ARE WE ON THE RIGHT ROAD?
This week’s sermon is really directed more at those who are Christians. By this I mean those
1. Who have repented of their sins;
2. Who have accepted Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross at Calvary as the means whereby their sins are blotted out in God’s sight and
3. Who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.
Last week we looked that the question: Is the Christian on parole? and concluded that he wasn’t but that he is created to do GOOD WORKS. We read thisd in Ephesians 2:10.
We also began to look at how the Christian can keep on the right track - by external circumstances:
1. With the company we keep
2. By what we say
3. By fellowshipping together
This week I want us to look at how we can keep on the right road by protecting our private lives.
Prov. 23:19
Listen my son and be wise and keep your heart on the right path.
We are called to be HOLY.
Holy means a people SET ASIDE to God. That we are a people who want to follow the ways of God.
We have assurance of salvation because Christ died in our place and because when we are born again the Holy Spirit is in our lives. The RESULT of the HOLY SPIRIT being in us is changed lives. Just as you can tell a tree by the FRUIT it brings so you can tell a Christian by his changing life and the FRIUT of the SPIRIT he has.
We are called to travel a special road that God has for us.
Matt. 7: 13 and 14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to eternal life.
This week I want to look at PRAYER and by so doing it will focus us on the conditions that God requires in our hearts for our prayer to be effective.
Prov. 15. 29
The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
What does the Christian have that the non Christian doesn’t have?
Friends
Good Deeds
Money
Success?
I believe it is the ACCESS to God in PRAYER.
Prayer is our SPIRITUAL THERMOMETER for our spiritual life. A sign that your spiritual life is not in order is the amount of time you take to pray.
< It has been said why pray when you can worry?>
How many of us succumb to this from time to time.
I want to try and look at three aspects to PRAYER
1. What IS PRAYER.
2. What HINDERS PRAYER
3. What PROMOTES PRAYER
WHAT IS PRAYER
We need to define what we mean.
I paused and then realised he might not know what a lawyer is. So I said: Do you know what a lawyer is? He said: Yes Daddy, it’s someone who always tells lies!!!!> Smart kid. It is a true story!! Prayer has been defined as: Communication between man and a personal, eternal, infinite GOd and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. (Freligh) What is Prayer NOT: 1. Thinking GOOD THOUGHTS. How often have we said "I’ll think about you when you’re having the operation" or if someone is going through a difficult exam. 2. Self meditation. Trying to separate your mind from your body by meditation, like say in Buddism. 3. To be directed to anyone else but God. We do not pray to the Saints or dead relatives or even your pastor! The reason is because an integral part of prayer involves worship (Eph. 5:19). 4. Is not merely a wish list that we have. Prayer positively means 1) To Beseech 2) To Ask or Request 3) To Wish 4) To Summon alongside 5) To Offer prayers to God 6) To Supplicate 7) To Pour out and 8) To Intercede. I would also like to add PRAYER includes LISTENING to God. Hang in there to hear what God has to say to you. So often we rush into prayer... Lord I need a new Rolls Royce, a new COMPUTER SYSTEM, a New HIFI and please heal my mother’s vaicose veins. In Jesus Name Amen. Great what now on television!! Communication is TWO WAY. Let us look at how God communicaters in prayer: Genesis 18: 16-33. Abraham’s bargaining with God in Prayer for Sodom. Gen. 18. 22-33 First he bargains for the city if 50 righteous can be found. He reflects and realises that there would be no chance of even 50, so he asks for it to be spared if 45 (v.27) righteous can be found if 40 (v.29) righteous can be found, if 30 (v.30) righteous can be found, if 20 (v.31) righteous can be found and if 10 (v.32) righteous can be found. You see a two way conversation. The most common HEBREW Word in the OT for PRAYER is PALAL which means to cause another to intervene or arbitrate in one’s case. In other words to take up one’s cause. (Neh. 2:4; Neh 4:9; Dan 9:4 and 9:20). In Greek there are two common words for prayer PROS EU CHOMAI : Prayer as a fact, as a spiritual exercise. i.e praying because He is God. ( 1 Thess. 5:17, Matt 6:5; Matt.19.13; Matt.26.29). DEO MAI: Petitioning God. ie asking for a need. Translated as Beseech (Luke 5:12 8:28 9:38). When should we pray: Examples given in the Bible are: 1. Always - Luke 18:1 and Eph 6:18 2. At regular Times - Ps.55.17 and Daniel 6:10 3. Before eating - 1 Tim 4:4-5 and 4. At special occasions - Luke 6:12 There is apparently no fixed time, though mornings are good so that you can start the day fresh with the Lord. Evenings are also a good time. Where should we pray 1. At home secretly - Matt 6:6 2. In the fellowship/at church - Matt 18: 19 & 20. Why should we pray. 1. Because Jesus taught it and God has commanded us to . remember Jesus’ words : If you love me you will keep my commands. 2 Chr. 7.14 If my people who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land. In the early 70’s the churches in England across the denomination took this word to heart and organised a series of prayer meetings across the country. It was a word that caused them to start evangelising and culminated with the Billy Graham crusades and Luis Palau crusades of the 80’s that were extremely effective. Backed by praying men and women. God has established prayer as the means for bringing about his purposes in the world. Do read Frank Peretti’s book : This Present Darkness. What HINDERS PRAYER? 1. Carnal Living 1 Cor. 3:1 Brothers I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. Are we walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16) or are we walking after the flesh (Rom. 8.4) What does walking after the flesh mean. Let us take a look at The works of the flesh are: Galatians 5:19 In contrast the Fruit of the Spirit is: Galatians 5.22-23 For our prayers to be answered we have to be walking in the Light (1 John 1:7) and not walking in Darkness (1 John 1:6). Are we producing the Fruit of Carnality or the Fruit of the Spirit? This is more than just sinning from time to time. This is walking in an attitude of sin. High handed sinning you might say. Ps. 66:18-19 If I cherish sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 2. Disobedience to God’s Word - The Bible and its teaching Prov. 28.9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to the Law, even his prayers are detestable. 3. Unforgiveness in our hearts. Matt. 6:12 Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. See also Matt 5:22-24. 4. Trouble in the Family 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and heirs with you of the gracious gift of life- SO THAT NOTHING WILL HINDER YOUR PRAYERS 5. Idols in your heart Ez. 14:1-3 Some of the elders of Israel came to me (Ezekiel) and sat down in front of me. Then the word of the Lord came to me. Son of Man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? Obviously no!! 6. Asking amiss a) Contrary to God’s revealed Word: Deut 3:23-27 But, because of you, the Lord was angry with me (Moses - because he had been told he would not go into the Promised Land and was trying to change God’s mind) and would not listen to me. "That is enough" the Lord said "Do not speak to me anymore about the matter." There are clear teachings that we do not need to pray about. To take an example. I do not need to pray about whether or not I should steal or covet my neighbour’s wife or go to a seance or satanist church. All these are well known No-No’s. b) Substituting prayer for action. Jas. 2:16 If one of you says to a brother or sister: Go I wish you well,keep warm and well fed ... but does nothing about it, what good is it? 7. Lack of Faith Jas.1:6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he should receive anything from the Lord. (see also Heb. 11:6) 8. How we pray i) Avoid vain repetition.- Remember Jesus’s introduction to the Lord’s prayer. In charismatic circles, sometimes Praise the Lord or Hallelujah is just a filler and therefore is vain repetition. Just praying the words "In Jesus’ Name" can also become vain repetition unless we bear in mind what it means. ii) Avoid praying just to impress people - Remember the parable of the Pharisee and tax gatherer. iii) Do not pray in unbelief - Remember Jas 1:6 iv) Do not pray contrary to the revealed will of God. 3. What PROMOTES PRAYER 1. Real Prayer in Jesus Name That is to pray the kind of prayer the Son of God can endorse. It is "not a forged cheque that will not pass the Bank of Heaven" (Freligh). How can we pray in accordance with the will of Christ. John 15:7 If you abide in me and my words abide in you (note the condition for our prayer) ask whatever you wish and it shall be given to you. 2. Pray earnestly That is really mean what you say and don’t pray if you don’t really mean it. Don’t give up. 1 Thess. 5:17 Never give up on prayer (Goodspeed translation) 3. Prayer and Fasting Neh. 1:4 When I heard these things (the disgrace and trouble the Jews were having in Jerusalem after the foirst wave of the Return before the wall of Jerusalem was built), I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed. Ezra 8:21 describes a similar time of fasting and prayer just before the first wave of the Return occurred. Mark 9.29 in some manuscripts reads: He replied: This kind (of evil spirit) can come out only by prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting is often used when a specific special guidance is needed. But not only. 4. With Thanksgiving 1 Thess 5.16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything , by prayer and petition,with thanksgiving present your requests to God. Col. 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 5. Pray believingly Matt. 21:22 And all things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer,BELIEVING, you shall receive. But you must remain in Christ too. 6. Pray in Union with Others. Matt. 18:19 If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father. 7. Do not neglect the secret times of prayer. Matt. 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room , close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret shall reward you. Conclusion What is the direction of our prayer 1. To God Praise, adoration, thanksgiving, communion with Him. 2. For others Needs - salvation/healing / help For the church - evangelisation/growing together/a full life 3. For ourselves Confessing our sin Bringing our needs to God in Petition. < Prayer is the highest exercise man can engage in. It is that time when the human spirit touches the divine Spirit. It is when man draws nesr to God and finds that God is there to meet him. It is man praising and worshiping his Saviour. It is man laying bear his soul to find God’s healing. It is bringing one’s needs to God and finding sufficient supply in Him. Prayer is all this and more. (Daniel Pecota - Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at Northwest College USA)>
