Archive for September, 2005

God the Genie?

Sunday, September 25th, 2005
This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series PrayerPak: Lessons on Powerful Prayer

Read at beginning of service:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

INTRODUCTION

1 Kings 18:18-24 (NIV)

18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. 22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by fire–he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

In 1 Kings 18 we find the context for what I just read you. Here we encounter a group of Israelites who have drifted away from a vital relationship with God. Their relationship with Him was convenient, but not genuine. In the days of their forefathers the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness to the promised land and there they depended upon God for guidance and sustenance. Yahweh was their provider. Without the Manna God gave, they would die. Have you ever noticed how hard times cause us to depend upon God?

But fast forward a bit now and you find that when the Israelites reached Canaan, they encountered a new lifestyle, and a new god. Baal was the Canaanite?s fertility god. The locals taught them that if they worshiped Baal, they would have fertile wives, fertile herds, and fertile crops. The last two, fertile herds and crops, were essential for immediate survival, the first one, fertile wives, was essential for long term survival. In the ancient near east, offspring was essential for financial security for old age. The children “honored” their father and mother by providing food, clothing, and shelter when the parents were too old to care for themselves.

So as the Israelite?s settled in Canaan they were faced with a decision of survival and they decided that when in Canaan, they should do as the Canaanite?s do and worship Baal. It was very practical. After all, they had a family to feed and a future to provide for. They worshipped and prayed to Baal for practical reasons, believing that he was the god who could meet their needs. But they couldn?t ignore the God of their parents and grandparents either so they worshipped and prayed to Yahweh for cultural reasons.

Like passing through a cafeteria line, they picked and chose elements out of each religion they would follow. Designer faith, if you will. Sounds a little bit twenty-first century doesn?t it? Have you ever noticed that when we eat out we tend to ask for substitutions? We?ll ask for a salad instead of fries or fruit instead of hash browns. We don?t go back to restaurants that don?t allow substitutions or charge us extra for them. We want it “our way”.

Does this work with our faith? With our prayer life? Can we combine faithfulness to God?s word with slight substitutions? Will God allow us to pray to Him and be materialistic at the same time? A better question might be, does God answer materialistic prayers?

And the answer is, no. It was very problematic for the children of Israel. Among the problems was the breaking of the first commandment found in,

Exodus 20:3 (NIV)

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (NIV)

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

These two scriptures were both foundational teachings in their faith.

It also spawned some unresolvable conflicts. Namely, when people are open to everything, they have no real commitments, and cannot enjoy either allegiance. Modern Christians face this same problem. While striving to serve God, some will bow down to the god of materialism believing that the modern day “Baal” can bring happiness. They do not enjoy godliness because their carnality strips them of the joy of their salvation.

This attitude causes the Christian to constantly pray for an easier life, more wealth, and happiness without suffering. In this prayer, the Christian views God as genie in a magic lamp. They feel that if they rub their lamp hard enough, long enough, and often enough, they can force God to accomplish their will. Elijah had a word for those of his generation who were “halting between two opinions.”

1 Kings 18:21 (NIV)

21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.

Note this: Elijah did not ask the people to base their decision upon who could bring them prosperity, happiness, or health. He challenged his listeners to base their decision upon one factor: WHO IS TRULY GOD?

In this Elijah has a word for today?s Christians. Clearly down through the centuries his words echo, “How long will you waver between two opinions?” It is time to choose our allegiance based upon WHO IS GOD? Our motivation for following God is not because He can get us into heaven, or because He can bring joy into our life, or because He will provide us with every wish and desire, but because HE IS GOD!! And so the important lesson here for having an effective a powerful prayer life is knowing that God is GOD to you! Praying not out of a selfish materialistic perspective where God is like a genie but out of a selfless, surrendered perspective where God is God!

It is from this perspective that Paul the apostle writes,

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Effective and powerful prayer is a natural outcome of a life that is a living sacrifice to God. It is a natural outcome of a supernatural transformation in your life from the surrendering of self to God. If you get to thinking of a lot of the prayers that people will pray you?ll find that a tremendous amount of them are “me” centered. In other words, our prayers are spoken from the perspective of “what can I get from God?” rather than “What will God do in and through my life?” What is His desire? What is His plan? What is His will? There are five words that when placed before the word “me” in prayer can literally change your prayer life and your relationship to God. You?ll find that these five “dangerous” prayers are a progressive expedition into the presence of God. As well as a progressive challenge to find and be totally submitted to His will for your life. These prayers allow the Lord to expose your innermost thoughts and motives towards Him and others and birth in you a new zeal for holiness, commitment and intimacy with Christ.

search me?

Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I think it is important to point out how David began this Psalm ?

Psalms 139:1-4 (NIV)

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

David began this Psalm with the recognition that God already knows his thoughts, his motives. David recognized that God in his sovereignty and omniscience is familiar with all his ways. And yet, David still voiced the prayer at the end of this Psalm inviting God to search him! If God is familiar with all his ways then why would David say this?

David said this because he recognized that God could see more and know more about David?s heart and thoughts that he himself. David was effectively saying, “God expose those things I don?t know about that are offensive to you!”

At the center of David?s cry was to know the things in his life that are offensive to God. This request flowed out of a deep passionate desire to be close to God. This great king of Israel was determined to follow Him, and in doing so he knew that everything in his life that was an offense must go.

It has been my experience that the more I learn about God and His Word, the more I realize just how much I don?t know. The closer I get to the light of His holiness, the more the Holy Spirit allows me to see areas of my life that are still not fully surrendered.

When you say, “Search me, O God” you are essentially acknowledging that God already knows everything about you ? everything – and you?re inviting Him to expose what He knows ? your wrong motives, your impure thoughts, your materialistic wishes ? your unconfessed sin. All those things that are offensive to God will be exposed by His Spirit. But it isn?t enough that they?re simply exposed and this brings us to the next dangerous prayer?

break me?

Once those things are exposed by God there is a necessity for us to be broken over them if there is to be any change or growth. Inherent in David?s cry for God to search him is the desire for God to give him a brokenness for those things that are offensive to Him. And God answered David?s prayer many times in his life. One incidence that immediately comes to mind is David?s sin with Bathsheba. To make a long story short for those of you who aren?t familiar with this story ? David had an affair with Bathsheba and got her pregnant. In an effort to cover up what he had done from Bathsheba?s husband David recalled him from the battlefield and attempted to get him to sleep with Bathsheba. However David?s attempts at cover-up failed and so he arranged for Uriah?s (Bathsheba?s husband) death. But God searched David and exposed his offensive sin to the prophet Nathan and when Nathan confronted David with what he had done ? David was broken. Out of that brokenness came David?s repentance and it was David?s repentance that released God?s forgiveness and restored David?s relationship with God. Out of this painful experience David penned the words to Psalm 51 in which we find this important reminder?

Psalm 51:17 (NIV)

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

One of the negative influences to a Christian living in our society is the casual attitude towards things that are offensive to God. Elijah confronted this destructive attitude among the Israelites when he called them to Mount Carmel. Yes, we believe in God?s mercy and grace. But we must never forget God?s justice and wrath.

David understood that nothing mattered more than his standing before God ? his relationship to God. And he wanted nothing to prevent him from drawing near to God. And so David prayed, “Search me, O God, and Break me”

Let me ask you this question, when?s the last time you?ve been broken over something that is offensive to God?

stretch me

This next dangerous prayer is an invitation to God for him to bring you beyond your limits. If you are willing to offer your bodies as living sacrifices to God and pray to God, “search me, and break me” then be prepared to be stretched.

In the fourth chapter of the book of Acts, Peter and John are arrested for preaching Jesus. On the next morning they are brought before the council of the priests and Sadducees where Peter picks up where he had stopped the day before, preaching Jesus? resurrection from the dead. Because the council feared the people, they conspired to threaten them and command them to no longer preach in the name of Jesus.

After their release they relayed to their friends all that happened and began to pray. Peter?s prayer is not the type of prayer we hear to often today. They did not pray for the persecution to stop. They did not rebuke the devil. Peter never asked for God to send a legion of angels to protect them if He wanted them to preach His Gospel. Listen to what Peter prayed?

Acts 4:29 (NIV)

29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.

Peter said, “Give us boldness to continue to preach Jesus! Stretch us with your power that we will not fail you. Stretch us beyond our human capabilities that we may be able to endure the persecution and bring glory to your name.”

That is how they earned the testimony of Acts 5:40-42?

Acts 5:40-42 (NIV)

?. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Now the stretching that God will do in your life is really a preparation ? a preparation for what comes as an answer to the next two surrendering prayers?

lead me

Asking God to take your life and do whatever He wants with it is risky. We?ve got to believe that His plans for us are better than our own. (Bill Hybels)

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 12 a guide for total surrender to the will of God. In verse one is found the command to present to God our entire beings. This command carries with it the connotation that in doing so you relinquish all rights, title and interests in your offering. That can be pretty scary stuff. But then, that is the product of praying, “lead me”.

In studying the implications of that prayer the path always leads directly to Jesus. When we pray for Him to lead us, He brings us perfect circle back to Himself. In every problem or situation we find ourselves, when we pray for divine leadership the Holy Spirit directs us into the presence and intimacy of Christ.

Those who have committed themselves to be led of the Lord are consumed with learning about Jesus. They are not moved by or even interested with the new fads and fables that inundate the church of today. They are not looking for a New Thing, they cry out for the same Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee two thousand years ago. The same God that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob served. The long to know how to serve, how to sacrifice, how to humble themselves in the presence of the creator of the universe. Those who have committed themselves to be led of the Lord are not living on the God-encounters of others but are hungry for God-encounters of their own.

Psalms 25:5 (NIV)

5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

If Jesus has saved us, if we will allow Him to ? if we pray this prayer ? He will lead us. He will guide us to Himself. He will direct us to His deliverance, to His healing, to His truth, that He may glorify Himself through us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

use me?

It?s exciting to make yourself available to God so that He can touch someone else through you. Such prayer creates adventures. (Bill Hybels)

This last “me” prayer is the culmination of the previous four. Everyone who has ever been used mightily by God has had to go through the process of searching, breaking, stretching and leading. It is this process that brings us to the place of total surrender to the will of God in our lives!

You can read through scriptures and find that all great men and women of God went through this process in their lives to the point where they were transformed and then used by God.

He is the potter and we are the clay. If we have purposed in our heart to serve Him for the rest of our lives, then we will allow Him to continue to turn and mold us. We will long for Him to replace every imperfection, every crack and flaw with what can only come from His life.

This prayer is the prayer of a saint who has prayed the other prayers and finally can say, “Use me Lord ? in whatever way you will, in however manner you wish, and whenever you want!” However there are some who would rather skip the previous prayers and go right ahead to this one. The problem is that they don?t realize that when God answers this prayer he?ll answer the others in the process and when that happens many refuse to surrender to God?s work in their lives and become frustrated because He isn?t using them. People who have submitted to this process and these prayers are ready for wherever God will use them ? whether it is a visible prominent place of service or a hidden, behind the scenes position. It doesn?t matter ? to them it?s about surrender to His will!

CONCLUSION

After sharing these five powerful dangerous prayers that every Christian should pray you may be now asking the question, “How do these five dangerous prayers impact my prayer life?” And the answer is, a whole slew of ways ? but I?ll name a couple for now:

  1. God will point out things in your life that are hindering Him from hearing and thus answering your prayers

Contrary to popular belief ? God does not hear every prayer. Oh, He may be aware of every prayer lifted up to Him but He doesn?t necessarily hear every prayer. How do I know, well one verse comes to mind ?

2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NIV)

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will 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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

A person who prays, “Search me, break me, stretch me, lead me, and use me” will learn the things that are hindering God from hearing and answering their prayers.

  1. Your prayers are shaped by what God wants not by what you want.

There are times where I start out to pray something like this, (not using actual names of course) “Lord, I pray that you will send a lightning bolt down on Gunther?s head as a punishment for the way he ripped me off!” (well maybe those exact words but the thinking was there anyways) but then as I pray God searches me, breaks me, stretches me, leads me, and uses me to pray something like this ? “Lord, I?m really hurt by the way I?ve been ripped off but I know that you would react a lot differently than I have. Lord I forgive Gunther for what he did ? show your love for Him through me.” Do you see what I?m saying?

I remember a little over two years ago when Pastor Merv and I were in this sanctuary praying. We had just started the Millennium project in the church to raise funds for a new sound system. We were praying about many things at the time but I remember I was crying out to God for a financial miracle so that we?d have a new sound system in place. “O Lord, we need this equipment to minister effectively in this church. Lord, it?s starting to break down and we need you to open up the floodgates of heaven and pour out your financial blessings so that we can afford a new sound system.” This was something (and still is) I wanted folks! But all of a sudden ? search me, break me, stretch me, lead me, use me ? God started to shape what I was praying. And the result was the vision and direction to raise funds for the establishment of the new Quebec District in the PAOC.

Friends, there is so much truth in what Paul says in Romans 12:2 ? as a result of offering your bodies as living sacrifices to God ? of surrendering completely to Him. You will know His will! He will shape what you pray.

And finally,

  1. God will answer your prayers.

James 5:16b (NIV)

? The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

God answers the prayers of those who are surrendered to Him.

I?d like to conclude this message by picking up where I left off with the story of Elijah at Mount Carmel.

(Read 1 Kings 18:25-39)

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Blueprint for Prayer

Sunday, September 18th, 2005
This entry is part 2 of 4 in the series PrayerPak: Lessons on Powerful Prayer

Read at beginning of service:

Luke 11:5-13 (NIV)
5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 “Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

INTRODUCTION

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

One night a father heard his young daughter speaking, although she was alone in her room. The door was cracked open just enough so that he could see that she was kneeling beside her bed in prayer. Interested to find out what subjects a child would bring before God, he paused outside her door and listened. After tuning in to her prayer he was puzzled to hear her reciting the alphabet: “A, B, B, D, E, F, G ?” She just kept repeating it. He didn?t want to interrupt her, but soon curiosity got the best of him and he broke into prayer, “Honey,” he asked, “what are you doing?” “I?m praying, Daddy,” she replied. “Well, why are you praying the alphabet?” he asked. She explained, “I started my prayers, but I wasn?t sure what to pray. I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them together however he thinks best.”

Have you ever felt that way? You knew you needed to pray, but just weren?t sure how you should go about doing it. Maybe the words escaped your mind or you were uncertain about what would be the best way to go about doing it. Don?t feel bad! If you?ll remember last week I started with the text from Luke 11:1 which says, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.” From that text we entered into a look at the prayer life of Jesus and his example for us. But today we?re going to read a little further in that text and find the following,

Luke 11:1b-2a (NIV)
?. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say?

Jesus? best friends and closest followers watched Jesus ministry and observed his rich prayer life and obviously noticed how he spoke to the Father with ease. He seemed to always have the right words to say and his prayers were powerfully answered. So, they asked him, as we can too, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus granted their request. He gave them the blueprint that he used for prayer. The writers of the Bible recorded it and today we call it, “The Lord?s Prayer.” Perhaps a more appropriate title would be “The Disciple?s Prayer” because it was given to Jesus? followers so that they could pray with power! So, today let?s look at this Blueprint for Prayer. What I?m going to talk about today is not necessarily words that should be repeated ritualistically in prayer but more of an outline of how and what to pray for. I believe that Jesus was giving His disciples a model for prayer that they could base their prayer life on.

begin with praise

Praise happens when we talk about or sing about who God is. It?s verbalizing certain things that we know about His character. It is speaking about the great things he has done in the world and in our lives. Jesus put it like this?

Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Notice that Jesus first describes God as “our Father in heaven.” He?s a father, not some uncaring, unnoticing deity. This was a concept that must be understood. The writers of the Old Testament had a much different concept of their relationship to God than we do today. When the scribes who copied the Old Testament scriptures wrote the word for God, Yahweh, they would throw away their pen, never to use it again. They reasoned that once it had written the word, Yahweh, the pen was disqualified to write anything else. (David Jeremiah, Prayer, the Great Adventure p. 84)

The Jewish people couldn?t conceive of God as Father. They couldn?t think of him in relational terms, but that?s exactly the thing Jesus wants us to recognize in our prayer. He is the God who is near He is a present help in times of trouble. He is Emmanuel, God with us.

Still there is another aspect of God?s person that we should not forget. He is the God who is Most High Hallowed means “holy,” or “set apart.” It?s the recognition that the Creator is distinct from His creation. God is totally pure, far wiser than we are, and more powerful than the largest exploding supernova. We begin in prayer by getting our mind right with regard to whose presence we?re entering into.

When John F. Kennedy was President of the United States, Life magazine published photos of his children, John Jr. and Caroline, playing with their toys on the floor of the Oval Office. Those images captured the hearts of the American people like nothing before or since. Why? I think it?s because it bridged a gap between two thoughts: Kennedy was the President of the United States, but he was also a father. He held ultimate political power in the Free World, but playing at this feet were two little kids who called him Daddy. I don?t think your kids would have been allowed to do that. Nor mine. But his kids were. Why? He was their father. He was not only President of the United States; he was also their dad.

In the same way, God is both our Father and the Lord of Glory. We can approach Him confidently in prayer because we are His dearly beloved children, but we must never forget that He is also the Sovereign of the universe.” (David Jeremiah, Prayer the Great Adventure pp. 89-90)

An ancient Orthodox writer wrote, “God cannot be grasped by the mind. If he could be grasped, he would no be God.” We are profoundly different God and I, which explains why friendship is not the primary model used in the Bible to describe our relationship. Worship is.” (Philip Yancey, Reaching for the Invisible God, p 110)

Prayer recognizes the proper relationship between us and God.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

If you?ve crossed the line of faith you don?t have to come to God trembling in fear. You have access because you?ve been forgiven and adopted as his child. On the other hand, you don?t treat God as your good buddy, “Bubba”. He is a friend but He is not like the guy or the girl next door. No, He is our holy, heavenly Father. It is praise and worship that ushers us into His presence.

Psalm 22:3 (KJV)
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. surrender to God?s priorities Matthew 6:10 (NIV) 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

We will only see powerful prayer when we approach God with the right attitude. Here Jesus calls us to submit ourselves totally to God. In asking that His kingdom come we?re essentially giving up control of our lives and handing it over to God. In a kingdom, there are only two classes of people, the ruler and those who are ruled over. There must be a recognition of our place within God?s kingdom and a surrender to His rule before he?ll answer our prayers in a powerful way. He won?t entrust His stuff to us if we?re going to misuse it to selfish ends.

Richard Baxter, a great Puritan thinker and writer, well understood the real truth. He used to write these words whenever he was asked to sign one of his books: “Lord, what Thou wilt, where Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt.” In the old Puritan manner of speaking he was saying, “Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that?s what I want.” (David Jeremiah, Prayer, the Great Adventure p. 106)

Does it scare you to pray like that? Well it should! But that?s where faith comes in! If we believe that God is good and on our side we understand that he?ll only tell us to do that which is for the best.

ask for God?s provision.

After we?ve focused on who God is and submitted to his rule in our lives we can then go on to ask for His provision. Jesus said to simply ask?

Matthew 6:11 (NIV) 11 Give us today our daily bread.

Obviously, this was intended to move us beyond a request for food. Here we simply ask God for our needs, not our wants. Notice what?s really being asked for here, “daily bread.” And we?re to ask for today?s only, not tomorrow?s. God will meet our legitimate daily needs, but not necessarily the luxury things we ask for.

Indirectly, this single verse clues us into how often we should pray and bring our needs before God. We?re to seek him daily. People who seek him consistently each day are the one?s who experience his powerful answers to prayer. Those who are most dependent on God tend to be those He uses in significant ways. Whatever your needs are, bring them to God on a daily basis. Even if you think they?re petty, go ahead and ask. Our heavenly Father delights in giving us good gifts the same way you delight in giving your children what they need.

Ask specifically. Ask confidently. Ask persistently. Ask with faith. Just don?t give up.

Dr. Helen Roseveare, missionary to Zaire, told the following story.

“A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby. We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair. So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister. One of the girls responded, ?Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today. Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead. And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won?t feel so lonely.? That afternoon a large package arrived from England. The children watched eagerly as we opened it. Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle! Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, ?If God sent that, I?m sure He also sent a doll!? And she was right! The heavenly Father knew in advance of that child?s sincere requests, and five months earlier He had led a ladies group to include both those specific articles.” (Our Daily Bread, March 18)

examine your personal relationships

Here come one of the toughest parts of the Lord?s Prayer. When you realize the magnitude of what Jesus recites in the next verse it makes you think carefully before you say it.

Matthew 6:12 (NIV) 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Think of the person who has done you the most wrong recently. Now pray, “Lord, forgive me of my sins the way I?ve forgiven so and so.”

God wants us to reflect on our relationships with people because they can be an indicator of our own relationship with God. If we harbor unforgiveness we?re not right with God. Don?t expect answers to prayer if you?re holding out on forgiveness. Now hear me here. I am not talking about going to others and asking for their forgiveness. Though that is important that is not what Jesus prayed in this prayer. I?m talking about your willingness to go and forgive others. Jesus was so serious about this point that at the end of His prayer He elaborated on this verse.

Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

This stuff is serious business, if we?ll use the same mercy towards others that God has extended to us our prayers will take on a whole new character and power. Implied in this part of the prayer blueprint is that we pray for the needs of others. I mean that?s what is assumed we do. But then this statement takes things one step further ? we have the opportunity to go beyond forgiveness and prayer for the needs of others and allow God shape us to be like Him!

seek God?s protection

Next is what could be one of the more puzzling verses of the Bible.

Matthew 6:13 (NIV)
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

You see this verse is hard to square with another portion of the Bible that says:

James 1:13 (NIV)
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

So how do we square off those verses? Here?s how.

First of all notice the location of this particular verse. It follows, “Father forgive us?”. Temptation is an enticement to sin. It is only natural then that following the prayer seeking the forgiveness of sin that we ask for deliverance and protection from the things that lead us to that sin in the first place!

God never leads us to sin. Never. He does test us, however. He allows trials in our lives that are intended to draw us nearer to Himself and strengthen our faith and dependence on Him. Often, within the midst of trials and struggles we encounter a temptation to sin. That temptation comes from either ourselves ? our own evil desires ? or Satan, the enemy. Another way to read this verse then is, “And keep us from those places, situations, circumstances where we experience temptation and rescue us from the evil one.”

In other words, if I can avoid testing and still be close to you, please let it be, but if not help me to overcome temptation with your power. We have a promise in the scriptures that God will bring us through those times. Our part is to pray and ask for wisdom to see it coming.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

CONCLUSION

Friends, prayer can change your life. Take this blueprint for prayer given by Jesus and build your own daily time with God. You?ll find that not only does God consistently answer your requests, but He?s changing you in the process.

The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. (C.S. Lewis)

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Introducing Prayerman!

Sunday, September 11th, 2005
This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series PrayerPak: Lessons on Powerful Prayer

Read at beginning of service:

Acts 2:42-43 (NIV)
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

INTRODUCTION

A bus driver and a minister were standing in line to get into heaven. The bus driver approached the gate and St. Peter said, “Welcome, I understand you were a bus driver. Since I?m in charge of housing, I believe I have found the perfect place for you. See that mansion over the hilltop? It?s yours.”The minister heard all this and began to stand a little taller. He said to himself, “If a bus driver got a place like that, just think what I?ll get.”The minister approached the gate and St. Peter said, “Welcome, I understand you were a minister. See that shack in the valley?”St. Peter had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the shocked minister said, “I was a minister, I preached the gospel, I helped teach people about God. Why does that bus driver get a mansion, and I get a shack?”Sadly, St. Peter responded, “Well, it seems when you preached, people slept. When the bus driver drove, people prayed.”

Now I hope that?s not the kind of reception I?ll get when I get to heaven (just kidding)! The scripture passage that was read this morning from the book of Acts is talking about the establishment of the first Christian church and among the things that are mentioned as characteristics of these people is a very important phrase, “they devoted themselves?to prayer”. And then immediately following that phrase we find recorded that everyone was awestruck as incredible things, wonders and miraculous signs were seen in the lives of the apostles. I think there is a connection here folks between the observation that the early church devoted themselves to prayer and the miraculous wonders and signs present in the apostles lives! Prayer is important, prayer is vital, prayer is crucial in the life of the believer and in the church.

Last week I spoke on the need for passion in our lives as Christians and I praise God for the incredible work that was done in many of your lives as you responded to the call. It is only natural then that we move into teaching on probably what is the most important life characteristics that helps to instill and maintain that passion within your lives. Last week many of you were broken which if you?ll remember from the story of Nehemiah births passion in our hearts. But the next thing that happened to Nehemiah was that his passion was deepened in prayer. And that friends is why it is important that I talk to you about prayer. I?ve entitled this series PrayerPak ? Lessons on Powerful Prayer and I?ll begin the series by talking this morning about my hero.

Before we go any further will you join me in prayer!

Illustration ? 1940?s “Manhattan Project”
SECRET PROJECT; precious few who knew about it.
To personnel at the assembly plant of the secret project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, it was know as Project “S-Y”
To the Joint Chiefs, it was known as “S-1″
To the head of the Department of War, “X”
To the scientists at Los Alamos, New Mexico, “The Gadget”, “Thin Man”, “Fat Man.”

August 6, 1945: Hiroshima, Japan. An 18 year old girl describes this “Secret” in her own words:

Kaz Suyeishi said: “It was a beautiful day. I had just finished breakfast, and my mother told me to go water the front yard. I went outside and saw a friend in the street and went to greet her. We started talking, and then we heard a B-29. It was a sound we knew well. I called it the angel, because it had never dropped a bomb to hurt us. Up in the sky we saw the beautiful airplane, just like a ballerina, dancing against a blue sky. I told my friend to wave at the angel, and then it was gone. The only difference was that this time it left a white spot up in the sky. I thought it was the parachute of an American pilot coming down in enemy territory. Then suddenly there was a very, very powerful yellowish-orange flash-like when you?re taking a picture and you use the flash ? only a hundred thousand times more powerful.”

This is the description of what was known as a secret power of the United States of America. A power that changed the world. I?m going to resume where I left off at the end of this message but I?d like to talk about the secret power of my hero. If you have ever read superhero comic books or seen movies with superheroes you?ve probably noticed that they have this super power that makes them heroes. Superman has his super strength, the ability to fly, and the miraculous “super” things he can do with his eyes and breath. Spiderman has his spider-sense and uncanny ability to climb walls and skyscrapers while wielding his spider web making abilities. Batman has super acrobatic abilities and a super-intelligence that allows his to craft nifty gadgets and devices that help him combat crime and solve baffling cases in mythical Gotham City. And if you know the stories of all these heroes you?ll also know that there is a secret behind the “power” that these heroes have. Superman is an alien from Krypton and gets his superpowers from the lower gravity and yellow sun of earth. Spidey got his power from the bite of a radioactive spider. Batman was birthed in the heart of an orphaned boy who saw his parents murdered and then vowed to avenge his parents death by fighting crime for the rest of his life.I suppose my hero has a “super” power that distinguishes him too, a power that is greater than the atomic bomb, an ability or trait that accomplishes far more than any Superman, Batman, or Spiderman ever could and even more. But the difference with my hero is he wants all of us to know this power and the secret behind His power is available to anyone who chooses it.

Luke 11:1 (NIV)
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

My hero is Prayerman! And his name is Jesus. And the secret of Jesus? power was prayer. This morning for the first message in this series on prayer I think it is important I begin with taking a look at the life of Jesus because as our model there is so much He teaches about prayer. There are so many instances recorded in the gospel accounts that involve Jesus either teaching about prayer or praying Himself. And so I?ll begin this morning by taking a survey of Prayerman?s take on prayer!

JESUS PRAYED TO KEEP HIS PRIORITIES IN HEAVENLY ORDER
Prayerman teaches us that time alone spent with God helps us to keep our priorities straight.

Luke 5:15-16 (NIV)
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Jesus had just healed a leper (v. 13) and the news about Jesus spread throughout the area. People started hearing about this super-guy in the neighborhood and came to hear him and be healed. But notice Jesus? response to this sudden swelling of popularity. He withdrew and prayed.

There are other instances when Jesus withdrew from the crowds to pray alone:

Matthew 14:23 (NIV)
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,(see also Mark 6:46; John 6:14,15)

After feeding more than 5000 people, Jesus immediately dismissed His disciples and the crowd and went to pray alone until evening. The text in John says that the reason He withdrew was because the people wanted to make him king by force.

The people were amazed by this miraculous sign and began to say,

John 6:14 (NIV)
14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

They were in a state of expectation for a long time and were hungry for liberation from their Roman rulers. When they saw and experienced Jesus? miracle ? excitement and ambition overcame them. The people and the disciples were not looking for a suffering Savior, but a conquering King. Here was Jesus? chance to use His power to destroy the Roman yoke and to establish a glorious kingdom on earth. Undoubtedly Satan was repeating his previous temptation to Christ when both met face to face in the desert: “All this I will give you” (Mat. 4:9). Jesus discerned the danger. How was He able to resist such temptation? He could be famous, powerful, rich, and rule the world! He wouldn?t have to suffer criticism, persecution, attacks and death; He would be everyone?s hero! What was His secret?

Mark 6:45-46 (NIV)
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

At this crucial moment, Jesus sought to be alone with His Father for added strength and to seek His Father?s approval, not the peoples?

Matthew 26:36 (NIV)
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

(see also Mark 14:32)

In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed apart from Peter, James and John, HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS. Going a little farther from where his three disciples were, Jesus sought to pour out his heart to His Father. This was not a public prayer; Jesus agonized with a supreme agony that no human being could ever bear or understand. This prayer was to be prayed alone. Besides, His disciples could not understand such a prayer. The words of Jesus, “If it be possible, take this cup from me” were intimate and heartfelt words that only the Father could understand.

Jesus prayed in order to keep his priorities in heavenly order. He prayed to keep his focus on what was his priority on earth. And in doing so Jesus modeled for us that time alone spent with God helps us to keep our priorities straight. Helps us determine what is important, what is more important, and what is most important.

JESUS PRAYED IN ORDER TO PERCEIVE AS GOD PERCEIVES.

Luke 6:12 (NIV)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Jesus spent an entire night praying to God and then the next morning, He chose the twelve disciples. He spent the entire night in prayer because He was about to make one of the most important choices in His entire life and ministry: to choose who would carry on the work that He began here on earth. But look at who He chose! Impetuous Peter; doubting Thomas; The thunderous James and John; Matthew the thief; skeptical Philip. Couldn?t He have made some better choices? Well, looking back through the glasses of time we see that Jesus made the best choices! Why, because he spent time in prayer! He purposely spent the entire night communing with the Father in order to receive guidance.

The prosperity and spread of the Gospel was to depend on these 12 rough men! Choices made in the midst of prayer. Jesus, the Prayerman, teaches that time alone spent with God helps us to see as God sees and not as man sees.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

God sees possibility and victory where we see impossibility and defeat. God sees potential where we see pollution. God sees hope where we see loss. And the only way we can perceive as God perceives is to tap in through prayer. Do you have huge decisions on the horizon? Are there things in life that are puzzling you? Then its time to pray.

JESUS PRAYED IN ORDER TO REMEMBER AND REINFORCE HIS PURPOSE IN LIFE

Mark 1:35 (NIV)
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Jesus was staying at Peter?s house (v29) in Capernaum (vs. 21). It was Saturday night because they left the synagogue to go to his home (vv. 29,32). Verse 33 states that the whole town gathered at the door after sunset. They arrived at night because they did not want to be healed on the Sabbath for fear of the rabbis.

From the homes, the shops, the market places, the inhabitants of the city pressed toward the humble dwelling that sheltered Jesus?Hour after hour they came and went; for none could know whether tomorrow would find the Healer still among them.

Not until the last sufferer had been relieved did Jesus cease His work. It was far into the night when the multitude departed, and silence settled down upon the home of Simon. The long exciting day was past, and Jesus sought rest. (Ellen G. White, “The Desire of Ages” p. 259)

Early in the morning, Jesus “snuck” out of the house while it was still dark to be alone with the Father. When His disciples finally woke up, they didn?t find Jesus in the house. They went looking for him because already the people returned to see Jesus. But Jesus was not satisfied to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonder worker or a healer of physical diseases. He was seeking to draw men to Him as their Savior. His answer to His disciples must have disappointed them: “Let us go somewhere else- to the nearby villages ? so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (v. 38)

Jesus prayed in order to remember and reinforce his purpose in life. In Luke 9: 18 Jesus was praying in private and after His prayer, He asked His disciples who they thought He was. The clear lesson then is that time spent alone with God helps us to know our purpose and mission in life.

CONCLUSION

Do you see the progression here? As you spend time in prayer ? following the example of Jesus Christ ? His priorities become your priorities because you are perceiving things the way God sees them and as a result you?ll understand God?s purpose and mission for your life!

The atomic age began on August 6, 1945. The bomb was nicknamed “Little Boy” and was the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. It was loaded onto Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets? B-29 christened Enola Gay, after his mother.

When bombardier Tom Ferebee pulled the trigger to release “Little Boy” on Monday, August 6, 1945 at 8:15am. It descended in 43 seconds. The Enola Gay and its escorts then banked over the site while crew members took pictures, then prepared to flee, the most dramatic hit-and-run in history. But first Lieutenant Colonel Tibbets turned the B-29 to bring ruined city into view. The image of devastation was stunning. “My God,” wrote co-pilot Robert Lewis, “what have we done?”

When the bomb exploded, it completely destroyed 5 square miles of the city of Hiroshima. But the bomb never made contact. It never hit the ground. It was programmed to detonate 2000 feet above Hiroshima.

An air-detonated nuclear weapon produces energy roughly in the proportion of 50 percent in blast, or shock waves; 35 percent in heat, or thermal radiation; and 15 percent in short-and long-term nuclear radiation. The shock wave, a very high-pressure front, propagates outward at supersonic speed [more than a mile a second]. It?s arrival is experienced as a sudden and shattering blow followed by hurricane-force winds. The thermal radiation generated by a nuclear explosion travels at the speed of light and can burn all combustible materials for miles around. (Excerpted from Compton?s Interactive Encyclopedia CD.)

This was the “Manhattan Project,” the United States? secret power.Jesus had a secret power as well, only it is not really a secret. It has been revealed in the gospels and handed down to us.Jesus found His power in privacy with God. Time spent alone with the Father resulted in power: power to see as God sees, to make the best decisions, to keep His priorities in heavenly order, to please and gain popularity with the Father and not with people, to remember our mission and purpose in life.Jesus, my hero, as our example, PRAYERMAN!

When we spend time alone with Jesus, we receive power from heaven.

The Holy Spirit descends, not in 43 seconds like the bomb, but at the speed of thought. And He doesn?t stay 2000 feet in the air to do His work from above, but penetrates our inner being and detonates in our hearts to do His work from within.

Co-pilot Robert Lewis, on seeing the effects of the world?s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima said, “My God, what have we done?? Those who have been called out of this world by God ? you and me ? can see the effects when we spend time alone with our heavenly Father and with praise declare, “My God, what you have done!”

The A-bomb?s explosion resulted in a shock wave ? a sudden and shattering blow ? travelling at supersonic speeds followed by hurricane force winds and thermal radiation that burns all combustible material for miles around.

As a fruit of time spent alone with Jesus, there is also a “shock wave” : people around us will be shocked by the transformation of our lives.

As a fruit of time spent alone with Jesus, there is also thermal radiation: people around us will feel the heat of God?s love and be warmed by it.

If Jesus, in His humanity, felt it necessary to spend time alone with the Father, how much more should we do so?

Will you? Will you be a person of prayer as Jesus was?

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