Prayer Service 10-23-24

A Few Words of encouragement before we pray:

Daniel 2:20–21 (ESV)

20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.

21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings...

Daniel 4:17 (ESV)

17 ...the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Daniel 5:18–21 (ESV)

18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty.

19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled.

20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will.

Prayers for our Nation:

Repentance/the Fear of the LORD!

Integrity in Elections

Cessation of hostilities

Provision of Righteous Leaders

Peaceful Transition of Power

Imprecations against Abortion and the Homosexual Rebellion

Establishment of Actual Justice and Righteousness in the Civil Sphere

Bulletin:

Layce Phillips’ Mother: GI problems

Ongoing Rescue and Rebuilding efforts in WNC

The Family of Louise Orr in their bereavement

Junior Garland: Brain Tumor

Leuna Angell: Dying Grace

Sandra Ritz: Unknown Heart Problems

Andrew and Kids

Expectant Mothers

Case Beasley, Jason and Hope Sanders, Iva Lee, Allen, Annette, Ty, etc.

IV. THE EFFICACIOUS CALL OF THE SPIRIT OR IRRESISTIBLE GRACE

The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended and Documented (IV. The Efficacious Call of the Spirit or Irresistible Grace)

Simply stated, this doctrine asserts that the Holy Spirit never fails to bring to salvation those sinners whom He personally calls to Christ.

He inevitably applies salvation to every sinner whom He intends to save, and it is His intention to save all the elect.

An important qualifier:

The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended and Documented (IV. The Efficacious Call of the Spirit or Irresistible Grace)

The gospel invitation extends a call to salvation to every one who hears its message. It invites all men without distinction to drink freely of the water of life and live. It promises salvation to all who repent and believe.

But:

...Because men are by nature dead in sin and are under its power. They are of themselves unable and unwilling to forsake their evil ways and to turn to Christ for mercy.

Consequently, the unregenerate will not respond to the gospel call to repentance and faith . . . Such an act of faith and submission is contrary to the lost man’s nature.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit, in order to bring God’s elect to salvation, extends to them a special inward call in addition to the outward call contained in the gospel message.

Through this special call the Holy Spirit performs a work of grace within the sinner which inevitably brings him to faith in Christ.

The inward change wrought in the elect sinner enables him to understand and believe spiritual truth…

The Spirit creates within him a new heart or a new nature.

This is accomplished through regeneration or the new birth by which the sinner is made a child of God and is given spiritual life.

His will is renewed through this process so that the sinner spontaneously comes to Christ of his own free choice.

We’ve been studying it categorically:

1.) General statements showing that salvation is the work of the Spirit as well as that of the Father and the Son

2.) Through regeneration or the new birth sinners are given spiritual life and made God’s children.

A: Sinners, through regeneration, are brought into God’s kingdom and are made His children.

B: Through the Spirit’s work the dead sinner is given a new heart (nature) and made to walk in God’s law. In Christ he becomes a new creation.

C: The Holy Spirit raises the sinner from his state of spiritual death and makes him alive.

John 5:21 (ESV)

21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

Ephesians 2:1 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins...

Ephesians 2:5 (ESV)

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Colossians 2:13 (ESV)

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him...

3.) God makes known to His chosen ones the secrets of the kingdom through the inward personal revelation given by the Spirit.

Matthew 11:25–27 (ESV)

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Matthew 13:10–11 (ESV)

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

Matthew 13:16 (ESV)

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

Luke 8:10 (ESV)

10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

Matthew 16:15–17 (ESV)

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

John 6:37 (ESV)

37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:44–45 (ESV)

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—

John 6:64–65 (ESV)

64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians:

Ephesians 1:17–18 (ESV)

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Somewhat implied in:

John 10:3 (ESV)

3 ...The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:16 (ESV)

16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:26–27 (ESV)

26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

4.) Faith and repentance are divine gifts and are wrought in the soul through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 5:31 (ESV)

31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 11:18 (ESV)

18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Acts 13:48 (ESV)

48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

Acts 16:14 (ESV)

14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Acts 18:27 (ESV)

27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Philippians 1:29 (ESV)

29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

2 Timothy 2:25–26 (ESV)

25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

5.) The gospel invitation extends a general outward call to salvation to all who hear the message. In addition to this external call, the Holy Spirit extends a special inward call to the elect only. The general call of the gospel can be, and often is, rejected, but the special call of the Spirit cannot be rejected; it always results in the conversion of those to whom it is made.

Romans 1:5–7 (ESV)

5 ...we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:29–30 (ESV)

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son...

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 9:22–24 (ESV)

22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

1 Corinthians 1:1–2 (ESV)

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus...

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:23–31 (ESV)

23 ...we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God...

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Galatians 1:14–16 (ESV)

14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles...

Ephesians 4:4–6 (ESV)

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

2 Timothy 1:8–9 (ESV)

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

Hebrews 9:15 (ESV)

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance...

Jude 1 (ESV)

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ:

1 Peter 1:14–16 (ESV)

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

1 Peter 2:9–10 (ESV)

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 5:9–10 (ESV)

9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Revelation 17:12–14 (ESV)

12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.

13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.

14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”