ONE LAST WORSHIP - JOHN GRAY

"You don’t get sentenced with pain, you get trusted with it."

Pastor John Gray, Lakewood Church Saturday November 1, 2014

Bible Confession:
This is my Bible. I am what it says I am, I have what it says I have, I can do what it says I can do. Tonight I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive, I will never be the same. I am about to receive the incorruptible, indestructible, ever-living seed of the Word of God. I'll never be the same; never never never, I'll never be the same, in Jesus name.

John is blessed by being in a faith atmosphere.
People who know there’s power when we worship.
Some may wonder why do we shout/sing/praise?
Why the expressions of exuberance?
Does our worship matter?
We’ll touch on scriptures that give you strength to keep worshiping until your breakthrough comes.
John prayed with some people who are going through difficult things.
It would almost make sense for them not to even be here.
But through their tears they were still praising God.
What do you do when all is falling apart?
When the enemy is pulling out all the stops?
After you’ve sung every song you know and nothing got better?
What if you only had one worship left?
ONE LAST WORSHIP

This isn’t an easy season in the body of Christ.
I want to encourage those who feel like the attack is more concentrated than ever.
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Life throws you a curve.
The road gets rocky.
The doctor calls.
Your spouse starts acting up.
What do you do when hope runs out?
No friends around.
No options.
Nobody who understands.
You feel like the only one in a situation like yours.
You’re not alone.
Even early bible tells of man who got bad break after bad break.
But his response was strange, wonderful, and eye-opening.
Job who lived in Uz.
Go to book of Job.
It’s the oldest writing/earliest recorded.
You’re seeing the character of God in the very beginning.
The songs we sang tonight, did not stay in this room.
It left this atmosphere and headed to the holy of holies.
The sound of your worship broke thru on your behalf.
Your worship can take you places that your pain never could.
Job was a good man, but even good men go thru bad things.
Lay down the notion that accepting Jesus as your Savior is a free pass from pain.
New believers need to know being saved doesn’t make you immune to pain.
Sometimes things look like they get worse.
All was well until you gave your life to Christ.
Things changed.
People changed.
Situations changed.
People said “You’re different.”
People didn’t want to hear from the new you.
Grabbing at straws — it’s called faith.
Keep believing, keep trusting.
Job 1
Job was rich, doing well.
Great family.
He had 10 kids and lots of resources.
So many trust in riches.
There’s something greater you need to put your trust in.
Invest in the spirit, and study the word and you’ll find in times of famine you’ll have a wealth of knowledge that will cause you not to be shaken by the storms of life that invariably come.
It’s the nature of the enemy to see if your praise is real.
Is it contingent upon happy days?
Can you still praise Him when the rain won’t stop?
This is the great challenge of believers.
Job was living life, interceding for his kids.
Meanwhile there was a conversation in heaven going on about him.
In verse 8 God and Satan are having a conversation.
It wasn’t satan that started it – God brought his name up.
Why God?!
Now You just put a bullseye on my forehead God.
Now all the demons are following me.
You're trying to tell the demons “You know you can mess with other people!”
No, satan’s going to focus right on you.
Strange was the response of the enemy.
You put a hedge around him. If you changed that he will curse You to Your face.
You need to know bad things aren’t the punishment of God - it’s the development of God.
God positioning you for greatness.
The trial didn’t come to break you but to make you.
This is not God trying to hurt you but to build you.
The devil didn’t say 'no I never heard of Job'.
His response made it clear he’d been watching Job.
You’ve done everything to keep him covered.
God has kept you covered.
You’re living right now because God said no to the attack.
That car accident that should’ve taken you out didn’t.
You never know what God is keeping you from.
Listen to the still small voice that says GO HOME A DIFFERENT WAY.
That’s the voice of favor, covering you and keeping you.
You need to thank God for the voice of the Spirit that has kept us from harm and danger.
Satan says listen you’ve covered him and I can’t get to him but I bet if You stretch out Your hands he’ll curse You.
God says OK go for it but you can’t touch his life.
Job loses everything and gets the worse news ever.
It would’ve ended right there if it were the book of John Gray.
John would’ve had a fit.
But Job had something else working on the inside.
After years of walking with God.
After all the external things were stripped this was his response.
At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship [Job 1:20]
He worshiped.
What a legacy.
This man found the strength to say “None of this changes who God is.”
This is the great question of our faith.
Is God worthy of our praise when He doesn’t do what we want Him to do?
Is He still God when He isn’t answering our prayers?
Job said “No matter what’s going on I will bless You.”
What you do on your worst day is who you are on your best day.
He found the strength to worship.
- when he should’ve quit.
It looked like heaven was picking on him.
But heaven wasn’t picking on him – heaven picked him.
You’ve been chosen.
You don’t get sentenced with pain, you get trusted with it.
Why is life happening like this?
God is teaching the enemy a lesson by allowing you to walk thru it and keep praising him.
It confuses the enemy.
He keeps standing.
They keep believing.
I need you to know that it sounds crazy to worship in your worst moment but that’s where your sanity is.
If you want to stop yourself from losing your mind begin to worship right there.
God everything is falling apart but I will lift my hands and bless You.
The enemy is backing up in the spirit because only crazy people worship when attacks come.
He knows this is not somebody I can mess with.
This is the power of one last worship.
Why worship?
Why your worship?
John 4:1-26
Jesus had a conversation with the woman at the well.
 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” [John 4:23-24]
Not spirit and in good times.
Not spirit and everything going your way.
But Spirit and truth.
Sometimes I don’t want to lift my hands but He is still God.
The bible says the Father is seeking such a worshiper.
How is it that God is searching for worshipers?
Worshipers are made of a different substance.
Where are the strange ones in the family?
Understand that kind of worship doesn’t just summon the attack of the enemy, it summons the presence of the King.
We see Job’s response to trial. Here’s a New Testament illustration.
Mark 5:1-20
This gentlemen is a different level of bondage.
He had 2000 demons.
He lived in a cemetery.
He was in perpetual Halloween.
He was always in chains.
The people who came to see him didn’t come to free him but to make sure the shackles were still tight.
In some churches people are judged unworthy of deliverance.
We’ve been made worthy by the blood of Jesus.
And by that alone I give Him praise.
That man must have done everything (sin) you can do – to have 2,000 demons!
If anybody deserved to be in bondage it would be that guy.
Except when he saw Jesus something on the inside…
I know they talk about you and love to bring up your scars.
Because your scars are visible - other people can hide theirs.
But if you’re living in a cemetery everybody knows.
He ran to Jesus and he worshiped. [Mark 5:6]
That’s what I call one last worship.
If you’ve only got one worship you better aim it at Jesus.
The bible says after he worshiped the demons started talking.
Jesus said Hush and come out of that man.
They begged Jesus don’t send us out of this region.
Send us into the swine.
The demons got permission from Jesus to go into the swine and they drowned in the sea.
The people who had only seen the man in bondage now saw him sitting clothed in his right mind.
One worship can break generational curses.
One worship can change everything.
How did Jesus know to come to this man?
Jesus is always drawn to broken hearts/spirits. [Psalm 34:18]
For the ones who cry at night Jesus is coming to see you.
To the man searching for a job to take care of his family Jesus is coming to see you.
To those stuck in addiction and can’t get free Jesus is coming to see you.
To the ones society has written off Jesus is coming to see you.
To the ones some churches have judged unworthy to enter the doors Jesus is coming to see you.
One worship changes everything.
The man was sitting clothed and in his right mind.
This is the power of worship.
Don’t waste your worship on people; people can’t save you.
People want you to come to them but you need to get past them and come to Jesus.
People will give you more chains but Jesus will give you change.
Don’t let circumstance stop you from praising God.
Whatever you have left He’ll take it.
If you’ve got one  last worship you’ve got enough to be free.
You’ve got enough to be changed.

Father in this atmosphere give us a heart to trust You, even when life doesn’t make sense.
We offer up worship to You.
Give us faith to keep worshiping for these last few months of 2014.
We will trust You right here right now.
We’ll give you the worship You deserve.
Not because of our circumstances but despite them.

ALTAR CALL

BENEDICTION / BLESSING

Watch online at http://www.lakewoodchurch.com/pages/watch-online.aspx (while available)