:17] And I'm sure this morning, even as you've been sitting, the Lord might have been even already showing you, where has he been whispering? Where has he been? Your conscience has been just bothering you a little bit. Where have we started?
[00:27:29] Often when we are in the world, we start using the world as our reference for right and wrong.
[00:27:34] Like, at least I don't do that. At least I'm not that bad. And the irony is we're measuring ourselves to the world instead of to Jesus, instead of to what the holiness is actually calling us to.
[00:27:46] And I remember when I started following the Lord and I was a youngster Guys, I was so sensitive to everything and anything. It sucked. It actually was.
[00:27:54] I shouldn't say it sucked. That's wrong. Sorry.
[00:27:57] It was difficult for me to be that sensitive because I could be grieved so easily by just about anything.
[00:28:05] And it was actually nice for me, especially as a man growing up, to have that go away a little bit as I hardened a little bit in this world, as you start ignoring things here and there, as you get used to the corruption and the abuse and the things that just go on, you get used to people pushing the line in the gray areas. And it was actually nice to me that it didn't bother me.
[00:28:26] But it's not a good thing. The Lord wants us to remain soft and sensitive at heart. And so the question for us as believers is not, where's the line?
[00:28:36] How close can I tiptoe to the line? Is this considered sin?
[00:28:40] Is this technically sin?
[00:28:43] When God is calling us out of the world, he's calling us to a tender conscience. He's calling us to a holiness that hurts the eyes.
[00:28:51] It's not the how close can we get?
[00:28:55] When in doubt, cut it out. It's that simple. When in doubt, throw it out.
[00:29:01] And I want to ask us this morning, in your life, in which, which areas are you a little bit doubting whether God is in that or not?
[00:29:09] Now, I'm not saying about when it comes to decision making. Obviously sometimes difficult in decision making to figure out what God's will. And you make a decision and you're wondering, is this God? I'm not talking about that doubt. I'm talking about conviction type stuff where you are wondering, is this pleasing to him? And you started it and you're doing it a little bit and you're still wondering a little bit if you're still wondering, rather run away from it. I mean, if it.
[00:29:32] It's not God, so just chuck it. Like, if you don't want to throw it because it's too precious and maybe you have to because it's become too precious. The line isn't how close can we be when God calls us to come out of this world and to make us sensitive again, that we won't be dulled by our proximity to the world.
[00:29:48] It's no longer how close can I get? But now it's when in doubt, we throw it out. And God makes us a people that are so sensitive again that we look a little bit ridiculous in this world. But you know, it's fine because our measure isn't to the person next to us, our measure Isn't to. What are other Christians doing? Our measure isn't.
[00:30:07] It's not sin in Scripture, so I can do it. But what is his spirit leading you? Obviously within the frame of scripture, but he might just asking you to do.
[00:30:18] When you're in the shops this afternoon, would you go and pray for this person? Guys, I've had it so many times where I would just feel a prompting. Will you go pray for that person? That's a bit sick. I can see this person is hobbling and God is like, will you go pray for Him? And you know what? I found it's very sad. I've learned if I can ignore it, it'll go away.
[00:30:37] And I've learned if I can ignore it two or three times, it'll become quiet for months.
[00:30:43] And it's very sad.
[00:30:44] But I'm not just talking about sin things. I'm talking about when he whispers.
[00:30:50] We don't do partial obedience. We don't do delayed obedience.
[00:30:54] We realize that this is a moment for intimacy, that my faithfulness towards him, my holiness in those moments creates an environment where God says, okay, he's put me first. I will reveal myself to him.
[00:31:08] And just as we are desiring to be a people of his presence in the season, that we are desiring to find him. If you want to know God and find God and you don't know the Lord or you are struggling with sin, come as you are. Don't try to make yourself holy. That is not what we are saying this morning. Come as you are and God will come and change you. That's the beauty of Jesus work. So we're not advocating you work on yourself before you come. Just come in your filth and Jesus will make you clean.
[00:31:35] But for those of us who has been made clean, if you want to walk close to him, we need to allow him to make us sensitive again, to make our consciences so soft again that things will start bothering us again.
[00:31:50] That when he whispers, we've learned to be a people that listen. And it's difficult for me. I'm standing with all of you guys here. It's a wrestle when you whispers, when His Holy Spirit leads, when something in our conscience bothers, are we going to obey?
[00:32:05] And it's amazing when we do obey, oh, there's life. Just like God reveals himself in those spaces.
[00:32:16] So as we respond to this, this morning, We're going to create a space now where each one of us can cry out to the Lord and say, lord, will you soften my heart again?
[00:32:29] Lord, will you give Me, a tender conscience again.
[00:32:33] We're going to create space for that now. So we can't do this ourselves if our conscience has been seared in some area, if we've learned to ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit sufficiently and we don't hear it as much because it happens to every single one of us, including myself.
[00:32:49] The only way to undo that is to cry out, lord, make me sensitive again. I'm so sorry.
[00:32:55] Will you speak to me again? Will you soften my heart again?
[00:32:58] And the other way we need to respond to this is as we go from this place this morning, next time, when there is the whisper, next time, when the conscience bothers a little, next time, when there's just a check in our spirit, next time, when we lose peace over a decision, next time, that's an opportunity.
[00:33:14] An opportunity to either go deeper or to grieve the Spirit. You can choose deeper. It's up to us in those moments. So next time, as we walk from this place, see it as an opportunity.
[00:33:28] And the only way we can do this is if we love him. If there's a greater love inside of us than there is for those other things. I think it came out in the prayer meeting this morning.
[00:33:38] Thomas Chalmers said, the love of the world cannot be expelled except by the expulsive power of a new affection.
[00:33:47] The love of the world cannot be expelled except by the expulsive power of a new affection.
[00:33:55] And so if there's something that you love very much, if there's something that you are struggling to hold on to, you can't just miraculously let it go. Sorry to break the news, but you probably don't have that power.
[00:34:07] Why would you let go of that which you love? But honestly now, why would you let go of that which you love except if we can replace it with the expulsive power of another affection?
[00:34:19] That simply means if the Lord can put in us a fire and a love for him that ruins us for everything else, then we'll start realizing that every other thing doesn't taste very nice anymore. Everything else loses its allure. Everything else, you don't want it anymore because you want them above everything else. And it's in that space that we often find freedom from our bondage and from our sin.
[00:34:43] You love that thing? Yes. But once you love him more, when you realize that he tastes so much better.
[00:34:51] And so that's the other prayer that I had for us this morning. That God will come and ruin us in our hearts this morning.
[00:34:57] That there'll be a burning inside of us that we'll be cut to the heart, that we will love him more than anything.
[00:35:11] Won't you please stand with me? I want to invite you to just stand as I pray with us.
[00:35:48] You know, just wherever you're standing. Won't you respond in your own words before the Lord and pray those prayers, Father?
