GraceWay D.C.

As the women rushed to the Garden Tomb, a heavy question hung between them, "Who shall roll us away the stone?"

The law had sealed the stone. The religious crowd had made sure no one could ever escape the wages of their sin.

Still, they hoped to see Jesus. It would give them some melancholy assurance just to see HIs body once again.

But as they approach, a light beyond the brightness of the noonday sun is shining atop the great stone. "He is not here." Their greatest fear seems to be a reality!

Then the angel continues, "He is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

Death had been destroyed. The Law had been fulfilled. Eternal life was open to all who would believe.

He is risen indeed!

Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord!

Today we rush to the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem. We join a throng gathering to herald the arrival of the great prophet and healer Jesus. "Here He comes!" shouts a young lad near us. The crowd is cheering and throwing their coats on the ground to make a pathway of honor. Others have stripped trees off their branches and begun waving them broadly. I do the same.

"Hosanna!" We chant louder and louder as He nears. "Glory to God in the highest!"

"That's too far," a religious leader calls sternly above the din. "Jesus, rebuke your followers!"

Jesus calls back, 'If they stop, the stones will immediately cry out!"

Why? Because THIS IS THE DAY. The day lambs were being brought into Jerusalem for Passover. The very day the prophets foretold. The day we make our choice. Will you receive or reject King Jesus?

God is calling us or as our text says, beseeching us. That word means to beg or pray. His call is urgent. What He is asking us to do will be best for us. We will find our field of service and fulfill the purpose for which we were created. If you are hearing your Creator's voice to repent and believe for salvation, I too beg you to heed it. If you will answer His call, you will find all things become new.

For more than 30 years, Bob and Becky Mach have been spreading the gospel in Ivory Coast. We are honored to introduce this veteran missionary to you. We pray your heart will be moved and your vision opened to what God has done and will do around the world.

We are all called. It is just a matter of to whom and where. Let God to speak HIs will into your heart this week For, God so loved the world, that He gave . . .

For eight weeks we have followed Moses as he experienced God's way of grace in a whole new light. We ended last week with Moses' request, "Show me Thy glory." And God says, "In My time, in My way, yes. I will." For 40 days and 40 nights Moses basks in the glory of God. He doesn't eat or drink. God was enough. If we ever catch a glimpse of God's glory, we will find He is enough. And we will be forever changed.

Welcome to GraceWay! Whether you are a regular attender, or this is your first time, my prayer is that you will know more about God before you leave. One thing is certain, He calls us to "draw nigh" and seek His face.

In our message today, Moses does just that. It looks as if the brand new nation of Israel is a complete failure before it even received its proper constitution-the Ten Commandments.

But, Moses would not give up. He stood in the gap for his people. Dare he beg a blessing from God?

Dare any of us?

Have you ever prayed for revival? I have. I have been a part of "revival meetings" and even seen God move greatly in the midst of a church service.

But, there is another, deeper work of revival that is illustrated in our text today. I have never seen it, but it has been witnessed in our nation several times, beginning with the Great Awakening in 1734. Is it possible God would revive us again?

In the last message of this series we spoke about the Law of Leadership. Moses had been on Mt. Sinai with God for 40 days. He returned to find his people worshipping a golden calf. He throws down the Ten Commandments and demands a confession and a consecration. As the sun sets, 3,000 people die.

Now, it's the next day. A new sort of leadership arises. It is that of Love.

Today I would like to introduce my friend Ret. Gen. John Teichert. The year we moved to DC to start GraceWay, I met John. Though from different walks of life, we were instantly unified on our desire to see God revive our beloved country.

John is preaching a message entitled, "It's Not About You (Or Me)." Today, we come face to face with what God has called us to do. While God loves us, it's not about us! The truth that God has called to occupy comes with specific instructions. Don't miss them!

His mercies are new every morning. Great is the faithfulness of our God! Thank you for being here to worship Him with us today.

Our church is named "GraceWay" for a reason. As we have studied the story surrounding our theme verse in Exodus 33:13, we have seen the Dilemma of Delay and the Partnership of Prayer.

Today, we come face to face with the Law of Leadership. Sound familiar? Well...it's not exactly a sermon on how to enhance your career. It has a much more eternal focus.