Colossians, Part 2: Prayer That Changes The Church
Type: Wednesday Evening Service
Series: Colossians
Sermon: Part 2: Prayer That Changes The Church
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Jeff Booth
This message explores how prayer, thanksgiving, and spiritual wisdom transform believers from the inside out, enabling them to discern God's will and walk in His purposes. The teaching emphasizes that spiritual maturity comes not from religious performance but from spending intentional time with Jesus, allowing the Holy Spirit to build Christ-like character through daily surrender. Believers are called to slow down, walk closely with God, and operate in spiritual discernment that impacts others while bearing fruit through patient, Spirit-empowered endurance.
ℹ️ Tip: The video is set to start at the beginning of the sermon, but you can scrub the playhead to any part of the service. ℹ️
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Oh, it's good to be in the house of the Lord.
I love Wednesday. days and uh man i really do believe that what happens on wednesday night is so key for our weekend and in in plowing up ground and preparing The way for the Lord to have his way when there are guests in the room on Sunday for hearts to be impacted with the gospel.
And the love of Jesus that doesn't just come from this pulpit, but it comes from you as you're walking and meeting people in the lobby and sitting next to people, they experience the love of Jesus.
Amen.
I know when I first came here, Terry and I visited, we were almost like, could y'all back up just a bit?
It's like the kindness and friendliness was overwhelming.
And it's a good thing, because it ain't like that everywhere.
Sometimes you walk into some churches and you think people are just by looking at you saying they don't want you to come in.
But here everyone is welcome.
I'm so thankful for that.
We're going to jump into this uh part two of the Colossians series, and I've titled this Prayer That Changes the Church.
Prayer That changes the church as we continue tonight.
Uh, we've already seen that Paul's life.
There are three things I hope that you caught.
Maybe you're reading through that little book of Colossians, you know, to kind of be in sync with the messages.
I don't know, but you'll notice three distinct characteristics that Paul uh uh there that's evident in Paul's life is prayer, thanksgiving, and an outward focus.
Everybody say prayer, thanksgiving, And an outward focus.
A focus and attention on others despite what we might be going through.
You'll find these three marks throughout this entire epistle this letter that Paul has written and you'll actually find this in other letters that he's written as well And he's Paul is writing and instructing the believers and Colossae to draw on that inner strength of the Holy Spirit And we too at Oxford Assembly must be reminded and encouraged to do the same, to draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit and not lean on our own strength and our own understanding.
The strength of a Christian.
The strength of our Christian faith is not through outward laws, but it's through inward character that comes through the Holy Spirit Can I say that again?
The strength of our faith is not through outward laws, do's and don'ts, but through an inward character that comes from the Holy Spirit.
And him building our lives.
Paul prayed that Christ might inner believers through the open door of faith To dwell in their hearts and to imprint Christ's nature on their mind, their will, and their emotions.
There's an old saying that says, prayer changes everything.
Everybody has heard that before?
And sometimes you want to kind of I don't know, play around with that and argue with that because you're like, well, God changes everything.
But it's it's that accessing the power of God through prayer and intercession.
Prayer changes everything everything.
Prayer changes our hearts.
It changes our minds.
Prayer changes how we see people and how we love people.
Hello, somebody.
As we seek the Lord, if we're really praying and seeking the Lord, as we get closer to Him, He unveils and reveals things within us that we need to die to so that we can truly love and see people the way that He. sees people.
Prayer brings strength to our spirits.
Prayer releases healing.
When we prayed just a moment ago, don't think that was a little patty cake, little whatever kind of prayer, but God is moving in the room and while the waters are being stirred, let's move out and trust God to do what might seem to be impossible, but God is really awesome at doing the impossible.
Prayer releases healing.
Prayer, listen to this.
Prayer reveals the future before it unfolds.
Ah, we have the ability to impact the future through our prayer and intercession.
Does anybody at all give a little wave offering if you believe that?
And those of you that aren't waving, we'll hope that faith will rise in your hearts.
You will see that as you pray, you can see things change and you can make a difference in future events as you seek the Lord and pray according to his will.
Prayer releases heaven's power into our lives.
Prayer softens hearts.
Prayer will save the lost, will heal the sick, will set the captive free.
Because when we pray, we're inviting the God. of the universe, the God who is there's no one like him, no one can ever take his place, the God that spoke everything into existence.
We're calling on God when we pray to come down and intervene in the affairs of our lives. our community, our nation, and the world.
I'm just gonna back up a little bit.
Didn't mean to say this, but I just thought about this as I was praying.
I feel like the church missed it during the Obama years.
Oh yes I do.
I truly believe and you this is you this is not in the word, this is just me.
The church blew it Because we criticized instead of praying.
We judged instead of supporting and praying and interceding for God's will.
Do you not know that God can turn a man's heart?
Do you know not that that God is one who lifts one up and brings one down?
Some of you looking cross-eyed at me like right now, like I'm a crazy man.
I believe if we would have prayed, we'd have seen some different things take place, and we wouldn't have gone through some things that we went through.
I believe that with all my heart I believe the church was opposed.
Instead of, our responsibility is not to get online and tell everybody what we think. about leaders.
The Bible tells me that I am to pray for my leaders, for those in authority over me, so that we could lead peaceful lives.
Hello, somebody.
Because it's God desire, his desire, that all men come to salvation and to repentance.
But when we choose to to just criticize and begin to give our opinions instead of pray, we're going to get what We really don't really want.
Are you hearing me tonight?
We have the ability to change history with our prayers.
I just thought I would add that.
Oh, that we would be truly a people of prayer, that we wouldn't talk about prayer.
I remember many years ago I was in a small group and and uh we were a young couple at the time and we had a a man from Africa named Uce that was uh in our small group and the man could pray.
And he would say things to me at times like you're not much of a prayer warrior, are you?
I'm like, excuse me.
He said, your knees aren't worn out.
Your pants are good.
Yeah.
He wasn't being condemning.
He was he was challenging to me, Jeff, be a prayer warrior.
Seek God for everything.
Get in God's presence and watch God change situations.
Watch God move as you call upon him Call upon his power.
Oh, that we would be a people of prayer, that we may learn from the Apostle Paul.
Let's go to verse 9 here, chapter 1, verse 9.
And so from the day we heard We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled, somebody say filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Having served in full-time pastoral ministry for over 31 years now, this is one of the most often asked questions that I get.
What is God's will for my life How do I know God's will for my life?
We know that Scripture is clear that it's God's will that all men be saved.
Hello.
It is God's will that you be attached to his body, the local church, and that you not just attend, but you participate and serve and are fully engaged in the mission to go and make disciples of all nations.
So we've got to start right here in our community.
Amen?
We know that scripture's clear about this.
It's God's will that you have a job and you work.
Oh, only one amen on that.
Wow.
There are many obvious areas of God's will that he makes clear to us through his word.
Then there are areas where you need to know for your personal life.
Who should I marry?
What career path should I take?
And we see in Colossians one and nine, Paul is talking to the body of believers in Colossae about having the ability to literally know beyond a shadow of a doubt what the will of God is for your life. for situations, for circumstances, and he's speaking of have having personal revelation.
He's wanting us to have Revelation, revelation knowledge and spiritual knowledge, not just intellectual head knowledge.
Some of us can quote scriptures, but but we don't have any revelation knowledge of that scripture.
We can buzz the bell for Bible quiz and we can check the box off, but it has we have no revelation of what that scripture God wants to give us spiritual knowledge and understanding, not just information, but revelation. of God's will, plan, and desires for your life.
To experience revelation knowledge from the Lord speaks of revealing, unveiling, unmasking, making it known and making it clear when it's just not clear for you.
You don't have to be confused.
He's not the author of confusion.
God wants to make it plain and clear to you.
You don't have to be confused.
Paul is praying for this type of revelation for the church in Colossae.
It's about understanding, listen, God's purposes and God's direction.
About God's purposes and direction.
This revelation only comes through the Holy Spirit wisdom and spiritual insight.
When Paul says that he's praying that they be filled with the knowledge of God's will, when he says filled, Paul is praying that the Colossians will be completely influenced.
Somebody say influenced, completely influenced and directed by the knowledge of God's will and his plans.
I have to stop often and ask myself in various situations, am I being completely influenced and directed by God's knowledge and revelation, or am I leaning on my own human understanding and intellect?
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.
When he speaks of wisdom, he prays specifically for the Colossians to have all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Listen, it's the ability to apply truth to their lives.
To operate in spiritual wisdom is to live in a way that is tuned in to God's way.
I can't help it, but this young man in Texas that's running for office and standing behind a pulpit and saying the most absurd things is just so he is one who has head knowledge But he doesn't have revelation knowledge.
A religious spirit, but he's not, I'll be careful, filled with the spirit.
If he was filled with the Spirit of God, he wouldn't be saying the things that are against God.
You can look cute, look dressed, and just have the right performance and the right charisma.
And people will believe whatever you say if they're not discerning.
God wants us to be discerning, to be able to Decipher between truth and deception.
Am I in the right church tonight?
See, the world's wisdom focuses, listen, on the outward appearance.
The outward appearance of knowledge and special insights, listen, that thrill our natural senses, our intellectual pride, and even our sensual lust.
That is human wisdom, the world's wisdom.
God's wisdom is focused on Jesus, where we find true insight, true knowledge about the nature of life both here and there.
And in the hereafter.
When Paul is talking about spiritual understanding, it's discernment given by the Spirit.
Discernment, listen, is deeper than intelligence.
It's sharper than just our instinct.
Discernment is spirit.
I'm just laughing because I'm seeing my mom whoop my hind in years ago in a situation.
She had just I just appreciate it.
She had discernment She had, I thought she had eyes behind the back of her head, but she had discernment.
She had spiritual knowledge and understanding.
Hello And she came and got me out of a couple messes that thank God she did, because my life would be very different had she not operated in that discernment.
How much Is God wanting his church to operate in spiritual wisdom and knowledge and discernment to literally snatch people from the flames of hell?
Are y'all with me?
It's not about people on the platform, it's people in the pew.
It's not about people up here in some maybe in your mind it may look like a performance or something.
I love it when people say, that was a good speech you gave, preacher.
I didn't give a speech, man.
I declared the heart of God on a matter.
Are you hearing me?
God wants you to operate in such a way with discernment that you can literally impact people's lives and and and direct them from darkness into light.
Somebody say amen.
Discernment is spiritual clarity in real-life situations.
Seeing what is unseen Being prompted by the Holy Spirit of God to direct you when that direction looks different than the reality you're facing.
I can think of different times and seasons in our lives where Well you had to make a big decision and it's like, God, show us the way.
And and you'd have the peace of God or you would not you'd have the lack of his peace.
The Lord I was I was telling my wife today I was reminding her you need to tell our youngest son this experience that we had because he's making a big decision in his life.
Somebody gave him a scriptural reference that was really good. wanted her to remind him that when mom and dad were making a big decision, mom was in one location, dad was in another location, and God spoke the same word to us through both speakers.
And and pricked our hearts and we came together.
And I said, you know what I think God is saying to us is we're supposed to do this.
And she said the same thing God will give us that wisdom, that knowledge, that understanding, but we have to spend time with Him.
We'll get to that in just a moment.
Paul is praying for the Colossians.
Man, I have six points in 20 minutes.
Paul is praying for the Colossians that they would embrace the fullness of the experience of the Holy Spirit.
Church, embrace all of the Holy Spirit.
All of the Holy Spirit.
I love Pastor Tom how he leads in these areas when the gifts are operating because you know what?
Sometimes we're gonna make mistakes.
We're human.
Sometimes we're gonna give a word that's gonna be like I don't think that one was from God.
But you know how you grow in your gift is to be taught about your gift.
Hello?
Not to just be free to do whatever you want, but when that gift is used, if it's out of order, that in love you're directed so that you can have discernment when to give that gift.
Are y'all with me?
We want God to move and all the gifts to operate.
The fullness of the Holy Spirit.
And God wants that operating in your life to the full.
This comes by spending time in his presence and his word, shutting the world out, and letting the kingdom of heaven in.
It's intentional and it's disciplined.
Paul goes on in verse 10 to say, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit.
Somebody say, bear fruit.
Man, we want he wants us to bear fruit.
He wants us to reproduce.
And as we reproduce disciples, those disciples reproduce and that we are reproducing the fruit of the spirit in our lives.
Hello somebody.
My wife got on me because I was, I think I said something last week about the fruit of the Spirit, and this week we were traveling and I blew it.
I'm the only good driver in America.
I want you to know that.
And just so y'all know, the passing lane If people behind you, get over.
The slow lane is the right lane.
The fast lane is the left lane.
And if I come up on you and flash my lights, just move on over Hello somebody.
I don't think that's in the Bible, but it's something to take note of.
Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing.
Somebody say increasing Increasing in the knowledge of God.
He wants us to move from glory to glory to glory, to go to deeper depths in our understanding of who God is and our relationship with Him.
The result of of having revelation knowledge and an intimate relationship with God through Christ is that there is real life change.
There is transformation.
He wants us to be transformed.
He wants people to be able to look at you say, you're not who you used to be.
God is doing something in you, or what or there they may be an unbeliever.
Say, I don't know what happened to you, but you're not, you you don't act like you used to, you don't talk like you used to.
What is different about you?
You're you're smiling, you're happy.
What where did you get this joy from?
You're being transformed.
You're not who you used to be.
When Paul is speaking here about a manner worthy of the Lord, he's talking about walking your talk.
We say a lot of things, but then we don't walk it out.
To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord is to be fully surrendered.
I'm not talking about perfection church, but I'm talking about growing and being transformed.
This time next year, you look different.
Something you've grown in an area that is very visible to others.
You've grown in your knowledge and understanding of who God is.
Your life is being changed.
Walking your walk, living out what you say you believe, no matter how opposed to culture it may be.
It's not about giving people religious answers to their questions, but it's living out in daily life the truth of God's word that you say you believe and you you say that you've you're you're putting your faith and trust into you, it's living it out.
I love how Paul uses this phrase, walk in a manner worthy.
Can I just can I hang on that word walk just for a minute?
We're in such a fast-paced society.
We want our food quick.
We want we want there to be no problems in transportation and flying and it's not There's all kinds of problems with that.
We want things fast.
We want our church service to be full of the Holy Ghost and just power, but get her done in 55 minutes so I can get on in my fast-paced life out there.
We we just we Paul says walk.
You know, some of the most memorable moments in my life with my family, even in ministry, is when we have slowed down.
And we've been able to just look at God's beauty around us.
That we've been able to slow down and enjoy our time together.
I love our daughter.
She's the oldest, but she is, we'll go on vacation, travel 15 hours somewhere, and she'll want to get there and drive eight hours to another location just to shop.
And then at 1015 we've got to get back in the car and go over there because at 1215 we have to be there.
And the schedule has to be you have to be on the schedule.
She really just wants us to have a great time.
That's what she does.
Me, I'm already planning my Saturday.
If the weather's good, I'm gonna be at the beach with a chair with my umbrella and I ain't moving for a while.
And I'm just going to listen to the waves.
I'm going to close my eyes and feel the breeze.
I might ride my bike a bit.
Just to listen for God speaking to me.
Slow down and hear God talk to me.
Push the clutter out and listen for the voice of God.
There was a man named Charles Austin Miles.
He had a deep devotional, a meditation on the resurrection story that transformed his personal life.
And the part that really got him was the part where Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Christ in the garden.
And Mary is is weeping because she looks in and there's two angels there.
And Jesus is gone and and she turns and Jesus is there.
And she doesn't recognize that it's him at first.
And then this is why he just says, Mary.
And she realizes who he is.
See, sometimes if you'll just slow down, you'll hear God call your name.
And he just wants to spend time with you.
He wants to speak to you.
He wants to download Some information, some love to you, some peace to you.
Miles described as he was thinking about this passage in John 20, verse 11 to 18, while he was studying that He said the scene became vivid in his mind.
He was kind of visualizing being there with Mary and Jesus.
And it captivated him and it just got his attention.
And he said, it seemed that I was standing in the garden with Mary, and I was just listening to her conversation with Jesus.
As he imagined that moment, these words began to flood his mind and his heart, and this melody began to to come into his mind, and and he began to say I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses.
And the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.
He goes on to say, he speaks And the sound of his voice is so sweet, the birds hush their singing.
The melody that he gave to me within my heart it's ringing.
If you'll spend time with him, he'll give you a song.
You might be discouraged, but if you spend time with him, just walk with Jesus.
He'll give you a new song to sing.
And I love this.
He says, I'd stay in the garden with him.
I love that line.
When you hear the Lord's voice and you experience his presence, I don't want to go anywhere else right now.
I just want to stay on the mountaintop right now and spend time with him.
Though the night around me be falling, but he bids me go through the voice of woe.
His voice to me is calling.
And you know this.
And he walks with me, and he talks with me.
And he tells me I am his own, and the joy we share As we territory, none other Has ever known.
Did you catch that line?
You've sung it probably a thousand times or more.
But he said, and the joy we share.
He's not talking about us.
And the joy we share as we tarry there, as we just walk together and talk.
There's nothing like it.
He reminds me of the two walking along the road, and Jesus was walking with them in Luke 24, 32, and they said this, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way?
And while he opened up the scriptures to us.
Our theme for this year is fresh fire.
Can I tell you you don't need a song to get fresh fire.
You don't maybe even need a sermon to get fresh fire.
You might need somebody to lay their hands on you to get fresh fire.
But you You need to walk with Jesus on a daily basis.
And I'm telling you, he will give you fresh fire for the journey.
He will empower you to be a witness for him, but to be one who reflects his character everywhere that you go.
See, to be transformed as you walk with him, you'll find four marks that reveal a worthy walk unto the Lord.
Number one, you'll be pleasing to God.
You'll obey his word.
You'll be fully, humbly surrendered to him.
Number two, you'll bear fruit through good works.
You'll understand That you're now to be spirit-led to serve others just as Christ came to serve, not to be served.
He's wanting us to serve others.
Third, there's a continued, obvious growth. knowledge of God.
I know we're going to have new groups meeting.
Church, we we're going to grow bigger than maybe you even planned.
But you know how we get strengthened is when we're in small communities together.
We have this whole as a gathering on weekends and on Wednesdays.
But there's something when we spend time together and we're knitting our hearts together.
And we can see growth taking place in our lives.
And people can see that there's a hunger and there's a growth in the knowledge of God.
And fourth, that you're living a life that reflects Christ.
That when people see you, and once again, I'm not talking about perfection, church.
But I'm sure some of you have had things said to you like, man, there's just something about you.
When you walk in the room, it's almost like the atmosphere changes.
Because it does.
Because a king of glory is inside of you Hello?
That's overwhelming.
That's incredible.
But we carry his presence everywhere that we go, and it impacts people's lives.
Verse 11, Paul says, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.
The prayer of Paul for the church in Colossae is a prayer of true empowerment.
How we start this journey matters.
But that space between the start and whenever we breathe our last and we leave this planet is critical that we are empowered with spiritual strength to endure the test. trials and sufferings of this life.
Matthew twenty four thirteen says, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.
All of us in this room probably know friends, family, other people who used to be in church.
They're no longer in church anymore.
They've drifted away because they stopped being dependent upon the Spirit's empowerment.
And they began to drift away.
Y'all with me?
We have to be daily dependent upon the Spirit's empowerment so that we can endure to the end.
Just like the church at Colossae, we should pray for one another to have a spirit of endurance, to be empowered to endure to the end, to press through the struggles of life, reflecting the character of Christ.
And allow the Spirit of Christ to empower us.
Though our source of strength is by God's glorious might and not by our own human ability, there is a huge element. of us denying our flesh.
I think Paul said, I beat my flesh daily into submission Because I do the things I don't want to do.
And I don't do the things I'm supposed to do.
And I have to deny this flesh daily.
Y'all looking at me like you never have to deny your flesh.
We do till the day we die.
We have to be filled with his spirit and empowered so that we might endure.
See, the purpose of God's strength and empowerment is endurance.
It's perseverance.
You need spiritual empowerment.
Listen to me.
This is for everybody in this room because nobody in this room gets to escape making disciples.
Nobody We're all called to that, to making disciples.
You need spiritual empowerment to have patience and long-suffering with people People who give their hearts to the Lord, they come to an altar, or you lead them to Christ at a restaurant or somewhere else, and yet a week later they're still smoking, drinking, cussing, and carrying on.
You need patience.
You need to be long-suffering.
You need to remember from whence you came.
And some things didn't fall off immediately.
Some things the Lord had to deal with you over time.
And it's not your job to do the inner work.
It's your job to lead people to the one who does the inner work.
It's our responsibility to point them to Jesus.
Can I tell you the disciples were a motley crew?
The Lord had his hands full with those twelve.
He had to work with them.
Hello?
He was patient with them.
We need to be patient for the ones that are going to come in that have been in lifestyles that repulse you.
We've got to be patient.
We have to be long-suffering with those who have habits that you never struggled with.
But you're exactly who the Lord wants to help disciple them and lead them closer to Jesus.
I remember there was a man in our church back in Omaha.
We were in the hood and this dude owned like 400 rental properties in in that part of the city.
It was very low income area.
And uh he came to the altar And he'd want prayer, and I'd say, I won't call his name because he might be a watch.
He'd say, I need prayer for this blankety blank, step it up and And the first time he used that language at the altar, I kind of went like that.
And I wanted to just go, give me that oil and smack it on him.
Good.
Make sure it took the first time, you know.
I never said a word to him He came to the altar time and time again for different needs.
He really, he studied God's word.
I'm not kidding.
He studied God's word.
And he'd come to the altar and all of a sudden that language was gone.
It was changing.
And I didn't have to tell him, listen, bro, I love you, but we're in a church.
Don't say that.
The Holy Spirit was doing the work as we loved on him and as we kept pointing him to Jesus.
And as he was disciplined to study God's word, he took it seriously.
And he didn't want to offend the Lord with his language.
Can I tell you the Lord will do the work if we'll love on people and just point them to the Savior?
And lead them, talk to them about scripture, but let the Lord do the cleaning on the inside.
Listen, the Apostle Paul, listen carefully.
Paul never prays for easier circumstances.
But he prays for greater spiritual strength.
Sometimes we say, God, get me out of this.
We need to learn from Paul and say, Lord, give me patience and give me greater spiritual strength to endure this and that I would be refined.
Because that's fire, friend.
That's going through fire.
And he will purify you.
Spiritual maturity is revealed.
Listen, through our joyful perseverance.
I'm not going to mention their names, but there's a couple people even in this room tonight that I I've told them at different times and don't tell them enough.
But their life of joyful perseverance and love for Jesus in the midst of life's most disappointing and devastating events. have impacted my life and my wife's life.
And we are marked by it.
We are challenged by it.
If my sister or my brother can go through that and have a smile and the joy of the Lord, I want that.
I want more of that.
That is a sign of maturity.
One of the first staff meetings here, I was kind of ticked off because I don't know what the conversation was, Pastor Scott, but I remember Pastor Tom said, life is hard.
It's just terrible.
Life is hard.
And I just like, in the name of Jesus, I rebuke that spirit, you know, in my mind, in my heart.
But I had to sit back and say, you know, life is hard.
For some people, it's like really hard.
And why sometimes it seems imbalanced, I don't know.
But I know this, that God's power working in us can give us joy, and we can make an impact in people's lives by the way we walk through fire.
And life's devastating disappointments that bring glory to God.
Are you with me tonight?
We need to know that God has joy for us in the midst of trials.
Verse 12 he says, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you, somebody just shout qualified, qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
We talked about this a little bit last week, so I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time, but Paul is praying that they would have a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving He has such a thankful heart for his salvation, he can't stop giving God praise for it.
When we pray, And and this is a prayer that changes the church.
Can I tell you, when we pray for one another, we we can pray for needs, but can you just shower and sprinkle your prayer with thanksgiving and gratitude?
Because we enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise.
I'm telling you, before Before I ever start asking God for anything, I just take time to thank him, to just bless him and give him praise for all that he's done, all that he's doing, that I'm here and I'm not where I used to be.
I'm God is doing a work in my life.
I was th Paul talks about being qualified.
What's the scripture say they're qualified God is Father has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints.
I've been to about 15 different nations and I've been to uh Japan about 10 times.
And I was on a trip once to to Asia, went to India, Thailand, and Cambodia, and always had to sit in the back of the plane.
Like tickets are like 1500 bucks or 2200 bucks.
And I remember on one leg of the flight we were getting ready to jump on the next leg.
And uh a guy on the team comes up to him and says, hey Jeff, you're in first class tonight on this this leg of the flight.
I said, excuse me?
You're in first class.
I've never flown first class Joe, I know that my first my business class ticket to Japan was $8,000 and first class is $15,000 to Japan.
I'm like, I can't afford that.
He said, I got you covered.
Oh right.
I'm qualified I sat in that seat like I belonged.
I made myself at home because I didn't know if I'd ever do it again and I haven't done it since.
And I just made myself at home Somebody qualified me for that position and for that seat.
Somebody paid the price for me to sit in that seat and to have a level of luxury and comfort I'd never experienced on a plane before because I was always in the back just cramped in trying to get an aisle seat to get one leg out to stretch it.
You know what I'm saying?
Can I tell you Paul is talking about being thankful.
Because Jesus paid the price and qualified us, made us fit for the inheritance with the saints in light.
Somebody say amen.
Jesus paid a debt we could never pay.
And our hearts should be filled with gratitude.
Honestly, when we think about it, we think about what Christ has done, it should just propel us to go tell others that they might experience what we've experienced.
I need to hurry.
Cindy, come to the piano if you would.
I've got two more points, and it'll be about 820 by the time we're done.
Verse 13 says, He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son.
I want you to be reminded tonight that you have been rescued.
You've been rescued.
Jesus has rescued us from darkness and brought us into light.
I remember the old song, I've been delivered.
I've been delivered.
The hold that Satan had on me, he ain't got no more.
Hello?
I've been rescued and delivered by Jesus.
Let me remind you tonight that humanity lives under a spirit spiritual darkness and bondage.
Turn the news on when you go home for about three minutes.
That's all you need to see the chaos of the world.
It's in darkness.
God has brought us out of darkness into light.
It's a rescue mission.
Two spiritual realities took place.
Through the cross of Christ.
You and I were delivered, somebody say delivered, and we were rescued from Satan's authority.
We were then transferred and moved into Christ's kingdom forever.
We are over here in darkness.
Trapped, held bondage and captive by Satan himself in our fleshly desires.
Jesus, we place our faith in him.
He moves us out of darkness.
He moves us from that kingdom into the world.
To his kingdom where we'll abide forever and we'll abide in his light.
That's what he's done for us To whom much has been forgiven, that one loves much.
I've always been a crazy guy when it comes to telling people about Jesus, but Billy, you kind of You kind of over the top there, brother.
I love it.
I love it.
Through junior high, high school, all of our years, I just want people to know what I have found in Jesus.
It compels me to compel others to meet Jesus.
Verse 14 says, Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Redemption.
Redemption means we have been purchased or ransomed from slavery.
He purchased us with his own blood.
One definition of redemption says it's like this: the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment.
The blood of Christ has given us possession of eternal life.
There's a song by Michael English.
Called Redemption.
And I love it.
Tonight's sermon is filled with songs for some reason, but he said it feels like redemption raining down on me.
Like forgiveness has come to set me free and Jesus has come to set us free.
All my chains have been lifted Because when the hands of love touch a broken life, it feels like redemption.
Say goodbye, the past is ending.
Say hello to a new beginning.
He's given us a new beginning.
Amen.
No more night.
The sun is shining.
It feels like redemption.
I want us to stand tonight and team, you can come.
And I'd like to close this way if we could.
I know.
We've stood a lot during worship and But I want us to I want us to take Paul's prayer and just for a few minutes.
If you if you need other prayer, if our if our prayer team could come, any members that are here that want to pray with people If you have a specific need you need prayer for, would you step out just now so we can we can pray for you?
Don't wait.
Don't wait.
If you have a need, our team's ready to pray for you.
Pray with you.
Believe God for whatever you need tonight.
Step out and let them.
Let them pray with you.
But the rest of us, could we do this?
Can we just begin to if you have your spouse near you, just grab their hand.
If you're a family, grab hands.
I just believe in touching. and agreeing together.
If you have a if you're friends and they feel comfortable doing that, if you don't, don't worry about it.
But if we could, let's join hands and let's begin to pray and believe.
Can you pray, begin to lift your voice now?
For Oxford Assembly, for the church, for your brothers and sisters in this room.
Can you pray for your brothers and sisters to receive revelation knowledge and wisdom to know God's will?
There's some who are struggling in this area tonight.
Pray that this church would be filled.
Filled with the revelation knowledge of God and the wisdom of God, to know his will, to be able to discern what to do, how to do it, to know that he has ordered steps for us and to walk in those steps.
Begin to pray. that God would grant revelation knowledge to your brothers and sisters in this house.
Then begin to pray for real transformation in our lives here at Oxford Assembly, that we would all move from glory to glory to glory.
Begin to pray for your brothers and sisters in this room.
Begin to lift names up.
Maybe even your family members.
Begin to lift them up and begin to just ask God, Lord, help us to have transformation.
By the power of your spirit, transform us.
More into the image of Christ.
Let the old man be swept away.
And Lord, may all things be made new.
God, let transformation take place in our hearts and in our lives.
May we be transformed. form more in the image of Jesus, Lord, that we would serve like Jesus, that we would love like Jesus, that we'd make disciples like Jesus, that we would we would pray for healing and see people healed like Jesus as you've empowered us.
To pray for the sick and they would recover.
Begin to pray that we learn to slow down and walk with Jesus.
Lord, help us to walk with you.
Help us, Lord, to Push back on the fast-paced life and Lord to make room for you to walk with you so you can talk with us so you can speak to us.
God, help us as we make room for you, Lord, to hear your voice.
And to know your will to grow in our walk with you.
Take a moment and begin to pray for spiritual empowerment for your family to be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to endure.
Begin to pray that your family, not one of them, there will be an Acts 16, 31 salvation, your entire family will be saved and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live a life that pleases God and honors him in every way.
Speak that blessing over your home.
That Acts 16, 31, not one of my children, not one of my grandchildren will be lost, but we will all come to saving faith and knowledge of Jesus.
We'd be empowered to endure to the end.
Now just close your eyes and lift your hands heavenward and just begin to thank the Lord for a moment.
Take one minute and just thank God for his salvation.
Thank God for his Holy Spirit.
Thank him for his word.
Let the Lord bring People into your mind to be thankful for the one who led you to Jesus.
Be thankful for this house of worship, this body of believers that God has allowed us to be a part of and to be a family.
Begin to thank Thank God that his plans are good for your life, that his desires are good over you.
Lord, we love you tonight.
We praise you tonight.
We thank you, Lord, for your presence in this place.
We give you glory, we give you honor.
In the mighty name of Jesus.
Say amazing, say amazing grace has me.
What now I found was mine, but now I see 'twas grace, twas grace.
Let's taught my heart to feel and grace by ears ready.
Precious year that grace will be we are ever speaking to God.
Chains on all I've been served by God myself has rest of me.
And I go thy mercy reigns, unending grace, amazing grace.
My chains are gone, my chains are gone.
I've been sent free, my God, my save.
Has ransomed me and like the club his mercy reigns unit the love.
We're going to continue to worship the Lord.
If you need prayer, our team will be here for you.
But if you need to go, we just send you in the power of Jesus' name to live it out and to show our world the Lord. love of Jesus.
God bless you.
We look forward to worshiping together again this Sunday.
