Beyond Happiness: Is Your Joy Built on the Rock or on a Feeling?

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[00:00:46] Well, good morning, Lake City Church. How's everybody doing this morning?

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[00:00:50] While I stand there, if it makes sense, you've got to stand on the giant.
[00:01:10] Sometimes you've got to shine, and he's going to praise you anywhere.
[00:01:35] Praise reason.
[00:01:59] Sometimes you've got to be his faithful.
[00:03:02] Blessings day and night.
[00:03:04] Countless reasons why I'll praise you anywhere.
[00:03:09] You're prominent in this every step.
[00:03:20] Blessings.
[00:03:23] Reasons why.
[00:03:37] Praise.
[00:03:37] Giving praise.
[00:03:38] So something good's going to happen today.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:08:25] Welcome to Lake City.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:08:26] Good morning and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:08:49] If this is your first time with us, fill out that guest card online or in your worship guide, take it to the Welcome Center and we have a free gift just for you.
[00:08:56] Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:08:59] Life Group Sunday is Sunday, March the 1st.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:09:01] That evening, we will have what we call a Life Group Reception from 4 to 5 p.m.
[00:09:05] where you can come and meet all the Life Group leaders and sign up for some really amazing groups.

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:09:10] Lake City Church, we are having our water baptisms on Wednesday, March the 4th.
[00:09:13] If you're ready to take your next step in your journey of faith, we want to do that with you. And so you can register for this on your

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:09:20] church center app. What's up young men ages 14 and up. This one's for you coming up February the 28th at 8am right here at the church. We're having what we call the rite of passage. This is where
[00:09:30] young men step from biblical immaturity into biblical and spiritual maturity. And we would love to have you there. Check the registration link in the church center app today. Thank you

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:39] so much for being here with us this morning. Make sure to check out our socials or at LakeCityChurch.org. And remember, we love you. God loves you. Make it a great day.

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[00:09:52] Question is not what is revival. The question is not how is revival or even why is revival.
[00:10:29] The real question is who is revival. Revival is not a service. It's not a conference. Revival

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:10:37] is a man and his name is Jesus. Lake City Church, give God praise this morning. Come on. God is good.
[00:11:01] Is he not moving in this church, Lake City? Come on. We are so grateful and so thankful.
[00:11:08] This is the portion of service we call Giving Back to God as they throw the four ways to give on the screen. Thank you for your generosity. It is so refreshing and such a blessing to be a part
[00:11:20] of a church and a community who just invests into people. Your giving helps to change lives. You are making the difference in the lives of others. And what you just saw in the video is a result
[00:11:33] of you giving what the Lord has given to you. When you give, lives are changed. Transformation happens. And God is doing that through all the hearts and lives here at Lake City Church. So thank you for your giving. Thank you for your generosity because God is doing something special
[00:11:51] here at Lake City Church. Amen. Amen. If you guys could stand to your feet this morning, we're going to continue to worship God. And just as you pray, intentionally pray. Intentionally pray about what you are to give and what God is placing on your heart. Because when you do that,
[00:12:08] when you have intentional prayer behind that, it's even more powerful. Amen. Amen. If you guys could close your eyes. Help me invite his presence. Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. You are already here.
[00:12:18] You are already moving in this place. We thank you for continued revival in the hearts of people today, God, that as your spirit moves in this service, as we worship you today, we put our
[00:12:31] focus on you. We put our eyes on you, Jesus, because it is your spirit that matters. Move in this place this morning we thank you we love you and we worship who you are God in your name we

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[00:12:45] pray amen let's worship him today church God your faithfulness for your presence and as far as we

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[00:18:26] surrender our minds everybody says amen well before you're seated this morning let's lift up a shout of praise to the king because he's worthy he's faithful come on yeah he is faithful come on

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[00:18:45] church. Amen and amen. Every choice we make, every word we speak, every step we take is a seed placed in the ground. Some seeds are sown in faith, trusting God with what we cannot see yet. Some
[00:19:13] are sown in fear, holding back, protecting ourselves, choosing comfort. And most days we don't notice the ground changing, but over time something always begins to grow. Galatians 6 reminds us, a man reaps what he sows. What we reap is never accidental. It reflects what has
[00:19:39] been planted, nurtured, and allowed to take root. Because the future we hope for starts with what we

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:48] sow right now. Well, good morning, everybody. How's everybody doing? Are you pumped and excited about Jesus? Does anybody here love Jesus? I thought so. And I love it. I love being together with people who are excited about Jesus, don't you?
[00:20:11] There's just something special about being in a room full of people who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ and who love to praise and worship Him.
[00:20:20] And I'm so glad you're here.
[00:20:21] Those watching online, thank you for joining us.
[00:20:24] Those in the overflow, all of my Hispanic brothers and sisters, Gloria Dios, Jesus Señor, amen.
[00:20:30] That's it, that's all I got.
[00:20:32] But I love you guys and it is great, great, great, great to be here today.
[00:20:37] I want to remind you that in just a little while at 1245, after this service, we'll have our annual church business meeting right here in the auditorium.
[00:20:45] So if you can stick around, go ahead and do that.
[00:20:48] We've got some wonderful, exciting news to share about the building and the progress there.
[00:20:54] So if you can stay, that would be great.
[00:20:56] Also, I just want to give a shout out before we dive into the teaching.
[00:21:00] before I do that, next week starting at 8 o'clock we will now have an 8 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 10, 15, 11, 30 service. So if any of you guys are early risers I want to invite
[00:21:12] you to come at 8 o'clock. And I've got some early risers that are planning to be there at 8 o'clock and they say 8 o'clock is really not that early. So I don't know about you guys. How many early risers
[00:21:24] do we have here? Okay. Alright. Great. I'll look forward to seeing all of you next week at 8 o'clock. That's fantastic. We're going to have a wonderful time together.
[00:21:36] The shout out I want to give is to Pastor Terry. He shared last week, did a great job sharing the Word. And so give it up to Pastor Terry. And we're just blessed with a wonderful team of pastors and
[00:21:50] leaders here at Lake City. Well, let's pray and we'll dive right into it. Father, today we're just so excited to get into Your Word. We're always excited to hear what You have to say to us. So God, we ask that You would cause
[00:22:04] the words of the pages of this book to come alive in our spirits. Give us personal revelation from Your Word that applies to our lives. Challenge us and change us. And we pray all of this in the
[00:22:16] mighty and the powerful name of Jesus. And everybody said amen. Hallelujah.
[00:22:20] Thank You for those yo's. Our teaching series is called sowing and reaping.
[00:22:26] Our text comes from Galatians 6-7 where it says, Don't be deceived.
[00:22:30] God is not mocked.
[00:22:32] For whatever a person sows, he will also reap.
[00:22:36] Now you've heard me say this.
[00:22:37] You might be tired of hearing it, but I'm going to keep saying it for a while.
[00:22:41] And that is that everything in your life is grown from the seed you have sown.
[00:22:47] It's called the law of sowing and reaping.
[00:22:51] Today, I want to talk with you about sowing the seeds of joy, joy.
[00:22:57] And I think most of us in the room today, we want to be people of joy.
[00:23:02] We want to be people who exude joy to others around us.
[00:23:07] Sometimes I meet Christians who are not very joyous.
[00:23:11] In fact, they just look like they've eaten sour prunes.
[00:23:17] You know what a prune is?
[00:23:18] Prune, whatever.
[00:23:20] They just don't look very happy.
[00:23:21] you know the people in the world aren't attracted to people who look like they've eaten sour prunes but when we have joy and we exude joy from our lives that's very attractive and people want to
[00:23:34] know how they can get in on that so i want to talk with you about joy but at the outset you need to know that we're not talking about happiness happiness is a reaction to something that
[00:23:46] pleases you, but joy is a reaction derived from God Himself. In other words, God is the source of true joy. Galatians 5.22 says the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love,
[00:24:00] joy, peace, and so forth. So God the Holy Spirit produces joy. One definition says joy is a strong feeling of well-being. I like that definition. I was thinking yesterday afternoon, the sun came out and I found a very bright spot, sunny spot,
[00:24:19] and I stood in that sunny spot and I had this sense of well-being.
[00:24:24] Ah, I like that.
[00:24:26] But you know, well-being for the believer, it's more than that.
[00:24:30] Our well-being doesn't come from favorable circumstances.
[00:24:33] It comes from a favorable relationship with God.
[00:24:38] Isaiah said in Isaiah 61.10, he said, I'm overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God for he has, listen to this, He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
[00:24:53] Bum, bum, bum, bum, hallelujah.
[00:24:55] Jesus is our salvation.
[00:24:58] He is our righteousness, and He is our joy.
[00:25:03] He said in John 15, 9, He said, As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you, and I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
[00:25:17] So happiness comes from good things.
[00:25:20] Joy comes from a good God, one who loves you very, very, very deeply.
[00:25:26] I was reading about a man who won the lottery, $31 million after taxes.
[00:25:36] Now, that was just a small lottery, but I think I could find something to do with $31 million.
[00:25:40] Anybody else?
[00:25:42] And he was so happy about winning the lottery, he went out, he purchased a ranch, he purchased six other homes he and his wife and all their kids got new cars he had lots of
[00:25:53] happiness but he had no joy sadly 20 months after winning the lottery he committed suicide my point is that God has something bigger and better for you than happiness he has supernatural joy real joy flows from the relationship that you have with God through Jesus Christ it's not
[00:26:20] elation. It's not emotion. It's not even enthusiasm. It's the trust. It's the confidence.
[00:26:27] It's the sense of eternal well-being that you have from a God who loves you and cares about every little detail of your life. And in case you're wondering, your measure of joy or lack of joy is often, it's often, you can see it through your barometer of your relationship with
[00:26:53] God. Your measure of joy is that barometer many times that shows you where you're at in your relationship. Paul and Silas, they understood this. In Acts chapter 16, Paul and Silas, they'd been out sharing the gospel with people. People were saying yes to Jesus,
[00:27:09] and they were arrested for doing that.
[00:27:13] They were stripped, they were beaten with rods, they were thrown into the prison, but not just any old prison, the inner prison, the scripture says.
[00:27:22] And on top of that, their feet were put into stocks.
[00:27:25] They probably weren't too happy at that moment.
[00:27:28] But Acts 16.25 says, at midnight, that's the darkest point.
[00:27:34] At midnight, maybe some of you, you feel like you're at the darkest point.
[00:27:39] of your life. Maybe you've got some bad news this past week. Maybe you received the doctor's report that wasn't so good. You feel like you're at the darkest point. At midnight, at the darkest point,
[00:27:52] Paul and Silas, they were praying and singing hymns to God. They may not have been happy, but even when things that they were going through seemed like the darkest point, they still had that inner
[00:28:04] joy and so can you. James the brother of Jesus wrote about this deep inner joy in James 1 verse number 2 saying consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because
[00:28:20] you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. So true joy doesn't disappear in the midst of trials. In fact, it appears stronger than ever. James calls it pure joy. It's pure joy. I
[00:28:38] want some of that pure joy. How about you? That even in the tough times, we've got that joy. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4.12, he said, Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which
[00:28:50] is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you, but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings that when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
[00:29:06] No matter how tough things are, no matter how many trials you are facing as a Christ follower he has given you the seed of his joy.
[00:29:18] But like any other seed the seed of joy must be cultivated.
[00:29:24] So this morning I want to talk to you about some ways to cultivate your joy.
[00:29:28] It's in your notes, so go ahead and look at those notes and buckle up.
[00:29:32] Number one, the first way that you can cultivate your joy is to trust in God's purpose.
[00:29:39] Trust in God's purpose for your life.
[00:29:42] The fact is that God has a purpose for your life, but you need to trust him to fulfill it.
[00:29:49] I think one of the big challenges that most of us have is that sometimes we struggle to trust him.
[00:29:58] God has a purpose for your life, for my life.
[00:30:02] I'm here for such a time as this.
[00:30:04] I don't know how much time I have.
[00:30:06] You don't know how much time you have.
[00:30:08] But I know that I'm here until God is ready to move me out.
[00:30:14] And so there is that sense of trust.
[00:30:17] There's that sense of joy.
[00:30:18] I know that God has me, or God has a purpose and a plan for my life.
[00:30:23] He has a plan and a purpose for your life, and nothing can take you out until it's God's time, until you have fulfilled that purpose.
[00:30:32] I love what it says in Romans 15, 13.
[00:30:35] It says, may the God of hope, maybe somebody needs hope here today, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust him, so that you may overflow with hope
[00:30:48] by the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:30:51] This verse tells us that joy will fill your heart when you trust him, when you trust him.
[00:30:57] In that trust, you have this assurance that everything is gonna work according to good.
[00:31:03] Romans 8, 28 tells us, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
[00:31:10] When we trust him with that purpose, we know. God, I have complete faith, and that's where joy just begins to spring from our life.
[00:31:19] Proverbs 3, verse number 5, says, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight. But notice
[00:31:34] it starts with trust, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Proverbs 16 verse 20, it says those who listen to instruction will prosper. Those who trust the Lord will be joyful. See, when we trust
[00:31:51] God, when we trust his purposes, it elevates our perspective from an earthly perspective to a heavenly perspective, and that's when we experience what I would call out of this world kind of joy, because we're not just seeing the earthly perspective any longer, we're seeing the heavenly,
[00:32:10] we're seeing the eternal perspective, and that's when joy just rises up in your heart.
[00:32:16] When our church building was blocked and delayed again and again for two and a half years, I wasn't happy, but I trusted in God's purpose, I trusted in God's timing, and I want you to know,
[00:32:33] Joy just rose in my heart because of that.
[00:32:36] When we trust God and trust his purpose for our lives, that joy can just rise within us.
[00:32:42] Number two, the second way to cultivate your joy is to obey God's word, to obey God's word.
[00:32:50] Obedience and joy are always connected.
[00:32:54] This is important.
[00:32:55] Psalm 19 verse eight says, the commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart.
[00:33:02] Remember when you were a kid and you obeyed your mom's instruction, you had this good feeling?
[00:33:08] When your dad told you to do something and you did it, you had this good feeling?
[00:33:14] If he told you to do something and you didn't do it, you had this bad feeling, usually right back here?
[00:33:20] And in the same way, when we obey the instruction of the Lord, it brings joy to our heart.
[00:33:27] When we obey that still small voice of the Holy Spirit, It brings joy to our heart.
[00:33:33] So if you're not feeling that joy in your heart, you may need to ask yourself, am I obeying everything that God has told me to do?
[00:33:44] Am I doing what he told me to do?
[00:33:46] Am I not doing what he told me not to do?
[00:33:51] Psalm 119.1 reinforces this truth by saying joyful are people of integrity who follow the instructions of the Lord.
[00:34:00] Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
[00:34:05] They do not compromise with evil and they walk only in his paths.
[00:34:11] Joy comes from obeying God's word.
[00:34:15] Number three, a third way to cultivate your joy is to spend time in God's presence.
[00:34:23] You know, we all, we just live a very busy life.
[00:34:27] We're busy with life, we're busy with the stuff of life, things like work and family and school and sports and then there's more work and more family, more school and more sports and on and on it goes. It's like
[00:34:38] we're on this big hamster's wheel. Most of us unfortunately we spend precious little time with God and then we wonder, why don't I have as much joy in my life as I think I should have? And here's what
[00:34:54] I've got to tell you. There is a direct correlation between time spent with God and a sense of joy in your life.
[00:35:03] Speaking about the presence of God, 1 Chronicles 16, 27 says, Splendor and majesty are before him, strength and joy in his dwelling place.
[00:35:17] My personal experience is that every time I enter his dwelling place, his presence, I receive his strength, I receive his joy.
[00:35:26] Whether it's early in the morning, I have my prime time.
[00:35:30] That's the most important time out of every day that I spend alone with God.
[00:35:34] And I draw his strength and I draw his joy in those times.
[00:35:38] Maybe it's on a Sunday morning like this or Wednesday night live when we're just worshiping the Lord together.
[00:35:44] Sometimes it's just when I'm all alone.
[00:35:46] Maybe I'm driving in the car or just in the moment when I still myself.
[00:35:51] I just sense God's presence.
[00:35:54] How many of you know God is with you all the time?
[00:35:57] God's presence is with you all the time the problem is that we're not dialed in so we need to dial in and sometimes you can just be still if you'll be still for just a few seconds even
[00:36:09] and sense the presence of God because his joy is in his presence King David said in Psalm 1611 he said you make known to me the path of life you will fill me with joy in your presence
[00:36:27] and with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
[00:36:31] If you want joy, I'm talking about real joy in your life, you must spend some time in God's presence.
[00:36:39] Number four, fourth way to cultivate your joy, you guys still with me?
[00:36:43] Is to accept God's forgiveness with the emphasis on accept.
[00:36:49] If I were to ask you, well, as a Christian, do you know that your sins are forgiven?
[00:36:53] Most everybody would say, yes, of course they are.
[00:36:56] and yet there are a lot of people who might say, Master Rob, you don't know.
[00:37:03] I cheated on my husband.
[00:37:05] I lied to my parents.
[00:37:07] I'm secretly babbling an addition.
[00:37:10] I had an abortion or whatever it is but here's what every one of us, we need to know.
[00:37:15] God already knows what we've done and he's already forgiven us.
[00:37:24] He's already forgiven us.
[00:37:26] A little boy was playing with a ball in his dad's man cave, and he broke his dad's, one of his prized antique model cars.
[00:37:37] And so he secretly glued it back together, but he didn't tell his dad.
[00:37:42] Several days went by, and he was severely troubled by his sin.
[00:37:46] Finally, he hugged his dad around the waist, and he confessed his sin.
[00:37:53] His dad said, son, I already knew about the broken model car, and I've already forgiven you.
[00:38:01] The little boy looked up and smiled at his dad, and then he ran off, filled with joy in his heart.
[00:38:08] You know why?
[00:38:09] Because he had accepted his father's forgiveness.
[00:38:13] When we confess our sins, God says, you're forgiven.
[00:38:20] Now we need to accept it.
[00:38:23] We need to accept it.
[00:38:24] My favorite forgiveness psalm comes from Psalm 32.1.
[00:38:29] Listen to this.
[00:38:29] It says, how joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
[00:38:36] How joyful is the person the Lord does not charge with sin.
[00:38:39] The one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him.
[00:38:44] Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones.
[00:38:48] Do you get that?
[00:38:49] He calls us righteous ones.
[00:38:51] Rejoice, you righteous ones.
[00:38:52] shout for joy, all you upright in heart. Folks, when we accept God's forgiveness, amazing sense of joy will just rise out of your heart. I mean, when we really accept God's forgiveness. So I want you to do something. We're not finished yet, but just close your eyes right
[00:39:15] now, wherever you are, just close your eyes. And I want you to say softly to yourself, say this, say, I am forgiven. Now say this, I accept God's forgiveness. That feels really good, doesn't it?
[00:39:34] To accept God's forgiveness. Number five, you can open your eyes, by the way. Number five, a fifth way to cultivate your joy is to praise God in all things. All things. Become a praiser instead of a
[00:39:55] powder. You know, there are a lot of powders in the world. We don't want to be a powder, do we?
[00:40:00] Of course not. 1 Thessalonians 5.18 tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. Can anybody say all? Come on. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
[00:40:17] And so in this verse and in many other verses, the Apostle Paul encourages us as believers in Christ to develop a different mindset about the challenges of life, a different mindset than those who are without Christ would have to difficulties. The average person without Christ experiences
[00:40:36] difficulties in times of difficult situations, and their mindset is to pout. Their mindset is to complain. Oh no, blanketing, blank, blank. This is awful. Why did this happen to me? But Paul encourages us as believers of Christ
[00:40:55] to shift from pouting to praising.
[00:40:59] Shift from pouting to praising.
[00:41:03] 1 Peter 1.7, this is so powerful.
[00:41:06] 1 Peter 1.7 tells us that our trials should, quote, result in praise, glory, and honor.
[00:41:16] Our trials, I don't know about that, Pastor Rob.
[00:41:20] No, our trials should result in praise and glory and honor.
[00:41:27] Oh, but Pastor Rob, I'm down.
[00:41:29] Pastor Rob, I'm discouraged.
[00:41:31] I don't feel like praising God.
[00:41:32] I know, I get it.
[00:41:35] But the Bible tells us to praise God anyway.
[00:41:37] You know why?
[00:41:39] Because when we praise him, we cultivate that sense of joy in our hearts.
[00:41:43] Yes, you may be down circumstantially.
[00:41:47] Yes, you may be down and discouraged on the outside.
[00:41:50] you may be dealing with a difficult situation but none of that changes the fact that God is worthy of your praise all of the time and your praise will bring forth a harvest of joy
[00:42:03] as I wrap it up I want to ask you two questions number one how's your joy level and number two are you actively cultivating the seed of joy in your life let's pray together Father, thank you so much for the joy that you give us.
[00:42:28] Holy Spirit, thank you for producing that joy in our hearts.
[00:42:32] Lord, now I pray that you'd fill us.
[00:42:34] Lord, I pray that we would take this truth and I pray that we would not only have joy for ourselves but share that joy with every person that we come in contact with.
[00:42:44] God, we say thank you for doing that.
[00:42:47] In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name.
[00:42:50] Would you go ahead and stand together with me?
[00:42:52] And in this quiet moment, I want us to, with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I want to pray that God would just refill you with joy today.
[00:43:08] Maybe you're dealing with something.
[00:43:11] There are so many heavy situations and problems and circumstances that we all deal with.
[00:43:18] Maybe you need an extra refreshing of joy.
[00:43:22] So heads are bowed, just lift up your hands.
[00:43:24] Say, yeah, I could use some fresh joy in my life.
[00:43:27] I see a lot of hands.
[00:43:28] Father, you see all the hands, you know our hearts, and I pray, God, that you would just release joy.
[00:43:34] Bring us to a whole new perspective where we see not from an earthly level, but from a heavenly level, from an eternal perspective of what you've got for us.
[00:43:44] And Lord, I pray that every person in this room today would just feel that sense of joy and that they would leave here and move through tomorrow and the next day and the next day after with that sense of joy.
[00:43:56] May other people sense that joy from our lives.
[00:43:59] May they be attracted to us and may they be infected by the joy of Jesus flowing through us.
[00:44:06] I pray in Jesus' name.
[00:44:09] Thank you, Lord.
[00:44:10] You can go ahead and take your hands down.
[00:44:14] While we still remain in this moment with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, I want to pray one more prayer.
[00:44:20] You may be here this morning and you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:44:26] in just a moment I want to pray one more prayer and I want to pray it for you and for others who'd say I'm not really sure maybe you've prayed a prayer to receive Christ into your life years ago
[00:44:38] but you've kind of strayed away from it maybe you've never prayed a prayer to receive Christ into your life just a moment I'd love to pray for you and so while our heads are bowed
[00:44:48] and Christians are praying really hard if you say I'm not sure but I want to be sure and I'd love to be included in this prayer. Would you just lift up your hand right now? Lift it up and say, please pray for me. God bless
[00:44:58] you. God bless you. Others, just lift it up. God bless you. God bless you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Anybody else? Yes. I see those two hands. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you. Anybody else? Now, Father, I just
[00:45:17] say thank you for these that have responded, and I pray that you would give them the assurance of their salvation. In just a second, I'm going to pray a simple prayer. I'm going to ask everyone
[00:45:27] one in the room to please repeat this prayer after me. And for those of you that raised your hand, you just pray this prayer along with the rest of us and pray it from your heart. Maybe you didn't
[00:45:38] raise your hand, but you just kind of feel a tugging on the inside. I want to invite you to pray this prayer along with the rest of us. And when you pray this prayer, God will hear you. God
[00:45:50] will minister to you. So repeat this simple prayer after me. Say, God, I know that you love me.
[00:45:59] Because you sent your son, Jesus, and he died on the cross for my sins.
[00:46:07] Today, I repent of my sins, and I ask you to be my Savior and my Lord.
[00:46:15] From today on, I'm going to live for you.
[00:46:20] In Jesus' name, amen, amen.
[00:46:23] Come on, y'all.
[00:46:23] Let's give God praise.
[00:46:25] Give him honor.
[00:46:26] Give him glory.
[00:46:27] God, we say thank you.
[00:46:28] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:46:31] Hey, if you prayed that prayer, first of all, I'm so proud of you.
[00:46:35] Way to go.
[00:46:35] That was the most important decision of your life.
[00:46:38] But I also want to ask you to do me a favor.
[00:46:40] If you prayed that prayer with faith in your heart, in a few minutes when this service is over, I want you to go out in the lobby.
[00:46:47] Right in front of the living room, we have a big sign, a stand-up sign that says, I said yes to Jesus.
[00:46:53] Some of our team members will be back there.
[00:46:55] And I've got what I call a goodie bag because I have some resources that I want to give to you.
[00:47:01] So make sure you go back there.
[00:47:03] One of the resources is a Bible.
[00:47:05] and I want to give this Bible to you.
[00:47:07] It's a special Bible that will help you understand what God is saying to you.
[00:47:11] So if you prayed that prayer, I want to invite you to go back there and lay hold of those resources.
[00:47:17] God bless you.
[00:47:17] I'm going to be praying for you because God has some exciting things.
[00:47:20] Old things are passed away.
[00:47:21] The Bible says, behold, all things become new.
[00:47:24] God has some new and exciting things for you.
[00:47:27] If you're a guest with us this morning, one of the things we do every Sunday morning is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:47:35] And we have gluten-free elements up here and communion around the walls and in the back.
[00:47:41] You should have received it when you came in.
[00:47:44] But when we celebrate communion, we're celebrating the fact that God loved us so much that he sent his one and only son, Jesus.
[00:47:52] And Jesus loved us so much that he sacrificed himself for us.
[00:47:57] And so, Father, in the next few moments, as we prepare to receive these emblems, God as we take that little cracker in our hands we're reminded of Jesus and his body that was bruised and broken for us
[00:48:12] as we take that little cup of juice we're reminded of the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary's cross for our sins to be forgiven and God we're here remembering your scripture tells us as often as you do this
[00:48:25] do this in remembrance of me and so God we remember your love and we remember your sacrifice and we say thank you thank you In Jesus' name, amen.

[00:50:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:50:16] Bless God in the sanctuary, bless God in the fields of plan, bless God in the darkest valley, every chance I get, I'll bless your name.
[00:51:35] Bless God when my hands are empty, bless God with the praise that calls me, bless God when nobody's watching, every chance I get, I'll bless your name.
[00:51:48] Bless God when the weapons fall on me Bless God when the walls are falling Bless God cause he comes before me Every chance I get I'll bless your name Bless God for yours to be
[00:52:04] Bless God for he's always worthy Every chance I get I'll bless your name He's the you know Oh he's worth Yes he's worth

[00:53:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:53:35] God, you are so, so worthy of all of our praise, God.
[00:53:40] Nothing more true could be said about you.
[00:53:44] To the God who is able, to the God who is worthy, to the God who knows, to the God who provides, to the God who gives, God, we say thank you.
[00:53:56] Thank you today.
[00:53:57] Thank you.
[00:53:59] Just say thank you to him in your own way.
[00:54:03] Thank you, God, for what you do and what you've done.
[00:54:05] And thank you for that, that we get to be Lake City Church, God, that when hard times happen, we get to sow seeds of joy.
[00:54:14] And just as Pastor Rob said, I pray that we would see from heaven's perspective.
[00:54:20] We would see the way God sees.
[00:54:23] We would see what you want us to see, how you want us to see, that we would sow into the ground and that at the proper time, a harvest would come up, a harvest of joy.
[00:54:36] i speak that over every family every person in the building everybody who can hear my voice everyone watching online we speak that over you in jesus name in jesus name and everybody said amen amen amen give god some praise and we love you god loves you make it a great great day