The Healing Word

Guest (Male): As this series on prayer comes to a close, Pastor Jack Morris reminds us of one powerful truth: we are never alone. Today's message, God's Presence with Us, reveals that prayer is possible at any moment because God himself is with us.

Pastor Jack Morris: For 10 weeks, we have been as a congregation talking about prayer, searching the word, having our faith built up because we have searched the word, and we have been experiencing answers to prayer. This is the 10th and final message in this series entitled The Power of Prayer.

I know God has answered your prayers. You have stood here and given testimony, you have talked to me, I can see it in your countenance, and you have written notes. You've taken these truths and you have applied them to your life and your situation in very practical ways. Now the sermon series comes to an end, but not Jesus Christ. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The word of God is unchangeable. Continue to have faith and believe and trust him and continue to pray those prayers because life isn't over yet and we're going to need his help all along the way. We know him as our Savior; he now wants us to also know him as our friend. Oh dear friends, it's so important today that you hear with your hearts what I'm going to say.

The message today does not come from R.A. Torrey's book. The book R.A. Torrey wrote has been a tremendous inspiration to me and to many of you, I'm sure. But the message today has to do with Jesus Christ as Savior and as a friend or a companion that is with us always. The scripture says in John chapter 1 that all who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, all who believe on his name, have been given the right to become children of God.

When we believed on the name of Christ, that means we accepted everything that Christ did at Calvary: his death in our place, taking our sin, our punishment. That's what it means to believe on his name—to believe in his accomplishments for us. We received Christ at that moment of believing as our Savior; our sins were forgiven, our wrong behaviors forgiven, every wrong deed in the past forgiven.

I mean, think of it for just a moment: we had the opportunity, we were given the opportunity to begin again, to begin this new life in Christ as we accepted him as our personal Lord and Savior. And we did, and we have enjoyed this new life abundantly. We have been graced by God. Jesus is our Savior. When we were forgiven, our sins were taken away and each of us given the hope of heaven, heaven being our ultimate destiny.

This is a wonderful truth; may it ever stay in your hearts. But dear friends, let us think of something else. We are not only saved from the future eternal hell and eternal damnation; we're not only saved for the future in going to heaven someday. Our salvation not only impacts the future and changes our future destiny, our forgiveness means that we were also forgiven into a new relationship with God.

And this is what needs to be in your mind and mine today and all our days. We have a relationship with God. It's an ongoing relationship. It's not that I'm going to say, "Thank God I'm saved and I'm going to go to heaven when I die." But between now and when I die, what happens? I have a relationship with God. That's what happens.

Between now and the time I die, Jesus is my friend, my constant companion. He walks with me, he talks with me, he continues to assure me that I'm a child of God, that I can pray at any moment at any time because he's right here with me to hear and answer my prayer. I want you to think about that. I want that to go deep into your heart and into your thinking that he is your constant friend and constant companion.

He's with us all the time. In church he's with us, at home he's with us, in the car he's with us, at work he's with us, in our bed at night he's with us, when we're moving furniture he's with us. He's with us all the time. You see, you can pray at any time. God moves those invisible, even visible mountains. This is what the scripture tells us: that Jesus is with us. Jesus is with us. You say that with me: "Jesus is with us." Say it this way: "Jesus is with me."

All the time, friends, all the time. Right here, right now, when you leave today, he's with you whatever you're doing. You can pause and pray whatever you're doing because he is there with you to help you. You never know when the winds of adversity are going to start blowing. You never know when sickness is going to come, or when you're going to have a financial problem, when there's going to be difficulty in the home or in the family.

We never know. We only know that in the world we'll have tribulation. We live, listen friends, listen to me, we live in an imperfect world. There are car accidents and glass all over the street where you've seen cars that mashed into each other and police lights are going. We live in an imperfect world. Things are going to go contrary. But this is the thing: may God help me and you to understand this, that we are not alone.

I don't know how some people make it in this world. I really don't. They don't go to church, they don't read the Bible, they don't pray, they don't acknowledge their Christianity. They'll say they believe in God, they believe in a heavenly being or a supernatural power. But I want you to know, friends, I not only believe in God, I enjoy God. And you and I can enjoy him forever because he's our God and he loves us and he wants to unfold his presence to us and make himself known to us.

He really does, and he will. Don't say, "Well that's a simple prayer, that's such a small thing." Take it to the Lord and he will do something great. Here's how it all began. God wanted to make himself known to mankind and he started in the books of Exodus and Leviticus in those Old Testament books to reveal himself. In Exodus chapter 13, he allowed the people of God to go free.

Matter of fact, he performed a miracle and allowed Israel, all the Israelites to go free from Egyptian bondage—approximately two and a half million of them. Now think of this with me. They went out into a wilderness place, out into a desert place. Two and a half million after being enslaved by the Egyptians for many, many years. They had little food, practically no water, they had no protection, they had no police, they had no armies.

Out there in the desert, there were other nations that may come in and rob and pillage the flocks. Here were families with little ones, children, elderly people on their way to the promised land but they didn't know which direction to go in. They had the promise but they didn't know how to get there and they were completely vulnerable and helpless to the elements and to other nations. God wanted to make himself known to them.

I'm sure every one of them would have said, "I believe in God." Intellectually every one of them would have said that. But God wanted them to know something more than an intellectual understanding. He wanted them to actually experience his power and his presence with them. So what did God do? He put a cloud in the sky. It gave them shade from the desert sun, but it also was a guide; it was their compass.

When the cloud moved, it moved toward the promised land. They didn't have to know where to go; he knew where to go. He's a God who gives directions. At night, it was dark; wild animals would come into the camp and take away their flocks, even their children. Enemies may have been stalking them. But at night God turned that cloud into a pillar of fire that lit up the camp and frightened off the enemy and the wild animals.

God wanted to help those people to know that he was with them—that he was with them. This is the promise that he has for all his people and he desires more than ever to impact us with that wonderful truth: he is with us. But that wasn't enough; that didn't seem sufficient. So God took another step. The New Testament unfolds with a baby being born called Immanuel: God with us.

God with us. God is trying to help you to know that he is with you. And so the baby comes, Immanuel, God with us, to help us again to realize his love, his care, that he is with us. But even that wasn't enough. Think of Jesus Christ living on this earth approximately three years. He never left the land of Palestine. He met a lot of people but compared to the population of the world it was a relative few people that he actually met face to face.

So when he was ready to leave, he said these words: "I'm going to pray for you. I'm going to ask the Father to give you another counselor that he might be with you forever." Now notice what he says, that he might be with you how long? Forever. That you will never lack the presence of God in your life ever again. He will be with you forever.

The Holy Spirit came and every time we pray and ask Jesus to come into our heart and forgive us of our sins, at that moment our sins are forgiven and the Holy Spirit comes in to abide and live forever. Now think with me for just a moment. When you are quiet before the Lord, when you quiet yourself down and still the commotion, you're going to hear the Holy Spirit transmitting a signal to your spirit—from the Holy Spirit to your spirit.

It's going to come. You see, we live in a time that is so hectic and there's so much commotion, we're not aware of the indwelling power and presence of Jesus. We're not aware that that prayer that he prayed was answered not only for his disciples and the 120 in the upper room, but it is being answered for us today. There's a signal coming to your spirit from the Holy Spirit telling you, "I'm here. I'm here. I'm within you and I am with you."

God is trying to help us to know that he is a power of love, a power of grace, a power supernatural, in us and with us. And whenever the winds of adversity begin to blow, and they will blow, you can know at that moment—and if you'll listen, if you will listen, you'll get the signal: "I'm with you, I'm with you, I'm with you." The prayer of Jesus Christ has been answered.

Now notice the scripture. We were reading from John chapter 15 where Jesus says, verse 13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." His friends. In every way possible he is trying to help us to know that he wants to be our friend, that he wants to be by our side, that he is our constant companion. Notice verse 14: "You are my friends."

And he wants us to know that: that we're no longer servants, but friends. A companionship, a nearness. His presence, his power with us to help us and to encourage us along the way. The scripture says his name is Immanuel, the scripture says his name is Wonderful. There is so something greatly different about the religion that you and I are experiencing today.

It's not a religion of creeds to be quoted, it's not a religion of dry theology or something to be learned academically. It's not something; it's him. Our religion is a living, warm person abiding within our hearts. We treat Jesus, for the most part, like he's a distant relative and we're going to get up in the morning on Sunday and we're going to go see him. Don't we have that mentality today?

That we're going to go to Jesus' house and we're going to meet with Jesus today. And he's trying to tell us that he is with us always, even when we're at church, but even when we're not at church. He is with us to bless us, to be a wonderful Savior to us, to forgive us of our sins, and to help us in all that we do. So I'm going to heaven when I die and I'm so thankful for that.

That's a faith, that's a confidence, that's an assurance that I have in my heart—I'm going to heaven when I die. But I know in the meantime, there is a living devil. There are legions of sin and temptation and evil beings that's trying to discourage and hurt and afflict and put down and destroy your faith and destroy your confidence. I know that we do indeed fight a spiritual warfare and we will have to fight it until that time comes when we go to heaven.

But regardless, friends, you have Jesus. And this is the message that you must understand: he is with you all the time to hear and to answer your prayers, to take care of your every need whatever that need is. This journey of faith begins when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, and it is a journey of joy until we stand in his presence in that day.

The sermon series comes to an end but your walk with Jesus Christ goes on. Continue to believe, continue to have faith, continue to pray those prayers, continue to stand up with those testimonies, for you serve a great God who loves you greatly. He's a God that lives in your heart by the power of the spirit. He's a God who is a friend by your side by the power of the spirit. Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, you have so blessed and given to your people, and you continue to give and you want to give, and we have but to ask and to recognize that you're with us to hear us when we ask. Lord, bless your church I pray. I pray Father for those who do not know you as Lord and Savior. They've never had this religious spiritual experience.

They've had the experience of church and the experience of theology, the experience of creed, but they have never experienced the warm living abiding presence of Jesus. I pray Father in this moment that they will pray the prayer that will invite Jesus to come into their hearts and forgive them of their sins. You will do that; you will abundantly pardon.

I pray for Christians, Lord, who are not walking obediently. It could be, very well be, that their prayers are not being answered because they're not obeying and walking in the word, that their Christian life, their Christian testimony is not an up-to-date experience. They need to pray and ask for forgiveness and return to Christ with all their hearts. I pray they will do it this morning.

I pray for all of us, dear Father, that you will help us to know that you are with us, that even as we begin this Christmas season that you are with us through Immanuel, Jesus Christ, God with us, to bless, to hear our prayers, to minister to our every need all lifelong. We thank you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let the church say, amen.

Guest (Male): The greatest promise in prayer is that God himself is present with his people. Visit thehealingword.com to explore additional messages, free ebooks, and opportunities to connect with this ministry. If The Healing Word has encouraged your faith, we would be honored if you would support the outreach with a financial gift. Thank you for joining us for this series on the power of prayer. We look forward to sharing more biblical encouragement with you next time.