Building A Firm Foundation on the Truth of Jesus Christ
LXM XIV Preached on 7/15/2025
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40:44
Summary
This sermon, presented by the League of Extraordinary Ministers, emphasizes that a resilient Christian life is built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ through intentional prayer, the study of Scripture, and maintaining a sacred 'secret place' for communion with God. The speakers challenge believers to move from public performance to private alignment with God's truth, ensuring their spiritual house stands firm against the world's distractions.
Key points
- •A firm spiritual foundation is built through the disciplines of fervent prayer, consistent communion with God, and obedience to His Word.
- •Private devotion, often called the 'secret place,' is where character is formed and where individuals must choose to cultivate holiness rather than hide sin.
- •Corporate experiences in church services are intended to be invitations into deeper, private transformations rather than ends in themselves.
- •Living in the truth of Jesus Christ provides stability that allows a believer to stand firm when the storms and distractions of the world arise.
- •Personal consecration and the fire of the Holy Spirit not only change the individual but inevitably influence their family, community, and future generations.
Scripture
Spiritual Growth
Prayer
Holiness
Scripture
Character
Life application
Commit this week to moving beyond public worship into 'intentional isolation' with God. Find a specific time and place to lay aside all distractions, examine your heart against Scripture, and allow the Holy Spirit to reshape the areas of your life that have become hardened or hidden.
Reflection questions
- What does your 'secret place' look like right now, and is it a sanctuary for restoration or a storage room for hidden burdens?
- In what ways have you allowed the 'shifting sands' of the world's opinions to distract you from the rock of Christ's truth?
- How has the spiritual foundation of those who came before you (like the speaker's grandmother) impacted your own faith journey?
- Are there 'altars' in your life that need to be torn down to make room for a deeper relationship with Jesus?
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Full transcript
0:00to Brother Ricky. Praise the Lord everybody. How
0:04are you guys doing here on a Tuesday night at the cathedral? On behalf of
0:09Pastor and Sister Elms who could not be here, I'd like to welcome you. Whether
0:14this is your first time, whether this is your 100th time or 1 million, you
0:19are welcome and you are family. Tonight is a little bit different. It's a little
0:25bit special. We have something different going on. We have a class called LXM. It's
0:31the League of Extraordinary Ministers that are going to be preaching a word tonight. And
0:37I have the honor of introducing and bringing forth the message. And we are going
0:43to start in Matthew 7, 24 through 25. I'll give you a second to get
0:49there. Well, that's all you get is a
0:55second. So it says, therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them,
1:01I will liken him unto a wise man who builds his house upon a
1:06rock and the rain descends and the flood came and the wind blew and
1:12beat upon the house and it fell not for it was founded upon the
1:18rock. Tonight I have the honor to introduce the topic of building
1:24a firm foundation on the truth of Jesus Christ. As we go
1:29through this shifting world of twirling sand as we try to get through
1:35the lies the deceit and all the distractions that are kind of take us away
1:41from Jesus we have to understand that these are the spiritual disciplines that we're going
1:47to learn about tonight and we're going to learn and focus a lot on communion
1:53with the Lord and having fervent prayer and making sure that we keep ourselves We're
1:59all nimble and ready for whatever God has. And when we go through the word
2:04of God, when we really start to focus on the foundation of what God is,
2:09it's his truth. And when we read in the word and we read John 14
2:15and 6, it tells us I am the way, the truth and the life. He
2:20is the word of the, and his word is the truth. No matter what we
2:25say, no matter what the world tries to portray, it is his word that we
2:30must build upon. It must be our foundation as we continue to get through a
2:36world that's trying to tell us that we're weird and we're not where we need
2:41to be when we're here on a Tuesday night, that we're just wasting our time.
2:45Well, I'm here to say that we have a God that wants us to build
2:50upon a rock, that when the storm comes and the wind blows, that we will
2:54stand strong. strong but there are some things that he wants us to do with
2:59him he wants us to have communion with us what he wants is just a
3:04relationship with him he wants us to understand that this is not just some rural
3:09in some ritual that we sit with god but it's a way for us to
3:15have an intimate walk with him daily and as we continue to move forward we
3:20need to understand that the bible tells us in first corinthians 1 9 that we
3:25must uh follow and fellowship with god and the only way we can do that
3:31is by having communion by having a relationship when we have communion whenever you think
3:36of communion you think about an intimate moment with god a time where you can
3:42really push away everything that's been weighing on you a time where you can cleanse
3:48yourself What he's saying is I want you to come to me in an intimate
3:52moment. I want you to come to me not just at church, not just when
3:57you're in front of everybody, but when I'm at home by myself, when I'm driving
4:02on my way to work, when I'm feeling like I'm having the worst day of
4:06my life, he wants me to come. come to him and have communion. What he
4:11wants is me to give it to him. He wants me to spend time with
4:16him, but he also wants me to anchor in his truth. And the way that
4:20I do that is through prayer. I need to understand that that is my lifeline.
4:25That's the way that I get rooted to him. Philippians 4, 6 tells us, pray
4:30with faith. for everything with thanksgiving and God will bring peace in God our heart
4:35through prayer we will seek his will for our life what we'll have is the
4:39moment to give him all of the things that we've done wrong those things that
4:44are weighing us down when we feel like we're just not good enough or we
4:49feel like We haven't done everything. This is my time to lay it before him
4:53at the altar and say, I don't want this anymore. I don't need it. I
4:58want you to come into my heart. I want you to put in me a
5:02clean heart and a right spirit because God is saying that if I would just
5:07give it to him, if I would be in covenant with him, if I would
5:11be in a relationship with him if I would get to know him and let
5:16him get to know me then we would be where he wants us to be
5:21he would be able to get us back on path and get us right where
5:25his will wants us to be but we have to understand that it's up to
5:30us God is a gentleman he'll never force himself upon you he'll ask ask you
5:35and he'll come to you when you're in need but he'll ask you to give
5:40it to him he'll ask you to stay will you stand next to me when
5:45everybody is shouting what we are doing is crazy it's a waste of time will
5:50we give it to him will we stand with him and what i have the
5:55honor of doing tonight is introducing this lxm class that is made up of lauren
6:01leonard gabriel perdomo Andrew Castleman, Angelina Maldonado, and Elijah Bright.
6:06I knew that I was going to mess that one
6:12up, but I'm just taking after my pastor. We get
6:18it going. So these five individuals don't come to us
6:24with five different messages. But they come to you with one Holy Ghost
6:30filled message. One that's supposed to be the food that God wants us to have
6:35tonight. The thing that God wants us to hear tonight. Because you're not here by
6:40coincidence. In all of the English that we always say there's a coincidence. But when
6:45we go back to the written word of God, there's not one word that means
6:50coincidence. There's a reason for that. And what it tells us is God doesn't do
6:55anything just by chance. What he's telling you is it's planned. But we have to
7:00be willing to be in that plan. So if you would pray with me for
7:05these five that are going to come up and preach tonight. We let's stand as
7:10we pray for them. Lord God, I thank you for what you're going to do
7:15tonight for allowing these individuals to come together with the message you have put inside
7:21of their heart with what you have given them. Lord God, I pray that you
7:26would allow us to open our hearts, open our minds, prepare us for the word
7:32you have for us tonight. In Jesus precious name. Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you,
7:37Jesus. Thank you, Lord. How many is glad to be in the house tonight?
7:43You guys may be seated. Have you ever wondered what the studies of the
7:49Bible writers looked like? I've often thought about this. We know by reading the
7:55word that Paul studied, it looked like a prison. He was shackled. He was
8:01in chains. He was watched by a guard at all times. Yet he still
8:07got the words written to the churches. We know that the disciples
8:13like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, where their studies looked like wherever Jesus
8:19and the road took them. Now imagine with me a sturdy wooden desk,
8:25a firm reed pen that's ready to be written with, freshly dried papyrus
8:30that's ready to be written on, and carbon black ink. That's what they
8:36used in Bible times. In a perfect scenario, that is what their studies
8:42looked like. To our eyes, these places were They may just look commonplace.
8:48They may just look like where somebody writes, but we know that this is
8:53where the supernatural occurs. The revelations that they found were not only for themselves,
8:59but they were for the generations to come and even to the generations as
9:05far as us. We still benefit from these words. We get to benefit from
9:10the words that were divinely inspired by God. And we now get
9:16to study this holy word. But more importantly, the word gets to study
9:22us. Now for me, my study looks a little different. It's not a
9:27perfectly polished desk. I don't really have room for that in my small
9:33bedroom. But mine looks like waking up in the morning and reading my
9:39Bible and studying it. Or sitting at my chair in a place of
9:44prayer. In Hebrews 4.12, it says that for the word of
9:50God is quick. In the New Living Translation, it says that it's alive and powerful
9:55and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul
10:01and spirit and of the joints and marrows and is a discerner of our thoughts
10:07and the intents of our hearts. It divides our emotions and our mind.
10:12It divides our feelings and our wisdom because sometimes we can get those things
10:18confused. And we need the Lord to guide us and direct us. But if
10:23you look at the verse prior to that, verse 11, it says that to
10:29enter into this or to access the power of this word, we must enter
10:35into the rest. Just as Jesus did, he rested, and so must we
10:40so that we don't fall into unbelief. An altar is a place of restoration
10:46where I can lay my troubles, like Brother Ricky said, at Jesus' feet, and
10:52I can commune with him on a personal level. It's where we can build
10:58up, we can restore, and we can tear down altars, much like King Asa
11:03did in 1 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 15. Right. These altars, they were
11:09places of worship. The ones that needed to be torn down, the ones that he
11:14tore down were places that were for idol worship. But the ones that had to
11:19be built up, the ones that had to be restored, those were the ones that
11:23were for the Lord. And he had to make way by tearing down the altars
11:28that were for idols. He had to make way for the people of Judah to
11:33worship their God. So let this be the church's prayer today. That
11:39we have altars that are not for public gratification. They're not for
11:44the public eye to see. But it's a place where private relationship,
11:50where we can meet with our creator, where we can build on
11:56the firm foundation that is Jesus. Now, I know when I go
12:01places... I like to bring my Bible. I have a few. This is one. I
12:07like to bring my Bible with me, and I like to sit it at my
12:13nightstand wherever I'm at. And a few months ago, I was lovingly kicked out of
12:18my home because we had a guest over. And my room is, in fact, our
12:23guest room. So I had to stay at my grandmother's house. And while I was
12:29at her house one night, I must have left my Bible somewhere else. And
12:35so I reached over. Sorry, Grandma, I know you're watching online. I reached
12:40over and I grabbed her Bible and I opened it and I began
12:46to see pictures that were in there of Maddie and of my grandfather.
12:51And I got to see little things that she had written down, little
12:57sermon titles and dates from before I was born. And in that moment,
13:03I was reminded that that these words that I hold in my
13:09hand today, this book, it not only changed her life, but because
13:15of her continual communion with the Lord, it has now impacted me
13:20three generations later, where I can commune and abide with Jesus. These
13:26revelations, they brought restoration to altars that I didn't know needed to
13:32be restored. So how can you build up your altars for the
13:38Lord today? by laying bricks of continual communion with
13:44Jesus, by building on a firm foundation of prayer, with
13:50a fire for the Lord that cannot be contained. This
13:56altar is your place to commune with your heavenly Father,
14:02who is Jesus. Praise the Lord, church. So great to
14:08be in this place, to see every single one of
14:14you guys tonight. Isaiah 55, verse 6 says, It says,
14:19"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he
14:25is near." Now, when you search the Lord, it's not so much about location. It
14:30could be in your room. It could be in the altar. It could be all
14:35the way back there in the back row. It's about intentional isolation with the Lord.
14:41It's a place where you stop performing, where you start listening. It's a place where
14:46you come not for appearance, but you come for alignment with his word. You're not
14:52seeking comfort, but you're seeking clarity. It's about taking time in His presence, about
14:58shutting out all distractions. And if you were to ask Paul, your greatest distraction
15:03is your spouse. But guess what? I'll choose not to listen to him because
15:09I will be married in the name of Jesus. And let the church say,
15:15Amen. Now, when you're in this place, in this moment with the Lord, God
15:20is not distracted. He is focused on shaping you.
15:26He has his hands on you. Like a potter at the wheel, he
15:32patiently works on areas in your life that need forming, trimming, reshaping. Think
15:38about it. The God of the universe, he holds the stars in his
15:43hands. He who exists outside of time himself, he pauses and looks at
15:49you. Just think about that. That's mind-blowing. Me of all people. You of all
15:55people. It's just crazy to think. He doesn't just tolerate your presence. He desires it.
16:00You're not too small or too messy. And sometimes he has hands on my mess.
16:06And yes, there are times where I don't know what I'm looking like. Maybe I'm
16:11a mug. Maybe I'm a melted vase. I don't know what it is he's doing
16:16with me. There are also times where maybe I'm not all
16:22that malleable, but He still works with me. He doesn't just toss me
16:28to the side just because I'm being difficult in that moment. In this
16:33moment, God studies your heart, motives, and beliefs. Many want transformation but avoid
16:39self-examination. I want my prayers to always be what in me needs to
16:45change to align with the truth of Scripture. This is
16:50not a moment to ask for things. It's a moment to allow God to search
16:56me. Hebrews 4 says, God judges the words and attitudes of the heart. In this
17:02moment, you're at your most vulnerable, both to thoughts from God, because you're surrendering yourself
17:08to him, but also to thoughts from the devil, believe it or not.
17:14And I'm not sure how many have experienced this, but there are moments in prayer
17:20where I'm like, is this from God? I'm not quite sure. Is this my own
17:25thought? Who knows? And believe it or not, one of the devil's most effective deception
17:31strategies is telling a truth. It might be a twisted truth, but it's a truth
17:36nonetheless. Now, I was more or less raised in the church, so I never got
17:42to experience the world. But guess what? That does not make me exempt from temptation.
17:48there was a period of time where i felt like i was coming to the
17:54lord for the same mistake over and over again it felt like i was going
17:59in circles without fail my same thought would be i'm i'm back here again you
18:04know it's just too many times i mean i'm sure god's just tired of it
18:09by now the devil told me i'm not good enough i'll never be used by
18:14god at this rate i'm not worthy of his forgiveness after this many times i
18:20would have given up on myself 20 times over but guess what the truth
18:25is I'm not good enough. It's true I'm not good enough, but you know what
18:31else is true first grant. He says God's strength is made perfect in weakness He
18:37is made perfect in my weakness because in my weakness he can glorify himself The
18:43truth is I'm not worthy of his forgiveness and that is true, but you know
18:49what else is true Ephesians 2:8 says for by grace are ye saved through faith
18:56By grace, by his sacrifice, we are saved. By his blood, we are free. So
19:02what I want to say this evening, there is one way to be saved from
19:08the tricks of the devil. Acts 2:38 says, "Then Peter said unto them,
19:13Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for
19:19the remission of your sins. And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
19:24I can say I'm free, I'm washed, I'm filled, I'm His, because I have surrendered
19:30myself to Him. And in this day, you are looking for His Holy Ghost, you
19:35are looking for His forgiveness. There are two easy steps to follow. Three
19:41easy steps. Repent, be baptized in Jesus' name, and receive
19:47his Holy Ghost if you so desire. Amen. So we've
19:53seen how the altar appears in each and every individual
19:59life. It can be different from person to person. Like
20:05we've heard, it can be in your car, it can
20:10be at a church, it can be in your closet.
20:17It could be where you find solace with God.
20:22But your altar isn't just for you. Your altar
20:28will influence your life in ways that you cannot
20:34imagine. Your altar will be reflected in how others
20:39react to you. We can see this easily all
20:45throughout scripture. We could see it in the three Hebrew
20:51children and how they purified themselves before their leadership. And they appeared
20:57better than anyone else because they had a consecration and an altar.
21:03In Acts 10, we hear about Cornelius. And it says that he
21:09gave alms and he prayed. And he prayed and did this so
21:15much that God sent an angel in verse 3 and it scared
21:21him. It terrified him. For a man who prayed and gave alms
21:27constantly, he was face to face with an angel. And in verse 4,
21:32the angel tells him, your alms and your prayers have come up as
21:38a memorial before God. His sacrifice, his offerings, his
21:44time, his efforts for God were so great that God
21:50himself could no longer ignore them. And by the end
21:55of that same chapter, it didn't just influence him.
22:01It influenced his family. It influenced everybody in his house. It
22:07influenced his city. And it influenced those who stood around and
22:12watched. They saw a difference. They saw reflected in his life
22:18his altar. Now, I'm like pastor. I am a nerd. I
22:24like science and I like history and I like looking back
22:30on it. And one of the things you see in history
22:35is that different times are referred to by the metals that they
22:41worked. And if you really look closely, it also reflects the fire
22:47that they were able to use. Now fire is a fun thing
22:53for me. I am a pyro, which is Greek for fire. And
22:59I like playing with fire a lot. Fire is distracting.
23:05And for some of them, yeah, you're not supposed to be doing this
23:11if you're a little kid, okay? But fire like this, if you hold
23:16your hand over it, you will eventually be burned. But if I attempt
23:22to use this fire to melt iron, it will never happen. It is
23:28not hot enough. But if I take this and I use it to
23:34light a fire that's hotter, and I build it hotter, and I add
23:40hay and then wood... charcoal, coal. Eventually I will get the fire
23:46hot enough that it will melt almost anything. And that is what
23:51we need to do in our lives. We build the fire that
23:57God has given us, that Peter gave to Cornelius. He gave him
24:03the fire of the word. He gave him the Holy Ghost and
24:08he said, here it is. And here's the steps for it. Here's
24:14the fire. and cornelius took the fire added it to
24:20the altar and he influenced ev it wasn't just for him
24:25we see in act in matthew chapter 5 verse 14 jesus
24:31himself said ye are the light of the world a city
24:36set upon a hill that cannot be hid do not hide
24:42your fire do not hide the influence that you have Because
24:48the world needs to see it. Praise the Lord. I don't
24:53know about you, and maybe we're very similar in this way,
24:59but I love Sunday morning services where God completely takes over
25:05and we can witness the miraculous. Being a part of an
25:10incredible move of God is a powerful experience that changes many
25:16lives. However, it's also a divine invitation to go deeper and
25:22to step into a personal encounter with God. What we experience
25:27corporately can lead us into something private. It's where we take these moments and we
25:33move into a relationship from excitement to revelation into transformation. Like in John 4, the
25:39woman at the well, it was revealed to her by Jesus that he was the
25:45Messiah. I can't imagine the excitement of finally knowing the Messiah had come. We may
25:50begin with this curiosity or the excitement of a moment, but Jesus is always inviting
25:56us to go deeper. A move of God in a service isn't
26:02the end, but it's just an open door to personal transformation. It's an open door
26:07ready to be walked through and explored. From the water jar to the wellspring, from
26:13emotion to revelation. And from that place, we learn not just to worship with our
26:19lips, but with our lives, in spirit and in truth. In this conversation at the
26:25well, Jesus specifically says in verse 24, God is spirit, and those who worship
26:30him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Interestingly enough, the word "worship" in
26:36this verse means to physically lie down on your face. It's an act of submission
26:41or humility. This act of surrender isn't just outwardly, but it's inwardly. And that surrender
26:47must be done in spirit, by the Holy Spirit, and in truth, revealed or rooted
26:53in the Word of God. But what is the truth that we're asked to surrender
26:58to? Well, the truth is that the Lord our God is one Lord. The truth
27:04is that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that
27:08whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. The truth is that
27:13except a man is born again of the water and of the spirit, he cannot
27:17enter into the kingdom of heaven. The truth is that there is one Lord, one
27:22faith, one baptism, and there's only one name under heaven among men whereby we must
27:27be saved. The truth is that
27:33Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And he is the light of
27:38the world. Growing up, me and my family didn't really believe this doctrine and we
27:43were taught it was not good. So when my parents had decided to attend this
27:48church, it was not long after that we found out about this doctrine. So my
27:53parents did what any parent would do, what's right for their family and what's best.
27:59And so we left. We attended about two different churches and I was talking to
28:04my mom and she said it felt so empty. She said that deep down we
28:09all knew the truth, even me and Emily, at such a young age, but we
28:14were just taught to avoid it at all costs. But one day, which I don't
28:18believe is by coincidence, we received in the mail a note from the Sunday school
28:23department. I don't remember who wrote it. I wish I did. But it said something
28:28along the lines of, we miss Angelina and Emily. That
28:34was at the moment when my parents were reminded of where the truth was and
28:39where we needed to be. It was a reminder that we needed to go home.
28:45And when we did, we continued our Bible studies with Brother Garfinkel and Sister Garfinkel.
28:51And eventually we were all baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost
28:56with the evidence of speaking of other tongues. See, the truth isn't something that we
29:02just know, but it's something we live out daily in our lives.
29:08Second Timothy 2:15 says work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive
29:13his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed but
29:17who correctly explains the word of truth. Our time spent in personal devotion and prayer
29:22with God is important but doing it in spirit and truth is very important as
29:27well. Like the woman at the well, after her encounter she leaves her water jar
29:31and her old priorities and she goes to share the good news with others. This
29:36is what happens. This is what can happen when we respond to God's invitation after
29:42a powerful service. We move from receiving to releasing. We move from being stirred to
29:47being sent. Jesus says in John 8, 3, And you shall know the truth, and
29:52the truth shall make you free. Now knowing this and having the Spirit of God
29:57in us, we are the light of the world. And we are what God has
30:02called us to be, which is to let our light shine so forth before men
30:07and to preach the gospel. Thank you, Jesus.
30:22Luke 8:17 For all that is hidden will eventually be brought into the
30:28open, and every secret will be brought into the light. A sacred place,
30:34or also known as the secret place, is the realest place in our
30:40life. It's where our soul retreats when the lights are off and the
30:45doors are shut. It's the quiet space where our foundation is built, where
30:51our truest thoughts live, where tears fall in the late night hours. We
30:57all run there to escape, to breathe, What happens there
31:03matters. Our sacred space is either being cultivated for holiness or corrupted
31:09by hidden sin. It's where the fruit of the Spirit works or
31:15the flesh grows, not on stage but behind closed doors. It's where
31:21our character is formed. What we do in secret will prepare us
31:26for elevation or expose us to destruction. Now if that's where our
31:32soul retreats and characters are formed, what does that look like when
31:38it's actually healthy? This sacred place was never meant to
31:44be a dungeon. It was always meant to be a sanctuary. Not just
31:50a place of silence, but of sacredness. It's where heaven meets earth in
31:56the quiet corners of our soul. That's why Jesus said in Matthew 6:6,
32:01"When you pray, go into your room, shut the door, and pray to
32:07your Father who is in secret." Behind that door, we can be real.
32:12We can pour out our pain, surrender our burdens, and dreams with God.
32:19it's where masks fall off and the presence of god begins to rebuild
32:25us when we are there god doesn't just listen he responds he gives
32:30strategy for our battles clarity for our confusion and peace that the world
32:36can offer it's where he strengthens our spirit confirms our identity and prepares
32:42us for what we've been praying for and the promise your father who
32:48sees in secret will reward you openly what's built in private will echo
32:53in public The secret place is not
32:59where you go to hide from the world. It's where you're prepared
33:05to change it. But not every place looks like that. Let's be
33:11real. In most cases, this place isn't sacred. They become storage rooms
33:17for hidden sun, quiet compromise, and unspoken pain. It's the private struggles
33:23and addictions we use to cope when life feels too heavy. The
33:28bitterness we replay because surrender feels harder than holding on.
33:35And before we realize it, those struggles become our escape plan. We run
33:40to them instead of God. We tell ourselves it's not that bad or
33:46no, no one needs to know. But deep down, we're not free. We're
33:52caught in a secret cycle, surviving but not thriving. That's what happens when
33:58our sacred place becomes compromised. And the enemy loves to work in the
34:04dark. You know, he waited for Eve to be alone in the garden
34:10before he went and tempted her to eat the forbidden fruit.
34:16now if he can isolate us he can influence us because isolation distorts
34:22reality what we feed in private we start to carry in public because
34:28what we seek in secret reveals who we really are we can't hide
34:34what we've what's been forming behind the scenes but i have good news
34:40to you god doesn't reveal what's hidden to embarrass us he reveals to
34:46heal us this place was never meant to be dark it was meant
34:51to become a place of light and a restoration Where you
34:57can look at yourself in the mirror and say, "Who am I today? Have
35:03I been walking how I should? Have I been treating people like I should?
35:09Have I been living for this truth and this word?" I've learned this firsthand.
35:15Everything's come full circle for me since last year. And I can tell you
35:21this, there were things that I thought that didn't affect me. But they showed
35:27up in how I loved, how I responded, how I perceived myself towards others.
35:35And I realized God wasn't telling me to hide those
35:41things better. He was asking, I want to heal those
35:46deeper. I'm revealing these things for you because I want
35:52to help you with them. Because he knew the foundation
35:58I was building at the time mattered. For some of
36:04us, our secret place is not filled with hidden sin.
36:10It's the pain that we carry. It's the stuff we've
36:16been trying to heal from quietly, all the disappointments.
36:22the questions the silence the things that happen that we have no
36:28answers for we we try to press on the process in silence
36:33and maybe we're still afraid to let anyone in but can i
36:39remind someone tonight god sees the way that you've been trying he
36:44sees the prayers that you didn't finish the parts of your heart
36:50that you haven't shared the dreams that you still believe in but
36:56they haven't come to pass the promises that
37:01you talked to God and sought for weeks and weeks about. He may
37:07have answered the first part of it, but you're still waiting on the
37:12second part. He hasn't forgotten about it. Now, He's not rushing you. He's
37:18not disappointed, but He's asking for you guys to let Him in again,
37:24even just a little, because the same God who meets you there, He's
37:30going to build something that lasts. You heard it mentioned in Matthew 7:24,
37:35"Anyone who hears my words and puts them into practice it's like
37:41a wise man who built his house on a rock when the storm
37:47came the house didn't fall because it was built on a solid foundation
37:52what we do there really matters that secret place what we do here
37:58at these altars every sunday every tuesday those things matter but tonight i'm
38:04not here to say we have to be perfect we all sin we
38:10all fall short of the glory of god every day but he's calling
38:15us back to a place where we can build again
38:21That secret place, that sacred place where we can meet with
38:27him. Where he could bring the light where it's been dark
38:32for so long. Oh Jesus, let's let the word of God
38:38become our foundation again. Hallelujah Jesus. Praise the Lord. Why don't
38:43we stand? Why don't we gather in this altar right now?
38:49For a time of prayer, for a time of consecration unto
38:55the Lord. The Lord God is calling us to consecration. He
39:00is calling us to commitment. He's calling us to dive deeper
39:06tonight. Brother Elijah said it, some of us have been praying and seeking and
39:12knocking and searching and have not yet received the full promise just yet. God is
39:17telling us to go deeper tonight. The Lord is telling us to build our life
39:22on Him, to build our lives on the firm foundation of truth tonight. And Jesus
39:28will answer. He will answer. The God of all heaven will answer by fire. And
39:33when He answers, you will know it. You will know it because you will see
39:38it. You will feel it. Everything around you will be affected by it. God is
39:43calling us to consecration tonight. And I know this is a church of consecration. This
39:48is a body of believers who believe in the power of Jesus Christ, who believe
39:53in the commitment to Jesus Christ, who believe in the power of Jesus Christ. the
39:58word of the Lord God and build their lives on it and they build their
40:04lives on the word and they build their families on the word and they do
40:09everything that they do by the word of Jesus Christ that is who we are
40:15as believers why don't we pray why don't we seek the Lord Jesus oh mighty
40:20God mighty God mighty God Lord Jesus help me
40:25I
40:30want
40:34to
40:39make
40:43room