January 3, 2016 - Power Of Prayer-Faith

Who sings this song?

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I do want to mention something else before we get moving into our sermon to today and that is tonight at 6. We are having a prayer and praise service. We have this on the first Sunday of every month until I would encourage you to come on out tonight. There is no better way to start a new year that I'm prayer. Am I right it just it relines us. It sets her sights on what is important and tonight. We are as a community going to be praying for the church for our leaders for the community that we live in try to encourage you to please come on out and be a part of that. Last week Pastor started talking on prayer writing this week is our week of prayer was spending all week focusing on prayer. In fact, the kids have just started a new series today called prayer. They are learning about prayer today. We're learning about what is prayer next week. It's going to be why do we pray? So we are spending time apart and Patrick last we talked about the attitude of prayer and he talked about how are attitude can help or can hinder our prayers making them either affect or meaningless in their power? The attitude of prayer that Pastor talked about was humility. We must come to God with a humble attitude. Today we will be talking about the power of Prayer. And make no mistake about it though power of prayer is meaningless. If we don't have the right attitude to go with it. Are verses found in Matthew chapter 6 verse 7. And it goes and when you pray do not Heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do for the think that they will be heard for their many words if humility is equipping ourselves for prayer space is the power behind it. Right, if you military is equipping ourselves for free for prayer faith is the power behind it. It's not enough to Simply have a power tool. If the power tool doesn't have a battery and it's not plugged in it doesn't do you any good in my right now. I'm not big into tools. So I don't know if I got there, but I think that's how it works if you have a power tool and it's not plugged in. It's not any good but doesn't do you any good and that is what prayer is like. We have to plug into the power. Of prayer and the power of prayer is faith. We need to remember that our focus should not be on the length of our prayer. It says when you pray do not Heap up empty phrases as a Gentiles do for they think that they will be heard for their many words Jesus when he's talking here is making it very clear. It is not the length of the prayer that matters and see this was a distinction that was really important to make because as I I know pass you're coming down last week, what would happen is Jews thought that the length of their prayer equated to the power of their prayer. And so they had this idea that as long as they were there standing in prayer and they did it for an excessive amount of time. Their prayer would be successful.

The 18th century Scottish Rabbi Levi said whoever is long in prayer is hurt. Whoever is long and prayer is hurting in other words, if you pray for really long time, you'll get what you want. That's what he saying. If you if you pray whoever is long and prayer is hurt but ecclesiastical s52 says be not rash with your mouth nor let your heart be Hasty to other a word before God for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your Words Be Few. Pastor talked about last week we discussed last week. How what would happen is these men who wanted to appear Godly would take themselves into a public place or public corner or a street corner at The Hour of Prayer 9 noon and three it won't happen. If they find themselves in this place where all these people around and the total prayers going on and I am so holy. I am now going to pray to God.

And they would stand on the street corners and they would pray these excessively long prayers. In fact, it was said cuz I was doing some research that what would happen if these men are often times find themselves right outside the synagogue or the temple right when the our prayers coming their up on the top step just about to enter an Ulta of the print. Okay. I'm going to do it right here. I'm not going to go in and just look at how great I am. And then I'm going to pray longer than anyone else in the area is praying. That's what they would do. And Jesus was condemning these men insane if your prayer is long and overdrawn and drawn out. It doesn't make your prayer any better.

I don't get me wrong consistent quality time and prayer is important for us alone Ians. 517 says pray without ceasing my dad growing up. My dad's a pastor and he had a phrase. I think I've talked about it before he called pray it out whenever he came to a situation in his life. That was tough. He had a tough situation. He had a decision to make there were two pairs going and he needed to know the right one to make or something big happened to family member got sick. Something happen. Dad would do what he called. Pray it out. He would get into his prayer closet just him and God he'd find somewhere alone. Usually for my dad. It was somewhere at church he would go to church when you know, they they didn't have office hours it be quiet dark and maybe turn the light on in just one room. And that was it and he would say if you would pray and my dad would stay there until he got his answer from God. I need to leave.

but was never important and praying it out was the time he was in the closet, but rather who he was in the prayer closet with you see for my dad if you got a chance ER in 5 minutes Hallelujah, if he got it in 5 hours Hallelujah, if he got it in 5 days hallelujah. It didn't matter. He was there until the answer came. You wasn't going to pray for an extra 2 hours just to make it look better.

He was going to pray until the answer came links for length. Shake means nothing. There is no power in praying longer simply so that you can have prayed longer.

Secondly, our focus should not be on the words in our prayer.

We seeing other parts of scripture that what would happen is the people of the day were known for repeating the same thing over and over believing that it brought power. In 1st Kings chapter 18 the Y drop on Mount Carmel the prophets of Baal tried out here are so bad out here at 6 until noon probably 6 hours. Can they thought that by repetition by saying the same things over and over and over and over it brought power with it and Acts 19. We see that the people cried out great is Artemis of the Ephesians 4 2 hours they chanted it. You see in that day Jews were known for piling up every title and adjective they could in a prayer to God. In fact, one famous prayer of the day it started off like this blessed praise and glorify the exalted extolled and honored magnified and loud it be the name of the Holy One. Let's praise and glorify the exalted extolled and honored magnified allowed to be the name of the Holy One. Over and over another pair of the day started off with 16 different adjectives attached to the name of God. Hallelujah. I think God knows what they are. Right, but the thing is is that they believe that if they said certain things and they said it over and over and over and brought power. But there is no power. In the words, there is no power and saying specific things over and over and over again and I see it and we whether we know it or not. We believe it right because sometimes we'll talk to someone and we'll say Hey, you know where it where we have this opportunity. We need someone to pray in public. Can you do it may go? Oh, I'm not any good at praying in public. What is the different than praying in private? I mean the difference is your mouth is open for wanting it probably isn't for the other you think I don't words. I'm going to get God to do anything. We can't convince him of our prayer. Where are words are not where the power of prayer is. Someone says hey, can you pray in public and upset you bet, you know why because the power is it in your words the power is in God.

You see Jesus is making it clear. God cannot be convinced cajoled flattered or deceived into answering prayer. In fact The Message Bible says it like this the world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advise paddling techniques for getting what you want from God.

prayer warriors who are prayer ignorant Paddling techniques for getting what you want from God. You see the power of prayer doesn't come from our words from our eloquent writing. Maybe you're like me sometimes I hear someone praying I go.

That was God. The I didn't know some of those words, but they were man. I've been God's going to answer that one cuz they have got an understanding of English language. Hallelujah right by there sometimes people. Come on. Can you pray for me? I have this problem. I'm like

kill them. Thank you. Junior like alright, I'm going to do this power and I don't know what to pray for. Thankfully Jesus was letting us know that our words during the prayer or not. What's important? You see our Focus needs to be on the one who answers prayer and Matthew 6:8 moving just along that says do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him.

your father How many of us in this room if we were to raise our hands would still say that we rely on our dad to solve our problems and fix our issues.

You should I raise my hand. I do I leave project around my house for when I know my dad is coming because I know I could do them. Yes, but one may not go well into it's going to be like a third less time if we just let him do it. Read and we rely on our dad to fix our problems affect. I was thinking about this about a year ago about the dynamic of when I call my parents when I call my mom and when I call my dad. You see when something exciting in our life happened I call Mom. Right Mom Dad. We just got a job as children crashes ever seen it then we were so excited. Mom. Tell Dad. Okay, super excited. I call my mom and we're excited. But when something happens in our life, and I don't know how to solve it. I call my dad. When Marissa and I were in a position we were asked to step down and I left a meeting with the pastor who dances to step down in tears driving home. I didn't call my mom. I called my dad and I said dad. I don't know what to do.

You see I called him when I need his help to figure out a path to take. I remember a time when Marissa and I were in college and we were we don't have a lot of money, right we were in college and we were looking at an opportunity to possibly make some money. Some friends had had offered us an opportunity and we were thinking about it and praying about it and we just didn't know and I remember I called my dad and I said dad here's where we're at. I don't know what to do. What do you think?

You see God is everything we imagine he should be in a father. Our faith in God leads us to a place of power because we know that we are putting our problems in the hands of the one who can answer. The problems power comes from knowing it's not our responsibility to answer our prayers.

Read it when we bring those big huge issues to God. There's nothing positive we can do about our prayers we can worry about him. We can move we can pop out we can lay in bed all day not wanting to come out and face the reality of the world that were in but we can't solve the problem. God can

And I remember a story about a children's Pastor. She was a missionary overseas in Africa and she had been spending time talking to her children about the power of prayer and she was real big into this idea that kids have every bit as much power in prayer as adult and she had a Healing Ministry with her kid, and it was amazing. They were doing amazing. But what happened was someone in the church on family member passed away and died. And so they called up the children's pastor and said can we have some of your kids come down and pray for our dead family member for life? Okay. Yeah that you know what that is. That's a great step. Yeah, we're going to do it. So she talked to the pastor and he said yeah, you're not stepping on any toes go ahead till she gets a van gets the kid brings them out right there at the funeral home in and they're back there with the body and the kids go and they lay their hands on the casket and they're praying for life. 45 minutes go by and these kids are praying and nothing happens. Are in a moment all the kids are kind of look and they all look up and they all in that moment are dumb pray. They've the spirit has spoken to them and then the director comes in and he says hey, you know, it's it's time we have to move on and inflation. Okay and until she gets the kids in the van and she's driving back to the church to drop them off and she's worried about what to tell these kids. She meant we just spent you know, we had seven or eight kids. We spent 45 minutes praying and no one was raised from the dead. What do I tell these kids? But she discovered something you see the kids knew when they went into it. They had no power to raise this person from the dead. And so when she started talking to them she began to realize that they were not upset about the outcome because they realized they couldn't do it anyways. You see if anyone got raised from the dead. They wouldn't get the credit for it. I would get the credit for it because he's the only one who can raise someone from the dead. I should realize that the kids had a better perspective on it than adults and that they weren't disappointed or upset because no one got raised from the dead because they never had any power to raise him from the dead in the first place. Hebrews 11:6 hasn't without faith. It is impossible to please him for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. without Faith you see I know that I'm guilty of this up sometimes thinking that if my prayer is good enough or long enough, then I can make it so that someone is healed of something. Right hand, man. You don't want if my prayer had just been a little bit better. Maybe that person would have been healed BC. The Bible is clear in those kids understood. It's never about our prayers. It's always about who were praying to.

Our Focus needs to be on the answer to our prayers.

And that can be tough this requires a shift in our mentality of shift in our thoughts on prayer Our Focus needs to be on the answer to prayer not weather will be answer. Me say it again. It will be I'm the answer to prayer not whether it will be answered. Jesus says he knows what you need before you ask him and this. Is where the power of prayer start to show itself? You know, why you pray? Because the answer is already there. You know why we believe because the answer is already there and I'm guilty of this you want an answer to prayer quit praying week prayers that comes with out in case he doesn't answer the way you want him to And I'm guilty of it a year ago. I would someone be like Pastor John. I need Paradise. Okay, heavenly father. I just pray for this issue that's going on, but God if you don't hear If you don't what? The answer is already in the Bible. The Bible already says She and I speak from experience I as I've gotten older I've started to and I'm not saying I'm old people every time I go I'm old people you're not as I've gotten older Riders is I'm sure some of you can attach certain parts of my body have stopped working at optimal efficiency.

I have this problem where I would work my knee I do something and when I stood up it would it would I get sharp pain in it, right? And it's it's obviously a bit of a problem when I have two kids both of who are much shorter than me. So I spend a lot of time on the floor. And I kid you not I was I spent a couple of years praying for this but I always had out. God if it's your will and if you want to do it, you know pray for but if not God, you know, it's it's cool. I understand.

And then last year got started to convict me and he said you don't want to do believe that I'm going to answer your prayer start praying. Should have you believe that I will answer your prayers start praying it. I don't need your help and I don't need your backup plans.

I'm so last summer at camp. We had a night. It was amazing. We put a different things all around the rooms and the kids were there could go to the different stations and get prayer. We had one station on anger. We had a station on family issues. There was a station on healing and try I was at a station and I spend my time with and then the speaker you said hey, you know, what if you're a leader and you won't forget to one of the other stations and I never got a chance. We have too many kids at our spot by the time I was done everyone else had left and then there was no one and as I was leaving the the speaker was there and a couple of other men and I said I said, I want healing Should have had this problem with my needs not a huge. It's not a huge issue, but I believe God will heal cancer as easily as he'll heal the weird tweaks that happened in my name. And so I said and and and in that moment, I I knew God was testing me and I said God right now. I'm going to believe that this will be healed. I gave no backup plans and when they prayed I believe 100% it wasn't God. I think you're going to heal it and you know, I'll be okay. If you don't know it was God there will be healing tonight and I haven't had a single problem with it since

To the focus for our prayer needs to be on the answer to our prayers because the answer is already there Isaiah 65 verse 24 says before they call I will answer while they are yet speaking. I will hear. Before they call I will answer.

See, that's the thing. about God he is a God who transcends time and who solves problems before they've even begun. And when we pray the power of our faith comes in when we believe that we are praying for an answer that is already set in motion.

We'll just have to pray and say God. We hope that now you'll hear our prayer and will solve our problem some point in the future. We pray. Thank God I'm praying now because I know you've already put the answer in place.

And when we start to pray like that our prayer life will change.

Cuz you're no longer praying. Hoping to get God's attention and that what we the problem we have will be deemed worthy enough for him to look down on us. We start praying knowing that what we've prayed is already being fixed. she prayer comes with power, but in order for us to have access to that power we must believe We need to quit believing that somehow or words or the length of our prayers have an impact on the power of God.

3 hour prayer is no more likely to get God to answer it then a 30-minute prayer. or three minute prayer

The formula for answered prayer is simple. We have it right here. Come to God with humility. We learn that last week believe that he will answer. That is a formula to answered prayer. Before I call the prayer team up in the worship team up. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and chill before I call them up. I have a story to tell you that I believe will strengthen your face. The Story Goes that dr. Helen roseveare a missionary to desire told the following story She was a doctor and a mother at our mission died after giving birth to a premature, baby. We had try 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. I'm one of the girls responded and she prayed this 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 some of you already know where this is going the children watched eagerly as we opened it much to their surprise under some clothing was a hot water bottle immediately the girl who prayed show earnestly started to dig deeper exclaiming if God sent that. I'm sure he also sent the doll. And she was right the heavenly father knew in advance of that child sincere request and get this 5 months earlier had let a ladies group to include both of those specific articles. We pray not because we believe God will answer our prayer we pray because he already is.

If I could have the prayer team in the worship team come forward.

Spending a week in prayer. Not that we don't normally spend time in prayer, but they treat we have a special focus on prayer Works telling our people to spend more time in prayer the maybe you normally do take time connecting with God as I said before we know that prayer on a regular and consistent basis is important. We believe in prayer because we've seen the results and we know that God has an answer to our prayer before we even begin.

So today I'm going to invite you on up to come to one of our are people who are here if you are sitting here and you realize that you don't know Jesus.

You should hear you. Can you talk about God like you have a relationship with him, and I'd like to let you know. Yes I do. And if you don't want that the Bible says that if we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts, we will be saved and all it takes is a confession of a 9. You that's you to come on up talk to one of our prayer team members. Nothing pray with you, or maybe you're here today and you're saying pass your job. I don't know that I always believe when I pray.

I don't know that I always believe. Violets like to let you know the answer to that is some more prayer. And so if you want Faith to believe that God will do amazing things that God will answer the prayers that you have. Please come on up and talk to one of our prayer team members. And finally, we know that God is a God who solves our problems and fixes our need the Bible says he is our father and show if you have a need in your life today that you need prayer for I'd ask you to please come forward for that. Otherwise, what I'm going to do is I will pray and then you are welcome to leave you can stay here and please never want to kick you out. If you would like to stay in prayer and quiet time with God. You can do that if you have somewhere to be your welcome to leave as well. No hard feelings. We're glad that you joined us Heavenly Father. We thank you for the power of prayer. And we thank you Lord God that prayers are answered because you answered them and God that we can have faith in our prayer because you have answered the prayers before we've even at But you got a lord God. I pray that you would reveal your power to everyone in here that no one would leave this church not believing that you answer your prayers.

Your name? amen