The Place of Pressing

Join me in the place of prayer right now for a few moments as we collect ourselves and get ready to hear what the Lord has for us. Let's pray Our Father. We are thankful to be in your presence today. We are grateful that you are God. Who is faithful who can be trusted allowing us to Slumber last night and to rise this morning with health strength food clothing shelter of all the things we might occasionally take for granted. We come acknowledging that we are grateful and thank you for everything you've done and got before. We begin to ask you for anything. Let us continue that Spirit of Thanksgiving. Thank you for our health and strength. Thank you for family and friends. Thank you for a place to worship for body of Believers to be a part of for the technology. You provided tied the abilities still allow the word of God to be preached to be taught to be heard to be shared and Community with those who have faith in you and an opportunity to share with those who don't know you yet as Lord and Savior we pray pray right now. Did you begin that work within every heart in mine? Everyone that's connected everyone under the sound of the voices that will come forward from this message today. God we need you. I will need you our leadership needs you those in authority over us need you so that we pray your Sovereign power be on display for all Humanity to see as we struggle with this virus. We still claim that you are victorious. We just pray to God that you make us pliable willing accepting help us to accept whatever you are allowed because you are a sovereign God and above all your will will be done. I pray for your pastor the preachers Ministers of the Gospel wherever they might be this morning, whatever time zone they operate in that you would be present by your spirit that you would get power to their preaching. It will be engaging informative instructive uplifting encouraging God might keep someone from the brink of anxiety depression and even death if it's a thought God we pray that you use the preaching of the word of God to be a saddle for the sickness of our society. Prepare the heart of us. We're about to hear God create clean Hearts within us renew the right Spirit search us know us find the things that are not like you and take it away. Not as we come before you we pray that you would plow through the heart and parts of our heart approve. The weeds that have so deeply rooted within us chase away the file that my seat to Devour the good seed of your word and take away the storm the Stony places guy that keep it from falling into ground Gathering rude and growing fruit. Let us be productive don't make us just hears of it. God will give us the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit to become doers of your word. Got as if someone has never accepted you as Lord and Savior that something will be said and done in this service to shake away the chains that bind them for me ignorant and misunderstanding and that they see with Clarity the finished work of Jesus Christ and him satisfying his position of Savior of all who come to him. Let them come running saying what must I do to be saved find me a lot of words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight for lower. You are a strength in Our Redeemer. It's in the name of Jesus. We pray that every heart said amen.

is good to be in the house of the Lord one more time and it's time for preaching if you have your Bible I want to begin today in a series of sermons from the gospel of Mark the gospel in conflict Gospel of conflict and we're going to be talking from The Book of Mark for the month of May today's message the place of pressing the place of pressing and if you have your Bibles love you to join me in the 14th chapter

beginning at verse 32

and when you have that fuel turn to it.

You'll find these words.

in the Bible says

then they came to a place which was named get simony. And he said to his disciples sit here while I pray. And he took Peter James and John with him and he began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then he said to them. My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death. Stay here and watch. He went a little farther and fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. And he said Abba Father all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. nevertheless not what I will but what you will

then he came and found them sleeping and said to Peter Simon. Are you sleeping do not watch 1 hour Watch and Pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak gani went away and prayed and spoke the same words and when he returned he found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy and they did not know what to answer him. Benny came the third time and said to them. Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough. The hour has come the whole son of man is being betrayed. into the hands of sinners place the place of pressing

I just want to spend just a few more minutes with you if you're willing and able to give me a little time and Talk to you just a little bit from this topic it.

It's hard to even.

Focus on what was in light of what we're in right now. that bedrooms and extra rooms have become pulpits Studios and places of worship that we are finding new ways and channels of communicating that age-old story of who Jesus is and what he did and how the words of scripture still serve the needs of society.

I applaud all the pastors preachers brothers, who are Steel yet struggling how to find their footing in this ever shifting tired of her new normal. And I know they're everybody under the sound of my voice everybody who might be listening. But even those who aren't even paying attention to that this being a day of worship struggling with this element of being made to do something being put in place and being rendered necessary to stay there. It is hard because we have been a place for so long that's been a place of freedom. I mean America, whatever you want to do you can do. whatever that is available open to you. You can in the hardest thing for us to relate to during these times is the restrictions is placed on a by seen some protests that State Capitol Buildings watching people sick and tired of being in their own homes of being away from jobs and Commerce in the end economic send they want to get back to normal and they they they are starting to resist these these demands from the figures of authority and they're starting to feel restrained starting to feel can find it and I'm hesitant to use this word, but they've been using it to let me use it to people are equating what we're going through now to to suffering That that we are suffering. It was suffering because we are made to stay and homes that we worked most of our strongest most productive years trying to furnish and in feel with the Comforts of life. We're suffering because we've got vehicles that we we were still paying off that we are unable to take places because there's nowhere to go we're suffering. Because we can't get the job that we complained about while we were working. We called this suffering. But but I'm struggling because suffering if this is suffering if this it is punitive measures if this seems painful and problematic and and prohibited I'm scared to think of what it might mean when suffering does fall in the life of the believer. If I look at the messages of scripture in the the word of the Holy text Believers of Biblical times went through. Way more difficult things than what we call suffering. The top of the Mark I think you are special attention to me because Mark is is has written this gospel in such brevity with such quickness with a matter-of-fact approach. This time is rapidly pleading that he is watching the light the living room in the language of Jesus Christ and his disciples. He's seen him in real time moving about miraculous sign to the Miracles to meaningful words of teaching and preaching. And in their day what suffering was was having families and communities turn their backs on you to be without way way of providing yourself with the necessities of life unable to feed yourself unable to clothe yourself unable to be seen with knowledge in society relegated to dine in obscurity the wrong possibly losing your life from the Judgment rendered by those in charge Mark gives special insight into the conflict between the agenda of the fire and the activity. Oh man, it is at conflict. It it's at this moment where Jesus approaches Humanity through the miraculous birth of mother Mary and an in into this Narrative of selfishness of separatist of segregation of lack of service.

And I hope through these messages through Mark and I hope in the message today that we can glean some understanding that that's suffering are to be subjected to some sort of perspective. Yes, you can't do what you used to do. And yes, it's hard being in the same place over and over for now almost a month and it is even harder this year when our authorities those elected officials. Tell us one more month just to be sure. all my brothers and sisters like to hesitate from calling its suffering suffering is when there is no relief in sight and and and this won't always be Suffering is wind that there are circumstances beyond your ability to endure. This is uncomfortable, but it's not impossible.

Don't know suffering is a place where you are. Being crushed and devoured suffering is a place where your dreams are dying in your hopes are diminishing suffering is a place where you can't be optimistic. You can't be a live. You don't feel excited. There's no anticipation suffering. Is what the scripture leads us into today? at the 14th chapter of Mark gospel writer begins to lay out a narrative of what suffering it is looking like as of the savior. If you still have your Bibles open, I hope you don't close it. I want to systematically walkthrough. Can we exegetically move from verse to verse and see what it means when God allows us to arrive at a place of pressing. I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. But listen, you've already been in the place of pressing. The fact that you were here now meant that you went through something to get here. But that there's is a pain on your path path that there was some loss and some Agony there's some distress and some disappointment. There's depression and doubt the place of pressing it is where societies woes come to bear or on the the life and walk of the believer the play depressing is is this This is Stan McQuay that that that what's what's believable and about God is put to attest. God can't be seen as a resource in times of comfort. It must be in times of extreme and excessive pain. Cuz we're enduring becomes difficult and being delivered is almost damaging set a time where every step feels heavy and waited. Where where progress is a thing of the past? You're just trying to maintain you ain't trying to get ahead. But you feel yourself losing with every second every minute with every hour with every day week year of passing. Some of us are still in a place of pressing.

And this morning the Messiah is on his way. to that place I want to look at a couple of things as we look at this place of pressing. Hoping you will be able to walk with us as we view what the Bible will tell us about the place of pressing. I see a few things here. And now I want to start with telling you that the place depression pressing the place of pressing has a position for the public. If you are on your way to your place of pressing, there is a position. For the public I want to look back. At the scripture for just a moment because it's meaningful. Back at scripture. It shows us what the place of pressing just might be. right there at

14th chapter 8 verse 32 you'll find these words. Then they came to a place which was called the symphony.

is there a And he said to his disciples. Sit here. while I pray sit here.