The Power of Prayer
Revelation: All Things New • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsTheme: God responds to our prayers by showing up. Purpose: To know God hears our prayers, and so pray. Gospel: We are called to pray for Christ's coming. Mission: Disciples pray for God's presence on earth. Gospel: God hears our prayers between now and His coming.
Notes
Transcript
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne.
The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
Introduction: There has been some talk about the Great Pause
13-Anticipating the Day of the Lord.
13-Anticipating the Day of the Lord.
The 7th Seal begins with a great Pause, and it ends with the Coming of God, Or the Day of the Lord as the Prophets called it, Revelation the Day of the God and the Lambs Wrath....
But let’s take our own pause to reflect on what has happened in the seven seals
Quote from Fee - The seven seals is like the prelude to a great symphonic piece. Use the illustration of a musical theatre show - Ie Oklahoma where before the show starts a medly of all of the major theme songs is played. This is the seven seals, if we stopped here we would have the summary of the book of Revelation and its major themes and its major message to the 7 churches layed out for us.
14 - From Fees Commentary show the pattern of the 3 7's
15 - The Calm before the Storm. - Imagine 30 minutes of Silence. Let’s try just 1 minute.
This is intense, perhaps it has the effect of feeling the gravity of what is going to happen next.
Benjamin - "When Dad get silent then it is really scarry."
I always, when I have a difficult conversation to have with someone, like to take a time of silence to set my heart right.
Prayer involves silence.
Application Point:
Take some time to be silent.
Sometimes we wonder, Is God hearing my prayers?
16-God responds to our prayers by showing up.
16-God responds to our prayers by showing up.
This passage is about prayer - “The mixing of Prayer and Incense....
Is there a tie into the story of Numbers 16, where some of the Levites wanted to be scene as the ones who would be the high priests. They were told to take their censors with incense and meet God at the tent of meeting, and God would choose. God did, and destroyed those except Aaron's family as not being his Holy Ones to do this task.
Also, in 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziah was unworthy to to the task of tending to the incense altar and was judged with Leprosy because of it.
Psalm 141 talks about prayers being like incense.
Fire Shovel shovel.
The first encouragement that we have with this passage is...
God hears our prayers - All of our prayers
-Specifically, If we are reading this like the 7 churches, God hears the prayers of the persecuted Church.
God Does Uses our Prayers for his redemptive purpose. - The Burning Incense/prayer mixture is thrown on the earth. This reminds me of a few scripture passages.
For the music director. Of David.
In Yahweh I have taken refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee to your mountain like a bird”?
For look: The wicked string the bow. They have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot from the darkness at the upright of heart.
When the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?
Yahweh is in his holy temple; Yahweh is in the heavens on his throne. His eyelids see; they test the children of humankind.
Yahweh tests the righteous, but the wicked and the lover of violence his soul hates.
He will rain coals on the wicked. Burning sulfur and scorching wind will be the portion of their cup.
For Yahweh is righteous; he loves righteous deeds. The upright shall see his face.
For the music director. A psalm of David.
Rescue me, O Yahweh, from evil men. Preserve me from violent men,
who plan evil things in their heart. They stir up wars continually.
They sharpen their tongue as sharp as a snake’s; the venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
Protect me, O Yahweh, from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from violent men, who have planned to make me stumble.
The proud have hidden a trap for me, and cords. They have spread out a net along the side of the path. They have set snares for me. Selah
I say to Yahweh, “You are my God.” Listen, O Yahweh, to the voice of my supplications.
O Yahweh, my Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant, O Yahweh, the desires of the wicked. Do not allow them to attain their plan, lest they be exalted. Selah
With respect to the head of those who surround me, may the harm of their lips cover them.
Let burning coals fall on them; let them be dropped into the fire, into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise.
Do not let a slanderer be established in the land; as for the man of violence, let evil hunt him quickly.
I know that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy.
Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name; the upright will dwell in your presence.
Do not take revenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
But “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head.”
If your enemy is hungry, feed him bread, and if thirsty, let him drink water.
For coals of fire you will heap upon his head, and Yahweh will reward you.
Two ways this passage is being interpreted.
1. Culturally, if someone was out of coal, they would go around asking for hot coals so as to cook and do other things for their family. Heaping Coals then was a euphamism for doing good for your enemy - And they will have a change of heart for you.
2. God will take out vengeance on people who harm the righteous.
Possibly Both - God wants us to pray for our enemies that they may repent and enter the Kingdom of God, but if a person does not then their consequences are coming to them. When we pray, thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, we are praying for the salvation of many souls, and for vindication of the Kingdom.
Everything here about the thunder, lightning, sounds like voices from God, and even the sounding of a trumpet is a depecition of God descending on Mount Sinai. So, perhaps what we have here in this passage is the Coming of the Lord. and the Trumpets announce his coming
Application Point: Be Encouraged.
God Hears Your Prayers
His Coming is the Answer to Your Prayers.
17-How Can We Pray?
17-How Can We Pray?
Jesus Taught us to pray
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
So, We should first of all pray for ourselves to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s Kingdom, and His will.
We should pray for Justice and Mercy, and for our nations and the people in them to first apply God’s Kingdom and Will, but most importantly.....
This can not happen unless people align themselves with God, so pray for the salvation of people. They will not escape God’s wrath unless they clean their robes in the blood of the Lamb. - Pray for Enemy and Brother/Sister alike.
Ultimately, we are called to pray for the Lord to Come.
Praying with a Posture that does not take vengeance.
We should be praying for how we can bless our enemies - Romans, those who would cancel culture us, the Taliban, “Yes.”
Pray, then also that they would see a new way of Life that ends the cycle of violence and hatred.
Pray that the Lord would vindicate as he alone can bring vengeance justly and righteously.
Application Point:
Pray for Someone or a Group of People this week who Need Jesus.
18 - Conclusion: The Serenity Prayer (skitguys.com)