Noise_pt1: He Hears Us!
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Noise_pt1: He Hears Us!
Noise_pt1: He Hears Us!
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
This verse is packed full of insight about prayer
Confidence
Approaching
Anything… he hears us!
[KEY] - according to His will… Agreement
Areas of agreement we will cover this month:
Agreement with Him - Favor
Agreement with others - Unity
Agreement with His plan for Connect Church - Vision
[TODAY] - Let’s start with “Agreement with Him”
[PAYOFF] - When we pray, we need to in 2 major areas:
1 - He hears us
2 - He is faithful
Now, as we go along, we learn to hear Him also!...
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
This is agreement!
He hears us!
He hears us!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
“than we ask”… “according to His power that is at work within us”
[PAYOFF]
He hears you asking, and His power is ALREADY at work in you!
Prayer isn’t begging God, prayer is agreeing with His will and the power is already there in you!
When you pray, He here’s you and things are already in motion!
We pray lots of prayers, but most will fall into 3 categories…
[TODAY] - Let's establish some promises we have for each, when we come to Him in prayer…
[FIRST] - our prayers are usually about things we need – or fear we won’t receive…. Prayer for our daily needs.
We’ve got to remember…
He is our provider
He is our provider
This requires AGREEMENT that you will be resourced as He sees fit.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
[STORY] - The very first sermon I ever preached was about Abraham sacrificing Isaac.
He called the place Jehovah-Jireh – The Lord Will Provide.
[STORY] - This has always been a truth I could run to
Once I was being sued for $1,000,000.
I never once thought it would happen. There was just something else inside of me, something else I agreed with…
[SECOND] - can be for protection against things we fear, things that come against us, and the one who seeks to bring harm… Prayers for protection.
We’ve got to remember…
He is our shelter
He is our shelter
This requires AGREEMENT that you trust Him above yourself, anyone else, and beyond the reach of your enemies.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
[STORY] - There will be time when the “shelter” is a very acute need!
The Evil Forest in Liberia – A strength rose up in me that night!
[THIRD] - we find our prayers are difficult questions… Prayers for guidance and direction.
We’ve got to remember…
He has the answer
He has the answer
This requires AGREEMENT that you will follow, even without answers or understanding.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
[STORY] - There will be time when the “shelter” is a very acute need!
[TURNING POINT] - He doesn’t stop at hearing us.
The Evil Forest in Liberia – A strength rose up in me that night!
[THIRD] - we find our prayers are difficult questions… Prayers for guidance and direction.
He is faithful…
We’ve got to remember…
He is faithful
He is faithful
The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Impossible is impossible
[CONTEXT] - Hebrews were ready to give up...
And trying to please God without faith.
It’s impossible to please God without Jesus.
It’s not about faith in faith (Generic faith)
The world doesn’t need more positivity, belief, faith - These weren’t on the Cross!
The world needs Jesus!
It is impossible to please God without Jesus! We need faith in Jesus!
NOT - Your own deeds, your own accomplishments!!
If you try to conjure up your own righteousness, it will lead you to defeat and… giving up!
[PAYOFF] - How many times have you found yourself relying on your own performance of righteousness?
[ASK YOURSELF] - What are we more focused on?
Our faithfulness?
Or His faithfulness?
[PAYOFF] - It’s here that we fall into a trap - “God will like me more...”
Fallacy and heresy!
2 principles to keep us moving...
1 - He exists (really, He is faithful)
2 - He’s a rewarder (really, responds)
Pay for something earned??
Must be something different...
Respond!
[EXAMPLE] - Eat food = Get energy (response!)
[CAREFUL] - God in OUR image!
[PAYOFF] - We must have faith on the basis of HIS faithfulness!!
It’s about HIS faithfulness
Just like love - He loved us first!
[EXAMPLE] - Lazarus, the one YOU (Jesus) loved!
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Christ’s first directive is to: Ask!
1. Ask
1. Ask
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. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James
[YOU SAY]
I haven’t killed anyone – BUT you are killing the potential He’s put in you!
I don’t fight anyone – BUT you are fighting against His will for your life!
Many of us simply live with the circumstances, or try and fix them OURSELVES, because we don’t bring our request to the Lord.
2. Seek
2. Seek
[v31-32] “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
[PAYOFF] - God desires that we put things to rest in Him, and seek BIGGER things through Him!
Seek His things over our things
Seek Him over ourselves
3. Knock
3. Knock
Ask, seek, knock – Notice the graduation of proximity here…
2 c
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Knocking is you fully committing to your prayer – participation
And when the door is opened, there you are face-to-face.
[NOW] You are in agreement!
[NOW] You are living a prayerful life!
o [NOW] You are living a prayerful life!
Take Away
Take Away
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
Expect God to move in your life when you are in agreement with Him!
Expect God to move in your life when you are in agreement with Him!
() “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.”
Sacrifice on the altar.
Agreement is laying yourself down
Prayer is the place of that altar.