You either Pray or you become Prey.

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 543 views

Notes

Transcript

When Solomon finished praying, fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. 2 The priests were not able to enter the LORD’s temple because the glory of the LORD filled the temple of the LORD. 3 All the Israelites were watching when the fire descended and the glory of the LORD came on the temple. They bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. They worshiped and praised the LORD:

For he is good,

for his faithful love endures forever

Before we start our journey this morning, there are two words that we must define...

Pray(spelled P-R-A-Y)- means to address a solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity or other object of worship.

Prey(spelled P-R-E-Y)- an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. a person or thing easily injured or taken advantage of.

Two words that sound exactly the same, yet, when viewed through the lens of faith and mortality we find a concerning contrast. I strongly encourage the listeners today, both believers and unbelievers, to choose either of the two wisely....

Today’s message is less of a sermon, and more than a message. It is a decision-based proclaimation plainly titled “You either Pray, or you become Prey”.

Let us begin today by performing the former and exercise all effort to avoid becoming the latter ..

(Prayer)

The role of prayer has evolved over the course of time from early judaism to present day protestantism, yet, the purpose for it has indeed remained intact. Simply put, it is merely a method of communication with the God of the universe and creator of all things.

As we stroll through the text today searching for answers to our questions, I challenge you to ask yourself “what would my prayer life produce if I really believed that the one true God actually considers my petitions of prayer?” Following up with a secondary question of “When I pray, do I really believe that God hears me?” (I mean really believe)

Let us go ahead an address some of the hard questions about why we pray anyway? First, If God knows all things, sees all things, which He does, and we know it to be true, then why is there a need for us to pray anyway? And to make that great question even more robust, why did Jesus Himself routinely do it and stress the importance of it?

For us to properly understand why we pray we must first look at how it came to be. In the most general sense, prayer started out as merely as open dialog between the creator and His creation (the first man & God). Then, as a result of man’s disobedience to what had been communicated, the conversation structure changed from local to long distance, at least figuratively speaking. Now, I know we just got started, but that’s certainly a reason to give God praise. Somebody say, “thank God that He didn’t stop talking to us”

(Maybe its just the way I think but..)

Have you ever wondered, why during the creation event God didn’t just create multiple people all at one time when He created man? I mean, He’s definitely capable, right? When He created the creatures of the seas, birds of the air, wildlife and livestock on the fifth day, scripture records it as being performed pluralistically. (We gotta read our Bible’s family.) This is the part where we start to understand things like just how purposeful and unique our existence is to Him.

My estimation of why He created us singularly was from His desire to create a special bond and intimacy with His image bearer. Prayer, just so happens to be the evolution of our pre-existing mode of communication with the one who spoke us into being.

I know, I know, “brother Sherm, I’m not sure what your bible says but He formed Adam from the dust. He didn’t speak man into existence. Maybe your translation is wrong”. To that I would say good catch, however, thats not entirely accurate because the Godhead did indeed say “let us make man in our image”. (Gen.1:26)

The Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines prayer as meaning to converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal.

There are multiple reasons why I think that this definition is spot on but I just want to highlight one claim in particular. The second part of this definition states that prayer is done “not in contemplation or meditation”. This is so very vital for us to understand in the time that we are living in. There are so many different schools of thought and ideologies attempting to remove the value of direct accountability provided by direct prayer to God. We’re seeing both believers, and non-believers, falling victim to this pseudo spiritualism that allows one to equate talking about God to actually conversing with Him in prayer. We also find ourselves petitioning God in prayer only to rush into a decision before He even responds to the prayer that we just prayed. (Lord please be patient with us as we tend not to be)

Additionally, while meditation on God’s word is indeed of great importance to the christian, it is in no way meant to serve as a supplement for a healthy prayer life! Family & friends, it does us no good to merely ponder on what God is saying and neglect having constant interaction with Him.

(Back to the history of prayer)

The evolution of prayer continued to grow from spontaneous and intimate utterances to Yahweh of praise and acknowledgement, to becoming standardized in the liturgical practices of the Hebrew people of God. Prayer had now become a routine part of our religious belief system. However, we must realize that prayer for us both then and now is not just a religious practice, it is an essential part of our faith. And if we are not doing it, then why are we so quick to tell people things like “God told me” or “God put it in my spirit”. Thats going to be a hard no to the uninitiated. The Apostle put it plainly in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 telling them to “pray without ceasing”. Meaning quite literally do not stop talking to God. Ironically enough, this statement was preceded by Paul’s encouragement for them to “rejoice always.” The irony is found in the fact that most times we find it difficult to rejoice because we usually only pray when experiencing hardships.

Obviously, we don’t ever want to oversimplify, or under mind the complexities involved with the historicity of prayer, but one thing that we do know is that prayer is a requirement for all of us that believe. We don’t have a choice in the matter, whether pastor or parking lot attendant, the same responsibility applies. We also need to stop telling people who don’t really know God to “just pray about it”, that is, unless we are willing to actually articulate to them who they should pray too, and why. Christians should not be presupposing that people in passing understand the expectations of the God of the Bible. The world is doing a really good job of ministering wickedness to those who misunderstand holiness. Its time to wake up beloved, everybody that professes belief in God doesn’t necessarily believe in the finished work of Jesus. The Gospel is not about a generic submittal to religious compliances my dear friends, it is specific, it is based on our submission and compliance to God. (The Gospel is specific!)

So really, what does the Bible say, teach, and demonstrate about prayer? (What’s the big deal about saying words with your eyes closed and such?)

We were blessed on last week to receive a powerful message from our pastor on what happens when we pray. And if its the same to you I would like to spend some time in the same passage today as well. (Somebody say, there’s always meat on the bone for us ministers)

Let’s look at our opening passage from last week 2 Chronicles 7:1

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 7

For he is good,

for his faithful love endures forever

So much to unpack, so many questions. But let’s go ahead an address the elephant in the room with this passage. Just as much as anybody else, at times I can read through the scriptures and just blow by some of the mighty works of God that have been documented. Now, in the words of my lovely wife, “just so were clear”, burnt offerings were whole animal sacrifices that were made during those times. With other types of animal sacrifices only the fat portions were used. However, with Burnt offerings, the offering would be completely consumed by the fire that was prepared on an altar....... and that’s precisely the part we possibly missed in this passage. The word of God said that with this particular burnt offering, it was consumed by fire that came down from Heaven! Not started the usual way but literal fire from Heaven!

Funny enough, in today’s time we can see a 10 second grainy pilot video of what very well could be a nat, and our minds are blown. I’m not saying it can’t be real but when was the last time you really spent time marveling in the magnificent evidences of God? Some of you in here have no idea what that video reference is about but thats probably a good thing…the news will drive you crazy if you let it.

Now, if you are an imaginative person like myself, you can pretty much visualize the reaction of fear on the faces of the Israelites once they witnessed fire from Heaven consume the offering.

“What in the Samuel Jackson just happened”

I could go on and on about things God has done like this that would confound the mind, but right now I’m more concerned about what happened prior to this event. Scripture stated that this happened when “Solomon had finished praying”, how great of a charge is this that is laid at the feet of those of us who follow God? Doesn’t this also somewhat convict us? We love to revel in the results of our own answered personal prayer but tend to tip toe around the devotion it takes to regularly do it. Why is this God’s people? Why do we attempt to push the responsibility of prayer off on the church clergy, as though we ourselves cannot approach God in prayer? Is it because we lack wisdom about what it means to pray? Do we see its significance? or are we electing to become prey for the enemy? To merely talk about Jesus doesn’t mean anything saints, even atheists do that, the question remains is “are you talking to Jesus?”

Say it with me church...”You either pray, or you become prey”

Another interesting thing about this historical moment regarding prayer is the part concerning the sacrifices and offerings provided by Solomon. Now, in light of some of the old testament rituals that seem a bit cringe to us today we cannot, and should not, ignore the glaring lessons in them. There were many different types of offerings and sacrifices that represented certain things. The key here is understanding the seriousness in which Solomon and so many others exemplified in their efforts to comply with what God had allowed to be established. This brings us to another key point where we see that sacrifices and offerings still needed to be coupled with a genuine prayer life. Thankfully, we don’t have to sacrifice animals anymore but we most certainly have to finish praying as our fore-brother Solomon did.

2 Chr. 7:2 almost slipped one by us where is says “The priests were not able to enter the Lord’s temple because the glory of the Lord filled the temple of the Lord.”[CSB]

Why is that a big deal? Well, this is essentially saying that the glory of the Lord was so powerful that the ones that actually had ordained clearance to be in the temple could not enter. God’s power will always put people in their place, irregardless of their position. Always remember that when you allow yourself to be reluctant to serve for a lack of tenure in a church or your status.

In an era where sensationalism is constantly ensnaring many believers I cannot turn a blind eye to the need for stressing sound biblical interpretation. First, while you can indeed feel God’s presence, the presence of God is not a feeling, nor is the Holy Spirit. He in fact, is a person of the one and only triune God…not three persons, but one God in three persons. Second, God is not just love, that is merely one of His attributes and He is the creator of, and greatest demonstrator of it.

If you are being taught falsehoods concerning these things then please discontinue listening to whomever is wrongly teaching it. Remember to “guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.”

Speaking of guarding or protecting… We will protect everything we own and be prepared to choose violence over our possessions. Some examples include: buying phone cases at a 3rd of the cost of our phones, by avoiding certain situations, places, and even people to protect our new shoes, giving people’s kids the side eye when they are playing near our expensive devices or equipment, giving packing instructions to fathers when handling expensive purses. We cannot forget the number one guarded item in our life, not our children, but essentially our cars… Some of us would rather you push our kids to the ground then scratch our ride. Just saying, help us Lord!

But we really do need to put forth greater effort at guarding our heart from the wiles of the world. Prayer definitely helps with this process, for it is in prayer that God highlights the areas of concern, reveals the necessary changes, and equips us to use wisdom.

Back in 2 Chr.7:4-11 the scriptures go on to describe the actions taken after the presence of God showed up in the temple. What I want to do now is look a little further down to verse 12 where we see the Lord respond to Solomon.

Let’s read 2 Chr.7: 12-19

Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him:I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple of sacrifice. 13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 15 My eyes will now be open and my ears attentive to prayer from this place. 16 And I have now chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever; my eyes and my heart will be there at all times.17 As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.19 However, if you turn away and abandon my statutes and my commands that I have set before you and if you go and serve other gods and bow in worship to them, 20 then I will uproot Israel from the soil that I gave them, and this temple that I have sanctified for my name I will banish from my presence; I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. 21 As for this temple, which was exalted, everyone who passes by will be appalled and will say, “Why did the LORD do this to this land and this temple?” 22 Then they will say, Because they abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They clung to other gods and bowed in worship to them and served them. “Because of this, he brought all this ruin on them.”

Well, that got real quick didn’t it?

I love God family. Just like a good father, the only perfect father God gave Solomon blessedness, instruction, favor, and understanding about His expectations for his leadership.

What I really want us to talk about now is probably the most important part of prayer and that is, God actually hearing our prayers. Verse 12 recorded that God told Solomon quote “I have heard your prayer..” Many of us can act like we believe that God hears our prayers but the question remains, do you live like God hears your prayers?

Sadly, whether in our immaturity and/or ignorance of God we sometimes use the following approaches to prayer:

The genie approach- “I really need this thing, so let me summons God up so I can holler at Him about what I need”

The reverse psychology method- “You ain’t gone do it God, but in case you decide to, I know your not though”

The “try this church thing approach” Lord If your real, prove it by making this happen” and I’ll get right. We may not say it out loud when we pray this way but the motive reeks of an ultimatum for God.

And last, but certainly not least, there is the “I’m gonna pray for you” technique. Most of us have unknowingly done this in our own spiritual ignorance. You know how we do, someone angers us, disappoints us, or just down right disrespects us. We aggressively respond with “I’m gonna pray for you”. Let me translate that for us in the freedom of Christ. Our mouth spoke out “pray for you” but our heart said “I hope God punishes you so that you will learn your lesson”. Friends and family I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is equivalent to witchcraft. Even if you actually do pray for that person, are you praying that you don’t bring them harm or are you praying for their eyes to be open to the truth of God? For it is a changed heart that changes the situation. Motive, motive, motive.

As one would imagine, there is no where in scripture that the Bible endorses these methods or styles of prayer.

Along with understanding the need for prayer, we should seek to know about the different types of prayer recorded in the bible and the ones we so often hear about at church?

We said it together a a little while ago, but just to remind ourselves... “you either pray...or you become prey”

So what exactly is intercessory prayer? What does corporate prayer mean? What is the Lord’s prayer, and do I only use that one when praying? While by description, the purpose of these prayers may seem obvious but these are in fact valid questions.

By definition, Intercession is the act of intervening or mediating between differing parties: particularly the act of praying to God on behalf of another person. Intercession is expected of all believers(1 Tim.2:1-3). Intercession for the sick is particularly important (James 5:14)....

You will sometimes hear the saints of God refer to intercession as “standing in the gap” for someone.

Corporate prayer, as you probably perceive it to be, means to pray as a collective. To come together, beckoning the ear of the Lord to consider our agreement of His ability for change or help.

Many times in church when we call for congregants to join together you can almost audibly hear the question of the people say “is this gonna be a long one?” “I sure hope this doesn’t turn this into another sermon” In all honesty, I only know this because in times past that has also been a question of mine.

Corporate prayer is meant to be experienced in more ways then just coming up to the alter on Sunday’s. It should be exercised everywhere, at any time, with likeminded believers and people who want to know God. It would be purely human nature to assume that by having more people praying together this would increase the likelihood of God answering the request. However, while that is not how corporate prayer works it does serve a purpose in glorifying God…and that will always matter more than any of our individual requests.

The Lord’s Prayer…Usually, we memorize the actual prayer that Jesus went on to recite and rest our focus on the prayer itself. But I would argue that the greatest clarity on prayer lies in what He told the disciples prior to the actual prayer.

Turn if you will to Matthew 6:5-8

“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you., 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.

So why are the things that Jesus warned about so detrimental to developing a healthy prayer life?

First, ‘praying to be seen by people’ is obviously prideful, and in some cases religiously obnoxious. Our Lord was cautioning His disciples, as well as us, to remove the selfish motive of showmanship from our prayers.

Secondly, Jesus said that those who pray with this motive “already have their reward”. In other words, that attention you get from people seeing how righteous you appear to be is the only thing you will receive for carrying on like that. Quite literally, you might as well have been talking to yourself. Now that is a much needed judgement call from God if we’re honest with ourselves. If God doesn’t clarify His expectations for us then we will always attempt to get over, manipulate, and scheme our way into blessedness. And even when He gives us clear instructions we still try swindle Him. Its what we do. Which is totally insane to start with, considering that the same people whom claim to know that He’s omnipresent try and pull the wool over His eyes as if He only sees you when you call Him. Its almost like because we don’t physically see God we go on behaving the same way that we did when our parents are out of town. Lord, help us.

Another instruction Christ gave us regarding prayer is for us to pray in private. Why is praying in private important? The main reason is our focus, or lack thereof. We can sugar coat it all we want but most of us simply struggle with focusing on anything of a serious nature, let alone God. There are an abundance of thoughts, emotions, concerns, information, ideas, and questions running through our minds constantly, all jockeying for our mental commitment. Make no mistake about it, they put up a good fight too. Jesus is telling us that the intentionally of our prayers must evident in order to properly connect with the Father. Praying in private affords an individual time to temporarily step away form the chaos of the mind and heart so that the healer and helper can be fully connected.

Sometimes we can’t receive the help we need because we won’t be still long enough for the Lord to speak, or get it off of us. Has anyone ever tried wiping a child’s face or fixing something on their clothes? What should take all of ten seconds turns into a 10-15 minute battle of timing, body contortion and frustration for both parties. So it is with us as children of God. We know that sometimes all God is doing is attempting to give us aid but in our mind its usually a bad time for us to allow Him to do it. “Can’t you see that I’m busy playing Lord?” “I gotta get this money” “I mean I’m grown”

A healthy prayer life or regular dialog with our Heavenly Father helps us to understand why He’s attempting to stop what we’re currently doing. Prayer helps us to turn down the noise of life in our heads and hearts so we will be better prepared for next steps and not expecting the church to micromanage our walk of faith.

Full transparency, my time in prayer is literally the only time that my heart, mind, and soul are simultaneously open for discussion with God. Any other time, and its a mixed bag. Not saying it should be like that, just being honest hoping to help to someone relationally.

Getting back to Matt.6:7 The Lord says “ When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words”

I want to address what I believe is a struggle for many christians, both young and old, who wrestle with praying publically and privately. Being in church around church leaders, deacons, and others that many perceive as being good prayers should not keep you from petitioning God in prayer. Regardless of how much scripture you have memorized, or lack of the religious jargon that people identify as the markings of someone good at praying, this should not hinder you. We see this clearly in the things Jesus teaches about the principles of prayer. Listen, there are no special words to say other than the name of the one who started the conversation.

And in case we have forgotten our understanding for today...

The choice is truly yours “You either pray, or you become Prey”

Here are some early instances of prayer that actually highlight God responding to people’s prayer. Just a couple of the many accounts include...

Gen.25:21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord was receptive to his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.

2 Sam.7:25 Now, Lord God, fulfill the promise forever that you have made to your servant and his house. Do as you have promised, so that your name will be exalted forever, when it is said, “The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your servant David will be established before you since you, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant when you said, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to you. Lord God, you are God; your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now, please bless your servant’s house so that it will continue before you forever. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing your servant’s house will be blessed forever

Now that’s a prayer!

I say that, not because of how believable it sounded, but because the person praying actually knows something’s about who he’s praying too. He recalled God’s promises, He properly identified who God is, he demonstrated an understanding of divine revelation and acknowledged truth. This is just one of the many reasons we need to draw closer to God and learn of Him. Not to just read the Bible but study what is says about the one who provided and inspired it. Praying to God out of a relationship is far more impactful that punching the religious clock or doing the “church thing”. We must not be immature in our approach to prayer responding like “Pastor said we need to be praying so I’m gonna go ahead an do it then”

I’m really hoping that we’re listening because we either do it, or become it. Pray or Prey!

Some time ago, I was speaking to a close family member about belief in God. One of the pushbacks that he gave was about how he felt that since there is so much nuance in man’s religious choice of moral high ground that basically its all debatable and unreliable. Point taken. And while I obviously disagree theologically, his perspective reminded me of a time when I, myself, didn’t know definitively that God not only has spoken absolutely about morality but you can actually converse with Him present-day about it.

A few more moments from the history of a praying people include...

2 Kings 20:5 reads “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.”

Psalms 3:3-4 says “But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill.”

This pleading from the psalmist sets the tone for us here as we move into our contrasting definition of prey. That’s P-R-E-Y in case we missed it earlier.

Life, as complex as it appears to be at times, really does come down to two simple options...“You either Pray, or you become Prey”.

I know, I can literally hear some saying “brother Sherm, we hear you but its no quite that simple” Then I would then respectfully challenge that by asking “well why not?” or “better said, “why can’t it be?”

We defined Prey earlier, but for sake of clarity lets run it back.

Prey - an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. a person or thing easily injured or taken advantage of.

Granted, we are not animals, well, at least not since we finally start following Jesus.

“A person or thing easily injured or taken advantage of”

Before I go any further, let me remind you about someone that is all too familiar with prey.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Psalm 17:12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

So, exactly how can someone choosing to regularly pray avoid becoming prey when the act of prayer is a non-threatening and passive action? Seems to make no sense in a world that is hostile towards the things of God.

What makes us so vulnerable and susceptible to danger in this life? Our answer is literally in the answer of that question, as crazy as that sounds. Now, before you quickly answer thugs, villains, thieves and and other bad people I really want us to think about the common thread in all things dangerous. What if I told you that Adam’s decision to not consult with the Father about something he desired to do created the need for prayer as we know it. Conversing with God has always been at the core of who we are. I really hope you’re hearing me...”You either pray, or you literally become prey” even by the hands of your own decisions.

The way we foolishly attempt to handle God in prayer reminds me of when my uncle Robert would call my bluff as a young man when I would try to run game on him for money or favors. He use to say things like “you only come around and talk to me when you want something”. He was right too, I loved him but I really did a sucky job of showing it when it wasn’t to my benefit. Even though I didn’t heed that straight shooter truth he gave then I most certainly have had the Holy Spirit kindly remind me that I’m prone to do that when praying to God. “You only come to me when you want something” Let’s be better children of God!

Here’s some more real and plain talk concerning prayer for someone who might be struggling with doing it sincerely and consistently. First, just like reading the Bible you are not going to always feel like doing it although you know you need to. We gotta stop letting “mood” be a thing when it comes to our walk with God.

Also, as I mentioned earlier don’t neglect praying because you can’t thank of what to say. We gotta cut that out too. We all talk and text all day long, both young and old without any hesitation with whatever is on our mind…good or bad. Talk to Him, he is your God, your Heavenly Father, not your employer.

Another healthy prayer life habit is taking time to just honor Him and give thanks in prayer without question or request. There are approximately 7 1/2 Billion people on earth and 31% of them are professing christians, just give Him time to be God. Besides, He isn’t confined by time, nor does He owe us anything.

Let’s keep it real, we all want blessings. Even the ungodly that have absolutely no desire of doing right by God call out for blessings in prayer. But while we typically pray predominately for blessings I want to highlight more of how our Lord prayed. Keep in mind that while Jesus was constantly sought after to be killed, he never became prey.

Jesus prays for His disciples

John 17:6–19 CSB

“I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, because I have given them the words you gave me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you. They have believed that you sent me. “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours. Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled. Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Not one time in Jesus’ prayers did he ask for anything that didn’t have anything to do with ministry.

The only advancement He ever prayed for was Kingdom-centered and related.

God didn’t mandate us to use His exact words with prayer but He does want us to use His way of praying.

Benediction

Altar Call

Related Media

Related Sermons