Hindered Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last Sunday night when Bro. Rusty preached out of Ps. 66:18, he brought to our attention how God cannot hear our prayers when we regard iniquity in our heart.
So when our prayers are not being answered, it’s logical that we should examine ourselves to see if there is anything in our life not pleasing to God, confess it and accept His forgiveness, so He will hear our prayers.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Tonight as we continue our doctrinal study of prayer, I want to share with you from scripture some things that Hinder Prayer. I want us to look at the marriage relationship.
Text; 1 Pet. 3:7
7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
In this section of Peter’s epistle, he is speaking to the submission of husband and wife in the marriage relationship. He starts with the wife being submissive, even to an unbelieving husband, that her conduct could win him to the Lord. Then he begins to challenge the husband in his role as spiritual leader of the home.
1. Praying Husbands; 7
1. Praying Husbands; 7
The first thing I see in this verse, that it is a given that a christian husband should be praying! You can’t have prayers hindered if you are not praying.
So what kind of prayers should a husband be praying?
Prayers of faith; faithful to God and his wife
4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
[Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38]
1 “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?
18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
Prayers for guidance; wisdom to provide for and lead his family
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 shall direct your paths.
7 The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
Prayers filled with thanksgiving;
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
A praying husband, seeking God’s will, is blessed himself and becomes a blessing to his family!
2. Hindered Prayer; 7a-d
2. Hindered Prayer; 7a-d
Peter explains that a man’s prayer can be hindered by the way he treats his wife in the marriage relationship. When that happens it hurts the whole family since the man is the spiritual leader of the household.
Hindered- to cut off or be hewn down like a tree being chopped down, a roadblock set up/closed off with no detour
Look at the things that can hinder a man’s prayer
Lack of Understanding your spouse; the husbands attitude
We know that God has created man and women different physically, but He also created us different emotionally. And because of that, the christian husband needs to be sensitive of her spiritual, emotional, and physical needs and also learn her feelings, fears, moods and hopes.
To do this we must live with them [dwell/know her]. It means more than just living in the same house, it means to talk with her, listen to her, care for her, and be there for her.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
I have spent the better part of 45 years of marriage failing in this area. I’ve had some bright spots here and there but not like God wants me to have consistently!
Not giving her honor that is due; to place value upon, precious treasure
A godly husband respects and places value on his wife’s feelings, thinking and her desires. We may not always agree with them, but we need to respect them as a precious treasure from the Lord.
That word “honor” is translated “precious” in [1 Pet. 2:4, 6, 7]. It means something of great value like Solomon said a “virtuous woman is worth more than rubies.”
1 Peter 2:4–7 (NKJV)
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
We are to give our wives honor [place value upon them, to see them as precious] in comparison to the honor God gives to His Son, Jesus!
Failing to treat her as a weaker vessel; treat her like a woman
A woman may be a weaker vessel, but she is not an inferior vessel. The weakness Peter talks about here refers to her physical and emotional strength compared to what God has placed in man. A woman is more delicate, generally more emotional and more tender and kind-hearted.
We are to treat our wives like a woman, not like a man.
We are to provide for and protect her.
We are to love and lead them in the way of righteousness.
We are to care for and consider their needs.
We are to know them [intimately, emotionally and spiritually] with tender hands and warm hearts.
The Song of Solomon is a book of enraptured love. In it we see the love that Solomon has for a shepherd girl as he woos her into marriage and loves her. But we also see the picture of Israel as God’s espoused bride and the Church as the bride of Christ. The intimacy that you read in the Song of Solomon is the exact meaning of what Peter is talking about here!
Warren Wiersbe said, “The husband must be the ‘thermostat’ in the home, setting the emotional and spiritual temperature. The wife often is the ‘thermometer,’ letting him know what that temperature is! Both are necessary.
God is not harsh or abusive to us and we should never be that way towards our wife!
Not seeing her as equal in Christ; we are equal heirs in the grace of life
God does not have favorites. A woman is saved just like a man, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ! In the eyes of God the ground is level at the foot of the Cross!
Heirs- synkleronomoi, sin-klayr-ro-no-mos; a co-heir, joint participants in common, one who receives a possession together with another.
Not only is she our wife, she is a sister in Christ. God gives spiritual gifts to women just like he does men. The Holy Spirit fills and guides women in truth just like He does men.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Hudson Taylor [missionary to inland China] said, “A light which doesn’t shine beautifully around the family table is not fit to rush a long ways off to do a great service elsewhere.”
3. Harmonious Household; 8-9
3. Harmonious Household; 8-9
Peter summarizes Godly living in the marriage as a harmonious household, a house being blessed by being a blessing to others.
This type of family is real, not fake. Too many households put up a good front in public, but in the privacy of the home there is chaos and criticism. If there is no harmony in the household, it is impossible to have harmony with God!
Hudson Taylor [missionary to inland China] said, “A light which doesn’t shine beautifully around the family table is not fit to rush a long ways off to do a great service elsewhere.”
Close;
It is so important for husbands to pray. Prayer is the peace and presence of God. Charles Spurgeon said this about prayer.
“The greatest blessing God gives is His presence. If I could choose any of life’s blessings, I certainly would not ask for wealth, because wealth cannot bring freedom from pain, concern or anxiety. I certainly would not ask for popularity, because there is no rest for the world’s leaders.
My choice, my highest honor, would be to have God with me always. When God is with us, there is no difference between Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace and a comfortable bed. It does not matter! We will be happy in either.
If God is with us, if His divine love surrounds us, then we carry our own atmosphere and residence wherever we travel, and we can say with Moses, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place through all generations” [Ps. 90:1]. The individual who can say this is full of heaven, full of God, and blessed beyond measure.”
The peace of God comes through the presence of God in Prayer!
Men, are your prayers being hindered? Love your wives like God loves you!