LXM XIV
LXM XIV Preached on 7/15/2025
0:0040:40
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Summary
This multi-speaker message from the League of Extraordinary Ministers (LXM) emphasizes the necessity of building a life on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ through private prayer, communion, and an unwavering commitment to Biblical truth.
Key points
- •A spiritual foundation must be built on the rock of Jesus Christ and His Word to withstand the storms of life.
- •The altar is a place of personal restoration and private communion where individuals can lay down burdens and align their hearts with God.
- •Spiritual discipline involves 'intentional isolation' from distractions to allow the Potter to reshape the soul.
- •Private devotion (the secret place) inevitably influences public life, as character is formed behind closed doors.
- •Truth is not just intellectual knowledge but a living reality that brings freedom when put into practice.
Scripture
Community
Faith
Holiness
Prayer
Wisdom
Life application
This week, identify a specific 'distraction' (such as a phone or a busy schedule) and set it aside for 15 minutes of intentional, private isolation with God to allow Him to search and restore your heart.
Reflection questions
- What 'altars' in your life currently need to be torn down to make room for a genuine relationship with Jesus?
- How does your private 'secret place' differ from your public spiritual persona?
- In what ways have you experienced the 'shaking' of foundations that were not built on the Word of God?
- What 'twisted truths' or lies from the enemy have been distracting you from God's grace recently?
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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.