John 15:1-8
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away : and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth (prunes) it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Introduction: Taking God At His Word
*Taking Someone at their word in business*
I believe there are people who simply nod at Gods Word
Simple acknowledgement that that is what it says
Nod yes, that is what the Bible says
They don’t allow their faith to extend from the page
Then I believe there are people who on some level believe
But this is not a firmly held believe in the sense of here and now
Could God heal you may ask this person, yes they believe so
In a land far, far away...
Their faith is only in theory...
This is one reason that we fail to pray --
We don’t believe in 1st place
Then there are people who take God at His Word
This person...
But the Bible is telling us in this text, verse 7,
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”
The reason prayer has such great potential for changing things is God.
God has all power over natural processes!
God has power to change the progression we see w/natural eyes!
Thats why there is hope in prayer!
Thats why my faith in prayer!
The 2 Traps of Our Faith in Prayer:
Two traps of faith...
1st Trap: Why Pray If God Controls All Things?
why pray anyway, because if God is sovereign and controls and plans all things, what's the point in praying?
The Lord is in control of all things, no doubt about it
This is rooted in repeated testimony of God in Scripture
From the establishing of Kings and Governments to the randomness of dice in a game or gambling table
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
(NIV) Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
So from the dominion of kings to the roll of the dice,
God governs the universe by his wisdom and power
Understand, he orchestrated everything to get us to this point, then-- He told us to pray!
Matthew 7:7-8
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened .
Jesus goes on to say in that passage, which parent among you when your child asks for bread, would you give him a stone?
Or when you child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake?
He says, well you being evil, being fallen, sinful, human flesh -- and you know how to give your children good gifts when they ask -- how much more does your Heavenly Father know how to give good gifts to His children who ask of Him???
Psalm 145:18-19
18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
God planned to destroy Sodom but Abraham petitioned God to save Sodom if there were 50 righteous men and God agreed. Abraham then petitioned God to save if there were 40 and so on until God agreed to save the city if there were only 10 righteous men in the city! (Genesis 18)
God intended to destroy Israel for their stubbornness and unbelief, but Moses petitioned God through prayer and asked God to remember His covenant with Abraham.
The Lord heard Moses' plea and spared Israel.
(Exodus 32)
It was time for Hezekiah to die but he prayed for God to extend his life, the Lord heard his prayer and added 15 years to his life. (Isaiah 38)
The Lord has asked us to pray!
And He hears us!
And He moves on our behalf!
That is reason enough to pray!
2nd Trap: Why Pray If There Are Things That God Hasn’t Answered
our prayers, even those we have prayed for a thousand times, are sometimes not answered...
and why should I pray for new things, when old things have gone unanswered?
Well, the Bible has answers for that too...
It says we may not be praying according to God's will; 1 John 5:14, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us."
Or it could be we have cherished sin that we will not let go from our lives; Psalm 66:18, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear."
It could be that we have man-centered and not God-centered motives; James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
Or it may be that we do not believe that God will do it; Mark 11:24, "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you."
Or it could be that God wants you to persevere, and is testing your obedience to his command in Luke 18:1, "At all times [you] ought to pray and not to lose heart."
Or it might be that God is, in fact, doing far more every time you pray than you can imagine and is daily putting in place a part of the mosaic that will in good time be the full answer to your prayer (as in Daniel 10:2,12).
IF YE ABIDE IN ME AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU...
But what has really struck me and was the genesis of this lesson today is the phrase in John 15
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you”
Two-fold “IF”
- “IF ye abide in me”
- “IF my words abide in you”
Do you see the connection between the Word of God and prayer? "If my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."
"If the Word of God abides in you . . ."
Jesus talked about hearing His words, and doing it - that is likened to building house on the rock, a firm foundation
Is reading the Word of God five minutes a day what Jesus was referring to when he said, "If my words abide in you"?
My own suspicion is that Jesus had something in mind vastly more extensive and more life-shaping than a quick glance
But He is calling for a hunger for more and more of God’s Word
Where we read it, hear it, apply it, stand on it and live it!
The Word In Us Builds Faith:
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
This is one reason why Word in us is so vitally important to seeing prayer answered
Our faith is built up when we see...
Our faith is built up when we hear...
And when we get that testimony of who and what God is in us...
Then we will really see the hand of God the way that Jesus is teaching in this passage!
Abiding in Christ thru Prayer:
5: "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit."
Walking with the Lord...
Abiding thru prayer --
Jesus had to find a place and pray “not my will but thy will”
Conclusion:
Take God at His Word when Word abides in us
We take it, we receive it, it abides in us
