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Prayers For this week's sermon, I shared what the Bible says about prayers. Below are my sermon notes. I hope you are encouraged by this.
We often hear Mom saying "can you pray for my" (fill in the blank.) It could be she is not feeling well, an injured foot or something else… Often, Elizabeth reminds us to pray before we eat or before we go to bed. But, What is prayer? Why is it important? How much do you pray? Or, better yet, how much should you pray? Psalm 65:2 NASB O You who hear prayer, To You all men come. KJV O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. It says “all men” or “all flesh.” This means all people can come to God with their prayer and God hears. There is no other resource for people, no other help to answer our prayers except God that hears our prayers. No other being can meet our needs through prayer alone. Colossians 4:2 says Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Thanking God should always be part of what we do in prayer. We should also do this continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Again, this is saying to give thanks to God in all circumstances. And again, it is saying pray “without ceasing.” But how do we know that God is not only listening, but that He cares and will help? In the second part of James 5:16 it says The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. This is the version that Dagney and I remember because it is NIV (ICOC). NASB says “A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.” ESV says “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” KJV says “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” ALL of these are amazing and encouraging. They all mean that our prayers, if righteous, can and will be effective. Many people wonder why they don’t have certain things, or other thing don’t happen in their lives that they hope for. James 4:2 says, (NIV) You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. How can we ask God for the things that want? Prayer. God wants us to come to Him and ask for things because He truly wants us to be joyful. John 16:24 says Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. God does not just want us to be joyful. He also does not want us to be anxious about anything. This is another reason God wants us to pray. Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 11:6 says And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. How do we “draw near to God?” prayer. It is like any relationship. We draw nearer to our spouse, our children, or friends by talking with them. Imagine a relationship where one side desperately wanted the other to talk to them and they never did. How much do you think God wants to bless that person? What about the person that prays to God regularly throughout the day and desires that relationship? The person that wants to please God and seek Him? 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows us that God power is limitless and our prayers to God literally have the potential to change the world! Some people think what can their little prayer do change anything? Some people think their prayer can’t even change their own little world. But again, God is telling us that if we just humble ourselves, ask and pray fervently, He will “heal our land.” The only limit is completely on us. God is limitless. Our asking, our thinking, our praying our expectations are sometimes too limited. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Deuteronomy 4:7 reaffirms this by saying For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? God is once again saying here that if we simply call upon Him (pray), He will be near us. That is how He can heal a land. We need to pray for this. Proverbs 15:8 says The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. Again, this is another example that God wants us to seek Him, to pray to Him. Our prayers are pleasing to Him. In other words, it isn’t a burden for God if we pray to Him asking Him to heal our land and provide for us. It is actually pleasing to Him for us to come to Him through prayer. What then is the opposite? Is it displeasing or sad for God when we don’t pray to Him? Again, think about a relationship where one person simply doesn’t ever talk with the other. John 16:23 says In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. We are being told again, there is nothing God can not and will not do if we ask. Does this mean we can just say to God we want a fancy new Ferrari and boom, shiny new car is sitting in the driveway? No. Does this mean He doesn’t always answer our prayers? No. God always answers our prayers, but that doesn't mean He'll just give you whatever you ask for. Because He knows what's best for you, He will answer your prayers in His way. We once heard God always answers prayers… Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes it is no, sometimes it is not yet… Matthew 26:39 is possibly the best example of this ever. Jesus himself is praying to God and the scripture says And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Did God take the cup from Jesus? No. God had a plan and He needed to fulfill this plan, despite it being the most extraordinarily painful moment in time for Jesus and God. This was possibly the most painful moment in history for anyone. But, in the end, it was God’s plan and it was the right plan so that we could all be saved and have a relationship with God. Probably no one else could see it at the time, the disciples included. But, in the end, they all understood it as we do today. So, when we don’t get exactly what we pray for, we need to be comforted knowing that God has His best planned for us. We just need to trust and continue to pray that His will be done in our lives. Just as Jesus did.
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Here are my sermon notes for last Sabbath. Joshua - God Has Plans For Us Too Joshua 1:1-9 - We're going to look at how this applies to our lives today. If you were to ask any of the Israelites at this who the greatest leader was, they would have probably said Moses. For many of them, that's the only leader they had ever known. Of course, this does not include God. He would of course be the greatest leader. Moses was a reluctant leader at first. But, it's who went to Pharaoh in Egypt and said, "let my people go." It was Moses that was there during the ten plagues. It was Moses that led them through the Red Sea. It was Moses who went up on Mount Sinai, spoke with God and came back with the 10 commandments. These are all a really big deal. Moses is the greatest leader they know and now God is saying "Joshua, Moses my servant is dead.” Then, he’s basically telling him, “you’re next.” Moses is gone. He did what he needed to do. Now, it’s your turn. Can you imagine being him at that moment? How would you feel? How would you react? There is a reason God chose Joshua. He didn’t choose him randomly. Exodus 24:13 – when Moses went up to the mountain and received the commandments, Joshua went up part of the way with him. KJV says “his minister Joshua.” Clearly he is someone special to Moses. Numbers 27:15-23 This is where we see Joshua is commissioned in front of the entire congregation. Exodus 33:7-11 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and [g]the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would stand and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. So, the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Again, obviously Joshua is considered someone special that he went into the tent with Moses. Going back to Joshua 1:1-9, we see God say several times to Josuha be strong and courageous. The third time God says it he says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage.” Now God isn’t just saying it to Joshua. He is saying “have I not commanded you?” This is a command God gives all of us. There are several reasons Joshua could be strong and courageous in this moment. God tells Joshua be strong and courageous, but He is encouraging him and giving him direction too. Joshua 1:1-2 “Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.” Imagine you are one of the Israelites at the time. Or even Joshua. You might be thinking, “Moses is dead? Now what?” But God gives them very specific instructions. He says “arise” and tells them exactly where to go. God is telling them that even though Moses is gone, there is still a very specific purpose and direction He has for His people. Joshua 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. God is telling Joshua that after all these years, they are finally going to go into the promised land. God is telling Joshua and Israel this is it! You can finally go. I still have a purpose for you and I am still going to keep my promise. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could have this same type of direction from God where He would speak directly to us and give us very specific instructions? Imagine waking up in the morning and God says “Rob, Dagney… Be strong and be courageous. Pack everything up today and go to this specific place.” Of course, that isn’t exactly how it works today. Instead, God left us His word, the Bible. He has given us direction and instructions in His word. We just need to seek Him and read His word. Just like the Israelites, when we have big change in our lives, we can be afraid and worried about “what next?” If we continue to read in Joshua 1:10-16, we see how the Israelites reacted to “what’s next.” They were not worried. They knew that God had a plan for their lives and it was going to be fulfilled just as God promised. In the end of this scripture we see that they also knew that God’s command to “be strong and of good courage” was not just for Joshua, but for all of them. This is meant for us too. God has a plan for us as well. There are tons of scriptures that tell us this. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. In other words… “Be strong and of good courage.” Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. There are so many scriptures that encourage us this way and tell us that God does have a plan for each and every one of us. Just like there was a plan for Joshua and the Israelites. How do we know what those plans are? How do we tell God our thoughts about our lives? Read the Bible and prayers. |
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