"Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus." Oh glory, it won't be long. Amen? Are you homesick? It's going to be so good to see this thing brought to a close, but the Scripture says, "Be not weary in well doing for in due season we're going to reap if we don't faint" (Galatians 6:9). We're just going to stand and rejoice in the goodness of the Lord, looking up, our redemption is drawing nigh, praise God. We're going to talk about praying for results. We've talked about the sovereignty of God. We were talking some the last couple of sessions about the will of God, and being able to embrace the cross, the death to our personal agendas, our own will, realizing that we don't have a clue what we need. We don't know what to pray for as we ought. That's a truth, but the Spirit prays through us with groanings which cannot be uttered. He prays through us, and for us. "Jesus ever living to make intercession for us," (Hebrews 7:25) not only He, personally, but He's praying through us. We're interceding for our families, for our lives, for the ministry, for the kingdom, as the Holy Spirit prays through us. That's the beauty of being filled with the Holy Spirit, that's the beauty of praying in the spirit and not the understanding, it's that we're praying according to the heart of God, or as Romans 8 says, "The will of God" (verse 27). Jesus said, "If you ask any thing according to my will Father hears us it will be done," praise God (John 14:14).
We're going to talk about praying for results because I think too many of us pray for other things than results. We pray to soothe our minds, our consciences. Some of us pray out of obligation because we're supposed to pray. The Bible says men ought what? "http://...men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). Because we have that admonition we're people that pray because we're told to pray; but are we praying in faith? Are we praying for results? Are we praying until we're tired of praying or are we praying until we get an answer? Are we praying while it's convenient to pray? Are we praying at all costs because we realize the eternal things that are at stake? I think more of us would pray with true biblical fervency if we really understood what was at risk. If we really became conscious of the warfare that's raging around us right now, and the need to put on this prayer armor, and to go to battle; the need to begin to look inside. The utterance that came forth was right on by the Spirit. Many of our prayer lives are hindered because of strife, because of conflicts within our own minds, conflicts with other people...
Pray for Results, Part 2
November 19, 2006 • Pastor Star R. Scott
Praise You, Jesus, amen! Let's look over at Luke 18 for just a second. We'll continue along on this study we started this morning in "Pray For Results." We were sharing-it's something I felt was really important for us to look at, especially after the teaching on sovereignty-to make sure that we don't lose sight of how necessary it is to understand that God's sovereignty manifests itself through the vehicle of prayer. If we stop to really think about it, this great privilege we have of accessing the presence of God; "By the blood of Jesus," the Scripture says, "we've been given bold access into the holy of holies."
Luke 18, verse 1, says, "He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." As we saw in Ephesians 6:18, we're a people that are "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit," the Scripture says, with thanksgiving. All of these are aspects of what real successful praying is about. We're going to take a little bit of time as we go on in this study and try to break some more of those down. But I want to finish up this evening a little more with that spirit of intercession that we were talking about this morning, the need to be used of God and stand in the gap for one another, lifting up hands that are hanging down, and really allow Father to minister His grace through us.
"Always praying," always praying and not fainting; it's not only that we don't faint in the process of prayer but don't faint in your minds in the expectation. Don't lose the hope; don't lose the faith, the favorable expectation, calling things that are not as though they were, and don't fail to continue to stand in the gap. Realize that in prayer, many times, we're coming to the realization of the heart of God. It's not always revealed to us at the moment, so we just continue to stand and intercede. I like the classic story in Genesis on this. Turn from Luke into Genesis for just a moment. There are a number of truths that are coming out to us. In Genesis 18-we are all very familiar with this story-but I think it's worth taking a few minutes and going back to get ahold of the heart of God, and also the heart of a true intercessor...
Pray for Results, Part 3
November 26, 2006 • Pastor Star R. Scott
Hallelujah! Glory! It seems like some of you out there are still reeling under the power of turkey! This is an interesting time of the year, isn't it? We have all of the celebrations-Thanksgiving and, of course, Christmas is coming up-but for us as believers, it all kind of comes together, praise God! There is no greater time of thanksgiving. We're not thankful for a new nation, although we praise God for living in America; it's the best thing going. We're thankful for the love of God and the free gift of Jesus. I love Christmas time! I like all of the secular parts of it. I like chestnuts roasting on an open fire and (at 65 degrees!) Jack Frost out here nipping at our nose. I like all of the celebration. I like all of those aspects of it; but in the midst of it all, aren't you glad we don't lose the real meaning: the great free gift of the Lord Jesus?
As we're in this study now on the sovereignty of God and we've come into effectual praying (praying for results), I'm so glad that we're not living under the misconception of a little baby in a manger. Thank God that He was manifested in the flesh! (His name shall be called Immanuel, being interpreted "God with us.") But Christmas isn't about a baby. Christmas is about a victory being won, praise God! Christmas is about God's invasion of humanity, God's ingenious plan of destroying the kingdom of darkness. Christmas is an all-out attack on Satan! That's what Christmas is about. As God became flesh and dwelt among us, Christmas is about the example of you and me being able to walk in the spirit and say, "I always do the things that My Father has commanded me." That's what Christmas is about. Christmas is about realizing that I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me, as Jesus lived in the flesh perfect and sinless.
Christmas is really, I think, the time that we can celebrate this great access you and I have now into the presence of the Father. Not only has Jesus fulfilled this sinless life, making Himself eligible to be the perfect, spotless Lamb, slain from before the foundations of the world-died with our sins, was buried, rose again on the third day, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father...
Pray for Results, Part 4
November 26, 2006 • Pastor Star R. Scott
Amen. We're going to continue with our topic of praying for results and, as we were sharing this morning, what a great privilege we have of accessing the throne room of God. The blood of Jesus gives us that bold access. Every time you kneel down to pray, the right to pray is because of the blood of Jesus. Amen? When we approach, when we come in, we need to be careful that we don't count it common. The price that was paid to give us the ear of God, to be able to access His presence, was that precious sinless sacrifice. The whole thing came about from before the foundations of the world. Stop and think for just a moment. Not only our redemption, but God, foreknowing all that was going to take place, paid this price to reestablish man's access back to Himself. That which sin, the fall, took away, prayer has restored to us to be able to commune with God, that precious communion that Adam had as he walked with God in the cool of the day. Stop and think about that. That was prayer time. God came and walked with him. They talked and they fellowshipped. That's what we're doing when we're praying. That's what brings us back to, not only relationship, but if you stop and meditate some on this thing, what was lost in the fall, and what redemption afforded us back, prayer accesses: fellowship, the heart, the ear of God. I believe that the fruit, then, of prayer and the fruit of that relationship begins to be the reestablishing of our righteousness. The fruit of redemption, our innocence, if you please, and all that was stolen that the first Adam had, redemption and prayer has given us back. What a tremendous gift that we have!
We've talked about the fact that there's no topic probably in all of Christendom that has more books written about the subject than prayer, and yet it's probably one of the least practiced-maybe tithing is right on up there-among churches today. Some information that I gleaned over the years and I heard again referred to not long ago. The average evangelical-that means people that really believe in the Bible and have the born-again experience-averages praying maybe eight minutes a day. Think about that! Now when you stop and you compare that with gossip, I would say your average Christian probably gossips more than eight minutes a day. None of us, we're talking about all those other people that aren't as holy as we are. I wonder how much time is spent talking about the football game in a day, among evangelicals, Bible-believing, Jesus' return is imminent, did you hear about the game? I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm saying, what's the treasure of our hearts? What value do we put on the practical aspect of prayer, communion with God?...
Pray for Results, Part 5
November 29, 2006 • Pastor Star R. Scott
We want to continue along the study we've been in, "Praying for Results." Hopefully, the Scripture has been getting real in our hearts. We were talking about looking at the Lord and where it said, "He prayed more earnestly." I can't ever read that phrase without being convicted. There are times when even the Lord Himself was moved by the circumstances, the gravity, to step it up a notch. That shows us the vindication of what we were talking about in James, that it's the effectual, fervent prayer of righteous men that avails much. A lot of our praying is just casual praying. I believe that in casual praying, we probably get casual results. There are times of urgency. There are times when we are going to war in the spirit realm. We are all aware of that. In all of our lives here, we are at different points, facing battles, trials that some of us are in. Some of us are facing monumental decisions that we're having to make, looking for the wisdom of God. So we pray. In the midst of all that, we pray in confidence, knowing that the steps of the good man are ordered by the Lord and that God opens doors that no man can close. We have all of the promises of God. We want to talk about that a little tonight, just taking ahold of the promises of God, praying those promises, and then resting in faith that "faithful is He who called us," the Scripture says, "who also will do it." Exciting things.
We're going to talk about that a little bit, the great privilege we have of coming into the Lord's presence. I had forgotten about this. I just opened my Bible up. I wanted to share with you one of the great treasures in life. I have this note. I find these quite often around. This one was a blessing during a time of recent trial. I went back and found this little note on my Bible. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God. To Grandpa, from Hailey. 1 Thessalonians 5." Pretty good treasures we have, that godly seed being raised up and just speaking the Word of God. That's what it is all about, the Word of God being given again into generation after generation...
