Praying Prayers God Answers (Heb 4:16, Selected)
Today we begin w/ a Scripture most know well… “Let us then w/ confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy & find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).
We like the idea of talking to God… Him hearing & answering us. Yet there’ve been times the “mercy & grace” God gave us weren’t what we asked for. Been there? Then there’ve been times WHAT we asked God for WASN’T what He gave. Been there? We want the request & answer to be the same!
Let’s be honest: We want to pray & God grant our request! Right? We can…
U’standing prayer’s purpose is important. It’s only effective when used for the reason God gave it. (P) Prayers properly prayed… i.e. for the right reason… God will answer. (Listen) 1 Jn 5:14-15…
And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anythingaccording to His will He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.
Ja 4:2 You do not have, b/c you do not ask. 3 You ask & do not receive, b/c you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Two thoughts. 1st, did you notice in 1 Jn it is when we ask “according to His will” that He hears & we receive? 2nd, did you notice in Ja when we ask & do not receive it is b/c we are praying selfishly?
Let’s examine some texts in Jn for the balance of our time to help us pray according to God’s will which means to ask properly… which will be prayers God answers. Turn to Jn 14:13…
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Jn 15:7 If you abide in me, & my words abide in you, askwhatever you wish, & it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit & so prove to be my disciples.
Jn 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you & appointed you that you should go & bear fruit & that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.
Let’s take these passages & discern a few things about prayer. In Jn 14:13Jesus doing “whatever we ask” is cemented to “God’s glory.” If our request don’t glorify God, it won’t be considered a properly requested prayer! And therefore has no merit to God!
When we pray, God’s glory MUST be #1! This is affirmed in Jn 15:8 & Ja 4:3. Truth is, many of our prayer requests are not about God’s glory first!They are about easing OUR pain… getting what WE want so that WE are happy. We must seek God’s glory, will, plan, & kingdom as FIRST in our heart as we pray. Those are the prayers God answers!
We pray about getting a job so we don’t lose our stuff. We pray for healing b/c we don’t want our loved ones to die. We pray about our kid’s marriage b/c we want them to be happy. We pray about our marriages b/c we don’t want to live alone. (Pause) Valid requests… but what about…
Praying for a job to give more to God’s kingdom & bless the poor? Praying for healing so that the God who heals is honored? Praying for our kid’s marriageso that they will have Godly offspring?[i] Praying for our own marriages so that they reflect the r’ship btwn Christ & the Church?[ii] (P) Do you see the difference? Same prayer… different motivation! That is worth meditating on…
In Jn 15:8, 16 God is glorified in relation to fruit! Prayers are properly motivated when the motivation is God’s glory… & God is glorified when we bear MUCH fruit.
We know that fruit is Kingdom oriented. The fruit that is born when prayers are properly prayed… which glorifies God… are found in Gal 5:22-24…
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Notice that Paul writes “the fruit of the Spirit is…” Not “the fruitS of the Spiritare.” The fruit of the Spirit is a single package… not multiple things. The believer will grow in ALL of these!
It’s interesting that those w/ the fruit of the Spirit have crucified (killed) their passions! They’ve given up being the center of the universe in favor of GOD’S glory! Which fits w/ our study on prayer! When we surrender our will & desire to GOD’S will & glory we pray prayers He answers!
Praying to bear fruit that glorifies God sounds different from prayers that are “spent on our passions.” Instead of praying for earthly things, our prayers are Kingdom requests that glorify God.
Our requests start sounding more & more like this: “Your kingdom come…thru me, where I work.” “Make me more loving… gracious… patient… merciful… more like your son.” “God let me live so that I may tell the next generation about You!” “Make my children godly that they may raise godly children!” “God, do in me & my family whatever will glorify You the most!”
When you read the prayers in Scripture, they are filled w/ requests for God to be made great among the nations… as Jesus prayed in Jn 12:28, “Glorify Your name!” The more our prayers are GOD centered… the less they’re centered on ourselves… the more often God will answer!
Prayer is like a war time walkie-talkie for air support during battle.[iii] It isn’t intended to be a peacetime intercom for getting coffee. When prayer is misused, it malfunctions. Think w/ me.
Let’s say a general receives a request from a platoon that is surrounded by the enemy & needs an A-10 Warthog to strafe immediately or they’ll die. At the same time his assistant requests 3 days R & R. Which will the general give his attention & resources to? Are we requesting R&R or deliverance?
It used to be we prayed kingdom prayers. Requests were for God to save people… for youth to be called into ministry… for families to be healed of spiritual malaise… missionaries to be bold… for the pastor to preach the Word faithfully. Is that the way we pray today?
When it comes to prayer requests, we are more likely to hear about physical illnesses. Sometimes requests for healing are the only ones made. Is it b/c we have drifted away from “Thy Kingdom come… THY will be done on earth as in heaven?” Could it be we no longer use prayer the way God intended it? We will only pray about those things we believe require GOD to act or it won’t happen…
I suggest there is the distinct possibility we’re out of the battle. We’re living lives that don’t require faith… they don’t require GOD to act or intervene… we’ve ceased to pray kingdom type prayers. We’re living “safe” lives & therefore rarely see God move in power, in answer to prayer! PAUSE
Prayer isn’t for OUR ease & comfort… it’s an implement of war! Eph 6:10-18,especially vs 18! Pillows aren’t for battle nor bazookas for recreation… they weren’t made for those things. Likewise, if we use prayer for what it wasn’t intended we shouldn’t expect it to function as though it was.
When we’re in battle, we want air support. When we’re at war against evil, we KNOW we can’t defeat them alone & NEED God to act. It is then that prayers is used as God intended it. It is then our prayers are answered! (Pause) One more thing from John 15:8-9, 11…
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit & so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my JOY may be in you, and that your JOY may be full.
Praying to bear fruit for God’s glory has a wonderful benefit… fullness of JOY! We aren’t joyful b/c we focus on ourselves. If we will laser in on glorifying God by praying God glorifying prayers that are aimed at bearing Kingdom fruit, JESUS’ joy is in us to overflowing! Listen!! We’re trying to become happy by doing the wrong things… praying the wrong prayers… & we’re missing the point!
Think about your prayer life. Do you NEED to pray… OR is prayer optional & thus empty? When you pray is there a sense of urgency b/c unless GOD acts all is lost… OR is prayer boring b/c what you’re praying about doesn’t require God to intervene?
CCL. We may need to repent b/c we’ve taken ourselves out of the battle. Maybe we need to be put in a place of desperation SO THAT we will pray properly! (Pause) Maybe we need to pray for God to revive us so that we areKingdom minded and Heavenly focused in our prayers…
Appendix
What “Anything” and “Whatever” Mean In 1 John 5:14-15
Jesus was serious when he said that he will grant anything Christians ask through prayer. He meant it when he said whatever is asked will be granted. The problem is not in what he said, but how most people hear it.
For some, anything and whatever means: Looking for a parking place… winning a ball game… getting a preferred hair appointment time… or other seemingly frivolous things. Others go extreme by asking God to: Destroy their enemies… wipe out a whole race of people… remove someone so they can get their job. After all (In their mind), anything means ANYTHING andwhatever means WHATEVER. They are just taking Jesus at His word.
As the study/message above contains… but is not developed due to time… Jesus did mean what he said, but at the same time He defines how anythingand whatever are to be understood. Without grasping Jesus’ definition, what He said is taken wildly out of context.
The defining context is glorifying God by bearing fruit. If God is glorified by finding a parking place or winning a ball game or getting a preferred hair appointment, then the request is granted. At the same time if the reason those things are asked of God for are nothing more than personal/selfish reasons, then they don’t meet the test for God to strategically intervene.
The same is true for the other class of requests… destroying individuals or races… if to do so would bring God glory (As when David fought the Philistines or The Promised Land was being inhabited or the Martyrs in requesting God to avenge their blood in Revelation), then the request will be granted. However, if the same prayer is prayed because a person is desiring revenge or selfishly wants to further their career with no regard for God’s glory, they are not in God’s will and therefore would be rejected.
As suggested in the message text, it all boils down to the motivation of the person’s heart who is making the request. Therefore, from my perspective, since I know my heart is deceitful and my requests are prone to being selfish… I WANT God to reject every prayer I pray that is not consistent with His will. I WANT God to say no when my motivation is not for His glory when I ask things of Him. I am thankful that the Holy Spirit prays for me according to God’s will because I DON’T know how to pray properly.
NEXT MESSAGE
The Gospel: Knowing God’s Love (Genesis 15, Romans 8)
Write down these words: Love Is Action. Does a person love you? You’ll know by their actions. Words are okay for a while… but w/out action… words are empty.
Young ladies… I don’t care what boys tell you… evaluate how they treat youcompared to their words (Respect, honor). If your employer cares for (loves) you, you’ll know by their actions. You know of an employee’s devotion to a company… by their actions! (P)
“Actions speak louder than words” for all of us. And THAT is the basis for how many decide if they believe God loves them. Let me say that again… people decide if they think God loves them based on experiences they attribute to God. For instance…
People say things like: “The godliest person I’ve ever knew was my G’mom & a loving God wouldn’t have let her suffer w/ cancer.” Or, “You don’t know what my home life was like! God could’ve prevented the abuse, & didn’t. I won’t serve a God like that!” Etc…
What happens TO us (Life events) is not PROOF of God’s love NOR displeasure w/ us!
In Scripture a man wanted to KNOW for SURE that God loved him. He wanted proof. The man was Abram. In Gen 13:14-18 God promised that He would bless Abe w/ many children. (P) In that day children were viewed as THE supreme proof of God’s blessing… acceptance… & love!
So from that time Abe discerned God’s love by having a male child. For Abe, that was THE proof that God loved him. (P) My guess is that after Abe heard God’s promise… he was expecting to be expecting right away! But it didn’t happen… so Abe began to wonder. (Aside: 25 years before fulfilled)
God’s Promise To Abram (Gen 15:1-6). I love v 1! I’m striving to makeGen 15:1 the anchor of my life… “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
We are not to live in the fear of the moment, but the promises of God! We need to know that GOD HIMSELF is our reward! HE is all we need! If we have everything… W/OUT GOD… then that is best described as HELL. “Christ…who is your life…” (Col 3:4). Remember Mt 6:33?
But Abe wasn’t there yet. Vs 2, “BUT…” Abe still equated God’s love w/ something given that HE wanted… namely a child. Abe was afraid of a nephew being his heir. God tells Abe to go outside & look into the stars… if he could count them, he could count HIS children! A promised blessing.
Then 15:6, “He believed the Lord & (God) counted it to him as righteousness.” Point! Faith is not faith when we believe what we see. Faith is when we believe GOD for what we do not see! Faith is real when we trust GOD… regardless of what we see (Pr 3:5!).
THIS kind of faith… faith in God & His Word & Promises… is saving faith…
God’s Reminder to Abram (15:7-16). What God told Abe to do in 7-11wasn’t unusual. Abe knew God was getting ready to make an agreement… a legally binding contract… what was called then, “Cutting a covenant.” Abe knew what to do w/ the animals… & did it.
When an agreement made btwn two parties, each of them would walk between the pieces of the animals… signifying that if they broke the agreement, they would become as the animals were. In this case… killed, destroyed, cut off. This was much more binding than our written contracts today.
(Vv 12-16). Now that everything was in place for the covenant, God reminds Abe of what HIS (God’s) part of the agreement would be. God said “Know for certain.” In other words, what I tell you WILL happen… what I (!) will do. The particulars were…
“Your offspring…” Abe, you will have children… MANY children! They will live in a land that is not theirs for 400 years (Egyptian bondage & captivity). Then God will judge that nation (Egypt) & deliver your children (Moses & the Exodus). “As for you…” Abe would live a long, good, & fruitful life. He’d die… then be buried in the land promised to him. (P) Now comes the OT Gospel picture…
God Demonstrates His Promise to Abram (15:17-18). Remember thatBOTH parties walk btwn the animals? Look at the text! The smoking fire pot & flaming torch passed thru the animals. These are previews of God’s presence when leading Israel out of Egypt. During the Exodus… in daytime they were led by a pillar of smoke, & at night a pillar of fire.
GOD (!) passes thru the divided animals. GOD is saying… “If I don’t keep my part of the deal, I will become like these animals. I’ll die.” (P) That in & of its self is AMAZING! GOD submits to death? But really… GOD DIE? At this point alone Abe must have been AMAZED!
Now you’d expect Abe to pass thru the animals to affirm if he failed HE would also become like the animals. But that doesn’t happen! Get what happens next… it is AMAZING!!!
God passes thru the animals TWICE. Once as smoke… once as fire. Why?God is saying, “Abe, if I fail… I’ll die. AND… if you fail… I (!) will die IN YOUR PLACE!” (P)
This HAD to have shocked Abe! In cutting a covenant, GOD promises that His promise to bless the world thru Abe WILL take place. Then GOD will take the penalty if Abe fails! That is why in v 18 the covenant is ratified w/out Abe passing between the pieces!
Centuries later this came true… outside Jerusalem… on a cross. Jesus… God Himself… took on the penalty for man’s failure SO THAT God would keep the eternal covenant made w/ Abram… the father of those who have faith. On the cross, Jesus (God) walked thru the animals cut in half that were before Abe thousands of years before!
The covenant is based on two things: 1) God’s sacrifice, 2) Our believing. The only way anyone is saved is when they believe that Jesus (God Himself) died IN THEIR PLACE to satisfy God’s wrath toward them for their sin of unbelief! Gen 15 is the OT prediction of Jesus’ death… the Gospel!
Thus Gen 15 is one of the most beautiful passages in all the Scripture. It was given to Abram BEFORE the Passover… BEFORE the Exodus… BEFORE the Ten Commandments! It was foretold in Gen 3:16 to Satan in the serpent (“He will bruise your heal & he will crush your head”).
God’s Promise Confirmed (Rom 8:31-32, 34-35, 37-39). What did we say love was when we began… how did we define it? We said, “Love is ACTION.”When you want to know if someone loves you, you compare their actions to their words. Words are meaningless UNLES they are supported by actions. Jesus said in Jn 3:16… “For God so loved the world.” Now listen to vv fromRo 8…
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also w/ him graciously give us all things? 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died… more than that, who was raised… who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors thru him who lovedus. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, angels nor rulers, things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When you wonder IF God loves you… LOOK AT THE CROSS! Look at v 32!Since love is action… the only conclusion we can come to is that God loves us supremely! He took the penalty for our sin, failure, & mistake. He promised to Abe he would… & He did it on the cross. THE definition of God’s love for you is NOT what happens to you in this life, but what Jesus did on the cross to secure your eternal salvation. THAT is love! THAT is more important than ANYTHING else!!
The Result For All Who’ve Believed (Philippians 1:27). B/c of Jesus… his great love… our response WILL be to reflect the Gospel (God’s love… Jesus’ love) to all people. Let me say it first, then let’s say it together. “Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ!”
What kind of Gospel are YOU reflecting to the world? When life is hard or good… on dates or in marriage… at school or your career? Are you living a Gospel Transformed Life??
What kind of Gospel does FBC-Florence show this community? When people observe the members of FBCF… what do they conclude about the Gospel?Do they u’stand it is all about mercy, grace, forgiveness, love, & compassion? Or do they observe something else…
