WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.879 The theme of tonight, the thing that we're going to try to talk about is our church values. 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:15.380 ! And some of you were here a week ago Saturday when we had a bit of a vision day where we gathered together. 00:00:15.380 --> 00:00:19.859 We talked through some of these and the values were named at that point. 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:27.760 But you might remember what we're trying to do with the values is 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:38.620 the nice thing about thinking about a church as opposed to another type of organization is that we don't have to start from scratch. 00:00:39.320 --> 00:00:46.140 The Bible, God gives us scripture and his outline for what we're to do. 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:51.079 So we don't have to wonder what's important to us or what should be important to us. 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:57.719 So when we think about the values of West Kilburn or of any number of churches that may be out there, 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:05.359 it shouldn't be something that surprises us, I guess, is a good way to put it. 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:07.420 It should be things that we know. 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:18.479 And so I think the interesting thing is, so why are we putting values out that we're naming six things or seven things or whatever the number is? 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:20.099 So why would we do that? 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:27.319 And it's really sort of, I think maybe, you know, the gospel outlines all these things and the Bible tells us. 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:34.979 But sometimes it's helpful to have a little bit of like gospel shorthand to remind us to have like, you know, 00:01:35.019 --> 00:01:41.139 a few phrases, a few things to help us hold on to those things that we know that God has taught us 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:46.859 and teaches us in his word to tell us what to do as a church and how to think. 00:01:46.980 --> 00:01:49.299 And so it's helpful to have a few of these. 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:57.060 And so what the leaders have done and what we are proposing is sort of just let's pull out a few things that are, 00:01:57.420 --> 00:01:59.640 we know are important because God has said they're important, 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:07.680 and will help us as a church body together kind of have language that we share and be able to say, 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:09.919 yes, no, this is what we stand for. 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:12.780 And to remind ourselves kind of on a regular basis, like, 00:02:13.020 --> 00:02:17.400 what are the things that we stand for that God has pointed out to us? 00:02:17.420 --> 00:02:19.439 So we have a variety of things. 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:20.599 We'll be going over them. 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:26.080 But the one we're going to talk about today is that effectively we depend on the Lord. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:31.040 And this is where the text from Daniel earlier came to that. 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:33.040 But that's our topic. 00:02:33.260 --> 00:02:36.020 That's the value that we're starting with today. 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:41.920 And I think as Christians, this shouldn't be a surprise, right? 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:48.500 I think particularly those of you in this room, right, we know we're to depend on the Lord, right? 00:02:48.500 --> 00:02:56.120 And so what I hope today and tonight is is not me teaching you anything particularly new, certainly. 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:02.240 But it's not to convince you that this is something that we should value. 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:08.539 But it's just sort of to guide us and to help us think collectively about what this is, 00:03:08.620 --> 00:03:11.000 how this might be true of us, right? 00:03:11.340 --> 00:03:13.439 It's one thing to say I depend on the Lord. 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:16.580 It's another thing to actually depend on the Lord. 00:03:16.580 --> 00:03:18.200 And so that's what I want us to do. 00:03:18.340 --> 00:03:20.440 So we're going to start with a couple of questions. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.520 I want you to talk about it. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:26.340 So this isn't going to be me giving you all the answers. 00:03:26.660 --> 00:03:30.560 But let's start here, and this will help us frame what comes next. 00:03:30.980 --> 00:03:36.340 So in the groups that you had or something similar, I want to talk about these two questions. 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:43.000 What does it mean for a church or an individual, for that matter, to depend on the Lord? 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:50.500 And to kind of push that one step further is what would a church look like if that wasn't the case? 00:03:51.139 --> 00:03:57.900 What might it look like if a church did not depend on the Lord? 00:03:58.259 --> 00:03:59.159 What would those things look like? 00:03:59.219 --> 00:04:01.300 So two-ish minutes. 00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:08.319 Go move relatively quickly and just address those two questions. 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:10.019 And then I'll come back. 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:17.000 Nice. 00:04:18.339 --> 00:04:19.259 So I hope that was helpful. 00:04:19.500 --> 00:04:23.980 And I'm not going to get you to bring or to say what you said out loud. 00:04:24.019 --> 00:04:27.939 I just think it's helpful to have some context and to be thinking around. 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:42.740 So, again, my hope is that we've got kind of three episodes, moments, sort of scenes that happen in Scripture that I'm going to raise for us to consider. 00:04:43.560 --> 00:04:53.939 And I'm going to resist the impulse to make a lot of conclusions and applications. 00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:56.019 And I want you to do that in a bit. 00:04:56.019 --> 00:04:57.599 And then we'll talk about those. 00:04:58.339 --> 00:05:08.299 So I hope you're thinking tonight and not just letting words hit you in the face and you do nothing. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.919 So you're going to have to engage with this a little bit. 00:05:11.659 --> 00:05:12.939 So I know I'm asking a lot. 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:13.699 It's Sunday evening. 00:05:13.959 --> 00:05:16.659 You're probably trying to think about Monday morning already. 00:05:16.660 --> 00:05:22.280 But let's engage with what God has for us this evening. 00:05:24.260 --> 00:05:25.200 So I've got three. 00:05:25.320 --> 00:05:26.180 Three different things. 00:05:26.680 --> 00:05:28.420 And put those up there, Seth. 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:35.379 So there's three characters or three episodes, three kind of moments that we'll look at. 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:37.800 One is this guy, King Hezekiah. 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:40.640 That one may or may not be familiar to you. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:48.639 There's a scene from the book of Acts with Peter and King Herod. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:53.519 And then some words directly from Jesus from the book of John. 00:05:54.039 --> 00:05:58.439 But I just want to raise each of these three things, kind of consider them together. 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:03.379 And then we'll talk about kind of the application and implication for us in terms of dependence on the Lord. 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:05.579 So King Hezekiah. 00:06:06.879 --> 00:06:13.439 So you find his story in Two Kings and also in the Second Chronicles. 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:15.659 If you can go ahead and flip there. 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:17.279 I'm not going to read both chapters. 00:06:17.719 --> 00:06:19.120 I'll paraphrase it for us. 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:23.519 But it would be helpful to have it out because we will look at a couple of the verses that are there. 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:27.659 So King Hezekiah is king of Judah, which is the southern kingdom. 00:06:27.980 --> 00:06:28.860 He's in Jerusalem. 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:37.920 And when you get to 2 Kings 18, it says that he became king when he was 25 years old. 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:40.939 And he reigned in Jerusalem for 29 years. 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:46.540 And it says in verse 3, 00:06:46.699 --> 00:06:52.300 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.480 And he removed the high places. 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:59.620 He smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 00:06:59.819 --> 00:07:11.080 So these were foreign gods, foreign idols and things that had found their way into the community in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. 00:07:11.660 --> 00:07:16.200 And previous kings that had come had sort of let these things happen. 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:23.839 And Hezekiah comes in and because of his belief in the Lord, he removes these things. 00:07:23.979 --> 00:07:32.379 And he brings, basically this is, he's bringing the nation back to looking at the Lord and saying, 00:07:33.039 --> 00:07:40.620 We need to praise and worship the God and not just whatever God we feel like is coming up. 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:42.120 So we have this Hezekiah. 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:42.819 He's a good king. 00:07:43.160 --> 00:07:44.579 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:47.180 And he pointed the people back. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:54.519 And so there, we get in 2 Kings and in Chronicles, it kind of covers the stories together. 00:07:54.519 --> 00:08:10.959 But we basically get kind of 2 episodes, 2 moments of his life as king that the recorder of his life thinks is valuable enough for us to look on again in our scriptures. 00:08:11.139 --> 00:08:19.079 So we've got 1 sort of moment where it shows him depending on God and 1 where he does not. 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:24.139 And so let's look down to verse 13. 00:08:25.359 --> 00:08:26.659 So look with me there. 00:08:27.219 --> 00:08:27.459 It says, 00:08:27.539 --> 00:08:36.919 In the 14th year of King Hezekiah's reign, this guy Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:44.159 So Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent this message to the king of Assyria. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:47.579 So he's sending a message to the other side, to the other king. 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.540 And he says, look, I've done wrong. 00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:51.580 Oh, this is... 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:53.820 Oh yeah, I'm doing this in the right way. 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:55.480 He says, look, I've done wrong. 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:59.800 Withdraw from me and I'll pay you whatever you demand. 00:09:00.040 --> 00:09:00.139 Right? 00:09:00.280 --> 00:09:03.900 So Lachish is another city in Judah. 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:11.740 And this Assyrian king is sieging it, is demolishing it. 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:14.140 And he's done this now for several cities. 00:09:14.139 --> 00:09:26.039 Interestingly, if you've been to the British Museum, there is a tablet on the wall, a relief, you know, where they've carved into a piece of stone of this siege of Lachish. 00:09:27.500 --> 00:09:29.279 And so you can see it. 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:31.059 It's historical record. 00:09:31.220 --> 00:09:31.740 I don't know. 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:32.559 I find that interesting. 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:33.379 You may or may not. 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:42.100 But, so Hezekiah sees what's happening in his nation, in these cities that they haven't gotten to Jerusalem yet. 00:09:42.179 --> 00:09:45.059 They're coming in, and one of the cities they get to is this Lachish. 00:09:45.460 --> 00:09:50.779 He sees Assyria, the king of Assyria, just demolishing it, burning it to the ground, basically. 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.980 And he says, he sends a message. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:55.840 And he says, you know what? 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:59.299 Whatever we can do to stop you, I'll do it. 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:00.480 And so what does he do? 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:01.200 Keep reading. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:06.600 He says, the king, he says, I'll pay what you demand of me. 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:14.120 So the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah 300 talents of silver, 30 talents of gold. 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:24.000 And so Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the temple of the Lord and the treasuries of the Laurel Palace. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:32.139 And at this time, Hezekiah stripped the gold off of the doors of the temple and gave it to the king. 00:10:33.340 --> 00:10:33.779 Right? 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:34.720 So you see what's happening? 00:10:34.899 --> 00:10:42.019 He's going into the temple, into the place where God is manifested. 00:10:42.019 --> 00:10:45.100 And he's taking the gold and pulling things out of the treasury. 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:53.620 That's akin to, I guess, Steve openings up the box back here, pulls out any cash and says, you know, don't come in here. 00:10:53.699 --> 00:10:54.720 I'll give you what we've got. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:59.560 And so he's stealing from the Lord, effectively, and trying to pay off this king. 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:09.419 And what we see is he's using whatever thing he can come up with, his own power, to try to hold off this evil king that's attacking. 00:11:09.739 --> 00:11:09.839 Right? 00:11:10.619 --> 00:11:26.159 And what happens, as you keep reading, in verse 17, the king of Assyria sent his commander and his chief officer and his field commander from Lachish to Hezekiah in Jerusalem. 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:30.399 And they came up and basically they start attacking. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:33.179 And they're ready to attack Jerusalem. 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:33.480 Right? 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:34.299 So they didn't stop. 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:35.039 They didn't stop him. 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:36.539 They gave him all the money. 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:39.620 They gave him all the gold that they'd stripped off the doors of the temple. 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:45.019 They had ransacked their own house of worship to pay this man off. 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:46.379 And it didn't stop him. 00:11:46.419 --> 00:11:46.600 Right? 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:48.279 Because, obvious. 00:11:49.100 --> 00:11:52.319 So we have this episode and we look at it and we're like, man, Hezekiah. 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:52.400 Yeah. 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:59.480 It had just told us that he was one who did right in the eyes of the Lord. 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:02.760 So thankfully, it keeps going on. 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:04.980 So we flip to 2 Kings 19. 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:10.060 And we've got another story about this Hezekiah. 00:12:10.059 --> 00:12:21.219 So in 19, so the king of Assyria now moves on from this Lachish, which is somewhere else in the country. 00:12:21.339 --> 00:12:22.639 And now he's moved to Jerusalem. 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:24.699 So he's standing kind of outside the gates of Jerusalem. 00:12:25.339 --> 00:12:28.399 And everyone sees them coming and they know exactly what's happening. 00:12:28.599 --> 00:12:35.259 There's some 200,000 soldiers, warriors, standing outside, getting ready to besiege Jerusalem. 00:12:35.259 --> 00:12:40.319 In the same way that they had just besieged Lachish and burned it to the ground and killed everyone in it. 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:41.120 Right? 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:42.200 And so they know what's coming. 00:12:42.899 --> 00:12:47.139 And what happens is Hezekiah, it says in verse 14, 00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:48.840 Hezekiah received this letter from the messengers. 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:49.819 He knew what was coming. 00:12:50.439 --> 00:12:53.519 He went to the temple of the Lord and he spread it out before the Lord. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:55.019 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. 00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:59.139 Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:01.539 you alone are God over all the kingdoms of earth. 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:03.720 You have made heaven and earth. 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:05.879 Give ear, Lord. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.040 Hear, open your eyes, Lord, and see. 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:14.200 Listen to the words that this evil king of Assyria has sent to ridicule the living God. 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:20.019 It is true, Lord, that this king, they've laid waste to these nations and their lands. 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:23.200 And they've thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them. 00:13:23.560 --> 00:13:26.519 For they were not gods, but of only wood and stone. 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:32.000 Now, Lord, our God, deliver us from his hands so that all the kingdoms of the earth 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:35.480 may know that you alone, Lord, are God. 00:13:35.940 --> 00:13:39.120 So this has echoes of what Daniel prayed earlier. 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:45.360 But the part that I didn't tell you earlier was this Assyrian king, 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:48.919 he says, he looks at Hezekiah and he says, 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:51.240 Do you think your God is going to protect you? 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:53.820 Like the gods of the people that I've already destroyed? 00:13:54.059 --> 00:13:55.779 They thought their God was going to protect them. 00:13:55.820 --> 00:13:56.299 And guess what? 00:13:56.419 --> 00:13:58.120 They're now my servants or they're dead. 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:00.399 So do you think your God is going to do this? 00:14:00.460 --> 00:14:03.580 Basically, he's mocking the Lord. 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:06.659 And so Hezekiah comes to this prayer and he's like, 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:07.639 You hear what he's saying. 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:09.399 You know what he's doing. 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:10.460 You know what he's about to do. 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:11.759 He is mocking you, God. 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:13.100 Will you let this stand? 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:17.240 And so he comes to the Lord and he prays. 00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:21.960 And in the other account in Chronicles, 00:14:22.060 --> 00:14:26.100 it says that he tears his clothes and he lays down in ashes 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:30.139 and basically calls the whole nation to pray. 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.700 And says, Look, we can't do this. 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:33.620 Let's pray. 00:14:34.519 --> 00:14:39.840 And so the nation prays and Isaiah is the prophet during this time. 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:45.519 And so we get this prophecy that somehow the Lord's going to come through. 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:51.720 And what we see just at the end here in 19, verse 35, it says, 00:14:51.939 --> 00:14:55.000 That night, so this is the same night that they've prayed. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:02.159 That night, the angel of the Lord went out and put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:06.259 And when the people got up the next morning, it was all dead bodies. 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:12.659 And the king, the Assyrian king, had run and returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:14.620 The Lord delivered. 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:23.320 And ultimately, the king gets killed as well as a response for his mocking of the Lord. 00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:27.000 So we've got two episodes of King Hezekiah. 00:15:27.560 --> 00:15:31.200 In one time, he depends solely on what he has control over. 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:34.019 He pulls the money out of the box. 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:40.519 He strips the gold off the doors and tries to pay off and make things happen in his own power. 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:43.679 And in one, he looks at the Lord and says, I can't do anything. 00:15:43.939 --> 00:15:45.340 We can't stop these people. 00:15:45.819 --> 00:15:46.899 God, you have to move. 00:15:47.939 --> 00:15:48.899 And you've got these two things. 00:15:50.500 --> 00:15:51.960 So let's look at another story. 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:54.720 This one's from the book of Acts, Acts chapter 12. 00:15:54.860 --> 00:15:55.720 You can flip to that one. 00:15:56.079 --> 00:16:01.059 I don't have the page number, but we can try to find it together. 00:16:01.059 --> 00:16:05.439 It looks like it's 1106. 00:16:06.859 --> 00:16:07.259 1106. 00:16:10.439 --> 00:16:14.879 So in Acts, you've got Peter and you've got King Herod. 00:16:15.079 --> 00:16:20.199 And what we have here is a prayerful posture versus a prideful posture. 00:16:20.359 --> 00:16:25.839 You've got two characters and they'll be juxtaposed against one another so you can see the difference. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:35.019 And so what happens in this, it says Herod is the king and he's the great grandson, I believe, of the Herod that is from when Jesus was born. 00:16:36.420 --> 00:16:37.519 Maybe just the grandson. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.700 In any case, it's King Herod. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.399 And he's attacking the church. 00:16:42.519 --> 00:16:46.120 He's fearful of what this movement might do. 00:16:46.120 --> 00:17:01.659 And so he's decided that it would win him favor with the Jews that are in power and sort of the others that if he were to squash this movement of it, it would keep things in peace and he would retain his power, basically. 00:17:02.340 --> 00:17:06.160 And so he has James, the brother of John, killed. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:10.500 And he puts Peter in prison. 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:16.539 And so we've got this moment where you've got James, one of the apostles, has just been murdered. 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:24.200 And you've got Peter, who is, you know, arguably one of the leaders of even of the apostles, is now imprisoned. 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:26.839 And it looks bleak and dire. 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:32.799 And you've got the church and they look at and you see what are they doing. 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:44.139 And as Steve mentioned earlier, you see in verse 5, it says, Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:53.960 The funny thing about, well, yeah, the funny thing about this is that they have no idea. 00:17:53.960 --> 00:18:05.140 So we know, I'll read ahead, Peter's released, like in the night, he's able to get out of prison, miraculously escapes in the night. 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:09.759 And it turns up, funny enough, he turns up at the house where they're praying, and he knocks on the door. 00:18:10.259 --> 00:18:19.640 And the lady who answers the door doesn't believe that it's him, but then realizes it is, she hears it, and runs back to tell everyone, doesn't open the door. 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:23.720 And Peter's left outside, like, hey, come in, they're going to come get me. 00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.840 Anyway, but, so we have this church that gathers to pray. 00:18:28.140 --> 00:18:31.259 Their first instinct is to gather and pray. 00:18:31.900 --> 00:18:39.360 They, you know, they don't believe that, you know, there's nothing that would tell them that Peter would be released. 00:18:39.620 --> 00:18:43.140 That God would move and pull him out of prison, right? 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:49.560 In fact, they probably resigned to the fact that Peter would die because James had just been killed. 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:49.940 Right? 00:18:50.140 --> 00:18:55.080 They're thinking, gosh, this is another one of our guys now gone. 00:18:55.340 --> 00:18:57.060 And so they gather to pray. 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:03.640 And they pray earnestly, as it says, and continually over the night. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.900 Which is amazing, right? 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:08.400 And then Peter is released, and so God moves. 00:19:08.520 --> 00:19:10.620 He hears their prayer, and he moves, and it's an amazing thing. 00:19:11.199 --> 00:19:13.459 And so then it talks about Herod at the end of the chapter. 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:23.159 It said, Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there, and he was quarreling, blah, blah, blah. 00:19:23.679 --> 00:19:28.139 And in verse 21 it says, on the appointed day, Herod, he's wearing his royal robes. 00:19:28.379 --> 00:19:34.059 He sits on this big throne and delivered a public address to the people. 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:39.679 And the people shout, this is the voice of a God, not of a man. 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:49.899 And immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.779 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish. 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:54.879 Right? 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:59.579 Herod accepts the praise in his pride, and he ends up eaten by worms. 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:03.480 The church prayed, and Peter is miraculously released. 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:09.279 We see prayerlessness springs from pride, because pride is the opposite of prayer. 00:20:10.919 --> 00:20:13.299 So that's a second one that we can consider. 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:14.679 How about a third? 00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:17.759 In John 15, let me flip to that one, Seth. 00:20:19.339 --> 00:20:22.960 John 15, we have Jesus. 00:20:23.960 --> 00:20:25.599 This one will be familiar to most of you. 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:35.699 He's speaking to his disciples, and he frames this moment about abiding in Christ versus going it alone. 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:38.859 He says, I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.019 He cuts off the branches in me that bear no fruit. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:47.079 While every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. 00:20:47.779 --> 00:20:49.879 You're already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 00:20:50.039 --> 00:20:53.199 Remain in me as I also remain in you. 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:55.799 No branch can bear fruit by itself. 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:57.720 It must remain in the vine. 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:00.600 Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 00:21:01.340 --> 00:21:02.380 I am the vine. 00:21:02.580 --> 00:21:03.460 You are the branches. 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:06.580 If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. 00:21:07.120 --> 00:21:09.700 But apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:12.559 Two positions. 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:17.840 You can remain in the vine, that is Christ, and you can bear much fruit. 00:21:17.839 --> 00:21:22.159 Or you can be separated from the vine and be completely fruitless. 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:28.139 So we've got these three scenes, three episodes. 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:36.159 One from the Old Testament, one from Jesus telling us himself, and one from the New Church in Acts. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:41.420 And we see how people respond and what might happen. 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:47.980 And so what I want us to do, I want us to think with these in mind, with these texts in mind, what we've looked at. 00:21:48.340 --> 00:21:50.240 And I want us to answer these questions together. 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:55.180 And so I want to take a few minutes, talk again with your group. 00:21:55.180 --> 00:21:58.240 But what are the markers? 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:06.840 What are the key things that we notice about people who are depending on the Lord, who truly depend on God? 00:22:07.259 --> 00:22:08.380 So what are those things? 00:22:08.860 --> 00:22:10.440 And so then, application. 00:22:11.360 --> 00:22:15.759 How might we, as individuals, grow in our dependence on the Lord? 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:19.000 How might we be marked by dependence on the Lord? 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:19.700 Right? 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:27.140 And then, as a church, because I think it's slightly distinct, how might we, as a church, grow in our dependence on the Lord? 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:28.460 Let's talk about these. 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:31.779 These I will get you to speak back to me in a minute. 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:33.519 So be prepared. 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:35.140 But go ahead. 00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:36.299 Talk through all three of those. 00:22:36.360 --> 00:22:37.740 We'll give you a few minutes to do that. 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:39.299 And then we'll come back together. 00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:47.340 You can keep talking later, but I'll stop us here just for time's sake. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:49.000 I don't know what time do we even end. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:55.480 But, so, so, let's, let's share some of these, right? 00:22:55.559 --> 00:23:02.660 So, what are, what are some of the markers of the people, particularly in these stories, but you can go beyond that. 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:07.440 What are the markers of those who are dependent on the Lord? 00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:15.279 Yeah, they have a relationship with God. 00:23:16.079 --> 00:23:16.859 What else? 00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:17.839 Prayer. 00:23:18.140 --> 00:23:18.460 Prayer. 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:19.480 Prayer. 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:49.480 Prayer. 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:49.480 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:22.980 Yeah, absolutely. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:31.759 I think, you know, prayer in particular, it's the ultimate act of humility, right? 00:24:31.940 --> 00:24:35.519 And there's a reason I used the term posture earlier. 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:44.660 I mean, when we think of praying, particularly if you sort of stereotypically characterize it, right? 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:47.700 It's a person on their knees, right? 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:48.700 And there's a reason we do that, right? 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:49.960 And there's a reason we do that, right? 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:51.960 It's a symbol. 00:24:51.960 --> 00:24:57.920 It's a significant act to submit, to say, I am not in control. 00:24:58.039 --> 00:24:59.500 I don't have power here, right? 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:01.759 You think of the other times people kneel. 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:01.759 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:01.880 I don't know. 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:01.880 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:02.339 I don't know. 00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:02.839 I don't know. 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:02.839 00:25:02.839 --> 00:25:03.380 I don't know. 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:04.380 It's surrender, right? 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:19.220 It's, you know, you think of someone, you know, I've got a painting in mind that I don't know the name of, but it's someone surrendering, you know, in a battle, at the end of a battle. 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:24.400 And they're knelt in front of the other side, and the other side is holding their sword, right? 00:25:24.600 --> 00:25:25.799 And they're knelt there. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:33.319 And it's a complete surrender because at that moment, the other guy could just end it. 00:25:33.740 --> 00:25:35.880 And yet you've surrendered yourself. 00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:38.160 And this is what we do when we pray, right? 00:25:38.220 --> 00:25:39.019 We surrender. 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:40.880 We submit ourselves to the Lord. 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:44.920 Anything else before we move on to the next question? 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:50.500 You see that these people really have the word of God. 00:25:50.860 --> 00:25:52.100 They know God's word. 00:25:52.320 --> 00:25:52.700 That's right. 00:25:52.800 --> 00:25:54.420 They know the promises. 00:25:54.800 --> 00:25:55.759 They know who God is. 00:25:57.100 --> 00:26:00.600 So they will just head back to God's word. 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:01.460 Yes. 00:26:01.580 --> 00:26:03.140 So now it's time for their life. 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:03.860 That's good. 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:04.279 Yeah. 00:26:05.180 --> 00:26:05.620 Yeah. 00:26:05.800 --> 00:26:06.860 They know God's word. 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:07.779 They know his character. 00:26:08.519 --> 00:26:12.259 And so they can return to it and trust, right? 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:14.840 They can be surrendered because they know who he is. 00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:15.800 Which is helpful. 00:26:16.840 --> 00:26:25.340 So as individuals walking in faith and trying to work this out in our own lives, what does that mean? 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:29.600 How do we grow in our dependence on the Lord? 00:26:30.360 --> 00:26:36.060 If we now believe that this is the thing that we should value, that should be true of us. 00:26:36.060 --> 00:26:41.480 So how do we move from wherever we are now into more dependence on God? 00:26:41.480 --> 00:26:44.360 Follow his laws. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:45.160 Read the Bible. 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:45.980 Read the Bible. 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:46.319 And pray. 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:48.200 Follow his laws. 00:26:48.319 --> 00:26:49.240 Read the Bible and pray. 00:26:50.700 --> 00:26:51.620 Tick, tick, tick. 00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:56.500 See problems as an opportunity to see the Lord work on things. 00:26:56.660 --> 00:26:56.960 Hmm. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:03.799 See problems as an opportunity for the Lord to work rather than something we need to solve. 00:27:04.180 --> 00:27:04.480 Absolutely. 00:27:05.059 --> 00:27:09.740 It's a perspective shift, I think, in that. 00:27:10.360 --> 00:27:10.720 It's good. 00:27:11.200 --> 00:27:11.360 Yeah. 00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:15.120 I always turn to try to solve it first. 00:27:15.119 --> 00:27:20.000 I should learn at some point not to try that first. 00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:23.759 And then only when I get to the end of that and I realize, oh, I can't solve it. 00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:25.239 I'm just like Hezekiah, right? 00:27:26.059 --> 00:27:31.000 I probably would have sold the gold off the doors before I realized that I need to turn around. 00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:32.659 So. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:37.099 Depend on him in all things. 00:27:37.699 --> 00:27:37.899 Yeah. 00:27:37.900 --> 00:27:39.040 What does that look like, Jeff? 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:42.060 Prayer. 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:42.740 Prayer. 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:45.580 So simple. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:46.820 Not trying to go out alone. 00:27:47.120 --> 00:27:48.560 You're trying to go out and think for a lot. 00:27:49.600 --> 00:27:49.960 Yeah. 00:27:52.540 --> 00:27:53.080 Yeah, yeah. 00:27:53.240 --> 00:27:53.500 Mike? 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:58.960 But also you have to recognize that everything that comes up is a subject of prayer. 00:27:59.259 --> 00:27:59.500 Hmm. 00:27:59.500 --> 00:28:06.359 Sometimes things come to mind that they're going to happen in the day or things that, 00:28:06.359 --> 00:28:10.900 or you know that things are going to arise, you can actually say, well, I think that needs 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:12.140 to be brought to prayer as well. 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:16.240 Because we sometimes take the rest of the things that really needs prayer and things are done. 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:17.619 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:28:18.539 --> 00:28:18.900 Absolutely. 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:18.900 00:28:19.460 --> 00:28:26.400 And then that also in the church that everyone's doing that, and of course it becomes a corporate 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:26.720 effort. 00:28:27.339 --> 00:28:27.740 Right. 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:32.599 So yeah, bringing everything, looking at everything and saying, you know, this is something worth 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:39.720 praying about, and not just the big things or the ones that you already know you can't 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:40.000 solve. 00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:41.640 Right. 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:42.240 Which is good. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:47.200 It's also praying to the Lord to help you. 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:52.740 Pray to the Lord to give your desire to grow and to be a good thing. 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:54.740 Let's... 00:28:54.740 --> 00:28:57.599 And wanting to be a good thing. 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:58.620 You always want it. 00:28:58.759 --> 00:29:00.259 You ask them to be a good thing. 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:00.519 You accept that. 00:29:00.519 --> 00:29:01.539 You don't want to be a good thing. 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:02.420 You accept that. 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:04.500 So that you can't be a good thing. 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:05.519 Yeah. 00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:08.299 Because if you pray that way, then God is going to bring you. 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:09.059 It's going to be a problem. 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:10.279 Right. 00:29:10.279 --> 00:29:16.859 When you have to sort of say, I can't give up, or I need your help, Lord. 00:29:16.859 --> 00:29:17.459 Yes. 00:29:17.459 --> 00:29:19.339 So it's not an easy prayer. 00:29:20.339 --> 00:29:21.859 It's not an easy prayer to pray. 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:27.839 But if you're serious and want to go in our dependence of the Lord, then you do have to 00:29:27.839 --> 00:29:29.399 ask him for it. 00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:36.019 And ask him to give us the faith and the trust that he knows the beginning and the end, and 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:38.979 therefore be able to submit to his will. 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:40.120 That's good. 00:29:40.120 --> 00:29:42.319 That he would... 00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:47.380 We would pray that God would grow our dependence on him. 00:29:47.680 --> 00:29:47.860 Right. 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:50.039 And it's a... 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:54.279 As you said, it's a dangerous prayer in the sense that he likes to answer those. 00:29:54.360 --> 00:29:54.480 Right. 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:55.539 He... 00:29:55.539 --> 00:30:02.900 When he says, ask and you shall receive, like ask in my name, it's ask these sorts of things, 00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:05.579 things that I want, and I'm happy to answer those. 00:30:05.579 --> 00:30:09.399 And so when you ask things like that, that you know he wants to answer, he's very sure 00:30:09.399 --> 00:30:10.220 to answer. 00:30:10.759 --> 00:30:11.740 So you should be ready. 00:30:13.939 --> 00:30:15.279 Sorry, what was that, David? 00:30:15.659 --> 00:30:16.639 Not to grow weary. 00:30:17.439 --> 00:30:18.079 That's right. 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:18.980 Because it's happening. 00:30:19.159 --> 00:30:20.480 But it's still not to grow weary. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:21.399 That's it. 00:30:21.819 --> 00:30:22.019 Charles? 00:30:22.159 --> 00:30:24.839 We should just let him have his way. 00:30:25.579 --> 00:30:27.579 Let it be his way and not... 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:29.299 Let it be his will and not our will. 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:30.059 That's good. 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:30.240 Yeah. 00:30:30.299 --> 00:30:31.419 His will and not our will. 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:36.360 How hard is that, right, when we think we know what he should do? 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:37.360 Right? 00:30:37.420 --> 00:30:44.039 We think, you know, I'm actually trying to trust you, and I think you should deliver me 00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:45.320 from this thing. 00:30:45.360 --> 00:30:49.759 Or I think you should, you know, make your name great in this specific way. 00:30:50.560 --> 00:30:52.920 And yet, our ways are not his ways. 00:30:53.300 --> 00:30:58.320 And so sometimes what we think would even be glorifying to him, and it might, but he has 00:30:58.319 --> 00:31:03.000 another way about going about that, and we have to submit and say, Lord, your will and 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:04.799 not mine, as Jesus prays. 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:09.619 And it kind of gives you a request, even if you're not sure, and when you get the answer 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:15.099 or not, so there's rejection, and you know that you misprayed, so you can't do it. 00:31:15.460 --> 00:31:15.899 Right. 00:31:17.099 --> 00:31:22.700 Prayer is, it's not just question, you know, request and answer, and it's sort of like this 00:31:22.700 --> 00:31:28.000 one thing, but as you ask for something, and he's answering in a different way, it's growing 00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.960 us to learn more about who he is and what he's doing, right? 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:35.259 So we shouldn't just look at those things as like, well, he said no to my request, and 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:35.660 I'm done. 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:38.000 It's no, well, why did he do that? 00:31:38.039 --> 00:31:39.400 And Lord, what are you up to here? 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:40.840 And I want to know more about this. 00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:42.660 I want to understand why you're moving this way. 00:31:43.080 --> 00:31:46.519 And so that's how it becomes this, like, conversational moment. 00:31:46.700 --> 00:31:47.299 It's a delay. 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:47.799 It's a delay. 00:31:47.799 --> 00:31:48.980 It's a delay. 00:31:49.139 --> 00:31:49.500 It's a no. 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:50.960 It's I'm doing it a different way. 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:51.839 I'm doing something else. 00:31:51.919 --> 00:31:56.440 There's so many different things it could be, but it's trusting and being in it. 00:32:01.539 --> 00:32:01.859 Yeah. 00:32:05.579 --> 00:32:06.200 He does. 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:06.639 Yeah. 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:08.339 That's why we have Psalms of Lament. 00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:08.619 And. 00:32:17.799 --> 00:32:22.180 Amen. 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.180 00:32:22.180 --> 00:32:22.820 Amen. 00:32:52.180 --> 00:32:55.240 Yeah, right. 00:32:59.240 --> 00:32:59.759 That's right. 00:32:59.960 --> 00:33:00.320 That's right. 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:01.400 Much more. 00:33:01.720 --> 00:33:02.500 It's an understatement. 00:33:07.080 --> 00:33:07.620 That's right. 00:33:08.500 --> 00:33:09.140 There you go. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.960 Let's move to the last one, Charleston, 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:12.700 just in terms of time. 00:33:13.400 --> 00:33:14.880 But it might result. 00:33:16.620 --> 00:33:17.759 So, separate from individual, 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:19.080 because I think, obviously, 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:20.420 as we're growing as individuals, 00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:23.460 that's part of our work as a church. 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:24.820 But collectively, 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:27.680 I think, Steve, you alluded to this earlier. 00:33:27.860 --> 00:33:30.300 It's like there's unique bits 00:33:30.300 --> 00:33:33.100 about doing these things as a group, 00:33:33.100 --> 00:33:35.640 as a body of believers 00:33:35.640 --> 00:33:38.920 that are together in this church environment. 00:33:39.180 --> 00:33:40.620 There's a reason God put us in this. 00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:42.740 So, how might we as a church 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:44.620 grow in our dependence of the Lord? 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:47.420 If this is a West Kilburn value, 00:33:48.100 --> 00:33:50.140 how does that work itself out? 00:33:50.420 --> 00:33:57.640 Worshiping together. 00:33:58.039 --> 00:33:58.779 Worshiping together. 00:34:00.820 --> 00:34:01.600 Praying together. 00:34:02.600 --> 00:34:03.259 Being taught. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:04.279 Yeah, that's right. 00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:05.100 All of those things. 00:34:05.560 --> 00:34:07.380 It's the reasons why we gather. 00:34:08.019 --> 00:34:08.880 You know, so the purpose, 00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:10.980 and the, not the purpose, 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:13.119 but the means, right? 00:34:13.180 --> 00:34:13.639 Is that the right? 00:34:13.639 --> 00:34:16.900 The means of how this thing works, 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:19.199 that we glorify God collectively, 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:21.480 and the means of that is by gathering 00:34:21.480 --> 00:34:22.799 and worshiping and pre-reading 00:34:22.799 --> 00:34:25.279 and being taught from the scripture. 00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:25.940 What else? 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:25.940 00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:31.659 It's going way back. 00:34:31.659 --> 00:34:32.099 Yeah. 00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:32.539 Yeah. 00:34:32.539 --> 00:34:32.539 00:34:32.539 --> 00:34:33.099 Yeah. 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:33.099 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:49.420 So, that's like, 00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:52.839 sort of the result of a church 00:34:52.839 --> 00:34:54.119 that's dependent upon the Lord 00:34:54.119 --> 00:34:55.500 is that you have full prayer meetings, 00:34:56.059 --> 00:34:58.339 that you have robust, 00:34:58.579 --> 00:35:01.179 you know, evangelism 00:35:01.179 --> 00:35:02.400 and those sorts of things, right? 00:35:03.339 --> 00:35:04.679 Yeah, people want to be there. 00:35:04.819 --> 00:35:06.579 They're not coming up with excuses 00:35:06.579 --> 00:35:07.559 to do other things. 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:08.779 That's right. 00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:09.780 Confession. 00:35:10.780 --> 00:35:11.340 Confession. 00:35:14.240 --> 00:35:14.800 Amen. 00:35:14.800 --> 00:35:14.860 Amen. 00:35:24.860 --> 00:35:25.380 Yes. 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:29.820 Yeah, amen. 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:30.820 So, yeah, to be honest 00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:31.540 and confess 00:35:31.540 --> 00:35:32.920 and have some accountability 00:35:32.920 --> 00:35:34.840 amongst one another 00:35:34.840 --> 00:35:36.880 in a healthy way 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:38.780 that allows us to 00:35:38.780 --> 00:35:40.240 corporately confess our sins 00:35:40.240 --> 00:35:41.559 and come back to the Lord 00:35:41.559 --> 00:35:42.260 as Daniel did. 00:35:42.680 --> 00:35:42.900 That's right. 00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:48.780 We don't have any of those. 00:35:58.780 --> 00:35:59.220 Yeah. 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:29.199 That's right. 00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:30.359 That's it. 00:36:32.939 --> 00:36:33.599 That's true. 00:36:35.759 --> 00:36:38.079 Final thoughts on church-wide 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:39.119 dependence on the Lord? 00:36:40.399 --> 00:36:40.819 We have to... 00:36:40.819 --> 00:36:41.639 We have to... 00:36:41.639 --> 00:36:42.579 We have to... 00:36:42.579 --> 00:36:45.039 That's good. 00:36:45.179 --> 00:36:46.059 We have to be humble. 00:36:46.899 --> 00:36:47.699 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 00:36:47.779 --> 00:36:48.219 That's right. 00:36:49.460 --> 00:36:50.239 Vanessa, did you have something 00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:50.639 to add to that? 00:36:51.719 --> 00:36:53.480 That Steve should be humble. 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:53.679 Yeah. 00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:56.719 I was going to say 00:36:56.719 --> 00:36:57.980 that this is saying about 00:36:57.980 --> 00:36:59.559 asking for the Lord to do this. 00:36:59.559 --> 00:36:59.940 Mm-hmm. 00:36:59.940 --> 00:37:00.579 It's more tentative 00:37:00.579 --> 00:37:01.480 to impersonate. 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:02.420 It means that 00:37:02.420 --> 00:37:04.159 we're in situations 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:05.320 in which we will not be able 00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:06.679 to do what's happening at. 00:37:07.039 --> 00:37:07.280 Yeah. 00:37:08.860 --> 00:37:09.280 So I wonder, 00:37:09.460 --> 00:37:09.980 as a church, 00:37:10.139 --> 00:37:10.400 too, 00:37:10.760 --> 00:37:13.139 if we pray for it, 00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:14.519 we should be expecting 00:37:14.519 --> 00:37:15.639 to bring us problems 00:37:15.639 --> 00:37:16.840 to solve it down. 00:37:17.539 --> 00:37:18.659 Don't make us pray. 00:37:18.659 --> 00:37:19.219 That's it. 00:37:21.500 --> 00:37:21.899 So, 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:23.239 Vanessa said 00:37:23.239 --> 00:37:24.179 that we should pray 00:37:24.179 --> 00:37:25.659 for opportunity 00:37:25.659 --> 00:37:26.859 to grow in our dependence, 00:37:27.079 --> 00:37:27.799 which means that 00:37:27.799 --> 00:37:29.859 the way God tends 00:37:29.859 --> 00:37:30.899 to answer those sorts of prayers 00:37:30.899 --> 00:37:31.460 is by giving you 00:37:31.460 --> 00:37:32.379 opportunities to practice. 00:37:33.420 --> 00:37:34.079 And so, 00:37:34.299 --> 00:37:35.119 he may give us things 00:37:35.119 --> 00:37:35.819 that we can't handle 00:37:35.819 --> 00:37:36.279 on our own 00:37:36.279 --> 00:37:37.559 and we need to depend on him. 00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:39.559 But that's what we want, 00:37:39.619 --> 00:37:39.799 right? 00:37:39.879 --> 00:37:40.239 Ultimately, 00:37:40.739 --> 00:37:41.679 because that's what grows us. 00:37:41.739 --> 00:37:42.899 That's what moves us toward him. 00:37:43.139 --> 00:37:44.719 That's what brings us back. 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:46.480 It's a, 00:37:47.619 --> 00:37:48.019 it's, 00:37:48.379 --> 00:37:49.239 what is it? 00:37:50.959 --> 00:37:51.579 Paul says, 00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:52.179 it's our, 00:37:52.480 --> 00:37:54.119 it's by grace 00:37:54.119 --> 00:37:55.379 that we have these things, 00:37:55.519 --> 00:37:55.639 too. 00:37:56.000 --> 00:37:57.119 I'm butchering 00:37:57.119 --> 00:37:58.119 the actual translation, 00:37:58.379 --> 00:37:59.359 but I know he says it 00:37:59.359 --> 00:38:00.259 and I believe it. 00:38:00.379 --> 00:38:01.259 But anyway, 00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:02.679 it's grace. 00:38:03.480 --> 00:38:04.079 Possibly, 00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:06.019 we don't rely on our, 00:38:06.099 --> 00:38:07.359 especially as we are, 00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:09.199 our own church. 00:38:09.799 --> 00:38:11.119 We look at how we're 00:38:11.119 --> 00:38:12.859 still supposed to take some weight. 00:38:12.860 --> 00:38:17.240 Amen. 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.240 --> 00:38:17.240 00:38:17.239 --> 00:38:31.239 um 00:38:41.959 --> 00:38:45.239 yeah that's right 00:38:47.239 --> 00:38:53.239 that's right 00:38:53.239 --> 00:39:01.239 that's right 00:39:02.039 --> 00:39:16.679 that's right that's the opposite of what herod does right herod receives the praise and says oh i must be great right but it's uh a person or a church that's dependent on the lord turns it and says may god be be the glory right uh he's great 00:39:17.239 --> 00:39:45.239 he's given us these things uh shall we i think i want to send you back to pray uh briefly and then i'll close us uh so if you would just turn to your neighbors once again pray that we might be a church and that we might be individuals that are dependent on the lord that this value would not be something that we say but that would be true uh of us as west kilburn pray for just 30 45 seconds and then i'll come back and close us 00:39:45.239 --> 00:39:55.159 god we we pray that you would hear the prayers and the petitions of your servants tonight lord and for your sake 00:39:55.159 --> 00:40:09.159 you would not delay listen lord forgive us lord hear and act and move and and we pray as we've discussed that you would grow in us 00:40:09.159 --> 00:40:17.359 a dependency on you that we would recognize our limitations that we cannot save ourselves but god you 00:40:17.359 --> 00:40:19.480 have provided christ 00:40:19.480 --> 00:40:23.199 to do the work and lord we it is sufficient 00:40:23.199 --> 00:40:25.819 for us and you are sufficient 00:40:25.819 --> 00:40:29.599 in us god and maybe we delight in what you've done 00:40:29.599 --> 00:40:31.159 and that we may not have to 00:40:31.159 --> 00:40:32.159 um 00:40:32.159 --> 00:40:35.659 to do anything else lord and that 00:40:35.659 --> 00:40:37.019 um we can 00:40:37.019 --> 00:40:37.719 trust 00:40:37.719 --> 00:40:38.779 in your character 00:40:38.779 --> 00:40:40.039 as you've proven 00:40:40.039 --> 00:40:41.739 over and over again 00:40:41.739 --> 00:40:43.000 and ultimately in christ 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:43.879 father 00:40:43.879 --> 00:40:46.019 we want to be dependent on you lord 00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:46.399 we 00:40:46.399 --> 00:40:48.239 need to be dependent on you 00:40:48.239 --> 00:40:50.199 so lord we ask that you would make us 00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:51.539 dependent on you 00:40:51.539 --> 00:40:52.460 in your name 00:40:52.460 --> 00:40:53.359 and for your glory 00:40:53.359 --> 00:40:53.859 amen 00:40:53.859 --> 00:40:55.379 thanks guys 00:40:55.379 --> 00:40:55.839 amen