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Psalm 22:1-5

This psalm begins abruptly, with a disturbing scene: someone who knows and trusts God is forsaken, and cries out to God in agony.
David Guzik

“How do you continue to walk with God when you don’t feel His presence and it feels like He isn’t with you?”

THE WALL.

What is The Wall?

What is important here is to note that the trials we encounter each day are not the Wall or “dark night of the soul.” Trials are traffic jams, annoying bosses, delayed airplay departures, car breakdowns, fevers, and barking dogs in the middle of the night.
Peter Scazzero

JOHN OF THE CROSS PHOTO*

continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Philippians 2:12b-13

Wilderness seasons don’t purify us from sin, Jesus already did that. It’s done. It is finished.

“DARK”

How do we know we are in “the dark night”? Our good feelings of God’s presence evaporate. We feel the door of heaven has been shut as we pray. Darkness, helplessness, weariness, a sense of failure or defeat, barrenness, emptiness, dryness descends upon us. The Christian disciplines  that have served us up to this time “no longer work.” We can’t see what God is doing and we see little visible fruit in our lives.
Peter Scazzero

“NIGHT”

weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalm 30:5

“SOUL"

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?     Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,     and by night, but I find no rest.
Psalm 22:1-2

We're going on a bear hunt
We're going on a bear hunt
I've got my binoculars
I've got my binoculars
I'm not scared
I'm not scared
Ooh, look at that tall, wavy grass
It's so tall
We can't go over it
We can't go under it
We're just gonna have to go through it
Swish, swish, swish, swish
The Kiboomers

“DO I TRUST GOD?”

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:10-14

When we make it through the wall, we no longer have a need to be well known or successful, but to do God’s will. We have now tasted what it means to live in union with the love of God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. 
Peter Scazzero

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.
Deuteronomy 2:7

When you accept the fact that sometimes seasons are dry and times are hard and that God is in control of both, you will discover a sense of divine refuge, because the hope then is in God and not in yourself.
Charles Swindoll

Going through “The Wall” helps us un-learn:
Pride: They have a tendency to condemn others and become impatient with their faults. They are selective in who can teach them.
Avarice: They are discontent with the Spirituality God gives them. They never have enough learning, are always reading many books rather than growing in poverty of spirit  and their interior life.
Luxury: They take more pleasure in the spiritual blessings of God rather than God Himself.
Wrath: They are easily irritated, lacking sweetness, and have little patience to wait on God.
Spiritual Gluttony: They resist the way of the cross and choose pleasures like children do.
Spiritual Envy: They feel unhappy when others do well spiritually. They are always comparing.
Sloth: They run from that which is hard. Their aim is spiritual sweetness and goo

Matthew 26:36-44 “36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, ‘sit here, while I go over there and pray.’ 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 then he said to them, ‘ My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.’ 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.’ 40 And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,’42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.”WHY DO WE HAVE UNANSWERED PRAYERS?[a pic i need to still send][side by side pic.see attachment]The Greek word for agony used here means “to be engaged in combat.”If what is possible? If salvation for man is possible by anything other than the cross, let this cup pass.”-Chuck SmithThe cross declares that there is only one way by which man can have forgiveness of sins and approach God, and that is through the death of Jesus Christ.”- Chuck SmithSome prayers would never be offered if people would only think. A little reflection would show us that some things that we desire were better left alone. We may moreover, have a motive at the bottom of our desires that is not Christ like; a selfish nature that forgets God’s glory and caters to our own ease and comfort…there must be mingled with acceptable prayer, the holy salt of submission to the divine will.”-Charles Spurgeon.“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” James 4:3.Prayer is not really intended to get my will done on earth. Prayer is intended to get God’s will done on earth.”- Chuck Smith.And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.”"Christ was not delivered from his sufferings, yet he was strengthened and supported under them. And that was equivalent”-Matthew Henry."trading of the heart with God”-Charles Spurgeon#1 prayed persistently.#2 prayed submittedly.“Do you not know friends, that we often impute to the Lord conduct we would be ashamed of in ourselves. When God tells you to call upon Him, He does not mock you. He means that He will deal kindly with you”-Charles Spurgeon.1. We will assume the role of prayer answerer.2. We will believe God to be different than he is.3. We will see prayer as self-servingWhen the question of unanswered prayer comes up we should do what Jesus did:#1 Persist “He went away and prayed for the third time saying the same words again” Matthew 26:44“Guard against persistence of unbelief-repeating prayer with attitude that God never heard us the first time”-David Guzik “The delays of prayer are not needed to change God, but to change us.”- David Guzik#2 Submit “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” Matthew 26:39 “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” Philippians 2:8.

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.1 John 2:15-17Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was [a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]coverings.8 And they heard the [c]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [d]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”Genesis 3:1-10Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’and,‘In their hands they shall bear you up,Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”Matthew 4:1-613 Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.Romans 7:13-21 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.James 1:14

Philippians 2:3-16“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”Vision - Help People Know GodMission - Practicing The Way of JesusPursuing the PresenceTransformational DiscipleshipKingdom CommunitySacrificial MissionKingdom Community doesn’t stand alone, and the house doesn’t stand without it!“Between the death of Christ and the Last Day, it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians. It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they “walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!” (Ps. 42:4). - Bonhoeffer
It is how we startedOur triune God created all life to exist in communal order to work toward Kingdom Community.2. It is how we are testedWithout community, we are incapable of Practicing the Way of Jesus.We were created for the life of Jesus to live inside of us.3. It is how we are to be foundCommunity is found where Faith is found, and Faith is found where Community is found.“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25 Faith plus community created endurance.“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:204. It is how we are sustained “The light of the early church illuminated the path of humankind in one short flash. Yet its spirit and witness stayed alive even after its members had been scattered and many of them were murdered. Again and again, through history, similar forms arose a

Acts 1:3-8

SACRIFICIAL MISSION 

52% of Christians who attend church monthly and say their faith is important and agree they have a responsibility to share their beliefs.
Barna Group

73% of Christians belief it was their responsibility to share their faith, but only 52% have actually shared their faith at least once with someone in the last year.
Telling the Gospel

31% of Christians believe they are not called to share their beliefs.
Lifeway Research

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
Matthew 28:18-19 

The degree of sacrifice as well as the kind of sacrifice will vary, depending on context and calling. Some will work in the slums of Africa, others will raise a large family; some will take on a job that pays a low salary, others will make lots of money and give most of it away. There is no absolute rule to follow here, no perfect standard against which to measure both quality and quantity of sacrifice. Comparisons are simply out of the question. Only one truth applies to all: the ultimate sacrifice we make should be the whole of ourselves to God. And then we should simply let life take its course.
Gerald Sittser

If we take the Christian faith seriously, we will probably end up traveling somewhere or loving someone or trying something we would never have imagined at an earlier stage in our lives. It is simply what a life of disciples requires.
Gerald Sittser

Sacrificial Mission: We pursue sacrificial missions by giving, serving, and loving sacrificially in our homes, our Church, our community, and the world.

Serving-focused Missions: overemphasizes meeting the physical needs of others and downplays the power of the Gospel. 
 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it[c] for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”
John 12:4-8

Conversion-focused Missions: overemphasizes the moment of salvation rather than inviting people into a life-long devotion to Jesus. This downplays the really physical needs people face and also downplays the importance of discipleship.

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:15-16

Jesus-focused Missions: sees people created in the image of God and is moved with compassion for the WHOLE person; spirit, soul, body, relationships, world, etc.

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
John 6:1-5
Jesus-focused ministry is moved with compassion based off of the need we see, not what is convenient for us.

Luke mentioned that on this occasion Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luke 9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there. In spite of this imposition, Jesus still served the multitude with great compassion.
David Guzik

God chose to risk everything in the incarnation; such a risk was costly beyond me

9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 
John 17:9-17 
ANNOUNCE GUYS/GIRLS NIGHT

PACK THE HOUSE / HELP!

We pursue the presence of God, who is a person, and we pursue Him first; above every other action.

TRANSFORMATIONAL DISCIPLESHIP

We pursue transformational discipleship by focusing on spiritual formation and every Christian’s destiny to progressively grow in Christ-likeness.
New Song Church

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go, then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his skin disease.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his skin disease? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
2 Kings 5:1-7

Transformational discipleship gets complicated when:
We idolize leaders
3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 
 
10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13

We are all hypocrites in transition. I am not who I want to be, but I am on the journey there, and thankfully I am not whom I used to be.
Erwin McManus

9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, t