SPEAK LIFE - LESSON 4: "READY, SET...FALL ON YOUR FACE!"

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed. Matthew 26:39a

In prayer and pleading, the only practical position is prostrate before the Pillar

(Image courtesy Pinterest)

of Righteousness, the Protector of Humanity and Provider of everything- Abba Father in Heaven. The perfect example of the supreme illustration of submission and obedience to God was God Himself - in the form of the Son, Jesus! Before we got to the point of Matthew 26:39a where the pre-crucified Savior fell on His Magnificent Face, He was already in deep agony. The discourse in the Garden of Gethsemane was full of the pain and burden of what was about to transpire.

Coming off the High Priest of Heaven's Amazingly Unique prayer in John 17, where the Messiah prayed for both His current disciples and those to follow until the end of time, we see a different type of agonizing prayer. The weight of all sin for all time on the shoulders of the God-man had started to take a toll - one which He could bear, yet one which caused Him no end of suffering. The magnitude of that same sin was incredible and as accomplished and trained as His disciples were, we see here in Matthew 26:39 that He went "a little beyond them". This little phrase means a lot. In the original text it reads "proerchomai" or "gone before, advanced, gone ahead of, preceded" and not just in the physical sense that He physically went ahead of the disciples after the Passover dinner (Seder) in the Upper Room, but now as the Ultimate Sacrifice - the Messiah was going ahead of us to take the punishment for us which we deserved.

In a metaphorical sense, the weight of this threw Him to His Face before Holy God - to pray! We can learn from this, as WE go ahead of our families, loved ones and others and intercede. Intercessors and "prayer warriors" are not just few and far between but are only encouraged by church leadership when something has gone wrong, when "so-and-so" is having surgery or "this, that or the other is about to happen for Missy's daughter and she needs prayer" or "Frank's son is about to be deployed for the 6th time by the Army with hardly any time to spend with his now-estranged wife" etc....etc....

FALL ON YOUR FACE
Regardless, we press on. We take the initiative like Jesus. We take the burden of their prayer requests and "pray without ceasing". Who cares if our churches refuse to have prayer services - even once a quarter...once a year - you and go ahead of them and fall flat physically or in essence before the Holiness and Majesty of God. Truthfully, we have no business being in His Presence. The word in this verse "fell" (pipto in Greek) literally means fall under condemnation. When we pray submitted, assuming the proverbial positional prayer as Jesus did here, we acknowledge our sin before Him and accept His Grace before moving on to intercede in prayer. 

Then, the next word "face" has another literal meaning of its own. Again we go to the original textus receptus and see that the Holy Spirit used the original (and pregnant with meaning) "prosópon". Sure, Jesus fell on His literal Face and we should to when we pray, but it also means you and I "fall in the Presence of God" when used in Revelation 22:4  - that SAME word! When approaching God in the manner described above, we are immediately ushered into His Presence so our prayers and supplications can be heard and ministered to!

Basically, it comes down to this - if we wish to have our prayers answered and in real short order, we come to the same realization which George Muller did about the Will and Purposes of God. Muller knew and said that 90% of knowing God's Will, in any circumstance, is to have NO will of our own. This is the essence of falling prostrate and flat on our faces before Him. The great men of the Faith knew this.

D.L. Moody said "The world has yet to see what God can do with one man wholly dedicated to Him. By the grace of God, I will be that man." (James McConkey, The Surrendered Life, (Pittsburgh, PA: Silver Publishing, 1923)
Andrew Murray said "Trust in Jesus....He will guide you; He will teach you; He will work in you; He will keep you; He will be everything to you. What a blessed rest and freedom from responsibility and from care, because it is all in the hands of Jesus! (Andrew Murray, The Master’s Indwelling (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming Revell, 1896).
F.B. Meyer said "As soon as we come to the point of giving ourselves to God, we are almost certain to become aware of the presence of one thing, if not of more, out of harmony with His will; and while we feel able to surrender ourselves in all other points, here we exercise reserve. Every room and cupboard in the house, with the exception of this, is thrown open to the new occupant". (F B Meyer, Secret of Guidance, (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1896).

There it is, All of the above quotes are amazing and true, but F.B. Meyer hit on what happens when we are fully surrendered to God in prayer. Falling flat on our face is more than just this, but it is being in His Presence knowing and/or being aware of the full potential of ALL the resources of Heaven being open and available to us. The thing is - our Heavenly Father DOES want to make all of this available to us, all it takes is a surrendered heart. 

Therefore, "ready, set...fall on your face" (and mine) because we must be about our Father's business, to the Glory of His Name, and the blessings/benefit of others. Amen.  

AMERICA UNDER JUDGMENT - HOW THE CHURCH BLEW IT

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)
America's "famous pastors" are well known for their glitz and glamor as well as their megachurches and multi-media. They are celebrities at conventions and conferences. Their TV shows are watched by millions and they're invited on secular news programs to speak about this or that controversial topic from time to time.  They tweet. Their followers sometimes troll blogs and websites to post comments defending them, sometimes with vitriol, if they find their favorite celebrity preacher mentioned in an unfavorable light. I know personally about this. One time an Andy Stanley fanatic found this relatively small little blog and reacted to me mentioning his hero, in a comment about a group of ministers who make teaching videos.

One thing you will not see America's pastors talking about this past year is the issue of so-called gay "marriage". Even when the Supreme Court through the dictates of one man, redefined God's Word - an unpardonable sin - America's super-pastors kept silent. They are still speaking loudly by their silence. On the local level, it is a mixed bag. Still, there IS a remnant out there. 

Not a word from the National Association of Evangelicals and others who used to pontificate on fake phenomenon like global warming.

Not a word about the coming global warming - HELL - from the "amen" corner, because they are afraid to offend their million-dollar personal fiefdoms in Houston, Southern California or Seattle or Atlanta or Orlando or New York City or Michigan or Barrington, Illinois etc etc... 

Not a word about the coming Judgment on America by Holy God which they refused  to warn of because they would offend the seekers by "being too judgmental".
Not a word about sin - personal, corporate and national, while national leaders sin with impunity and the corrupt culture are leading our young people into hell.

Narry a word of outrage over the continued loss of Religious Liberty, still constitutionally protected, as more and more secularists are manipulating the words "Religious Liberty" into "freedom of worship",

What is the reason for allowing the world to so turn the minds of the so-called "under-shepherds" of Christ? Is it the loss of 501 C 3 tax free status of the church, in case they proclaim Truth from the pulpit like to power, like Jeremiah or Ezekiel? We know they are afraid of losing rich tithers and some of the younger church leaders want to appear cool.  But don't they know the following is still operational - "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.(James 3:1)

They will be judged more intensely than those whom they allowed to sit in the pews, Sunday after Sunday. 
By being in charge of programs to finance parking lots and new carpets or chandeliers, rather than ensure their flock was being discipled, these church leaders will suffer loss.
By going for atmospherics and contrived feel-goodism, they will suffer loss.
By allowing the generation who grew up on YouTube and Darwinism to not relate the Bible accounts of the Creator to even the youngest person's life, they will suffer loss.
By staying silent while 60% of their youth engaged in sexual activity and the rate of divorce is as same as the secular world, they will suffer loss.
By staying silent while national and even church leaders compromised to get along and curry favor with those in power, they will suffer loss.
By staying silent while saints overseas were persecuted
By staying silent when military Christian chaplains are told not to pray in Jesus' Name
By staying silent while activists with demonic agendas blasphemed God and Jesus Christ
By staying silent when lost people redefine and rewrite God's Word, thereby violating every command of Scripture, there will be some very serious accounting to face.

Where are the men like AW Tozer, who warned of this same evil compromise over 60 years ago?
Where are the men like David Wilkerson, who prophesied about the coming day of degradation and filth we see today?
Where are these men? There're already speaking - Paul Washer; Dr. John MacArthur; Dr. Voddie Baucham; Dr. Erwin Lutzer....and a few others. These are not the popular and will not be hip to those in the Macchiatto and Starbucks church crowd. 

Today, as fires rage across the deep west...today as extreme heat pounds pagan California....today as extreme weather hits almost every region of these once great United States except the Bible Belt, there is still no biblical discernment from the official church. It is obvious to those of us who pray and can read the sign of the times, by knowing the End Times prophesies, that this is the beginning of Divine Judgment.

The reaction to all of this is not to create another sinful affront to God, like "global warming or climate change" but to repent, fall on our collective knees and beg forgiveness from Holy God. Do you think this country is up to that? If past is prologue - no. Many will be surprised on That Day, when the Lord declares "Depart from Me, I never knew you!" - to America's so-called Christians and church leaders.

Don't take my word for it - read the Bible and believe, or disbelieve at your own peril. If thou wishest to avoid that day, repent....repent....repent and put your entire life in Jesus Christ as Lord of your Life - now....and  thenl, keep praying!