TRANSFORMERS 3
Transforming Prayer Part 1
ILL: Flight 93 Video Clip– Lord’s Prayer… Most people wait until death is near, the marriage is in failing, the kids are in trouble, money is low etc. before praying. God will certainly hear our prayers of distress but why wait till destruction to pray?
ABRAHAM & ISSAC PRAYED:
and their barren wives bore a child
JACOB PRAYED:
And God changed his brothers heart so he did not kill Jacob
MOSES PRAYED:
God sent plagues on Egypt … And God removed the Plagues
And God did not destroy Israel… Waters parted…
Food fell from heaven… Water flowed out of rock
The entire Egyptian Army was destroyed
SAMSON PRAYED:
He killed more philistines blind than when he had his sight
HANNAH PRAYED:
And God gave her a son
ELIJAH PRAYED:
It did not rain for three and a half years …it rained again
Fire fell from heaven and consumed a wet altar
ELISHA PRAYED:
His enemies were struck with blindness
His servant’s eyes were opened to see the hills full of God’s army
An axe floated to the surface of water
A dead boy was raised back to life
JEHOSOPHAT PRAYED:
And his enemies were defeated with a song of praise!
HEZEKIAH PRAYED:
God added 15 years to his life
NEHEMIAH PRAYED:
And the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt w/o proper resources
ISAIAH PRAYED:
And he saw the Lord
DANIEL PRAYED:
And survived in a lions den unharmed
SHADRACH MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO PRAYED:
And the hottest furnace in the world could not singe their clothes
JABEZ PRAYED:
And God healed him and increased his wealth and influence
JONAH PRAYED:
And the fish spit him out on dry ground
PETER AND PAUL PRAYED:
The Holy Spirit was poured out
Tens of thousands came to confessed Jesus as Lord
The dead were raised, The sick were healed
THE CHURCH PRAYED:
Tongues of fire fell from heaven
Peter was released by an angel from Jail
The earth shook
JESUS PRAYED:
And was able to endure the crucifixion and the cross
The lame walked… The dumb talked… The Blind saw
Storms halted… Demons left…. Sickness fled
Water turned into wine…. And the dead lived again
1. PRAISING PRAYERS
a. PROSEUCHE – Prayer of Worship
Mark 9:29
He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
Matthew 21:13
"It is written," he said to them, "’My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ’den of robbers.’"
Matthew 21:22
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
i. ASK while worshipping!
Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Acts 10:4
Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
ii. These are the UNSELFISH prayers
iii. Remember Jehosophat … PRAISE won the Battle without fighting
Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
iv. Pray in… Different word (I will cover that one later) with all kinds of PRAYERS (worship prayers) and request
b. EUCHARISTEO: to be thankful, to express gratitude
1 Thessalonians 1:2
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.
ILL: WALKING ACROSS EGYPT: Thankful
c. EUCHARISTIA: with gratitude
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
2. PLEADING PRAYERS
a. Dictionary.com – in Law – to address a court as an advocate
i. This continues in the “UNSELFISH” praying of the praising prayers…so that your prayers are not self centered but others centered
b. Enteuxis: intercede/offer up a petition for another
1 Timothy 2:1
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Ephesians 5:19 & 20
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
i. We tend to worship just for ourselves… So WE can feel close to God, know God more, be healed, filled with the Spirit etc. But these verses said SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER through your songs of worship
Watchman Nee (who a multitude to Christ and planted most of the churches in China in the early 20th Century) described a preaching mission to an island off the South China coast. The ministering group included a sixteen-year-old new convert whom he called Brother Wu. Nee discovered converting very difficult was because of the dedication of the people there to an idol they called Ta-wang. They were convinced of his power because on the day of his festival and parade each year the weather was always near perfect.
While he was preaching there was an outburst of cries from the crowd: "That is enough! We don’t want to hear any more preaching. If there is rain on the 11th, then your God is God!"
On January 11th, the chosen day of the festival Nee & his ministry team gathered for prayer there was not a cloud in the sky, but during grace for breakfast, sprinkles began to fall and these were followed by heavy rain. Worshipers of the idol Ta-wang were so upset that they placed it in a sedan chair and carried it outdoors, hoping this would stop the rain. Then the rain increased. After only a short distance, the carriers of the idol stumbled and fell, dropping the idol and fracturing its jaw and left arm.
A number of young people turned to Christ as a result of the rain coming in answer to prayer, but the elders of the village made divination and said that the wrong day had been chosen.
Nee and his converts prayed again on the 14th and a torrential rain fell and The power of the idol over the islanders was broken; the enemy was defeated. Believing prayer had brought a great victory. Conversions followed. And the impact upon the servants of God who had witnessed His power would continue to enrich their Christian service from that time on.
3. PETITIONING PRAYERS
a. Aitema: A thing asked for, request (can mean require as is the case in Lk 23:24)
1 John 5:15
And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.
i. KJV says “we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Chronicles 4:9
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."
1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
b. We must break off the religious stronghold that has us thinking it’s wrong or selfish to ask God for something for ourselves.
A little boy had been sent to his room because he had been bad. A short time later he came out and said to his mother, "I’ve been thinking about what I did and I said a prayer." "That’s fine," she said, "if you ask God to make you good, He will help you." "Oh, I didn’t ask Him to help me be good," replied the boy. "I asked Him to help you put up with me."
James 4:2
You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
Matthew 7:7
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Dr. J. Sidlow Baxter said this: "...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons -- but they are helpless against our prayers."
John 16:24
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
You will never have complete joy if you are bound by a fear of asking God for things or if you feel ashamed or unworthy to ask God!
