Prayer - In The Beginning

When Did It Start?

Genesis 4:26 NKJV

And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

History - First Societies

Two Nations

Cain - The “city builder”

Gen 4:16 “Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.”

Gen 4:20 “And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.”

Gen 4:21 “His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.”

Gen 4:22 “And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.”

Lamech - Tubal-Cain had devised the first weapons of brass and iron and that Lamech had proudly demonstrated them to his wives. The Hebrew verbs can be translated in the future tense: “I will slay anyone who wounds me and will not need God’s protection, for with these weapons I can avenge myself seventy-seven fold!” Seen in this light, it is the first expression of arrogant defiance and warfare in the Bible.Mt 24:37 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Reject Divine Revelation for own resources - They were known as city builders, craftsman, “Smiths”

Seth - “appointed”

To be the one to carry forth the seed of promise - The Messianic line Gen 3:15

A Time

After heartache, sin, rejection, death

A Start

Renewed Effort - They began

They knew God

But they started anew

A People

Called to Call - devoted

2 Chr 7:14 “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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

To Call

To Worship, Pray and Praise (to recognize the Almighty) public worship

To Proclaim His Name (to declare to the world)

To Be Called (naming themselves after God’s name - possession)

To Approach God

On The Name

Theological

Character, Nature

All that He Is and Does

The Names of God - Many

Abraham Gen 12:8 “And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”

Isaac Gen 26:25 “So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.”

The LORD

YHWH

Was This a Return?

In Context

Adam and Eve knew perfection. They knew how far they had fallen - knew the consequences of sin - knew walking with God

They knew the depth of sin - the promise - and redemption

Hebrews 11:4 NKJV

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.

Satan tries to stop the sacrificial system

240 years later we have the start of two families

Cain - who built a city, a world system and started to make a name for himself

Seth - through whom the promise would come - Enosh (mortal frailty}

Haggai 1:4 ““Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?””

A Problem

In the garden man walked with God, talked with God. What is recorded is that man answered questions. God wanted a more intimate relationship.

Enter sin - add guilt to this relationship and you get “distance”

Finding Mercy in a broken relationship

Finding Grace to approach

God’s provision is sacrifice

Adam and Eve were driven out and needed to find a way back. Needed to find access to throne, Enter the Finished Work Heb 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

First Offering for Adam and Eve - a sacrifice that needed to be accepted by grace through faith. Gen 3:21 “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.”

Hos 6:6 “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”

Mt 9:13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.””

Mt 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

ACCESS

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

There was a time when we were like Adam and Eve - We’ve done too much!

God doesn’t love us, can’t accept us, we’re 2nd class

We have been driven out of fellowship, out of church, out of our family, out of a relationship

We need to find a way back. Prayer = relationship

Hos 6:6 “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”