Morning Chapel Prayer Playlist
Brother Mike…
Well, good morning everyone! Thank you very much for joining us today.
Jesus said you’re going to face troubles in this world…
Father, I pray for those right now who it might be hard for them to say out loud, “Thank you, Father, for what you’re doing in my life,” because things might not always be going the way that you want them to. But you know what? That’s okay. Jesus already knew that. He said you’re going to have troubles in this world. But you know what? I overcame. He overcame everything. He experienced everything. In His body, He experienced things that we think I will never have to go through what He did because He went through it for us. But He also said you’re going to face troubles in this world.
Jesus is the One that sticks closer than a brother…
And so, Father, I thank you that we always have someone… you know, like it talks about there’s one who sticks closer than a brother. Well, even in the natural, you can only get so close to your family, like your brother or sister or your parents. None of them live inside of you. And if you’re struggling to see Him today living on the inside of you, just hold on because He is there and He’s wanting so much for you.
I wondered, “Is God really doing anything?“
I was listening to a message yesterday from one of the teachers from Charis Bible College. I listen to him a lot. His name is Barry Bennett, and he was doing a teaching on healing. And sometimes when we’re going through things like I’m going through… I’ve been going through things for a long time in my body. And some days I’m awesome and some days I wonder, “Is God really doing anything?”
Are we really hearing the Word of God?
But in Barry’s teaching yesterday, there’s many verses in the Bible that talk a lot about healing… healing in our bodies, healing of our souls. There’s the renewing of our mind. But one of the things that Barry was talking about was, “Are we hearing the Word of God?” Jeannie and I were laughing the other day because a few months ago, we were both here and she was giving an example of something and she asked me a question. And she totally caught me off guard. I said, “I was listening, but I wasn’t paying attention.” We’ve all been there.
One of the things that Barry was talking about was… and again, he was in the context of healing. But really what his message ended up being, is that he’s talking about we might be listening to the Word, but are we really hearing what Jesus said? And he started off with the scripture in Luke 5:15. And before that, it was right after the cleansing of the leper. When the leper ran up to Jesus… Just to do that, running up to other people, was wrong. They were considered unclean. They were supposed to be kept away from other people. And as I’m saying this, the Holy Spirit is telling me that there might be people that are thinking, “I’m facing something that I don’t know how to get through,” or “I made bad choices and so I deserve this.”
“You are able to cleanse and heal me…”
This man was a leper. I’m just going to start in verse 12. “And after he saw Jesus, he came up to him, he fell on his face and he begged him saying, Lord, if you are willing, you are able to cleanse me.” Which is interesting because even in that, he’s wondering. But he’s also sure. It’s like if you’re willing. And then he says, “You are able to cleanse me.” I mean, how many of us have been there?
Jesus said, “I am willing. Be cleansed…”
I heard somebody talking about it’s His will to heal and that’s not necessarily a whole different thing, but it’s God’s desire to heal all of us of whatever we’re facing. But he goes on and Jesus said, “I am willing. You must immediately be cleansed. And the leprosy left him at once.” So then he tells him to go to the priest and show yourself as clean just as Moses commanded…
Jesus ministered while under the law…
Sometimes I can forget that Jesus was actually living under the law. His whole ministry was during “the law” until He fulfilled that at His death and resurrection. But then He says here in verse 15, “And the word was going out more concerning Him (meaning Jesus) and many crowds were gathering to listen and to be healed from their sicknesses.” They were gathering to listen and be healed from their sicknesses.
Jesus didn’t teach about healing; He taught about the Kingdom of Heaven…
And so Barry’s point was, people were coming to hear, and he even talked about this too. He says, Jesus didn’t necessarily preach about healing. He preached about the kingdom, and within the kingdom, there’s healing. There’s obviously salvation, but there’s healing. But Jesus, there’s nothing in here where He goes on for verses or chapters explaining to us what healing is, what it’s not. But his point was, is that we can hear the Word. He said they were listening to Jesus, and they were being healed from their sicknesses. And many other times too, it talks about how everywhere that Jesus went, He healed people.
Now there is the point where he said… We like to say, “Well, there was the one time He couldn’t do mighty miracles except heal a few people.” And in our day, healing would be awesome. You know, we’re struggling even just to get that part. We would think of healing as a great miracle.
Jesus didn’t deny healing to anyone that came to Him…
But anyway, everyone who came to Jesus, He did not deny them. And so what was really striking to me. And so this is what I am wanting to pray over us and for the Holy Spirit to minister to you is, “Are we really hearing the Word?” I’ve listened to a lot of messages, either in person on the Internet, or tapes, CDs, MP3s. Anyway, but that really struck me when his teaching was, “Are you really hearing what I’m saying?”
Are you really hearing the Word?
He said one of the things that might be an indicator is if you… I don’t know, maybe you’re going through something and a friend says a scripture, “Well a scripture says this.” And your immediate reaction might be vocal or just might be internal. “Oh yeah, yeah, I know that.” Or “Yeah, I’ve heard that.” But Jesus said His words are spirit and life. And one of the things that really challenged me in Barry’s teaching was, he said, if things aren’t getting better, are you really hearing the Word?
Are you paying attention?
And it wasn’t meant to be as a condemnation. It was meant to be a correction of, “Are you paying attention?” I mean, how many times have you been driving down the road and you get lost in your thoughts and all of a sudden, you look up and like traffic has stopped. You got to slam on your brakes. You were looking but you weren’t paying attention to where you were going. And all of a sudden, you had to slam your brakes on or pull off onto the shoulder so you don’t create an accident. Meaning he really means everything he says.
Jesus is the true vine. Remain in Me…
And when I was looking at just wondering, “Holy Spirit, just remind me of some things.” And I’ve been spending a lot more time in John 14, 15, 16, and even 17. It’s this long monologue that Jesus gives. And He covers a lot of things. And it’s one of the last teachings that He was really given to His apostles. And in John 15, is about Him talking about He’s the true vine. And in the New Living translation and starting in verse four, He says, “Remain in Me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it’s severed from the vine. And you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me.”
He said, “remain in Me” twice. And then He says again, “Yes, I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who remain in Me and I in them will produce much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.” And then down in verse seven. “But if you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. And this brings great glory to My Father.”
You know, have you ever talked with someone where you’re trying to explain something and you keep saying it over and over. Cause you wonder, “Have I really made my point?” Jesus never wasted His words. He said, “I only do what I see the Father doing. And I only say what the Father told me to say.” Jesus even said, “I don’t say these things. This isn’t me just saying, ‘Oh, this sounds really good.’” He said this is what my Father’s telling me. So, the Father is telling Jesus this, and Jesus is just in a sense relaying what’s on the Father’s heart to us.
Jesus said “remain in Me” repeatedly…
So there’s got to be a reason why He says “remain in me,” four times in about three or four sentences. And I’ve also heard some teachers say, sometimes when you see these things, it can be easy just to read it and say, Oh yeah, remain in me and I in you.” I know the scripture, but are you really hearing what He says?
But when He says, “remain in me” so many times, does that mean He knows it could be easy to back away from Him? Now we are in Him and He is in us. But are we really hearing what Jesus is saying? Are we remaining in Him? Are His words staying?
Are we living in His Word?
Other translations say, “abide.” Are they living here? We have a house and I live there. But I’m not there all the time. I’m not there right now. I’ve lived many places. I stayed there for a while, but then I went on. But this is so amazing that He’s really trying to help us to say remain in me, and I in you. And He says later on, if My words remain in you… And He was the Word. He is His words. He said “The words, I’m speaking, they’re spirit and life.” There’s life in those words. But are we really hearing that? Are we really hearing and listening to when we’re reading the scriptures or hearing something. Do we hear a scripture and go, “Oh yeah, I’ve heard that many times.” And you kind of just gloss past it. “I’ve heard that. Yeah, I know that. I know that, I know that.”
I’ve struggled with this and I’m suspecting maybe we have at times. There’s times when we’re in the Word and there’s times when we’re… like I said, when things are going great, sometimes it’s easier to be like, “Yeah, things are going good. I don’t need to talk with God today.” Or like, “Hey, Jesus!” He’s like, are you living in Me? And my words, are they living in you? And I don’t believe He’s saying this, obviously, to condemn us. But He’s really putting it to us.
“But if…” meaning, it’s conditional…
I love how He says it. He says the same thing a few different kind of ways. But in verse 7, He says, “but if…” It’s interesting he says “if.” It’s conditional, meaning this is on us in a sense. We know He’s in us. We know we are in Him. But it feels like sometimes we can be in and then we can be out. Now that’s just us. He hasn’t left. He hasn’t changed. But it’s like, what are we focused on.
Are we hearing what He’s actually saying?
But if you know at first, back and forth, he says, “Remain in Me and I will remain in you.” Okay. You could say that’s a command. That’s very direct. You can’t be fruitful unless you remain in Me. Those who remain in Me and I in them produce much fruit. Apart from Me, you can’t do anything. So He’s saying the same thing. He’s actually saying it a couple times, like, “Are we hearing what He’s actually saying?” And then He says, “But if you remain in Me and My words will remain in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be granted.”
