The Space between our prayers and praise

 

What do we do while we wait for our prayers to be answered?

 

In Daniel 10:11-13,  Daniel's prayer was answered the first day he prayed, but he had to wait 21 days for the answer to come.    

 

1. God hears our prayers.  

 

Psalm 18:6

ESV

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.

 

2. God answers our prayers.

1 John 5:15

 

ESV

And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

 

Matthew 7:11

 

ESV

 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

 

3. God uses the time that we wait for our prayers to be answered.

Matthew 7:11

 

ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Our struggle is to not take matters into our own hands.

4. Don't waste the time that we wait for our prayers to be answered.  

Psalm 130:1-6 

 

ESV

 

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

²     O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

³ If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
    O Lord, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared.

⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
    and in his word I hope;
⁶ my soul waits for the Lord
    more than watchmen for the morning,

    more than watchmen for the morning. 

A.  Focus on God's ways.

Hebrews 10:23-25

 

ESV

 

 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

 

B. Focus on God's Word.  

Find a verse and make it personal.  God's will is His Word.    

1 John 5:14 

ESV 

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

C.  Focus on God's work.

Hebrews 12:1

 

ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Mark 9:23

ESV

 

 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”  

The Paradox of Dying to Live

 Resurrection means for something dead to become alive.  

Jesus taught in paradoxes.  

A paradox is something that seems to be absurd that under investigation is proven to be true.  

This is a paradox that Jesus taught...

 

Mark 8:35

Christian Standard Bible

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.

 

This is what culture teaches...self-preservation, self-promotion, self-indulging.  

If you do these things, you're going to loose.   

Jesus teaches self-sacrifice.  

You'll never know if Jesus's paradoxes work unless you do it.  

If you don't, you'll never understand.   

 

Jesus teaches to die to self on a cross. 

 The cross is a place of execution and torture, but you can't have a resurrection without a death. 

Jesus is talking about surrendering your desires to God.  

 

1. We must die to self which means to surrender to the will of God. 

Paul taught...

 

Galatians 2:20

Christian Standard Bible

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body,I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 Corinthians 15:31

New King James Version

... I die daily.

2.  We must die to our flesh which is the death of our emotions through worship.  

Paul taught...

Galatians 5:24

New King James Version

24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 

To worship, we can turn on a worship song and let it tame our emotions within.   

Paul taught of this struggle...

Galatians 5:17

New King James Version

17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

 

3.  We must die to the world by conforming our minds to God's Word, the Bible.  

 

John 17:14-17

New King James Version

14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

 

God doesn't want us out of the world, but to impact our world.  

 

Galatians 6:14

New King James Version

14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

 

Let apply this message for the next 7 days by...

Spending 5 minutes each day by surrendering our wills to God through prayer.

Then, spending 5 minutes by surrendering  our emotions to God through worship.

Then, spending 5 minutes in the Bible and conform our minds to God's will as explained in the Bible.

The Basics of Belief

Hebrews 6:1-2

New International Version 

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

 

1. We must repent from behavior  that leads to death.  Romans 3:23.  

There are no good people.  There is just bad people who get justice or grace.

We must let the Bible define sin for us.  Jude 1:3-4.

We must not expect God to conform to us, but we must conform to Him.

The man on His face before God in submission can not fall from that position.

 

2.  We must have faith in God.  Hebrews 11:1-2

Faith is for the day that you're ready to give up.  Hebrews 11:32-40.

We must stop wanting too much too early.  

We must trust God.  

 

3.  We must follow God's instructions on baptism.  Acts 19:3-6.

We must be baptized into the body of Christ which is salvation.

Then, we should be obedient and follow Christ in water baptism which is a symbol of our faith in Him.

Finally, we should be baptized by the Holy Spirit, which is being Spirit filled.   

 

4.  We should practice the laying on of hands.  

Which is to speak a spiritual blessing.

Which is to encourage people to make a difference.  Acts 13:3

Which is to heal people.  Acts 28:8

We exist to bless others.

 

5.  We should be expecting the resurrection of the dead.  1 Thes. 4:13-18.  

 

We must live with an external perspective. 

 

6.  We must understand that there will be an external judgement on those who don't believe. 

Romans 14:10-14

Revelation 20:11-12

2 Cor. 5:10

Falling into error?

 

2 Timothy 4:1-4

English Standard Version

 

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

 

We fall into error when we rely on human reasonings instead of God's Word. (Proverbs 16:25)

We fall into error through a heightened focus on self.  (Genesis 11:4)

We fall into error through having a Babylonian mindset.  Isaiah 47:8)

We fall into error by trusting our feelings instead of God's Word.  Hebrews 5:12-14)

Easter at Church of the Highlands 2021 - Believing Thomas

Romans 8:11

English Standard Version

11 If the Spirit (Breath)  of him (God) who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[a] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 

Easter is not an event to celebrate, but a power to experience.  Jesus said...

 

John 11:26

English Standard Version

26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

 

But some of us struggle with belief.  Here's story in the Bible about a father who struggled in his faith.  

 

Mark 9:17-24

English Standard Version

17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 

18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 

19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 

20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 

22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

We sometimes doubt that God will come through for us.  We've tried to believe in the past, but it didn't work out.  

We've struggled because we've hung out with people who struggled with doubt.    

The great thing about God is that He helps people even in their doubts.  Here is another story about Jesus helping someone in their doubts.

John 20:24-28

English Standard Version

Jesus and 

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.   

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

 

1.  We must realize that Jesus helps us in our doubts.  Doubts will never keep Jesus away.

2. We must take a step to Jesus, and discover who He really is.  Belief won't come to you.  You must go to it.  

3. We must give our lives to Jesus who gave His life for us.  Belief is not faith in something.  It is faith in someone. Jesus. 

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/believing-thomas/