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Sermon: "Your Best Communication" Part 1
...a sermon on Prayer
by Chris Cumming
SERMON ONE ON PRAYER---COMMUNICATING WITH GOD
At Passover services on Tuesday we ended
the services by reading Matthew 26 and verse 30.
And when they had sung a hymn, they went
out into the mount of Olives.
Prior to singing this hymn, Christ
instituted both the foot washing service and the symbols of the bread
and wine representing His body and His blood. He did things as an
example that we should do these things too.
It is after the singing of the hymn that
He sets another important example for us to follow. We see this example
in Luke 22 and beginning in verse 39
Luke 22:39-44
39 And he came out, and went, as
he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed
him.
40 And when he was at the place,
he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from
them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine,
be done.
43 And there appeared an angel
unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he
prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground.
He gave us the example of prayer. It
was just about the last conscious free choice He made as a human. It is
not an easy example to follow.
Even the disciples found it hard to do
or even to understand. We read this in Luke 11:1
Luke 11:1
1 And it came to pass, that, as
he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples
said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his
disciples.
Hearing this, Christ set about teaching
them how to pray. Seeing how important this subject is to
+ Our personal growth
+ Our ultimate salvation
+ the Passover & Days of Unleavened
Bread
…and because Jesus set this example for
us,
…It is my purpose today for us to review
these steps and to…
COMMUNICATE WITH GOD
Now, since this is such a huge subject,
even for a sermon, I want to present this as an outline for your further
study and meditation.
In doing so, you may be receiving some
information you have never heard before even though it was before us in
the scriptures all along.
Part 1, The Lords Prayer Outline for
Prayer
When the disciples ask Jesus to teach
them to pray, He recited the Lords Prayer which is not a prayer in
itself but rather guide or outline for our prayers.
We begin this outline in Matthew 6 and
verse 9
Mat 6:9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name.
1)
Begin by recognizing WHO you are
speaking to. You are talking directly, by the authority of Jesus
Christ, to the living creator of the universe.
Mat 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven,
2)
Recognize that His Will and His Work
come first.
We are praying to seek God’s will. He
knows best.
Mat. 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
3)
Ask God for what you need TODAY.
God wants us to trust Him, day by day,
to meet our needs. He knows what those needs are
Mat. 6:12 forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors.
4)
Ask for forgiveness.
Notice the catch, “AS we forgive our
debtors” He clarifies this in verses 14 and 15
Mat. 6:14-15
14 For if ye forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men
their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mat. 6:13 (first part) And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
5)
Ask for protection
We live in a cursed world. Danger and
temptation to sin is everywhere. But the good thing for us is that God
is in the protection business.
II Th 3:3
3 But the Lord is faithful, who
shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
Mat. 6: 13 (last part)
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and
the glory, forever, Amen.
6)
Praise God.
Give vocal adoration to God. It is the
act of rendering divine honor, esteem and love. The word “adoration” is
derived from an ancient expression that meant “to kiss the hand”. It is
a symbol of deep respect and submission.
So now we have Christ’s simple outline
for prayer…
1)
Recognize who you are speaking to
2)
Recognize that His will and work come
first
3)
Ask God for what you need today
4)
Ask for forgiveness
5)
Ask for protection
6)
Give praise to God.
Now that we have a basic outline, we
need to ask ourselves, “What are the requirements for effective Prayer?
Part 2: Requirements for Effective
Prayer
1)
We need to be HUMBLE BEFORE GOD, and express genuine sorrow for our sin.
2 Chr 7:14
14 If my people, which are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2)
We need to SERIOUSLY SEEK GOD
Jer 29:13
13 And ye shall seek me, and
find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
3)
We need to ASK.
Matt 7:7
7 Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
4)
We need to BELIEVE
Mark 11:24 (and hold your place there)
24 Therefore I say unto you,
What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them.
5)
We need to FORGIVE
Mark 11:25
25 And when ye stand praying,
forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in
heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
6)
We need a CLEAN HEART
Ps 66:18
18 If I regard iniquity in my
heart, the Lord will not hear me:
7)
We need to be UNSELFISH
James 4:3
3 Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
8)
We need to DO HIS WILL
I Jn 5:14
14 And this is the confidence
that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he
heareth us:
9)
We need to be GUIDED BY HIS WORD
John 15:7
7 If ye abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you.
10)
We need to ask IN HIS NAME, both Father
and in the name of Jesus Christ
John 16:23
23 And in that day ye shall ask
me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the
Father in my name, he will give it you.
John 15:16
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I
have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask
of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Eph 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now that we have the outline for prayer
and the requirements for effective prayer, we need one more section.
How do we know when and how God has
answered prayer?
Part 3 Recognizing God’s Answers to
Prayer
God has a plan. Everything that happens
in this world is part of that plan.
God is in charge and He has reasons for
things happening the way they do. When we ask for something that falls
in line with His plan and His goals for us RIGHT NOW, He'll give us what
we ask RIGHT NOW.
When we ask for something that we DON'T
NEED RIGHT NOW, He may wait until the time is right. God is seldom
early, but never late.
How
God Answers Prayer
Depending on what we ask, when we ask,
and what God is doing, He will answer our prayers in different ways.
His answers will generally be:
Yes
Yes, and I'll give you even more
than you asked for
Yes, but not now
Yes, but not as you expect
No
No, but I'll give you something
else instead
Nothing, silence, no answer
As we build our relationship with God,
we'll learn to know His voice. We'll learn to know what answer He gives
us. A yes, no, or wait will be clear.
1 ) Yes
When what we ask is in God's will for us
Now, we get what we ask. It may not be right under our noses, but it
will be there.
I Jn 5:14
14 And this is the confidence
that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he
heareth us:
2) Yes, and I'll
give you more than you asked for
When we're right with God, and we ask
according to His will, AND we can be good stewards of what He has for
us, He sometimes gives us even more than we ask.
2 Chr 1:11-12
11 And God said to Solomon,
Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth,
or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long
life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest
judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is
granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour,
such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither
shall there any after thee have the like.
Matt 25:20-21
20 And so he that had received
five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou
deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five
talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well
done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy
of thy lord.
Verse 29
29 For unto every one that hath
shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not
shall be taken away even that which he hath.
3) Yes, but not
now
Sometimes God makes us wait. Maybe the
time isn't right. Maybe we're not yet ready for what He wants us to
have.
Maybe He's waiting for us to decide that
His INVOLVEMENT in our lives is more important to us than His actual
ANSWER.
Maybe we just need a patience lesson.
Whatever the case, we sometimes wait.
Job 30:20
20 I cry unto thee, and thou
dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
Job 42:12
12 So the LORD blessed the
latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand
sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a
thousand she asses.
Luke 18:7-8 (ff)
7 And shall not God avenge his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with
them?
8 I tell you that he will
avenge them speedily…
Ps 40:1 SAYS
1 I waited patiently for the
LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
4) Yes, but not as we expect
Often we pray, and don't see the answers
He gives us, because we're looking in the wrong places. We look for the
fruit and not the tree, we want to KNOW without having to LEARN:
We want Patience without learning
how to Wait
We want Strength without learning
how to Overcome Difficulties
We want Wisdom without learning how
to Solve Problems
We want Prosperity without learning
how to Work
We want Courage without learning
how to Face Danger
We want Favors without learning to
Recognize Opportunities
When we ask for these things, God
answers by exposing us to situations that TEACH us what we need to know.
The old adage "be careful what you ask
for, you may get it" is useful here.
If you ask God for PATIENCE, He'll make
you WAIT, which develops patience.
If you ask for more COURAGE, you'll face
DANGER, which develops courage.
If you ask for Wisdom, you'll have
PROBLEMS to solve, which develops wisdom.
God is concerned with CHARACTER more
than COMFORT. If God needs to put us in uncomfortable situations to
teach us what we need to know, He will.
5) No
Sometimes God says no. It may be that
we're asking for something we can't handle. It may be that we are asking
with wrong motives.
James 4:3
3 Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
It may be that He just has other plans
for us and our friends.
Sometimes He doesn't heal.
Sometimes He lets someone die. Sometimes
He allows us to go through trouble to strengthen us. Sometimes
His purposes and plans are better served
by not doing what we ask, even when we plead with tears.
Matt 26:39
39 And he went a little further,
and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as
thou wilt.
Verses 45-46
45 Then cometh he to his
disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest:
behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
46 Rise, let us be going:
behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
6) No, but I'll give you something else
instead
We might be "in love" and pray
desperately to have a certain person who, by divine intervention, isn't
the one we end up with, and we praise Him in hindsight.
We may plead to continue the work we've
been doing for Him, when He needs us somewhere else.
We may desperately seek Him to remove a
situation in our lives that is teaching us something we need to teach
people about next year.
Whatever the case, sometimes God has
something else better or more important for us, and we need to recognize
His will and submit to His direction.
Deut 3:25-27
25 I pray thee, let me go over,
and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and
Lebanon.
26 But the LORD was wroth with
me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let
it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
27 Get thee up into the top of
Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward,
and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over
this Jordan.
2 Cor 12:8-9---Paul’s affliction
8 For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace
is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.
7) Nothing, dead silence from God
This is different from a NO.
When God says No to something, we still
feel His presence in our lives.
Silence from God is the hardest answer
of all. We plead and beg, but feel like God's not there.
When God is turning His face from us,
there is something wrong on our end.
Maybe it's a commitment problem, maybe
it's a sin we haven't confessed and repented of, maybe we're just trying
so hard to solve the problem we're not letting God solve it for us.
We need to let go and let God.
When someone is drowning, a lifeguard
will sometimes have to wait until the person is completely out of
strength from flailing around trying to save himself before coming to
the rescue, else the drowning person takes them both down.
Similarly, God waits patiently for us to
stop
fighting so He can take care of us.
Ps 68:19
19 Blessed be the Lord, who
daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Isa 59:2
2 But your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from
you, that he will not hear.
Prov 28:9
9 He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
Heb 11:6
6 But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Getting to know God's answers takes time
and commitment.
We learn to hear His voice by spending
time with
Him in prayer, and in His word. The more
we rely on Him, the more He answers.
The more He answers, the more we
recognize His answers. The better we know Him, the easier it will be to
Know what He's doing.
Finally, some words of encouragement,
Turn to Jude 1:20
This sermon is only Part 1. Part 2 will
be on the last Holy Day.
Jude 1:20
20 But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Eph 6:18
18 Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Let all this be the beginning of your
study. Pray to your Father in Heaven.
Pray in the name of Jesus Christ
It is your BEST COMMUNICATION
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