Choose Your Reward: Jesus on Rewards

Choose Your Reward: Jesus on Rewards

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When our focus is on Jesus, we see that our public life is fueled by our secret life, which leads to a multiplication of lives impacted for the Kingdom of God.  

• The Public Life 

• The Secret Life

• A Life Multiplied 

The Public Life 

What we do for Jesus in the public place will determine our reward in the eternal place.  

People have made many foolish and costly decisions to publicly identify with groups without a sure reward.  

https://fox4kc.com/news/70-of-chiefs-fans-who-suffered-frostbite-at-bitter-cold-playoff-game-need-amputations/

Matthew 5:9-12

”"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.“

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are called to be peacemakers in the world around us. 

We do this by introducing a peace with God through the gospel and peace between people with that same good news.  

The Secret Life

What we do in the secret place builds who we are for Jesus in the public place.  

Matthew 6:1-6 ESV

”"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

What you sow into when only God’s eyes are on you will determine your reward.  

Jesus says that we should learn to give in secret, fast in secret and pray in secret, so that God might see what is done in secret and reward us.  

It is about the motivation of the heart, where we think our rewards come from and whose reward you truly desire.  

People say today that “if you don’t post about it, then it didn’t happen.”

We are pressured today to be a walking advertisement of our resume, our accomplishments and our experiences to convince others around us how good our lives are.  

And we think that if we do this well, somehow we won’t feel left out and will quiet the nagging voice that necessitates us convincing ourselves that our lives are actually worth living.  

But think about how fleeting is other people’s praise and how enslaving it is to validate your existence by continually feeding the beast of public approval.  

God wants to free you from this and bring you into a quality of life that only he can provide.  

In this way, your happiness is not determined by how much money you have amassed (or has passed through your fingers on pleasure seeking expenses), but on how much you have given - and your reward will come from God who cannot be outgiven. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.“

How do you think God will reward your giving?

How will he reward your prayers?

How will he reward your fasting? 

When you do these things without looking for public accolades, God rewards your with supernatural provision in your life, answered prayers and supernatural power to break yokes in your life and others. 

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Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?“

Jesus said that we should lay up our treasure in heaven and not on earth.  

Make no mistake about it, your heart will ultimately follow the places where you put your money.

You want to make sure that your heart is continually aligned with Jesus, sowing into eternal things, things that will last and that God will reward, and not just the temporary things that we would enjoy.  

God created a mechanism for us to do this well by requiring the tithe from his people, where we acknowledge God’s provision with the first and best ten percent of all of our increase/income (Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 26), sowing it into Christ’s Kingdom affairs and asking God’s hand of blessing to be upon all that we put our hands to.  

Offerings go above and beyond the tithe to freely and joyfully contribute to the ongoing work of the Lord (II Corinthians 8+9).  

An example of this is serving organizations like Safe Families that help keep children out of the foster care system that Ben and Kendall Foote can tell you about.  

God also provides you with the ability to be free of the tyranny of money, knowing that he will provide for you as you serve him alone as your master. 

How do we do this in our daily living?

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Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬-‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.“

Thanks to many of your faithful tithes and offerings over the years, we have been able to not only preach the gospel and make disciples faithfully, but we now have a church building in Roger’s Park that we will be calling our home for future services, to expand the impact of the gospel in Chicago, in addition to our continued Sunday morning services here in Lincoln Park.  

As we continue to cultivate our relationship with Jesus in these manners, when only his eyes are on us, we will have the strength to walk with Christ when other people’s eyes are on us as well.  

This will lead to lives multiplied as the gospel is preached by us and lived through us. 

A Life Multiplied 

Jesus laid down his life for us so that we might be reconciled to God - that the impact of his mission would be multiplied in us and through us.  

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John‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.“

Like Jesus, we need to live for something that is truly bigger and longer lasting than the fleeting time that we have on earth in its present form - we need to live for the eternal Kingdom of God.  

Study after study shows that this is one of the key ingredients to a sustained happiness in life. 

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/23/10/mental-health-challenges-young-adults-illuminated-new-report

When seeds are sown, they metaphorically die in the ground in which they are planted that they might eventually be positioned to bring forth additional life.  

Every seed planted in faith is done so with the hope of bearing more fruit.  

Every aspect of our lives are seeds to be sown for Jesus and his eternal Kingdom. 

Jesus would lay down his life at the cross - a single, innocent life sown in sacrifice to pay for our sins - that through his death,  burial and resurrection, many souls might be born again, and through him, enter into eternal life.  

As Jesus was lifted up on the cross over two thousand years ago, and is continually lifted up through our sharing of the gospel today, he promises to draw all men to himself.   

May the lifting up of Jesus be the focus of all of our giving, our praying and our fasting that he might reconcile this lost and dying world to God.  

And like Jesus, how can we today reevaluate how we will lay down our lives so that as we sow in our giving, prayers and fasting in the secret place, it might result in the great reward of the life of Christ being multiplied in countless souls being redeemed in the Kingdom of God? 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Praise and Pain

Choose Your Reward: Praise and Pain

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Praise from God is greater than praise from people and comes with an enduring reward. 

• Tell Me That I Matter

• Love of Praise 

• Praise from God

Tell Me That I Matter

We all want to feel like we matter in life - we need to get that affirmation from God.   

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Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. "Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."“

When I love God first and well, I am better able to love the other important relationships in my life - whether they be parents, spouses, children or friends.  

When we allow God to maintain the preeminent, right place in our lives, it allows us to order every other relationship and decision that follows well. 

Seeking affirmation is not a bad thing - as long as it is for the right reason and from the right source.  

Why is this difficult at times? 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_ONMJFkuXBo

1:54-4:32 

Having affirmation from God who does not change allows you stability in life.  

It allows you to prioritize healthy Kingdom choices and make difficult decisions amidst people who do change.  

Whose praise do you covet the most in life? 

What will you do to get it?

What are you willing to do to keep it?

If your highest value in life is not praise from God, it will lead you to compromise and sin.  

Living for the praise of God alone provides certainty, security and stability in your soul (your mind, will and emotions).  

It is your access to what we so desperately crave - which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit of joy and peace. 

Love of Praise 

What we think that praise will bring us is peace - but it will only bring us peace if it is coming from the right source. 

This is why loss of a loved one can be so difficult, because in them we found, at least temporarily, a source of love, acceptance and a perceived peace.  

 Melancholy by Albert György in Geneva, Switzerland 

This is what grief is.

A hole ripped through the very fabric of your being.

The hole eventually heals along the jagged edges that remain. It may even shrink in size.

But that hole will always be there.

A piece of you always missing.

For where there is deep grief, there was great love.

Don’t be ashamed of your grief.

Don’t judge it.

Don’t suppress it.

Don’t rush it.

Rather, acknowledge it.

Lean into it.

Listen to it.

Feel it.

Sit with it.

Sit with the pain. And remember the love.

This is where the healing will begin.

Monica Bobbit

Yet is there peace beyond the temporal? 

When we set our focus on Jesus, it leads to a lasting, eternal joy and peace. 

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Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.“

What does it say about your state when you live for other people’s praise?

What does it say about you when you live for God’s praise? 

Living for God’s praise alone does not mean that you have the right to pendulum swing to being a jerk, an independent or an isolationist.  

It means that you love people well when you’ve been grounded in the palpable, enduring love that God has for you.  

Praise from God

Desiring praise from God is what led Jesus to the cross and ultimately to our hope of resurrection life.  

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John‬ ‭5‬:‭30‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"“

God will ultimately test the motives of our hearts.  

Proverbs 16:2

”All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord.“

What we see in Jesus is that something had to die that we might actually live.  

In your personal life:

What is it that needs to die in your life, that has a death grip on you, that you might actually live?

In terms of our call to make disciples:

To what are you willing to die so that others might actually live?

Your reputation?

Your free time?

Being able to do all that you want with your money? 

Your feelings of acceptance from those who might not love God but whom God loves?

Because Jesus lived for the praise of the Father alone, he was able to live sinlessly, perform miracles, die sacrificially at the cross for our sins and rise victoriously from the dead so that we might have new life in him.  

Let us turn from putting our hope in anyone or anything else above Jesus to make us healthy, happy or whole.  

Let us live for the praise of God alone to know him, experience his freedom and make him known offering the life that is truly life to others through the gospel.  

In doing so, we will be both free and motivated to obey this life-giving command:

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ NIV

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Balaam and Balak

Choose Your Reward: Balaam and Balak

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When God speaks, we must learn to obey - for his glory and our good.  

Numbers 22-24

• God Has Spoken 

• Say Again? 

• Don’t Negotiate, Trust the Cross 

God Has Spoken

When God speaks, we need to take him at his word so that we and others might be blessed.  

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭1‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?" And Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.'" God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you." So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."“

We need to stop looking for omens and trust what God has already said. 

What has God already spoken to you about - in his word and through prayer that he expects you to obey?

“There is no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they have known God, and God has known them, and that this relationship guarantees God’s favor to them in life, through death and on for ever.”

-J.I. Packer

Say Again?

What God has blessed, no man can curse. 

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Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭15‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.'" But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me." And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you." So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.“

Have no doubt about it, Satan and his hordes will try over and over again to throw you off track with God, just as Balaam attempted multiple times to have Israel cursed.  

Each time the devil tempts, the deal will seem sweeter and sweeter to you, and he’ll show you different angles from which to look at his offer. 

The good news is that God is resolute. 

Relationally:

The good news is that in this spiritual battle in which we find ourselves, God is for us, not against us, and is intent on blessing his people.  

“Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.”

-J.I. Packer 

When we have enemies who arise, because of the righteousness of God and the cross of Christ, even in our imperfections, we remain in the grace of God because he has called his children blessed.  

Covenantally:

When God has spoken by his word (what is revealed in the Scripture) he is communicating to us what he has and will bless.  

No amount of desire, reasoning or cultural shifts will change that - because God is disclosing his immutable character and giving us the blueprints of his all-wise design in creation.  

Yet if we persist in trying to find ways around God’s clearly stated commands and decrees, we will reap the consequences of it.  

Israel would see this later as they gave themselves over to sexual immorality with the Moabites.  

Trying to add or subtract from God’s commands is sin and leads to death. 

God continually says that he opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble; that unless we become like children, we will never enter his kingdom (Matthew 18:3; I Peter 5:5). 

Yet we’ve become like modern oracles with all of our instant access to information deeming it wisdom.  

Yet knowledge and wisdom before God lead to life giving instruction.  

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.“

Knowledge can be cheap and easy to attain - wisdom is found in God’s unchanging word and is gained at the price of humbling ourselves and listening to his instruction.  

I get nervous if my wife and I have been in a disagreement and eventually she says with a certain tone, “that’s fine.”

It usually does not mean that she agrees, but that she is no longer willing to argue and that the consequences of my decisions are now in my hands.  

God’s discipline and wrath are revealed when he turns us over to what we desire (Romans 1:18-32) despite his commands that are contrary to our choices.  

God’s mercy is revealed when people in our lives who we have looked down upon thinking they are less educated, skilled or experienced can be the very voice of God to turn us away from folly and to Christ.  

This was the case with Balaam and the donkey.  

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭22‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you." And the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" And he said, "No." Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live." Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back." And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.“

Who has it been in your life that has attempted to act as an obstacle to sin and folly?

How have you treated them?

How were your eyes opened to the impending consequences of your choices?  

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.“

Don’t Negotiate, Trust the Cross

When God has spoken, we should not expect him to change his mind. 

Balsam’s Second Oracle 

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭18‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And Balaam took up his discourse and said, "Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought!' Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain." And Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all." But Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell you, 'All that the Lord says, that I must do'?" And Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there."“

We often persist in our negotiations with God hoping that he will change his mind.  

However, God has made it clear that he does not change his character, his mind or his commands, regardless of the fluctuating convictions of the environments in which we live.  

What have we tried to hold onto in life, thinking that it held our great reward, that God has told us to let go?

The things that we hold onto that God has told us to let go will be disappointing in the end.  

What I thought to be my numismatic coin collection:

When we understand the cross, we will begin to trust God more in every circumstance because:

1. We know that God loves us and wants what is best for us, demonstrating this in that he was willing to lay down the life of his own beloved son to save ours. 

2. We know that whatever we endure is not the end of the story since through Christ’s resurrection, those who trust and obey him are ushered into an eternal good that far surpasses anything that we feel we might have lost.   

When we embrace these two truths, our prayers begin to change to seek God to fortify our trust in his divine will rather than trying to hold onto what we perceive to be better, our temporary gain. 

Balaam’s negotiation with God was different from Jesus’ prayers offered at Gethsemane.  

Jesus asked the Father if there was any other way, yet when the Father answered, Jesus did not go back to the Father to get a different answer, but the resolve and strength that he needed to go to the cross. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."“

Because God has spoken and Jesus has obeyed, we have immutable benefits from the cross of Christ.  

“Readiness to die is the first step in learning to live.”

-J.I. Packer 

Let’s trust Jesus by picking up our cross daily to truly live in the best that he has for us as we focus on God’s glory and he focuses on our good. 

Balaam’s Fourth and Final Oracle 

‭‭

Numbers‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬, ‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 

And he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

Choose Your Reward: Judas Iscariot

Choose Your Reward: Judas Iscariot

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Your relationship with God must be seen as priceless - as reflected by the cross of Jesus Christ. 

• What is the Value of Your Relationship with God?

• What’s Your Price?

• The Price of the Cross

What is the Value of Your Relationship with God?

Jesus is worth all that we have - worth every act of devotion. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭6‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her." Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.“

What is your devotion to Jesus worth to you?

Everything is a trade off and you are always sacrificing one thing for another - whether it be your time, use of your talent, relationships or treasure. 

What’s Your Price?

If there is a price on our love for Jesus, we will eventually sell out.  

‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.“

Judas was up close and personal with the one who held all good things in his hands.  

Yet it wasn’t enough for him.  

Judas was focusing on what he didn’t have rather than what he did.  

That discontent led him into sin.  

How has God been good to you?

A good rule of thumb in life is be about God’s business and he’ll be about yours. 

The question we all need to eventually ask ourselves to deepen our love and expression of that love for God:

What can I do without for the sake of and advancement of God’s Kingdom?   

This becomes the essence of living a life of sacrifice.  

I Samuel 2:30 NIV

“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”

How are you trying to profit from Jesus rather than simply being blessed by following him? 

How are you using Jesus for your own selfish ends?

This is serving Jesus according to your own whims and desires. 

If you are doing this you are positioning yourself to eventually sell Jesus out. 

The Price of the Cross

Jesus demonstrated the greatest form of love by laying down his life to reconcile repentant sinners to God.  

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭27‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."“

Who or what is more valuable to you than Jesus?

For what would you trade your relationship with God?

For what or whom can you be bought?

Ultimately, for what are you willing to die and spend an eternity in hell?

‭‭

John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.“

Why is it all worth it?

“It is a matter of glimpsing that in God's new creation, of which Jesus's resurrection is the start, all that was good in the original creation is reaffirmed. All that has corrupted and defaced it--including many things which are woven so tightly in to the fabric of the world as we know it that we can't imagine being without them--will be done away. Learning to live as a Christian is learning to live as a renewed human being, anticipating the eventual new creation in and with a world which is still longing and groaning for that final redemption.”

-N. T. Wright

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

The Road to Emmaus

The Road to Emmaus 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: When you meet the resurrected Jesus, he opens your eyes to change you and save your life.  

• Botched Expectations 

• Broken Bread 

• Burning Hearts 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭1‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.“

“there is an important difference between the apostle martyrs and those who die for their beliefs today. Modern martyrs act solely out of their trust in beliefs that others have taught them. The apostles died for holding to their own testimony that they had personally seen the risen Jesus. Contemporary martyrs die for what they believe to be true. The disciples of Jesus died for what they knew to be either true or false.”

-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

Botched Expectations 

We all have expectations in life that get shattered because of sin and death. 

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭13‬-‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."“

Issue #1: 

I had skepticism in a world of options. 

“You cannot go on 'seeing through' things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man

What I began to see:

“We can start with approximately nine traditional authors of the New Testament. If we consider the critical thesis that other authors wrote the pastoral letters and such letters as Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians, we'd have an even larger number. Another twenty early Christian authors and four heretical writings mention Jesus within 150 years of his death on the cross.  Moreover, nine secular, non-Christian sources mention Jesus within the 150 years: Josephus, the Jewish historian; Tacitus, the Roman historian; Pliny the Younger, a politician of Rome; Phlegon, a freed slave who wrote histories; Lucian, the Greek satirist; Celsus, a Roman philosopher; and probably the historians Suetonius and Thallus, as well as the prisoner Mara Bar-Serapion.  In all, at least forty-two authors, nine of them secular, mention Jesus within 150 years of his death.

In comparison, let's take a look at Julius Caesar, one of Rome's most prominent figures. Caesar is well known for his military conquests. After his Gallic Wars, he made the famous statement, "I came, I saw, I conquered." Only five sources report his military conquests: writings by Caesar himself, Cicero, Livy, the Salona Decree, and Appian.  If Julius Caesar really made a profound impact on Roman society, why didn't more writers of antiquity mention his great military accomplishments? No one questions whether Julius did make a tremendous impact on the Roman Empire. It is evident that he did. Yet in those 150 years after his death, more non-Christian authors alone comment on Jesus than all of the sources who mentioned Julius Caesar's great military conquests within 150 years of his death.

Let's look at an even better example, a contemporary of Jesus. Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor at the time of Jesus' ministry and execution. Tiberius is mentioned by ten sources within 150 years of his death: Tacitus, Suetonius, Velleius Paterculus, Plutarch, Pliny the Elder, Strabo, Seneca, Valerius Maximus, Josephus, and Luke.  Compare that to Jesus' forty-two total sources in the same length of time. That's more than four times the number of total sources who mention the Roman emperor during roughly the same period. If we only considered the number of secular non-Christian sources who mention Jesus and Tiberius within 150 years of their lives, we arrive at a tie of nine each.”

-Gary R. Habermas, The Case For The Resurrection Of Jesus

Broken Bread 

Jesus comes to reconcile us to God and fill the void that is present in our broken souls.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭25‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.“

Issue #2: 

I had motive for a lack of morality. 

"I had motive for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves. … For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political." --Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means (London: Chatto & Windus, 1946), pp. 270, 273

Jesus gave me a better option:

John 6:35-40 ESV

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." 

I, those on the road to Emmaus and others were transformed by encounters with the living Jesus.  

"Transformations often occur even based on false causes, but there is a qualitative difference here. It is generally acknowledged that almost anyone who is willing to die for something genuinely believes in that cause. But the chief similarities stop here. Jesus's disciples suffered not only for their belief in a cause, but precisely because they thought they had seen Jesus after his death. In short, their transformation was not simply due to their beliefs, as is the case for those who live and die for other causes, but was expressly based on their experience with the risen Jesus. Without the resurrection experience, there would have been no transformation."

-Gary Habermas

Burning Hearts 

When God is calling us, our hearts burn within us yearning for the promise of a second chance - resurrection life found in Jesus.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭32‬-‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.“

Issue #3: 

I had to allow Jesus to cross my intellect and my will. 

Who’s to say?

“If the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak, then these things are perfectly natural. On what basis, then, does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?”

-Timothy Keller

Would God ever cross me?

“To stay away from Christianity because part of the Bible’s teaching is offensive to you assumes that if there is a God he wouldn’t have any views that upset you. Does that belief make sense?”

-Timothy Keller

“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”

-Timothy Keller

What about suffering?

“The basic premise of religion—that if you live a good life, things will go well for you—is wrong.  Jesus was the most morally upright person who ever lived, yet he had a life filled with the experience of poverty, rejection, injustice, and even torture.”

-Timothy Keller

The blind men and the elephant. 

Jesus is self-revelatory truth and was the solution. 

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭36‬-‭49‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!" But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Gethsemane

On Prayer: Gethsemane 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: The end goal of prayer is coming into perfect submission and agreement with the will of God. 

• In our Hearts 

• In our Minds 

• In our Actions

In our Hearts 

The point of a life of prayer is to get to the place where, like Christ, we say “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Leading up to Gethsemane, Jesus was able to walk through a high moment that we recognize during Palm Sunday. 

‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭36‬-‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, "Sit here, while I go over there and pray." And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, "So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."“

On the eve of the biggest decision that Jesus would ever make, holding the fate of the world in his hands, he went to pray. 

Jesus’ disciples were with him, but he took his inner circle even further to the place where he would bear his soul.  

May it be that we would desire to be so intimate with Christ that he would bear his soul regarding the world today with us.  

Don’t try to be a spiritual cowboy or hero. 

People spin out way more often than we’d like to admit in the name of being spiritual, when really what they’re being is simply unaccountable in their independence.  

It said that Jesus “went a little farther” to pray. 

You need to stay close enough to your godly support, even while in prayer, that you can have accountability to stay on the straight and narrow.   

Jesus took with him three of his closest companions in Kingdom affairs, for support for his troubled soul, imploring them to keep watch with him.  

Sometimes the will of God can feel like death to our souls.  

This is the essence of the cross, of which Jesus already warned, 

‭‭Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭21‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.“

When has the will of God felt like death to your soul?

Have you avoided it or embraced it?

Though they helped Jesus to keep watch, they could not pray for him or make the decision that Jesus would have to make.   

Jesus fell on his face and prayed.  

Jesus appealed to his Heavenly Father who he knew loved him and had what was best for Christ and the whole world in mind.  

Jesus prostrated himself as an ultimate act of humility saying, Father, you are in charge.  

Jesus began with ultimate honesty realizing the task at hand and admitting that he did not want to do it.   

He asked the Father for another way to accomplish his will, if possible, but acquiesced in deference to the Father’s plan and will saying, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

Papa knows best

The difficult part reconciling with the will of God in our hearts is trusting, as Christ did, even as he acknowledged:

‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."“

“God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.”

-Timothy Keller 

In our Minds 

When we submit to the plan of God, we are fortified to do his will.  

We need to be fortified in prayer to do the will of God, especially when a cross is involved.  

Jesus came back and found Peter, James and John sleeping. 

How often have we fallen asleep from sorrow or while having to wait on God?

Be warned, we can fall asleep at the most critical hour in our walk with God.  

Mercifully, Jesus comes to wake them up and reminds them to watch and pray.   

Jesus reminds them to, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

The answer to a holy, set apart life where God is fulfilling his purposes in you and through you is one where you don’t just agree that Jesus is who he said he is, but you are staying awake, watching and praying that you might not fall into temptation and be pulled off the path.  

Judas, who walked with Jesus, is an example of this and we’ll speak more about him next week. 

“Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep change—the reordering of our loves. Prayer is how God gives us so many of the unimaginable things he has for us. Indeed, prayer makes it safe for God to give us many of the things we most desire. It is the way we know God, the way we finally treat God as God. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life.”

-Timothy Keller

How is the spirit willing but the flesh weak in your life?

When have you failed to watch and pray? 

What has it produced in your life?

“The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray.”

-AW Towzer

Sometimes, submitting to the will of God is a process.  

Jesus went a second time to the Father, saying,

"My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." 

Resigning to his ultimate destiny at the cross to sacrifice himself to pay for the sins of humanity, Jesus reaffirms the point of his and all of our lives - that God’s will would be done.  

*Have no doubt about it - God’s will for your life will always come with a cross to bear.  

The good news is, just like with Christ, the is resurrection and eternal reward on the other side.  

Are you in pursuit of God’s will for your life, even as it comes with a cross to bear?

How could you easily escape that will?

How could you choose something different?

Do you have a heart to have God’s will in your life done above your own or anyone else’s?

Jesus comes back and finds his support sleeping two more times.  

Mark 14:40,41

And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.  And he came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.“

You have to get to a point in your life when you are so locked into God that you are going to press on, despite what family members, friends or even co-laborers are doing around you. 

Matthew 26:44

So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.

Pray until you are convinced. 

*There are times when you have to keep going back to prayer to BUILD YOUR CONVICTION so that you can follow through on the will of God.  

Matthew 26:45,46

Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand."“

This is the mark of a true spiritual leader. 

Once Jesus established his conviction, he was able to go back to the disciples and mobilize them for the hour at hand.  

Through prayer, Jesus was able to gain the fortitude to become, through action, the savior of the world.  

In our Actions

When we submit to the will of God, we order our lives accordingly.  

*Submission to the will of God is the victory, the end result because you are doing your part in seeing God redeeming and making all things right in the end.  

No matter how many times you stumble, you go again to prayer, that the transforming work of Jesus, including your complete freedom, might be fully be realized in your life. 

This applies to your struggles within and in regards to your struggles with people without.  

“It is hard to stay angry at someone if you are praying for them. It is also hard to stay angry unless you feel superior, and it is hard to feel superior if you are praying for them, since in prayer you approach God as a forgiven sinner.”

-Timothy Keller

Luke 22:43-46

And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation."“

Not if, but when things get difficult/hard as you attempt to do the will of God, the answer to getting through is prayer.   

After living blamelessly, Jesus would sacrificially go to the cross, to fulfill the Scriptures so that anyone who would repent of their rebellion and put their trust in his atoning work would receive the gift of eternal life by his resurrection from the dead.  

Let’s go to him daily, bearing our cross, so that we might receive his eternal reward as we submit to his perfect will.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: King David on Prayer

On Prayer: King David on Prayer 

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Prayer is always the right response to express our dependence on God and invite his miraculous intervention. 

• The Right Response 

• Dependent 

• Inviting the Miraculous 

The Right Response 

Prayer is the right response to all of life’s circumstances. 

It keeps God involved.  

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Psalm‬ ‭109‬:‭1‬-‭4 ‭ESV‬‬

”Be not silent, O God of my praise! For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. 

David goes on to speak about the wickedness of his attackers and what we’ve all felt at times - that the treatment that he was receiving was undeserved. 

However, David makes his appeal to God. 

Psalm 109:21-31 ESV

But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me. I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt, with no fat. I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they wag their heads. Help me, O Lord my God! Save me according to your steadfast love! Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it! Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad! May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak! With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise him in the midst of the throng. For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.“

You should develop the habit of reading  the Scripture and praying at the same time. 

As you read the things that God has said, pray for him to work that part of his will into your heart, your family’s life, the life of your church, nation and the nations.  

Fasting while in need should be a practice to focus our dependence on God.  

Dependent

Prayer communicates dependence. 

God cares about relating with you.  

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.“

Dead religion is the result of knowing about God but not relating with him.  

Thus you have a “form of godliness yet deny its power.”

God cares about OUR battles.  

Self-sufficiency is a key to frustration, limitation and failure in the Kingdom.  

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Psalm‬ ‭108‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer me! God has promised in his holiness: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter. Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph." Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.“

There are some battles that are personal and there are others that are corporate.  

We see David not just praying for himself, but his people in Israel who were surrounded by nations continually threatening their existence and the worship of God.  

David understood that there is no battle too small or too great that does not require God’s supernatural intervention.  

*We should regularly pray for that which only God can do. 

No one goes to war alone - we need to stop doing so in prayer.  

Prayer meetings are a great place to learn to pray for others - just as reading the Psalms gives you a picture of Holy Spirit led prayers offered by David and others. 

Some people say: “Prayer is more caught than taught.”

“Nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than praying together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other's hearts in prayer.”

— Charles Finney

Thanos says that he is “inevitable.”

The devil tries to give us gloom and doom reports he proclaims are inevitable as well:

There is no hope for you to overcome your sin. 

Your fate will be just like your family’s

The fate of our city and nation are doomed.  

Yet with one act, God can rewrite the story. 

God started changing things at the cross of Christ, crescendoed with Jesus’ resurrection and poured out his Holy Spirit to continue his work through his people today! 

*When we pray, both individually and with the saints, we step into God’s ability rather than man’s to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.   

In Avengers: End Game, Dr. Strange said of all the possible scenarios, there was only one that would lead to their allied victory.  

It was Tony Stark sacrificing himself while using the Gauntlet to rewrite the history Thanos had destroyed.  

Play this clip:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yu6WaM2u82I

Psalm‬ ‭109‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.“

Psalm 108:11-13

“Have you not rejected us, O God?  You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.“

In the same way, the only way out of the falleness and brokenness of the world around us is by coming into God’s supernatural ability through prayer where miracles can be released. 

Inviting the Miraculous 

Prayer invites the miraculous.  

Jesus was the better David making appeals to his Heavenly Father for the miraculous.  

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

”During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.“

All of Christ’s prayers had his redemptive purposes in mind. 

He prayed in such a way that miracles would take place, people’s true needs would be met and God would ultimately get the glory as he brought about people’s good.  

When a desperate father came to Jesus (prayer to God) asking him to deliver his son from a spirit that was repeatedly trying to destroy the boy’s life, this is how Jesus replied:

‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes."“

“Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”

— Charles Spurgeon

While living a life of prayer and ministry of the Word of God, Jesus released revival in his time and desires to do the same with us as we pray and preach today. 

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

”“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

On Prayer: Paul on Prayer

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Prayer is God’s plan for fueling our hearts and all Kingdom advance. 

• My Prayer for You

• Pray for Me

• Wrestling in Prayer

My Prayer for You

Paul was continually praying for the church and so should we. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.“

We can learn to pray for others by learning to pray the things that Paul prayed for the church.   

The Holy Spirit was not only the author of the Scripture, using the men who wrote it as tools, but the Holy Spirit also highlighted through their writing the things about which we ought to be concerned and that for which we should pray.  

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Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV

”Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.“

Praying the Scriptures is an excellent way to learn to pray and have confidence that you are praying in alignment with the will of God.  

As you pray the Scriptures, you learn God’s heart, see his focus and have your desires molded to conform to his.   

Pray for Me

Paul asked that prayer be made for him as he ministered the gospel of Jesus - and so should we. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,“

*We should not expect what we do not pray for!

Prayer is like the air support that clears out the enemy in the heavenly places before the ground troops engage on land. 

Prayer is the assurance that you have waited on God for direction, have appealed to him to go before you, be with you and continue to cause things to grow in every endeavor as you serve him.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.“

“Life is war.  That’s not all it is.  But it is always that. Our weakness in prayer is owing largely to our neglect of this truth.  Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief.  It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den.  God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world.  Prayer gives us the significance of frontline forces and gives God the glory of limitless Provider.  The one who gives the power gets the glory.  Thus, prayer safeguards the supremacy of God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.”

-John Piper

Our leaders who are the front lines need prayer as surely as we do in our daily lives, aspiring to do the same.  

As we pray for others we see them in the light of the cross, needing the same mercy, forgiveness and grace that we do to stand. 

I will love people like Jesus to the degree that I pray for them. 

Even as we are exhorted to pray without ceasing, setting aside a time of prayer each day ensures that you are making space for God to perform miracles by his intervening hand!‬‬

Wrestling in Prayer

Our aim should be to wrestle in prayer that those that we’re serving and serving with may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.   

Lest you ever think that it was only Paul or the apostles who prayed in this manner…

‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.“

God, without question, uses prayer and the exhortation of other believers filled with the Word of God to keep us running the race with Christ, and away from the trappings of the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for pleasures/other things that Jesus said come to choke the word of God, making it unfruitful in your life.

Have no doubt about it - prayer is work whose payoff is seeing the miraculous hand of God move!

As surely as evangelism, discipleship and parenting your children is a labor of love, so crying out to God on behalf of others is Biblically an invaluable use of time and energy!

Jesus wrestled in the garden of Gethsemane on the way to the cross. 

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

On Prayer: Jesus on Prayer

Pastor Rollan Fisher

Focus: Jesus gives us perfect instruction on how we should pray. 

• With Impudence

• With Persistence 

• With Faith

With Impudence 

Jesus instructs us to pray with impudence and confidence in the Father’s heart.  

‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"“

We come to God in prayer to know him, through experience, as our holy, gracious and loving Heavenly Father.  

A life of worship and prayer is the end goal of all of our spirituality - everything begins and ends with our relating with God (John 4:24).  

‭‭

Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV

”He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.“‬‬

You were made by God and for him - 

The 1647 Westminster Confession begins with:

What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

The importance of church community in “our daily bread…”

It’s one thing to hear about someone, another to know them through spending time with them in their presence and in the company of those who also know them (example).  

“In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets... Hence true Friendship is the least jealous of loves. Two friends delight to be joined by a third, and three by a fourth, if only the newcomer is qualified to become a real friend. They can then say, as the blessed souls say in Dante, "Here comes one who will augment our loves." For in this love "to divide is not to take away.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Relating with God in his word and prayer is how you learn his mind, his heart and his priorities - his plan for our lives.  

All of the zoe life of God comes out of that place and should inform our business (what we do with our time, our work and what we pursue). 

Our hearts and our lenses must be first shaped and aligned with Jesus in prayer. 

“First, Thy name, Thy kingdom, Thy will; then, give us, forgive us, lead us, deliver us. The lesson is of more importance than we think. In true worship the Father must be first, must be all.”

-Andrew Murray who ministered for 60 years in the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa in his book, Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Impudence can be defined as a boldness, audacity or even brazen disposition.  

The more time that we spend with Jesus, in his word and in prayer, the more confidence we have in his goodness, his kindness, his ability and his willingness to do miraculous things for his people and Kingdom.  

 When we have confidence, we dare to ask for amazing things. 

“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”

— E.M. Bounds

With Persistence

Jesus tells us to pray with persistence.  

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"“

Persistence is equated with faith in the mind of Christ.  

People can be disappointed through unanswered prayers. 

God will never contradict his truth, nature or will and never obligates himself to answer prayers that are not for his glory and our ultimate good.  

What we think is good and what God knows to be best are often worlds apart.  

The Christian must learn to trust God - this is the nature of faith as we walk with Jesus in the unchanging nature of his Kingdom purposes. 

We must first know the word of God, to make sure we are aligned with the heart of God, before we choose to be persistent with God. 

‭‭

1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.“

“We will never be happy until we make God the source of our fulfillment and the answer to our longings. He is the only one who should have power over our souls.”

-Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Woman

With Faith

Jesus modeled that we receive faith and power for each day of Kingdom work when we start with him in prayer.  

‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬

”And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.“

It is not enough to simply think about prayer or agree that it is good - we must get up and actually pray!

God wants our first and our best of each day!

What you give God in the morning sets the course for everything else. 

“The amount of time we spend with Jesus — meditating on his Word and his majesty, seeking his face — establishes our fruitfulness in the kingdom.”

— Charles Stanley

Time with Jesus in the Word and prayer illuminates the gospel, draws us to the cross and sets us on fire for God’s kingdom purposes.  

Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher