The Secret Place - Part 4 - Hope Community Church

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The Secret Place - Part 4

October 22, 2023 • Elias Ozuna

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Main point today is this: The reason the closet time (secret place) is so important is because in order to have this alone time with the Lord you must subdue your carnal sinful nature.

Know this:

Know this. Your carnal nature does not want anything to do with God’s Righteousness and Glory in your life.

Whenever I say your carnal nature it means your sinful nature that you were born with because Adam and Eve disobeyed God and sinned.

Know this. You must be aware of your carnal nature and work to subdue it by the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

In order to subdue it you must know it exists: Paul and the battle of two natures

Paul and the battle of two natures:

Romans 7: 18-25. Paul makes us aware of these two forces battling in us. The Spirit of God in us (the mind of Christ) and the carnal flesh that serves sin.

Once we aware of this battle in us then we must know what to do to subdue the carnal sinful nature

We must walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1)

Scriptures about your carnal nature:

Romans 8:5-9: V7. The carnal mind is an enemy of God. When we are saved the Spirit of God dwells in us and our carnal mind no longer enslaves us.

The bible is clear that our carnal nature is an enemy of God.

Isaiah 64:6-8. Our righteousness (or good deeds) without God is still unholy, filthy, not enough to be right standing before God.

-The bible is clear that with God’s righteousness in us we can never be good enough for His Kingdom.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

So doing ‘good’ outside of God's leading is just “self” trying to earn its way into heaven.

The bible is clear that Jesus is the only way to be saved.

We cannot work our way into heaven. It is faith in Jesus.

Then once transformed our actions begin to line up with Gods word.

And people will know you are saved by your fruit, your love, your humility.

Summary:

The reason the closet time (secret place) is so important is because in order to have this alone time with the Lord you must subdue your carnal sinful nature.

Walk after the Spirit not after the flesh.

If we have fallen in love with Jesus and want to be empowered by His Spirit to take ground for His Kingdom, we must know how to subdue our carnal nature.

Jesus is worthy of it all

It’s time for Christians to rise up and say ‘yes’ to Jesus. Take all of my life

I choose to hold nothing for myself. Take my life and do what you will

Empower me to overcome my sinful carnal nature that I may be a sweet sound to your ear.

The Secret Place - Part 8

November 19, 2023 • Elias Ozuna

Main Point: It is time to advance, first by knowing Jesus in the secret place then by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to impact others for God’s Kingdom We are destined to conquer and advance: Romans 8:37. We are more than conquerors through Jesus. When Jesus is Lord, first place in our lives, and we know him personally, then we can be assured that we are more than conquerors. It is a fact that if Jesus is with us, we are going to conquer whatever comes our way. It is truth. It is God’s word. Psalm 18:29-35. God shields all who take refuge in him. With God close to us we can advance. Who are those who have a refuge in God? Psalm 91:1-2. Those that dwell in the secret place of the Most High God. And for us today, and during this series we have defined the secret place as that place where you and God are alone in fellowship. A place where you experience God because you decided to seek him with passion when nobody was watching. How is the Kingdom of God advanced. Quote from: Ezrachimts. The Kingdom of God is found in the person of Jesus Christ, drawing near to His people so that the Kingdom may be advanced through His people. So, the Kingdom is advanced in us before it can be advanced through us. First the Kingdom of God is advanced in you, by knowing God personally in the secret place. Then the Kingdom of God is advanced through you. By the power of the Holy Spirit working through anointed saints that know Jesus. Pastor’s Thoughts: When God’s people turn from the carnal sinful ways and begin to get close to Jesus, in the secret place, then the Kingdom of God begins to advance into a move of God in the land. (2 Chronicles 7:14.) That is what we are beginning to experience in the Spirit. More and more people are genuinely encountering Jesus, in the secret place (a place where you and God are alone), and the result will be a move of God beginning locally then spreading out. The best is yet to come. Quote: Ezrachimts Jesus Christ in us, the King of Glory, desires to set His throne, His Lordship within our lives as we walk in faith, obedience, and perfect submission to His will for our lives. Everything flows forth from intimacy and relationship with our Lord………and so does the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom comes alive within a person when there is a desire to KNOW their King. We don’t know how much more time we have here on earth, but we can all know this, as long as we have breath, we choose to advance the Kingdom of God, first be knowing God intimately, then by sharing the good news with power that comes from the Holy Spirit. John 5:19-21. 19 "Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father love the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel." Jesus Christ only did what He saw the Father showing and doing. He saw what the Father was doing when He spent extended times of intimacy and fellowship with the Father in the Secret Place. Conclusion: It is time to advance, first by knowing Jesus in the secret place then by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you to impact others for God’s Kingdom What this world needs is God’s people, those who call Jesus Lord, to be passionate about knowing God and impacting others. Training for Kingdom Purpose: Do not let your carnal failures convince you that you cannot be close to God in the secret place Fight for it. Get back on track as soon as possible. Work out your own plan of action in the secret place. Train your heart and mind to defeat your carnal sinful nature by the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Romans 12:1-2. V1. Surrendering all to God is what we were created today (reasonable service). V2. In the secret place with God your mind will be renewed because you know God and hear his voice We will not find clarity in our walk with God until we surrender our carnal unto God.

The Secret Place - Part 7

November 12, 2023 • Elias Ozuna

Main point: The secret place with Jesus will result in a passion to be in God’s will. Foundation Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-8. Paul was content; He answered the call God had for his life. He finished the race of life strong because He knew God in the secret place. Let’s look at Paul’s life for a second: Saul believed that Christians were an enemy to God. Until He ran into Jesus on the road to Damascus. When Jesus confronted Paul about his persecution of the church, Saul had a decision to make: Either He was going to fight against God himself or He was going to fight for God himself. Wisely Saul chose to fight for God. Saul’s name changed to Paul and Paul will get is just reward for surrendering His life for King Jesus. Because Paul knew God personally, He was passionate about spreading the good news of the Gospel even when he was persecuted. Paul’s passion only grew stronger through persecution. *Ask yourself this question: Do I have a passion to answer God’s call for my life? *Or do I hope just to get by, get into heaven and hopefully don’t have to do too much. What does a life with a secret place (Alone time with God) look like? It looks like passion and determination to be doing the will of God in your life. Having a secret place will produce passion to be in God’s will. That’s what it looks like. A passion to be obedient to Christ even when it is uncomfortable (Paul is a good example of this. Jesus is the ultimate example of this.) Pastor’s Thoughts: This series about the secret place was not planned but each week I have not been able to let this go in my prayer time. I feel as if God is using this series at this moment so that the church can hear loud and clear: “God is pursuing us and He desires to be close to us.” The secret place where you and God are alone and no one else is watching is where you and God get close, like friends. Think about that for a second. The creator of all things, wants to be close to you and me, like a friend. Yes, Yes, Yes. The Urgency of the moment: It’s time to fight to be close to God And those who are obedient and establish the secret place in their lives will look and be different than everyone else around them because they will walk around with an anointing and with power. You won’t need to have an important title, you just need to be close to Jesus and your very words and actions will shake up the ground for God’s Kingdom. People that know God in the secret place: Daniel 11:32. The people that know God shall be strong and due great exploits. Training for Kingdom Purpose: Do not let your carnal failures convince you that you cannot be close to God in the secret place Fight for it. Get back on track as soon as possible. Work out your own plan of action in the secret place. Train your heart and mind to defeat your carnal sinful nature by the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Romans 12:1-2. V1. Surrendering all to God is what we were created today (reasonable service). V2. In the secret place with God your mind will be renewed because you know God and hear his voice We will not find clarity in our walk with God until we surrender our carnal unto God.

The Secret Place - Part 6

November 5, 2023 • Elias Ozuna

Main point: The secret place with Jesus ensures we have a personal relationship with God that will make our Christian Journey full of joy, peace and purpose. Foundation Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12. The religious leaders checked off the boxes of religion but they did not know God. They knew of God. The religious leaders were teaching the works of sacrifice but not love and mercy of God. If the religious leaders had a secret place with God (God and them alone), they would have served and loved people not demand that they follow their rules They were to busy checking the boxes of religion they did not have time to know God in the secret place Pastor’s Thoughts: Do not get to busy with life or even doing things that seem good so others can see how good you are. Besides salvation in Jesus Christ, there is nothing more important in your Christian journey than to know God personally in the secret place. God desires that your heart is passionate about knowing him God is looking for hearts that know Him: 2 Chronicles 16:9. Show himself strong. This means that God will show up in your life: (His glory, miracles, answered prayer etc…) For those whose heart are perfect Perfect means a heart that desires more of God and is willing to be transformed by God). Perfect does not mean sinless. A perfect heart is not a perfect person it is a person willing to be perfected through transformation. For those whose hearts are willing to be perfected, they will have wars (or struggles in life with no power, no hope) Lamentations 3:25. The Lord is good to men that wait for him (patience). To men that seek Him (intentional seeking from the heart-the secret place). Pastor’s Thoughts: Sadducees and Pharisees were checking the boxes of religion but they did not know God. Jesus himself said not everyone that says Lord, Lord will enter into the Kingdom of God. How do you ensure you are not just checking the boxes of religion and that what you have in your relationship with God is real, empowered, life transforming? The secret place. When you have ‘the secret place’ in your life you will not be like the religious leaders: checking the box of religion. You will know God and God will show himself strong through you. The secret place with Jesus ensures we have a personal relationship with God that will make our Christian Journey full of joy, peace and purpose.