Ascension Presbyterian Lord's Day Worship

Let's take just a moment and prepare our hearts for worship. Grace and peace to you in the name of the

Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to the corporate worship of our God. Please stand.

The call to worship today is taken from Psalm 99. The Lord reigns.

Let the peoples tremble. He dwells between the cherubim, let the earth be moved.

The Lord is great in Zion and he is high above all the peoples.

Let them praise your great and awesome name. He is holy.

The king's strength also loves justice. You have established equity, you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool.

He is holy. Come now, let us worship him.

Oh God, you are holy, holy, holy. The whole earth is filled with your glory.

We pray that our worship would be pleasing in your sight because of Christ.

And as you are holy, oh Lord, I pray that we too would be holy in all our conduct, glorifying you in all things, magnifying the greatness of your grace in your name.

Oh Lord, grant us the grace that we may do it for your glory. It's in Jesus' name that we pray, amen.

Please kneel now if you're able for the corporate confession of sin. Let us join together now confessing our sins.

Gracious God, we confess that we have longed too much for the comforts of this world.

We have loved the gifts more than the giver. In your mercy, help us to see that all the things we pine for are shadows, but you are substance.

Accept his worthiness for our unworthiness, his sinlessness for our transgressions, his fullness for our emptiness, his glory for our shame, his righteousness for our dead works, his death for our life.

We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Please stand. It should be a bit terrifying to enter into the presence of a holy

God, and we heard of his holiness in the psalm, and we are sinners, but we have a

Savior who is Christ the Lord, and that's why our gloom turns to joy when we consider our sin, when we think of our

Savior. Receive now the assurance of pardon. Who is a

God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?

He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy.

He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities.

He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

O people of God, though you be great sinners, you have a greater Savior who is

Christ the Lord, amen? Take up the hymnal now and turn to number 310.

Rejoice, the Lord is King, number 310. Please find it has 180 on the left corner.

That is Psalm 97, and we are singing this to the tune of Jesus Shall Reign, which is familiar to us.

So this is Psalm 97. Jehovah reigns, let earth be glad.

Kingly theme today. Let us begin. Great psalm.

Please remain standing for the reading of the word from Genesis 29.

Genesis chapter 29. Genesis 29.

So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east, and he looked and saw a well in the field.

And behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks.

A large stone was on the well's mouth. Now all the flocks would gather there, and they would roll the stone from the well's mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well's mouth.

And Jacob said to them, My brethren, where are you from? And they said, We are from Haran. Then he said to them,

Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said to him, We know him. So he said to them,

Is he well? And they said, He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep. Then he said,

Look, it is still high day. It is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go feed them.

But they said, We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well's mouth.

Then we water the sheep. Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative, and that he was

Rebekah's son. So she ran and told her father. Then it came to pass, when

Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house.

So he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh.

And he stayed with him for a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me nothing?

Tell me, what should your wages be? Now Laban had two daughters, and the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was

Rachel. Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.

Now Jacob loved Rachel. So he said, I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.

And Laban said, It is better that I give her to you, that I should give her to another man.

Stay with me. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him, because of the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go into her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob, and he went into her.

And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was

Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this that you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you?

Why then have you deceived me? And Laban said, It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service, fulfill one week, and we'll give you this one also for the service which you have served me these other seven years.

Then Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife also.

And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went into Rachel, and also loved

Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. When the

Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name

Reuben. For he said, The Lord has, for she said, The Lord has surely looked after my affliction.

Now therefore my husband will love me. Then she conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Because the

Lord has heard that I am unloved, he has therefore given me this son also. And she called his name

Simeon. She conceived again, and bore a son. Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.

Therefore his name shall be called Levi. And she conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Now I will praise the

Lord. Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. This is the word of the

Lord. Please remain standing and ready yourself to confess our faith in the singing of the

Apostles Creed. Let us begin. and Mary he descended into hell the third day he rose again from the dead he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right come to judge the living and the dead believe in the

Holy Spirit i believe the holy catholic church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins please take up the hymnal now and turn to number 34 the god of abram praise it's got a really great feel to it it's very ancient kind of tune the god of abraham praise number 34 let us sing by himself please prepare now for the prayers of the people pray together now in unison almighty and everlasting god in whom we are being we your beloved children offer to you our humble praises for having preserved us from the beginning of our lives to this day especially do we praise you for having delivered us from the dangers and uncertainties of this past week for these mercies we bless and magnify your glorious name humbly beseeching you to accept this our morning sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for his sake who lay down in the grave and rose again for us your son our savior jesus christ fulfilled now oh lord our desires and petitions as may be best for us granting us in this world knowledge of truth in the world to come life everlasting i ask your prayers for god's people throughout the world for our denomination for this church and for all ministers and missionaries pray for the church lord hear our prayers i'm going to pray father for all those churches who may have all those pulpits that may have false preachers we ask that you would purge them from the church that you remove them from every pulpit that all the false teachers would uh be picked out and replaced with solid faithful men who are who are who you have called who will preach your word and not not anything else and we pray father as uh you have sent you have called people to go around the world as missionaries that we'll be faithful with all these people for those who are in lands where preaching of the word or speaking the name of christ is uh discouraged or illegal or even persecuted we ask that you be with those people that they would be faithful to you in spite of whatever persecution or suffering they may experience hold it fast to the truth that whatever suffering they go through in this life it is a it pales in comparison to the joy that awaits us in the future when you come established and that you would uh you'd be uh reigning over all the earth and that the kingdom of satan we pray this in christ's name ask your prayers for the poor the sick the bereaved the burdened and for the widows orphans and prisoners pray for those in any need or trouble lord hear our prayers this morning who are suffering uh we've got myriads of financial suffering that we can face uh father i pray you would uh give them wisdom and give them peace father you would encourage them and that you would remind all of us that you are the uh the great giver of gifts lord god you've given us so much and lord god that we should hold uh rely wholly on you for our daily bread and for the roots over our heads father i pray you do with those who are sick uh lord god there's a lot of illness this time of year i pray that you would uh look over those who are sick and as you would not allow them to be too down or upset lord god and sad but that you would allow them to um focus on this hard time and and understand that it's a trial that you have put them through that you may grow they may grow closer to you um father also lift up especially those who are in prison this morning lord god we know that prisons in this country are uh just an absolute cesspool of filth and heinous acts and um lord god there are there are people in prison today even who are not guilty of crimes um lord god but even more so there are there are people in prison who are guilty who are guilty of crimes um and lord god who are who are suffering tremendously uh father i pray that even in this time of uh prison uh that they would turn to you and that even today that they would be saved um i pray that you would allow the gospel to penetrate the the american prison system and that there would be a great revival even among our prisoners and it's christian i ask your prayers for those who do not know christ and for those who seek a deeper knowledge of him pray that they may find and be found by him lord hear our prayers i ask your prayers for our children and for future generations which will be born to them pray that the knowledge of the lord will fill the earth through them lord hear our prayers lift up our children to you today uh lord god we know that there are many uh evils in this world and sin and father god that they will have work to do as they grow up and mature in the faith lord god they will have your kingdom to proclaim and to bring forth father god i pray you give them the strength to do this and i know that you've called each and every one of us for a time and a place father god i pray you give us as parents the ability to equip them for this and father god to be an encouragement to them father most of all that we just pray that they would wholly rely on you uh they would believe in you and lord god they would never know a day apart from you pray that we may have grace to glorify christ in our own day lord hear our prayers amen please stand and take up the insert and find psalm 78 this is the psalm of the month i think we're doing pretty well not too bad get ready we'll begin please take your bibles and turn to first john chapter i hope the word of god has not become like the manna in the desert for you we feast upon it but it's familiar to us let's not lose the wonder and sense of god's provision and giving it to us for his glory and our salvation this is god's holy and infallible word first john chapter five whoever believes that jesus is the christ is born of god and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him by this we know that we love the children of god when we love god and keep his commandments for this is the love of god that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome for whatever is born of god overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith who is he who overcomes the world but he who believes that jesus is the son of god this is he who came by water and blood jesus christ not only by water but by water and blood and it is the spirit who bears witness because the spirit is the truth for there are three that bear witness in heaven the father the word and the holy spirit and there these three are one and there are three that bear witness on earth the spirit the water and the blood and these three agree as one for if we receive the witness of men the witness of god is greater but this is the witness of god which he has testified of his son he who believes in the son of god has the witness in himself he who does not believe god has made him a liar because he has not believed the testimony that god has given of his son and this is the testimony that god has given us eternal life and this life is in his son he who has the son has life he who does not have the son of god does not have life these things i have written to you who believe in the name of the son of god that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of god and now the verses for today verses 14 and 15 now this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him may the lord be pleased with our study of his word please pray with me now oh lord we thank you that you bid us to come to your presence to make our requests known that we can have a bold confidence but oh lord impress upon us this important qualification that we need to pray in accordance with your will lord we are a self -willed people and we need to know your will i pray for your blessing and this time together and i ask this in jesus name amen please be seated today the title of the message is ask according to his will ask according to his will there are two points for outlying people first is have confidence in him we're going to learn about the basis of that confidence and second he hears you what a great encouragement he hears your prayers have confidence in him he hears you and the sermon thesis is a properly placed confidence in prayer a properly placed confidence in prayer last week we learned again that god has given eternal life to us and the life is found in christ alone his son and we he wants us to continue to believe he wants us to persevere in faith and in that persevering in faith the question of prayer is a logical following subject to this if we are walking in faith in christ if we are living the christian life inevitably we are drawn to pray and the question of how should we pray has been asked of jesus himself pray in this way he would say but we're going to learn today that there is a probable deficiency in our prayers because we often ask god to give us what we want we have thoughts and whims and we say oh lord it would be good if you gave me what i want lord if you love me you should give me what i want and so we ask amiss because we ask wrongly we ask not in faith and we ask that we might spend it on our pleasures james would say so the question for us today and this could be a transformative day for you how should we pray how should we ask god how should we approach him how how is this done in a way that is pleasing in his sight well the first point today is have confidence but the confidence is in him and we have a misplaced confidence the breno family has misplaced confidence we're confident but we don't have any reason to be we're very confident and i say that jokingly we don't know why we have confidence and if we have confidence in ourselves we are have a misplaced confidence but if our confidence is in the lord jesus christ well that's something to boast about that's something to be confident about let's look at verse 14 and try to peel apart here the exegesis we might get a better sense of what john is communicating now this is the confidence that we have in him the confidence here is a boldness a freedom it's a freedom to speak openly and without fear today we boldly approached god in worship and we didn't have fear because we have the mediation of christ and that principle comes through here in prayer we don't approach god on our merits we're sinners we we don't approach god in our intellectual superiority we know nothing in comparison to him we approach him in confidence because of christ this is the confidence this confidence elsewhere in the new testament is often used in the context of proclaiming the gospel or speaking truthfully about one's faith it describes the courage and assurance that believers have in christ i'm never nervous to preach because i have a message to preach and that message is christ i don't have confidence in my ability to form an outline or the craft a nice message my confidence is in the one whom i preach the lord jesus christ your confidence is in the one in whom you believe the lord jesus christ this is the basis of our confidence we boldly approach the throne of grace because of christ we lay hold of him in faith and we cling to the hem of his garment never to be let go and we emerge and come into the holy place of god because of who he is and who christ is hebrews 10 19 says therefore brethren having boldness it's the same word confidence we have this to enter the holy place by the blood of jesus our confidence the way we can approach god in prayer is confident because our confidence is in christ and the efficacy of his blood a demonstration of god's love which we've just learned about here in first john god really loves the people the demonstration of god's love is our sure union with him in accordance with his grace we we have confidence in god's love for us we have confidence in christ accomplishing of the work and christ's love for us we have confidence in the holy spirit working in his love for us so this is all true and we're nodding our heads the real question the first question we have to ask today is who or what do you place your confidence in see when we're sitting in sunday school and when we're in church we we have the right answer but the real issue comes as is this the way that i live my life do i believe that i have confidence to boldly approach the throne of grace because of christ and if so am i making use of this high and holy privilege christ has said boldly approach the throne of grace the holy of holies he says you and i can walk right in there only the chief priest could go in there and you and i have a free access into the throne room of grace so does your belief does your confidence equal action are you actually approaching the throne of grace boldly are you coming in faith and bringing all of your cares to the lord jesus christ do you view god like your rich uncle who when you're in trouble you only reach out to him in that time in that time of need what do you place your confidence in and i i think even though the world tells us that no one has any self -esteem anymore i think we really place our highest level of confidence in ourselves the great idol of self may your confidence be found in christ may you have a free and fearless confidence to boldly approach that throne of grace hebrews 4 says let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need this is that compassionate high priest section we're not going to turn there but it might be good sabbath day reading hebrews chapter 4 christ who has passed through the heavens christ is a high priest who can thank you sympathize with our weaknesses who was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin i don't have a lot of confidence in myself but i can have full confidence in the lord jesus christ so that gives us the first framing part of this this is the confidence the confidence is found in him now the second part is a little different it says if we ask anything according to his will asking is an act of petitioning making a request often with a sense of urgency or need to boldly approach god confident in christ and making our requests known do you wallow in your fears and your anxieties or do you ask do you worry about tomorrow or do you trust the one who has ordained all that will come to pass tomorrow this is a very different way of living you may catch yourself and find yourself living more like your unbelieving neighbors than a christian in these ways we should be asking the lord but not just to bail us out of our jams or to give us things that fit our pleasures we should be asking and petitioning him in accordance according to his will that word according means conformity or agreement properly it's down from from a higher to a lower plane with special reference to the end point the end point is the will of god so what is the will of god isn't that really the question it seems like it's the question that we're always asking what is the will of god for my life what is the will of god for this situation well hopefully today you'll get a greater sense of that the next language the next phrase is according to his will and his will is what god has determined to be done by decree or precept his commands his precepts his will his choice what to reveal to you two aspects of the will of god and there's a third which i'm going to not really speak much of but it's i think it's kind of embedded in the other two the first is the decreative will of god the decreative will of god and this is his decrees god has decreed he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass god executed his decrees in the works of creation and providence god has created a world that has a sun and it has tides and it has animals and has stars but he is actively working in time and space and in history he in his providential care brings about whatsoever comes to pass we have no say in that we might want to know what that is but we don't have any say in that and in fact we spend a lot of times in our prayers wanting to know the future isn't that what we do oh lord if you could just see me how i could get through this hard part of life and that everything would be better on the other side this is the sovereign efficacious will of god by which god brings to pass whatever he pleases by decree the best example of this might be for the children to illustrate this when god said let there be light in genesis 1 3 he gave a divine imperative and there was light the decreed will can have no other effect no other consequence than what god sovereignly commands it is a matter of his absolute authority and power and what's very interesting is god has decreed that you be a person and that you be the person he made you to be right here god has decreed isn't that amazing you're no accident you're not just a a blip on the universe's radar something that happened god has decreed that there would be a you and that you would be the kind of person you are for his glory equipped with gifts it's very exciting that this is part of his decree that he's decreed you to be here those little ones that you're having he's decreed that they be here for his glory but the second element is his preceptive will and the root word for that is precepts and this is where the will of god really hits home for us the precepts the commands the statutes that he reveals to his people the decrees of god can never be thwarted he brings about whatsoever is coming to pass the decree of god his precepts have been and they continue to be disobeyed his preceptive will expresses and reveals to us what is right and proper for us to do it's the rules of righteousness the decree of will of god belongs to him alone for many of us as i've already mentioned the future that's what we're interested in but our focus really should be on obedience today we must joyfully apply ourselves to his righteousness by exhibiting a practical godliness one of the off -quoted verses of scripture is deuteronomy 29 29 the secret things belong to the lord our god but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the works all the words of this law it's interesting isn't it there's secret things that we don't know the angels don't know they belong to the lord our god but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of this law god's will represents the moral standard that god requires all people to meet you should point out that when you say to a jewish person particularly years ago in antiquity what is the will of god they would start quoting the torah the revealed will of god the commands of god this is the will of god the westminster larger catechism answer for 93 says the moral law is the declaration of the will of god to mankind directing and binding everyone to personal perfect and perpetual conformity and obedience thereunto in the frame and disposition of the whole man soul and body and in performance of all those duties of holiness and righteousness which he owes to god and to man with a promise of life upon the fulfillment and the threat of death upon the breach of it first peter 1 16 be holy as i am holy so when you approach god boldly are you coming saying lord i'm asking for your will to be done and i'm actually informed and i know what your will is i don't know how often we pray that way it's appropriate for the child of god to pray out continuously for the various needs of our lives certainly it's good and honoring to god to do that but are your prayers shaped and formed by the word or do we run to that default position oh god give me what i want how i want it in the timing that i want it you ought not to think that our god caters to your whims it's a terrible thing but we do he's executing his decrees through the works of creation and providence your bold approach to the throne of grace is governed by his holiness you approach with a heart of obedience maybe this is why we don't pray maybe this is the reason maybe our impulse is so selfish and not thinking about god and his will maybe we intuitively know that we're not praying in accordance with his will or our real desires of our heart may not be aligned with his maybe that's what stifles our prayers but if we ask anything according to his will he hears us now i could say well if you just what you need to know to pray in the will of god is just know all the bible and pray that way it's a little bit too broad for us today so in order to make a a tighter application and try to drive it home for us i've selected a few of these for us to consider you're taking notes this might be helpful to write down the reference and the will of god there are numerous places in the scripture that say this is the will of god and we're going to focus on a few of those to try to drive it home okay first thessalonians 4 37 listen carefully for this is the will of god your sanctification that you should abstain from sexual immorality for god did not call us to uncleanness but in holiness this is the will of god your sanctification so you say oh god i have many trials life is very hard for me oh lord remove these things so my life would be more comfortable and easy and the lord says my will is your sanctification your growth in godliness your progression to increasing christlikeness guess what your sanctification may require that you endure some trials your father loves you so much he wants you to make this progress in faith if you pray oh lord i want to be sanctified i believe with all my heart he will answer your prayer favorably that's praying in accordance with the will of god oh lord give me 10 million dollars i'll give a lot to the church oh lord just give me some money i don't know that he's as interested in that prayer but if you pray oh lord i want to be sanctified i want to be more like jesus i believe he's going to answer it i believe he's going to grant you your request same book 1st

Thessalonians 5 18 i'm going to turn there real quick some guy wrote weird things on in the notes we begin reading in verse 16 1st

Thessalonians 5 16 rejoice always that's the will of god for you pray without ceasing it's the will of god for you in everything give thanks you lose everything you're having medical problems give thanks to the lord this is the will of god in christ jesus for you it's interesting isn't it's not like how we pray our natural impulse isn't to pray this way you need to pray that god would enable you to obey his command to give thanks in all circumstance because it is the will of god for you in christ how thankful are you did you complain about anything this morning about at home how about on the ride to church how about the food how about the conversation was it filled with thanksgiving are you rejoicing always are you without ceasing approaching boldly the throne of grace are you giving thanks in all circumstances this is the will of god for you it's very different 1st

Peter 2 15 says for this is the will of god that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men i wonder how many christians have made it their mission not to post online posts that but to live the christian life publicly and openly as their testimony to silence the foolish this is the will of god that your good conduct your faith in christ and corresponding righteous good works would put to silence the ignorance of foolish men i'm going to ask everyone to turn with me to Matthew 6 you know what i'm going to here you probably need to have this more frequently come up in the liturgy it's on a rotation this is the lord's prayer i'm going to give you a little of the background beginning at verse 5