What is prayer?

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 24 NOVEMBER 2024 am – MR KEITH LINDSAY

1 John 3 verses 1 to 7, 16 to 24

What is prayer?  It is one of the greatest privileges known to man.  Prayer is contact with God.  Communion with God.  Fellowship with God.  The fact that we mere mortals can communicate with the God who created and sustains all things is an amazing thing.  That we as individuals can enter into the throne room of heaven to the very throne of God.  “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer but unoffered prayer.” F B Meyer.  It has been well said that prayer should be something that we do every day like breathing, eating, walking an talking.  It should not become like a little glass box that hangs on the wall with a key inside it, that says “break in case of emergency.”  Prayer is an untapped resource so often where untold treasure remains to be unearthed.  Prayer remains one of the greatest gifts God has given to us outside of salvation. Access to the very throne room of heaven.  Prayer is one of the greatest war zones for the believer.  It is while we are at prayer that the devil fears us most and he will use any method to stop us from praying.  When we are in prayer we get so easily distracted.  The phone rings, the door knocks or sometimes we fall asleep.  William Cooper said “restraining prayer will cease to fight, prayer makes the Christian armour bright, Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint on their knees.”  Sometimes we cannot concentrate or get through in prayer.  Prayer is one of the most neglected things in our busy Christian lives.  So many things can pour into your life and prayer is put to the side.  Or that time you need to put to prayer is put to the side.  John Bunyan said “prayer is shield of the soul, a sacrifice to God, the scourge to Satan.” There is a wonderful promise in these verses “whatsoever we ask we receive of him.”  The reality and simplicity of prayer – to put the whole thing in a nut shell – asking is man’s part, giving is God’s part.  As we read through scriptures we are encouraged to pray.  God has given specific promises to those who pray.  Jeremiah 33 verse 3 “call unto me and I will and answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”  Matthew 21 verse 22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive.”  1 John 5 verses 14 and 15  “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”   Luke 18 verse 1  “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.”  As we read through scriptures, we see how God challenges us to pray and challenged others to pray.  In Genesis 18 Abraham interceded on behalf of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He pleaded for God to have mercy on those cities.  He pleaded for 50, he went right down the number to the 10 that God would answer prayer.  In Exodus 15 Moses cried unto the Lord because the people murmured at the waters of Marah which were bitter.  God showed Moses the tree and then told him to cast the tree into the water.  The water was made sweet as a result.  God answered his prayer.  We could go through so much scripture and the situations when God answered prayer.  1 Samuel 1 Hannah prayed before God.  She cried out because she wanted a child.  Eli thought she was drunk and wanted to put her out of the temple.  He saw her grief within and said to her “Go in peace and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou has asked of him.”  Then in verse 19 we read “the Lord remembered her.”  God answered her prayer and Samuel was born.  Elijah in 1 Kings 18 is another example.  God answers prayer even when we feel we are in the minority.  Elijah was with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel.  Elijah tells them “If your god is god he will answer by fire.”  They cut themselves, they pleaded and cried but nothing happens.  Elijah tells them to cry louder and they did that but nothing happens.  Elijah pours the water over the altar and asks the God of Israel. God answered by fire.  He stood alone, 850 against him and God answered him.  The fire fell and the sacrifice was consumed.  We have an almighty God who can do more than we ask or think.  We are encouraged and exhorted to pray.  It is our special privilege to do so right into the presence of God.  Jim Elliott the missionary killed by Auca Indians said “God is still on the throne.  We are his footstool.  There is only a knees distance between.”  Andrew Murray said “prayer is not monologue but dialogue, God’s voice in response to my voice.  Listening to God’s voice is the secret of assurance that he will listen to mine.”  In verse 22 we see the little word “ask”.  Prayer is just asking.  The Lord reminds us – Luke 11 verse 11 “Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.  For every one that asketh receiveth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will be give him, a stone? Of if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg will be offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”  Ask.  Before we ask we need to have confidence in our asking.  It reminds us there are some conditions that need to be met if we want to have confidence in asking God to answer our prayers. Verses 20, 21 and 22.  The word “if” implies there are conditions that need to be met if we want God to answer prayer for us.  Those to whom the little promise is given are God’s little children - verse 18. Verse 19 shows that those who are of a truth, addressed as beloved, a people of God.  We need to be those related to God.  Those who are the children of God, of the household of faith, those who are saved. Galatians 3 verse 26  “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  Once we did a mission outside Kilrea, Boveedy years ago with the Faith Misson.  A man came to that mission every night.  A local businessman, a lovely man, his wife was believer.  He was not saved himself but he would be in the meetings every night.  Believed God was speaking to him.  So burdened for this man.  “Don’t you leave it too long or you will be too late.”  Man who had a quiet time every day, read his bible every day, went to church, prayed every day, spent time with God even though not a believer.  A challenge to us as believers.  A number of weeks later he rang me and said “I have met a great friend of yours on the Damascus road.  God spoke twice in my life, once in Australia and at the door of the mission that night when you said ‘don’t leave it too long or you will be too late.’  It was not through the sermons preached in the mission but those simple few words said to him at the door.  His sister-in-law was really ill and they were having times of prayer for her.  He went along to those times of prayer like everyone else.  In those prayer times a young lad prayed in that prayer meeting.  The man said “I realised that my prayers were only hitting the ceiling, they were not going anywhere.  I realised that I was not right with God.  I could pray all the prayers I wanted but they were not getting any further.  The prayer God needed to hear from me was the prayer of repentance first, where I realised I was a sinner, where I could come to him and he would hear me.  He could save me as a result.”    We need to be those who are saved if we want God to hear and answer prayer.  We also need to be sincere too.  Verse 18 reminds us to love in word is only false.  We are to love not only with our lips but with our actions.  Hate that which is evil, to hold onto that which is good, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another. Psalm 24 we need to be those with clean hands and a pure heart as we come to God in prayer.  “Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord or stand in his holy place, he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity or sworn deceitfully.”  Remember the story of the revival in Hebrides.  Mary Morrison, wife of the Principal of the Faith Mission Bible College spent time with us as students reminding us of those days of revival, when God came and moved with revival in the Hebrides.  God answered prayer.  Now so far away from things of God, forgetting about their heritage from days past.  In those days walking along they were falling on the wayside.  Trusting God as Saviour.  There was a young man in those revivals who cried out “make my hands clean and make my heart pure.” As he prayed God moved and the Spirit of God fell on that meeting and the power of God worked in those islands.  The conditions for God to answer, a right relationship with God, coming sincerely to him – verse 21.  That right relationship with others too. Matthew 5 verse 23 and 24 “if thou bring thy gift to the altar and there rememberest that they brother hath ought against thee.  Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift.”   The devil loves to hear the prayer that is addressed to someone in the audience.  W S Plummer said “God may turn his ear from prattling prayers or preaching prayers but never from penitent, believing prayer.”  We need to be obedient to him if we expect God to answer prayer.  Verse 22.   It is so easy to be careless in our everyday life, to do the things or neglect to do the things that please him. To be one thing in the church and another in the workplace or home. We need to meet God’s conditions if we want to see him answer prayer.  2 Chronicles 7 verse 14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” There is a condition. Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”  The challenge to my heart is - have I a real relationship with God and others.  Do I come with clear conscience before him, am I fully obedient to do all I can to please God in my life?  “Most believers expect little from God because they ask little from God.  Therefore they receive little from God and are sadly content with little.” A W Pink.   Am I content with little today? Isaac Newton “I can take my telescope and look up thousands of miles into space and see the wonder of God’s creation.  I can go to my room and in prayer get nearer to God in heaven than I can with all the assisted telescopes in the earth.” What a wonderful privilege we have in the place of prayer.  Only God can move in answer to prayer.  God can.  As we think how God has been good in the past, we cannot limit God today.  As we look around and see the need it is down to all of us to get to prayer, to seek God to move in Coleraine before our mission in April and after it too.  One concern of the devil is to keep the saint from prayer.  He fears nothing from prayerless work, prayerless religion, prayerless study, prayerless churches, he laughs at our toil, he mocks at our religion but he trembles when we pray. Ww need persistence in prayer, don’t we, to keep prayer on.  We want to give up so easily.  My grandmother was a very godly woman died a few years ago.  My aunt walked in one day that she was on her knees and asked her “have you lost something”.  “No I haven’t lost anything I am praying, get out until I finish.”  She saved back in 1954 through Noel Grant.  She knew how to pray.  She prayed for all of us.  She didn’t see prayer answered but God is continuing to answer prayer today.  God does answer prayer.  Even not in our time and our ways.  He continues to answer prayer.  Verse 22 “whatsoever you ask we receive of him.”  We could talk about passion in prayer.  Not vain repetition.  We need passion in prayer, getting through to God in prayer, holding onto the throne of God in pray.  Not giving up or not giving in or distracted, hold onto God and see him move.    We need thankfulness in prayer.  We need to thank God when he answers prayer.  Philippians 4 verse 6 “Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  1 Thessalonians 5 “in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ for you.”  Colossians 3 verse 17 “and whatsoever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”  Prayer engages God, enables God’s people, prayer enlarges his kingdom.  Once we have prayed we are ready to do anything.  Until we have prayed we can do nothing.  Until we have prayed we can do anything.  But once we have prayed we can accomplish anything.  Keep on praying, keep on holding onto God.  Don’t give up - that is what the devil wants us to do.  Don’t give up because we have a greater God.  By prayer and seeking his face whatsoever we ask we receive of him.  Let’s trust him together and we can do great things in the days ahead.