Praying for Friends and Influencing People
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 8/25/2026
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55:38
Summary
Pastor David T. Elms explores the connection between persistent prayer and relational honesty, using the life of Elijah to demonstrate how tenacity and humility lead to spiritual breakthrough and healing.
Key points
- •Elijah is a model of persistent prayer, praying seven times before seeing the result of a small cloud the size of a man's hand.
- •James 5:16 links the confession of faults with physical and emotional healing, suggesting that unresolved conflict can hinder spiritual and physical well-being.
- •Elijah was a man of 'like passions,' meaning he experienced the same human emotions, depressions, and struggles that we do, yet his prayers were effective.
- •Confession should follow a 'cone of silence' or jurisdiction - private sins are confessed to God, relational sins to the person affected, and public sins to the church, to avoid 'spice peddling' or gossip.
- •The prerequisite to being a 'just' person is acknowledged failure, as a just man falls seven times but rises again.
Scripture
Prayer
Perseverance
Healing
Community
Repentance
Life application
Identify one persistent prayer request you have felt discouraged about and commit to praying for it again this week with the tenacity of Elijah. Additionally, if you have a private fault that has wounded a relationship, seek reconciliation with that person before bringing your next 'gift' of worship to the altar.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life have you received a 'nothing' report after praying, and how can Elijah's persistence encourage you to continue?
- What does it mean to you that Elijah was a man of 'like passions' despite being a great prophet?
- How do you distinguish between biblical confession that leads to healing and 'faux transparency' that might actually cause more harm?
- Is there an 'altar gift' you need to set down in order to go and make things right with a brother or sister?
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Full transcript
0:00>> Let's praise the Lord. Isn't he good?
0:02What a mighty God we serve.
0:05Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Uh
0:08before I go to the word, I do want to
0:09[music] just make an addendum to her
0:11announcements. Even though they are
0:13thorough and long, they will never be
0:15that long probably again. Uh because
0:18we're always trying to get people ready
0:20for the family month, which is crazy.
0:22It's a little cray cray. Um but all
0:25those dress up days are fun and it does
0:27take an Amazon account to dress
0:30accordingly. But I do want to say family
0:32revival this year is going to be
0:34different in that it's not for children.
0:36It's going to be just presentation,
0:38dramatic presentations of the Bible. So,
0:40it's really not just like we've had in
0:42past, many clowns, so forth like that.
0:44This one is for grown-ups. Yes, kids
0:46will like it, too. But it's a dramatic
0:49presentation services. So, that'll be
0:50Friday, Saturday, and Sunday there. Uh,
0:53also, not this Sunday, but the
0:55following, [music] the first Sunday,
0:56Brother Scotty Sladen, the global
0:58missions general secretary
1:02will be with us. He's the man who's in
1:04charge of making sure the logistics of
1:07all missionaries around the world for
1:09our movement. We are in I believe uh 220
1:14nations and territories. I don't think
1:15there are like more than 240. I don't
1:17know. But it's somewhere in a very large
1:19number and he's the man who's over it.
1:21So you don't want to miss that. Let's go
1:23to the word of the Lord.
1:25Join me in First Kings.
1:28First Kings.
1:31I'm going to read just a few verses.
1:35First Kings chapter 18
1:39and verses 41 through the end of that
1:42chapter. And then we will read out of
1:46book of James the fifth chapter.
1:49Fantastic. I love the sound of these
1:50Bible pages I hear turning. You know, I
1:53love the presentation system, but you
1:55can't write on that. But if the Lord
1:58speaks to you while you're hearing the
2:00word of the Lord or a verse stands out
2:02to you, you can mark in it. And if you
2:04think your Bible's too holy to mark in,
2:06you need to put that one on a shelf
2:08shelf and go get a Bible that you can
2:10write in because the Bible is living.
2:14God will speak to you specifically and
2:16you'll think it's for right then and
2:19eight years later.
2:22Eight years later, you'll be going
2:23through something and you'll realize
2:25what you thought was for them was a
2:28precursor to what you're going through
2:30now. It's just spooky crazy. All right.
2:34First Kings the 18th chapter.
2:38You're very familiar with this story.
2:40And Elijah said unto Ahab, "Get thee up,
2:44eat, and drink, for there is a sound of
2:47abundance of rain."
2:50So Ahab went up to eat and to drink.
2:53And Elijah did not go up to eat and
2:56drink.
2:58Elijah went up to the top of Karma, the
3:01mountain. And he cast himself down upon
3:05the earth.
3:07The logistics of the scripture
3:08important. He went up to the top of the
3:12mountain of Carmel, Mount Carmel. And he
3:16cast himself down upon the earth and put
3:19his face between his knees. Interesting.
3:24He said unto his servant, "Go up now,
3:26look toward the sea." He went up and
3:29looked and said, "There [music]
3:30is everybody say nothing."
3:34You ever prayed like that and after your
3:35prayer meeting that's the way you felt?
3:38I'm glad this is in my Bible because I
3:40feel that way a lot.
3:43And it came to pass at the seventh time
3:47that he said, "Behold,
3:50there ariseth a little cloud out of the
3:53sea like a man's hand."
3:55And Elijah said, he said, "Go up, say
3:59unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot, and get
4:02thee down, that the rain stop thee not."
4:06Came to pass in the meanwhile that the
4:09heavens was black.
4:12South Florida knows about this. The
4:14heavens was black with clouds and wind.
4:17There was a great rain and Ahab rode and
4:21went to Jezrael.
4:24And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah.
4:27He girded up his loins and he ran before
4:29Ahab to the entrance of Jezrael. What a
4:33powerful story. I love that story. I'm
4:35not going to preach it, but I'm going to
4:36teach from it. Join me in the book of
4:39James, the fifth chapter. And while
4:40you're getting there, I want to say to
4:43God be the glory. This is the week that
4:44Brother Declan Garfinkle has had two
4:47years clear from cancer. And to God be
4:53Declan, I celebrate you, buddy. Come up
4:57here. Come up here. Come up here. It
4:59takes them a long time. It takes them a
5:02long time to find the book of James.
5:03Come up here, Declan. Two years ago, we
5:07didn't know what was going to happen to
5:09your sweet little body. We know you're
5:11full of energy and you're all boy. We
5:13wouldn't have you any other way. But two
5:15years, two years, two years, free,
5:18y'all. Free.
5:20I love you, Bubba.
5:22Proud of you. See there? That's what it
5:25looks like. Don't get depressed. Go down
5:27there. Don't get depressed. It's
5:30depressing.
5:36James 5
5:3816.
5:40All right, this is where you guys are
5:42going to need to put on your crash
5:43helmets. I thought I was going to start
5:45a series tonight, but because the family
5:47month I'm going to be teaching family, I
5:49just pushed pause on the series. We'll
5:51pick that up in November or October,
5:54whatever. This is just a word for for
5:56harvest.
5:58Confess your faults one to another.
6:02We're going to talk about the
6:03jurisdiction of that. You don't do it to
6:05every one another. There's a lot of one
6:08anothers. I'm not telling [music] my
6:09stuff.
6:13This is important that you're hearing
6:15me. This age of faux transparency is for
6:18the birds. It's not for the people of
6:20God. There is a faux transparency that
6:23gives hell a [music] lot more glory.
6:27You guys know it. You know it. You've
6:28even heard people who have this this
6:30faux transparency [music] and before you
6:31know it, pornography is being
6:33celebrated.
6:36It's ridiculous. All right. Confess your
6:39faults one to another and pray one
6:42[music] for another that ye may be
6:44healed.
6:46It's a big word.
6:49The effectual fervent prayer of a
6:51righteous man availth much. I'm sorry
6:54you women are left out of this verse.
6:58effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
7:00person
7:02availth much.
7:05Shockingly, James, remember this is the
7:07brother of Jesus. He's older than Jude,
7:09but his mama is Mary.
7:12He wants us to see a picture
7:16talking about effectual, fervent prayer.
7:19Elias was a man subject to like passions
7:22as we are. He prayed earnestly.
7:26that it might not rain.
7:29Rain not on the earth but the space of
7:32three years and six months.
7:35And he prayed again.
7:38The heavens gave rain and the earth
7:40brought forth her fruit. Today I'm
7:43preaching for just a few moments on
7:46praying for friends and influencing
7:48people. Everybody say, "Lord, bless my
7:50ears
7:51that I might hear what you want me to
7:53hear.
7:55Bless my eyes
7:58that I might see what you want me to
8:00see.
8:02Bless my mind
8:04that I might be receptive
8:07to the word from above.
8:10In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
8:13You may be seated in Jesus name.
8:16Hallelujah.
8:19Dale Carnegie, if you've been in
8:21business training at all and you have
8:23learned about success in management and
8:26working with people, wrote one of the
8:29signature books of the business world
8:31entitled How to Win Friends and
8:34Influence People. He wrote this book in
8:371936.
8:41Uh I am calling this message tonight,
8:44this teaching praying for friends and
8:47influencing people. Throughout the
8:49rhythms of our year, revival has been
8:51our theme.
8:53Month one has been consecration.
8:56Month two has been preparation.
8:59Month three has been harvest.
9:03And uh I can't believe that we're on our
9:05third cycle of this process.
9:10But James in this book does not hand us
9:12a seminar.
9:14He hands us a story of a sick house.
9:20When we think sick, many times we think
9:22that I've got a fever. I've got a virus.
9:27But if you've lived very long, you know,
9:29some sicknesses are much worse than the
9:32flu.
9:34Because you can be sick in your heart
9:38and wish that you could just go throw up
9:41and get over it.
9:44I hate having to do that. I will do
9:47everything I can to keep from throwing
9:49up.
9:50My body was not made for that kind of an
9:54expression.
9:56Some people, I don't know how it is,
9:58they just kind of burp and it does it,
10:00you know.
10:02I'm sorry, baby. I apologize. Did I
10:04gross you out just then? River, would
10:06you call Melly? She's grossed out by
10:08pop.
10:10Okay.
10:12So, but we
10:14we have time of healing at the church
10:17and healing for the sick is very much a
10:20part of the kingdom of God. I've been
10:21healed of migraines. I I had massive
10:24migraines when I was young. I prayed for
10:27myself literally and you've heard this
10:28story a hundred times. I didn't feel the
10:31miracle right then, but I just
10:32remembered about a month later. I
10:34haven't had a migraine. Then I went two
10:36months and I went three months and I
10:38realized I was healed.
10:41And if you've never had a migraine, then
10:44you rejoice in the fact that I will
10:45never have another one. Of course, the
10:47enemy comes and tells you, "Yeah, you're
10:50just saying that." But I'm telling you,
10:52I've never had a migraine. So, eat your
10:54heart out, Lucifer.
10:57And I thank the Lord, I haven't had a
10:59headache. But, brother, the difference
11:00between a headache and a migraine. I
11:03don't want you to run the aisles on that
11:04point, but you know, I know some of you
11:06in this house know exactly what I'm
11:07talking about. There is a massive
11:09difference between a migraine and a
11:11headache. But the Bible says in our
11:14text, "Confess your faults one to
11:15another and pray for one another that ye
11:18may be healed." It's an interesting
11:22coupling of two pictures,
11:25confessing faults, and healing. It seems
11:30like it would say go take some Nyquil
11:34and then be healed
11:37or
11:39my wife. I have to parrot my wife just
11:41for a moment. Go take three vitamin C. I
11:45woke up this morning. I had thought I
11:46had strip throat. Notice I've not hugged
11:48anybody tonight except my grandkids.
11:49They're the ones who can take it.
11:53>> But I don't want I don't think I have
11:55it. I've been busy this day and and I'm
11:57going to preach tonight. I'll find out
11:59tomorrow when I'm getting on a plane to
12:00go to my my wife's uncle's funeral
12:03whether I had it. But I don't think I
12:04have it. I just got a sore throat. But
12:07here's coupling
12:09healing with false.
12:12It's an unusual construct. The effectual
12:16fervent prayer of a righteous man
12:18avaleth much. I love that verse. Elias
12:21was a man subject to like passions as we
12:25are. Would be interesting if it said
12:28like fevers as we are or like viruses as
12:31we are. But you know what causes us to
12:34have faults in our life? passions,
12:37unsupered
12:39desires, longings that are free to reign
12:43where you just decide, I'm going to
12:45indulge in that feeling without regard
12:48and I'll just be smart enough to miss
12:50all the consequences. And then it goes
12:53on to say, "And he prayed earnestly that
12:55it might not rain, and it rained not on
12:56the earth for the space of three years
12:59and six months." And he prayed again.
13:03But he didn't just pray again because
13:05when you go to the original story, you
13:06find out he prayed again and again and
13:08again and again and again and again
13:15and nothing happened. Now, brother
13:18Andrew is a pilot. He works for Hopper
13:20Jet. He flies superstars around. And
13:23when he gets the superstars and he
13:25shares with me the superstars he flies,
13:27okay? I won't tell you those because
13:29y'all will be wanting his autographs.
13:32But when he flies them, he's got to pray
13:34before they come on his Challenger jet.
13:37He sees them coming and today he
13:39realizes, "Oh, it's you.
13:42Lord Jesus, help me stay like I'm a
13:44normal man. Everything's good. Okay,
13:46Lord, let me not treat him like a star.
13:47It's safety first. I just want to get
13:49you there safe. I don't care who you
13:50are."
13:52He's got to keep it together.
13:55But this prayer
13:58doesn't get answered for six times. He's
14:01got to pray again.
14:03Now, it feels so good to me to know that
14:06there are prayers that are prayed that
14:08are not answered. Because as much as I
14:10would like all my prayers to be
14:11answered,
14:14indeed, they're not all answered.
14:18And so, what do you do when your prayers
14:20are not answered? Because you have
14:22prayers for your children. You have
14:23prayers for your your your cousins. I've
14:26got prayers for my nephew. I've got a
14:27standing prayer for my for my cousin.
14:30I've got a standing prayer for my
14:32brother. I've got standing prayers that
14:34I have not seen the conclusion of that
14:36matter yet. So, the enemy wants you to
14:39get discouraged as if it's not going to
14:42happen. It's vain. You're you're praying
14:44in vain. This is crazy. There is no way.
14:46Have you read the tea leaves? There is
14:49no way this is going to happen for you.
14:51Now, the thing that I'm telling you
14:53about harvest time is that it comes
14:58not because you at one time try to do
15:01something, but you've got to stay at the
15:04process. That's the reason when people
15:06get the Holy Ghost. I love that they got
15:08the Holy Ghost for the first time, but I
15:10don't just kind of go crazy because I
15:13know uh they're going to do it again and
15:16they're going to do it again and they're
15:18going to do it again and it's going to
15:19become a part of their expressions of
15:23passion, expressions of prayer,
15:26expressions of desperation. I'm so
15:29thankful that there are times that I
15:30have prayers I do not have words for.
15:35It's too big for anything that my
15:37lexicon of memory can hold. I don't have
15:41a word to speak what I'm feeling in my
15:44spirit. I'm glad I can launch into a
15:46heavenly language to just say, "Lord,
15:49whatever I'm saying, you know that I
15:51don't know, but I'm so desperate. I'm
15:52ready to say something I don't know
15:54because what I do know is not enough."
15:57>> Does that make sense?
16:00So here's the thing about this healing
16:02in the Bible. It's larger than a fever
16:05leaving our body. The sick do call for
16:08the elders of the church and oil is used
16:11just like we do it here. But it's bigger
16:14than just sickness because the Bible
16:16says sins are forgiven. Have you ever
16:20noticed that sometimes when we have time
16:22of healing that it is as powerful?
16:27Sometimes it could be more powerful. I
16:28don't like to measure like that, but
16:30it's like we have two altar services in
16:32our church. We sneak one. You know, when
16:36when people are lean singing, sometimes
16:37they sneak a preach in. You know how
16:40people they got like five messages and
16:42it's not their time to preach, but they
16:43sneak a preach? Well, we sneak an altar
16:46in.
16:48What is it? It's just another
16:49opportunity for people to have a touch
16:52with God.
16:54And that move of the Holy Ghost opens
16:56hearts and they come under the guise of,
16:58"Yeah, it's my it's that bunion on my
17:01right foot."
17:02But really, it's not that bunion. I got
17:05a Paul bunion sitting on my shoulders
17:07right now. And I need some kind of help
17:09from on high to get me through this
17:11emotional distress that is beating on me
17:14because if I don't find relief somehow,
17:16I don't think I can make it another day.
17:20>> So, there's healing. sins are literally
17:23forgiven. And so James, the brother of
17:26Jesus, widens the word to being bigger
17:30than just prayer for the sick in body.
17:35So we don't want to reduce this verse to
17:38just a verse for a health clinic. James
17:41doesn't do it. The text is talking about
17:44a people who can be be made whole from
17:46faults that our named and righteous men
17:50will keep on praying. And this is what
17:53soul-winning is all about. Soul-winning
17:56is praying for someone and when
17:57discouragement hits, you don't let it
17:59settle. It rolls off your back like a
18:02duck water off a duck's back. Does a
18:04squirrel have climbing gear? Yes. I'm
18:06going to keep on praying.
18:08Why? because I know that Elias which
18:12that's spoken in the New Testament is
18:13Elias but his name is really Elijah it's
18:16just the way the Greek and the Hebrew
18:18coales and here we have Elias was a man
18:22of like passions such as we and so James
18:27shows us that there is a tenacity
18:30required in harvesting
18:33a healing is needed
18:36a healing bigger than just Lord fix my
18:39shoulder.
18:41I did a shoulder roll in the eighth
18:45seventh grade at East Way Junior High
18:47School that I never got treated because
18:50I thought back then you're young and you
18:53heal up from any kind of wound.
18:56And at 59, I'm rediscovering there is a
19:00shoulder that has radiating nerves that
19:03speak all the night long.
19:07All because of a shoulder roll done
19:09wrong.
19:10Well, sometimes I just need healing for
19:12my shoulder, but sometimes I'll take
19:14this he pain. I'll take this pain
19:19over the pain that sometimes
19:22relationships can put it. I'll take
19:25this. Give me a radiating shoulder,
19:27Lord, because you care so much about a
19:31child. You care so much about a friend's
19:34child.
19:36You there and you're in in deep hurt and
19:39desire because a friend's baby had a
19:43stupid day. You're trying to help him
19:45navigate stupid.
19:48What's going on? Well, life has
19:50happened.
19:52What do we do in moments like that?
19:56There has got to be Oh Lord, help me get
19:58this through this people. There's got to
20:00be a tenacity that gets a hold of your
20:02spirit where you just say, "Come hell or
20:06high water."
20:09There is no quit.
20:11As long as there's breath
20:14in my body, that prayer is going up.
20:18I'll do it with hot tea in the morning.
20:19I'll do it with coffee at noon. I'll do
20:22it when I drink my
20:24curic. No, you don't drink that, do you?
20:28My wife made me Listen, I ate dinner
20:30today. What did you make me for dinner?
20:33A protein shake.
20:37Don't mess with me.
20:39Look at this spelt body. Look at me. I'm
20:42telling you, there's a reason for this
20:45season.
20:50But when you get alone with your protein
20:53shake,
20:55>> you still have that tenacity that say it
20:58hit me again.
20:59Who sang oops that you did it again? Who
21:01sang that? Sister Spears. Did Sister
21:04Spears sing that?
21:09Listen y'all, I got to keep you awake.
21:11Annette wasn't smiling and I had to get
21:13that smile out of her. I knew I was
21:16going to get it in that now.
21:20What am I saying? Oops. I prayed it
21:22again. [laughter]
21:25Why? Because there's got to be a
21:27tenacity that Elias in the face of ALL
21:30KINDS OF TRAUMA AND FEELING LIKE I
21:33FAILED AND FEELING like the heavens are
21:34just a brass steel wall.
21:38I will not believe the report of the
21:40negative. If I will not believe the
21:42report of the facts that say I'm going
21:45to be a failure. No, no, no. You don't
21:47get to define. He doesn't get to define.
21:50They don't get to define my future.
21:55So James yokes confession and prayer in
21:58one verse. So let me handle this. I'm
21:59trying to be done in 10 minutes.
22:01Honesty,
22:03such a lonely word.
22:07Everyone is so untrue.
22:13Honesty,
22:16it's hardly ever.
22:19I've changed the key several times
22:20because I got to keep you on your toes.
22:23I'm in the same key. I did good
22:26>> without
22:32without my sidekick. How could I do
22:34this? Billy Joe wrote that song and when
22:38he wrote that song he said he felt like
22:39a fraud. In fact, that wasn't the
22:42original word in the song. The original
22:44word was sodomy is such a lonely word.
22:47That's a fact. When he wrote it, but he
22:49knew that one couldn't be published
22:50because it didn't fit the narrative of
22:52the common industry.
22:54So, he filled it in with the word
22:56honesty.
22:58Honesty is such a lonely word. And he
23:02literally asked, "Who am I to sing about
23:05honesty? Because I myself am a terrible
23:08liar."
23:11You read the verse of that first verse,
23:13it says, "If you search for tenderness,
23:16it isn't hard to find. You can have the
23:19love you need to live. But if you look
23:22for truthfulness, you might just as well
23:25be blind. It always seems to be so hard
23:30to do.
23:32That sounds like an altra song to me.
23:35Sounds like it sounds like a song that
23:37would make me want to really stop and
23:38look at the man in the mirror and say,
23:40"Oh Lord, am I being truthful?
23:43Am I Am I really being honest? Am I Am I
23:46passing on authenticity?"
23:49Because if I'm not, my kids are going to
23:51see it. My wife's going to know it. My
23:54friends are going to figure it. My boss
23:56is going to wink at it. Maybe not.
24:01James, where do you want us to go in
24:04this text?
24:06He takes us to the picture that we read
24:09first in First Kings 18. Three years and
24:13six months it has not rained. And it's
24:15curious that three times in the Bible,
24:18the exact space that the heavens were
24:21dry is mentioned. Not only is it
24:23mentioned in the book of Kings, it's
24:25also mentioned in the book of Matthew.
24:27It's also mentioned in the book of Luke.
24:29And the link is also mentioned here.
24:33What's going on? The fields have
24:34withered. The cattle have died. There's
24:36no climate change that has stopped this
24:38thing. Elijah has prayed that it will
24:41not rain.
24:43Why? Here's why. Because God is God and
24:46there's no God beside him. And every
24:48once in a while, he has to show these
24:49wannabe gods that you're not God.
24:52>> And when you study geopolitics of that
24:55era, the god Baal was the rain god. So
24:58they would give sacrifice to the god
25:01Baal. And supposedly the proive profile
25:03of Baal was I get to control the rain.
25:07But it's interesting how Baal couldn't
25:08even control his own resume
25:11because when God said it's not going to
25:13rain, you can talk to Baal all you want.
25:15God controls the water works in heaven.
25:18And so it was shut down until the people
25:21finally realized all of our singing and
25:23praying and cutting ourselves and
25:25sacrificing whatever we sacrifice to
25:28this god Baal, the rain isn't coming.
25:32>> So Elijah had prayed that it would that
25:34it might not rain. And then he finally
25:38goes to this great showdown with the 450
25:42prophets of this rain god. And he tells
25:45them, "Go ahead, do your best thing.
25:47we've got 450 of your superstars.
25:50Uh, sacrifice and let's make the rain
25:52happen. And the showdown occurred and
25:54nothing happened. And Elijah, he's such
25:56a when we get to Evan, we're going to
25:58find out he was really a funny man
26:02because while they're praying, he sits
26:04back. He said, "Uh, maybe your God's
26:06gone on vacation. If you get a little
26:08louder,
26:10and pardon me just for a moment, but he
26:11does say this." Okay, so I got to repeat
26:13what the prophet said. Maybe he's
26:15sitting on the pot.
26:18That's literally in your Bible. Not in
26:20that. That's the Timothy edition, but
26:23that's what he said.
26:25Maybe he's having to use the restroom.
26:29Now, you got to be a funny prophet to
26:31say that to them. They get crazy and
26:34louder. Nothing happens. So, at the end
26:37of the day, Elijah said, "All right,
26:39we're going to fix this thing, but
26:40before we do, go get barrels of water."
26:42Remember, it's been a drought. So,
26:45finding water, it's a precious
26:46commodity. It's been on lockdown and
26:48they've got it rationed. But because
26:50this is the day he said, "Bring them
26:52all." And they pour them all on top and
26:54they build a motor around this altar
26:55until the motor is filled with water.
26:57And then he kneels down and prays a
26:58simple prayer. Lord, you're God. I said
27:01that this thing would be shut down, but
27:03to show them that you're God, bring fire
27:05down from heaven.
27:09Believe it or not,
27:12boom,
27:14fire came down. You want to know why
27:16Israel is a nation right now? Not
27:18because they're so amazing, but because
27:21God said
27:25they're his people. Now, we're his
27:27people, too. But don't think they're
27:28still not his people. They're a stiff
27:31necked people.
27:34But don't laugh too hard because so am
27:36I.
27:38And so here we go and it comes down and
27:41the fire comes down and he shows he's
27:44God. But
27:45>> Houston, we have a problem. Houston,
27:49Houston, we have a problem.
27:52>> Fire doesn't help a drought.
27:55We've got to get some rain.
27:57So while
28:00everyone says that your God is God and
28:03Ahab says Elijah's God is God, Elijah
28:08thinks it's all fixed. He goes to eat.
28:11Where not Ahab? I got it. Elijah and
28:14Ahab mixed up. Ahab goes to eat. He's
28:17the king. He's been to this day. He's
28:19watched this religious ceremony. He's
28:21watched this whatever it was. And uh he
28:24goes to eat. But Eli Elijah cannot. He
28:27goes to the top top of Mount Carmel and
28:29he says, "Okay, God, you just showed
28:30fire, but what we need is rain.
28:34You said you're God, so send rain."
28:38And of course, the Bible said in First
28:41Kings 18:42,
28:44First Kings 18:42,
28:46so Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah
28:49went up to the top of Carmel. That's the
28:51mountain in Israel. And he cast himself,
28:55look at the logistics, okay? Cast
28:57himself down upon the earth. You want to
28:59know why when we pray many times we'll
29:01kneel and bow. Now if your knees can't
29:03I'm not asking brother Wilson to get
29:05down and kneel and bow. He's done it in
29:06his life. My at 62 as brother Wilson is
29:1062 years old age.
29:13You might be the oldest one here
29:14tonight, brother Wilson.
29:16But if we ask who's what age, some of
29:18the ladies would not tell us. So we
29:20won't. But I still think you're the
29:22eldest one.
29:24But Elijah
29:27put himself on the ground.
29:31Look at the logistics. And put his face
29:35between his knees.
29:38Now he just called down fire from
29:40heaven. What's all this? Is this
29:42limnastics? Is it yoga?
29:45Or is it posture
29:49of humility.
29:52Lord,
29:55Ahab can banquet no matter how his
29:58neighbors are doing, [snorts]
30:00but Elijah can't.
30:02If the neighbors are having trouble with
30:04their kids,
30:06Elijah feels it.
30:09Elijah is the prophet who will not eat
30:10until a cloud comes.
30:13prays and no cloud comes.
30:16Sends his servant go again, no cloud
30:19comes. You know the story. Seven times
30:23he goes back and on the seventh time the
30:25servant comes back and said, "Oh master,
30:28[snorts] there arise at the cloud."
30:32Then he tells the facts. Have you ever
30:35had the facts show up to tell you you
30:36didn't get anything special?
30:39The facts are it's a cloud.
30:46the size of
30:48you can't cover the horizon with your
30:50hand.
30:52You can't make it look like a wall of
30:54thunderstorms are coming with your hand.
30:56That's all I see. And there are times
30:59your prayers will look as if you don't
31:02have much of anything on your horizon.
31:06But Elijah said,
31:09"Go tell Ahab he better saddle up and
31:11ride.
31:13because there's coming rain.
31:16Elijah does not quit though during those
31:18seven times. And here we are in 2026
31:21marching through our year and there are
31:23people that you have wanted to reach
31:24that you have not reached yet. What are
31:27you supposed to do? You're a man of
31:29light passage. So as Elijah and of
31:32course Elijah sometimes we like to turn
31:35into a stained glass prophet. He wasn't
31:37that. He was just like you and I. Now I
31:39know he was the prophet who never died.
31:41I know he had a chariot come down swing
31:43low sweet chariot
31:46coming forth to carry me home.
31:50Get on that chariot Elijah. And he goes
31:53on that chariot and he's gone. But he's
31:55A MAN LIKE YOU AND I. AND James wanted
31:58you to know that James the brother of
32:00Jesus. I suspect when we get to heaven
32:02we're going to find out that Jesus and
32:04James talked about Elijah.
32:07And I suppose that when we get to heaven
32:09in James, we ask him, "Why did you bring
32:11up Elijah?" He may remember a time when
32:14Jesus was just going on 19. They were
32:16out fishing. Jesus told him about
32:19Elijah. Said, you know, he was just a
32:22man like we
32:24how can you say that? Well, he was a man
32:27just like we just like as we are. The
32:32question is in this hour, even though
32:36Elijah seems to be so amazing, when you
32:39read the whole story of Elijah, you find
32:41out that he really knows dark
32:43depression, Elijah understands the
32:45wobble that comes after the war. And
32:48James will not let you turn Elijah into
32:50some superstar. He said, just like you
32:53fight battles, Elijah fought battles.
32:56Just like you feel depression, Elijah
32:58felt depression. Just like you feel
33:00oppression, two different things. Just
33:02like Elijah felt oppression, uh you will
33:05feel oppression. And the question is not
33:09where is the Lord God of Elijah.
33:13The question is where are the Elijah
33:19of the Lord God?
33:24So I've had some dark Mondays.
33:27You're an Elijah.
33:29So, you've had some unanswered prayers.
33:32You're in life. So, you've had some days
33:35you felt like there were no facts for
33:38you and the only fact you had was so
33:40small you didn't want to talk about it.
33:43You're an Elijah.
33:46Elijah actually does with his body in
33:49the presence of the Lord. And it's
33:51amazing how James wants us to see this
33:53picture as effectual and fervent. the
33:58effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
34:00man and an earnest prayer on earth his
34:03face between his knees. How many times
34:05does he do it? He does it seven times
34:07which you all know seven is the number
34:09of perfection. It's not the n it's not
34:12like one two three four. I mean I
34:13believe it was seven for Elijah but how
34:16many times was was uh was Gideon dipped?
34:19Was it Gideon who was dipped in the
34:21river of Jordan? Non. Non. Thank you my
34:26Bible scholar over here. Thank you,
34:27brother River. You were the one who
34:28helped me with that
34:31non was dipped seven times.
34:35WHAT'S THAT NUMBER SYMBOLIZE?
34:38It means you do it until it happens. A
34:41just man fallth
34:44how many times?
34:46>> I got a Bible reading church. A just man
34:49fallth seven times and riseth up again.
34:53The prerequisite to being just is that
34:55means you got to have a fall.
34:58I'm done. Sister Elms, come make him
35:00think I'm finished.
35:02Most of us are very fluent. Let me talk
35:04about this. Confessing our sins to one
35:06another. It's the confession that heals.
35:08But most of us are very fluent in the
35:10faults of our friends. And we are lethal
35:13in the faults of our foes. But when it
35:16comes to our own faults, we're almost
35:19mute.
35:21To heir is human, but to cover it is
35:25also human. And we will not cover it for
35:29others, but we will quickly excuse
35:31ourselves. But the Bible says, "A broken
35:33and a contrite spirit, thou wilt not
35:36despise." In other words, I've done
35:38something ignorant.
35:40I know it. And I'm going to say, "Lord,
35:44wash me.
35:45Three things begin when fault is called
35:47out. One is restoration.
35:51James chose the word heal. But
35:56restoration is a bigger and better word
35:58when it comes to confessing
36:01these things. You get healed both body
36:04and mind and spirit. And you get healed
36:07in fellowship.
36:10You hear what I said? healed in people
36:13that you thought you couldn't stand and
36:16you didn't even want to get around them
36:18again. God can heal that fellowship
36:23and that happens to lead us to
36:25reconciliation which Jesus said if you
36:28bring your gift to the altar
36:31and
36:33thank you brother Austin I asked for
36:36sister Elms and I got my brother Elms I
36:39know he's on the schedule I'm used to
36:41asking for my wife be submitted
36:49Y'all don't know I have a good marriage
36:50by now. I'm sorry. You're gonna have to
36:52catch up.
36:56Jesus said, "Bring your gift to the
36:58altar." And if you bring your gift to
36:59the altar and you remember
37:03that your brother has ought against you,
37:06now that's not because he was bad.
37:10That's because you were bad.
37:13You drove his car and gave it back to
37:15him on empty.
37:21>> Uhhuh.
37:23You got a scratch while you had his car,
37:25but you thought since you forgot and
37:27didn't tell him [music] about it, you
37:28knew it's there, but you're going to act
37:30like you didn't know it was there.
37:33Don't loan your car out. And by the
37:35love, for the love of God, don't ever
37:37cosign for anybody.
37:40I beg you, don't ever do it unless it's
37:41your own child.
37:44Okay,
37:46here's the thing. If you remember that
37:49there's a in a relationship, here's how
37:51serious God is. If you remember while
37:54you're praying,
37:57the Lord said, "Leave,
38:02leave your gift at the altar.
38:05Go back to that one that you did dirty.
38:09and be reconciled [music]
38:12before you continue giving your
38:14offering. Heaven does not celebrate our
38:17[music] worship while we carry
38:19unconfessed wrongs.
38:21No. Oh, we can act like we forgot it
38:24because we have a quick forg.
38:28But the Bible says heaven's not going to
38:31celebrate it. You get and you go make it
38:33right before you bring another gift to
38:34the altar. I know some people that's
38:36reason they've never brought another
38:37gift to the altar.
38:40[snorts]
38:42James did not say with regard to these
38:44sins, broadcast them or display them to
38:47a people who have no jurisdiction.
38:50Jesus warned about casting your pearls
38:52before swine.
38:55This is something if you're in public
38:56works, you know it's called the cone of
38:58silence. Okay? And it means you have to
39:01keep things within [music] a
39:03jurisdiction of the need to know. Nudge
39:06your neighbor and say you don't need to
39:09know.
39:14You have to keep things in that space.
39:17Well, people when it comes confession
39:19time, they turn into spice peddlers.
39:24You know what about spice? You can smell
39:26it before you see it.
39:28And the spice peddlers in the church,
39:30they love the news. They can't wait to
39:32get social media. They've served and
39:34they know every nuance in the language.
39:37They know who said something acting like
39:39they didn't say anything.
39:42Doesn't take long. You know, you can
39:44smell them coming. Oh, the spice
39:46peddlers in the room.
39:50Jesus warned about pals putting your
39:53pearls before swine. The circle of
39:55confession must stay within the cone of
39:59those affected. Private sin needs
40:03private confession
40:05to the Lord. You don't confess to a
40:08priest. [music] That's not biblical. You
40:10confess to the Lord. Some sins I don't
40:13need to know about. I I can't forgive
40:15you. I didn't die for you.
40:19You say, "Well, but it affected that
40:21person." You know what? You can get
40:22forgiveness without that person ever
40:23knowing. You had ought against them. And
40:26all this time they were completely
40:27oblivious to it.
40:30You think, "Well, I got to let them
40:31know. I need you to forgive me because I
40:33was angry at you for the past two
40:35months."
40:38Oh, you were. It passed me by.
40:44Keep it within the cone of the affected.
40:47This is good pastoring right here. I'm
40:49telling you right now, I just know it
40:50is.
40:53Or if you have an trusted [music]
40:55intercessor in your life,
40:58somebody who will, I preached about it,
41:01who will get in the gap,
41:04stand.
41:07The Bible says the Lord went to find an
41:09intercessor and he found none. Oh Lord,
41:13let's that let that not be us.
41:16Personal sin is for personal confession.
41:18If I have wounded you, I need to come to
41:21you.
41:23If I wounded you with my own head, that
41:25doesn't mean I necessarily need to come
41:26to you because you may not know I
41:28wounded you.
41:29You didn't know I wounded you. Then I
41:31don't need to tell you I was trying to
41:33wound you [music] the last month.
41:36Just tell it to Jesus.
41:38I do not workshop it with three other
41:42people before I come to tell you.
41:46>> Well, I've been really angry at them.
41:47They did all this.
41:50What do you think I should do?
41:53Did you hear about the pastor?
41:58You start workshopping it. But we got to
41:59get a master plan.
42:03Public sin does call for public
42:05repentance
42:08because the house saw the dishonor.
42:10The house has got to see the turning.
42:13The Bible says them that sin, rebuke
42:15before all that all may fear.
42:18That's not those that sin in any way.
42:21That's those that sin so openly that
42:23everybody knows and they want to see the
42:25turnaround
42:27going long. Please forgive me. The
42:30confession that travels farther than the
42:31wound is not brokenness.
42:34It's tailbearing in a religious
42:36religious coat.
42:39Spice peddling is what it's called in
42:40the Old Testament. The rabbis called it
42:43that they were scandal mongers.
42:48In fact, the rabbi said, "You can know
42:49them because they keep circling."
42:52They have a circle of connections
42:55that can trade in spice.
43:00The enemy
43:02comes and he wants us to confuse the
43:04circles of confession because then he'll
43:07get glory.
43:10We're not going to let the devil get
43:11glory.
43:13We have testimony service, but it's
43:15controlled pretty good.
43:18You know, because there's some things
43:19that you just need to tell Jesus. I must
43:22tell Jesus.
43:24Shall we stand? James gives the command.
43:27He doesn't give us a mood. He commands
43:30pray for one another. Call for the
43:34elders. Pray for one another. Get that
43:38intercessor and pray for one another.
43:43Prayer is not the beginning of Christian
43:45work. Prayer is Christian work. You can
43:49do do more than pray after you've
43:51prayed. But you can do no more than pray
43:56after you have prayed. The Lord said you
43:58have not because you asked not.
44:04Heavenly Father, I thank you for your
44:06word tonight. I thank you for your power
44:08to help us grow in the nurture and the
44:11admonition of your teaching this night.
44:14Oh Lord, as we're preparing for harvest
44:16and there's souls that we've wanted to
44:18[music] reach this year and to this
44:20point, we have not seen the change that
44:22they know we're going to see. Oh Lord,
44:25let us be encouraged to continue to
44:27bring them before you [music] and not
44:29give up just because it doesn't look
44:31like there's any hope coming our way.
44:34Let us remember morning, noon, and
44:36night, oh God, that you are the hearer
44:38and you are [music] the answerer. and
44:41you will do a work that's bigger than we
44:43can comprehend and greater than we can
44:45understand and better
44:48than the best. Oh Lord, we thank you for
44:50your love over our families, over our
44:53marriages. We thank you for your love
44:55over our children. As much as we think
44:57we know that we love our children, we
44:59don't love them as much as you love
45:01them. Oh Lord, help us, oh God, to find
45:04peace between us and our brother or our
45:07sister. Let there be that growth in
45:10grace and understand that we come before
45:12you as Elias the prophet ah who was
45:16tempted in like passions such as we. He
45:20also was a man of like passions [music]
45:23but oh Lord he never gave up. He put his
45:26head between his knees. He folded
45:27himself over and he prayed and he got a
45:30negative report but he didn't get up and
45:32throw a fit. He prayed again. He got
45:35another negative report, Lord. But he
45:37prayed again. And he got another
45:39negative report. He didn't get mad at
45:41the messenger. He didn't get mad at the
45:43sky. He just kept praying because he
45:46knows that it is not the will of God
45:48that any should perish, but that all
45:51should come to repentance.
45:53Oh Lord, if you would like to pray a
45:56little while, I'm going to open this
45:57altar for just a short season of getting
45:59in his presence to come into his house
46:02and let the Lord look upon us and say,
46:05"Oh God, I'm going to pray again. I'm
46:08going to pray again. And I'm going to
46:09pray again. [music] And that thing that
46:11I thought was finished, I'm going to
46:12pray again. That thing that I thought
46:15had no hope, I'm going to pray again.
46:31>> [music]
46:39[music]
46:46>> Heat. Heat. N. [music]
46:53[music]
46:53Heat.
46:59[music]
47:05[music]
47:12Heat. [music]
47:17Heat. [music]
47:25[music]
47:31[music]
47:32Heat.
47:38[music]
47:49>> [music]
47:57>> Heat. Heat.
48:06>> [music]
48:11[music]
48:16>> Heat. Heat.
48:23[music]
48:24Heat.
48:30[music]
48:35[music]
48:38Heat.
48:42[music]
48:46Heat. Heat.
48:49[music]
48:55[music]
49:01[music]
49:06[music]
49:15>> [music]
49:20>> Heat up
49:25Heat. Heat.
49:26[music]
49:40[music]
49:45[music]
49:52>> [music]
50:05[music]
50:21>> Heat.
50:37Heat.
50:43[music]
50:44Heat.
50:55[music]
50:59Heat.
51:07Heat. Heat.
51:20[music]
51:29Heat.
51:46[music]
51:48Heat.
51:53[music] Heat. Heat.
52:03[music]
52:09[music]
52:17Heat up
52:17>> [music]
52:32[music]
52:44[music]
52:44>> here.
52:57Heat up here.
53:07[music]
53:14>> [music]
53:20>> Heat up here.
53:32[music] Heat. Heat.
53:53[music]
53:59[music]
54:24>> [music]
54:24>> Heat up here.
54:28Heat.
54:30[music]
54:37[music]
54:52Heat. [music]
54:55Heat. Heat.
55:01[music]