The Word
Vol.
9 No. 19
May 9, 2010
Upper Room Discourse
God’s Promise of Prayer’s Answered
John 15:7
John 15:7, “If, (and
maybe) you are occupied with Me, and, (maybe)
you are occupied with My words, (Bible Doctrine), begin to ask whatever you all
desire and it, (your prayer petitions),
will come to pass, (be answered).”
Principles: (continued)
6.
We have to align to God’s protocol for effective prayer. We have to be in
fellowship and we have to be growing, and advancing in spiritual life. This is
abiding, remaining, walking in fellowship with the Lord.
7.
The prayer promise of this verse is not anything you wish, because if you are
abiding with Him your thinking is being transformed by His Word, so that you
know what to pray for that is in His will, 1 John 5:14-15.
1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever
we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
8.
Our prayers are answered under one of the following
ways in regard to both the petition and desire.
a. Negative – Negative; typically the reversionsitic believer’s answer.
b. Negative – Positive; typically the
growing believer’s answer.
c. Positive – Negative; typically the
growing believer’s answer.
d. Positive – Positive; typically the
mature believer’s answer.
9. Prayer is a function of your Royal Priesthood
whereby you have access and privilege to present two categories of requests to
God the Father.
a. Petitions - prayers for yourself.
b. Intercessory prayers - prayers for others.
c. Prayer is communication with God for the expression
of personal needs in petition and the function of intercession for others.
10.
The approach to prayer is a part of the protocol of the Royal Family of God and
has a precisely correct procedure. We are to pray only to God the Father.
Prayers to Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit, are not authorized, or to any
object of worship such as to an angel, saint, idol, cow, etc.
a. All prayer is offered to God the Father, not to
Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit. Any prayer offered to Christ is
automatically cancelled, since it fails to follow God's protocol for prayer.
This is illustrated by the model prayer for the disciples, Mat 6:9; Eph 1:16-19a, 3:14;
1 Peter 1:17.
b. Prayer is addressed in the name of or through the
channel of the Son, John
14:13‑14; Heb 7:25.
c. All prayer is made through the enabling power
(filling) of God the Holy Spirit, Eph 6:18.
Heb 7:25, “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who
draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for
them.”
Eph 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in
the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and
petition for all the saints.”
11.
God the Father, the recipient of prayer, receives prayer from three sources in
the Church Age.
a. From God the Son, Heb 7:25.
b. From God the Holy Spirit, Rom 8:26‑27. God the Holy Spirit prays for you when you
need help and don't know you need help. He also prays for people who cannot
pray for themselves, i.e., for the hopeless, the helpless, the useless, e.g.,
believers on drugs. This is probably unique to the Church Age and related to
the function of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.
c. From
Church Age believers as Royal Priests. Heb 4:16, “Therefore
let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
12.
Prayer is related to the omniscience of God. God hears the prayer twice: in
eternity past, and at the time of the prayer. Prayers and their answers were
entered into the divine decrees, so that answers, rejections, petitions,
interjections, and desires are all results of the decrees in the foreknowledge
of God. God knew and answered all your prayers in eternity past.
Isa 65:24, “Before they call I will answer; while they are
still speaking, I will hear.”
13.
The more you grow in grace, the greater your spiritual growth, the greater your
effectiveness in your prayer life. Effectiveness is not measured in terms of
your eloquence when praying in public, but on the basis of your spiritual
growth when praying in private.
a. The power of prayer increases as the believer
advances in the Plan of God for the Church Age.
b. Accurate and effective prayer is associated with
the three stages of spiritual adulthood, (Spiritual Self‑Esteem,
Spiritual Autonomy, and Spiritual Maturity), in conjunction with the three
stages of Divine Good Production, (bear fruit, bear more fruit, bear much
fruit), John 15:2-8.
How to Pray Effectively
with Powerful Results
(Paraphrased from a Message by Charles Spurgeon)
James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and
pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a
righteous man can accomplish much.”
James
4:6-10, “But He
gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the
proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7Submit
therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw
near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and
purify your hearts (Rebound – 1 JOHN 1:9), you double-minded. 9Be miserable (Suffer
hardship) and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your
joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and
He will exalt you.”
Do you often lament that your prayers
aren't answered? Have you given up going to God with your every concern because
you aren't seeing results of your prayer time? Do you think God may be ignoring
you? If so, then include these attitudes in your prayer life, (which are part
of the Faith Rest Drill):
1. Pray
confidently, (application of Bible Doctrine), because if you begin by doubting,
your prayer will falter. God tells
us:
Heb
4:16, “Therefore
let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
1 John
5:14-15, “This is
the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15And if we know
that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests
which we have asked from Him.”
Mat 9:27-30a, “As Jesus went on from there, two
blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us,
Son of David!” 28When He entered the house, the blind men came up to
Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They
said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It
shall be done to you according to your faith.” 30And their eyes were
opened.”
2. When you are in a time of trouble,
ask God for help, believing that He is able to give it, (a right thing
done in a right way). Ask, expecting that He will give it, John 14:13-14; 15:7; 16:23b-24.
John 16:23b-24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father
for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24“Until
now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you
will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”
3. Remember God's Faithfulness,
(grabbing a promise from God). Seek out God, appealing to His promises and
remembering what He has done for you.
Psa
77:10-14, “Then I said, “It is my grief,
that the right hand of the Most High has changed. 11I shall
remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your
wonders of old. 12I will meditate on all Your
work and muse on Your deeds. 13Your way, O
God, is holy; what god is great like our God? 14You are the
God who works wonders; You have made known Your
strength among the peoples.”
4. Then remember the constancy of Jesus
Christ, (mixing it with faith).
Heb 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to
day, and forever.”
5. Remember the Majestic Nature of Jesus
Christ, (Essence of God Rationale).
Heb
1:8-12, “But of
the Son He says, “Your throne, O
God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the
scepter of His kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore
God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your
companions.” 10And, “You,
Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; 11They will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a
garment, 12And like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they
will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to
an end.”
6. Rely on His Promises (Doctrinal
Conclusion). First, read Scriptures so that you know what those promises
are, then grasp the mighty faithfulness of God with a grip of determination.
Deut
26:17-19, “You
have today declared the LORD to be your God, and that you would walk in His
ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to
His voice. 18The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a
treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His
commandments; 19and that He will set you high above all nations
which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a
consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken.”
2 Sam
7:28-29, “Now, O
Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and
You have promised this good thing to Your servant. 29Now therefore,
may it please You to bless the house of Your servant,
that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken; and
with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be
blessed forever.”
7. Admit your Weaknesses to the Lord,
(Humility of Soul). Set your case before God, laying bare all your sorrow
and all your needs, then say, “Lord, there it is.” Share your soul with Him. He
is not moved by eloquence of words or oratory of tongue, but is swift to answer
the true oratory, the true eloquence of real distress, and is as able to detect
false misery as to relieve real sorrow. He loves for us to state the difficulty
we are in. Then, when He gets us out of it, we may remember the sorry condition
we were in, with gratitude and rejoicing.
Psa
6:2-9, “Be
gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away; heal me, O LORD, for my
bones are dismayed. 3And my soul is greatly dismayed; but You, O
LORD—how long? 4Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of Your lovingkindness. 5For
there is no mention of You in death; in Sheol who will give You thanks? 6 I am weary
with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my
tears. 7My eye has wasted away with grief; it has become old because
of all my adversaries. 8Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, for
the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping. 9The LORD has heard my
supplication, the LORD receives my prayer.”
8. Declare your trust, (Faith Rest). Express your confidence in God. Look to Him for your
rescue, knowing that it will come. Your eyes may be filled with tears, but keep
looking toward Him. As you look, your eyes will get stronger, and you will
become enlightened with His wisdom and direction.
Psa
123:1-2, “To
You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! 2Behold,
as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of
a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our
God, until He is gracious to us.”
9. Bible Verses about Prayer to
Contemplate.
1 Thes 5:16-19, “See that no one repays another with evil for
evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16Rejoice always; 17pray without ceasing; 18in
everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do
not quench the Spirit.” Compare with John 15:7 (abiding in Christ).
Psa 86:1-17, “Incline Your ear, O LORD, and
answer me; for I am afflicted and needy. 2Preserve my soul, for I am
a godly man; O You my God, save Your servant who
trusts in You. 3Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You
I cry all day long. 4Make glad the soul of Your
servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5For You, Lord, are
good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness
to all who call upon You. 6Give ear, O
LORD, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications! 7In
the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You
will answer me. 8There is no one like You
among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours. 9All
nations whom You have made shall come and worship
before You, O Lord, and they shall glorify Your name. 10For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. 11Teach
me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite
my heart to fear Your name. 12I will give thanks to You, O Lord my
God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name
forever. 13For Your lovingkindness
toward me is great, and You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14O God, arrogant men have risen up
against me, and a band of violent men have sought my life, and they have not
set You before them. 15But You, O Lord, are
a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness
and truth. 16Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh grant Your strength to Your servant, and save the son of Your
handmaid. 17Show me a sign for good, that those who hate me may see it
and be ashamed, because You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”
If you would
like more information on this subject,
you may listen
to lessons 10-050 through 10-052.
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