Winning Through Prayers part 3
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Review of Part 1 and 2
Review of Part 1 and 2
The overview:
In Part 2, we learnt that there are three important element s to prayer:
1. God - who is at the foundation, upon whom and around whom every other things revolves
2. You - the person who is engaging prayer as a tool: of relationship with God, as a tool of fellowship with God, or as a tool of asking and receiving from God for yourself or for the need of others
3. The transaction of your prayer - the reason for which you are praying, what you want God to do for you...
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
psa 139:1
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Before last week: In part 1, we realize that prayer connects you with the divine grace to engage a successful pursuit of your original mandate in God… according to psalm 139:14, ‘no man is born without a divine purpose’ - but it will take diligent prayer to discover the intention of the creator for your life.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
Things to remember from this passage:
You are a thoughtful creation of God
God knows everything about your life
God has written everything regarding your life in his book
Today: Winning through prayers part 3: The secret of power in prayer. This is another way of saying: how does your prayer become a tool that guarantees consistent result?
I am going to share with us today, 4 things around which the secret of power in prayer revolves, that is, power in prayer is tied to these things - these are not all of them, but just to mention few.
1) Your identity - who you are, (2) your location - where are located? (3) your service - what you are doing where you are (4) your knowledge of the will of God.
we will stop at whatever point we are able to cover and pass the rest onto july.
1. Your Identity: who you are. the knowledge of who you are is very important because: Who you are is what determines your access to God and his promises. The bible is clear regarding what your identity should be:
Who you are is what determines your access to God and his promises. The bible is clear regarding what your identity should be:
All the promises of God regarding prayers are made directly or indirectly to the children of the kingdom.
1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
You must be a disciple of Jesus Christ: “one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray” - to be his disciple you must accept his lordship, you need to submit to him as your Lord and saviour. The disciple said to him “Lord”
You must be a child of God: Jesus said, when you pray, say : “Father.” if you compare this with Jesus said, this is how you should pray: “Our father which art in heaven”
you must be a child of God, period.
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
mat 15:
pay attention to the story:
pay attention to the story:
1. What was the identity of the main character of the narrative?: A woman of Canaan - she was not an israelite,
2. how did her identity stood against her? she cried in verse 22 and 23 for mercy, but was ignored,
3. What was the reaction of Jesus to her? Jesus answered her not a word.
4. How did Jesus described her identity? when he would speak, he revealed two clear identities that stood against her:
- you are not among my sheep, so i am not sent to you
- You are not my sheep, therefore you are not one of my child
- Anyone who is not my sheep, anyone who is not my child, is a dog, and I am not sent to you, even though you call I will not answer.
24 Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, 25 because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, 27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
prov 1:24-
27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. 28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
a. I am sent to the lost sheep of israel, the Israelites are sheep, and remember he is their shepherd,
- Jesus called those who deserve answer to their prayers CHILDREN, and called the undeserving DOGS. verse 26.
let me say this, and i want you to write it down:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Salvation through Jesus Christ is the only way by which anyone changes identity. according to the scripture if you have not confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour:
- you are a sinner: For all have sinned and have falling short of the glory of God
- This simply means, until your identity change, you are not a child of God, God is not your father, you can not therefore access him or his promises because they are made exclusively to the children of the Kingdom of God.
listen to this scripture and think about it:
9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.
- you are a sinner - for all have sinned you do not belong to the kingdom of God, so God is not your father you can not access the promises of God, because they are made to child
-
To change your Identity through salvation in Christ is simple:
20 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the Lord.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
act
acts 2:37-
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
- Repentance is a must, acknowledge your sins before God, tell him you are sorry and ask him to forgive your sins
- conversion must follow: determine to follow Jesus all the days of your life
- believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, that Jesus Christ is your Lord and saviour.
if you have not confess Jesus as your lord and Saviour before now, Please rise to your feet if you will like to do so in this service: i will lead you in a simple prayer and we will continue in the service
Dear Lord, I am sorry for all my sins please forgive me, I accept you into my heart from today as my love and saviour. thank you for answering my prayer. amen.
From the moment we make that confession, our identities have changed, we have become a new creature we have become a child of God
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The first secret of power in prayer is who you are, because it determines your access to God and his promises.
Another secret of power in prayer is:
2. Your Location: where are you located? this is a question of where are you?
God was the first person to ask this question in the garden of eden: in genesis we were told that, God placed man that he has created in his own image, into the garden that was created to supply all his needs, both for fellowship with God and material needs. But, sin came into the heart of man, sin corrupted man and much more forced him into obscurity in the garden and then he was forced out - Adam and eve were still in the garden, but they were no longer visible in Gods provision - sin is the enemy, it is the only thing in the world that can force you out of Gods radder of providence.
The reality that Adam and eve knew in the garden was different from what they had to contend with outside the garden: This explanation will help us discover how important your location is, in determining what you have access to in God.
The reality in the garden:
gen 1:29
29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.
gen 2:18
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
when you are located in God’s garden, you always receives from the provision of God: God gives and Adam receives as long as he was in the garden...”
“And God said, behold I have given you...”
“Then the Lord said, I will make him a helper fit for him”
“..And God brought her to the man”
There is a different reality outside the garden:
gen 3:
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
gen 3:23
God sent them out of the place created for them, and from that time forward, they no longer have the access to the ground that was fertile, they no longer have access to the visible glory of God as he was always with them every evening to fellowship with them, they lost access to God’s kind of fruitfulness without labour. they lost access to long life…. they did not just lost there divine location, they were relocated into a different territory with different kind of reality: : the new territory promised fruitfulness through pain and labour, childbearing through intense unbearable pain, the first pronouncement of enmity, came as a result of their new location into the territory where the devil have access to rule… when your location is not in God, you dont have continuous access to the resource of eden, which is the promise of God to those who remain in him…. jesus said: remain in me: john 15:5-8
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Pay attention to this story:
1. He drove them out to work the ground
2. The ground is cursed to bring forth thorns and thistles
3. Outside the garden pain is multiplied at child birth for a woman, marriage becomes a burden instead of a blessing
4. By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread all the days of your life.
Did you notice the contrast?
- in the garden all things were made ready, outside the garden nothing is ready
- in the garden they receives from God’s provision, God was the one thinking for man, before the need arise, God made provision for it and simply presented it to man, but outside the garden, man laboured for everything, nothing is received, everything is gotten through pain and hard labour.
- in the garden, they were operating under God’s blessing but outside the garden, they were under curse
- in the garden they have access to God, they weren’t looking for God, he was always coming to them everyday in the evening in the garden to have fellowship with them, but outside the garden, they no longer have access to God, fellowship and communion was lost
Did you notice that “where you are located is what determines what you will have access to” where you are located is what determines whether you will have access to God or not … and you need him, because he is the first element in prayer “the God that hears and answers prayers”
I want you to recall that in the story of mat 15:22, the woman was identified by her location
22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
- her location placed a restriction on what she was able to access:
- Jesus also identified those who will access the provision of God by location: I am sent to the lost sheep of israel
if you are not located in the garden of God, you will not be able to receive of his provision... without becoming positioned in his garden, you do not belong to the kingdom of his son, therefore you are not entitled to receive answer to your prayers.
I said earliear that the only way to change identity is through salvation in Jesus Christ - accept him as your Lord and saviour.
Now, The only way to change position is also through salvation in christ. Your new location will now be “in Christ” your new address will become “no 2Cor517, holiness street, vine branch avenue, in Christ: You will become planted into him as a fruitful branch, you are now positioned to receives from the vine - he supplies all you need “according to his riches in glory”. Just like in Eden, Adam was positioned to receive from God’s provision by virtue of his positioning in the garden.
says “in him we live, in him we move, in him we have our being..”
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Jesus made some simple but profound statements in the book of John chapter 15
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
I want you to allow the life of Jesus in this text to mirror the garden of God in Eden: listen to his voice saying:
- Abide in me: this tells us where to dwell, where to be positioned for divine approval: “In Christ”
- Branch can not bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me… this reveals to us how we should abide. We should abide in him like a branch, always with him, never operating outside of him
- whosoever abides in me and i in him, he it is that bears much fruit. this made it clear to all of us, the benefit of our positioning in him, we will bear fruit
- if anyone abides not in me, he is thrown away like a branch and it withers.. we have the clear consequence of not abiding in him, you will face the new reality of living outside the garden of eden - you will wither, and die spiritually and latter physically and then the second death in everlasting fire. He said, without me you can do nothing.
- if you abide in me and my word abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given unto you. This statement handed over to us the key to abiding in christ: “abide in the word of God - read the word and practice the word”
- This statement also help us summarize the importance of your location: if you abide in me and my word abide in you, that is when you can ask anything that you want and it shall be granted”
God sent them out of the place created for them, and from that time forward, they no longer have the access to the ground that was fertile, they no longer have access to the visible glory of God, They no longer have access to fellowship; they lost access to God’s kind of fruitfulness without labour. and they lost access to long life….
7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
7 But if you stay in me and obey my commands, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!
they were relocated into a different territory with different kind of reality: : the new territory promised fruitfulness through pain and labour, childbearing through intense unbearable pain, the first pronouncement of enmity, came as a result of their new location into the territory where the devil have access to rule… when your location is not in God, you dont have continuous access to the resource of eden, which is the promise of God to those who remain in him…. jesus said: remain in me: john 15:5-8
john
- your prayers are answered because you are in christ. if you are not in christ, you prayers are not going to be answered…
I will stop here today:
your identity determines whether you will have access to God in your prayers or not.
your location determine the resources in God that you will gain access to in God.