Sunday Evening Worship Service | Dr. Anthony “Joining Heaven’s Symphony”

I believe I know the answer to the question I'm about to ask. But maybe your praise can be your response to the question. Do you believe the report of the Lord? I think we could do it just a little bit better. Do you believe the report of the Lord? Amen. Amen. I'm glad to be with a group of believers tonight who are standing and walking in faith that regardless of whatever circumstance or situation faces their life, they stand on and depend on the report of the Lord, knowing there is supernatural power when you call out on the name of Jesus. Keep that same spirit as you make your way back to your seats and you can be seated across this house. And I welcome each and every one of you to Sunday evening worship here at First Apostolic Church. Those of you tuning in online, I just had my phone out on YouTube and Facebook and saw a whole host of people online praising and worshiping uh with the emoji hands. I mean, whatever it takes, whatever that looks like for you. I know we have several that are ill and many senior saints uh that are tuning in with us online that aren't able to be here. and uh church family that lives across the United States and we have missionaries and churches across the world that tune in and we welcome you the same. If you're a first-time guest here tonight, we also want you to know what an honor it is uh to have you joining alongside us as we lift up the name of Jesus and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And yes, we're loud. Yes, we clap loud. Yes. You know, but we're a little bit crazy. And little bit is, if you'll give me a little bit of latitude with the term little bit. We're we're a lot of crazy. Uh but God's just been so good to us. The God we serve, we have such faith in him that we believe that he can answer our prayers and and he still performs miracles. And when we start thinking about those things, we just get excited uh because he is truly the air I breathe. And as pastor Mcool mentioned earlier, uh if you've got breath in your lungs, the ability to inhale and exhale, then he's just on that alone, which is no which is no small act is worthy of giving our great God praise. And what a tremendous word that we heard this morning from pastor uh Mcool about acknowledging and making the declaration that we are at war. for we are in a time of intensity and I'm so grateful to be with a group of believers, a group of fathers, a group of mothers, uh student groups, uh all different facets of life who are determined and wake up every single morning with that passion uh knowing that we are going to do what God has called us to do regardless of whatever stands in our way. And we know he's going to continue to provide, direct our paths, and make ways when there is no way. If you have your Bibles tonight, would you turn to the book of Revelation? Oh yeah. Book of Revelation, chapter 4, verses 8- 11. talk about some, you know, just some light-hearted apocalyptic, esquetological, end time stuff tonight. So, just just on a Sunday night. Amen. Everybody's excited. I I know. And I mean, the the from the get-go here, we'll just we'll just uh put the pedal to the metal as they say. Verse eight. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him. We're already there. And they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come." And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and 20 elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy. Thou art worthy, oh Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things. We see this conclusion from Genesis all the way to Revelation. For thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. I want to preach to you for a few moments tonight about joining heaven's symphony. Joining heaven's symphony. If you would bow your heads across this house and let's pray over God's word. Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight for what you have done on this Sunday. I thank you for leading my daughter this morning to get baptized in your name. Lord, what a great day to assemble together with your people, to pray together, to worship together, to give together, Lord, on this day. Truly, your word comes to life when it says that iron sharpeneth iron. And I find myself blessed today. And I thank you, Lord. I'm thankful for every individual under the sound of my voice. And Lord, as your word goes forth tonight, God, I ask you that it fall on good ground, fall deep inside us to build our faith and for us to acknowledge that calling out on your name, calling out on your name, there is transformative power and by just invoking the name of Jesus that all things in my life can have clarity and direction. We thank you and we praise you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Joining heaven's symphony. Maybe a ultraodern example and I'll begin first with maybe the single men, single women or at one time single. Like how did we get there from the beast in Revelation? Well, but you send the text, okay? It's smooth. It's well thought out. It's clever. It's just vulnerable enough to show you care, but not too desperate. Not too desperate to scare her off. You even doublech checked the spelling and maybe had a friend or so look over it to make sure that it met the right moment. You you hit send after months contemplation and then you wait. Five minutes later you check your phone. Nothing. 10 minutes later you check your phone again. Nothing. And then the worst possible notification in human history. There's that small text if they allow it to be so through their cell phone. It says read, that your message was delivered, your message was acknowledged, but no response. She saw it. She read it. And she did not respond. You've officially, as they say, been left on red. Raise your hand. And I'm just kidding. And now suddenly you're spiraling. Was it too much? Did you get bad advice from one of your friends? Probably. So, was it not enough? Should I have used a specific emoji? Was that emoji just overboard? You know, I should have done the the the eyes with just the happy face instead of the eyes with the heart. It was too much. It was too fast. Was the thumbs up too aggressive? Did I wait too long to reply? Should I send a follow-up text? You know, the question mark to make sure she received it? No. Don't send a follow-up text. Definitely don't send that. That would be social suicide. What do I do? And if you're really going through it, then you get on social media and she's posted a story already also. And she's like, not only did she leave my text message on Red, it wasn't that she was so busy. I'm not like now. Kelly never did this to me. Okay. Stories weren't even out when we were dating. So, don't don't get any ideas. But it's not just romance, right? It happens at work, too. You send an email perhaps marked urgent or you really need a response. And you follow up with a text as well. I I really need to get an answer for this situation. I really need some direction on what the next steps are. I've got other things to do in my day and I need you to respond back. You tag them in a project management system. in whatever reason. Maybe they're busy. Maybe they're slothful. Maybe they're poor at communication. Amen. You know who YOU ARE. YOU KNOW THEY'VE SEEN IT. You can see the little green duck by their name, BUT THERE'S NO RESPONSE. THE DEADLINE is approaching. The pressure IS BUILDING. AND YOU'RE WONDERING IF YOUR message got swallowed into the void. And you're needing to get something done. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. YOU'RE MULTITASKING DIFFERENT THINGS. AND YOUR MIND IS IN A LOT OF PLACES AND YOU NEED AN ANSWER RIGHT NOW, TEXT ME BACK. SOMETIMES, I don't know about you, I've been in situations where I'm trying to get something done and the person that you're texting or emailing, it's also FOR THEIR OWN GOOD. DO I NEED TO DRIVE TO THEIR HOUSE for the love of ALL THAT IS TRUE, OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT, OMNISCIENT? FATHER AND SAVIOR, WOULD YOU FOR GOODNESS SAKE PICK UP YOUR PHONE? YOU'VE GOT AN APPLE WATCH. YOU'VE GOT A CELL PHONE. YOU GOT FIVE LAPTOPS. TEXT ME BACK. >> My goodness. >> REPLY ON PLANNING CENTER. >> Are you're too busy. Okay. Holy. That has nothing to do with the beasts in Revelation, but goodness. We live in a world of instant communication. The deadlines approaching. The pressure is building. Did my message did it get received? I mean, all you got to do is just like it. I I'm not even asking for a response. And you know, I'm sensitive. Maybe heard it. I mean, that would make me feel even better. instant messaging, instant updates, instant notifications, but nothing at times can be more frustrating than silence. And then if you're an overthinker like me, oh, they're mad at me. There's something going on. Uh, they're trying to play mind games with me. They're uh being manipulative. Oh, let's just see how No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Just text me back. This is not a game. I I got to get some stuff done. Being left on red is not just about the message. It's also about the waiting. It's about the uncertainty. It's about the fear that you've been ignored. And and my overthinking goes from something wrong. And then after about 15 minutes, then I get angry. And then that's when the all caps comes in, right? So mad. If we're honest, sometimes that mindset, it leaks into our spiritual lives as well. We pray, we send up a request, and we feel like nothing has happened. And waiting is one of the most difficult tasks. It's hard. waiting for a text response in what I deem in my priorities is, you know, from a selfish standpoint is difficult. But waiting for a medical report when you've received a not so positive diagnosis and it's going to be a week or two weeks before the results are back. I cannot imagine the fear and the questions that might present themselves or waiting for a specific breakthrough maybe with your family or a situation has happened and there's not going to be any resolution and there there's going to be a lot of questions surrounding it for a long time or maybe there's a situation with your job where you're transitioning jobs or maybe it looks like your job is about to be no more and the the bills are coming in and the finances es are are getting thin and there's a great deal of uncertainty of what the next step looks like. Maybe it's reconciliation in a relationship that was fractured or you're needing healing or direction that that kind of waiting certainly tests your soul. And when we pray, I don't know about you, when I pray on Sunday night, I'm declaring it to be so. I want an answer before I leave those doors. And that's easy to get up here and say and preach, but oftent times God's timing is a little bit different than my immediate result mindset. It we can feel like we've been left on red by heaven. You've prayed for clarity over a situation, yet it seems as if confusion remains. Or you've prayed for healing, but the pain still persists. You've prayed for reconciliation. But the relationship is still broken. And if we're not careful, silence can be interpreted by our instant gratification mindset as absence. And delay can feel like complete dismissal. And waiting can feel like complete rejection. where we begin to question the very foundation of our Christian walk of what am I even doing? Getting on my knees and talking up to heaven. My prayers are just going out into the void. No response. Silence left on red. Not even getting those dots back. You know, like somebody's even thinking about responding. You've all done it when you're not trying to respond and you actually hit something. IT'S LIKE, "OH NO, THEY know I saw it." Let's look back at Revelation. The Apostle John is given a vision of heaven and he sees living creatures gathered around the throne of God. And this is what he writes. He said, "Day and night they never stop saying holy, holy, holy. Day and night, holy, holy, holy, night and day, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And then he describes the elders falling down before him, laying their crowns at his feet, declaring, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power." It says this takes place day and night, and it never stops. Day and night, never ceasing. Heaven is not quiet. Day and night, never ceasing. Heaven is not idle. Day and night, never ceasing. Heaven is not distracted. Around the throne of God, there is constant worship. 24/7. Every minute of the day, there is constant worship taking place. Did I mention what they were saying? Holy, holy, holy. Because of what you have done, because of what you are right now, and because of what you're going to be tomorrow. HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. He who was, he who is, he who is to come day and night, right this very moment, that is taking place. Do you believe in heaven? >> Okay, that's happening right now. Holy, holy, holy. because of what you've done, because of who you are and what you're doing right now, and because of what you're going to continue to do and do tomorrow. Holy, holy, holy. God is not frozen in your present moment of waiting. He is the God of past faithfulness. He is the God of present authority. And he is the God of future fulfillment. And here is the goal for the sermon tonight. Here is the goal for God's word for us tonight. is when you pray, WHEN YOU LIFT YOUR PRAYERS UP TO HEAVEN, you're not interrupting heaven's silence, but you're entering into heaven's activity. YOU'RE JOINING ALONGSIDE SOMETHING MUCH larger than yourself. When you pray, YOUR VOICE IS NOT FLOATING UP INTO AN EMPTY SPACE. REVELATION TELLS US A CHAPTER LATER THAT THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS are like an incense to THE NOSTRILS OF GOD. HE smells them. They appeal to them. It's a beautiful savory aroma. THEY RISE BEFORE HIS THRONE. THAT MEANS WHEN YOU PRAY, HEAVEN IS ALREADY IN MOTION. HEAVEN IS ALREADY ATTENTIVE. HEAVEN IS ALREADY ENGAGED IN WORSHIP AND AWARENESS OF THE ONE WHO rules all things. So when you pray and you don't receive AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER, YOU HAVE NOT BEEN LEFT ON RED. YOUR PRAYERS HAVE NOT GONE OUT INTO THE EMPTY ABYSS. YOU'VE BEEN RECEIVED INTO A ROOM WHERE GOD IS ALREADY BEING ETERNALLY WORSHIPED AS SOVEREIGN. AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT HEAVEN IS SILENT. THE PROBLEM IS THAT HEAVEN OPERATES ON ETERNITY'S TIMELINE, WHICH IS NOT A PROBLEM at all. And not on our notification settings. One of the most difficult spaces for the Christian believer is that space between prayer and promise. And this is a convenient battlefield for the enemy to meet you at and to meet you with the whispers of doubt and to the whispers of uh telling you that the God you serve is not interested in hearing your prayers and that he's left you to figure out things by yourself. And every believer will live in this space between prayer and promise. But Revelation shows us something profound. The living creatures are declaring day and night, "Holy, holy, holy." They don't stop. They don't pause. There's not a waiting time for a new set of circumstances. It's holy, holy, holy, never ceasing day and night. God's worthiness is not dependent upon changing conditions. There's not an evaluation process that goes forth WHEN YOUR PRAYERS GO UP TO SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT truly needs to be met or something THAT WE CAN EVALUATE TO MAKE SURE IT'S POSSIBLE. HOLY, HOLY, holy because of what you've done, because of who you are, and because of what you're going to do. When you pray, you're not ending praise. You are joining it. You are stepping into a chorus that has been going on for a long time before you were born. WHEN YOU SAY, "GOD, I TRUST YOU." You are echoing the same voices that are taking place in worship AROUND HIS THRONE. WHEN YOU SAY, "GOD, YOU ARE FAITHFUL." YOU ARE ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH THE DECLARATION OF HEAVEN. When you WORSHIP IN THE WAITING, YOU ARE HARMONIZING WITH THE ETERNITY. YOUR PRAYER LIFE IS NOT A LONELY MONOLOGUE. IT IS A PARTICIPATION IN A HEAVENLY SYMPHONY. AND OFTENT TIMES, AND I'VE preached it in this manner before, and we've seen, and it's kind of motivating, and at a uh a camp meeting or a conference service, and I've I've preached this before that, and it's true, so don't don't get me wrong, but sometimes if there's nobody else around and you've got to get by yourself, and if you're the only one praying, and we say this, and while we say it, we kind of have a tone where uh maybe I'll get a a tissue box while I'm the only one praying, everybody's abandoned me, there's nobody but me. But really, that imagery is not good theology. Because when you're praying, you're joining a pretty decent prayer service that's already going on. A and maybe we shouldn't hit our knees with a spirit of timidity or a or a spirit of oh I'm all by myself BECAUSE REALLY WHEN YOU SAY GOD I LOVE YOU JESUS I LIFT MY PETITION AND MY INCENSE BEFORE YOU WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS YOU ARE JOINING A HEAVENLY CHORUS AND HEAVENLY WORSHIP THAT'S ALREADY TAKING PLACE. YOU'RE ALIGNING YOURSELF WITH HEAVEN AND YOUR VOICE IS STEPPING INTO THE THRONE ROOM SAYING, "GOD, IF YOU PERFORMED MIRACLES IN THE PAST, I KNOW YOU CAN PERFORM A MIRACLE RIGHT NOW. IF YOU PERFORMED A MIRACLE FOR THIS PERSON, I KNOW THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FOR ME IN THE TRIALS THAT ARE coming ahead." So maybe don't have that lonely monologue of, "Oh, I'm all by myself praying every it's just me." That's not the truth. That's not a great creative imagination to even think theologically about it. When you when you call out on the name of Jesus, your prayers are entering into the do we believe the Bible or not? I mean, that's I mean, are we Christians or not? We're followers of Christ, believe the infallible inspired word of God or not, THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS. When you offer up praise and prayer into heaven, just like the prophetic imagination of Jacob's ladder, Jesus the Messiah has given us a bridge has given us in in in Hebrew that ladder is interpreted as a stairway, a a direct line to the throne room through Jesus Christ WHERE YOUR PRAYERS ARE ENTERING into the throne room with the praise that's already taking place saying, "Holy, holy, holy. He who was God has a a track record. He has history. He's delivered before. He's provided before. He's healed before. He's redeemed before. He was faithful then. And he remains faithful now." That's what the That's what the worship CHORUS IS SAYING. HE WHO IS GOD God is not just the God of the Bible stories. He's present in your story. HE'S ACTIVE RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT. HE'S NOT WAITING TO SHOW UP. HE'S ALREADY THERE. That's that's what THAT'S THE THE SONG THAT YOU'RE ENTERING IN THE SYMPHONY THAT YOU ARE JOINING THE CHORUS THAT YOU ARE SINGING WITH. HE WHO IS TO COME. YOUR FUTURE'S NOT UNDEFINED CHAOS. WHEN YOU PRAY, IT GOES STRAIGHT UP TO HEAVEN AND IT'S UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE ONE who is coming in power and glory. When you pray, you are speaking to a God who transcends time. He's got a little bit more understanding than my instantaneous gratification of 2026. That means your prayer is heard by the one who already sees the outcome. This points forward to the fulfillment of his kingdom. God's rule will be visibly manifested. What is spiritually true, not will one day be will one day be physically undeniable. And all of this sums up all of this description from when he revealed himself to Moses in Exodus as the I am. And this is the message that we must grasp. When you pray, there is always always movement in heaven. When you when you when you get down to pray, maybe you go to your prayer closet, I think it would be good theology >> to begin to think when I pray, man, there's a there's a mighty song taking place right this very moment that when I say, "God, I give you glory." You're joining. Come come on in here with us in worship. God, I give you praise. There's some room with you. There's some room for you around this throne. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT TIME OF THE DAY. Even if you don't see movement on earth, day and night, night and day, day and night, night and day, holy, holy, holy, because of what you've done, because of who you are, because of what you're going to do. There's no such thing as a prayer that just disperses into the abyss or out into the oblivion that is not heard and received by heaven. Silence can feel personal, but God's delay is never neglect. The same God who holds galaxy into place knows your name. The same throne room filled with heavenly creatures declaring his holiness is attentive to your whispered prayer at 2:00 a.m. The same God who was and is to come seize the tears that you haven't told anyone else about. And yes, there is a temptation for us to kneel to pray and feel all alone wherever we're at. But I think God's people should flip the script on that imagination. I think God's people, and imagination's not the right term, God's people should flip the script on how we think about prayer. When we're lifting up that incense into heaven, when we step into our prayer closet, it's not a time of, "Oh, woe is me. I'm probably the only one praying at this hour." No, no, no. You're not. Because up in heaven, there's a mighty chorus that's taking place right now that you're joining into. You're stepping into alignment with countless voices declaring, "Holy, holy, holy." Your prayer IS NOT AN ISOLATED SOUND. It's a note in AN ETERNAL SONG. AND THAT SONG does not end. The promises of God do not expire. The faithfulness of God does not run out. The mercy of God does not get depleted. His forgiveness and repentance is not a scarce resource. There is no, it's not an EXHAUSTABLE RESOURCE THAT COULD AT SOME POINT RUN OUT. You are not left on red. The next time you feel the frustration of waiting, and maybe you feel that in the moment right now over a situation, you're waiting for a breakthrough and an answered prayer. REMEMBER THIS. GOD IS NOT SILENT BECAUSE HE IS ABSENT. He is sovereign. He is holy. He is active. Heaven is on the move RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT. And heaven is declaring his glory. And when you pray, you're not sending up a desperate message into emptiness. You're joining a heavenly SYMPHONY WHOSE PRAISE NEVER CEASES and whose PROMISES NEVER FAIL. SO, I WOULD INVITE YOU TONIGHT TO KEEP PRAYING, KEEP TRUSTING, AND KEEP PRAISING BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO TO PRAY, HEAVEN'S ALREADY ON THE MOVE. SOMETIMES WE SAY, "LET'S PRAY TILL WE SHAKE HEAVEN." THAT'S NOT ACCURATE EITHER. HEAVEN'S ALREADY SHAKEN. NO MATTER WHAT TAKES PLACE, NO MATTER WHAT'S GOING ON, NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE DEALING WITH, THERE'S AN ETERNAL CHORUS GOING ON RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT. I present the story of the great pianist Maria Zan Pesh. She lived through what every musician, singer, performer dreads. She had been told to prepare Mozart's piano concerto number 20 and D minor. And the number for this identification is 466. But the person who informed her mistakenly said number 23 in a major K488. Is there any audio to this? >> So when I started the first bar of the D minor concerto, she kind of jumped and panicked. like uh like like an electric shock. I think >> there was a mix up between the 488 >> considering moving ahead playing you know >> then then we talk the moment performance >> and she told me I was expecting to play completely different piece. I do what I can do if I remember. >> She had prepared the wrong piece. But the conductor with faith in her quietly told her in the midst of the symphony taking place that you can do it. You can play it. Rely on your training. You know how and you will not be alone. And that night though unprepared, the Brooke came to her to play that concert that she had not prepared for and didn't find out in any way until just a few moments before she was scheduled to play. She joined in and the symphony joined in behind her and you could see it in her face, the shock, the distress and the disbelief. This would certainly be every musician's nightmare. And as I mentioned, she had been told 488 instead of 466. And the conductor leaned toward her quietly and said, "You could do it. You know how to play it. And once you start playing, you will not be alone." Though she had not prepared it that week, that month, the music was already inside her. She had played it before. And with courage from the conductors, she began from memory. AND AS HER FINGERS FOUND THE KEYS, THE ORCHESTRA in a mighty force came in behind her. And what began in panic? What began in dread? WHAT BEGAN IN PROBABLY THE MOST HORRIFIC nightmare that a MU MUSICIAN, A CLASSICAL MUSICIAN COULD FACE. THEY WERE ALSO SHOOTING A DOCUMENTARY AT THE TIME. AND BECAUSE TWO NUMBERS, AN 88 VERSUS A 66 GOT MIXED UP, SHE NOW SAT THERE UNPREPARED. But the conductor said, "You're not alone. When you start playing, we're going to come in right behind you. And it's going to come in in full force." And she was not alone. The symphony begin to carry her. And that's what happens when you join heaven's symphony. Sometimes you feel unprepared for what life places before you. YOU FEEL OFF GUARD. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW THE PEACE. THIS ISN'T WHAT I PLANNED FOR, GOD. THIS IS NOT WHAT I PREPARED FOR. WHY DID YOU PUT ME IN THIS SITUATION? I'VE TRAINED, I'VE PRACTICED, AND I'VE PREPARED MYSELF, BUT IT CERTAINLY WASN'T FOR THIS. BUT GOD DESIGNED YOU FOR WORSHIP. HE FORMED YOU TO GLORIFY HIM. AND EVEN MORE THAN THAT, HE MANIFEST HIMSELF IN FLESH, WENT TO A CROSS, DIED, AND ROSE so you could have access. AND THAT HEAVENLY CONDUCTOR TONIGHT IS SAYING, "Keep playing. Keep praying." WHEN YOU BEGIN TO PRAY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ALONE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE BY YOURSELF. WHEN YOU BEGIN TO PRAY, there's a SYMPHONY IN HEAVEN THAT'S GOING TO STEP UP BEHIND YOU IN A MIGHTY FORCE, IN A MIGHTY WAY. AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ALONE. Musicians come. When you begin to pray, when you begin TO WORSHIP, YOU MAY FEEL UNSURE. YOU MIGHT BE TREMBLING, but that heavenly conductor says, "You can do it. You know me. You're not going to be alone. I know what's inside you. I know what I created you to do. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH. I KNOW YOU'RE going to be able TO HANDLE IT. I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. I know your name. I know the number of hairs on your head. I know the structure of your deoxy ribboucleic acid that runs right through you. I KNOW YOUR DNA. I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. AND I KNOW WHAT I CREATED YOU FOR. AND I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU REACH OUT TO ME, YOU'RE JOINING A SYMPHONY. YOU'RE JOINING A CHOIR. OR PASTOR TOLD US THIS MORNING, YOU'RE JOINING AN ARMY. AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE BY yourself >> when you bow your head. Let's remove it from our language. You're not beginning a solo. You're not praying by yourself. You're stepping into heaven's symphony that's already in motion. And the music of heaven, cuz this can happen on the flip side, too. That same woe is me can turn into, oh, I'm the only one praying in this last day. Oh, I'm going to step into my prayer closet. And nobody just has the dedication and the passion to pray like I do. Nobody else does. That's wrong, too, big boy or big girl. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that, but we'll cut that out of the live stream. Heaven was already worshiping before you opened your lips. THERE WAS A SYMPHONY GOING ON UP IN HEAVEN BEFORE YOU BEFORE YOU OPENED YOUR MOUTH. HEAVEN'S IN MOTION. HEAVEN'S ON THE MOVE. HEAVEN HASN'T STOPPED. YEAH, BUT DID YOU did you see the latest headlines? Did you see the international conflict that's taking place? DID YOU DID YOU SEE ALL THE INFIGHTING AND ALL THE TRASH AND all the mess? I have. But did you hear heaven day and night? Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Yeah, but what about this? Nope. Holy, holy. Because of what you've done, because of who you are, because of what you're going to do. Holy, holy, holy, holy. That sound never fades. Stand with me. It rolls like thunder through eternity. It rises like incense before the throne. And when you whisper, "Father," when you say, "Jesus," your voice is carried into eternal harmony, keeping in mind the comparison to a symphony or orchestra. Before the performance begins, there's movement, there's anticipation, and there's scattered sounds until one clear note rings out. And often times it is the key of A. Every instrument, strings, brass, woodwinds, tunes to that single pitch. Different instruments, different shapes, different sizes, different tones, different textures. They all go to one shared note. Without tuning, it would be just noise. But with tuning, there's unity. In our Christian walk, repentance is that tuning note of the soul. It's the moment we adjust our hearts back to God's standard. It's the quiet confession that says like Acts 3:19, "Lord, align me with you. Repent, then turn to God so that your sins may be washed away at times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Repentance brings refreshing because it restores resonance. It brings us back to heaven's key. So if I'm thinking about how to pray, this is a pretty decent example from the Bible. Not a lot of uh code breaking or biblical numeric or trying to interpret between a lot of an languages and antiquity. But the disciples said, "Lord, teach us how to pray." So that's pretty good example, right? Jesus began not with requests but first with reverence and repentance. Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Prayer starts by aligning our heart, acknowledging the one who is sovereign, recognizing who God is and who we are. And before daily bread, before deliverance comes surrender. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Repentance is relational restoration. It tunes the soul back to the father's holiness. Jesus teaches that prayer is not a shopping list. It's communion. We begin by honoring his name and humbly confessing our need for grace. Aligning ourself with that heavenly course, getting in tune with the praise that's already taking place. And once we are aligned, our prayers are no longer strained to be heard. There are harmonies with a divine composition. We're not performing for heaven's attention. We're participating in heaven's declaration. When your heart is tuned TO HIS HOLINESS, YOUR LIFE BEGINS TO ECHO ETERNITY. YOU'RE NOT OUTSIDE THE MUSIC, BUT YOU'RE aligned on key to it, resonating with the glory that's already filled heaven. And as we pray tonight, as we talk about the end times here in Revelation, I'm not even in Revelation here. It's some note pages or something. Chapter 4 of Revelation marks a major transition in the book. In chapters 2 and three, Jesus addresses the seven churches. And for John writes, "After this I looked, and there before me was an open door in heaven." This is critical. And I know I've had you standing, but just stay with me because this is important. This is our this is our prayer life. How we think about heaven. Before God reveals judgment, BEFORE GOD REVEALS seals and trumpets and BS, BEFORE WE SEE CHAOS ON EARTH, we first see the throne in heaven. Before you interpret history, you must see the throne. Heaven is not reacting to events. Heaven is ruling over them. And when believers worship on earth, we're not creating something new. We're aligning with what already is happening in heaven. So what I would like to do at this time before I open these altars, the disciples said, teach us how to pray. I would invite this congregation in 100% participation. And it's so appropriate tomorrow night being our prayer service at 7 and as we step into communion on Wednesday. This prayer is not about the person next to you. This prayer is not about what you know or the person in front of you. They need to I hope they're hearing this. This prayer is about you. It's about me saying God I trust in you first. Hallowed be their name. But then a prayer of repentance saying, "God, wash my sins away." And what we are doing together collectively, we're all getting tuned to that key of A. We're all getting aligned and tuned on the same page where we are in alignment to heaven. And after WE PRAY THAT PRAYER OF REPENTANCE, THIS altar is open for whatever you have need of. And I believe tonight as we pray together that we're not playing alone. When we pray, we're entering into a symphony. We're entering into a CHORUS OF PRAISE THAT'S ALREADY TAKING PLACE. So would you lift your hands across this house and where you can hear your own self saying it say God father hallowed be your name. God you are the great God over my life. God you are the same yesterday today and forever. God I acknowledge the miracles and your work in the past. God I know AND HAVE FAITH IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING THIS MOMENT. AND LORD, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PROVISION AND FRESH MANA for me tomorrow. And now transition into that repentance. GOD, ME RIGHT NOW. GOD, FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS. GOD, WASH AWAY IF there be any ill will in my heart, any nastiness, ANY UGLINESS. GOD, PLEASE FORGIVE ME OF MY SINS. FATHER GOD, I know that you have REPENTED POWER FOR ME. GOD, I KNOW YOU HAVE mercy and grace for me. God, I thank you for your forgiveness. I thank you for your unconditional love over my life. While I was yet a sinner, you still loved me. Oh, I die out to you every single day. Cleanse my heart. Cleanse my heart in Jesus' name. If you've prayed that prayer of repentance, would you step forward in authority right now? WOULD YOU STEP FORWARD IN BOLDNESS RIGHT NOW? WOULD YOU STEP FORWARD BY FAITH RIGHT now knowing that your prayers are entering into the throne room? That your prayers are entering into a heavenly course that says holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Standing with those who have heard well done, proclaiming forever that you're the one who's faithful, faithful, faithful are you, Lord. What can we give you but endless praise? The heavens roar as we shout your name is Jesus. Jesus Jesus you are Lord. Jesus. >> Oh, don't let this moment pass you by. Don't let it pass you by. Jesus Majesty. >> We're going to heaven right now. Jesus King is Jesus. >> >> Worthy, worthy, worthy Lord. Would you listen to those words of glory singy, worthy, worthy? >> It's the song being sung right this very moment in heaven. >> Oh, bring heaven down to earth right now. >> Oh, Jesus, we pray for you right now. Lord, you see the needs across this house. Oh, you see the petitions going up right now. God, meet us right now. >> Sing those words. Worthy, worthy, worthy. >> Oh, we're joining heaven right now. >> We're joining heaven right now. Worthy, worthy, worthy. Worthy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy are you Lord. Worthy, worthy, worthy. Jesus king of king. Jesus just praise team after I after I touch on this topic right here. Could you go into that real soft breath? Holy is the lamb. You are holistic. We read the day and night. Holy, holy, holy. This triple repetition is not poetic exaggeration, but in the it's Hebrew intens intensification in conveying the message to the reader. in Jewish thought, repetition, the multiple emphasis that that power of the three. Holy, holy, holy. I mean, do you understand yet? Holy, holy, holy. This is the highest form because earthly worship is joining a heavenly reality. And when we say that same term, we say holy, it's an echo into heaven's throne room. And as the praise team begins to sing, I invite every single person to lift their hands and do that repetition of holy, holy, holy are you, Lord, just because of who you are and what you've done and what you're going to do. Holy, holy, holy. Oh, would you pray right now? Would you pray right now? Could we be a people of prayer right now? Could somebody step up right now and be a person of prayer and say, "Holy, holy, holy are you, Lord. Holy, holy are you, Lord. Worthy is the Lamb. You are holy. You are righteous. You are majestic. You have all power in your hand. You are the sovereign God. You are the creator of this world. You have all power and righteousness in your hand. Your mercy and grace has never run out. Oh, there's forgiveness in your name. Oh, you're holy. Sing that right now. You're holy. Oh, would you listen to that right now? You're holy. Oh, I feel God's spirit in this place. Oh, I feel heaven coming down in THIS PLACE RIGHT NOW. I WONDER IF somebody speak out that heavenly language right now, unashamed. Oh, would you let heaven come down over you right now? Let heaven come down right now. Oh, we're a people of prayer. We're not alone in this. We're not praying up into the abyss. Our words aren't laying on empty deaf ears. They're going straight into heaven's throne room. Holy, holy, holy, holy are you, Lord. You're going to do it. You're going to do the work. I know you hear my prayers. I know you're providing. I know you're leading. I know you're directing. I know that you're moving. Oh, I believe it right now. Yes, Jesus. Yes, Jesus. I thank you. Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom father, your kingdom, your will, not my will. Use me. Keep your hand on their family right now. Keep your hand on this church body right now. Keep your hand on their finances, on their job. Protect their minds. Protect their hearts. God, protect these great students. protect the moms and the dads and the families. You know every need that's going up right now. And we know you're going to provide. You're the heavenly conductor. We can do it. We can do it. We can make it. We're going to make it. Keep worshiping. Keep praying. Keep worshiping. You're not alone. You're not alone. You're not alone. Yes, Jesus. Yes, Jesus. Heaven's here right now. Heaven's here right now. Heaven's already been moving. Heaven's already been moving. Oh, the powers in the house. Oh, miracles can take place right now. The families can get back reconciled right this very moment. Relationships can be restored right this very moment. Angels can be received. Right this very moment. You can receive the Holy Ghost right this very moment. Heaven's here. Oh, would you worship? Would you worship? Oh, would you worship? Oh, I'm standing around his throne. I'm standing around his throne. Holy are you, Lord. Holy are you, Lord. I stand in reverence. Oh, I'm in your reverence. Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Day and night. Day and night. Day and night. Day and night. Day and night. Day and night. 2:00 a.m. 300 p.m. Haven't this happen day and night. Day and night. Oh, you're worthy. Yes, Jesus. Are you going to get it home? Worthy is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb. You are glory. Glory. Are you God Almighty? Worthy of the Lord. Worthy of the Lord. You are glory. Glory. Are you Lord God Almighty? Worthy is the lamb. Oh, worthy is the lamb. You are holy. Holy. You are God mighty. Glory is the lamb. Worthy is the lamb. You are holy. Holy. Are you God almighty? Worthy is the Lord. He's worthy. Worthy is worthy. He's rightous. Rightous is the righteous in this place right now. Rightous. He's holy in the holy. Holy. Holy. Jesus. His name is Jesus. Jesus Jesus right now. His name is Jesus. Jesus is the only one. You know, Jesus is Oh, give praise unto Jesus right now. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. You're worthy, Savior. You're so holy, Savior. You're so worthy, Lord. Let my voice join the throne of the angels that continually lift your name. You are holy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory, glory, glory.