Awesome

This morning we dive into a stand alone message that is designed specifically for the week ahead. What is so special about the next seven days? They make up the first full week of 2022.

We BELIEVE in the power of prayer. This statement is perhaps the most quoted of our core values. It is a part of who we are and what we believe. And I want to break this down so we are all on the same page regarding what I am talking about.

We believe in… prayer.

What is prayer? Simple. Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is taking a moment, a minute, an hour, a day, or so forth, to talk to the Lord. Prayer is conversing with the One who set the universe into motion.

How do we pray? We pray with a humbleness and honesty. Jesus gave us an example prayer found in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. If you know it, say it with me...

Before Jesus gave this example, He made it clear that prayer is not for show… we don’t need to sound like we are super religious or babel on like the pagans do (Jesus’ words). Prayer needs to be heartfelt, genuine, and personal.

Secondly, we believe in the power of prayer.

Who or what is this power? His name is Jesus. His ability is unmatched. And His desire to help us in our time of need is truly amazing. Jesus desires for us to do incredible works… works greater than what He did! Look at His words in John 14:12

The New International Version Chapter 14

12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

The power is in His name! The power comes through Jesus and He answers prayer that His Father may be glorified through the Son. This means the prayer needs to be in alignment with the will of the Father. We will talk more about that in a moment. My point is, the name of Jesus is what unlocks the power in prayer!

I pray today that our belief in the power of prayer… will lead us to be a people of prayer in 2022.

And it’s on that name where we place our focus this week. I challenge you today, church. I Charge you to make prayer a priority throughout the first week of this year.

Doing so places our hearts in alignment with what God wants for this year.

Do you want what God wants for your life? Do you want what God wants for this, His church? Then let’s make it a priority to start this year off by talking to God!

Praying through the first week places His will above all the rest.

What is the cultural tradition for people to do at the turn of the new year? We make resolutions regarding things we’d like to see happen in the next 365 days. I believe it is a good thing to have such goals, but again, instead of placing our felt needs at the center, let’s place the will of God at the center.

Again, prayer is a conversation with God which means… there is a time to talk, and there is a time to listen. I want to hear from God. I want to know His plan and His will for 2022. I do not want to follow any person’s agenda, but I desire to follow where the Spirit would lead me to go.

This year, the Assemblies of God has chosen the prayer theme, “Awesome.” It is short, it is sweet, and it is a word used to describe the name of our Savior. The theme is designed to draw our attention to the awesomeness of who Jesus is.

I want to ask you a question. Who IS Jesus? Before you answer, hear the words again. Who IS Jesus?

This is NOT asking who was Jesus or what did He do. It is present tense… focusing on who Jesus IS to YOU TODAY.

Author Dick Eastman was presented this question by a friend. “Imagine you have just been invited by the most popular radio talk show, a worldwide talk show, to answer a single question. Your response would go global. Billions will hear. You will have three minutes to speak to the entire world about Jesus. The talk show host then gives you the question and hands you the microphone. The question: “Who is Jesus Christ right now?” Your head spins for a moment. You do recall how Jesus asked a similar question of His disciples centuries ago. It’s recorded in Matthew 16:13;

The New International Version Chapter 16

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

“Now its your turn to tell the world.” What would your answer be? Could you describe all who Jesus IS in this present moment… not who He was, but who He is today?

First, we need to understand that Jesus IS alive! He is not a distant memory but is the risen AND living Savior of the world.

This is key in this discussion, because we cannot talk of who someone is if we do not believe that someone is alive.

The author would then spend more than a year answering this question and he wrote his answer down. His book, “Awesome,” was written to remind believers who Jesus IS and the daily prayer points come from His biblical research.

Sunday (Today) - The Supreme Jesus

Because Jesus is supreme, reigning over all creation, may every part of my life be wholly submitted to Him

Monday - The Awesome Jesus

Because Jesus is awesome, I say, “Lord, capture my attention, so that I may spend all my days in astonished awe of You!

Tuesday - The Beautiful Jesus

Because Jesus is beautiful, I reflect on how His beauty is seen in creation and in specific ways in my life.

Wednesday - The Human Jesus

Because Jesus took on human form, I realize how deeply I am able to trust Him. He truly knows, understand, and sympathizes with my humanness.

Thursday - The Divine Jesus

Because Jesus is divine, I recognize that He is fully God and Lord of all. I invite you, Jesus, to be entirely divine in my own life today.

Friday - The Preeminent Jesus

Because Jesus is preeminent, He is above all things and reigns over everything. Lord Jesus, be first in all I think and do!

Saturday - The Incomparable Jesus

Because nothing compares to Jesus, he stands alone in His glory and power. Jesus, please help me to remember there is truly none like you!

Notice a pattern here? HE IS! We KNOW what He has done… but are we fully aware of who HE presently IS? Have we lost sight of who our Savior is? Listen church, God is on the move! Jesus IS alive! And because HE IS, we are.

We ARE healed. We ARE forgiven. We ARE set free. We ARE redeemed. We ARE justified. We ARE comforted. We ARE empowered. We ARE transformed. We ARE born again. We ARE made new. We ARE victorious. We ARE more than conquerors. We ARE His children!

WE ARE because HE IS!

Hebrews 1:3 says it well.

The New International Version Chapter 1

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Jesus IS the radiance of God’s glory. Jesus sustains all things by the power of His Word. Jesus provides purification for sin. Jesus IS exalted at the right hand of the Father.

And I want us to look at that important truth - Jesus sustains all things by the power of His word. All things includes… you and me. All things includes the situations and the circumstances we might find ourselves in today. His name is all-sustaining. His name is power.

Remember what I said a moment ago, the power in prayer is unlocked through what? The name of Jesus. The reason or cause behind this power was what? For the glorification of the Father.

The name of Jesus unlocks the power that glorifies God. Because Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being, He will not do anything in His power that contradicts the will of the One He represents. Therefore, as we call on the name of Jesus through prayer, we must also pray for the will of the Father to be accomplished.

No Other Name

First, we need to understand that there is NO OTHER NAME like the name of Jesus. This is not just a catchy phrase we use to grab the attention of others… it is biblical truth that will stand throughout all time. There is no other name like Jesus! And what a privilege it is to be able to call upon His name today!

There are so many Scriptural references that I could provide that prove the power of His name.

His name is the name above all names - Philippians 2:9-11

Salvation is found only in His name - Acts 4:12

Peace is found in His name - John 16:33

The way to the Father is in His name - John 14:6

Eternal life is found in His name - John 3:16

Victory is found in His name - Romans 8:37

And the list could go on and on!

The power that is found in the name of Jesus is a power that is unmatched by anything in this world. It is a power that comes from knowing the risen and living Son of God.

This morning, there is something that Jesus is doing on our behalf… something we might not immediately associate with the power that is in His name. But You need to know this. I want you to know what Jesus is doing for you RIGHT NOW when you pray… when you lift up your needs in His name. Jesus, our high priest, is interceding for us. Hebrews 4:14-16

The New International Version Chapter 4

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, p Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Because Jesus IS our great high priest… we ARE interceded for by Christ to the Father! And look at what this passage has to say about Jesus who IS our great high priest.

He has ascended into heaven meaning Jesus is the presence of the Father.

He emphasizes with our weakness. Jesus never sinned, but was tempted in every way. HE KNOWS THE STRUGGLES OF THIS WORLD.

He knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

THEREFORE we can be assured of these things:

We can hold firmly to our faith because Jesus is alive.

We can, without a doubt, know that Jesus is interceding for us to the Father.

We can be confident that we will receive mercy and grace to help us in our time of need.

Think of this for a moment. Parents, how irritating is it when someone who does not have kids tries to give you parenting advice? How frustrating can it be when someone tries to relate to your situation when they have never been in the place where you are?

The advice that often comes doesn’t fit because it is inexperienced and lacks empathy. But when it comes to Jesus… He’s been there and done that. he knows the pains and the struggles that come with living in this world. He overcame ALL of that so that we too could experience victory over these things.

HE IS talking to God on our behalf. HE IS fully aware of the struggles we face. HE IS pouring out His power and grace on those who seek His face daily and call on His name.

There is no other name for there is power in the name of Jesus.

And I want us to experience that power this week. I want us to remember that power this week. And I don’t want that experience to end in 168 hours. I pray we will live by and operate in the power that is only found in Jesus’ name throughout all our lives!

Never forget His power! Never forget to call on His name!

No Other Will

Secondly, as we remember to pray in His name, let’s also remember to pray by His will. God has a plan for you… and it’s a good plan. And Scripture tells us that when we pray according to that plan, God hears us and answers that prayer. 1 John 5:14-15

The New International Version Chapter 5

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

To be clear, God hears ALL prayers. And… God answers ALL prayers. The thing to remember is that God’s answer will fall in line with the plan He has for you. And church, that’s exactly what we should be hoping for.

How many desire to experience the fullness of God’s plan for your life? How many trust in His plan today? How many understand that His plan… will sometimes look and be different than the plan we had in mind?

Here is something I have come to understand regarding the plan I had in mind for me… It is loaded with self. It is loaded with selfishness and personal desire.

Now, it’s not wrong to have ideas and plans for the future. It is not wrong to have desires so long as they line up with the direction of the Word. But church, our desires are polluted with the ideas and agendas of this world.

If we want what God wants for our lives… then we must be willing to fully surrender ourselves to His will. Remember the prayer point for today: Because Jesus is supreme, reigning over all creation, may every part of my life be wholly submitted to Him.

Because HE IS supreme, WE ARE wholly submitted… or least that is our prayer.

But wholly submitted needs to be evident in our lives, not just in how we pray.

Surrendered to God’s will is a lifestyle. It is a daily, moment by moment decision that we must make in our walk. Will we do things according to the ways of the world or will we live as Christ commanded? To live as Christ commanded is a statement of our love for Him (John 14:15).

As we live in His will, fully surrendered to His plan, we declare that Jesus is supreme in our lives. We communicate to the world that He is number one in and above ALL THINGS.

Now that is a message this world needs to hear. It may not be fully understood in the moment, but this world needs to see God’s plan in motion through His people.

Prayer… helps to align us with His plan. Remember, prayer is communication or conversation with God.

There is a time for speaking… there is a time for listening.

I have heard God say yes to my requests… and I have heard God say no. But when He says no, He has ALWAYS led me in the right direction to go. The key is we have to make time to listen. We have to be willing to trust and obey.

Church, He hears you when you pray. Do you believe that? He answers every one of your prayers according to His will. Do you believe that?

Then I pray today that our belief in the power of prayer… will lead us to be a people of prayer in 2022.

Wholly Surrendered

So this morning, we are going to close by praying to the One who is… AWESOME. Whose name and power is AWESOME! Whose presence and authority is AWESOME! And we are going to pray that we would be a people who are wholly surrendered because He is truly supreme.

Our surrendering to His supremacy comes through in a remarkable way. Christ desires to have a relationship with all. He gave His life for all that we might find new life in Him. Jesus is still redeeming sinners by His blood and He is still offering eternal life to those who would believe in Him.

But to believe is to surrender. It requires that we give everything to Him. It means that we repent of our sins, we turn our back on the old way of doing things, and we come alive in His power and Word.

To be wholly surrendered to the Lord means we cannot leave one area of our life to ourselves. It all belongs to Him. And it that surrender, you will find a peace that this world cannot offer, a freedom that is unlike any other, and a forgiveness that wipes out every sin.

Will you choose to give your life over to Him? Will you choose to start or restart a relationship with Jesus?

PRAYER - Salvation

Secondly, to be wholly surrendered this year is to give this year to Jesus.

i wonder if we would be willing to dedicate all that we are, all that is going to take place in 2022 to God? Can we give Him every day and invited His presence to move in every way?

Do you desire to be a people of prayer in 2022? Do you desire to see God’s plan and will at work in your life this next year?

If that is your desire, stand to your feet and offer all that you are to God. With your hands raised high, the universal sign for surrender, dedicate this next year to Him.

We don’t know what will come in the days ahead. We don’t know what this year is going to bring. But we do know that God is on the move and that God has great things in store. We must trust in His leading and guiding. We must believe in the power of prayer!