Theological Status: DEAD ORTHODOXY / DECISIONISM
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Sardis
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
Why strictly "Mark & Avoid"?
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: Do you feel like your prayers are malformed or that God is waiting for you to make the first move? This sermon explores the role of the Holy Spirit in interceding for us, but it ultimately rests on a dangerous premise: that God's power is contingent upon our invitation.
Pastoral Analysis: While the sermon offers pastoral comfort regarding the Holy Spirit's intercession and addresses the believer's identity in Christ, it is fundamentally compromised by a critical soteriological error. The teaching that God 'wants to move' but requires human invitation shifts the burden of salvation from divine sovereignty to human will. This synergistic approach undermines the sufficiency of Christ's work and places an impossible yoke of performance on the congregation.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Sardis — The sermon presents a 'name that it is alive, but is dead' orthodoxy. While it utilizes Christian terminology and appeals to the Holy Spirit, it fundamentally undermines the Gospel by teaching that human invitation is the decisive factor in receiving God's work. This synergistic error reduces the sovereign grace of God to a conditional response dependent on human will, resulting in a spiritually dead preaching style that relies on human effort rather than the finished work of Christ.
Big Idea: True prayer requires yielding to the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us, aligns our hearts with God's will, and reassures us of our identity in Christ, transforming malformed self-centered prayers into powerful spiritual partnership. [00:47:06 ▶️ 📄]
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Romans 8:28-31
- Usage Classification: Thematic
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ✅ PASS - The language is respectful and pastoral, with no coarse language or pejoratives detected.
✝️ Christological Focus: Moralistic/Imitative
"The sermon focuses on the believer's active role in inviting God and yielding to the Spirit, rather than resting on the finished work of Christ's atonement. The emphasis is on human action (inviting, yielding) rather than divine accomplishment."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 18 | Referenced: 4 | Alluded: 0
📖 View 2 Passages Read Aloud
-
Psalms 105:1-11, 45
[00:25:44 ▶️ 📄]
"Seek the Lord and his strength. Seek his presence continually. Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgments he has uttered. Oh, offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth. he is mindful of his covenant forever of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations the covenant that he made with Abraham his sworn promise to Isaac which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute to Israel as an everlasting covenant saying to you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws."
-
Romans 8:26-31
[00:41:11 ▶️ 📄]
"likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the very spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words and God who searches the heart and knows the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and who called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son and in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. and those whom he predestined, he also called and those he called, he also justified and those whom he justified, he also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Key References: Romans 8:28-31, Psalms 105:1-11, Psalms 105:45, Zachariah
💧 Liturgy & Sacraments
Altar Call / Invitation Observed: Yes
- Theological Conditions: Yield your lives to align your heart with God, Rededicate or offer your heart to Him, Pray together
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 2,593 words
📌 View 10 Key Topics Addressed
-
Divine Providence and Sanctification
[00:17:15 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker introduces the concept that God works all things for the good of the called, intending to shape believers into the image of Christ. -
Spiritual Growth and Tools
[00:19:48 ▶️ 📄]
> Using the analogy of baking ingredients, the speaker explains that just as individual ingredients are not perfect alone, believers need various tools (Bible, congregation, Holy Spirit) to grow spiritually. -
Prayer and Divine Presence
[00:20:52 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker addresses the difficulty of prayer and the feeling of God's absence, asserting that God hears hearts and is present through the community and Holy Spirit. -
Trust in God's Sovereignty
[00:30:29 ▶️ 📄]
> During the prayers of the people, the speaker emphasizes that God is unchanging, knows us before birth, and makes a way where there is no way, even in hard circumstances. -
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Prayer
[00:47:06 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor argues that the Spirit actively intercedes and prays for believers, often before they realize their need, and that human prayer must align with this divine activity. -
Malformed vs. Aligned Prayer
[00:50:20 ▶️ 📄]
> He contrasts 'malformed' prayers driven by self-interest ('I statements') with 'aligned' prayers that seek God's will, using the acronym PRAY (with a modified A for Align). -
Divine Reassurance and Identity
[00:55:48 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor emphasizes that God reassures believers of their worth and purpose, countering feelings of being forgotten or inadequate, and warns against seeking identity in the world. -
Identity in God vs. World
[00:58:02 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts worldly identity, which is lacking, with the biblical identity of being a child and delight of God. -
Yielding to the Holy Spirit
[00:59:49 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor emphasizes that the final step of prayer is admitting weakness and yielding control to God, who is strong enough to do what we cannot. -
Divine Reassurance
[00:57:20 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor reminds the congregation that God has not forsaken them and is working all things for good for those who love Him.
🖼️ View 4 Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:17:44 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker uses an analogy of baking cupcakes to explain spiritual growth. He notes that while God is perfect, believers are not born perfect like a finished cupcake. Instead, like ingredients (eggs, baking powder, salt, sugar, flour) that are not good or complete on their own but become beautiful when combined, believers need various 'tools' (Bible, teachers, congregation) to be 'baked' into the image of Christ. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:21:14 ▶️ 📄]
> The speaker shares a personal anecdote about his own prayer life, admitting that he sometimes has 'no words' and is 'at a loss' when praying, illustrating that God knows the heart even when verbal prayer fails. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:43:12 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares a personal story from his youth where he memorized Scripture and felt confident in his faith, but when his grandfather died of cancer despite his fervent prayers, he hit a 'wall' of anger and confusion. His brother's simple reassurance that his grandfather was 'in a better place' revealed a deeper spiritual reality he was missing, leading him to realize that religious knowledge alone was insufficient without the Spirit's intercession. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:59:49 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares a personal anecdote about being angry with his grandfather after he passed away. He went on a retreat where God revealed that He had been praying for the pastor's relationship all along, but the pastor was too 'shy' or 'lacking' to receive it on his own, illustrating the need to yield.
🚀 View 5 Calls to Action
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:22:05 ▶️ 📄]
> Take a cupcake home as a reminder of God's presence and perfection. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:28:37 ▶️ 📄]
> Invite God to speak through the congregation during the prayers of the people. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:42:31 ▶️ 📄]
> Invites the congregation to pray together, specifically asking the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:48:26 ▶️ 📄]
> Commands the congregation to actively invite God to move in their lives. -
Pastoral Charge
[01:02:34 ▶️ 📄]
> Identify a specific area of prayer to improve and commit to praying with the Holy Spirit daily to change their lives.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Fundamentally in Error
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is broken. The sermon teaches that God's saving movement is contingent upon human permission ('you got to invite me in'). This introduces a condition to grace that is not found in Scripture, effectively nullifying the monergistic nature of salvation. |
| Soteriology | ❌ FAIL | The sermon explicitly teaches Synergistic Soteriology, asserting that human invitation is the decisive factor that allows God to act in salvation. This contradicts the biblical doctrine of Monergism, where God alone grants repentance and faith. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The sermon references Scripture and acknowledges the authority of the Word, though the interpretation of soteriological texts is flawed. |
| Hermeneutic | ⚠️ WEAK | The hermeneutic prioritizes subjective experience and pastoral analogy (cupcakes) over strict doctrinal precision, leading to a misinterpretation of the Holy Spirit's role in salvation. |
| Theology Proper | ⚠️ WEAK | The view of God's sovereignty is compromised by the idea that God is 'sitting there' waiting for human permission, implying a limitation on His divine agency. |
| Sacramentology | ⚪ N/A | No sacramental errors detected, but no sacraments were observed or discussed in the provided metadata. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ SHALLOW | The sermon relies heavily on personal anecdotes and simple analogies, lacking the robust theological depth required to address complex soteriological issues correctly. |
⚙️ The Core Gospel Framework
What is this? This section checks if the sermon contains the essential building blocks of the Gospel. We look for explicit, substantive mentions of God's holy standard, human inability, and Christ's finished work on the cross.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
Why it matters for the final verdict: A complete Gospel framework protects a sermon from becoming man-centered. If a preacher gives commands for good behavior but leaves out the grace and atonement of the Gospel, it often results in a 🔴 Critical or 🟠 Major error for Moralism (teaching human self-improvement rather than reliance on Christ). However, if these Gospel elements are missing simply because the pastor is preaching a highly focused, practical message to mature believers (e.g., instructions on biblical marriage), our system applies a "Safe Harbor" pardon, graciously reducing the omission to a 🟡 Minor error.
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ Total Depravity And Inability:
"I'm not strong enough. I can't do this. But you can." [01:00:31 ▶️ 📄]
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ The Cross And Atonement:
"For even, O God, as you died upon the cross and faced the impossible impossibility of the grave, you overcame and you made a way where there was no way." [00:33:53 ▶️ 📄]
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🔴 Critical Synergistic Soteriology
Root Cause: Semi-Pelagianism
"God is sitting there going, I'm ready to move. I want to move, but you got to invite me in." [00:48:26 ▶️ 📄]
The Belief/Behavior: He states, 'God is sitting there going, I'm ready to move. I want to move, but you got to invite me in.'
Why It's Dangerous: This teaching dangerously implies that God's saving power is passive until activated by human will, undermining the sovereignty of God and the efficacy of Christ's atonement. It places the burden of salvation on the sinner's ability to 'invite' rather than on God's grace.
Biblical Correction: John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
✅ Commendations
Pastoral Sensitivity | Comfort in Spiritual Weakness
The pastor effectively comforts the congregation by acknowledging that prayer can be difficult and that God understands our 'groaning' and lack of words. This provides genuine pastoral care for those struggling with spiritual dryness.
Theological Insight | The Spirit's Intercession
The sermon correctly identifies the Holy Spirit's role in interceding for believers when they do not know how to pray, offering a biblical perspective on divine assistance in weakness.
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:00] Good morning, Fairview. Good to see everybody surviving the soggy morning, but we are so glad for the rain.
[00:06:54] A couple announcements before we get started today. Remember that next Sunday is Promotion Sunday and our blessing of the backpacks.
[00:07:05] So if your child is entering the third grade, please see Ms. Crystal. And if your child is entering the sixth grade, please let Ms. Danielle know.
[00:07:13] We're also inviting all students, teachers, and staff to bring their backpacks, book bags, teacher bags to worship next Sunday.
[00:07:21] During the service, we'll have a special time of prayer as we ask for God's blessing and guidance and protection over everyone as they begin the new school year.
[00:07:32] We also have a sign-up sheet in the narthex for nursery volunteers.
[00:07:38] If you feel led and called to serve in our nursery, such an important ministry here at Fairview we would love to have you so please sign up in the Northex and contact the church office
[00:07:51] or speak with Addison in the nursery for more information the office this week will be closed on Thursday at 11 a.m. because of the youth trip so please make note of that in your calendars
[00:08:08] and today we have a lay leadership meeting at 12 p.m or 12 in the workroom so please if you're a part of the committee please plan to meet there also the church council meets at seven
[00:08:25] this tuesday in room 204a so if you're a part of the council or any of the committees please plan on meeting at the council meeting this week. Also, real quickly, in our narthex, we've got
[00:08:40] one copy of the newsletter left. So if you haven't already gotten one, you guys make a mad rush after the service to fight for this one. It's also available online. So if you need to get a look
[00:08:53] at that, please do so. We also have copies of the upper room in the narthex as well. So please grab a copy there. Last but not least, we have a couple birthdays to celebrate today. It's happy birthday
[00:09:07] to Barb Creevey, as well as Paul Burton, and I know we've got a couple more birthdays happening this week, so if we could real quickly just wish them a happy birthday. So are there any other
[00:09:43] announcements that I may have forgotten that we need to bring forth? All right, if not, let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship of the Lord. Good morning, Fairview. Please join me in
[00:13:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:13:22] our responsive call to worship. Give thanks to the Lord. Call on his name. Make known his deeds among the people. Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in
[00:13:39] his holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength.
[00:13:46] Seek his presence continually.
[00:13:50] Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he utters.
[00:13:57] O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
[00:14:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:14:07] Now let's rise to sing our congregational call to worship, number 144 in your red hymnal, This is My Father's World.
[00:14:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:14:15] I've got a good group this morning.
[00:17:02] This morning we're going to be talking about a scripture that we're going to be, Pastor Nathan is going to be preaching about today.
[00:17:11] And this is one portion of it, and I'm going to paraphrase it.
[00:17:15] It said, God works all things together for the good of those whom he has called to his purpose.
[00:17:22] And that would be us.
[00:17:24] And those whom he called, he intends to shape into the image of Christ, into his adopted children.
[00:17:32] Those are heavy words, aren't they?
[00:17:35] Well, I brought something with me today that's kind of like God in one way.
[00:17:44] What are those?
[00:17:46] Cupcakes.
[00:17:49] How do they look?
[00:17:52] Delicious.
[00:17:54] Do they look like they are just perfect?
[00:17:57] Okay.
[00:17:59] Kind of like God, right?
[00:18:00] Perfect.
[00:18:01] And how he loves us.
[00:18:03] Is this the way he wants us to be?
[00:18:04] But what happens sometimes in life?
[00:18:09] When we're small and even as adults, we have to learn how to be like God, don't we?
[00:18:19] And how do we learn that?
[00:18:21] Are we perfect like those cupcakes?
[00:18:25] So how do we make cupcakes?
[00:18:28] With an egg?
[00:18:31] What if we just plop that egg in there?
[00:18:33] Are we going to have cupcakes?
[00:18:35] Nope.
[00:18:36] How would that egg taste?
[00:18:39] Yeah, kind of horrible, wasn't it?
[00:18:41] Yeah.
[00:18:42] Okay.
[00:18:43] What else would go in a cupcake?
[00:18:47] We have, let's see, baking powder.
[00:18:51] Have you ever had baking powder?
[00:18:54] Have you ever tasted it?
[00:18:58] It's not very good by itself.
[00:19:01] But it's very important.
[00:19:03] What about salt?
[00:19:07] We like salt sometimes, don't we, by itself.
[00:19:11] But is it good for us if we just ate lots and lots of salt?
[00:19:14] No, but it's good for the cake, isn't it?
[00:19:17] The baking powder and the salt make the cakes rise and be beautiful and perfect most of the time.
[00:19:25] And what is that?
[00:19:26] Sugar?
[00:19:28] Sugar is yummy, isn't it?
[00:19:30] I love sugar.
[00:19:32] Too much of that is not good for you either.
[00:19:35] What about flour?
[00:19:36] I didn't bring the milk, but if we just had those ingredients by themselves, what would happen?
[00:19:46] Not much, would it?
[00:19:48] Well, that's the way God is.
[00:19:50] When we start out with God, he says that we're his children, and we feel him through the Holy Spirit.
[00:19:56] But how do we feel him through the Holy Spirit?
[00:19:58] He promises us things will be wonderful.
[00:20:02] Do you always have a wonderful day?
[00:20:05] No.
[00:20:07] But do you feel God?
[00:20:10] Sometimes.
[00:20:11] Sometimes you don't.
[00:20:14] Maybe.
[00:20:15] There's sometimes I don't either.
[00:20:16] But God speaks through us in different ways.
[00:20:19] And when he wants us to grow spiritually, to feel his spirit more and more, there's things we have to do.
[00:20:27] If you have a bad day, what makes you happy?
[00:20:34] Maybe a hug from a friend?
[00:20:38] Your brother?
[00:20:41] Okay.
[00:20:42] All right.
[00:20:43] What if you're sick?
[00:20:46] Does God promise you that you won't be sick?
[00:20:49] No.
[00:20:50] But what makes you better when you're sick?
[00:20:52] what about when you are praying? Have you ever been praying before and then all of a sudden there's just no words? You say well how do I do this God? Well you know what? God already knows
[00:21:14] what's inside your heart and he knows what's inside your mind. I've been praying before. You can ask some of these Stephen ministry ladies. They know that sometimes I'll be praying and then all of a sudden I'm just at a loss. But God hears what we have to say. And God also gives us a lot
[00:21:34] of tools. One of them is the Bible, our Sunday school teachers, our congregation that love you very much. Sometimes if you come to church and you're kind of grumpy, what do you see? Do you
[00:21:47] see a smile maybe? See a smile on somebody's face? That's God's presence, his Holy Spirit.
[00:21:55] it. So I'm going to send the cupcakes with you this morning. And I want you, you can have one and you can take one home. And I want you to just think of God as how perfect God is and how each
[00:22:10] and every one of us plays a part in perfecting our Christian life as we grow up. It doesn't promise good, doesn't promise everything perfect, but God is always present in our heart and in our
[00:22:25] Holy Spirit. Can we have a prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for helping us grow to be one of your children, and we thank you for the tools that you give us each day to continue to
[00:22:40] grow in your spirit. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining me.
[00:22:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:22:46] Song number 141 in your red hymnal, Children of the Heavenly Father. Please stand.
[00:23:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:23:19] Today's first scripture reading is from Psalms, chapter 105, verses 1 through 11 and 45.
[00:25:44] Seek the Lord and his strength.
[00:25:48] Seek his presence continually.
[00:25:51] Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgments he has uttered.
[00:25:59] Oh, offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
[00:26:06] He is the Lord our God.
[00:26:09] His judgments are in all the earth.
[00:26:12] he is mindful of his covenant forever of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations the covenant that he made with Abraham his sworn promise to Isaac which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute
[00:26:29] to Israel as an everlasting covenant saying to you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws.
[00:26:45] Praise the Lord.
[00:27:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:27:04] One of the beautiful things about our faith is it's something that is tangible.
[00:27:09] It's something that is a part of us.
[00:27:11] It is something that we live and it's something that we identify with.
[00:27:16] As a church, we gather together every Sunday and yes, we say the Apostles' Creed, but I ask you right now as we do this that you take this into yourself and really listen to the faith you proclaim
[00:27:30] before this assembly and through the world, through your actions and your lives.
[00:27:37] Now let us join together in our affirmation of faith.
[00:27:42] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate
[00:27:57] was crucified dead and buried on the third day he rose from the dead he ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead
[00:28:14] I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy Catholic Church the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. Brothers and sisters, as we come before the faith today, as we come praying
[00:28:37] at this point in the service, I ask you to do something for me. Ask God into your prayer.
[00:28:45] I know that's weird, but help ourselves.
[00:28:49] Sometimes, I'll be honest with you, in my own life, I didn't even know what to pray.
[00:28:54] I didn't know how the words were going to come out of my mouth.
[00:28:58] But God yet is still active, still moving in my spirit because he says he dwells within me to help me understand this world, to help me align my heart with his heart, and to help me remind myself over and over again that he is a good God.
[00:29:18] So let us go before God as we lift up these people in our prayer concerns, ongoing and our current prayer concerns.
[00:29:29] Hear them and also lift them up because they're counting on you to do so.
[00:29:37] Let's pray.
[00:30:00] Words fail.
[00:30:02] Our faith fails us sometimes.
[00:30:11] Our desires, our hearts, they deceive us sometimes.
[00:30:20] But you, oh God, are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
[00:30:29] You are the one who saw joy in creation.
[00:30:34] You're the one who spoke and light came into existence.
[00:30:37] You are the one who, God, who says you knew us before we were knitted together in our mother's womb. You knew the purposes and plans for us. And your joy, oh God, was to form us,
[00:30:53] to make us for this day and this time. Holy God, sometimes I wake up in the morning and I wonder, are you sure, God, that you made me for this day? But yes, God, you make no mistakes.
[00:31:10] For you, O God, and your spirit are dwelling in this place and in us to grow and believe in such a hope that is beyond us.
[00:31:22] We know, O God, through the word that you have given us that you have been faithful even when ours fails.
[00:31:30] When our desires lead us to destruction, your desire is to bring good.
[00:31:36] You, O God, desire the best for us.
[00:31:39] So, holy God, may we be quiet, even as we hear the names of those on our prayer list, even as we lift up the ones that we are lifting before you and know, oh God, that we love them.
[00:31:57] We desire the best for them, but holy God, we are silent now. We let you, oh God, speak the last word and the first word. Help us, O God, yield our hearts to yours. Let your will be done in every
[00:32:20] circumstance and that you would be able to build up, to heal, to give right mind, to help us understand, O God. And when we don't, help us to follow. For many are your disciples and many
[00:32:38] instances in Scripture where your disciples did not know what was going on, but they followed anyway. They believed in you. So, holy God, we believe in you. We believe in your Spirit.
[00:32:56] We believe in the Father above. We believe, oh God, that you make all things good. Oh, holy God, we are laying all at your feet.
[00:33:14] And even as we do, oh God, may we feel the weight of what we've been carrying fall away.
[00:33:25] For you, oh God, can carry the weights we cannot.
[00:33:30] You, oh God, can make a way where there is no way.
[00:33:34] If you can speak into darkness and make light, if you can make all of creation, oh God, you can make it through this hard circumstance we lift up before you.
[00:33:48] For nothing is impossible with you.
[00:33:53] For even, O God, as you died upon the cross and faced the impossible impossibility of the grave, you overcame and you made a way where there was no way.
[00:34:11] And so as the people, we come together rejoicing in the fact that you make possible all things.
[00:34:21] We come giving honor and glory to you, asking you us to lead us, oh God, that our hands may be a part of your kingdom.
[00:34:31] Our feet may run where you run to and may our hearts be broken with what breaks yours.
[00:34:39] Put us to doing and put us to serving.
[00:34:45] Put us, oh God, to your work and your kingdom.
[00:34:49] for we are thankful for all that you already have done and thankful in advance for how you have made the way in all of our prayer concerns, for you are good.
[00:35:07] And when you are good, O God, you lead us.
[00:35:10] And so, O God, as we gather together, we pray the prayer that you led your disciples to pray.
[00:35:17] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:35:22] thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not to
[00:35:38] temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen brothers and sisters i have seen god's work in you i have seen how god has transformed this
[00:36:00] community by the works of your hands and by the missions that you are sharing in i know that god is moving with our mission partners be at mooresville christian mission or feed and see or
[00:36:13] even the Christian Academy across the street. We are here moving our hearts in alignment with God to build the kingdom for those around us and share the gospel. And in that, you have been faithful
[00:36:29] and more than generous in all that you do. So I encourage you to lean in to what God is doing.
[00:36:39] Lean into God's spirit and allow yourself to be a part of this wondrous thing called kingdom building.
[00:36:47] My brothers and sisters, as the ushers come forward to receive our tithes and our offering, I want you to remember that you are called to give not only your monetary, but your lives, your hearts, and your actions.
[00:37:04] So as these plates are passed, I pray that you will touch the plate.
[00:37:07] each and every one of you, don't let it pass by, even if you're not putting something physically in. I just want you to hold on to that plate for one second and just say, God, this is what I offer
[00:37:18] you. This is what I offer you this week. This is my offering. Ushers, please come forward to receive
[00:37:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:37:28] our tithes and our offerings. O Holy One, receive this offering as you receive our lives.
[00:40:12] gather our false starts and our uncertain efforts, our generosity and our reluctance.
[00:40:21] Enliven us with your breath and make your purpose known that our lives may show forth your glory.
[00:40:26] For we pray this in the name of Jesus, by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated.
[00:40:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:40:44] All right, Fairview Church, if you have your Bibles, I'll ask you to grab them out. We are going to be reading from the book of Romans today, the eighth chapter, and we'll be reading verses 28, and I added an extra verse through 31. Hear now God's word, and as you hear it,
[00:41:03] may God's spirit speak to you and remind you of what he has done in your behalf.
[00:41:11] likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the very spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words and God who searches the heart
[00:41:32] and knows the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and who
[00:41:47] called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son and in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.
[00:42:03] and those whom he predestined, he also called and those he called, he also justified and those whom he justified, he also glorified.
[00:42:16] What then are we to say about these things?
[00:42:21] If God is for us, who can be against us?
[00:42:26] This is the word of God for us, the people of God.
[00:42:29] Thanks be to God.
[00:42:31] Will you pray with me?
[00:42:33] Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful ones.
[00:42:39] Come now and give us an insight to our very hearts and our very souls.
[00:42:44] As we know, O God, you move.
[00:42:49] Help us, O God, to see it, to perceive it, to acknowledge it, and to partner with you, O God, as you perfect our hearts, our souls, and our lives.
[00:43:06] In your mighty name we pray, amen.
[00:43:12] When I was a young man, I really wanted to know who God was.
[00:43:17] I really did.
[00:43:18] And as a young man, I sought out God's wisdom.
[00:43:22] And one of the things when I was little, and this is a beautiful blessing that I had when I was young, I had great-grandparents and great-mom and dad who made sure that I got here in church every Sunday.
[00:43:36] And I would go to Sunday school, and I would learn from them, and they would teach us all those lessons and those stories.
[00:43:42] And I've said this before, I was really good and really hungry for the Word, and so I would read, and I would read, and I'd read, and I would memorize.
[00:43:52] You know, it's lost art these days, but we used to memorize scriptures so that we would know them and pull them out at any point in time. And so I would learn these and we would have sword drills. You remember those? This is
[00:44:06] your sword, okay? Sharper than any two-edged sword. It says what it says in the Bible right here. And so I would learn and I would be able to get to the passage faster and I would read them off faster.
[00:44:16] I was good at knowing the Bible. But here's the thing. When tragedy strikes or when hard time strikes, if you are trying to do it on your own, if you're trying to fuel your faith on your own,
[00:44:34] guess what's gonna happen? A wall. A wall that you will run into at 55 miles an hour, and it will hurt when it hits. My wall was when my grandfather was sick. See, he was the same. In July, we used
[00:44:55] to end of July beginning of August we used to go camping and I remembered seeing him at camping he was waxing his beautiful car and he was sitting there camping and I loved our conversation and
[00:45:08] that was the last time I remember of my grandfather not having cancer because in two months from that date to the moment he died my world got shattered I remembered I was saying God you hear me see I'm
[00:45:29] really good at your word, and I know what it says. So holy God, if I pray that you heal him, he will heal him. You will make him right. He will make him whole. Didn't happen, folks. I remember praying,
[00:45:50] praying hard for that, and it didn't happen. And so I wondered, well, did my prayer not work?
[00:45:59] I was angry with God. And as I was angry with God, shouting at him, I remembered somebody else coming around the bend and talking to me. It was my brother. My brother had this reassurance of faith,
[00:46:18] reassurance that something was more was happening than I understood, and he was able to sit there and say something simple. I know Christianese, okay, but he said he's in a better place, but it wasn't the words he said, but it was the way he said it. He knew something that I didn't know,
[00:46:39] and I needed to know what he knew. And so I dove back in. I wanted to know, what was I missing?
[00:46:50] Brothers and sisters, I'm here to proclaim today the thing that most people miss in their religious life. I used that word right. Religious life is I can pray all day long, but if the spirit of God
[00:47:06] is not in my prayer, if the spirit of God doesn't reside in me and draw me to him, then my prayer is going to be malformed and broken. So today I want you to hear this. The spirit wants to be a
[00:47:29] part of your prayer. In our scripture today, we hear how the spirit is working in our prayer.
[00:47:38] Actually, before we get to this passage of scripture, it talks about the God spirit working in us and creation groaning like birth pains, like birth pains. I long for this so much. Please, God, give me the missing pieces. That's where I was, and that's what I desired.
[00:48:02] Folks, our people of faith, our churches need to have that type of desire for God to move in us.
[00:48:11] Maybe we've lost that. Maybe we've lost that desire. Maybe we're walking on autopilot, but I want you to hear this. We can't. We shouldn't. And the quick, easy way to reset and get out of
[00:48:26] here is to ask the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts. I want you to hear this. God is sitting there going, I'm ready to move. I want to move, but you got to invite me in. So our scripture today,
[00:48:47] it starts off by saying in our first verse it says though hear this the holy spirit prays for you the holy spirit prays for you i told you it's longing for you to get in line with him but
[00:49:08] here's the thing the holy spirit's groaning for you even before you knew you had a problem it was groaning in you and saying, I need, I need God. And sometimes those groans are shaking our
[00:49:27] fist up and saying, God, why? Why is this going on? Why does a child die? Why does a young man in his peak of his life taken away from his family? Why does cancer happen in this world?
[00:49:54] why, why, why that is inside you right now, that's the spirit trying to break through.
[00:50:05] So when I hear this, and when you hear this spoken over you, I want you to understand that God is praying for you, that he's really trying to draw you in to a relationship with him.
[00:50:20] And if you're praying and you're starting off with, God, this is my list of things, you're probably doing what I was doing when I was younger a malformed prayer God come into my heart today
[00:50:37] I'm angry with somebody God create space in my heart for somebody God I don't like what's going on God show me where your plans are for today God I each one of these ones start with an I statement
[00:50:56] did you notice that that's a very bad statement in prayer so to understand the prayer that god wants you to pray you need to understand that he starts with that god's praying for you and you have to be silent
[00:51:12] to listen for what he's saying over you today there's a wonderful word in zachariah it says that God sings over you. That's a prayer. God desires over you. That's a prayer. God wants for you.
[00:51:40] That's a prayer. Hear those words and understand. Now, when I understand that prayer is an acronym, I want you to understand, and even in your preaching handouts, you'll be able to look a little bit later. I'm going to switch two letters only because it doesn't mean that it doesn't go
[00:52:01] in prayer. I just want you to hear the A first, okay? So hear this. The A is to align ourselves with God. Remember, praying for us is being silent. Aligning ourselves is allowing the Holy Spirit to
[00:52:15] move in our lives and transform us. Problem is, is most prayers are begun with, I want to stay exactly where I am, it didn't work out so well for the Israelites to stay right where they were.
[00:52:36] It didn't work out for any of the disciples to stay right where they are, asked John when he tried to go back to where he was after Jesus was crucified and resurrected. It doesn't go well for
[00:52:49] us to stay right where we are. We must align our hearts to the will of God. How do we do that, sir? It's right here. I know this is an old saying, but basic instructions before leaving
[00:53:05] earth. Bible, it's the word that helps us understand to align our hearts toward what God desires for us. And in our scripture today, if you heard it, he said that. For the God who searches the heart and knows the mind, because the spirit intercedes to the saints according
[00:53:29] to the will of God. We must align our hearts to the will of God. And I want you to know something.
[00:53:41] Every time I said, I'm angry at you. Is that what God wants for us? God, I can't believe they did this. But what does God want you to do? God, I am struggling here. Am I not more sufficient than
[00:54:04] anything you've ever had in your life. Have I not supplied every need you need? It might have gone through some hard times, but was I not there through it all? God, you pray for me. You draw
[00:54:27] me to you. Help me align my heart with yours, that I might do your will, that I might know your will.
[00:54:40] You have a grand tapestry laid out for all of creation, and I am but one thread, and I want to know where I fit in. So, holy God, align my heart. Pull me into the right place in the tapestry.
[00:54:58] For such a time as this, I was here, and for such a time, I was called to a purpose.
[00:55:08] Show me what that is.
[00:55:11] I told you that prayer is important.
[00:55:15] I want you to hear this.
[00:55:17] God is going to pray for you.
[00:55:19] He's going to work on aligning you, but you must allow that to happen.
[00:55:27] We'll get to that in a moment.
[00:55:28] But also, as we're aligning ourselves, as we're reading God's word, I want you to hit into the third part.
[00:55:37] The third part of this that is very important is understanding that God reassures us.
[00:55:48] How many of you have felt alone, forgotten?
[00:55:55] Maybe you thought your worth was less than.
[00:55:58] How many of you have struggled to find your place?
[00:56:06] Even though you're trying to align it with God, even though you're letting him have it, you still don't see it, God.
[00:56:13] I still don't see it right now.
[00:56:19] God, that you are worth it.
[00:56:26] Hear this.
[00:56:28] God don't make junk.
[00:56:31] He sees you as the worthy person that he made, the one he knitted together in your mother's womb.
[00:56:39] He sees you and delights in you.
[00:56:42] Hear this when I tell you, he knows your purpose.
[00:56:45] And even if you've gotten off track, even though you prayed the wrong prayer, a malformed prayer, God is still here lifting you up and showing you how.
[00:57:03] I love in this scripture, the reason why I say that is he says, well, I know all things work to good for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
[00:57:14] Reminder, we know how it ends.
[00:57:20] Reminder that God hasn't forsaken you.
[00:57:25] Reminder that God is for you and who can stand against us if we're looking toward God.
[00:57:36] That's something good to hear, guys.
[00:57:39] I want you to hear it and I want you to allow that to sink in because when we're praying correctly, when we're allowing God to pray and draw us near him, when we're allowing our hearts
[00:57:52] to be aligned to him, when we are reassured of who we are in him, not in the world, I need to hear this and I know this might be a side tangent, but if you are looking
[00:58:02] for an identity in this world, you are going to find it lacking. This world will tell you that you are this or that or this or that, and I want you to hear this. Scripture says you are a child
[00:58:17] of God, God's own creation, a delight of God. That is who you are. This is not a simplification, not male nor female black white race whatever wherever you stand on anything i want you to
[00:58:41] hear this god identifies you no one else does hear that so we have him drawing us near we have him aligning our spirits and we have him reaffirming it but here's the last part of prayer and normally
[00:59:05] we stop at par yes i know i'd use that one there is a reason why i switched it par in golf terms this is average the bear this is where we're supposed to shoot but god wants you to do a
[00:59:24] little bit more because the last statement of aligning ourselves to having reassurements and allowing the Holy Spirit to pray over us is, okay, God, I yield, I yield.
[00:59:49] Many months later after my grandfather passed away, I was still angry with him.
[00:59:56] I still wanted to know what my brother had.
[01:00:00] I went on a retreat and God came and showed up and told me all that I had told you, that he had been praying over me and wanted a relationship with me all my life
[01:00:12] and I was just shy, just a little bit lacking because I couldn't do it on my own.
[01:00:19] Guys, we can put all of these things together but never get it until we get this point.
[01:00:26] God, I yield.
[01:00:31] I'm not strong enough.
[01:00:34] I can't do this.
[01:00:37] But you can.
[01:00:39] My spirit was groaning in me.
[01:00:43] I just wasn't listening.
[01:00:46] God wanted something more for me.
[01:00:48] And perhaps today you are in that space.
[01:00:52] Maybe God is asking and giving you that groaning inside you.
[01:00:56] I want something more.
[01:00:57] I want something bigger.
[01:01:00] I want to be his disciple.
[01:01:01] I want to follow.
[01:01:02] I want to grow.
[01:01:03] I want these things.
[01:01:07] I'm going to be quiet now.
[01:01:12] Holy Spirit, bring this to me.
[01:01:17] Bring it to them.
[01:01:19] Bring this powerful spirit into collusion with me and allow me to be a partnership with you so that when I pray, oh God, I'm quiet at first and I'm listening for you.
[01:01:31] When I know, oh God, that I have all my plans, I want you to align my heart with yours.
[01:01:38] Holy God, maybe I will see some hard things in my life.
[01:01:42] God, please reassure me that you still got this, that your hand is still on the wheel and that you can make a way where there is no way for me. I yield. I yield. My first moments to my last moments, I yield
[01:02:06] because you can where I can't. You are where I'm trying. You are bold enough to create where I destroy. Holy God, these are the prayers when the Holy Spirit gets involved.
[01:02:34] Brothers and sisters, where are you? Which one could you work on a little bit more this week?
[01:02:46] I challenge you to pray with the Holy Spirit in your day and maybe, just maybe, let it change your life this week. Will you pray with me? Come Holy Spirit as we pray and are quiet enough
[01:03:08] to hear your verses and your songs over us. Help us oh God lay it down and align our hearts with you. Remind us and reassure us that you are there even now working for your good. And remind us as
[01:03:39] we yield our lives to you that we can stand up from our prayers, stand up in our lives, for nothing, nothing is impossible with you. And holy God, if you are for us, let no one stand against
[01:03:56] us for we know oh god you are the god of all creation come holy spirit move in us in your mighty name we pray brothers and sisters as we close up this worship service i ask that you would
[01:04:20] join and sing with us as we say pass it on pass on the good news that you can pray pass on the news that God can do something good for you. The end of that story that I just got done talking
[01:04:34] about, spirit came in me and I got excited. I jumped to the next person and said, did you know that we can pray to the Lord Almighty? We can move in a way, he can move in a way that we've never
[01:04:48] seen before. Let's pray together. And if you want to pray, rededicate or offer your heart to him.
[01:05:00] This altar is open.
[01:05:02] I'll pray with you.
[01:05:04] As we sing our closing hymn, pass it on.
[01:07:36] Brothers and sisters, God's praying over you.
[01:07:41] He's been praying hard over you.
[01:07:44] Praise God.
[01:07:46] He desires his church to align their hearts with him and to go out in this world reassured of his fact that he loves us, he supports us, and strengthens us for the kingdom's gold.
[01:07:59] will you yield your lives your conversations your conversations with your families your conversations with the person right beside you at your work place where you will be will you yield your lives to align your heart with him
[01:08:23] because he needs some ministers and if you're not sure about it every one of you is a minister of the gospel. Go and serve.
[01:08:37] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:00] Good morning, Fairview. Good to see everybody surviving the soggy morning, but we are so glad for the rain.
[00:06:54] A couple announcements before we get started today. Remember that next Sunday is Promotion Sunday and our blessing of the backpacks.
[00:07:05] So if your child is entering the third grade, please see Ms. Crystal. And if your child is entering the sixth grade, please let Ms. Danielle know.
[00:07:13] We're also inviting all students, teachers, and staff to bring their backpacks, book bags, teacher bags to worship next Sunday.
[00:07:21] During the service, we'll have a special time of prayer as we ask for God's blessing and guidance and protection over everyone as they begin the new school year.
[00:07:32] We also have a sign-up sheet in the narthex for nursery volunteers.
[00:07:38] If you feel led and called to serve in our nursery, such an important ministry here at Fairview we would love to have you so please sign up in the Northex and contact the church office
[00:07:51] or speak with Addison in the nursery for more information the office this week will be closed on Thursday at 11 a.m. because of the youth trip so please make note of that in your calendars
[00:08:08] and today we have a lay leadership meeting at 12 p.m or 12 in the workroom so please if you're a part of the committee please plan to meet there also the church council meets at seven
[00:08:25] this tuesday in room 204a so if you're a part of the council or any of the committees please plan on meeting at the council meeting this week. Also, real quickly, in our narthex, we've got
[00:08:40] one copy of the newsletter left. So if you haven't already gotten one, you guys make a mad rush after the service to fight for this one. It's also available online. So if you need to get a look
[00:08:53] at that, please do so. We also have copies of the upper room in the narthex as well. So please grab a copy there. Last but not least, we have a couple birthdays to celebrate today. It's happy birthday
[00:09:07] to Barb Creevey, as well as Paul Burton, and I know we've got a couple more birthdays happening this week, so if we could real quickly just wish them a happy birthday. So are there any other
[00:09:43] announcements that I may have forgotten that we need to bring forth? All right, if not, let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship of the Lord. Good morning, Fairview. Please join me in
[00:13:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:13:22] our responsive call to worship. Give thanks to the Lord. Call on his name. Make known his deeds among the people. Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in
[00:13:39] his holy name. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Seek the Lord and his strength.
[00:13:46] Seek his presence continually.
[00:13:50] Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he utters.
[00:13:57] O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
[00:14:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:14:07] Now let's rise to sing our congregational call to worship, number 144 in your red hymnal, This is My Father's World.
[00:14:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:14:15] I've got a good group this morning.
[00:17:02] This morning we're going to be talking about a scripture that we're going to be, Pastor Nathan is going to be preaching about today.
[00:17:11] And this is one portion of it, and I'm going to paraphrase it.
[00:17:15] It said, God works all things together for the good of those whom he has called to his purpose.
[00:17:22] And that would be us.
[00:17:24] And those whom he called, he intends to shape into the image of Christ, into his adopted children.
[00:17:32] Those are heavy words, aren't they?
[00:17:35] Well, I brought something with me today that's kind of like God in one way.
[00:17:44] What are those?
[00:17:46] Cupcakes.
[00:17:49] How do they look?
[00:17:52] Delicious.
[00:17:54] Do they look like they are just perfect?
[00:17:57] Okay.
[00:17:59] Kind of like God, right?
[00:18:00] Perfect.
[00:18:01] And how he loves us.
[00:18:03] Is this the way he wants us to be?
[00:18:04] But what happens sometimes in life?
[00:18:09] When we're small and even as adults, we have to learn how to be like God, don't we?
[00:18:19] And how do we learn that?
[00:18:21] Are we perfect like those cupcakes?
[00:18:25] So how do we make cupcakes?
[00:18:28] With an egg?
[00:18:31] What if we just plop that egg in there?
[00:18:33] Are we going to have cupcakes?
[00:18:35] Nope.
[00:18:36] How would that egg taste?
[00:18:39] Yeah, kind of horrible, wasn't it?
[00:18:41] Yeah.
[00:18:42] Okay.
[00:18:43] What else would go in a cupcake?
[00:18:47] We have, let's see, baking powder.
[00:18:51] Have you ever had baking powder?
[00:18:54] Have you ever tasted it?
[00:18:58] It's not very good by itself.
[00:19:01] But it's very important.
[00:19:03] What about salt?
[00:19:07] We like salt sometimes, don't we, by itself.
[00:19:11] But is it good for us if we just ate lots and lots of salt?
[00:19:14] No, but it's good for the cake, isn't it?
[00:19:17] The baking powder and the salt make the cakes rise and be beautiful and perfect most of the time.
[00:19:25] And what is that?
[00:19:26] Sugar?
[00:19:28] Sugar is yummy, isn't it?
[00:19:30] I love sugar.
[00:19:32] Too much of that is not good for you either.
[00:19:35] What about flour?
[00:19:36] I didn't bring the milk, but if we just had those ingredients by themselves, what would happen?
[00:19:46] Not much, would it?
[00:19:48] Well, that's the way God is.
[00:19:50] When we start out with God, he says that we're his children, and we feel him through the Holy Spirit.
[00:19:56] But how do we feel him through the Holy Spirit?
[00:19:58] He promises us things will be wonderful.
[00:20:02] Do you always have a wonderful day?
[00:20:05] No.
[00:20:07] But do you feel God?
[00:20:10] Sometimes.
[00:20:11] Sometimes you don't.
[00:20:14] Maybe.
[00:20:15] There's sometimes I don't either.
[00:20:16] But God speaks through us in different ways.
[00:20:19] And when he wants us to grow spiritually, to feel his spirit more and more, there's things we have to do.
[00:20:27] If you have a bad day, what makes you happy?
[00:20:34] Maybe a hug from a friend?
[00:20:38] Your brother?
[00:20:41] Okay.
[00:20:42] All right.
[00:20:43] What if you're sick?
[00:20:46] Does God promise you that you won't be sick?
[00:20:49] No.
[00:20:50] But what makes you better when you're sick?
[00:20:52] what about when you are praying? Have you ever been praying before and then all of a sudden there's just no words? You say well how do I do this God? Well you know what? God already knows
[00:21:14] what's inside your heart and he knows what's inside your mind. I've been praying before. You can ask some of these Stephen ministry ladies. They know that sometimes I'll be praying and then all of a sudden I'm just at a loss. But God hears what we have to say. And God also gives us a lot
[00:21:34] of tools. One of them is the Bible, our Sunday school teachers, our congregation that love you very much. Sometimes if you come to church and you're kind of grumpy, what do you see? Do you
[00:21:47] see a smile maybe? See a smile on somebody's face? That's God's presence, his Holy Spirit.
[00:21:55] it. So I'm going to send the cupcakes with you this morning. And I want you, you can have one and you can take one home. And I want you to just think of God as how perfect God is and how each
[00:22:10] and every one of us plays a part in perfecting our Christian life as we grow up. It doesn't promise good, doesn't promise everything perfect, but God is always present in our heart and in our
[00:22:25] Holy Spirit. Can we have a prayer? Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for helping us grow to be one of your children, and we thank you for the tools that you give us each day to continue to
[00:22:40] grow in your spirit. In your name we pray. Amen. Thank you for joining me.
[00:22:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:22:46] Song number 141 in your red hymnal, Children of the Heavenly Father. Please stand.
[00:23:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:23:19] Today's first scripture reading is from Psalms, chapter 105, verses 1 through 11 and 45.
[00:25:44] Seek the Lord and his strength.
[00:25:48] Seek his presence continually.
[00:25:51] Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles and the judgments he has uttered.
[00:25:59] Oh, offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
[00:26:06] He is the Lord our God.
[00:26:09] His judgments are in all the earth.
[00:26:12] he is mindful of his covenant forever of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations the covenant that he made with Abraham his sworn promise to Isaac which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute
[00:26:29] to Israel as an everlasting covenant saying to you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws.
[00:26:45] Praise the Lord.
[00:27:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:27:04] One of the beautiful things about our faith is it's something that is tangible.
[00:27:09] It's something that is a part of us.
[00:27:11] It is something that we live and it's something that we identify with.
[00:27:16] As a church, we gather together every Sunday and yes, we say the Apostles' Creed, but I ask you right now as we do this that you take this into yourself and really listen to the faith you proclaim
[00:27:30] before this assembly and through the world, through your actions and your lives.
[00:27:37] Now let us join together in our affirmation of faith.
[00:27:42] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate
[00:27:57] was crucified dead and buried on the third day he rose from the dead he ascended into heaven and sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead
[00:28:14] I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy Catholic Church the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. Brothers and sisters, as we come before the faith today, as we come praying
[00:28:37] at this point in the service, I ask you to do something for me. Ask God into your prayer.
[00:28:45] I know that's weird, but help ourselves.
[00:28:49] Sometimes, I'll be honest with you, in my own life, I didn't even know what to pray.
[00:28:54] I didn't know how the words were going to come out of my mouth.
[00:28:58] But God yet is still active, still moving in my spirit because he says he dwells within me to help me understand this world, to help me align my heart with his heart, and to help me remind myself over and over again that he is a good God.
[00:29:18] So let us go before God as we lift up these people in our prayer concerns, ongoing and our current prayer concerns.
[00:29:29] Hear them and also lift them up because they're counting on you to do so.
[00:29:37] Let's pray.
[00:30:00] Words fail.
[00:30:02] Our faith fails us sometimes.
[00:30:11] Our desires, our hearts, they deceive us sometimes.
[00:30:20] But you, oh God, are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
[00:30:29] You are the one who saw joy in creation.
[00:30:34] You're the one who spoke and light came into existence.
[00:30:37] You are the one who, God, who says you knew us before we were knitted together in our mother's womb. You knew the purposes and plans for us. And your joy, oh God, was to form us,
[00:30:53] to make us for this day and this time. Holy God, sometimes I wake up in the morning and I wonder, are you sure, God, that you made me for this day? But yes, God, you make no mistakes.
[00:31:10] For you, O God, and your spirit are dwelling in this place and in us to grow and believe in such a hope that is beyond us.
[00:31:22] We know, O God, through the word that you have given us that you have been faithful even when ours fails.
[00:31:30] When our desires lead us to destruction, your desire is to bring good.
[00:31:36] You, O God, desire the best for us.
[00:31:39] So, holy God, may we be quiet, even as we hear the names of those on our prayer list, even as we lift up the ones that we are lifting before you and know, oh God, that we love them.
[00:31:57] We desire the best for them, but holy God, we are silent now. We let you, oh God, speak the last word and the first word. Help us, O God, yield our hearts to yours. Let your will be done in every
[00:32:20] circumstance and that you would be able to build up, to heal, to give right mind, to help us understand, O God. And when we don't, help us to follow. For many are your disciples and many
[00:32:38] instances in Scripture where your disciples did not know what was going on, but they followed anyway. They believed in you. So, holy God, we believe in you. We believe in your Spirit.
[00:32:56] We believe in the Father above. We believe, oh God, that you make all things good. Oh, holy God, we are laying all at your feet.
[00:33:14] And even as we do, oh God, may we feel the weight of what we've been carrying fall away.
[00:33:25] For you, oh God, can carry the weights we cannot.
[00:33:30] You, oh God, can make a way where there is no way.
[00:33:34] If you can speak into darkness and make light, if you can make all of creation, oh God, you can make it through this hard circumstance we lift up before you.
[00:33:48] For nothing is impossible with you.
[00:33:53] For even, O God, as you died upon the cross and faced the impossible impossibility of the grave, you overcame and you made a way where there was no way.
[00:34:11] And so as the people, we come together rejoicing in the fact that you make possible all things.
[00:34:21] We come giving honor and glory to you, asking you us to lead us, oh God, that our hands may be a part of your kingdom.
[00:34:31] Our feet may run where you run to and may our hearts be broken with what breaks yours.
[00:34:39] Put us to doing and put us to serving.
[00:34:45] Put us, oh God, to your work and your kingdom.
[00:34:49] for we are thankful for all that you already have done and thankful in advance for how you have made the way in all of our prayer concerns, for you are good.
[00:35:07] And when you are good, O God, you lead us.
[00:35:10] And so, O God, as we gather together, we pray the prayer that you led your disciples to pray.
[00:35:17] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:35:22] thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not to
[00:35:38] temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen brothers and sisters i have seen god's work in you i have seen how god has transformed this
[00:36:00] community by the works of your hands and by the missions that you are sharing in i know that god is moving with our mission partners be at mooresville christian mission or feed and see or
[00:36:13] even the Christian Academy across the street. We are here moving our hearts in alignment with God to build the kingdom for those around us and share the gospel. And in that, you have been faithful
[00:36:29] and more than generous in all that you do. So I encourage you to lean in to what God is doing.
[00:36:39] Lean into God's spirit and allow yourself to be a part of this wondrous thing called kingdom building.
[00:36:47] My brothers and sisters, as the ushers come forward to receive our tithes and our offering, I want you to remember that you are called to give not only your monetary, but your lives, your hearts, and your actions.
[00:37:04] So as these plates are passed, I pray that you will touch the plate.
[00:37:07] each and every one of you, don't let it pass by, even if you're not putting something physically in. I just want you to hold on to that plate for one second and just say, God, this is what I offer
[00:37:18] you. This is what I offer you this week. This is my offering. Ushers, please come forward to receive
[00:37:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:37:28] our tithes and our offerings. O Holy One, receive this offering as you receive our lives.
[00:40:12] gather our false starts and our uncertain efforts, our generosity and our reluctance.
[00:40:21] Enliven us with your breath and make your purpose known that our lives may show forth your glory.
[00:40:26] For we pray this in the name of Jesus, by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated.
[00:40:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:40:44] All right, Fairview Church, if you have your Bibles, I'll ask you to grab them out. We are going to be reading from the book of Romans today, the eighth chapter, and we'll be reading verses 28, and I added an extra verse through 31. Hear now God's word, and as you hear it,
[00:41:03] may God's spirit speak to you and remind you of what he has done in your behalf.
[00:41:11] likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the very spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words and God who searches the heart
[00:41:32] and knows the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and who
[00:41:47] called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son and in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.
[00:42:03] and those whom he predestined, he also called and those he called, he also justified and those whom he justified, he also glorified.
[00:42:16] What then are we to say about these things?
[00:42:21] If God is for us, who can be against us?
[00:42:26] This is the word of God for us, the people of God.
[00:42:29] Thanks be to God.
[00:42:31] Will you pray with me?
[00:42:33] Come, Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of your faithful ones.
[00:42:39] Come now and give us an insight to our very hearts and our very souls.
[00:42:44] As we know, O God, you move.
[00:42:49] Help us, O God, to see it, to perceive it, to acknowledge it, and to partner with you, O God, as you perfect our hearts, our souls, and our lives.
[00:43:06] In your mighty name we pray, amen.
[00:43:12] When I was a young man, I really wanted to know who God was.
[00:43:17] I really did.
[00:43:18] And as a young man, I sought out God's wisdom.
[00:43:22] And one of the things when I was little, and this is a beautiful blessing that I had when I was young, I had great-grandparents and great-mom and dad who made sure that I got here in church every Sunday.
[00:43:36] And I would go to Sunday school, and I would learn from them, and they would teach us all those lessons and those stories.
[00:43:42] And I've said this before, I was really good and really hungry for the Word, and so I would read, and I would read, and I'd read, and I would memorize.
[00:43:52] You know, it's lost art these days, but we used to memorize scriptures so that we would know them and pull them out at any point in time. And so I would learn these and we would have sword drills. You remember those? This is
[00:44:06] your sword, okay? Sharper than any two-edged sword. It says what it says in the Bible right here. And so I would learn and I would be able to get to the passage faster and I would read them off faster.
[00:44:16] I was good at knowing the Bible. But here's the thing. When tragedy strikes or when hard time strikes, if you are trying to do it on your own, if you're trying to fuel your faith on your own,
[00:44:34] guess what's gonna happen? A wall. A wall that you will run into at 55 miles an hour, and it will hurt when it hits. My wall was when my grandfather was sick. See, he was the same. In July, we used
[00:44:55] to end of July beginning of August we used to go camping and I remembered seeing him at camping he was waxing his beautiful car and he was sitting there camping and I loved our conversation and
[00:45:08] that was the last time I remember of my grandfather not having cancer because in two months from that date to the moment he died my world got shattered I remembered I was saying God you hear me see I'm
[00:45:29] really good at your word, and I know what it says. So holy God, if I pray that you heal him, he will heal him. You will make him right. He will make him whole. Didn't happen, folks. I remember praying,
[00:45:50] praying hard for that, and it didn't happen. And so I wondered, well, did my prayer not work?
[00:45:59] I was angry with God. And as I was angry with God, shouting at him, I remembered somebody else coming around the bend and talking to me. It was my brother. My brother had this reassurance of faith,
[00:46:18] reassurance that something was more was happening than I understood, and he was able to sit there and say something simple. I know Christianese, okay, but he said he's in a better place, but it wasn't the words he said, but it was the way he said it. He knew something that I didn't know,
[00:46:39] and I needed to know what he knew. And so I dove back in. I wanted to know, what was I missing?
[00:46:50] Brothers and sisters, I'm here to proclaim today the thing that most people miss in their religious life. I used that word right. Religious life is I can pray all day long, but if the spirit of God
[00:47:06] is not in my prayer, if the spirit of God doesn't reside in me and draw me to him, then my prayer is going to be malformed and broken. So today I want you to hear this. The spirit wants to be a
[00:47:29] part of your prayer. In our scripture today, we hear how the spirit is working in our prayer.
[00:47:38] Actually, before we get to this passage of scripture, it talks about the God spirit working in us and creation groaning like birth pains, like birth pains. I long for this so much. Please, God, give me the missing pieces. That's where I was, and that's what I desired.
[00:48:02] Folks, our people of faith, our churches need to have that type of desire for God to move in us.
[00:48:11] Maybe we've lost that. Maybe we've lost that desire. Maybe we're walking on autopilot, but I want you to hear this. We can't. We shouldn't. And the quick, easy way to reset and get out of
[00:48:26] here is to ask the Holy Spirit to move in our hearts. I want you to hear this. God is sitting there going, I'm ready to move. I want to move, but you got to invite me in. So our scripture today,
[00:48:47] it starts off by saying in our first verse it says though hear this the holy spirit prays for you the holy spirit prays for you i told you it's longing for you to get in line with him but
[00:49:08] here's the thing the holy spirit's groaning for you even before you knew you had a problem it was groaning in you and saying, I need, I need God. And sometimes those groans are shaking our
[00:49:27] fist up and saying, God, why? Why is this going on? Why does a child die? Why does a young man in his peak of his life taken away from his family? Why does cancer happen in this world?
[00:49:54] why, why, why that is inside you right now, that's the spirit trying to break through.
[00:50:05] So when I hear this, and when you hear this spoken over you, I want you to understand that God is praying for you, that he's really trying to draw you in to a relationship with him.
[00:50:20] And if you're praying and you're starting off with, God, this is my list of things, you're probably doing what I was doing when I was younger a malformed prayer God come into my heart today
[00:50:37] I'm angry with somebody God create space in my heart for somebody God I don't like what's going on God show me where your plans are for today God I each one of these ones start with an I statement
[00:50:56] did you notice that that's a very bad statement in prayer so to understand the prayer that god wants you to pray you need to understand that he starts with that god's praying for you and you have to be silent
[00:51:12] to listen for what he's saying over you today there's a wonderful word in zachariah it says that God sings over you. That's a prayer. God desires over you. That's a prayer. God wants for you.
[00:51:40] That's a prayer. Hear those words and understand. Now, when I understand that prayer is an acronym, I want you to understand, and even in your preaching handouts, you'll be able to look a little bit later. I'm going to switch two letters only because it doesn't mean that it doesn't go
[00:52:01] in prayer. I just want you to hear the A first, okay? So hear this. The A is to align ourselves with God. Remember, praying for us is being silent. Aligning ourselves is allowing the Holy Spirit to
[00:52:15] move in our lives and transform us. Problem is, is most prayers are begun with, I want to stay exactly where I am, it didn't work out so well for the Israelites to stay right where they were.
[00:52:36] It didn't work out for any of the disciples to stay right where they are, asked John when he tried to go back to where he was after Jesus was crucified and resurrected. It doesn't go well for
[00:52:49] us to stay right where we are. We must align our hearts to the will of God. How do we do that, sir? It's right here. I know this is an old saying, but basic instructions before leaving
[00:53:05] earth. Bible, it's the word that helps us understand to align our hearts toward what God desires for us. And in our scripture today, if you heard it, he said that. For the God who searches the heart and knows the mind, because the spirit intercedes to the saints according
[00:53:29] to the will of God. We must align our hearts to the will of God. And I want you to know something.
[00:53:41] Every time I said, I'm angry at you. Is that what God wants for us? God, I can't believe they did this. But what does God want you to do? God, I am struggling here. Am I not more sufficient than
[00:54:04] anything you've ever had in your life. Have I not supplied every need you need? It might have gone through some hard times, but was I not there through it all? God, you pray for me. You draw
[00:54:27] me to you. Help me align my heart with yours, that I might do your will, that I might know your will.
[00:54:40] You have a grand tapestry laid out for all of creation, and I am but one thread, and I want to know where I fit in. So, holy God, align my heart. Pull me into the right place in the tapestry.
[00:54:58] For such a time as this, I was here, and for such a time, I was called to a purpose.
[00:55:08] Show me what that is.
[00:55:11] I told you that prayer is important.
[00:55:15] I want you to hear this.
[00:55:17] God is going to pray for you.
[00:55:19] He's going to work on aligning you, but you must allow that to happen.
[00:55:27] We'll get to that in a moment.
[00:55:28] But also, as we're aligning ourselves, as we're reading God's word, I want you to hit into the third part.
[00:55:37] The third part of this that is very important is understanding that God reassures us.
[00:55:48] How many of you have felt alone, forgotten?
[00:55:55] Maybe you thought your worth was less than.
[00:55:58] How many of you have struggled to find your place?
[00:56:06] Even though you're trying to align it with God, even though you're letting him have it, you still don't see it, God.
[00:56:13] I still don't see it right now.
[00:56:19] God, that you are worth it.
[00:56:26] Hear this.
[00:56:28] God don't make junk.
[00:56:31] He sees you as the worthy person that he made, the one he knitted together in your mother's womb.
[00:56:39] He sees you and delights in you.
[00:56:42] Hear this when I tell you, he knows your purpose.
[00:56:45] And even if you've gotten off track, even though you prayed the wrong prayer, a malformed prayer, God is still here lifting you up and showing you how.
[00:57:03] I love in this scripture, the reason why I say that is he says, well, I know all things work to good for those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
[00:57:14] Reminder, we know how it ends.
[00:57:20] Reminder that God hasn't forsaken you.
[00:57:25] Reminder that God is for you and who can stand against us if we're looking toward God.
[00:57:36] That's something good to hear, guys.
[00:57:39] I want you to hear it and I want you to allow that to sink in because when we're praying correctly, when we're allowing God to pray and draw us near him, when we're allowing our hearts
[00:57:52] to be aligned to him, when we are reassured of who we are in him, not in the world, I need to hear this and I know this might be a side tangent, but if you are looking
[00:58:02] for an identity in this world, you are going to find it lacking. This world will tell you that you are this or that or this or that, and I want you to hear this. Scripture says you are a child
[00:58:17] of God, God's own creation, a delight of God. That is who you are. This is not a simplification, not male nor female black white race whatever wherever you stand on anything i want you to
[00:58:41] hear this god identifies you no one else does hear that so we have him drawing us near we have him aligning our spirits and we have him reaffirming it but here's the last part of prayer and normally
[00:59:05] we stop at par yes i know i'd use that one there is a reason why i switched it par in golf terms this is average the bear this is where we're supposed to shoot but god wants you to do a
[00:59:24] little bit more because the last statement of aligning ourselves to having reassurements and allowing the Holy Spirit to pray over us is, okay, God, I yield, I yield.
[00:59:49] Many months later after my grandfather passed away, I was still angry with him.
[00:59:56] I still wanted to know what my brother had.
[01:00:00] I went on a retreat and God came and showed up and told me all that I had told you, that he had been praying over me and wanted a relationship with me all my life
[01:00:12] and I was just shy, just a little bit lacking because I couldn't do it on my own.
[01:00:19] Guys, we can put all of these things together but never get it until we get this point.
[01:00:26] God, I yield.
[01:00:31] I'm not strong enough.
[01:00:34] I can't do this.
[01:00:37] But you can.
[01:00:39] My spirit was groaning in me.
[01:00:43] I just wasn't listening.
[01:00:46] God wanted something more for me.
[01:00:48] And perhaps today you are in that space.
[01:00:52] Maybe God is asking and giving you that groaning inside you.
[01:00:56] I want something more.
[01:00:57] I want something bigger.
[01:01:00] I want to be his disciple.
[01:01:01] I want to follow.
[01:01:02] I want to grow.
[01:01:03] I want these things.
[01:01:07] I'm going to be quiet now.
[01:01:12] Holy Spirit, bring this to me.
[01:01:17] Bring it to them.
[01:01:19] Bring this powerful spirit into collusion with me and allow me to be a partnership with you so that when I pray, oh God, I'm quiet at first and I'm listening for you.
[01:01:31] When I know, oh God, that I have all my plans, I want you to align my heart with yours.
[01:01:38] Holy God, maybe I will see some hard things in my life.
[01:01:42] God, please reassure me that you still got this, that your hand is still on the wheel and that you can make a way where there is no way for me. I yield. I yield. My first moments to my last moments, I yield
[01:02:06] because you can where I can't. You are where I'm trying. You are bold enough to create where I destroy. Holy God, these are the prayers when the Holy Spirit gets involved.
[01:02:34] Brothers and sisters, where are you? Which one could you work on a little bit more this week?
[01:02:46] I challenge you to pray with the Holy Spirit in your day and maybe, just maybe, let it change your life this week. Will you pray with me? Come Holy Spirit as we pray and are quiet enough
[01:03:08] to hear your verses and your songs over us. Help us oh God lay it down and align our hearts with you. Remind us and reassure us that you are there even now working for your good. And remind us as
[01:03:39] we yield our lives to you that we can stand up from our prayers, stand up in our lives, for nothing, nothing is impossible with you. And holy God, if you are for us, let no one stand against
[01:03:56] us for we know oh god you are the god of all creation come holy spirit move in us in your mighty name we pray brothers and sisters as we close up this worship service i ask that you would
[01:04:20] join and sing with us as we say pass it on pass on the good news that you can pray pass on the news that God can do something good for you. The end of that story that I just got done talking
[01:04:34] about, spirit came in me and I got excited. I jumped to the next person and said, did you know that we can pray to the Lord Almighty? We can move in a way, he can move in a way that we've never
[01:04:48] seen before. Let's pray together. And if you want to pray, rededicate or offer your heart to him.
[01:05:00] This altar is open.
[01:05:02] I'll pray with you.
[01:05:04] As we sing our closing hymn, pass it on.
[01:07:36] Brothers and sisters, God's praying over you.
[01:07:41] He's been praying hard over you.
[01:07:44] Praise God.
[01:07:46] He desires his church to align their hearts with him and to go out in this world reassured of his fact that he loves us, he supports us, and strengthens us for the kingdom's gold.
[01:07:59] will you yield your lives your conversations your conversations with your families your conversations with the person right beside you at your work place where you will be will you yield your lives to align your heart with him
[01:08:23] because he needs some ministers and if you're not sure about it every one of you is a minister of the gospel. Go and serve.
[01:08:37] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
