Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

William Carey, (1761-1834), founder of the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792), lifelong missionary to India, and educator whose mission at Shrirampur (Serampore) set the pattern for modern missionary work.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Carey

“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”― William Carey

“We don’t expect much from God, so we don’t ask for much from God.

And, as a result, we don’t receive much from God.” - Dave DeSelm

https://www.davedeselmministries.org/devotionals/expectant-prayer

“If you want to embrace expectant prayer, you’ve got to “devote” yourself to making the ask, be “watchful” for where to focus that ask and be “thankful” in advance that God has heard your ask.” -Dave DeSelm

Why would Jesus say this to Peter?

Because the cursing of the fig tree was a rebuke against the faithless Pharisees.

Folks, as followers of Christ, we never want to be lumped in with the faithless Pharisees.

No, we must be convinced that God desires to hear from us and answer our prayer.

We must be expectant in our prayer

Imagine what God would accomplish through a people who prayed expectantly...

Main Idea: You Must Pray Faith-Filled, Mountain Moving Prayers to God!

How?

Three things to be aware of in order to pray this kind of prayer...

You Must Be A Believer In God (vs.

22)

It’s all about a relationship

God is not a cosmic vending machine.

You don’t put your prayer in and out pops an answer.

What a cold and selfish view of God.

No, you need to be His child for Him to answer you.

on the other hand

God delights in answering the prayers of His children!

Not everyone is a child of God.

How does one become a child of God?

You Must Be His Child In Order To Pray to Him

In order to become a child of God, you need to...

Repent

Believe

Illustration - For 23 years I went to church faithfully and thought I was good with God.

But I was not his child.

It wasn’t until I was confronted with the message of the gospel - that I needed to repent of my sin and trust Jesus Christ as my only hope for salvation from the wrath of God, that I then could be His child.

Argumentation - Does God seemingly never answer your prayers?

Perhaps you should ask yourself if you are indeed a follower of Jesus.

But, if you are in the faith, realize that God LOVES to hear from his faith-filled followers of Jesus.

In fact, being a believer in Christ is the only sure way God will hear from you.

Are you a child of God?

You can and must...

Review - You Must Pray Faith-Filled, Mountain Moving Prayers to God!

You Must Be a Believer in God

2. You Must Pray Boldly and With The Right Motives (vs.

23-24)

So if God is now our Father, who just happens to be the all-powerful God of the Universe and the Creator of all that is - Not just any creator, but the Creator who Creates from NOTHING, I think we can and should go to him and pray AUDACIOUS prayers!

Isn’t this what Jesus is saying in verse 23?

The MacArthur Study Bible (Chapter 11)

Jesus did not literally uproot mountains; in fact, He refused to do such spectacular miracles for the unbelieving Jewish leaders (see note on Matt.

12:38).

Jesus’ point is that if believers sincerely trust in God and truly realize the unlimited power that is available through such faith in Him, they will see His mighty powers at work

Therefore, because believing prayer taps God’s power to accomplish the humanly impossible (cf.

10:27), Jesus exhorted His disciples to believe that they have already received whatever they request in prayer.

Faith accepts it as good as done even though the actual answer is still future.

Do you pray boldly?

I mean I know we are told in Hebrews that we can boldly approach the throne of God’s grace, but do you pray bold prayers.

By the way, it isn’t the boldness of the prayer you pray, it is your confidence in the one you pray it to!

What if Christians if Christians really prayed to God in full confidence in his capacity to answer their prayers in the best way possible?

Notice what Jesus says in verse 23?

“and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.”

No more “Ya but” thoughts

10 Spies - “Ya but....”

Phillip - “Ya but...”

Let ABC NEVER BE “YA-BUT” PEOPLE!

What if we started praying audacious, faith-filled, mountain-moving prayers and believed that God could answer them?

First of all, I don’t think we pray enough as individual or as a church.

We are doing better, but there is much room for improvement.

There is one man in our church who took me up my challenge to spend an hour with God each day.

He said it is changing his life for the way better!

So, we are commanded by Jesus to pray and believe that we have already received it.

A Couple of Reminders

We can only expect God to move according to His nature and will.

“When Jesus says we can ask for anything, we must remember that our asking must be in his name — that is, according to God’s character and will.

God will not grant requests contrary to his nature or his will, and we cannot use his name as a magic formula to fulfill our selfish desires.

If we are sincerely following God and seeking to do his will, then our request will be in line with what he wants, and he will grant them.

That’s it!

As long as we are praying according to the nature and will of God, we can ask whatever we want and we can expect God to move in a way that brings Him the most glory and us the most good!

Illustration - George Meuler

Argumentation - Do you want to see God move in our midst?

Do you think it is God’ will that we pray audaciously that he save our family, friends and community?

Do you think it is God’s will that we pray audaciously that we become a disciple making powerhouse in Allendale, Michigan, and the World?

Do you think it is God’s will that we reach families with the gospel, teach them how to raise their children in the ways of the Lord, and change the culture of our community?

Do you think God want the men in our community to be Husbands that are Godly, loving and kind to their wives?

Do you think God wants wives in our community to be loving, supportive, more concerned about their husband and children than the image they attempt to portray on their social media platform.

Do you think God wants the students in our community to function like Daniel, Joseph, Debrah, and Hannah?

Do you think God wants businesses in Allendale to function with integrity an honor?

You see, I do think God wants this from our community.

How do you suppose this will happen?

It starts with our bold, unashamed, bold, rightly motivated PRAYER!

And that prayer then changes us to be what Jesus calls us...

Application - Would you start to pray bold prayers for yourself, you family, your friends, your neighbors, your work mates, your employees?

But be careful of your motives.

God will not answer positively when we pray selfishly.

Review - You Must Pray Faith-Filled, Mountain Moving Prayers to God!

You Must Be a Believer in God

You Must Pray Boldly and With The Right Motives

There is one more caveat for God to answer your prayer...

3.

You Must Have a Forgiving Heart (vs.

25)

We live in a world where offenses will come.

I submit to you, in this cancel culture that we live in, being offended is a badge of honor.

And yet Jesus says this...

Christians are not to be an offended people.

Brant Hansen, in his book “Unoffendable” says this about the Christian who is perpetually offended.