You know, while back there was a theme for a meeting on prayer
and I began to study about prayer a little bit more
in-depth. And I began to ask people about
prayer. And it's at that time that I
really got exposed to an idea among some of our own brother
in, which can we really kind of surprised me prayer was for to
thank God, you know, thankfulness mostly appreciate
pray for things in the future, but, you know, prayer really
doesn't work much change. JH because God doesn't work like
you used to. I had a brother tell me.
He doesn't work. Like you used to.
And so, prayer is basically a spiritual discipline.
Somebody told me for humility and thankfulness.
I began to think about is that, the way a lot of people view
prayer, is that what the Bible teaches about prayer?
It became amazing to be. Well, the Bible has a lot to say
about prayer and 1st Thessalonians.
It tells us rejoice, always pray without ceasing verse 17.
First Thessalonians 5 verse 17. Pray without ceasing.
Now, that first of all, I'd doesn't mean that we're supposed
to be such prayers that we forget how to drive or we forget
how to talk to anybody or do other things.
It's talking about an attitude of the presence of God in our
life. It's talking about being a
companionship with him, having him be with you being aware of
his presence and being Able to talk to him immediately.
That's the kind of prayer. We should have prayer life where
God is immediately present in time of need.
The Bible also talks and other passages about prayer and about
something that we should be doing all the time.
It's something we should be instant in, you know, I mean
immediately be able to pray. Well, some of us haven't got
that discipline as well, but I really began to think about
people who are trying to overcome sin in their lives.
And we're not using prayer as access to the throne of grace to
find help. In time of need, they weren't
even praying because they didn't believe God did much.
God didn't work that way, and we are being told by calvinist all
the time, God pre-wrote all of history, that's the way he is
and why he's able to prophesize because he just went to page
number. So, and so and told us what was
on that page? Well, is everything so preset
that were absolutely locked in and prayer doesn't change
anything? Does God change his mind?
Some people say God is immutable.
He doesn't ever change his mind. My friends, whenever the Bible
talks about the immutability of God, it's talking about his
character and his concept of righteousness, and
unrighteousness. It's not talking about his
ability to change his mind. The Bible does tell us that God
changed his mind. He had a covenant, he made a New
Covenant even prophesied. There was going to be a new
covenant coming. The Bible tells us in the owen
in the Old Testament. On many different places.
And basically, in Isaiah 38, listen in those days Hezekiah,
became mortally ill and Isaiah, the prophet, the son of a
mosque, came to him and said to him, thus, saith the Lord set
your house in order for you shall die and not live, you
know, whatever you have both sides of that.
Shall I die? You shall not live.
You get the point. I'm about to kick the bucket
here. I'm not going to make it any
longer notice. Then Hezekiah turned his face to
the wall. Prayed to the Lord and said,
remember now, O Lord. And by deceit you how I have
walked before you in truth with a whole heart and have done,
what is good in your sight and Hezekiah wept bitterly than the
word of the Lord came to Isaiah, seeing go to Isaiah and says,
thus, saith the Lord, the god of your father.
David, I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears behold.
I will add 15 years to your life.
I will deliver you in this city from the hand of the king of
Assyria and will defend this city.
T. Now, tell me God doesn't answer
prayers. God had made a proclamation, a
very strong Proclamation. You're gonna die.
Get your house in order and then all of a sudden he repents he
prays to God before the property Ben gets out of the courtyard.
He's told to go back and tell him.
He's got 15 more years to live. Does God change his mind.
Absolutely. There are some people here
tonight. That you've been told by some
brother you have implied from from some scripture, you have
missed believed the teaching of scripture that you don't believe
God changes his mind about things.
I've talked to people who've lived hopeless lives.
I've talked to people who have been into sinned and you know
what? They're told, their hope has
been crushed because they have been told that they've been born
that way. I'm sorry you were born that way
and you just need to accept it and go on.
No, that's not the case. We find you get, you may get
your physical characteristics from your physical parents.
That's right. You do your physical
characteristics, your shortness, Your tallness, your lack of
hair, whatever, as the old country, and western song,
you're the reason why our kids are ugly, you know, you do get
your characteristics from your parents, but your spirit is not
born, totally depraved. You are not born alien to God,
you are not born with total depravity.
The Bible says God is the father of spirits.
You don't get your spirit from your parents that leads to all
kinds. Kinds of problems.
We don't get our eternal spirit from our parents.
We get it from God and we're all born innocent in this world and
we have made choices and oh yes habits are hard to break.
All of us have to deal with as our brother has said to us the
sins and the consequences of those sins.
But all of us have the opportunity to make a change.
All of us have been given the power to access for help in time
of need. Notice what the scripture says
in Ephesians chapter 3 and I want you to remember some of
these passages and Ephesians chapter 3, notice what it says,
starting red breeding Birds verse 20.
Now to him, who is able to do far more abundantly I didn't lie
beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that
works within us to him be glory in the church.
And in Jesus Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Beyond what were able to ask or think.
That's right. Don't you ever doubt the power
of prayer? Don't you ever fail to humble
yourself before? God who truly in time?
Considers your need at that moment.
Don't you ever believe that? There's no reason to pray
because things are not going to change?
I want you to know, God is able to do, listen far more than you
Or think you have a reason to trust.
That prayer. Has power don't ever practice
prayer without believing in its power.
Notice it, James, the fifth chapter in verse 16.
I'm just going to go quickly notice what it says.
It says, prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much can
accomplish nothing. No, can accomplish a little no?
Can accomplish much is what it says, don't you ever doubt the
Power of prayer, God is alive and well and wanting you to ask
for help in time of need and Hebrews 4 verse 16.
The Bible says, let us remember to receive help for and find
Grace to help in time of need. That means at that moment, my
friends when you're driving and you're about ready to curse the
person who's driving next to, you remember to ask for help for
your tongue in time of need, whenever or out in a place.
And you think that nobody's watching?
Remember God is there and God is available for you to help in
time of need? I told my children they were
when they begin dating. I said don't you ever get in the
backseat crisis? Already there.
And you know what, we want to put a distance between ourselves
and God and the world wants us to practice that distance
between us and God. Get really hurt.
Whenever people, there was a school shooting And they came
out. They said I'm sorry, but
thoughts and prayers are not enough.
I go. What God are you praying to,
because thoughts and prayers are very powerful.
Thoughts and prayers are beyond all that we ask or think.
My friends. Don't let the devil tell you
that thoughts and prayers are nothing.
They are not. Now there's a hypocrisy for
people who pray and don't believe that they're the answer
to that prayer. Sometime the Bible tells young
people flee and Times of Youth, God Gave You feet?
Use them God, made a way of escape.
The Bible says, we've got a prey to see it sometimes, remember
that. 1st Corinthians 10:13. But God is there to help in time
of need. That's right.
You know, I talk to sometimes, there's people who have the sin
of homosexuality in their life, and they believe that they've
been born that way. They are genetics.
Are coded. Everything is encoded and I'm
sorry, but that's just the way I am.
No, it isn't no, but at listen to this dr.
Neil Whitehead, dr. Nealon, I just want to read
paragraph in a nutshell. If you take pairs of identical
twins in which one, Twin is homosexual, The Identical
co-twin is usually not homosexual.
That means given that identical twins are always genetically,
identical, homosexuality, cannot be, genetically dictated.
No one is born gay dr. Neil Whitehead.
Now I don't know what the world is doing, its confused as got
its message together, right? But I'm here to tell you, there
is not a sin that God cannot forgive and God cannot help you
overcome that in your life. I don't care how habitual, I
don't care how long I don't care how Whatever It Is.
God can change your life. And prayer can change your life
as well. Five minutes.
Okay good timing. Now you may say you may say how
come God doesn't answer my prayer.
I asked for a million bucks and I ain't got it yet.
Why doesn't God give me what I want?
Well, there's a lot of reasons will Godwin.
My, our brother just gave a whole talk on on, trials and
tribulations, brother, Todd. Bernard did a good job.
He tells us sometimes. God gives us our trials and
Temptations in order for us to grow in strength and we may need
that. That's right.
But there's also a lack of faith.
James 1:6, the rate, it might be centered on life, Isaiah, 59
verses 1 and 2 Proverbs 28:9, First, Peter 3:7, we might not
see Seek the kingdom of God. First, we may just want God to
add to our fleshly life. We may pray for something to
consume it upon our lust. The Bible says, I'm sorry, God's
not going to answer that prayer in the affirmative.
God always answers prayer, but sometimes it's, nope.
I used to talk argue with my mother.
Mom, you didn't hear me. She goes, oh, I know.
I heard you. The answer is no.
I learned from that that sometimes God hears us but the
answer is no, no. As my mom said, is an answer,
that's right. Yes.
No. Maybe later.
But I want you to know God, always hears the cries of his
children. That's right.
We need to realize, we need to pray like Jesus, not my will,
but thine be done. James, you asked it for verse 3.
You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong
motives, that's right. When you asked that Brakes go
out on your enemies car. When you brat would you pray
that God May Smite them? I'm sorry.
God does it that's not the right attitude God didn't have that.
Attitude God wants his enemies to repent.
We need to have the right attitude in our prayer, but my
friends, here's one thing you can do in this is my last point.
You can trust God, you can trust that God has your interest to
heart because he didn't have to give us prayer at all.
Can you imagine trying to live a life?
We're, we're trying to be pleasing unto God and God did
not give us prayer. If God just said no, I'm going
to give you Grace in, it's a One-Shot deal.
You obey me, you get forgiven of your sins and you better keep
clean until the judgment. God gave us prayer to find help
in time of mate, be thankful for prayer through.
We receive mercy and find Grace, be thankful for prayer to ask
for help. There's all kinds of God has
done everything he can do to make sure that we have access to
what we need to be spiritually, survivors and have a Living
Hope. And to God, if you're here and
hopeless, I want you to know God has answers to your
hopelessness, you have access to tools that will Give you help
that will give you strength in time of need.
You can be Victorious. And I don't care how long you've
been in that sin. God can give you help, you can
be victorious over it. There is no sin in this world
that God can't help you with. We need to do not pray that we
can consume it upon our less first, John five, fourteen.
Fifteen if we ask anything according to his will he hears
us ask and pray thy will be done just like Jesus did in the
garden. Pray at the end of their lord, I
want you to die. Would this is what I want.
But it's according to your will not my will but thine be done.
How about putting that at the end of every prayer?
Not my will, but thine be done. Basically, we need to pray for
the right things. Paul Second Corinthians 12
verses 7 through 10 prayed three times that he had a thorn in the
flesh. Lord take it away from me and if
anybody ought to have God listen to him.
So to speak. You might think what Apostle
Paul had it. Paul asks for help.
What did God say? God find him being a prophet.
God gave him an answer. Paul.
No. Not going to take it away that
the power of Christ May rest upon you.
Friends. How humbling that would be to
get that? Where God explained to, Paul?
Paul? The answer is no, because if I
take this away, you may fall away from Christ.
Paul said, then I would rather rejoice I'd rather Rejoice you
know sometimes we need to be thank God for unanswered prayers
because they may take away our Salvation to my friends won't
one last verse Job 13 and verse 15.
Even though he slay me yet, look well, I trust him yet without
trust him. My friends.
God is a good god and there's a first I didn't get to read God.
Wants to give good gifts to his children.
God wants to answer your prayer but his from his perspective.
Active. He knows yes.
No. And maybe later.
I don't know. But here's one thing, you can
trust. You can trust him to have your
interest at heart. You can trust that as a good
father in Heaven. He desires for you to have that,
which you absolutely need tonight.
If you're here, he wants you to be saved.
He desires for you to be saved and the world may be whispering
in your ear. And you may be believing day.
The devil's lies that there is hopelessness the There's not
going to give you the power to change things.
That things won't change my friends.
I want you to know God has given us, forgiveness of sins.
God has given us all that we need.
So that we may share his nature forever, but don't you ever
forget prayer? Because prayer is where God
changes his mind and flawed considers your plight and God
will give you help always and time of need tonight.
Do you need to make things right with God?
If you're not a Christian, you don't have access to those
blessings that are found only in Christ.
You need to in your faith, repent of your sins, Luke 13:3
confess his name before men upon that confession.
You're a fit subject for baptism for the remission of your sins
Acts 2 verse 38. That's right.
You get added to the body of Christ, he will add you to his
body. And in the body of Christ, you
have all spiritual blessings, which includes prayer.
What a blessing. To have it.
What a horror to realize that we don't have it.
If you're here tonight and you're outside of Christ, God
does not hear a sinner's prayer, your sins.
And iniquities have caused him to turn his ear away from you so
that he will not hear. Oh, that's a scary place to be.
If you're here and can't pray tonight, how scared you and
concerned? You should be.
But if you're a Christian tonight, you can get forgiveness
and Grace to help. In time of need, you can get
access to the throne Of God. What a wonderful blessing to
have. We thank you for listening to
our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ at 22:15 plans.
Road in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional
information or you would like to receive a free Bible
correspondence, course by mail. Please email us at info at True
Church of Christ Bakersfield.com.
Our service times are on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and
Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Please make plans to join us.
We would love for you to be our honored guest.