Theological Status: COMPROMISED (Worldly/Sloppy)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Pergamum
❓ 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: In a world that demands we stand our ground, Scripture calls us to a radical posture of surrender: kneeling. This sermon explores how bowing before God is not just a physical act, but a profound expression of seeking, repenting, and submitting to His authority.
Pastoral Analysis: Pastor Spradley delivers an engaging and illustrative sermon on the spiritual significance of kneeling. The message is rich with biblical examples and practical applications, encouraging the congregation to physically and spiritually bow before God. However, the theological foundation is weakened by a synergistic soteriology that attributes the power to repent and submit to unaided human will, and by a decisionistic altar call that risks promoting ritualism over genuine grace.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Pergamum — This sermon blends orthodox truth with minor worldly philosophies. While the core message of worship is sound, it is compromised by a synergistic view of salvation that places the burden of initiation on human decision rather than divine grace, and by a decisionistic approach to the altar call that risks reducing salvation to a ritualistic act.
Big Idea: Bowing down is a scriptural posture of worship that expresses three key spiritual realities: seeking God, repenting from sin, and submitting to His authority. [00:27:03 ▶️ 📄]
🎨 The Visual Metaphor
The deep grooves in the stone visually represent the physical weight of surrender and the repetitive discipline of seeking God, mirroring the pastor's experience on hard concrete. The indecipherable script suggests a timeless, universal language of submission that transcends individual eras, pointing to the enduring nature of grace found in bowing down.
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Matthew 2:1
- Usage Classification: Expository with Illustrative Application
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ✅ PASS - The pastor maintains a respectful and pastoral tone throughout, using appropriate language and illustrations.
✝️ Christological Focus: Model of Submission
"Jesus is presented as the ultimate model of submission, kneeling in Gethsemane to surrender to the Father's will."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 11 | Referenced: 9 | Alluded: 9
Passages Read Aloud:
-
Matthew 2:1
[00:26:07 ▶️ 📄]
"after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him."
-
Matthew 2:10-11
[00:27:11 ▶️ 📄]
"When the wise men found Jesus, it says they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him."
-
Psalm 95:6
[00:29:26 ▶️ 📄]
"Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care."
-
Exodus 33:20
[00:31:30 ▶️ 📄]
"You cannot see my face, for no one may see my face and live."
-
Mark 10:17
[00:34:50 ▶️ 📄]
"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
-
Acts 3:19
[00:37:47 ▶️ 📄]
"Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
-
Luke 5:8
[00:38:44 ▶️ 📄]
"when Simon Peter realized he fell to his knees before Jesus and he said oh Lord please leave me I'm too much of a sinner to be around you"
-
Luke 22:41
[00:41:42 ▶️ 📄]
"He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed. Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done."
-
Philippians 2:10-11
[00:42:47 ▶️ 📄]
"At the name of Jesus, every... Ne shall bow, whether in heaven or on earth or under the earth. And that is why in the end every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father."
Key References: Matthew 2:1, Matthew 2:10-11, Psalm 95:6, Exodus 33:20, Mark 10:17, Acts 3:19, Luke 5:8, Luke 22:41, Philippians 2:10-11
💧 Liturgy & Sacraments
Fencing the Table (Communion):
- Believers Only Stated: ❌ No (Open Table Risk)
- Warning Against Unworthy Manner: ⚠️ None Detected
- Verbatim Warning: "You should have received the emblems when you came in. If not, we have emblems up here. We've got them on the side."
Altar Call / Invitation Observed: Yes
- Theological Conditions: Repentance of sins, Acknowledgment of Jesus' death on the cross for sins, Acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord, Commitment to live for Jesus from that day forward
- Sinner's Prayer: "Say, God, I know that you love me because you sent your son Jesus and he died on the cross for my sins. Today, I repent of my sins. I ask you to be my Savior, my Lord. And from today on, I'm going to live for you. In Jesus' name. Amen." 00:47:44 ▶️ 📄
- Coercive Pressure: "The question I always ask is this, if you were to die today, like Right now, boom. Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord? Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God?" [00:46:09 ▶️ 📄]
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 3,339 words
📌 Key Topics Addressed
-
Bowing Down as Worship
[00:27:03 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor introduces bowing down as a specific act of worship, contrasting it with other forms like lifting hands or giving gifts, and connects it to the wise men in Matthew 2. -
The Holiness of God
[00:30:59 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor argues that people do not bow down because they do not understand God's holiness, citing Exodus and the Holy of Holies to illustrate God's overwhelming power and purity. -
Seeking God
[00:34:33 ▶️ 📄]
> The first reason given for bowing is to seek God, illustrated by the rich young ruler in Mark 10 who fell on his knees to ask about eternal life. -
Repentance
[00:37:35 ▶️ 📄]
> The second reason for bowing is repentance, illustrated by Simon Peter falling to his knees after realizing his sinfulness in Luke 5. -
Repentance and Forgiveness
[00:38:15 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the example of Simon Peter falling to his knees upon realizing his sinfulness, emphasizing that Jesus forgives those with a repentant heart rather than turning them away. -
Submission to Authority
[00:40:44 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor explains that bowing down is an act of surrender, using the analogy of a UFC fighter tapping out to illustrate yielding to God's will, citing Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane as the ultimate example. -
Salvation Assurance
[00:45:50 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor addresses those unsure of their salvation, inviting them to raise their hands and pray a prayer of commitment to ensure they know Jesus as their Savior. -
Communion (The Lord's Supper)
[00:49:43 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor introduces the emblems of bread and juice, explaining their symbolic meaning as the body and blood of Jesus, necessary for the forgiveness of sins.
🖼️ Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:33:42 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares a personal anecdote about praying with his prayer team before the first service, where they all got down on their knees on the hard concrete and experienced a rich presence of God. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:28:48 ▶️ 📄]
> A humorous observation that a man only kneels twice in life: once for a football photo and once when proposing to his future wife. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:31:55 ▶️ 📄]
> A historical anecdote about the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament, where a rope was tied to his ankle in case he died from God's presence. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:38:15 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor recounts the biblical account of Simon Peter falling to his knees before Jesus after the miracle of the multitude of fishes, realizing he was a sinner. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:40:02 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor references the lyrics of the Christmas carol 'Oh Holy Night,' specifically the verse about falling on knees and experiencing grace. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:40:44 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses an analogy from UFC fighting, where a fighter 'taps out' to surrender, to explain the spiritual act of submitting to God's will. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:41:27 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor describes the scene of Jesus on the Mount of Olives, kneeling and praying, 'Not my will, but yours be done,' as the model for submission.
🚀 Calls to Action (Application)
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:36:05 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor instructs the congregation to verbally pray for God to reveal Himself and His truth if they are seekers. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:45:11 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand to indicate a need to surrender a specific life area (finances, relationship, habit, addiction) to God. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:46:36 ▶️ 📄]
> Lift hand to request prayer for assurance of salvation. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:47:23 ▶️ 📄]
> Recite a specific prayer of salvation/assurance from the heart.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Compromised / Weak
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is compromised by synergism. The pastor presents repentance and submission as acts of 'our own decision' rather than gifts of grace, placing the burden of salvation initiation on the human will. |
| Soteriology | ⚠️ WEAK | The sermon promotes a synergistic view of salvation, suggesting that humans can initiate repentance and submission through their own unaided decision, contrary to the doctrine of monergistic regeneration. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The sermon uses Scripture appropriately to illustrate the posture of worship, though the hermeneutical application is skewed by the synergistic framework. |
| Hermeneutic | ⚠️ WEAK | The hermeneutic is compromised by the imposition of a decisionistic framework onto the text, prioritizing human action over divine grace in the application of the passage. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | The sermon affirms the deity of Christ and the reality of God's presence, though the human response is framed incorrectly. |
| Sacramentology | ⚠️ WEAK | The altar call functions as a decisionistic ritual without proper fencing or emphasis on grace, and the report notes a failure to restrict communion to believers and omit unworthy manner warnings. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ FAIL | The sermon lacks depth in its treatment of grace, regeneration, and the sovereignty of God in salvation, focusing instead on human response and ritual. |
⚙️ The Gospel Engine (Confessional Distinctives)
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Total Depravity And Inability: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ The Cross And Atonement:
"that little cup filled with juice is a reminder of the blood of jesus that he shed when he hung on calvary's cross and the bible says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness of our sins." [00:49:53 ▶️ 📄]
✅ Commendations
Illustrative Richness | Vivid Biblical and Cultural Analogies
The pastor effectively uses a variety of illustrations, from the High Priest's rope to UFC 'tapping out,' to make the abstract concept of submission tangible and relatable.
Pastoral Application | Practical Encouragement for Seekers and Believers
The sermon offers clear, actionable steps for both seekers and believers to deepen their relationship with God through the physical act of kneeling.
Christological Focus | Jesus as the Model of Surrender
The pastor correctly identifies Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane as the ultimate example of submission, grounding the call to kneel in Christ's own life.
🛡️ Verified Orthodox Mechanics
✅ The deity of Christ
✅ The necessity of repentance
✅ The reality of God's presence
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🟠 Ritualistic Decisionism (The Error of Human Self-Sufficiency)
Root Cause: Semi-Pelagianism (The Error of Partial Human Cooperation in Salvation)
"Say, God, I know that you love me because you sent your son Jesus and he died on the cross for my sins. Today, I repent of my sins. I ask you to be my Savior, my Lord. And from today on, I'm going to live for you. In Jesus' name. Amen." [00:47:44 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Repentance is a gift of God (Acts 11:18).
🟠 Unfenced Table (The Error of Irreverent Communion)
Root Cause: Irreverence (The Error of Treating Holy Things as Common)
"believer_restriction_stated: false... unworthy_manner_warning_stated: false" [00:00:00 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the blood and the body of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27).
🟡 Unaided Human Will (The Error of Self-Generated Repentance)
Root Cause: Pelagianism (The Error of Human Self-Sufficiency)
"Today, through our own decision, we can bow to seek after Him. Today, through our own decision, we can bow to repent to Him. Today, through our own decision, we can bow to submit under Him." [00:43:02 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him (John 6:44). God grants repentance (2 Timothy 2:25).
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:01:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Well, good morning, Lake City Church.
[00:01:04] We're standing right here as we worship Jesus this morning.
[00:01:07] Come on, let's put our hands together.
[00:01:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
And so God begins by it Then more to the exile Unto the sacrifice
[00:02:19] Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee
[00:02:59] God is with you.
[00:03:30] Rejoice!
[00:03:55] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Rejoice!
[00:03:55] Rejoice!
[00:03:55] Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
[00:04:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Is He really there?
[00:04:55] My God is here
[00:05:26] Come on, let's sing Emmanuel.
[00:05:52] Emmanuel, our God is near.
[00:05:52] Emmanuel, our God is near.
[00:05:53] He's near with us.
[00:05:53] Give a big shout of praise to the Lord.
[00:06:35] Our dear Saviour's Word
[00:07:09] For yonder lays a new and glorious voice For yonder lays a new and glorious voice And all your needs are here And all your needs are here The angel voices are now
[00:07:40] Let us pray.
[00:08:58] In us, praise His holy name
[00:11:11] Almighty God.
[00:11:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Amen.
[00:11:26] Amen.
[00:11:26] Almighty, Almighty God.
[00:11:27] What a powerful song and what a powerful way to start this morning.
[00:11:30] Amen?
[00:11:31] Well, before you're seated this morning, turn around and high-five your neighbor and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:11:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Good morning Lake City.
[00:11:56] We are so happy that you are here this morning and joining us in worship.
[00:12:00] If you're a first time guest, if you open up your worship guide and look at that guest card, if you will fill that out and bring it to the Welcome Center, we have a gift just for you.
[00:12:09] But we are so happy you're here this morning.
[00:12:10] You're awesome.
[00:12:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
This Tuesday is our Christmas Candlelight Communion starting at 4 o'clock.
[00:12:17] We have services all the way through 9 o'clock p.m. and I can't wait to see you there.
[00:12:23] Make sure you invite your friends, your family, your co-workers and we will see you this Tuesday evening at one of those five services.
[00:12:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
What's up, Lake City?
[00:12:33] Mark your calendars.
[00:12:34] Sunday, December 28th, we will have no in-person services, but you can check in with us online at all of the regular service times.
[00:12:41] See you soon.
[00:12:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Hey, guys, December 31st is our New Year's celebration.
[00:12:46] That's going to be from 6.30 to 7.30-ish.
[00:12:49] We don't know.
[00:12:49] We're not going to make plans.
[00:12:50] We just want to celebrate what God is doing.
[00:12:53] So bring your praise and bring a testimony of what God did this year and just party with us.
[00:12:58] Welcome in the new year.
[00:12:59] It's going to be amazing.
[00:13:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Lake City, we are so excited.
[00:13:03] A revival conference is right around the corner.
[00:13:06] If you have a youth student, you need to sign them up as soon as possible.
[00:13:10] You could register them on the Church Center app.
[00:13:13] And guys, we do not want money to be an issue.
[00:13:15] The cost of it is $50.
[00:13:17] But if your student can't afford it, or you know of a student who can't afford it, we have sponsorships and donations available for them.
[00:13:24] So please sign them up and don't hesitate to reach out.
[00:13:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Email me, daniel at lakecitychurch.org for more information.
[00:13:31] Lake City Church, hey, thank you again so much for coming out.
[00:13:34] Remember to check us out on our socials and also our website, lakecitychurch.org.
[00:13:39] But remember, we love you, God loves you, make it a great day.
[00:13:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Come on, church, give God some praise this morning.
[00:13:46] Good morning and welcome.
[00:13:48] Welcome to everyone online in the overflow.
[00:13:50] Merry Christmas.
[00:13:52] Man, I am ready.
[00:13:53] Y'all look good.
[00:13:54] Look at your neighbor real quick.
[00:13:56] Say, you look good.
[00:13:59] If that was awkward for some of you, I'm sorry.
[00:14:02] Hey, this part of the service is what we call giving back to God as they throw the four ways to give on the screen as we celebrate Advent, the arrival of Jesus on the scene.
[00:14:13] Who's glad that Jesus walked on this earth, was born, and we celebrate that?
[00:14:19] In correlation to our giving, He died on the cross for our sins.
[00:14:24] He bore it all, gave everything so that we can spend eternity with Him.
[00:14:29] Is that not praiseworthy?
[00:14:31] Is that not worth giving our lives to Him in adoration and praise to Him?
[00:14:36] So as we go through this season, I want to ask you this question.
[00:14:39] Do you remember when Jesus came into your life?
[00:14:47] Do you remember the first time He spoke to you?
[00:14:50] The first time you asked Him into your heart and life was brand new?
[00:14:54] And maybe you haven't done that.
[00:14:56] Today can be your day.
[00:14:59] Today can be the day where He arrives on scene in your life.
[00:15:04] That's the good God that we serve.
[00:15:06] Amen?
[00:15:07] Amen.
[00:15:07] If you guys could stand to your feet this morning, we're going to continue to worship.
[00:15:11] If you guys could just bow your heads and close your eyes.
[00:15:16] As we continue in worship in this moment, as we sing to Him and sing praises, if that's you today and you just say, man, I want Him to arrive in my life.
[00:15:26] Maybe you're going through something.
[00:15:28] Maybe you're struggling.
[00:15:29] Maybe you need provision.
[00:15:30] Maybe you just need a fresh touch.
[00:15:33] He is here today.
[00:15:34] He is on scene and He is speaking to people.
[00:15:39] So Holy Spirit,
[00:15:41] Move today.
[00:15:42] Move in this place.
[00:15:43] Move in our hearts.
[00:15:45] We need you in our life.
[00:15:47] We celebrate what you have done for us, you arriving in our life.
[00:15:53] We are expectant today, and we worship you.
[00:15:57] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:15:59] Let's worship him today, church.
[00:16:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Who is this King?
[00:16:40] Too wonderful for words Who is this King?
[00:16:40] The shepherds came to serve
[00:16:43] Who is this King worshipped on the earth with heavenly host and the angels singing Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah, Gloria
[00:17:13] Is this the King the prophets said would come?
[00:17:34] Is this the King we've all been looking for?
[00:17:38] Christ is the King to worship and adore In heavenly host and the angels sing
[00:18:07] Love is gift, so speak of the gift of God Prince of Peace, Emmanuel Guard with us the gift of love King of Kings, Messiah
[00:18:50] and more.
[00:19:32] The Son of God
[00:20:11] Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah
[00:20:41] He is our King
[00:21:09] Fulfillment of the Word He is our King Born of virgin birth He is our King The Savior of the world With heavenly host We'll sing the name of Jesus
[00:21:35] Merry Christmas!
[00:21:37] We are so glad you're here today.
[00:21:39] Thank you for coming out to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
[00:21:42] You guys can have a seat.
[00:22:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning, everybody.
[00:22:38] How y'all doing?
[00:22:41] Is everybody pumped and ready?
[00:22:44] Come on, Merry Christmas!
[00:22:48] Merry Christmas!
[00:22:50] Oh, that's much better.
[00:22:52] So glad you guys are here this morning.
[00:22:54] And so glad you guys, if you're in the overflow areas or maybe watching online, God bless you.
[00:23:00] So glad you have joined us.
[00:23:03] And hey, I just need to make mention of the fact that something really important is happening Tuesday night.
[00:23:09] I think you know what it is.
[00:23:10] But on Tuesday night is our Christmas candlelight communion right here.
[00:23:14] We have services starting at 4 o'clock all the way to 9 o'clock.
[00:23:18] Five services.
[00:23:19] So there's a service time to fit everybody's schedule.
[00:23:25] So do me a favor, would you invite your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, your work associates, whoever you have, and invite them to come to be at one of our services on Tuesday night.
[00:23:41] and let's pray because this time of year is just a special time of year when many people their heart is open in a way that it's not open sometimes the rest of the year and so we're just praying and believing that God is going to use Tuesday night
[00:23:57] As a wonderful opportunity to plant the seed of faith in the heart of many people.
[00:24:03] Also, would you pray?
[00:24:04] We have hundreds of volunteers for all of these services, not to mention the worship team and all of us who are involved.
[00:24:11] And just pray for strength, pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
[00:24:16] I believe that when people...
[00:24:17] Drive on this parking lot, they're going to sense the presence of God.
[00:24:21] When they walk in this auditorium, they're going to sense the presence of God, and it's going to be a life-changing experience.
[00:24:27] How many of you will pray and believe with me?
[00:24:29] Thank you, thank you.
[00:24:30] Come on, y'all.
[00:24:32] I know you are, and thank you for doing that.
[00:24:34] Also, I need to remind you that next Sunday morning, I want you to dress like you're going to Walmart, and just stay in your PJs.
[00:24:45] But please don't go to Walmart.
[00:24:48] And if you do, don't tell them you have anything to do with Lake City.
[00:24:52] Where I'm going with this is that next Sunday morning we have an online service only.
[00:24:57] So don't come here.
[00:24:58] We're going to be relaxing.
[00:25:00] We have a special service for you online.
[00:25:04] You can go to YouTube or go on lakecitychurch.org and watch the service online.
[00:25:09] Relax.
[00:25:10] Let's pray, Father.
[00:25:36] and God we're so blessed that you are here today by the power of your Holy Spirit and we recognize your presence and we say thank you now do your work inside of us we pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus and everybody said amen hallelujah
[00:25:52] Thank you for the yo's.
[00:25:54] Today, yeah, a few echoing yo's.
[00:25:57] I hear you, I hear you.
[00:25:59] Today we are in the final message of the series we've been in a while.
[00:26:05] The series is called Come to Worship Him.
[00:26:07] And our theme verse is Matthew 2 verse number 1 where it says, "...after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?
[00:26:24] We saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him."
[00:26:29] Folks, we have come to worship Him this morning, haven't we?
[00:26:34] Yes, we have.
[00:26:35] We have come to worship Him.
[00:26:37] For the past several weeks we've been talking about different ways that we can worship Him.
[00:26:42] We've talked about lifting our hands as an act of worship to Him.
[00:26:46] We've talked about bringing our gifts to Him as an act of worship.
[00:26:51] Last week we talked about pouring out our hearts to Him.
[00:26:53] Today, I want to talk to you about bowing down before Him as an act of worship.
[00:27:03] Bowing down before Him.
[00:27:06] Going back to the Christmas story, in Matthew 2 verse number 10,
[00:27:11] When the wise men found Jesus, it says they were overjoyed.
[00:27:17] Verse 11, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.
[00:27:25] Notice, they bowed down and worshipped him.
[00:27:30] Most of the time, when we...
[00:27:33] In this picture, this scene, we see in our minds the wise men and they're bowing down or kneeling down to a baby, maybe a day or two old.
[00:27:44] And after all, that's what we see depicted in most Christmas cards.
[00:27:48] But in reality, Bible scholars tell us that Jesus was a baby.
[00:27:54] He wasn't a baby four days old or three days old.
[00:27:58] He was a toddler, probably more like two years old.
[00:28:02] because it took that long for the wise men to get there after all remember they had to travel 900 miles on foot and on Camelback so when the wise men were bowing they were bowing to a two-year-old but regardless of his age they understood that they were bowing down to the Messiah to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords today
[00:28:28] We're talking about bowing down before Him, our Savior, our King of Kings, our Lord of Lords.
[00:28:36] Most of us, we don't bow down that much these days.
[00:28:41] Most of us don't.
[00:28:42] Someone said that a man kneels two times in his life.
[00:28:48] Once when he poses with his teammates for his football photo, and once when he proposes to his future wife.
[00:28:56] And there's probably some truth to that.
[00:28:59] Culturally speaking, most of us don't do a lot of kneeling.
[00:29:04] We don't do a lot of bowing.
[00:29:07] My prayer is that this message might literally take us to our knees as a scriptural form of worship.
[00:29:18] In Psalm 95, verse number 6, the psalmist says, Come, let us bow down in worship.
[00:29:26] Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.
[00:29:36] The instruction he gives is for us to bow down in the presence of God.
[00:29:41] To recognize that he is our maker.
[00:29:44] To recognize that he is our God.
[00:29:48] And the picture, the image that I see in my mind is that of a humble subject bowing down before the throne of a powerful king.
[00:29:57] I want you to envision this with me.
[00:30:00] A subject bowing down at the throne of a very powerful king.
[00:30:05] And he's worshiping this king.
[00:30:08] That's what I envision when I bow at this altar on Wednesday night during Wednesday night live prayer times.
[00:30:15] I am bowing down.
[00:30:16] I'm worshiping my king.
[00:30:18] I'm worshiping my God.
[00:30:21] There's an interesting Hebrew word that is often translated as worship.
[00:30:28] The Hebrew word is Shaka.
[00:30:31] It's used 170 times in the Old Testament and it means to bow down low.
[00:30:39] To bow down low.
[00:30:40] So at least 170 times in scriptures we're told to bow down low before God in worship.
[00:30:48] Now I think one of the reasons that people don't bow down before God so much anymore is that they don't understand the holiness of God.
[00:30:59] See, if we understood just how holy God really is, we would fall to our knees before Him.
[00:31:07] Because God is so holy that mortal man cannot look upon Him in His essential being and survive.
[00:31:15] He's holy!
[00:31:17] In the Old Testament book of Exodus, when Moses wanted to see the glory of God, God said, You cannot see my face, for no one may see my face and live.
[00:31:30] So God only revealed a small part of his essence to Moses.
[00:31:36] Later in the Old Testament, no one was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies except the high priest.
[00:31:43] And then that was just once a year.
[00:31:46] They could go into the Holy of Holies.
[00:31:48] And when the high priest did go into the Holy of Holies, they tied a rope, literally, they tied a rope around his ankle.
[00:31:55] And if he wasn't pure and they heard a thump, they pulled him out deader than a doornail, feet first.
[00:32:03] The point is that God is so holy that people can't look upon Him in His purest essence and live.
[00:32:10] God is so holy.
[00:32:12] And so when we begin to comprehend His might and His power and His glory, we are compelled to bow down low before Him.
[00:32:24] That's exactly why the Psalmist said, Come, let us bow down in worship.
[00:32:30] Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
[00:32:33] Through this series, I hope you'll be inspired to worship Him by the lifting of your hands, by bringing your gifts to Him, by pouring out your heart to Him, and by regularly getting down on your knees to worship Him.
[00:32:50] Because in doing so, you are declaring the greatness of your God, and you are declaring that you are surrendering yourself to Him.
[00:33:01] On a regular basis,
[00:33:03] During my private prime times with God early in the morning, I get down on my knees, alone in my study.
[00:33:12] Nobody's around.
[00:33:13] Nobody sees it but God.
[00:33:17] And I bow down before Him.
[00:33:20] I bow low.
[00:33:22] Sometimes I kneel.
[00:33:23] Sometimes I go lower, face down.
[00:33:25] I bow low before the Lord.
[00:33:28] And here's the thing.
[00:33:29] I always experience the presence of God.
[00:33:32] I always experience the glory of God.
[00:33:37] Early this morning before the first service started, our prayer team was together.
[00:33:42] We were in this side room and we were just praying.
[00:33:45] We do this every week.
[00:33:47] And after they prayed over me, I said, can we just get down on our knees?
[00:33:52] And we all just got down on our knees on the hard concrete.
[00:33:55] The miracle wasn't that we all got down.
[00:33:57] The miracle was that we all got back up again.
[00:34:00] But we got down on our knees and we just prayed and in those few moments the presence of God, the glory of God was so rich, so real.
[00:34:08] What I'm telling you guys, this is a powerful posture to seek God in.
[00:34:15] And when I go into my private study and I kneel before the Lord, I experience His presence, I experience His glory.
[00:34:25] There are at least three reasons to bow down before him.
[00:34:29] Number one, they're in your notes.
[00:34:30] Number one, the first reason is to seek after him.
[00:34:33] In Mark chapter 10, there's a story about a very rich man.
[00:34:39] This man had everything money could buy, but there was still one thing missing.
[00:34:45] And in Mark 10, verse 17, it introduces his story by saying this.
[00:34:50] It says, As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.
[00:34:56] Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
[00:35:02] This man was an honest seeker of God.
[00:35:05] And did you notice his posture?
[00:35:09] It says he fell on his knees.
[00:35:12] So bowing low, bowing down low is the posture of a true seeker.
[00:35:18] I'm gonna say that again.
[00:35:19] Bowing down low is the posture
[00:35:22] of a true seeker.
[00:35:23] Maybe you're a seeker today in the sense that you're not a fully devoted follower of Christ yet, but you're open to become one.
[00:35:32] Maybe you're a seeker.
[00:35:33] Amen.
[00:35:34] I hear that.
[00:35:34] Amen.
[00:35:36] Maybe you're a seeker.
[00:35:38] I think he's a seeker.
[00:35:39] She is a seeker.
[00:35:40] Maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're not entirely sure what all that you believe, but you want to know the truth.
[00:35:48] Or maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're asking the question, is God really interested in me?
[00:35:54] Does God really love me?
[00:35:57] If that's where you're at, I would encourage you, get down on your knees, find a private place and bow down low before God.
[00:36:05] Say, God, if you're really there, reveal yourself to me.
[00:36:09] God, if you're really there, show me your truth.
[00:36:14] We could spend all day hearing testimonies of people who were in that kind of place and they got down on their knees.
[00:36:21] I remember one man telling me just recently, he said, I was confused.
[00:36:25] I really didn't know, want to believe about a lot of things.
[00:36:29] And he said, I got down on my knees and I said, God,
[00:36:33] I don't know if you're there or not but if you are please reveal yourself to me and something supernaturally happened in that moment something supernatural happened and God revealed himself to that individual maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're already a believer but you you want to
[00:36:53] Become closer to Him.
[00:36:54] You want to know Him more.
[00:36:56] And I hope that every one of us as believers, there's something in our heart that says, God, I love you and I want to love you more.
[00:37:03] I want to know you more.
[00:37:04] I want a closer relationship with you.
[00:37:07] There's a hunger inside.
[00:37:09] If that's you this morning, I want to encourage you, take on the posture of a true seeker and get down on your knees.
[00:37:15] Bow down low before Him.
[00:37:19] Your bowing expresses your sincere heart to seek after Him.
[00:37:25] Number two, the second reason to bow before Him is to repent to Him, to turn from sin and turn toward God.
[00:37:35] In the book of Acts, chapter 3, Peter speaks to a large crowd of people and they're spiritually curious.
[00:37:41] They want to know how they can have the kind of relationship with God that Peter had.
[00:37:47] And so Peter tells them in Acts 3.19, he says, Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
[00:37:59] Here's the thing, when we get the revelation, thanks to the Holy Spirit, that we're all sinners and that we all have sin in our lives, the inspired response is to fall down on our knees before God as an act of repentance.
[00:38:15] that's what Peter did through the miracle of the multitude of fishes Peter received the revelation of who Christ really was and he received the revelation of who he was a sinner and Luke 5 verse number 8 says when Simon Peter realized he fell to his knees before Jesus and he said oh Lord please leave me I'm too much of a sinner to be around you
[00:38:44] Did you get that?
[00:38:45] He fell to his knees before Jesus as an act of repentance, referring to himself as a sinner.
[00:38:53] But here's the beautiful thing.
[00:38:55] Jesus didn't turn him away because he was a sinner.
[00:38:58] In fact, he loved him and he forgave him because he was a sinner with a repentant heart.
[00:39:03] He fell on his knees and he bowed down low.
[00:39:08] Let me say this loudly and clearly, Jesus never turns away a sinner with a repentant heart.
[00:39:16] He never does.
[00:39:17] He never does.
[00:39:19] Maybe you're here today and you're even surprised you're in church.
[00:39:22] I mean, it's almost close to Christmas, so you're here.
[00:39:26] Maybe you're thinking, if I go to church, the roof might cave in.
[00:39:30] Maybe you're thinking, I'm not good enough to be in church.
[00:39:32] But you know what?
[00:39:33] It doesn't matter how good you are.
[00:39:34] It doesn't matter how bad you are.
[00:39:36] If you have a repentant heart, you belong in the presence of God.
[00:39:43] Simon Peter was a rough and tumble fisherman, a sinner, but he fell on his knees in repentance and Jesus forgave him and made him a fisher of men.
[00:39:55] The old Christmas carol, we sang it just a few minutes ago, Oh Holy Night.
[00:40:02] It has a verse in it that we didn't sing, but it's a beautiful line.
[00:40:07] And it says this, it says, He knows our need.
[00:40:10] To our weakness is no stranger.
[00:40:13] Behold your king.
[00:40:15] Before him, lowly bend.
[00:40:19] Fall on your knees.
[00:40:22] See, when we fall on our knees, when you do that, when you fall on your knees, in that moment, you'll experience the grace and the forgiveness of God as you repent to Him.
[00:40:36] Number three, the third reason to bow before him is to submit under him, under his authority.
[00:40:44] In the world of UFC fighting, I don't know if anybody watches that.
[00:40:48] I don't, but I'm a boxing guy.
[00:40:52] I don't know where they came up with the UFC, but at any rate, for those of you who watch it, in the world of UFC fighting, when a fighter has had enough, you know what he does?
[00:41:03] What does he do?
[00:41:05] I hear that he taps out and in doing so he's saying I give up he's saying I surrender I I submit when we bow down to God we're saying the same thing we're saying God I give up God I surrender God I submit to you I submit to your will
[00:41:27] I love the scene with Jesus on the Mount of Olives just before his crucifixion.
[00:41:32] It says in Luke 22, 41, He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed.
[00:41:42] Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done.
[00:41:49] Jesus knelt down.
[00:41:51] He submitted himself to the will of the Father.
[00:41:55] When we bow down before the Lord, we too are submitting ourselves to God.
[00:42:00] We're submitting ourselves to His will.
[00:42:03] And I've got to tell you this, there's absolutely nothing in the whole wide world that is more liberating than submitting ourselves
[00:42:10] Your life to God.
[00:42:13] Submitting your whole life to God.
[00:42:18] See, God takes bowing down very seriously.
[00:42:21] In fact, every person, every one of us here this morning, we will bow down.
[00:42:27] You might say, ah, not me.
[00:42:29] I'll never bow down.
[00:42:30] Oh, yes, you will.
[00:42:31] The only question is, will it be in this life or will it be in the afterlife when it's too late?
[00:42:40] Philippians 2.10 says this, At the name of Jesus, every...
[00:42:47] Ne shall bow, whether in heaven or on earth or under the earth.
[00:42:53] And that is why in the end every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.
[00:43:02] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to seek after Him.
[00:43:06] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to repent to Him.
[00:43:10] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to submit under Him.
[00:43:17] Today, we can bow and we can confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord.
[00:43:23] And we can confess that we have come to worship Him.
[00:43:29] Let's pray together.
[00:43:30] Father, we just say thank you.
[00:43:33] Thank you for all you've done for us.
[00:43:36] Now, Lord, we want to bow before you because you're worthy.
[00:43:41] We say thank you in Jesus' name.
[00:43:43] Would you stand together with me?
[00:43:47] As we stand in this moment, I'm going to pray a couple of prayers.
[00:43:51] The first prayer I want to pray, we don't have room for everyone to kneel right now in this moment.
[00:44:01] If we did, that would be beautiful.
[00:44:04] But we still can bow in our heart.
[00:44:06] We can take a heart posture that kneels.
[00:44:10] And I believe there's some of us in this room today, we need to bow to the Lord today.
[00:44:16] In a way that we're already believers.
[00:44:20] But there's something in our life, there's something that God is wanting us to surrender and to give up to Him.
[00:44:28] And you know what it is, it might be your finances.
[00:44:32] And you need to just surrender your finances to Him.
[00:44:36] Maybe it's a relationship and you need to surrender that relationship.
[00:44:41] Maybe it's a habit.
[00:44:44] Maybe it's an addiction.
[00:44:45] Whatever it is today, it's an opportunity for us to bow down in our hearts and say, God, I surrender.
[00:44:53] I give it up.
[00:44:56] I surrender this to you.
[00:44:57] I submit to you and I submit to your will.
[00:45:01] So while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, if you say, I've got something, I need to give it up.
[00:45:07] I need to just surrender it to the Lord.
[00:45:09] Would you put your hand in the air?
[00:45:11] Just put it up and say, yeah, I need to surrender something.
[00:45:14] Father, all over this room, there are people who are saying, I need to submit this to you.
[00:45:19] I need to surrender this to you.
[00:45:21] God, you know their heart.
[00:45:22] You know what it is, Lord, today, on this next to the last Sunday of 2025, God, we bow to you.
[00:45:31] As a heart posture, we bow to you and we surrender this area of our life to you.
[00:45:37] Lord, that we might be holy and pleasing to you.
[00:45:40] I thank you for touching each one of our hearts deeply.
[00:45:44] In Jesus' name.
[00:45:46] While our heads are still bowed, our eyes are closed, I want to pray one more prayer.
[00:45:50] Maybe you're here this morning, you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:45:56] In just a moment, I want to say a prayer and I want to pray for you and others who would say, I'm not really sure about my salvation.
[00:46:04] The question I always ask is this, if you were to die today, like
[00:46:09] Right now, boom.
[00:46:10] Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord?
[00:46:17] Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God?
[00:46:21] If you're not sure, in just a second, I want to pray for you along with others.
[00:46:26] So while heads are bowed, Christians are praying really hard.
[00:46:28] If you say, I'm not sure, but I want to be sure, and I'd love to be included in that prayer, would you just lift up your hand, lift it up right now and say, please pray for me.
[00:46:36] God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.
[00:46:39] Others, just lift it up.
[00:46:41] Say, please pray for me along with these others.
[00:46:44] I want to be absolutely certain in my relationship.
[00:46:46] God bless you.
[00:46:47] Anybody else want to get in on this prayer?
[00:46:53] Just lift up your hand.
[00:46:54] I'd love to pray for you along with the others.
[00:46:58] Thank you.
[00:47:00] Glad we waited just another second.
[00:47:03] Father, thank you for these that have responded today.
[00:47:06] Lord, I just ask that you would give my friends the assurance of their salvation.
[00:47:12] In just a moment, I'm going to pray a simple prayer.
[00:47:15] I'm going to ask everyone in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:47:18] If you raised your hand, pray this prayer with the rest of us.
[00:47:23] Pray this prayer from your heart because God is going to hear you.
[00:47:27] God is going to minister to you.
[00:47:29] Maybe you didn't raise your hand, but you felt a tugging on the inside.
[00:47:33] That's the Holy Spirit.
[00:47:36] And I want to invite you to just
[00:47:39] Join the rest of us and pray this prayer from your heart.
[00:47:43] Let's pray this together.
[00:47:44] Say, God, I know that you love me because you sent your son Jesus and he died on the cross for my sins.
[00:47:56] Today, I repent of my sins.
[00:48:02] I ask you to be my Savior, my Lord.
[00:48:07] And from today on, I'm going to live for you.
[00:48:12] In Jesus' name.
[00:48:14] Amen.
[00:48:15] Amen.
[00:48:15] Come on, y'all.
[00:48:16] Let's give God praise.
[00:48:17] Let's give God honor and glory.
[00:48:19] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:48:21] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:48:24] If you prayed that prayer, I am so proud of you, and I'm going to be praying for you this week.
[00:48:30] But I want to ask you to do one favor for me in just a few minutes when this service is over.
[00:48:37] And I want you to go back out into the lobby.
[00:48:40] Right in front of the living room, we have a sign.
[00:48:42] It says, I said yes to Jesus.
[00:48:44] I want you to go back there to that sign because some of our team members will be back there and they have a little bag.
[00:48:50] I call it a goodie bag because they've got some material that I want you to have, some literature that will help you in your journey of faith and also a Bible, a special Bible that will help you understand what God is saying to you.
[00:49:04] So if you prayed that prayer, make sure you go back there and get that goodie bag because it will really strengthen you and your journey.
[00:49:13] And so we're so excited.
[00:49:15] I'm so proud of you.
[00:49:16] I'll definitely be praying for you.
[00:49:18] The Bible says that old things have passed away.
[00:49:21] Behold, all things become new.
[00:49:24] And God has some wonderful, new, exciting things ahead for you.
[00:49:28] Amen.
[00:49:29] Maybe you're here today as a guest at Lake City.
[00:49:32] We want you to know we're so glad you're here.
[00:49:34] Hope you'll come back.
[00:49:36] One of the things we do every Sunday morning here at Lake City is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:49:43] You should have received the emblems when you came in.
[00:49:46] If not, we have emblems up here.
[00:49:48] We've got them on the side.
[00:49:49] I think this is gluten-free.
[00:49:51] But this morning,
[00:49:53] as we prepare to receive these emblems we're reminded that that little cracker is is a reminder of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us and that little cup filled with juice is a reminder of the blood of jesus that he shed when he hung on calvary's cross and the bible says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness
[00:50:18] of our sins.
[00:50:20] And so, Father, as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems of your broken body and your shed blood, oh God, make it so real to us.
[00:50:29] We celebrate your love.
[00:50:31] We celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus.
[00:50:34] We say thank you, Lord, for all you've done for us.
[00:50:37] God, today we surrender and we resurrender our lives to you.
[00:50:42] Take us
[00:50:44] Make us and use us, I pray, in Jesus' name.
[00:50:49] Amen.
[00:51:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
You're turning over tables And calling for a return To our lives upon the altar The things we did at first You're clearing out the temple You're cleaning out the dirt For we are Your territory Lord, we are Your church
[00:51:37] We are your people, you are our God.
[00:51:48] We are your temple, make us whole like you.
[00:52:14] Let us pray.
[00:52:49] You set us apart
[00:53:18] Make us a place where you delight to dwell And may we heed your hands' correction O Lord, I shepherd you to all things well Your love
[00:53:50] and Reconciliation
[00:54:29] All your children you set us apart And God for your glory make us holy like you are
[00:55:11] We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender Your calling, we're calling We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender
[00:55:45] Let us pray.
[00:56:13] So we may surrender
[00:56:59] We are your people and you are our God And we are your temple, make us holy like you are We are your children, you set us apart
[00:57:30] We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender Your calling, we're coming We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender
[00:57:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
God, we thank you for today.
[00:57:57] We thank you for the opportunity that we do get to come to you in this season and resurrender again and again and again.
[00:58:05] God, we thank you for the Christmas season that you came to earth in such a humble way and what you ask for in return is humility.
[00:58:15] God, that we would kneel right back to you.
[00:58:20] God, we thank you for the gift of your word, God, the gift of your presence.
[00:58:23] Emmanuel means God with us.
[00:58:28] God, I pray over each family that's represented in the room today that you would just humble us.
[00:58:33] God, show us that we kneel before you, God.
[00:58:38] As this year comes to an end and the new one begins, God, show us what we can yield to you, what we can give to you, what we can surrender to you again.
[00:58:49] God, thank you for the gift and the opportunity that we have.
[00:58:54] In Jesus' name.
[00:58:56] In Jesus' name.
[00:58:57] And everybody said, Amen.
[00:58:59] Amen.
[00:59:00] Well, we love you.
[00:59:02] God loves you.
[00:59:03] Make it a great day.
[00:59:04] Merry Christmas.
[01:00:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let's pray.
[01:00:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you for watching!
[01:01:47] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
[01:05:45] God Bless!
[01:07:53] Pentecost
[01:08:32] Thank you for watching!
Well, good morning, Lake City Church.
[00:01:04] We're standing right here as we worship Jesus this morning.
[00:01:07] Come on, let's put our hands together.
[00:01:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
And so God begins by it Then more to the exile Unto the sacrifice
[00:02:19] Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel Shall come to thee
[00:02:59] God is with you.
[00:03:30] Rejoice!
[00:03:55] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Rejoice!
[00:03:55] Rejoice!
[00:03:55] Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
[00:04:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Is He really there?
[00:04:55] My God is here
[00:05:26] Come on, let's sing Emmanuel.
[00:05:52] Emmanuel, our God is near.
[00:05:52] Emmanuel, our God is near.
[00:05:53] He's near with us.
[00:05:53] Give a big shout of praise to the Lord.
[00:06:35] Our dear Saviour's Word
[00:07:09] For yonder lays a new and glorious voice For yonder lays a new and glorious voice And all your needs are here And all your needs are here The angel voices are now
[00:07:40] Let us pray.
[00:08:58] In us, praise His holy name
[00:11:11] Almighty God.
[00:11:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Amen.
[00:11:26] Amen.
[00:11:26] Almighty, Almighty God.
[00:11:27] What a powerful song and what a powerful way to start this morning.
[00:11:30] Amen?
[00:11:31] Well, before you're seated this morning, turn around and high-five your neighbor and welcome to Lake City Church.
[00:11:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Good morning Lake City.
[00:11:56] We are so happy that you are here this morning and joining us in worship.
[00:12:00] If you're a first time guest, if you open up your worship guide and look at that guest card, if you will fill that out and bring it to the Welcome Center, we have a gift just for you.
[00:12:09] But we are so happy you're here this morning.
[00:12:10] You're awesome.
[00:12:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
This Tuesday is our Christmas Candlelight Communion starting at 4 o'clock.
[00:12:17] We have services all the way through 9 o'clock p.m. and I can't wait to see you there.
[00:12:23] Make sure you invite your friends, your family, your co-workers and we will see you this Tuesday evening at one of those five services.
[00:12:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
What's up, Lake City?
[00:12:33] Mark your calendars.
[00:12:34] Sunday, December 28th, we will have no in-person services, but you can check in with us online at all of the regular service times.
[00:12:41] See you soon.
[00:12:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Hey, guys, December 31st is our New Year's celebration.
[00:12:46] That's going to be from 6.30 to 7.30-ish.
[00:12:49] We don't know.
[00:12:49] We're not going to make plans.
[00:12:50] We just want to celebrate what God is doing.
[00:12:53] So bring your praise and bring a testimony of what God did this year and just party with us.
[00:12:58] Welcome in the new year.
[00:12:59] It's going to be amazing.
[00:13:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Lake City, we are so excited.
[00:13:03] A revival conference is right around the corner.
[00:13:06] If you have a youth student, you need to sign them up as soon as possible.
[00:13:10] You could register them on the Church Center app.
[00:13:13] And guys, we do not want money to be an issue.
[00:13:15] The cost of it is $50.
[00:13:17] But if your student can't afford it, or you know of a student who can't afford it, we have sponsorships and donations available for them.
[00:13:24] So please sign them up and don't hesitate to reach out.
[00:13:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
Email me, daniel at lakecitychurch.org for more information.
[00:13:31] Lake City Church, hey, thank you again so much for coming out.
[00:13:34] Remember to check us out on our socials and also our website, lakecitychurch.org.
[00:13:39] But remember, we love you, God loves you, make it a great day.
[00:13:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Come on, church, give God some praise this morning.
[00:13:46] Good morning and welcome.
[00:13:48] Welcome to everyone online in the overflow.
[00:13:50] Merry Christmas.
[00:13:52] Man, I am ready.
[00:13:53] Y'all look good.
[00:13:54] Look at your neighbor real quick.
[00:13:56] Say, you look good.
[00:13:59] If that was awkward for some of you, I'm sorry.
[00:14:02] Hey, this part of the service is what we call giving back to God as they throw the four ways to give on the screen as we celebrate Advent, the arrival of Jesus on the scene.
[00:14:13] Who's glad that Jesus walked on this earth, was born, and we celebrate that?
[00:14:19] In correlation to our giving, He died on the cross for our sins.
[00:14:24] He bore it all, gave everything so that we can spend eternity with Him.
[00:14:29] Is that not praiseworthy?
[00:14:31] Is that not worth giving our lives to Him in adoration and praise to Him?
[00:14:36] So as we go through this season, I want to ask you this question.
[00:14:39] Do you remember when Jesus came into your life?
[00:14:47] Do you remember the first time He spoke to you?
[00:14:50] The first time you asked Him into your heart and life was brand new?
[00:14:54] And maybe you haven't done that.
[00:14:56] Today can be your day.
[00:14:59] Today can be the day where He arrives on scene in your life.
[00:15:04] That's the good God that we serve.
[00:15:06] Amen?
[00:15:07] Amen.
[00:15:07] If you guys could stand to your feet this morning, we're going to continue to worship.
[00:15:11] If you guys could just bow your heads and close your eyes.
[00:15:16] As we continue in worship in this moment, as we sing to Him and sing praises, if that's you today and you just say, man, I want Him to arrive in my life.
[00:15:26] Maybe you're going through something.
[00:15:28] Maybe you're struggling.
[00:15:29] Maybe you need provision.
[00:15:30] Maybe you just need a fresh touch.
[00:15:33] He is here today.
[00:15:34] He is on scene and He is speaking to people.
[00:15:39] So Holy Spirit,
[00:15:41] Move today.
[00:15:42] Move in this place.
[00:15:43] Move in our hearts.
[00:15:45] We need you in our life.
[00:15:47] We celebrate what you have done for us, you arriving in our life.
[00:15:53] We are expectant today, and we worship you.
[00:15:57] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:15:59] Let's worship him today, church.
[00:16:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Who is this King?
[00:16:40] Too wonderful for words Who is this King?
[00:16:40] The shepherds came to serve
[00:16:43] Who is this King worshipped on the earth with heavenly host and the angels singing Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah, Gloria
[00:17:13] Is this the King the prophets said would come?
[00:17:34] Is this the King we've all been looking for?
[00:17:38] Christ is the King to worship and adore In heavenly host and the angels sing
[00:18:07] Love is gift, so speak of the gift of God Prince of Peace, Emmanuel Guard with us the gift of love King of Kings, Messiah
[00:18:50] and more.
[00:19:32] The Son of God
[00:20:11] Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah Gloria, Gloria, Hallelujah
[00:20:41] He is our King
[00:21:09] Fulfillment of the Word He is our King Born of virgin birth He is our King The Savior of the world With heavenly host We'll sing the name of Jesus
[00:21:35] Merry Christmas!
[00:21:37] We are so glad you're here today.
[00:21:39] Thank you for coming out to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
[00:21:42] You guys can have a seat.
[00:22:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Well, good morning, everybody.
[00:22:38] How y'all doing?
[00:22:41] Is everybody pumped and ready?
[00:22:44] Come on, Merry Christmas!
[00:22:48] Merry Christmas!
[00:22:50] Oh, that's much better.
[00:22:52] So glad you guys are here this morning.
[00:22:54] And so glad you guys, if you're in the overflow areas or maybe watching online, God bless you.
[00:23:00] So glad you have joined us.
[00:23:03] And hey, I just need to make mention of the fact that something really important is happening Tuesday night.
[00:23:09] I think you know what it is.
[00:23:10] But on Tuesday night is our Christmas candlelight communion right here.
[00:23:14] We have services starting at 4 o'clock all the way to 9 o'clock.
[00:23:18] Five services.
[00:23:19] So there's a service time to fit everybody's schedule.
[00:23:25] So do me a favor, would you invite your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, your work associates, whoever you have, and invite them to come to be at one of our services on Tuesday night.
[00:23:41] and let's pray because this time of year is just a special time of year when many people their heart is open in a way that it's not open sometimes the rest of the year and so we're just praying and believing that God is going to use Tuesday night
[00:23:57] As a wonderful opportunity to plant the seed of faith in the heart of many people.
[00:24:03] Also, would you pray?
[00:24:04] We have hundreds of volunteers for all of these services, not to mention the worship team and all of us who are involved.
[00:24:11] And just pray for strength, pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
[00:24:16] I believe that when people...
[00:24:17] Drive on this parking lot, they're going to sense the presence of God.
[00:24:21] When they walk in this auditorium, they're going to sense the presence of God, and it's going to be a life-changing experience.
[00:24:27] How many of you will pray and believe with me?
[00:24:29] Thank you, thank you.
[00:24:30] Come on, y'all.
[00:24:32] I know you are, and thank you for doing that.
[00:24:34] Also, I need to remind you that next Sunday morning, I want you to dress like you're going to Walmart, and just stay in your PJs.
[00:24:45] But please don't go to Walmart.
[00:24:48] And if you do, don't tell them you have anything to do with Lake City.
[00:24:52] Where I'm going with this is that next Sunday morning we have an online service only.
[00:24:57] So don't come here.
[00:24:58] We're going to be relaxing.
[00:25:00] We have a special service for you online.
[00:25:04] You can go to YouTube or go on lakecitychurch.org and watch the service online.
[00:25:09] Relax.
[00:25:10] Let's pray, Father.
[00:25:36] and God we're so blessed that you are here today by the power of your Holy Spirit and we recognize your presence and we say thank you now do your work inside of us we pray all this in the mighty and the powerful name of Jesus and everybody said amen hallelujah
[00:25:52] Thank you for the yo's.
[00:25:54] Today, yeah, a few echoing yo's.
[00:25:57] I hear you, I hear you.
[00:25:59] Today we are in the final message of the series we've been in a while.
[00:26:05] The series is called Come to Worship Him.
[00:26:07] And our theme verse is Matthew 2 verse number 1 where it says, "...after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?
[00:26:24] We saw his star in the east, and we have come to worship him."
[00:26:29] Folks, we have come to worship Him this morning, haven't we?
[00:26:34] Yes, we have.
[00:26:35] We have come to worship Him.
[00:26:37] For the past several weeks we've been talking about different ways that we can worship Him.
[00:26:42] We've talked about lifting our hands as an act of worship to Him.
[00:26:46] We've talked about bringing our gifts to Him as an act of worship.
[00:26:51] Last week we talked about pouring out our hearts to Him.
[00:26:53] Today, I want to talk to you about bowing down before Him as an act of worship.
[00:27:03] Bowing down before Him.
[00:27:06] Going back to the Christmas story, in Matthew 2 verse number 10,
[00:27:11] When the wise men found Jesus, it says they were overjoyed.
[00:27:17] Verse 11, On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.
[00:27:25] Notice, they bowed down and worshipped him.
[00:27:30] Most of the time, when we...
[00:27:33] In this picture, this scene, we see in our minds the wise men and they're bowing down or kneeling down to a baby, maybe a day or two old.
[00:27:44] And after all, that's what we see depicted in most Christmas cards.
[00:27:48] But in reality, Bible scholars tell us that Jesus was a baby.
[00:27:54] He wasn't a baby four days old or three days old.
[00:27:58] He was a toddler, probably more like two years old.
[00:28:02] because it took that long for the wise men to get there after all remember they had to travel 900 miles on foot and on Camelback so when the wise men were bowing they were bowing to a two-year-old but regardless of his age they understood that they were bowing down to the Messiah to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords today
[00:28:28] We're talking about bowing down before Him, our Savior, our King of Kings, our Lord of Lords.
[00:28:36] Most of us, we don't bow down that much these days.
[00:28:41] Most of us don't.
[00:28:42] Someone said that a man kneels two times in his life.
[00:28:48] Once when he poses with his teammates for his football photo, and once when he proposes to his future wife.
[00:28:56] And there's probably some truth to that.
[00:28:59] Culturally speaking, most of us don't do a lot of kneeling.
[00:29:04] We don't do a lot of bowing.
[00:29:07] My prayer is that this message might literally take us to our knees as a scriptural form of worship.
[00:29:18] In Psalm 95, verse number 6, the psalmist says, Come, let us bow down in worship.
[00:29:26] Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care.
[00:29:36] The instruction he gives is for us to bow down in the presence of God.
[00:29:41] To recognize that he is our maker.
[00:29:44] To recognize that he is our God.
[00:29:48] And the picture, the image that I see in my mind is that of a humble subject bowing down before the throne of a powerful king.
[00:29:57] I want you to envision this with me.
[00:30:00] A subject bowing down at the throne of a very powerful king.
[00:30:05] And he's worshiping this king.
[00:30:08] That's what I envision when I bow at this altar on Wednesday night during Wednesday night live prayer times.
[00:30:15] I am bowing down.
[00:30:16] I'm worshiping my king.
[00:30:18] I'm worshiping my God.
[00:30:21] There's an interesting Hebrew word that is often translated as worship.
[00:30:28] The Hebrew word is Shaka.
[00:30:31] It's used 170 times in the Old Testament and it means to bow down low.
[00:30:39] To bow down low.
[00:30:40] So at least 170 times in scriptures we're told to bow down low before God in worship.
[00:30:48] Now I think one of the reasons that people don't bow down before God so much anymore is that they don't understand the holiness of God.
[00:30:59] See, if we understood just how holy God really is, we would fall to our knees before Him.
[00:31:07] Because God is so holy that mortal man cannot look upon Him in His essential being and survive.
[00:31:15] He's holy!
[00:31:17] In the Old Testament book of Exodus, when Moses wanted to see the glory of God, God said, You cannot see my face, for no one may see my face and live.
[00:31:30] So God only revealed a small part of his essence to Moses.
[00:31:36] Later in the Old Testament, no one was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies except the high priest.
[00:31:43] And then that was just once a year.
[00:31:46] They could go into the Holy of Holies.
[00:31:48] And when the high priest did go into the Holy of Holies, they tied a rope, literally, they tied a rope around his ankle.
[00:31:55] And if he wasn't pure and they heard a thump, they pulled him out deader than a doornail, feet first.
[00:32:03] The point is that God is so holy that people can't look upon Him in His purest essence and live.
[00:32:10] God is so holy.
[00:32:12] And so when we begin to comprehend His might and His power and His glory, we are compelled to bow down low before Him.
[00:32:24] That's exactly why the Psalmist said, Come, let us bow down in worship.
[00:32:30] Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
[00:32:33] Through this series, I hope you'll be inspired to worship Him by the lifting of your hands, by bringing your gifts to Him, by pouring out your heart to Him, and by regularly getting down on your knees to worship Him.
[00:32:50] Because in doing so, you are declaring the greatness of your God, and you are declaring that you are surrendering yourself to Him.
[00:33:01] On a regular basis,
[00:33:03] During my private prime times with God early in the morning, I get down on my knees, alone in my study.
[00:33:12] Nobody's around.
[00:33:13] Nobody sees it but God.
[00:33:17] And I bow down before Him.
[00:33:20] I bow low.
[00:33:22] Sometimes I kneel.
[00:33:23] Sometimes I go lower, face down.
[00:33:25] I bow low before the Lord.
[00:33:28] And here's the thing.
[00:33:29] I always experience the presence of God.
[00:33:32] I always experience the glory of God.
[00:33:37] Early this morning before the first service started, our prayer team was together.
[00:33:42] We were in this side room and we were just praying.
[00:33:45] We do this every week.
[00:33:47] And after they prayed over me, I said, can we just get down on our knees?
[00:33:52] And we all just got down on our knees on the hard concrete.
[00:33:55] The miracle wasn't that we all got down.
[00:33:57] The miracle was that we all got back up again.
[00:34:00] But we got down on our knees and we just prayed and in those few moments the presence of God, the glory of God was so rich, so real.
[00:34:08] What I'm telling you guys, this is a powerful posture to seek God in.
[00:34:15] And when I go into my private study and I kneel before the Lord, I experience His presence, I experience His glory.
[00:34:25] There are at least three reasons to bow down before him.
[00:34:29] Number one, they're in your notes.
[00:34:30] Number one, the first reason is to seek after him.
[00:34:33] In Mark chapter 10, there's a story about a very rich man.
[00:34:39] This man had everything money could buy, but there was still one thing missing.
[00:34:45] And in Mark 10, verse 17, it introduces his story by saying this.
[00:34:50] It says, As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him.
[00:34:56] Good teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
[00:35:02] This man was an honest seeker of God.
[00:35:05] And did you notice his posture?
[00:35:09] It says he fell on his knees.
[00:35:12] So bowing low, bowing down low is the posture of a true seeker.
[00:35:18] I'm gonna say that again.
[00:35:19] Bowing down low is the posture
[00:35:22] of a true seeker.
[00:35:23] Maybe you're a seeker today in the sense that you're not a fully devoted follower of Christ yet, but you're open to become one.
[00:35:32] Maybe you're a seeker.
[00:35:33] Amen.
[00:35:34] I hear that.
[00:35:34] Amen.
[00:35:36] Maybe you're a seeker.
[00:35:38] I think he's a seeker.
[00:35:39] She is a seeker.
[00:35:40] Maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're not entirely sure what all that you believe, but you want to know the truth.
[00:35:48] Or maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're asking the question, is God really interested in me?
[00:35:54] Does God really love me?
[00:35:57] If that's where you're at, I would encourage you, get down on your knees, find a private place and bow down low before God.
[00:36:05] Say, God, if you're really there, reveal yourself to me.
[00:36:09] God, if you're really there, show me your truth.
[00:36:14] We could spend all day hearing testimonies of people who were in that kind of place and they got down on their knees.
[00:36:21] I remember one man telling me just recently, he said, I was confused.
[00:36:25] I really didn't know, want to believe about a lot of things.
[00:36:29] And he said, I got down on my knees and I said, God,
[00:36:33] I don't know if you're there or not but if you are please reveal yourself to me and something supernaturally happened in that moment something supernatural happened and God revealed himself to that individual maybe you're a seeker in the sense that you're already a believer but you you want to
[00:36:53] Become closer to Him.
[00:36:54] You want to know Him more.
[00:36:56] And I hope that every one of us as believers, there's something in our heart that says, God, I love you and I want to love you more.
[00:37:03] I want to know you more.
[00:37:04] I want a closer relationship with you.
[00:37:07] There's a hunger inside.
[00:37:09] If that's you this morning, I want to encourage you, take on the posture of a true seeker and get down on your knees.
[00:37:15] Bow down low before Him.
[00:37:19] Your bowing expresses your sincere heart to seek after Him.
[00:37:25] Number two, the second reason to bow before Him is to repent to Him, to turn from sin and turn toward God.
[00:37:35] In the book of Acts, chapter 3, Peter speaks to a large crowd of people and they're spiritually curious.
[00:37:41] They want to know how they can have the kind of relationship with God that Peter had.
[00:37:47] And so Peter tells them in Acts 3.19, he says, Repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
[00:37:59] Here's the thing, when we get the revelation, thanks to the Holy Spirit, that we're all sinners and that we all have sin in our lives, the inspired response is to fall down on our knees before God as an act of repentance.
[00:38:15] that's what Peter did through the miracle of the multitude of fishes Peter received the revelation of who Christ really was and he received the revelation of who he was a sinner and Luke 5 verse number 8 says when Simon Peter realized he fell to his knees before Jesus and he said oh Lord please leave me I'm too much of a sinner to be around you
[00:38:44] Did you get that?
[00:38:45] He fell to his knees before Jesus as an act of repentance, referring to himself as a sinner.
[00:38:53] But here's the beautiful thing.
[00:38:55] Jesus didn't turn him away because he was a sinner.
[00:38:58] In fact, he loved him and he forgave him because he was a sinner with a repentant heart.
[00:39:03] He fell on his knees and he bowed down low.
[00:39:08] Let me say this loudly and clearly, Jesus never turns away a sinner with a repentant heart.
[00:39:16] He never does.
[00:39:17] He never does.
[00:39:19] Maybe you're here today and you're even surprised you're in church.
[00:39:22] I mean, it's almost close to Christmas, so you're here.
[00:39:26] Maybe you're thinking, if I go to church, the roof might cave in.
[00:39:30] Maybe you're thinking, I'm not good enough to be in church.
[00:39:32] But you know what?
[00:39:33] It doesn't matter how good you are.
[00:39:34] It doesn't matter how bad you are.
[00:39:36] If you have a repentant heart, you belong in the presence of God.
[00:39:43] Simon Peter was a rough and tumble fisherman, a sinner, but he fell on his knees in repentance and Jesus forgave him and made him a fisher of men.
[00:39:55] The old Christmas carol, we sang it just a few minutes ago, Oh Holy Night.
[00:40:02] It has a verse in it that we didn't sing, but it's a beautiful line.
[00:40:07] And it says this, it says, He knows our need.
[00:40:10] To our weakness is no stranger.
[00:40:13] Behold your king.
[00:40:15] Before him, lowly bend.
[00:40:19] Fall on your knees.
[00:40:22] See, when we fall on our knees, when you do that, when you fall on your knees, in that moment, you'll experience the grace and the forgiveness of God as you repent to Him.
[00:40:36] Number three, the third reason to bow before him is to submit under him, under his authority.
[00:40:44] In the world of UFC fighting, I don't know if anybody watches that.
[00:40:48] I don't, but I'm a boxing guy.
[00:40:52] I don't know where they came up with the UFC, but at any rate, for those of you who watch it, in the world of UFC fighting, when a fighter has had enough, you know what he does?
[00:41:03] What does he do?
[00:41:05] I hear that he taps out and in doing so he's saying I give up he's saying I surrender I I submit when we bow down to God we're saying the same thing we're saying God I give up God I surrender God I submit to you I submit to your will
[00:41:27] I love the scene with Jesus on the Mount of Olives just before his crucifixion.
[00:41:32] It says in Luke 22, 41, He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed.
[00:41:42] Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done.
[00:41:49] Jesus knelt down.
[00:41:51] He submitted himself to the will of the Father.
[00:41:55] When we bow down before the Lord, we too are submitting ourselves to God.
[00:42:00] We're submitting ourselves to His will.
[00:42:03] And I've got to tell you this, there's absolutely nothing in the whole wide world that is more liberating than submitting ourselves
[00:42:10] Your life to God.
[00:42:13] Submitting your whole life to God.
[00:42:18] See, God takes bowing down very seriously.
[00:42:21] In fact, every person, every one of us here this morning, we will bow down.
[00:42:27] You might say, ah, not me.
[00:42:29] I'll never bow down.
[00:42:30] Oh, yes, you will.
[00:42:31] The only question is, will it be in this life or will it be in the afterlife when it's too late?
[00:42:40] Philippians 2.10 says this, At the name of Jesus, every...
[00:42:47] Ne shall bow, whether in heaven or on earth or under the earth.
[00:42:53] And that is why in the end every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.
[00:43:02] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to seek after Him.
[00:43:06] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to repent to Him.
[00:43:10] Today, through our own decision, we can bow to submit under Him.
[00:43:17] Today, we can bow and we can confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord.
[00:43:23] And we can confess that we have come to worship Him.
[00:43:29] Let's pray together.
[00:43:30] Father, we just say thank you.
[00:43:33] Thank you for all you've done for us.
[00:43:36] Now, Lord, we want to bow before you because you're worthy.
[00:43:41] We say thank you in Jesus' name.
[00:43:43] Would you stand together with me?
[00:43:47] As we stand in this moment, I'm going to pray a couple of prayers.
[00:43:51] The first prayer I want to pray, we don't have room for everyone to kneel right now in this moment.
[00:44:01] If we did, that would be beautiful.
[00:44:04] But we still can bow in our heart.
[00:44:06] We can take a heart posture that kneels.
[00:44:10] And I believe there's some of us in this room today, we need to bow to the Lord today.
[00:44:16] In a way that we're already believers.
[00:44:20] But there's something in our life, there's something that God is wanting us to surrender and to give up to Him.
[00:44:28] And you know what it is, it might be your finances.
[00:44:32] And you need to just surrender your finances to Him.
[00:44:36] Maybe it's a relationship and you need to surrender that relationship.
[00:44:41] Maybe it's a habit.
[00:44:44] Maybe it's an addiction.
[00:44:45] Whatever it is today, it's an opportunity for us to bow down in our hearts and say, God, I surrender.
[00:44:53] I give it up.
[00:44:56] I surrender this to you.
[00:44:57] I submit to you and I submit to your will.
[00:45:01] So while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed, if you say, I've got something, I need to give it up.
[00:45:07] I need to just surrender it to the Lord.
[00:45:09] Would you put your hand in the air?
[00:45:11] Just put it up and say, yeah, I need to surrender something.
[00:45:14] Father, all over this room, there are people who are saying, I need to submit this to you.
[00:45:19] I need to surrender this to you.
[00:45:21] God, you know their heart.
[00:45:22] You know what it is, Lord, today, on this next to the last Sunday of 2025, God, we bow to you.
[00:45:31] As a heart posture, we bow to you and we surrender this area of our life to you.
[00:45:37] Lord, that we might be holy and pleasing to you.
[00:45:40] I thank you for touching each one of our hearts deeply.
[00:45:44] In Jesus' name.
[00:45:46] While our heads are still bowed, our eyes are closed, I want to pray one more prayer.
[00:45:50] Maybe you're here this morning, you're not really sure about your relationship with God.
[00:45:56] In just a moment, I want to say a prayer and I want to pray for you and others who would say, I'm not really sure about my salvation.
[00:46:04] The question I always ask is this, if you were to die today, like
[00:46:09] Right now, boom.
[00:46:10] Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is your Savior and your Lord?
[00:46:17] Do you know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you're ready to stand before God?
[00:46:21] If you're not sure, in just a second, I want to pray for you along with others.
[00:46:26] So while heads are bowed, Christians are praying really hard.
[00:46:28] If you say, I'm not sure, but I want to be sure, and I'd love to be included in that prayer, would you just lift up your hand, lift it up right now and say, please pray for me.
[00:46:36] God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.
[00:46:39] Others, just lift it up.
[00:46:41] Say, please pray for me along with these others.
[00:46:44] I want to be absolutely certain in my relationship.
[00:46:46] God bless you.
[00:46:47] Anybody else want to get in on this prayer?
[00:46:53] Just lift up your hand.
[00:46:54] I'd love to pray for you along with the others.
[00:46:58] Thank you.
[00:47:00] Glad we waited just another second.
[00:47:03] Father, thank you for these that have responded today.
[00:47:06] Lord, I just ask that you would give my friends the assurance of their salvation.
[00:47:12] In just a moment, I'm going to pray a simple prayer.
[00:47:15] I'm going to ask everyone in the room to repeat this prayer after me.
[00:47:18] If you raised your hand, pray this prayer with the rest of us.
[00:47:23] Pray this prayer from your heart because God is going to hear you.
[00:47:27] God is going to minister to you.
[00:47:29] Maybe you didn't raise your hand, but you felt a tugging on the inside.
[00:47:33] That's the Holy Spirit.
[00:47:36] And I want to invite you to just
[00:47:39] Join the rest of us and pray this prayer from your heart.
[00:47:43] Let's pray this together.
[00:47:44] Say, God, I know that you love me because you sent your son Jesus and he died on the cross for my sins.
[00:47:56] Today, I repent of my sins.
[00:48:02] I ask you to be my Savior, my Lord.
[00:48:07] And from today on, I'm going to live for you.
[00:48:12] In Jesus' name.
[00:48:14] Amen.
[00:48:15] Amen.
[00:48:15] Come on, y'all.
[00:48:16] Let's give God praise.
[00:48:17] Let's give God honor and glory.
[00:48:19] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:48:21] Thank you, Lord Jesus.
[00:48:24] If you prayed that prayer, I am so proud of you, and I'm going to be praying for you this week.
[00:48:30] But I want to ask you to do one favor for me in just a few minutes when this service is over.
[00:48:37] And I want you to go back out into the lobby.
[00:48:40] Right in front of the living room, we have a sign.
[00:48:42] It says, I said yes to Jesus.
[00:48:44] I want you to go back there to that sign because some of our team members will be back there and they have a little bag.
[00:48:50] I call it a goodie bag because they've got some material that I want you to have, some literature that will help you in your journey of faith and also a Bible, a special Bible that will help you understand what God is saying to you.
[00:49:04] So if you prayed that prayer, make sure you go back there and get that goodie bag because it will really strengthen you and your journey.
[00:49:13] And so we're so excited.
[00:49:15] I'm so proud of you.
[00:49:16] I'll definitely be praying for you.
[00:49:18] The Bible says that old things have passed away.
[00:49:21] Behold, all things become new.
[00:49:24] And God has some wonderful, new, exciting things ahead for you.
[00:49:28] Amen.
[00:49:29] Maybe you're here today as a guest at Lake City.
[00:49:32] We want you to know we're so glad you're here.
[00:49:34] Hope you'll come back.
[00:49:36] One of the things we do every Sunday morning here at Lake City is we share together in the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion.
[00:49:43] You should have received the emblems when you came in.
[00:49:46] If not, we have emblems up here.
[00:49:48] We've got them on the side.
[00:49:49] I think this is gluten-free.
[00:49:51] But this morning,
[00:49:53] as we prepare to receive these emblems we're reminded that that little cracker is is a reminder of the body of jesus that was bruised and broken for us and that little cup filled with juice is a reminder of the blood of jesus that he shed when he hung on calvary's cross and the bible says that without the shedding of his blood there could be no forgiveness
[00:50:18] of our sins.
[00:50:20] And so, Father, as we prepare our hearts to receive these little emblems of your broken body and your shed blood, oh God, make it so real to us.
[00:50:29] We celebrate your love.
[00:50:31] We celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus.
[00:50:34] We say thank you, Lord, for all you've done for us.
[00:50:37] God, today we surrender and we resurrender our lives to you.
[00:50:42] Take us
[00:50:44] Make us and use us, I pray, in Jesus' name.
[00:50:49] Amen.
[00:51:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
You're turning over tables And calling for a return To our lives upon the altar The things we did at first You're clearing out the temple You're cleaning out the dirt For we are Your territory Lord, we are Your church
[00:51:37] We are your people, you are our God.
[00:51:48] We are your temple, make us whole like you.
[00:52:14] Let us pray.
[00:52:49] You set us apart
[00:53:18] Make us a place where you delight to dwell And may we heed your hands' correction O Lord, I shepherd you to all things well Your love
[00:53:50] and Reconciliation
[00:54:29] All your children you set us apart And God for your glory make us holy like you are
[00:55:11] We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender Your calling, we're calling We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender
[00:55:45] Let us pray.
[00:56:13] So we may surrender
[00:56:59] We are your people and you are our God And we are your temple, make us holy like you are We are your children, you set us apart
[00:57:30] We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender Your calling, we're coming We're not walking, we're running God, we need resurrender So we resurrender
[00:57:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
God, we thank you for today.
[00:57:57] We thank you for the opportunity that we do get to come to you in this season and resurrender again and again and again.
[00:58:05] God, we thank you for the Christmas season that you came to earth in such a humble way and what you ask for in return is humility.
[00:58:15] God, that we would kneel right back to you.
[00:58:20] God, we thank you for the gift of your word, God, the gift of your presence.
[00:58:23] Emmanuel means God with us.
[00:58:28] God, I pray over each family that's represented in the room today that you would just humble us.
[00:58:33] God, show us that we kneel before you, God.
[00:58:38] As this year comes to an end and the new one begins, God, show us what we can yield to you, what we can give to you, what we can surrender to you again.
[00:58:49] God, thank you for the gift and the opportunity that we have.
[00:58:54] In Jesus' name.
[00:58:56] In Jesus' name.
[00:58:57] And everybody said, Amen.
[00:58:59] Amen.
[00:59:00] Well, we love you.
[00:59:02] God loves you.
[00:59:03] Make it a great day.
[00:59:04] Merry Christmas.
[01:00:01] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let's pray.
[01:00:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Thank you for watching!
[01:01:47] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Thank you for watching!
[01:05:45] God Bless!
[01:07:53] Pentecost
[01:08:32] Thank you for watching!
