LXM XIV
LXM XIV 7/15/2025
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Summary
This sermon series from the League of Extraordinary Ministers (LXM) explores the necessity of building a firm spiritual foundation through private communion, fervent prayer, and total surrender to the truth of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes that what we cultivate in our 'secret place' with God determines our stability in the storm and our influence on the world.
Key points
- •Building on the Word of God as a rock ensures that our lives remain standing even when the storms and shifting sands of the world beat against us.
- •True spiritual growth requires intentional isolation and 'secret place' prayer where we move past performing for others and into alignment with God's presence.
- •The altar is not just a physical location at church but a private discipline of communion that brings restoration and tears down the idols of the heart.
- •Our private devotion has a public influence; the spiritual fire we cultivate in secret will be reflected in how others perceive the light of Christ in us.
- •The Word of God acts as a discerner, separating our emotions from spiritual truth and exposing hidden things not to embarrass us, but to heal and transform us.
Scripture
Spiritual Disciplines
Foundations
The Secret Place
Personal Transformation
Truth and Grace
Life application
Commit to 15 minutes of intentional, undistracted prayer in a 'secret place' each day this week, focusing on surrendering hidden burdens and asking God to align your character with the truth of His Word.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life have you been building on 'shifting sand' rather than the firm foundation of Christ's truth?
- If your private 'secret place' with God were made public, would it reflect a sanctuary of restoration or a storage room for hidden compromises?
- Who in your life is currently being influenced (for better or worse) by the spiritual fire you are or are not cultivating in private?
- What 'altars' or distractions in your life need to be torn down to make more room for genuine communion with Jesus?
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Full transcript
0:00Praise the Lord, everybody.
0:03How are you guys doing here on a Tuesday night at the
0:05cathedral on behalf of pastor
0:08and Sister Elms who could not be here,
0:10I'd like to welcome you.
0:11Whether this is your first time,
0:13whether this is your 100th time
0:15or 1000000th, you are welcome and you are family.
0:19Tonight is a little bit different.
0:20It's a little bit special.
0:22We have something different going on.
0:24We have a class called LXM.
0:26It's the League of extraordinary ministers that are going
0:29to be preaching a word tonight.
0:32And I have the honor of introducing
0:35and bringing forth the message.
0:37And we are gonna start in Matthew 7 24
0:42through 25.
0:44And I'll give you a second to get there.
0:49Well, that's all you get is a second.
0:52So it says, therefore, whosoever heareth,
0:57these sayings of mine
0:59and doeth them, I will liken him onto a wise man
1:03who builds his house upon a rock.
1:06And the rain descends and the flood came and the wind blew
1:10and beat upon the house.
1:11And it fell not for it was founded upon the rock.
1:16Tonight, I have the honor to introduce the topic of
1:20building a firm foundation in on the truth of Jesus Christ.
1:25As we go through this shifting world of
1:29twirling sand, as we try to get through the lies, the deceit
1:34and all the distractions that are kind
1:36of take us away from Jesus, we have to understand
1:40that these are the spiritual disciplines
1:43that we're gonna learn about tonight.
1:45And we're gonna learn and focus a lot on communion
1:49with the Lord and having fervent prayer
1:52and making sure that we keep ourselves nimble
1:56and ready for whatever God has.
1:58And when we go through the word of God, when we really start
2:03to focus on the foundation of what God is, it's his truth.
2:08And when we read in the Word and we read John 14
2:12and six, it tells us, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
2:16He is the word of the, and his word is the truth.
2:21No matter what we say, no matter what the world tries
2:25to portray, it is his word that we must build upon.
2:28It must be our foundation as we continue to get
2:32through a world that's trying to tell us that where weird
2:36and we're not where we need
2:37to be when we're here on a Tuesday night,
2:40that we're just wasting our time.
2:42While I'm here to say that we have a God that wants us
2:45to build upon a rock, that when the storm comes
2:49and the wind blows, that we will stand strong.
2:52But there are some things that he wants us to do with him.
2:56He wants us to have communion with us.
2:59What he wants is just a relationship with him.
3:02He wants us to understand that this is not just some rural
3:06and some ritual that we sit with God,
3:09but it's a way for us to have an intimate walk
3:12with him daily.
3:14And as we continue to move forward, we need to understand
3:17that the Bible tells us in one Corinthians one, nine,
3:21that we must, uh, follow in fellowship with God.
3:25And the only way we can do that is by having communion,
3:29by having a relationship when we have communion.
3:32Whenever you think of communion,
3:34you think about an intimate moment with God, a time
3:38where you can really push away everything
3:40that's been weighing on you, a time
3:43where you can cleanse yourself.
3:46What he's saying is, I want you to come
3:48to me in an intimate moment.
3:50I want you to come to me, not just at church,
3:54not just when you're in front of everybody,
3:56but when I'm at home by myself, when I'm driving on my way
4:00to work, when I'm feeling like I'm having the worst day
4:03of my life, he wants me to come to him and have communion.
4:07What he wants is me to give it to him.
4:09He wants me to spend time with him,
4:12but he also wants me to anchor in his truth.
4:16And the way that I do that is through prayer.
4:18I need to understand that that is my lifeline.
4:21That's the way that I get rooted to him.
4:23See, because, uh, Philippians four, six tells us, pray with
4:28for everything with Thanksgiving,
4:30and God will bring peace in God or our heart through prayer.
4:34We will seek his will for our life.
4:36What we'll have is the moment to give him all of the things
4:40that we've done wrong, those things
4:42that are weighing us down when we feel like we're just not
4:45good enough or we feel like we haven't done everything.
4:48This is my time to lay it before him at the altar
4:51and say, I don't want this anymore.
4:53I don't need it. I want you to come into my heart.
4:57I want you to put in me a clean heart and a right spirit.
5:01Because God is saying that if I would just give it to him,
5:05if I would be in coven with him,
5:07if I would be in a relationship with him, if I would get
5:12to know him and let him get to know me, then we would be
5:15where he wants us to be.
5:17He would be able to get us back on path
5:20and get us right where his will wants us to be.
5:23But we have to understand that it's up to us.
5:27God is a gentleman. He'll never force himself upon you.
5:30He'll ask you, and he'll come to you when you're in need,
5:34but he'll ask you to give it to him.
5:37He'll ask you to stay.
5:38Will you stand next to me when everybody is shouting,
5:42what we are doing is crazy.
5:44It's a waste of time. Will we give it to him?
5:47Will we stand with him?
5:48And what I have the honor of doing tonight is
5:52introducing this LXM class that is made up
5:55of Lauren Leonard, Gabriel Pomo,
5:59Andrew Castleman, Angelina Mal, uh,
6:04Malano Dono, Mel Dono.
6:08Okay, and Elijah Bright.
6:10I knew that I was gonna mess that one up,
6:13but I'm just taking after my pastor.
6:16We get it going. So these five individuals don't come to us
6:21with five different messages,
6:24but they come to you with one Holy Ghost filled message.
6:27One that's supposed to be the food
6:29that God wants us to have tonight.
6:32The thing that God wants us to hear tonight,
6:35because you're not here by coincidence and,
6:38and all of the in English
6:40that we always say, there's a coincidence.
6:42But when we go back to the written word of God,
6:44there's not one word that means coincidence.
6:47There's a reason for that.
6:49And what it tells us is God doesn't do
6:52anything just by chance.
6:54What he's telling you is it's planned,
6:56but we have to be willing to be in that plan.
6:59So if you would pray with me for these five
7:02that are gonna come up and pray
7:03and preach tonight, we let's stand as we pray for them.
7:08Lord God, I thank you for what you're gonna do tonight,
7:12for allowing these individuals to come together
7:15with the message you have put inside of their heart with
7:18what you have given them.
7:19Lord God, I pray that you would allow us to open our hearts,
7:23open our mind, prepare us for the word you have
7:26for us tonight in Jesus precious name.
7:30Amen. Thank you Lord.
7:32Praise the Lord. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
7:35Thank you, Lord.
7:37How many is glad to be in the house tonight?
7:40You guys may be seated.
7:46Have you ever wondered what the studies
7:48of the Bible writers look like?
7:50I've often thought about this.
7:53We know by reading the word that, that Paul's study,
7:56it looked like a prison.
7:57He was shackled. He was in chains.
8:00He was watched by a guard at all times,
8:02yet he still got the words written to the churches.
8:08We know that the disciples like Matthew, mark, Luke,
8:11and John, where their studies looked like wherever Jesus
8:15and the road took them.
8:18Now imagine with me a sturdy wooden desk,
8:21a firm reed pen that's ready to be written with
8:26freshly dried papyrus that's ready to be written on.
8:30And carbon black ink.
8:32That's what they used in Bible times in a perfect scenario.
8:37That is what their studies look like to our eyes.
8:41These places, they may just look commonplace,
8:45they may just look like where somebody writes.
8:48But we know that this is where the supernatural occurs.
8:53That revelations that they found were not only
8:56for themselves, but they were for the generations to come.
9:00And even to the generations as far as us,
9:02we still benefit from these words.
9:06We get to benefit from the words
9:08that were divinely inspired by God.
9:12And we now get to study this holy word.
9:15But more importantly, the word gets to study us.
9:21Now for me, my study looks a little different.
9:23It's not a perfectly polished desk.
9:26I don't really have room for that in my small bedroom.
9:30Um, but mine looks like waking up in the morning
9:34and reading my Bible and studying it
9:38or sitting at my chair in, in a place of prayer.
9:43In Hebrews four 12, it says that for the word
9:47of God is quick.
9:49In the new living translation, it says that it's alive
9:52and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword.
9:55It pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit
10:00and of the joints and marrows,
10:02and is a discerner
10:03of our thoughts in the intents of our hearts.
10:06Yes, it divides our emotions and our mind.
10:09It divides our feelings and our wisdom
10:12because sometimes we can get those things confused
10:16and we need the Lord to guide us and direct us.
10:20But if you look at the verse prior to that verse 11, it says
10:24that to enter into this
10:28or to to access the power of this word,
10:30we must enter into the rest just as Jesus did.
10:35He rested and so must we so
10:37that we don't fall into unbelief, right?
10:42In altar is a place of restoration.
10:45Yes, where I can lay my troubles like Brother Ricky said,
10:48at Jesus's feet.
10:49And I can commune with him on a personal level.
10:55It's where we can build up, we can restore
10:58and we can tear down altars,
10:59much like King Asa did in one Kings 15
11:02and two Chronicles 15, these altars,
11:05they were places of worship.
11:07The ones that needed to be teared down.
11:09The ones that he tore down were, were places
11:12that were for idol worship.
11:14But the ones that had to be built up, the ones that had
11:16to be restored, those were the ones that were for the Lord.
11:20And he had to make way
11:22by tearing down the altars that were for idols.
11:24He had to make way for, for the people of Judah
11:27to worship their God.
11:31So let this be the church's prayer today,
11:35that we have altars that are not for public gratification.
11:40They're not for the public eye to see,
11:43but it's a place where private relationship
11:45where we can meet with our creator,
11:47where we can build on the firm foundation that is Jesus.
11:54Thank you Jesus. Now, I know when, when I go places, um,
12:00I like to bring my Bible.
12:01I have, I have a few, this is one I like
12:05to bring my Bible with me.
12:06And I like to sit it at my nights stand where?
12:08Wherever I'm at. Um,
12:10and a few months ago, I was lovingly kicked out of my home,
12:15um, because we had a guest over
12:17and my room is in fact our guest room.
12:21So I had to stay at my grandmother's house.
12:26And while I was at her house one night, um,
12:28I must have left my Bible somewhere else.
12:31And so I reached over,
12:33sorry grandma, I know you're watching online.
12:35I reached over and I grabbed her Bible and I opened it
12:40and I began to see pictures that were in there of, of Maddie
12:44and, and of my grandfather.
12:46Um, and I got, I got, I got to see little things
12:49that she had written down, little sermon titles
12:52and dates from before I was born.
12:56Um, and,
12:57and the, the thing that in that moment I was reminded
13:02that these words that I hold in my hand today,
13:07this book, it not only changed her life,
13:12but because of her continual communion with the Lord,
13:15it has now impacted me three generations later
13:18where I can commune and, and abide with Jesus.
13:25These revelations, they brought restoration to altars
13:29that I didn't know needed to be restored.
13:33So how can you build up your altars for the Lord today
13:37by laying bricks of communal, continual communion
13:41with Jesus, by building on a firm foundation of prayer
13:46by burning with a fire for the Lord
13:49that cannot be contained.
13:51This altar is your place to commune
13:54with your heavenly Father who is Jesus.
14:03Praise the Lord. Church so great to be in this place
14:08to see every single one of you guys tonight.
14:12Isaiah 55, verse six says,
14:17seek ye the Lord while he may be found.
14:20Call ye upon him while he is near.
14:24Now, when you search the Lord, it's not
14:27so much about location, be in your room.
14:31It could be in the altar,
14:32it could be all the way back there in the back row.
14:36It's about intentional isolation with the Lord.
14:39It's a place where you stop performing,
14:41where you start listening to a place where you come not
14:44for appearance, where you come for alignment with his word.
14:48You're not seeking comfort, but you're seeking clarity.
14:52It's about taking time and his presence about shutting
14:55out all distractions.
14:57And if you were to ask Paul, your greatest distraction
15:00is your spouse, but guess what?
15:02I'll choose not to listen to him
15:03because I will be married in the name of Jesus.
15:07And let the Turk say amen. Amen.
15:12Now, when you're in this place, in this moment
15:14with the Lord, God is not distracted.
15:21He is focused on shaping you.
15:24He has his hands on you like a potter at the wheel.
15:28He patiently works on areas in your life that he forming,
15:31trimming, reshaping.
15:33Yes. Think about it. The God of the universe.
15:37He holds the stars in his hands.
15:41He who exists outside of time himself, he pauses
15:45and looks at you.
15:48Think about that. That's mind blowing me.
15:50Of all people, you of all people.
15:54It's just crazy to think he
15:57doesn't just tolerate your presence, he desires it.
16:00Yeah. You're not too small or too messy.
16:03And sometimes he has hands on my mess.
16:06And yes, there are times where
16:08I don't know what I'm looking like.
16:09Maybe I'm a mug, maybe I'm a melted vase.
16:12I don't know what, I don't know what it is
16:13he's doing with me, right?
16:14But there are also times where maybe I'm not all
16:18that malleable, but he still works with me.
16:21He doesn't just toss me to the side just
16:24because I'm being difficult in that moment.
16:28In this moment. God studies your heart motives and beliefs.
16:32Many want transformation, but a avoid ex self-examination.
16:38I want my prayers to always be what in me needs to change
16:43to align with the truth of scripture.
16:47This is not a moment to ask for things.
16:49It's a, it's a moment to allow God to search me.
16:53Hebrews four says, God judges the words
16:55and attitudes of the heart.
16:58Amen. In this moment, you're at your most vulnerable,
17:03both to thoughts from God
17:05'cause you're, you're surrendering yourself to him,
17:07but also to thoughts from the devil.
17:09Believe it or not, and I'm not sure
17:12how many have experienced this,
17:13but there are moments in prayer where I'm like, is,
17:16is this from God?
17:18I'm not quite sure. Is this my own thought? Who knows?
17:24And believe it or not, one
17:25of the devil's most effective deception strategies
17:28is telling a truth.
17:31It might be a twisted truth, but it's a truth nonetheless.
17:36Now, I was more or less raised in the church.
17:38So I, I never got to experience the world. But guess what?
17:42That does not make me exempt from temptation.
17:45There was a period of time where I felt like I was coming
17:47to the Lord for the same mistake over and over again.
17:51It felt like I was going in circles without fail.
17:54My same thought would be, I'm, I'm, I'm back here again.
17:58You know, it's just too many times.
18:01I mean, I'm sure God's just tired of it by now.
18:06The devil told me, I'm not good enough.
18:09I'll never be used by God at this rate.
18:12I'm not worthy of his forgiveness.
18:14After this many times I would've given up on myself
18:1920 times over.
18:22But guess what? The truth is, I'm not good enough.
18:26It's true. I'm not good enough.
18:28But you know what else is true?
18:29One Corinthians says, God's strength is made
18:32perfect in weakness.
18:34He is made perfect in my weakness.
18:36'cause in my weakness he can glorify himself.
18:40The truth is I'm not worthy of his forgiveness.
18:44And that is true. But you know what else is true?
18:47Ephesians two, eight says, four, by grace are ye saved
18:50through faith, by grace,
18:54by his sacrifice, we are saved by his blood.
18:58We are free. So what do I want to say this evening?
19:03There is one way to be saved from the tricks of the devil.
19:08Acts 2 38 says, then Peter said unto them, repent
19:12and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
19:15for the remission of your sins.
19:18And ye shall receive the gift, the gift of the Holy Ghost.
19:22I can say I'm free. I'm washed. I'm filled.
19:25I'm His because I have surrendered myself to him.
19:29And in this, in this day,
19:31you are looking for his Holy Ghost.
19:32You are looking for his forgiveness.
19:34There are two easy steps to follow. Three easy steps.
19:38Repent, be baptized in Jesus' name
19:42and receive his goalie ghost if you, if you so desire.
19:45Amen. Amen.
19:50Amen. Even in church,
19:56so we've seen how the altar
20:02appears in each and every individual life.
20:06It can be different from person to person like we've heard.
20:09It can be in your car, it could be at a church,
20:12it could be in your closet.
20:14It could be where you find solace with God.
20:19But your altar isn't just for you.
20:24Your altar will influence your life in ways
20:28that you cannot imagine.
20:31Your altar will be reflected in
20:34how others react to you.
20:37You, we can see this easily
20:42all throughout scripture.
20:44We could see it in the three Hebrew children
20:47and how they purified themselves before their leadership.
20:53And they appeared better than anyone else
20:55because they had a consecration and an altar.
21:01In Acts 10, we hear about Cornelius
21:05and it says that he gave alms and he prayed
21:10and he prayed
21:11and did this so much that God sent an angel in verse three.
21:16And it scared him. It terrified him.
21:21For a man who prayed
21:22and gave alms constantly, he was face to face with an angel.
21:28And in verse four, the angel tells him, your alms
21:32and your prayers have come up as a memorial before God.
21:38His sacrifice, his offerings, his time, his
21:43his efforts for God were so great
21:46that God himself could no longer ignore them.
21:52And by the end of that same chapter,
21:54it didn't just influence him,
21:58it influenced his family.
22:01It influenced everybody in his house.
22:04It influenced his city
22:06and it influenced those who stood around and watched.
22:10They saw a difference.
22:13They saw reflected in his life, his altar.
22:20Now I'm like Pastor, I am a nerd.
22:23I like science and I like history.
22:26And I like looking back on it.
22:28And one of the things you see in history is that
22:32different times are referred to
22:35by the metals that they worked.
22:38And if you really look closely, it also reflects the fire
22:42that they were able to use.
22:45Now, fire is a fun thing for me.
22:48I'm a pyro, which is Greek for fire.
22:51And I like playing with fire a lot.
22:57Fire is distracting.
23:02And for some of 'em, yeah, you're not supposed
23:04to be doing this if you're a little kid, okay?
23:06But fire like this, if you hold your hand over it,
23:11you will eventually be burned.
23:14Very good. But if I,
23:18if I attempt to use this fire to melt iron,
23:23it will never happen.
23:26It is not hot enough.
23:28But if I take this
23:29and I use it to light a fire that's hotter, right?
23:33And I build it hotter and I add hay
23:37and then wood, charcoal, coal,
23:41eventually I will get the fire hot enough
23:46that it will melt almost anything.
23:52And that is what we need to do in our lives.
23:55We build the fire that God has given us
23:59that Peter gave to Cornelius, he gave him the fire
24:03of the word, he gave him the Holy Ghost
24:06and he said, here it is and here's the steps for it.
24:11Here's the fire. And Cornelius took the fire,
24:15added it to the altar.
24:16Yeah. And he influenced everybody. Alright?
24:21It wasn't just for him.
24:23We see in act in Matthew chapter five,
24:28verse 14, Jesus himself said, ye are the light of the world.
24:33Yes, a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid.
24:39Do not hide your fire.
24:41Do not hide the influence that you have.
24:45'cause the world needs to see it.
24:53Praise God, Praise the Lord. Praise.
24:59I don't know about you, and maybe we're very similar in this
25:02way, but I love Sunday morning services
25:05where God completely takes over
25:07and we can witness the miraculous.
25:11Being a part of an incredible move
25:13of God is a powerful experience that changes many lives.
25:16However, it's also a divine invitation to go deeper
25:20and to step into a personal encounter with God.
25:23What we experience corporately can
25:26lead us into something private.
25:28It's where we take these moments
25:30and we move into a relationship from excitement
25:33to revelation, into transformation.
25:36Like in John four, the woman at the well, it was revealed
25:39to her by Jesus that he was the Messiah.
25:43I can't imagine the excitement
25:44of finally knowing the Messiah had come.
25:48We may begin with this curiosity
25:50or the excitement of a moment,
25:51but Jesus is always inviting us to go deeper.
25:54Amen. Amen. A move of God in the service isn't the end,
25:58but it's just an open door to personal transformation.
26:02It's an open door, ready to be walked through
26:04and explored from the water jar to the wellspring,
26:09from emotion to revelation.
26:11And from that place we learn not just to worship
26:13with our lips, with our lips,
26:15but with our lives in spirit and in truth.
26:18In this conversation at the well,
26:21Jesus specifically says in verse 24, God is spirit
26:26and those who worship him must worship him in
26:29spirit and in truth.
26:32Interestingly enough, the word worship in this verse means
26:35to physically lie down on your face.
26:37It's an act of submission or humility. It.
26:41This act of surrender isn't just
26:42outwardly, but it's inwardly.
26:45And that surrender must be done in spirit by the Holy Spirit
26:48and in truth revealed or rooted in the word of God.
26:53But what is the truth that we're asked to surrender to?
26:57Well, the truth is that the Lord our God is one Lord.
27:00The truth is God. God so loved the world
27:02that he gave his only begotten son
27:04that whoever believes in him shall not perish
27:07but have everlasting life.
27:09The truth is that except a man is born again of the water
27:12and of the Spirit, he cannot
27:14enter into the kingdom of heaven.
27:16The truth is that there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
27:20and there's only one name under heaven
27:22among men whereby we must be saved.
27:28The truth is that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life,
27:32and he is the light of the world.
27:36Growing up, me
27:37and my family didn't really believe this doctrine
27:39and we were taught it was not good.
27:42So when my parents had decided to attend this church,
27:45it was not long after that we found out about this doctrine.
27:49So my parents did what any parent would do,
27:53what's what's right for their family and what's best.
27:55And so we left.
27:58We attended about two different churches
28:00and I was talking to my mom and she said it felt so empty.
28:05She said that deep down, we all knew the truth, even me
28:07and Emily at such a young age,
28:10but we were just taught to avoid at all costs.
28:14But one day, which I don't believe is by coincidence,
28:17we received in the mail a note from
28:19the Sunday school department.
28:21I don't remember who wrote it, I wish I did.
28:24But it said something along the lines
28:25of we Miss Angelina and Emily.
28:30That was at the moment where my parents were reminded of
28:33where the truth was and where we needed to be.
28:37It was a reminder that we needed to go home.
28:44And when we did, we continued our Bible studies
28:46with Brother Garfinkel and Sister Garfinkel,
28:49and eventually we were all baptized in Jesus' name
28:53and filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence
28:55of speaking of other terms.
28:59See, the truth isn't something that we just know,
29:01but it's something we live out daily in our lives.
29:04That's right. Two Timothy two 15 says, work hard
29:08so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.
29:11Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed,
29:14but who correctly explains the word of truth.
29:17Our time spent in personal devotion
29:19and prayer with God is important, but doing it in spirit
29:22and truth is very important as well.
29:25Like the woman at the well
29:26after her encounter, she leaves her water jar
29:29and her old priorities
29:30and she goes to share the good news with others.
29:33This is what happens. This is
29:35what can happen when we respond to God's invitation
29:37after powerful service.
29:39We move from receiving to releasing.
29:42We move from being stirred to being sent.
29:46Jesus says in John eight, three,
29:48and you shall know the truth
29:50and the truth shall make you free.
29:53Now knowing this and having the spirit of God in us,
29:56we are the light of the world
29:58and we are what God has called us to be, which is
30:00to let our light shine so forth before men
30:03and to preach the gospel.
30:05Thank you Jesus.
30:19Luca eight 17, for all
30:22that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open
30:25and every secret will be brought into the light.
30:30A sacred place, or also known as the secret place,
30:35is the realest place in our life.
30:38It's where our soul retreats when the lights are off
30:41and the doors are shut, it's the quiet space
30:45where our foundation is built,
30:48where our truest thoughts live,
30:50where tears fall in the late night hours, we all run there
30:55to escape, to breathe.
30:58What happens there matters.
31:02Our sacred space is either being cultivated for holiness
31:07or corrupted by hidden sin.
31:10It's where the fruit of the spirit works
31:12or the flesh grows not on stage but behind closed doors.
31:18It's where our character is formed.
31:22What we do in secret will prepares elevation
31:26or expose us to destruction.
31:30Now, if that's where our soul retreats
31:32and characters are formed, what does
31:35that look like when it's actually healthy?
31:38This sacred place was never meant to be a dungeon.
31:42It was always meant to be a sanctuary, not just a place
31:46of silence, but of sacredness.
31:50It's where heaven meets earth
31:52in the quiet corners of our soul.
31:56That's why Jesus said in Matthew six, six, when you pray,
31:59go into your room, shut the door
32:02and pray to your Father who's in secret behind that door.
32:07We can be real. We can pour out our pain,
32:12surrender our burdens and dreams with God.
32:16It's where masks fall off
32:17and the presence of God begins
32:19to rebuild us when we are there.
32:22God doesn't just listen, he responds.
32:26He gives strategy for our battles, clarity, for
32:29for our confusion and peace that the world can't offer.
32:34It's where He strengthens Our spirit confirms our identity
32:38and prepares us for what we've been praying for.
32:42And the promise your father
32:44who sees in secret will reward you openly.
32:48What's built in private will echo in public.
32:54The secret place is not where you go to hide from the world.
32:58It's where you're prepared to change it.
33:03But not every place looks like that. Let's be real.
33:07In most cases, this place isn't sacred.
33:13They become storage rooms for hidden sun, quiet compromise
33:17and unspoken pain.
33:20It's the private struggles and addictions we use to cope.
33:24When life feels too heavy, the bitterness we replay
33:28because surrender feels harder than holding on.
33:32And before we realize
33:33that those struggles become our escape plan, we run
33:37to them instead of God.
33:38We tell ourselves it's not that bad
33:40or no, no one needs to know.
33:44But deep down, we're not free.
33:47We're caught in a secret cycle, surviving but not thriving.
33:54That's what happens when our sacred place becomes
33:56compromised and the enemy loves to work in the dark.
34:02You know, he waited for Eve to be alone in the garden
34:08before he went and tempted her to eat the forbidden fruit.
34:13Now, if he can isolate us, he can influence us.
34:19'cause isolation, distorts reality.
34:24While we feed in private, we start to carry in public
34:27because what we seek in secret reveals who we really are.
34:33We can't hide what we've,
34:34what's been forming behind the scenes.
34:38But I have good news to you.
34:40God doesn't reveal what's hidden to embarrass us.
34:44He reveals to heal us.
34:47This place was never meant to be dark.
34:49It was meant to become a place of light
34:51and a restoration where you could look at
34:56yourself in the mirror and say, who am I today?
35:00Have I been walking how I should?
35:02Have I been treating people like I should?
35:05Have I been living for this truth in this word?
35:10I've learned this firsthand.
35:14Everything's come full circle for me since last year.
35:19And I can tell you this, there were things that
35:21that I thought that didn't affect me, but they showed up
35:25and how I loved how I responded,
35:27how I perceived myself towards others,
35:32and I realized God wasn't telling me
35:33to hide those things better.
35:35He was asking, I want to heal those deeper.
35:39I'm revealing these things for you
35:42because I want to help you with them
35:47because he knew the foundation I was building at the
35:49time mattered.
36:05For some of us, our secret place is not filled
36:08with hidden sin.
36:11It's the pain that we carry.
36:15It's the stuff we've been trying to heal from quietly.
36:17All the disappointments, the questions, the silence,
36:21the things that happen that we have no answers for,
36:25we we try to press on the process in silent,
36:32and maybe we're still afraid to let anyone in,
36:36but can I remind someone tonight,
36:38God sees the way that you've been trying.
36:43He sees the prayers that you didn't finish the parts
36:46of your heart, that you haven't shared the dreams
36:51that you still believe in, that they haven't come
36:54to pass the promises that you've talked to God
36:59and saw it for weeks and weeks about, come on.
37:03He may have answered the first part of it,
37:05but you're still waiting on the second part.
37:07He hasn't forgotten about it.
37:13Now, he's not rushing you, he's not disappointed,
37:16but he's asking for you guys to let him in again,
37:21even just a little, because same God who meets you there,
37:25he is gonna build something that lasts.
37:29You heard his mention in Matthew 7 24, anyone
37:32who hears my words
37:35and puts them into practice, it's like a wise man
37:38who built his house on a rock.
37:41When the storm came, the house didn't fall
37:47Because It was built on a solid foundation.
37:53What we do, there really matters, guys, that secret place,
37:57what we do here at these altars every Sunday, every Tuesday,
38:00those things matter.
38:04But tonight, I'm not here to say we have to be perfect.
38:08We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God every day.
38:12But he's calling us back to a place
38:14where we can build again, that secret place,
38:19that sacred place where we can meet with him,
38:23where he could bring the light
38:24where it's been dark for so long.
38:26Come on. Oh Jesus.
38:34Let's let the word of God become our foundation again.
38:40Hallelujah. Jesus,
38:46Praise the Lord. Why don't
38:47we stand? Why don't we gather in this altar right
38:50now for a time of prayer, for a time
38:52of consecration unto the Lord.
38:56The Lord God is calling us to consecration.
38:59He is calling us to commitment.
39:01He's calling us to dive deeper tonight.
39:04Brother Elijah said it.
39:05Some of us have been praying and seeking and knocking
39:08and searching, and have not
39:10yet received the full promise just yet.
39:13God is telling us to go deeper tonight.
39:16The Lord is telling us to build our life on him,
39:19to build our lives on the firm foundation of truth tonight.
39:23And Jesus will answer, he will answer. The God of all.
39:28Heaven will answer by fire.
39:30And when he answers, you will know it.
39:33You will know it because you will see it. You will feel it.
39:36Everything around you will be affected by it.
39:39God is calling us to consecration tonight,
39:42and I know this is a church of consecration.
39:45This is a body of believers who believe in the, in the power
39:49of Jesus Christ, who believe in the commitment
39:53to Jesus Christ, who believe in the word of the Lord God
39:57and build their lives on it.
39:58And they build their lives on the Word,
40:00and they build their families on the Word,
40:03and they do everything that they do by the word
40:06of Jesus Christ.
40:08That is who we are as believers. Why don't we pray?
40:11Why don't we seek the Lord? Hallelujah.
40:14Jesus, M mighty God, mighty God, mighty God.
40:19Lord Jesus, help me.
40:21Oh God, I wanna make room for you again. Jesus.
40:25I want to commit myself to you again, Jesus,
40:28because I know you are calling me deeper.
40:31You are calling me deeper, Jesus.
40:34Hallelujah Lord. Hallelujah. Lord,
40:36Thank you Jesus.
40:39Thank you Lord. Hallelujah.