My Sheep Know My Voice – 5

My Sheep Know My Voice – 5

Subject: Determining When God Is at Work 

by Rick Welborne

John 10:1-5 (NIV) 

1  "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 

2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 

3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 

4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 

5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."

--Review:

1. Let us look at how Job was bigger on the inside than on the outside.

Job 1:1-3, 8 (NKJV) 

1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 

2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 

3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. 

8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

–Can you imagine how awesome it would be for God to say this about you or me? We probably would not want God bragging on us if it led to this kind of testing.

–He was simply saying...even though Job is so wealthy (wealthiest man in the east), he is more wealthy (bigger) on the inside than on the outside. A man of extreme integrity.

–He was blameless, upright, he feared God, and stayed away from evil...how is this possible for a rich man to love God so much? Difficult not to trust your riches. 

Mark 10:2327 (NKJV) 

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 

24 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! 

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 

26 And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" 

27 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." 

–Evidently he trusted in God more than his riches and with God all things are possible. Some say money is the root of all evil. Not true. The love of money is the root of all evil.

–This is evidenced in Job’s response when all his stuff was taken away and his children died all at once.

Job 1:2022 (NKJV) 

20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 

21 And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD." 

22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

–Because he was bigger on the inside than he was on the outside...he was able to maintain his integrity and still be able to worship God. His wealth was not his source, God was. Designer. 

–We will come back to Job but let’s go and look at the prodigal son and see the four stages of physical development, Christian development, and marital development. 

2. The four stages of physical development, Christian development, and marital development. 

A. Give me.

Luke 15:1112 (NKJV) 

11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 

12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 

1. Every person starts in the “Give me” stage...Babies...Christians!

2. Christians do not want to go to hell. Give me assurance I am not going there. 

3. Marriage...men married to get his needs met...women...the same. Give me what I need.

4. Child...his maturity level. Mine! Mine! Give me.

B. Use me.

Luke 15:13 (NLT) 

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 

–In essence, this younger son was saying to his new found friends “use me” to party.

–We say in our Christian lives to God “use me” but our motives may not be pure.

1. Selfish reasons...used by God so people will see us...recognized...healing, prophecy, miracles.

2. Simon the magician...wanted recognition...wanted to be seen...use me, Lord!

Acts 8:1821 (NKJV) 

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 

19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 

20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 

21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 

–Simon was selfish...didn’t care for those whom he laid his hands...about him. Use me for me!

3. Marriage...partner can’t make you happy...when divorce happens.

–Men - I want to take you fishing or hunting so we can have time together.

–Women - I want you to go shopping with me so we can bond.

4. Marriage was created to kill you...living with someone else. It is about dying to self.

5. Have children...die to self. Children and a spouse teach you about living dead to yourself. 

C. Search me.

Luke 15:17 (NKJV) 

17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

1. We go from shame to blame...stop blaming others for your situation. Take responsibility for your junk.  Don’t deflect what the real issue is. Transference aggression. Stop kicking the dog.

Psalm 139:2324 (NKJV) 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Lamentations 3:40-41 (NKJV)
⁴⁰  Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the LORD;
⁴¹  Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven. 

 2. Pride and insecurity keep us from growing…these keep us from searching ourselves.

–German Pastor - stood against Hilter...hung at age 39. Other pastors were too afraid to search their hearts and speak out.

Dietrich Bonhoffer - When we stop listening to each other it is just a matter of time before we stop listening to God.

3. Search our own hearts to see if we are bigger on the inside.

D. Make me.

Luke 15:1819 (NKJV) 

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 

19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 

1. I know I am a son but “make me” a servant.

2. Make me a servant to my spouse...to my church...to my pastor...to my parents.

John Maxwell: Character is closing the gap between knowing and doing.

3. As we mature, it is no longer what I get but what can I give...make me into a servant.

3. Let’s look at the end result of Job’s trust in God.

--This is what job had at the beginning of us knowing about him. The scriptures never give us the indication that he inherited all this but that, as he was faithful, God blessed him.

--There is a really high probability that not any of us will be considered the wealthiest people in the West. Maybe me! God expects us to be faithful with what we have…to be good stewards.

Job 1:2-3 (NKJV) 

2 And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 

3 Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. 

Job 1...List of his possessions.

10 children

7000 sheep

3000 camels

500 oxen

500 female donkeys

Job 42:1213 (NKJV) 

12 Now the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 

13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 

–List his possessions at the end of the story as we read it in Job: He probably accumulated more:

–10 children - doubled

–14000 sheep- doubled

–6000 camels - doubled

–1000 oxen - doubled

–1000 female donkeys - doubled 

--I have heard people ask the question and I have asked the same question…it is so wonderful that God gave him double everything and also replaced his children:

--But he lost his kids…he lost his kids…how difficult would that have to be? Because of his trust in God, because of his sanctifying his kids, and because of his prayer for them I believe he has spent 4000 years in heaven with all of his 20 kids. 

--I believe he is okay now! Praise the Lord!

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 17

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 17

Subject: Praying Faithfully, Praying Fervently, Praying Forward

by Rick Welborne

Joshua 6:5 (NKJV)
⁵  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 

Daniel 6:3-12 (NLT)
³  Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.
⁴  Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
⁵  So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
⁶  So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius!
⁷  We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.
⁸  And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
⁹  So King Darius signed the law.
¹⁰  But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
¹¹  Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.
¹²  So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law…

--Last week God spoke to so many of us about our prayer and how we are to pray with the generations coming after us in mind. Don’t pray with seven days in mind but pray with 70 years in mind. Review:

1. Praying is planting.

--In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever. Even when we die, our prayers don’t. Prayer is the inheritance we receive and the legacy we leave. 

--Think about how exciting this is…when we pray our prayers have no expiration date on them. We never know when those prayers are going to re-enter the atmosphere and bless future generations.

2. We have to be patient in planting and in praying.

--I don’t want to disappoint anyone today but when it comes to God’s promises and miracles they are mostly understood in agricultural terms. We want the speed of light but we get the speed of the seed.

--How great for your family to be looking on Ancestry and find out that their faith started with you and they give thanks to God for your faith from a hundred years ago. Kelly – Family were Methodist circuit riders.

3. We must think long and in terms of eternity. 

--Today we want to look at the life of Daniel…how he prayed faithfully, fervently, and he broke the prayer barrier. 

1. Daniel prayed faithfully.

--Please understand Daniel and his friends were in captivity…any wrong move and their lives could be taken immediately. Interesting that all of them were from the tribe of Judah.

--We see that Daniel, even in adverse circumstances, continued to be a faithful man of prayer. He was away from family and away from the city he loved (Jerusalem). He had opportunity for depression…compromise.

--So many bad choices are made when people are isolated by force or by choice. The point here is this…have a habit of praying before the isolation or adversity comes. 

Proverbs 18:1 (NKJV)
¹  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. 

--Daniel was a persistent man of prayer which is evidenced by his habit, his custom, his willingness to stop, drop, and pray three times a day. Daniel knew how to pray before the trouble came. 

Nissan Mindel - Jewish Law makes it our duty to pray three times daily: in the morning, in the afternoon and at nightfall. These prayers are called morning prayer (shacharit), afternoon prayer (minchah) and evening prayer (arvith or maariv ).

--God used his prayers to sustain he and his friends in Babylon, his prayers gave him the interpretation to Nebuchadnessar’s dreams, and now his prayers will sustain him as he faces opposition.

--Daniel ranks as one of the most brilliant minds the ancient world has ever known. He had the aptitude for both philosophy and science. He was a problem solver. No one could dream or interpret dreams like him.

--The thing that set him apart from all the others was not his IQ but it was his PQ…his prayer quotient. Daniel prayed circles around the greatest superpower on earth.

--Because he knew how to stop, drop, and pray, he brought kings and kingdoms to their knees. Daniel is facing opposition from jealous politicians who are setting him up to fail…so what did he do?

Daniel 6:10 (NLT)
¹⁰  But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

--He didn’t just pray when he had a bad day; he prayed every day. He didn’t just pray 911 prayers when he was facing the lion’s den, prayer was a vital part of the rhythm and routine of his life. 

--Prayer was his life and his life was prayer. What about us? Are we just crisis Christians who only pray when opposition comes our way or do we pray today “just as we have always done”?  

--I would be very unfair to leave out here that Daniel knew there was the potential for him to die if he continued to pray during this 30-day period. Remember what the three Hebrew young men said:

Daniel 3:16-18 (NKJV)
¹⁶ … "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
¹⁷  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
¹⁸  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

--Persistent prayer gets us ready to live and to keep serving if that is what God wills but it also prepares us for death if that is what is required to be faithful to God. 

--Whenever there is a death or a tragedy in our church among our membership, or heartbreaking news comes to our people…it is not hard to figure out who has a deep abiding prayer life and who doesn’t.

--Pastor, I am so glad no one in the 21^st Century has to worry about this kind of persecution or the threat of death for those opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Really? The Voice of the Martyrs this week: Nigeria. 

Voice of the Martyrs - “We’ve got a big infidel!” the Boko Haram fighter suddenly shouted from inside Juliana’s house. Juliana’s heart sank as she watched them drag her husband outside. “Do you renounce Christ?” they asked him. “Will you follow us?” Juliana’s husband remained silent. “Jesus!” she cried out. The Boko Haram fighters slapped Juliana, then ordered her husband to lie down on the ground. They shot him four times, repeatedly chanting “Allahu Akbar!” as they circled his body before moving on to the next Christian house in the village. Juliana knelt beside her husband, pulling his head onto her lap. He was still faintly breathing, and she wanted to hold him one last time.

2. Daniel prayed fervently.

--When Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

--If we are going to be world changers, we have to make the upper room a priority…Daniel made it to his upper room three times a day. Daniel impacted his world by making it to the upper room.

--The twelve disciples changed the world by making it to the upper room and being there on the day of Pentecost. Holy Spirit fell and they turned their world upside down for Jesus. Elijah saw resurrection power:

1 Kings 17:19&23 (NKJV)
¹⁹  And he said to her, "Give me your son." So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
²³  And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives!"

--Maybe the reason we are not seeing revival or seeing the healings we want to see is because we are not making it to the upper room enough. The upper room is where we experience Holy Spirit power!

--Tabitha had died but the good news was they had taken her to the upper room and Peter showed up. He had already experienced upper room power:

Acts 9:39-40 (NKJV)
³⁹  Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, 

⁴⁰  But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

--Listen to me today…if you want Holy Spirit power, you don’t need people pulling on you or pushing on you or spitting on you or telling you to hang on or turn lose…get to the upper room…Jesus will fill you!

--Daniel’s upper room experience was just a foreshadowing of Holy Spirit power coming to the church. The dead are raised, the sick are healed, and the mouths of lions are shut…Get to the upper room!

--Meanwhile back to Daniel… he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

--Daniel had an open heaven because he was obedient to God. Dan. 6:3 He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. He was a godly man of integrity…he knew he had an open heaven.

Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 

--We need to live right and we need to pray for an open heaven…the Jews were taught not to pray in a room that didn’t have a window in it. Pray toward Jerusalem…I will bless those who bless you!

--Daniel has just been given a death sentence and what does the man do…. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. I will bless the Lord at all times!

3. Daniel broke the prayer barrier.

--Man dreamed of breaking the sound barrier…dozens of pilots lost their lives trying to break through…The British eventually put their program on hold when the Swallow disintegrated at Mach .94. 

--A young American by the name of Chuck Yeager would not give up…Oct. 14, 1947, a four engine B-29 took off from Muroc Field high up in the California dessert. On its belly…Bell X-1…climbs to 25,000 feet.

--The rocket engine fires and the plane climbs to 42,000 feet. As the plane approached Mach 1 it began to shake violently…Yeager was having trouble controlling the plane…He had two broken ribs…riding horses.

--At Mach .995 his vision blurred and he got sick to his stomach. Then, as it seemed the plane would disintegrate there was a loud sonic boom…and then eerie silence. 761 miles an hour the pressure shifted.

--Yeager reached Mach 1.07 before cutting the engines desending back down to earth. He broke the unbreakable barrier. Someone today needs to break the faith barrier…the prayer barrier. 

--I believe Daniel broke that barrier…all of his prayers had accumulated before God and all the barriers were removed…You know the rest of the story…He was thrown in the lion’s den but they didn’t eat him…Kosher?

--Daniel is rescued from the lion’s den and his enemies are torn apart by the lions who would not eat him. Because Daniel broke the prayer barrier, God’s higher purpose was accomplished.

Daniel 6:25-27 (NKJV)
²⁵  Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
²⁶  I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.
²⁷  He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. 

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 16

Praying Circles Around Your Walls – 16

Subject: Praying Circles that Last for Generations

by Rick Welborne

Joshua 6:5 (NKJV)
⁵  It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." 

Exodus 20:2-6 (NLT)
²  “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
³  “You must not have any other god but me.
⁴  “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
⁵  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
⁶  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 

--Praying circles…praying circles…Pastor, how long are we going to stay on this series about praying circles? Easy answer…we are going to keep praying circles until the walls fall down flat.

--Already we are getting testimonies about people being healed in our services and about people being set free by the power of God. Pastor, I have not received my miracle yet.

--I have not received everything I am circling in prayer yet, so I keep praying and I keep circling until the walls fall. Honestly, I will be circling things in prayer until the day I die.

--About a month ago I preached a message about circling the walls and talked about hyperlinking our faith and our prayer to God’s Word and to prayer…I knew then that I would re-visit this subject.

1. Our most powerful prayers are hyperlinked to the promises of God.

--Isn’t it true that when you are praying the promises of God (His Word), you can pray with a holy confidence that God, not only hears, but He is going to answer those prayers. 

Isaiah 59:21 (NIV)
²¹  "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.

Mark Batterson – You’ve heard the adage: “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” Here’s a fresh take on an old truth: God said it, I’ve circled it, and that settles it.

2. It is finished.

--It was settled on the cross when Jesus said, “It is finished.” Hear me though…It wasn’t just the final installment on our sin debt; it was the down payment on all His promises.

--No matter how many promises God has made…they are “Yes” in Christ Jesus!

2 Corinthians 1:20 (NKJV)
²⁰  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

--Someone needs to pray like God’s promise to them is “Yes”. I know God’s answer to my prayer is “Yes, the miracle is coming!” As we pray the will of God the answer is yes and amen in Jesus. It is finished.

3. Your answer to prayer may be hyperlinked to someone else.

Joshua 1:3-5 (NKJV)
³  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
⁴  From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
⁵  No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

--Today I want share with you how we can hyperlink to the generations who will come after us. The blessings we are experiencing today are connected to pastors and saints who came before us.

--Again today I honor people like Harriet Browne, Pearl Rockefeller, Naomi Larson, the Ickers, and pastors who laid the foundation…Pastor Ward, Pastor Browne, and Pastor Dykes.

--Don’t you ever believe that all that God is doing is because your present pastor and staff and people have it so much together that we have done this…we were blessed to come after those who cared about future generations.

--So how do we pray circles around future generations?

1. Praying is planting.

--Toward the end of Honi’s (the circle maker) life he was walking down a dirt road and he saw a man planting a carob tree. The inquisitive sage asks…How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?

--The man replied it would be 70 years. Honi asked him if he thought he would be around for another seventy years to eat its fruit? Perhaps not he said.

--The man said when I was born into this world there were many carob trees that I found that had been planted by my father and grandfather. Just as they planted trees for me I am planting for my children and grandchildren. 

--This changed the way Honi prayed…in a moment of revelation, Honi…praying is planting. Each prayer is like a seed that has been planted…it disappears for a season but eventually bears fruit for future generations!

--In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever. Even when we die, our prayers don’t. Each prayer takes on a life, an eternal life of its own. There are people at Life Church who have been saved by the prayer of loved ones gone.

--Kevin and Nicole Johnson are here, not so much because I challenged them at Kevin’s grandmother’s funeral but because of Sister’s Hood’s prayers…her prayers outlived her…her prayers are still chasing people down.

--Prayer is the inheritance we receive and the legacy we leave. Honi prayed a prayer that saved a generation but the seeds he planted saved others. His grandson inherited his prayer legacy.

--People would come to his grandson, Abba Hilkiah, during droughts and beg him to pray for rain. He took the mantle and would go up on the rooftop and pray for rain. Praying is planting!

--Think about how exciting this is…when we pray our prayers have no expiration date on them. We never when those prayers are going to re-enter the atmosphere and bless future generations.

--Think about all the people who have ever attended Life Church and think about all of those people praying and planting seeds of revival…someday that bowl in heaven is going to be filled and tip over…Revival!

--Never under estimate God’s ability to show up anytime, anyplace, anyhow! He has infinite answers to our finite prayers…our problem is want immediate answers…forever is good but we want instant answers. 

--Are we willing to be planters for future generations…are we willing to die to ourselves for future children and grandchildren? Jesus is our ultimate example.

John 12:23-25 (NIV)
²³  Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
²⁴  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
²⁵  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 

--Jesus being planted has brought forth wonderful fruit for 2000 years…His prayers for us on this earth and His prayers at the right hand of the Father is bearing much fruit. 

--Are we willing to be praying, planting, and to be planted (willing to die to ourselves so we can bring forth fruit). That’s when you are the most effective.

2. We have to be patient in planting and in praying.

Russian Comedian Yakov Smirnoff immigrated to the United States and he said his favorite thing about being in America was the grocery stores.

Smirnoff – I’ll never forget walking down one of the aisles and seeing powdered milk; just add water and you get milk. Right next to it was powdered orange juice; just add water and you get orange juice. Then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, What a country!

--We live in a quick fix get the answers right now society…just google it or bing it. We don’t want to just have our cake and eat it too, we want the instant brand…give it to me now!

--We want to reap the same moment we sow but that is not the way it works with praying circles and dreaming big. We need the patience of the planter. We need the foresight of the farmer. The mindset of the sower.

--Because we are surrounded by technologies that make our lives faster and easier we have a tendency to look at God and His promises the same way. Some TV evangelist tell us to give that vow and it comes right back.

--I don’t want to disappoint anyone today but when it comes to God’s promises and miracles they are mostly understood in agricultural terms. We want the speed of light but we can the speed of the seed.

Luke 8:15 (NCV)
¹⁵  And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear God’s teaching with good, honest hearts and obey it and patiently produce good fruit.

--Did you hear it…it patiently produces good fruit…it means that you have to wait for it. NIV says that by persevering you produce a good crop. You have to be patient.

--When we plant seeds, when we pray, when we invest in future generations, God does wonderful things...text:

Exodus 20:2-6 (NLT)
⁵  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
⁶  But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 

--When we are patient in planting (when we do not think it is all about us) God will lavishing unfailing love for a thousand generations. 

--How great for your family to be looking on Ancestry and find out that their faith started with you and they give thanks to God for your faith from a hundred years ago. Paul speaking to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
⁶  Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

3. We must think long and in terms of eternity. 

--Instead of thinking about our own lives and our own time, we must think in terms of eternity. Instead of us thinking about ourselves, we must think in terms of our children and grandchildren. 

--Maybe instead of thinking about the next seven days we should be thinking about the next seventy years like Honi did as he left his prayer legacy. 

Isaiah 57:14-19 (NLT)
¹⁴  God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.”
¹⁵  The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
¹⁶  For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made.
¹⁷  I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
¹⁸  I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn,
¹⁹  bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far,” says the LORD, who heals them. 

--Our job today is to remove obstacles out of people’s lives so they can return to the Lord but since God lives in eternity, we pray and plan to remove obstacles of those coming after us. Those both near and far.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)
¹¹  Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.