Bro. Dollas Messer - Sunday Night 1/22/23

The main ideas from this information are: - Faith is essential for pleasing God. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. - Faith involves believing that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. - Worship requires faith and obedience. It is through faith that we come to God. - The sacrifice of Jesus is the only way to cleanse our sins and come into God's presence. - Good works should be an expression of faith, not a substitute for it. - Faith fulfills the law, works by love, and purifies the heart. - Believing in God is similar to believing in facts in the physical world. - We must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. Summary: Faith is essential for pleasing God and involves believing in His existence and His rewards. Worship requires faith and obedience. The sacrifice of Jesus cleanses our sins and allows us to come to God. Good works should be an expression of faith. Faith fulfills the law, deals with the heroes of faith, and this is spoken of about Enoch. By faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found. Because God had translated him. For before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God. But without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The Lord bless his word. You may be seated. It says that by faith, Abel, by faith, Enoch was translated, for he had this testimony. That he pleased God. The faith of Enoch, in his translation, was the testimony that he pleased God. And then it tells us that without faith, it is impossible to believe him. For he that cometh to God must believe. A couple of things in this verse of scripture. The basis for our life and faith in God is that he is. And the result of that, to those who come to him, must believe that he is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. First things first, it is faith that pleases God. He has so ordered his kingdom, he has so ordered the creation, ordered our lives, that the basis of our life with him is one of trust. You'll see it in the Pentateuch where it talks about trusting him. And we see where scriptures are spoken of by men who believed God and it was counted to them for righteousness. Noah moved upon Enoch, walked with him. Abraham offered a better sacrifice than his brother. All are marked by that element in which is pleasing to God. It is opposite of our works and yet it involves our works. We've come to the place where we think that faith and works is not together, that they can be separate and you can believe God and not have any works about it. That is true, but that is also false. Without faith it is impossible to believe him. And if you'll read the story found or the record of these elders, the patriarchs of the old, their faith in God is seen by the action they have taken. And the action of Enoch is one which typifies to all of us. It all begins with faith. He pleased God because without faith it is impossible to please him. So it begins there, and if you will notice, the next statement made, He that cometh to God. He that cometh to God. Who is the one that cometh to God? Well we could say everybody who comes to him, but in Hebrews there is a particular class of people that are referred to as those who are comers. If you return to Hebrews chapter 10, for the law having a shadow of good things to come, chapter 10 verse 1, and not the very image of the things, neither can those sacrifices which they offer year by year continually make the comers barren to perfect. Neither can those sacrifices which they offer continuously. The comers were therefore perfect. The comers are mentioned in verse 2, for then would they not have ceased to be offered, because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more consciousness of sin. The comers before God are the worshipers. He gives the illustration of the children of Israel bringing their sacrifices before God and offering them to him. Sacrifice, offering of ourselves, and that which we have is an expression of our faith unto him. They will come to him. That's what God told them to do, and they're doing exactly what God told them to do. And yet the sacrifices that they offered could not cleanse them as pertaining to the consciousness of sin, because if it did, they would not offer them any more. And the Scripture will go on and tell us that our consciences can be purged by the blood of Jesus Christ. We come to him. In verse 22, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. Let us consider one another to provoke one another unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much so as we see the day approaching. How do we please God? In order to please God, number one, we must be those who would believe that he is. Faith is absolutely essential for worship. Therefore we must believe that he is. And those who come to worship God must believe that he is, and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. Faith, you can't please him without it. Why? Because faith does two things for us, the writer says. It tells us that he is there, and it also tells us that he's a rewarder. God is there, and he rewards. The whole premise of our prayers, the whole basis of our life, is that God is there, and he is a rewarder. Good. But who does he reward? He rewards those who come to worship him. Sinners cannot be rewarded as they would like to be rewarded, thinking that God can forgive them or their works or their merits or what they do can be acceptable unto him, because the ideal of worship is coming before the Lord his way. The Bible shows us that way. It shows us that his sacrifice was more acceptable than Cain's sacrifice. Cain brought the fruit of the land. Why? Because that was his job. He was a farmer, and he tilted the ground, and he brought the best that he had to God. I will give it to you. But there is no expression in Cain that there is any sin or sorrow for any wrong that he has done. Blood must be shed for the remission of sins. Able offers blood, even as the Lord, if you remember, in worshipping him from now on, you will have to come by way of sacrifice. He showed that to Adam and Eve after their sin, that he slayed the animals, offered it as sacrifice, and their skins would cover them. Here God tells us we cannot come into his presence without blood being applied, and that we cannot come to him without being clothed of our sins. This is the worshipper, and all through Scripture you will find men who come to God, and they come to him by way of altar. For those who will come to him any different other way are not accepted unto him. Christ is the evidence of that and is the prophecy in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of it. Hebrews will let us know that Jesus is the offering and is also the altar. The altar typified Christ, and the altar typified him. We have a high priest who has been touched with our feelings of infirmities. The Old Testament prophet, a high priest, had to come, offer in their prayers their sacrifice for themselves before they could atone for the sins of the nation. Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would come, first in reference to his sins and then to the sins of the people, letting them know that the daily activities that they do in bringing the sheep or the goats or whatever to sacrifice could not purge their conscience but was a tithe of which would come. And John said, Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. The forerunner had come, and in it he points us to Jesus and declares that Jesus is now the way unto the Father. He has provided for us the offering for our sins. He is the offering and he is the altar. Faith begins here. It is impossible if we wish to please God. We cannot please him by the works that we do. Our works must be an expression of our faith and not a substitution for it. How many people wish by doing their good works or to do merits that they in some way may be able to subvert the way of the Lord. If we are not very careful in the coming of God in our prayers, we will let God know what we have done. We will tell him that we have fasted. If we fast, then God is going to do this. If we do this, then God is going to do that. We look at it that manner. I want you to know, it is not the fasting that is done, it is the humble heart that is expressed in the giving of it. It is our faith in God, and we offer it as an acceptance or as an offering of our faith. All through the Scriptures it is that way. For example, in Romans 8, when Paul talks about that we have been disobedient to God's law and that we are under condemnation, we come by forgiveness of sin through the faith of the blood of Jesus. Do we make, therefore, void the law through faith? That is what some Jews would say. You can't say that faith is the basis to go to God, because everybody can say that it can't be. And Paul says, without faith it is impossible. Faith, without it, there is none. It fulfills the law, he says, in that last verse of chapter 3 of Romans. Faith fulfills the law. Not only does faith fulfill the law, faith works by love. Not only does faith work by love, but faith purifies the heart. Peter tells us that, that faith purifies our heart. Faith is what keeps us obedient unto God. Faith will cause us to have a right relationship with Him. If we believe it, we act upon it. If we don't believe it, we don't. If you firmly believe that your steering wheel was wrong, and if you would drive your car, it would fall off, would you drive your car? No. We believe, and we act upon what we believe. If you didn't believe that somebody coming towards you, he's not going to stay on his own lane, if you fully believed that, you'd get off the road. Why? Because that's what I believe. Yes. If 2 and 2 is 4, nobody's going to tell you that 2 and 2 is 1. No, you're crazy. 2 and 2 is 4. We believe facts. In a physical world, that's the way we live. In a spiritual world, it's by believing that He is. Remember Moses' testimony? He saw Him that was invisible. There's something genuine of life beyond the physical, and it is that we see Him who is invisible. We must believe that He is. Faith believes Him. Faith pleases Him. First, faith will believe that He is. Secondly, faith will believe that He rewards. Jesus says, The Father knows what you have asked, and what you need of before you ask, but you're to ask that you might receive. Get that? God knows what we have need of. But what we're supposed to do is we're supposed to ask. But if He knows what I have need of, why in the world do I need to ask Him? And that's what we sometimes say, Well, God knows what I need, and He's going to take care of me. How foolish it is to hold that. I know that He takes care of me. I know that He will provide for me. Therefore, I don't have to ask Him because He knows what I have need of. That's foolish because He tells us, I know what you need, but what you must do is ask in order to receive. Things do not flow to us automatically. God doesn't just look down to us at a one-time commitment when we came and received His forgiveness of our sins, and now we can rest in our Christian life, go any way we want to, live any way we want to, because now I'm a child of God. And if I sin, He'll forgive me. If I don't live right or I fall by, He understands He will take care of me. That's a bad commentary because that does not please Him. Faith must first please Him. Faith pleases Him, and that would be the end of our own life. Believing Him, trusting Him, that He may be satisfied with our life. It tells us very plainly in the verse that we must believe that He is and that He's a rewarder. If God knows what we have need of before we ask, why is it that He requires us to ask? Think about that. Did you know that everybody everywhere needs the forgiveness of sins? Then why should we ask? God knows that I have need to be saved. He will save me. And this is the fallacy concerning one saved, always saved. God is sovereign. He knows who's going to be saved. He knows who's not going to be saved. And I cannot do anything about it. When we lived in Scotland, knocking on doors in Fort William, I came across a man a little older at the time than I was. He's probably dead by now. But he was in his sixties or so. And I got to talk with him and he said, Well, you know, how do you know if you're going to be saved or not? Since God knows who's going to go to hell and God knows who's going to go to heaven. And I can't do it. If I'm destined to go to hell, then I'm going to go to hell. If I'm destined to be saved, then I'm going to be saved. So it's all out of my hands, young man. God's going to save who He wants to save. God's going to damn who He wants to damn. It's already cemented. He knows it all. So there's no need for me to do anything. If I'm saved, I'm going to heaven. If I'm lost, I'm going to hell. And there's nothing I can do about it. But yet God tells us, I know what you have need of, you ask. The Bible tells us to confess our sins. And He's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God and He reigns. And what does He do? He points us to repentance. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repentance is praying. Confessing is praying. Asking that God would do things for us. We cannot live our Christian life without asking. There's nothing we can do in our Christian life that is not dependent upon the Lord. And what it is that He promises must be required of us. Isaiah makes mention of that. Tells us that if God gives you a promise, He will require it of you. Simply because God promised that something would happen, we can just say, well, God said it's going to happen, so it's going to happen. But will I do anything about it? That's not the case. The Scripture tells us that we're to require of it. But sometimes we're lackadaisical in our praying. We're lackadaisical in coming before Him. Now, Lord, this is what I need and I want You to do it. And there's no urgency about it. So there's no diligence about it. Notice what the rest of Scripture tells us. Faith pleases God. Faith must do two things. Number one, it must believe that He is there. Number two, that He rewards us. But who does He reward? He rewards those who diligently seek Him. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. The Bible tells us in James that to ask, but not to ask that we may consume it upon our own lust. Some of you asked and you asked amiss. And others asked that you may consume it upon your own selfish desires. If we're not very careful, our prayers are merely for God to help us. To provide the things that we need. And sometimes we ask prayers knowing that if there's no sure answer, it's going to be answered anyway. Our prayers are so generic at times that if God answered them, we wouldn't know whether they answered or not. But God deals with the impossible. God deals with the difficulty. God deals with the world overshadowing us. We're all gone. He puts us in an impossible situation. And the only way out is by the hand of God. And the only way we can move the hand of God is through asking. God has chosen requests to be the way that we move the hand of God. God's kingdom, God's power, God's way is moved by requests. The simple word, please, moves the people that we ask. The beggar can beg for us and say, please, and our heart is moved. God reaches down even to the wicked. And when they earnestly ask Him, He provides. There was in the Old Testament evil kings. And when they prayed, the Scripture tells us that God moved upon them and answered their prayers. That's amazing to me. I read it over again and again. To us, we may have written them off. We would have not been so easy to give them mercy because of the evil that they have done. But they turned to God and God heard them and God answered. All through the Scriptures, you will find individuals praying. And what does God do? He answers their prayer. This book is a prayer book. Just reread it and you'll find men and women praying and God hearing. You can see Abraham, who is willing to do what God tells him. And he's going to offer his son in sacrifice in worship. And what does God do? He says, Abraham. And he says, yes, Lord. And God said, the Lamb is over there. I now know that you love Me more than you love your son. Here he was communicating with the Lord and doing what God told him to do. But he reckoned it. The promise God told me is that through my son, I'm going to be blessed by all nations. But God has told me to sacrifice him. Did he struggle with that? He did not struggle with that. We would have struggled with that. I guarantee you, I would have probably got up and told my wife, I had a drazy dream last night. What did you dream? I dreamed that God told me to sacrifice Micah. And I said, I can't understand. How in the world? He told me that He would bless and make a good worker and minister out of him, but now I'm going to have to sacrifice him? Oh, what did you feed me last night? That's what we may think, you know. We talk about it. But we get up because we had a bad night and the food we ate didn't give us good rest. But Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God or the commandment of God. Notice this man who is called the man of faith. The father of the faithful. What did he do? He looked at the promise of God and then he looked at what God told him to do. And if he did one, it would not do the other. But then he reckoned, I suppose that God is going to raise him from the dead. Would you come to the same conclusion as that? How many of us would have come to the same conclusion? That's the reason Abraham is the father of the faithful. Because he believed in resurrection. He believed that that which is dead could be made alive. It was first expressed when they got to the impossible situation being so old that they would not together have children. And Sarah would devise a way in which she could have a son by her concubine. But you know what? That was not God's way. Ishmael was a way of flesh, but you would have a promised son and he would be Isaac. Laughter. And she'd laugh when he was born. And everybody else laughed at her as well. Why? Because she, being 90 years old, is having a baby. Can you believe that? But that's what God does. God puts us in an impossible situation. And what we do in an impossible situation, we bite our fingernails, we complain, we worry, we wonder how in the world are we going to get out of it. We're not going to get out of this unless we take it to God. There's nothing we can do. We need to close our mouth and give our expectations to God. That's what prayer does. Prayer is not murmuring to God. We murmur to everybody else and we tell everybody else how bad our situation is. But when was the last time we told God, I don't like what You're doing to me? How many of us have honestly gone before Him and just criticized Him and told Him that You don't know what You're doing. You're not wise. I know better. I would have never done that. That's what we do with one another. We tell Him if I'd done it, I'd have done it this way. But God is sovereign. He works everything out for His glory and for our good. And on and on from Abraham, you'll find others who will pray. Jacob wrestles with God all night and God calls him Israel. No more supplanter. Israel, the God-governed. Why? Because he prevailed before God. He would walk with the lyrium the rest of his life, indicating that God had touched his heel and he's still ministering to the folks. You'll find it as well with Joseph how he would pray and God would answer his prayers. You'll find them blessing God. Jacob upon his staff. You'll find Joseph telling them, when I leave this place, take my bones with you and bury me in my home. In other words, they were men all through Scripture who prayed and God answered prayers. Some of them, normal prayers. Other ones, my three Hebrew boys in a fiery furnace. And they said, my God is able to deliver me. But just in case He doesn't, I'm going to tell you, O King, we're not going to bow. We'll burn before we bow. How many of us are willing to put our faith at such a test of being willing to say, I'll burn before I bow. And what did God do? He sent His Son and He walked in the flames with them. And they were brought out of the furnace with not even a smoke on their clothes. God answers prayer. You want to talk about God answering prayer? They threw Daniel in a lion's den. And what did Daniel do? He slept all night. The king was up all night. But Daniel slept all night. I don't know how he did it. Sometimes I ponder about that. I begin to think about how was it that he did the lion's roar and then their mouths shut? And then they couldn't do anything else? Did he go around and punch each one of them and say, which one am I going to have you for a pillow and lay on him? And then he'd tell the other ones, come gather around me. And they'd keep him warm in that dungeon. I mean, he was there. I mean, that's what I'd have done if I knew their mouth. I'd have found out who was the best. Get over here so I can find some warmth. We know what we might do. It may not be different than anyone else. But Daniel, because he had his faith in the Lord, God protected and kept him. The king comes, you know, and he says, Daniel, as I, God, delivered thee, live forever, old king. Live forever, old king. He's alive. And then they put it off. You know, anybody could have done that. Oh, you think so? Yeah. Well, you take those fellows and throw them in the lion's den. They didn't hit the floor until they were caught by the lions. And they were destroyed. What it tells us is God answers prayer. Answers prayer? He lifts His rod over and the Red Sea answers. He strikes the stone. And God brings them water. All through the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, you will find they gather all night long and they're praying that Peter will be delivered from prison. And then God brings Peter out in answer to their prayer. When he comes out, the Lord tells them where to pray, and he goes down to there and knocks on the door. Rhoda comes up to the door, sees Peter, and then he runs back in there. He doesn't ask him to come in. She just looks at him, goes back in and says, Peter is at the door. They say it must be his ghost. It's not a ghost. It's Peter at the door. She will convince them and they will come. What does it tell us? That God answers prayer. Even when they persevere. Sometimes we pray a little bit and we will not pray anymore. Well, it must not be God's will to do. We're lazy sometimes in our praying. What we need to do is to persevere because the Bible tells us the effectual prayer is enough much. Sometimes we have become so seeking the blessings of the Lord and that they tell us, you know, that if you pray a second time or if you pray a third time, it's an evidence of unbelief. This gospel of prosperity that people have listened to so often. Confess it once and don't say it again. Because if you talk about it, it means you don't have any faith. So what do they do? I'm in praying and God's going to heal me. Aren't you healed? Well, I'm claiming my healing and I'm not going to confess my sickness. I'm just claiming my healing. Well, by claiming your healing means that you're not healed yet. Then that means that you're not healed. But what we have made is a twist. And they made it easy for us to come before the Lord. And we asked. And if we asked again, it's an evidence of unbelief. If that be the case, and that is a true principle of faith, then when Jesus prayed in the garden, He prayed three times. He prayed the first time, second time, third time. Read the Scripture. He prayed the first time. And it tells us He came and said the same thing the second time. And He comes and says the same thing the third time. If we pray and we pray again, it's not an evidence of unbelief, it is an evidence of faith. Faith knocks. Faith seeks. Faith asks. Faith asks until it receives. Faith seeks until it finds. It knocks until the door is open. How long should we seek? We seek until the door opens. We seek until the healing comes. We seek until the provision comes. We just don't simply ask and go on our merry way and wait down to the time that God... God does answer prayer, my friends. God does in my own life. I can tell you how often God has healed. He does those things. My mother was sick with cancer. And the Lord healed her as the church gathered together on a Sunday morning. She had dwindled to 86 pounds. And the doctor told her she didn't have but six months to live. And by that time, she only had two or three months to live. She came in. She said, please pray. I want God to heal me or to take me. I don't care which one, but I don't want to live like this anymore. He's not getting any glory out of this. And they gathered around the same stiff. And mama, when she gets happy, she'd spin like a top. And they say, I wasn't there. And they said, all of a sudden, she began to spin like a top. And they knew that the Lord had healed. We need to know that our God answers prayer. But He doesn't do it for the flippant. He doesn't do it to the half-hearted. John tells us if we have confidence in God, we can ask what we will and it shall be done unto us if there is no confidence in what we're doing or what we're asking. If in some way, our heart condemns us. John mentions that in chapter 3. I wish to end with this. Look please in John chapter 3 where it tells us how we ought to do our praying. He tells us that there's a way in which we can, if we see the needs of our brother, shut up our bowels of compassion. How does God's love dwell in us? Whosoever therefore, verse 17, whosoever therefore hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Here in chapter 3 of 1 John, and hereby we know that we are of truth and shall assure our hearts before God. How do we assure our hearts before God? Doing what we know is right to do. To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. When we see our brother in need and we shut up our bowels of compassion, we sin. Because we know what we ought to do and we do not do it. The Bible tells us not to forget to assemble ourselves together. But if we do not assemble ourselves together, not because of some reasonable excuse that keeps us from it, but we do it just because we don't want to go to church or I've got something else more important that could be laid aside, we're sinning because we're not coming into the presence of the Lord. Somebody is set aside for us to worship. And only in cases in which we cannot get there would be the excuse for not to be there. God understands that. God is not cruel to us. He's not a hard taskmaster. But when we just use any excuse that we want to stay away from Him and His people, it's the wrong thing to do. And then when we come before the Lord, we feel condemned because we've not done this. We've disobeyed that verse of Scripture. We've twisted this verse. And we have condemnation in our hearts. And we come to God and we pray and it seems as if God is not answering. Why? Because we must believe that He is. Faith pleases Him. And what faith does, faith obeys. And the Bible tells us in Romans 1, verse 7, the obedience of faith. Faith obeys. What you believe, you will act upon. And if God is there and He earnestly desires to reward us, then why is it that we're not receiving the rewards? Sometimes God will say, no, and that's an answer to our prayers. And sometimes I've asked and found out His no was the best thing for me. Because later on, if He had answered it the way I asked, it would have ruined my life. God knows us. God knows the best for us. And He wishes to put in our heart a desire of the things of Him. He that knoweth the will of God and do them. Notice what John tells us. He says, but if your heart condemn you, God is greater than your heart. He knows all things. Beloved, if our heart condemneth us not, if we have confidence toward God, that's what it says, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receiveth Him. Because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. What is the commandments of God? The commandments of God that we believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and love one another as He gave His commandments. And to keep His commandments, dwell in Him and He in Him. And thereby we know that He abides in us by the Spirit of God that He has given us. The Spirit is given to those who obey Him, Acts tells us. If this is the case, then our lives should be a life of obedience to Him. Let us not knowingly go before the Lord with sin in our lives. We need to confess it. That's what Jesus says in reference to the Lord's Prayer. Our Father, which art in heaven, three attitudes that we should have. We wish to honor Thy name. We need to submit ourselves to Your will. And we want Your kingdom to come. Honor His name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. These are the three passions that drive us. We want God's name to be honored among us. I want to honor and hallow the name of the Lord. I want the kingdom of God to come. I want the will of God to be done in our lives. Those are the attitudes that we should express when we come before Him. I'm here to honor You. And if there's something that comes up and says, You didn't honor God in that manner, then we need to confess it. If we've run around things instead of seeking the kingdom of God, then we need to make it right with God and say, Lord, I've not sought Your kingdom as I ought. My thoughts have been on other things and material things. Please forgive me. Let me seek You first. And if it's not His will and we're saying, Lord, I've had a hard time doing what Your Word says, would You help me to submit myself to it? These are the attitudes that we're to have toward seeking God. It's not hard. It's just simply doing what God wants us to say. Prayer is not something magical. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is walking with God. Prayer is abiding and living with Him. The Scripture said, If you abide in Me and I abide in you, you can ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. This is God's avenue for us. And it's our avenue to Him. He has provided a principle that He will not deny. The principle is, if you want Me to help you, you must depend upon Me. The sin that was Adam and Eve's sin will be our own God. We can make our own decisions. We can decide what's good and what's evil. That's what destroyed us. And that's what destroys us. I think it would be better this way. This is what I want, regardless of what the Bible says. And we put a bridge between us. A wall. And wonder why it is that our life is not having the loving fellowship and the companionship of God. Faith. Pleases Him. But I must believe that He is. I must believe that He is. But that belief He is, is to the worshipers. So if faith pleases Him, then the worshiper comes in faith. In faith that He is. And that He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Notice. The ones who come, that is worshipers. So the admonition are to those who worship Him. Three things we must do. Number one, we must be convinced. Number two, we must be confident. And number three, we must be diligent. If we want God to answer our prayers, then we've got to get off easy street. We've got to get to just simply saying it and wishing it, you know, like rub the little genie and he comes out. And we just say our prayers and we can do it, you know. And that's the way it is. You say the right incantation. You say the right words. You make the right confession. And you obligate God to do it. I must be convinced that He is sovereign over all and creator and that He is there. I've got to believe that He is a rewarder. Praise God. If your earthly father knows how to give good gifts to you and they are evil and they would not give you a serpent for a bread, how much more will your heavenly Father give you the Holy Ghost? How much more will your heavenly Father give you all things? This is it. If earthly fathers who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children, why is it so hard for us to look to our heavenly Father and say, He will provide for me? Is there some rejection of Him? Is there some way in our own life? Is there some unconfessed sin? Is there some secret sin or habit that we'll do? Nobody else knows but us. God knows. And God knows all things. Let's come clean with Him. Let's approach Him by the blood of the Lamb. There's only one way we can go to God, and it's through Calvary. All things come to us through Calvary. If He has so freely given us His Son, how much more will He freely give us all things? We must be convinced that He is. We must be convinced or confident that He will provide. And thirdly, we must be diligent in seeking Him. Jesus gives parables and talks about prayer. We'll hear those later on from the pastor. But Jesus clearly tells us, we have an adversary, the devil, against us. Remember, Lucifer came in the presence of the angels in regards to Job. Hey, you've seen my servant Job, a perfect and upright man. What do you think about him? A man will not serve you for naught. He serves you for what he gets out of it. Let me curse you. Let me at him and he'll curse you to your face. Is that what the devil does to us? Take it away. Give him some problems. Don't answer the prayer right now. Hold off. They'll get tired. They won't continue. They'll say, well, God's not answering me. Yes. Are we going to be like that? Oh, when we take God's promise and persevere until God's answer comes in an appropriate time and in a way. Sometimes there is a delay in what God gives us. We say miracles came and healings came with Jesus instantly. He had to pray a second time. There was one man. Did you know the Scripture tells us that Jesus entered the temple on that last week with him? Entered the temple and healed the people inside the temple. And everybody was healed. And then I read in Acts where it says that Peter and John went up to the temple. And there was a crippled man laying at the gate begging alms. And he was there every day. That means that he was there when Jesus went into the temple. Jesus went in the temple and healed everybody that was there and walked past the crippled man sitting in the front of the door. The entranceway. Wasn't time for him to be healed. But God will use him in a different way. I'll leave you for Peter and John and get more glory out of it. God knows. I'm not saying that we ought to think that just because he's going to close just to stop and not pray and seek. The man continued to seek for alms. He didn't get up and walk off and say Jesus didn't heal me. He didn't care for me. In the story we find that he was unmoved. His time would come no doubt. And it did. We need to pray. If we don't get an answer, we need to pray. How long do you pray until the door opens? That's how long we pray. Till the door opens. Has the door been opened? And the answers come? Then glorify the Lord. If the answer hasn't come, then we keep seeking until it does come. Let's stand please.