Let's take our Bibles if you will this evening and this morning pardon me and let's go to the book of Psalms Psalm Psalm 66 if you were with me, it's good to be back. Oh, I'm here for today and We head out tomorrow and I didn't plan actually this time Anna came back of course for youth camp and Peggy accompanied her and Anyway, I wasn't planning on coming back, but I figured I need to take every opportunity that's Presented me to see my mom and dad Dad's 96 will be 97 in a couple of months and so we went ahead and planned to come back I flew in on Monday spent the week with the family praise the Lord and with you all Thursday night and I We stayed was actually planning to leave Thursday and head up to mom and dad's I mean Friday and head up to mom and dad's but Anna had the opportunity to go on the scavenger hunt last night, and we didn't want her to miss that either so we stayed around for that and had the opportunity to catch up again with the family last night and so we'll head up Lord willing Monday and then head out from I My mom and dad's house up north of Columbus on Monday on Wednesday and Be back wood willing in Mexico on Sunday, so pray for our travels Psalm 66 if you were with me We'll be back the Lord willing and the plan is to be back in September of course for Abigail's wedding and Then for our missions conference here at church, so we'll be back in September Maybe we can catch up more in September spend a few weeks here with you all in September So just a quick trip Right now, I'll probably say a little bit tonight, won't say much this morning. Tonight, a little bit, maybe I can share a few things with you about the work of the ministry in Mexico and what God's doing on the horizon and all that kind of good stuff. But this morning, let's just look at the word of God and see what God has for us this morning. It's amazing how long I've been at Kazaddale. I never dreamed I'd live that long. All right. I was telling someone, I don't even remember who I was talking with this morning. And there's an older missionary that comes into Mexico. He delivers Bibles and we're a warehouse for Bibles and scripture. And he said to me last, oh, about what's been about a year or so ago, the time that I was coming in, I came home to move my parents up to Michigan. And then just a couple of months later, I came home to move them back from Michigan. And he always asks about my dad and how they're doing. And so I was missing a couple weeks there. And so he's like, what's up? And told him, well, I'm going to move my parents. And then I was missing again. I told him, well, I went back to move my parents back. And he says to me, he says, boy, Brother Harris, he says, you're going to outlive your dad. And I thought, well, I'm hoping I can. He goes, no, no, I mean, you're going to live longer than your dad. I said, well, I don't know about that, but I do hope I can outlive my dad. But I got to keep, you know, I got to keep working at this because that just keeps going, you know, so praise the Lord. Psalm 66. I want to read two verses with you that are very familiar, no doubt with you, but verse 18 and verse 19 the Bible says if I regard iniquity in my heart Psalm 66 18 if I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me but verily God hath heard me he hath attended to the voice of my prayer we're going to spend a little bit of time in prayer we have a We have begun in Mexico an opportunity to pray. I'm going to invite any of the men that would like to come to the altar to come and pray for our service this morning and just ask God to work in our hearts. Ladies, you can stay in your seats if you would please. Please pray as well that God would touch your heart, that God would speak to the hearts of everyone around you. So men, if you would come, those who are able to, those who would like to, I believe that God hears a church that prays. And I'm just inviting the men to come and pray. Men that are staying in your seat, you're welcome to stay in your seat. Ladies, if we could just pray and ask God for just a few minutes to bless this service, that God would have his perfect and free will in our services this morning. And we'll thank God for it. And then I'll close here in just a few minutes. to be in your house this morning. And Lord, we came to meet with God. We came that we would hear from God. And Lord, I pray that our hearts would be open to receive, our ears open to hear what the Holy Spirit of God says to us this morning. Thank you for this church, Lord. Thank you for your hand upon it for many years. And Lord, I ask that your hand would be upon it again this morning. Lord, we pray if there's anyone here this morning that is not 100% sure, as the Bible says, we can be of our eternal home in heaven, of our salvation. Lord, through the Holy Spirit of God and his conviction this morning that that one soul would this morning repent and trust Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Lord, for anyone that is here and knows that they're a child of God, but Lord, is fighting with the Lord over some issues in life and sin. Lord, I pray that today might be the day that they would surrender all and just trust the Lord and walk with God. Thank you, Lord, for your son, for dying on the cross of Calvary, for our sins, for my sins, and Lord, for my salvation. Bless this service. May your name be honored and glorified. In Jesus' name we ask, amen. Thank you, man. I appreciate you coming and praying for the services, praying for me. that God might have his perfect will. Again, Psalm 66 and verse number 18, the Bible says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Verse 19, but verily God hath heard me, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. I want to preach this morning a simple message and a very pertinent fact. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. It is impossible for a Christian to live like he wants to live in sin and have a prayer life. As far as Bible is concerned, prayer is asking and receiving. And it's impossible for any Christian to say, well, I live in this sin, in their heart saying, I live with this sin, I know it, but God still hears my prayer. Your prayers are worthless. Because the Bible says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not Hear me and I want to preach this morning and I have five points and these are by by no means all inclusive Or exhaustive in in it, but just five simple points that the lord gave me to share with you this morning um prayer that sin Negates there are some well every prayer, but I want to give you five specific prayers that if I regard iniquity in my heart god will not hear me otherwise if i can say prayers or your prayers my prayers that we may have on our lips that if we hide iniquity in our heart god never heard that prayer because my bible says if i regard iniquity in my heart the lord will not hear me god's not a liar and you say well i know so and so and he prayed and he lives in sin and this happened Well, my Bible says, let God be true and every man a liar. And I'm going to believe God. And, you know, there are too many times that we would claim answered prayer when it rains on the righteous and the unrighteous alike. And I'm looking for the hand of God that they may know that this is thy hand that thou, Lord, hast done at Psalm 109. First of all, if I can share with you a prayer that God will not hear because the Bible says if I hide iniquity or if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me, is the prayer for salvation. The Bible says that in order for a person to be saved, in order for a person to call upon the name of the Lord and be saved, the Bible says that there must be, first of all, a repentance of my sin. The Bible says in Acts chapter 20 and verse number 21, Paul is giving a review and let me turn there and read that for you, Acts chapter 20 verse number 21. Paul says in his review, he says how he's been testifying and witnessing and preaching in verse 20, he says, how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but I've showed you and I've taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews also to the Greeks and he says this repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ then I want to read to you in Mark chapter number 1 and verse number 15 the Bible talks about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and And the Bible says after John was put into prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom and saying, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of the God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. A few verses up in John, in Mark chapter one, verse number four. In verse three, it talks about John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Verse four, John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sin. I'm not going to get in there and try to explain to you that the word for means for. And when the Bible says that he preached the baptism of repentance, and the word for there means in order to have the remission of sins. And I just want you to know that baptism doesn't always, the word baptism, if you could understand it, means to be submerged. Alright, and there's all kinds of ways of being submerged and every time the word baptism is used in the Bible Like the word salvation doesn't always mean when the Bible uses the word salvation. I remember his brother Pruitt I think it was preached years ago. He preached the five ways of being saved in the Bible and He preached it from this pulpit. And he brought up the fact that the salvation in the Bible doesn't always talk about our soul's salvation. And Peter talks about our testimony salvation. The Bible talks about how we can be saved from the wrath to come. Different ways. And baptism means submerged. And the word here, it simply says John preached the submersion of repentance in order to be saved. You can't have salvation without having repentance. Then if you continue on in the book of Mark and in chapter number six it was I believe I saw this morning in Mark chapter 6 Let me read it in verse number 12. Not only did John the Baptist preach and he was sent from God the subject of repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus came and preached repentance and then and in mark chapter number six the bible says that god sent the twelve out he called them and he sent them out two by two and they went out the bible says and preached that men should repent and you can go into the book of acts as we found in the apostle paul that he preached repentance towards god and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ and you can find in the life of Peter and you can find in the life of the other apostles they preach this thing called repentance and there's the requirement of repentance toward salvation. Why? Because if I regard iniquity in my heart God the Lord will not hear me. There's an innumerable amount of people Baptist churches, and I'm not talking about all the other religions, but there's an innumerable amount of people in Baptist churches that have a false reality of their salvation, thinking that they're saved and they're lost and they're dying and they're on their way to hell because they remain regarding iniquity in their heart. And I can give you promise by the Word of God, on authority of God's Word, God never hurt them. And they're going to be surprised one day in eternity as they split hell wide open. They thought, well, I believed in Jesus Christ. I believed in God almighty. And the Bible says in James that the devil believes in God and trembles. And they'll say, well, what happened? It's because you regarded iniquity in your heart and God never heard you. Sin in your life negates the fact that God hears any prayer for salvation. There's sin in the camp. There's sin in the life. And if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. There's the requirement of repentance. And then if I can share with you real quickly, what is repentance and what is the the reality of repentance and say what is repentance well repentance is a recognition of my deeds the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God there's a reality of this recognition that my works all my works of righteousness are worthless in the sight of God there's nothing I can do to be saved and there's a lot of people thinking that you know it's okay it's all right no it's not And then there's a recognition of my destitution. The Bible says, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In Spanish, the word is destituidos, and it means destitution. I can't measure up to the mark that God has set. I'm destitute of the grace of God without His grace. I'm destitute of heaven without the mercy of God. So it's a recognition of my deeds. It's a recognition of my destitution that it doesn't matter what I do, how I do it, how long I do it, I'll never get there on my own. repentance is a recognition of my deeds, it's a recognition of my destitution, and it's a recognition of my destination. The Bible says that because I have sinned and come short of the glory of God, the Bible says that in Revelation chapter 21 and on, the Bible says that there's the reality of the fact that those that were not I found written in the Lamb's Book of Life were cast into the lake of fire, which burneth forever and ever. The end destination for any child, any person born on this world that doesn't repent of their sin and trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, the destination is always hell. And that may not be popular, and that may not be politically correct, but it's Bible. Then there's a recognition not only of my deeds and of my destitution and of my destination, but there's a recognition, repentance is a recognition of my disability. No matter how hard I try, I'll never get there on my own. So the Bible says if I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me. And I want to make it plain to you this morning. I don't care how religious you are. I don't care how faithful you are to God's church. I don't care how many times you've been baptized. I don't care what your name is. Uh, I was, I was, um, in a conference years ago up in Columbus and, uh, with central Baptist church, pastor Tim Lapish. A bit of lapers came to me, and he says, evangelist, so-and-so's car is broken. Do you have your tools? I said, no. Would you take a look at it? I said, well, I'll take a look at it, but I don't have any tools. So I went out and took a look at it. It was sleeting, freezing. I said, well, this is the problem with it. How hard is that to fix? I said, it's not hard to fix if you had tools. He says, what if we borrow tools? Could you fix it? I hate borrowed tools. I said, sure, I'll fix it. I said, but I don't have any clothes. All I had was my suit. He said, well, why don't we borrow you some clothes? So I borrowed clothes, and I was in the parking lot when everybody else was in the warm church hearing the preaching. And I was out there and pulled the car up on the curb so I'd get enough height underneath it to get under it, and borrowed tools. And I'd lay my tools down. They'd form ice on them. And I had to knock the tool on the parking curb to knock the ice off before it fit the nut. And that car had never seen an oil change. It had never seen anybody throw anything at it in ice. And by the time I was done fixing the car, I was a little bit upset. And I went in, I told the evangelist, and I told Pastor Lapish what I thought about him not taking care of his car. And then he says, well, it's not my car, it's the church's car, the church gives it to me. And I said, even more so you ought to take care of the car. And then somebody said to me afterwards, don't you realize who he is? And I said, yeah, he's a guy that's too much of an idiot to take care of his own car. He's a world-renowned and all in this circle, evangelist, and he's still around. I can tell you a name, and he didn't know who it was. I said, well, I don't think you ought to talk to him that way. I said, I don't think you ought to take care of his car like he does. And I say that. I didn't give you that illustration to say this. You say, well, you know, but do you know who you're talking to? Yeah. A religious person dying and on their way to hell is going to be surprised when they get there because they regarded iniquity in their heart and God did not hear them. I've had several, you know, I'll be out door knocking or I'll be witnessing the people and, you know, over time especially and we have a gentleman across the street named Juan. Juan's a drunk, been a drunk all his life. His mom was a Baptist. He's a nice enough guy, and he's even nicer when he's drunk. He'd do anything for me. But one will say to me, I don't want to get saved, because if I get saved, I have to give up drinking, don't I? And people say, well, no, just get saved. No, the Bible says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. What a shame that somebody would die and go to hell because they want to be a drunk. But I don't know what your problem is, I don't know what your iniquity is, I don't know what your sin is, but there's a lot of people that know that if I get saved, then I've got to give this up. And so they're ready to pray the 1, 2, 3, repeat after me, 4, 5, 6, I hope it sticks, prayer of salvation, but I'm telling you biblically it doesn't work that way. Because when the Holy Spirit of God is pointing to one particular sin in your life and saying, you're wrong in this area, this is the sin that proves above all other proof that you're a sinner in need of a Savior, and you're not willing to admit that sin, and you're not willing to say, that's a sin, that's wrong, I'm destitute, I'm deserving of a devil's hell, and I'll repent of any other sin, but that one right there, I just can't do that. May I tell you upon the authority of God's word. If I regard iniquity, my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And you cannot claim to be a born again, child of God, having well known that there's a sin in your life, but you will not for the sake of eternity. Repent of the Bible says, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Biblical salvation is when a person comes to this point in life that I don't care any more about anything else I'm willing to give it all to God But I want to be saved If I have to give up this, if I have to give up that, you may have something in your life that you think is a sin and it's really not a sin, but you're just not going to give it up. Because if it is a sin, you're not willing to give it up. And if that means it's going to, I have to give that up to be saved. And I know when you get to the place that you're willing to give whatever it is up. That's true repentance. And I just have to say, do not go to hell. from a church pure, because I had the old Baptist temple, because you have regarded iniquity in your heart. And you can put on a form and you can put on a function and you can appear to every man to just be right. And you've been here forever, but you know in your heart that there's this one sin that I just cannot get rid of. I just cannot turn it over to God. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. And don't let that false profession and that false assurance of time and having been a member and been in and around church and been a family and all of that stuff surprise you one day. And God says there's a basic point here. And that is that you never repented of this sin. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. And I'm talking about the prayer for salvation. I believe it's a scary fact if we could look down on the pews this morning from God's perspective and see those who are regarding iniquity in their heart when it comes to salvation and have fooled themselves and fooled everyone to say, well, I'm okay. But God says, I never heard you. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity. It's not a thing to be toyed with. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. We use that most of the time when we're talking to Christians, but listen, you cannot become a Christian ignoring that fact. And then number two, if I can continue on, Turn with me, if you will, to Hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 25. This is another passage of scripture that because of the popularity of misconception and misinterpretation, most will misinterpret, but it's very simple when you take line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little, there a little, to come to the knowledge of the understanding. But the Bible says in verse number Hebrews chapter 10 and verse number 25 I'm going to use this verse for the sake of illustration Bible says not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching now very basically let me say this it is a sin to miss church when you couldn't when you could make it that's what that verse says But look at verse 26 using that sin of missing church. When I could be there, the Bible says for if we sin, what willfully. now this is the catcher if we send willfully it goes on and says after that we have received the knowledge of the truth that talks about our salvation there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment firing the nation which shall devour the adversary that's not talking about losing your salvation and that's not the point of the message this morning so I'm not going to try to help you understand it but just make it sure that God doesn't say one thing one place and turn around and say something in another place and the Bible says that we have eternal life umpteen times and so we have eternal life. And so evidently this verse doesn't talk about losing our eternal life but it does say if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. Why? Because if I regard iniquity my heart God will not hear me. And to miss church, for example, of the verse of 25 is a willful sin. When I can be there and I choose not to because I'm lazy, or I choose not to because of this, or I choose not to because somebody made me mad. You know, they didn't save you, God saved you. Why are you letting somebody make you mad stay away from church? The only reason you ought to stay away from church, I guess, is if God made you mad. You ought to come to church and let God make you mad. Because then you can get glad. But if I sin willfully, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary. Now, to make it simple, I'm not God's adversary. And fiery indignation and judgment is not going to devour me, because I'm not God's adversary. I'm God's Son. And it has nothing to do, it's an application, it's illustration. But listen, the point is this, it's very simple fact that if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me when I'm talking about the prayer of sanctification. The Bible tells us in first Thessalonians chapter four, that this is the will of God, chapter four, verse three, for this is the will of God, even your sanctification, the word sanctification. means to be set apart. In other words, sanctification means not only to be set apart from something, for example, the wrath of God, but set apart to something, the mercies of God. Set apart from something, the world and the lust of the flesh and all that therein is, and set apart to something, which is the love of God. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, and that every one of you should know how to possess His vessel in sanctification and in honor. Listen, there's many who will say, you know, God, I would really like to be sanctified. I would really like to know the mercies of God in my life. Lord, I would like to know the grace of God in my life. And you can pray till you're blue in the face and you pass out and God never heard you. Why? Because if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. And just like the prayer for salvation, there's many who will pray for sanctification and say, God, in this area, I'd like to be sanctified. I'd like to be set apart. I'd like to know the mercies of God. You can forget about it. Because God's worried about this area over here. If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of truth, I don't need to worry about praying for this sanctification in this area of my life. Because over here in this area of my life, which I know, is wrong. I'm not willing to repent. Number three, not only the prayer for salvation, the prayer for sanctification. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 9, and I'm going to read you my last verse, and then a few more verses. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse number 16 is my last verse. The Bible says, talking about the Apostle Paul, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me. Yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. And he says, Verse 17, if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward. But if against my will, dispensation, and that word means administration of the gospel, is committed unto me. And then I want to jump ahead into verse number 27. Look at this. Paul says, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be cast away. There's the reality of the fact here that my prayer for service, How many of us have prayed, God, use me? But you know, the reality of it is the prayer ought to be, God, make me usable. I guarantee you, if you're made usable, God will use you. And we want to say, God used me in this, and God used me in that, and God used me in this, and God used me in that. I was preaching back in 1987, 1988. Church ordained and commissioned me in 86. It was probably 87. I was somewhere in Massachusetts. And I was in a church that ran about 1,500 people on a Sunday night. And I was preaching, and it was big. I don't know how I got there. It was just all a mistake, I'm sure. And I got there, and I was preaching. And the pastor was kind. And I was preaching. I was, what, in 1987? I would have been all of 22 years old. And I was preaching. And God blessed in the service. And I preached, I believe, on holding the ropes. For missionaries Paul was let down the basket, etc. And I preached on that and then God blessed Good invitation and all that as far as you know, you can outwardly say I want everybody go by and be a blessing this young man and And I was sitting down there, and I was shaking all those hands. And there was several people kind of hanging out over here. And that usually means they want to talk to you a little longer, thankfully, and not just take up the line. And so after everybody had gone by, these people came over. And the last person to come over was a man about 30-something. And he says to me, wow. He says, that's amazing. And I said, OK. And he says, I said, what's amazing? He says, well, man, you're 22 years old, and you're preaching to 1,500 people. And he says, I want to do that. I said, you want to do what? He said, well, I want to be like you. I want to be preaching to a bunch of people like that. And I asked him, I said, well, what do you do now? He says, what do you mean, what do I do now? I said, well, do you run the bus route? Well, no. I said, do you have an assignment in school class? No. I said, do you clean the toilets? Well, no. And I said, well, I don't know. But I said, until you find some job to do, God's not going to take you from doing nothing and put you in doing something. You got to say, God, I'm willing to do whatever you want me to do. And then when you're willing to do what God wants you to do, God will use you in other areas. I said, I don't know how I got here. And I don't know how this all worked out. But I just thanked the Lord. But there's a prayer for service. And sometimes we'll say, God, use me. And God, I want to be used in this. And God, I want to be used to win souls to Christ. And God, I want to be used in this. And I want to be used in that. And God says, but what about this problem over here? Just ignore that, Lord. Let's not worry about that. And that's why 1 John 1 9 says, if we confess our sins, plural, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There's many times in a Christian's life where we have a piled up bunch of sin. That first sin, that willful sin, that iniquity that I'm regarding in my heart is kind of like a blockage. Everything piles up behind you. It just gets deeper and deeper and thicker and thicker. You gotta get that primary sin out. God's been telling you. God's been dealing with you. God's been saying, listen, let's deal with this thing. Let the flow go. And you're saying, no, I don't want to deal with that one. But God, could you make me? Could you use me? Quit kidding yourself. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not heal me. You cannot pick and choose the sins in your life and say, I want that one forgiven, and I don't want that one forgiven, but I want that one forgiven. And there's a lot of Christians that'll say, Pastor, I've been praying, and it's just like the heavens are brass. And I'll say, hello, they are. It's like God's not even hearing me. He's not. Oh, but I've been praying sincerely, and I've been asking God for this, and I've been asking God for that, and it's just not working. Let's go back and find out where the blockage is. Because if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. That's the importance of living a Christian life. That's the importance of walking day by day with God. That's the importance of having all our history. Well, you know, the choir used to sing back in the 80s, what sins are you talking about? I don't remember them anymore. Get back where God can say, it's all clean now. A prayer for service, a prayer for sanctification, a prayer for salvation, number four. Joshua chapter 1, verse number 8 is a verse I'm sure we all like. Surely, if we put it to memory sometime in our Christian life, let me turn there and read it for you. In Joshua chapter 1, verse number 8, the Bible says to Moses, commanded, Joshua said, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. Thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. So there's the condition. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Now, how many of you have prayed for success? You say, well, you know, I'm sorry, but you'd be thick not to pray for success. I want to succeed. The Bible says the secret of the Lord. I want to find that in my life. I used to tell my people, I want to find where the blessings of God, the fountain of the blessings of God is pouring out, and I want to stand right underneath it. That's where I want to be. I don't want just a little bit of flow in a tributary. I want to stand under the fountain of God. But if I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me. Joshua is told, this book of the law shall not depart out of the mount, for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. Then thou shalt have good success. And if you look at the background of the word success there, you'll find out that the idea is one of insight. Then thou shalt have good insight. It's talking about literal success, but how are you successful? Well, the Bible says, trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, he shall direct thy path. The Bible says, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. The Bible just tells us, you know, you walk with God and God will give you insight. And you'll know which way to turn, and you'll know which way to walk, and you'll know which way not to walk, and you'll know what to do and not what to do, because God's leading you. And then thou shalt have good success. And how many of you Christian is there that says, Lord, please, please bless my life. Please give me good success. And you say, Pastor, I've prayed for success, and I've never gotten it. I'll tell you why. If I regard a nickel in my heart, God cannot and God will not hear me. But I pray for success. That's a worthy prayer, absolutely. Pray for success. But before you pray for success, go back over here and find out what it is that liquid in your heart that you're hiding from God. And you know it's wrong. You know you should be kind of that. And say, God, for all my being, forgive me. I know this is wrong. Some of you, it's a hatred. Some of you, it's a bitterness. And I know that I can see that in people. I have people that are bitter against me, and God forgive them. And their life is nothing, and I can go back to a time when they got bitterness against me because I told them the truth. And I did it in love. But they didn't want to hear it. And now they're bitter. And they're trying to live and pray, God, give me success. God, give me good success. And they fail at every turn. And it doesn't matter how hard they pray, it's like I made the wrong decision again. Of course you will. Except ye repent. If I regard iniquity in my heart, I'm telling you on the basis of the word of God that cannot change, God will not change. What a sad life to live as a Christian and trying to pray for success, trying to pray for service, and trying to pray for sanctification. And it just never happens. And it just never happens. And for that many people to say prayer doesn't work, prayer works. But if I regard iniquity in my heart, God cannot, God will not hear me. Don't blame a lack of success on praying on your own sin in your life. Get it right with God and let God begin to open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you cannot receive. Then you'll be able to say, yes, God does answer prayer. Yes, God does work in my life. But he never will when you're regarding this iniquity. You have somebody that you haven't forgiven, forgive them for Christ's sake. Say, well, they don't deserve it. They don't. But he does. If you won't forgive them for any other reason, forgive them because of the selfishness of your own soul that you want God's blessing on your life. You're not going to let anything hinder you from being blessed with God. Some of you are angry at different people for different reasons for 30 years, and it shows all over the wrinkles on your face. Get it right with God. The Bible says, growing up, strangle you. And you see Christians every day that are living like they're breathing their last moment. They're literally being strangled. The Bible says in the Lord's, it's not the Lord's Prayer, what's commonly called the Lord's Prayer, the model prayer, the importance of forgiveness. Say, well, I don't feel like God's forgiving me. Well, let's go back here and see if there's something hiding back here. But I'm not willing to forgive somebody. No wonder it doesn't feel like God's forgiving me. I don't forgive anybody. And then let me give you the last one. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear me in my prayer for salvation. Don't kid yourself. that you really are when you really aren't. If you're not a born-again child of God, I'll tell you why. It's because you never came to repentance, so you come to faith. The prayer for sanctification, the prayer for service, the prayer for success, the Bible says in Psalm 119, verse 165, great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." The Bible says in Philippians chapter 4, and I'm going to turn there because I don't think I can. That's the problem of having too many languages in your head. You forget your Bible verses sometimes. You know where they're at and you know what they say. but how they say it, I'm not quite sure. Philippians chapter four, verse number six, be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And it goes on and says in the peace of God, which passeth all understandings shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Colossians chapter three, verse number 15, just to book over, it says, let the peace of God rule your hearts, rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body and be you thankful. A peace of God. Some of you need peace. Your life's all about turmoil. There's fear, you can plaster no fear on your windshield and on your back window and you're lying to yourself and you know it. You're scared to death of everything. But there's a prayer for serenity, for peace, that God gives his people. And I've prayed that prayer. Spiritually, God give me peace. I constantly, daily pray that prayer. I've prayed that prayer when the bullets fly, when the gunmen approach, I know what it is to pray for peace. I've prayed that prayer in a hospital bed next to my dying daughter. I know that prayer. And God's answered that prayer. But may I remind you that Psalm 66 verse 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And some of you need the peace of God in your life, and you don't have it. And you've prayed for it. And you've said, but I don't understand. Why hasn't God given me peace? I've prayed for peace and the peace of God, and I've claimed the promises, but I still don't have the peace. I'll tell you why you don't have the peace. You're regarding iniquity in your heart. It's just as simple as that. May I plead with you this morning to get back to the basics and get back to the reality of the facts. If I regard iniquity in my heart, God cannot hear me. It's not God's fault. It's not God that's stopping the works. It's us. It's me. It's me, oh, Lord, standing in the need of prayer. It's not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, oh, Lord, standing in the need of prayer. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. The prayer of salvation. Some of you have prayed that prayer a gazillion times. You've laid in your bed and you've said, God, if I'm not saved, please save me now. And God every time says, what about this? Well, God, let's worry about that later. And God says, no, that's an important factor right now. Once you're willing to repent, now I'm willing to save. The prayer of sanctification. The prayer for service, the prayer for success. Oh God, bless me. And you've prayed J-Beth's prayer until you've got it memorized and you've got it written on the wall and you've got a paper in it and you've prayed J-Beth's prayer and you've read books about J-Beth's prayer and all that God would bless me, et cetera, et cetera, and enlarge my coast and all that kind of stuff. And it just doesn't work, Pastor. Brother Harrison, it just doesn't work. This prayer thing, it just doesn't work. Oh yes, it does. But if I regard iniquity in my heart, it's a bunch of wasted air. The Lord will not hear me. And serenity. Let me go back to Psalm 66 and I'm done. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Oh, wow. But what'd he say then? But verily, God hath heard me. He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. You know why? Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me. Cleanse me and make me whiter than snow. And I'm talking to you. I'm preaching to you. Don't fluff it off on somebody else. I'm talking to you. What iniquity are you regarding in your heart this morning? And you have struggled with your salvation. It's time to get over it. It's time to say, God, whatever that is, I'm so over it. I'm so ready to come to God in just 100% repentance and say, God, I am a sinner. Save me. And the Bible says, whosoever cometh to him, he shall in no wise cast out. And some of you dear Christians that, there's gotta be more to this. I remember when, but now there's no peace. My ways aren't prosperous. I don't have a path in my life. I don't have a purpose in my life. I'll tell you why. And the Holy Spirit's already just putting the screw on you. Because if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Isn't it about time? Dear child of God, this new year, Knees before God, bow your head before God and say, God, I've had enough of hiding that thing. Here it is. My whole heart I repent. To know the blessings of God. Again, dear God, thank you for