Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Micah 7:18-20 “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which You swore to our forefathers From the days of old.” NASB95

 

Introduction:

~ God is a God of hope.  How can we be people characterized by hope in difficult days?

~ We live in a morally dark world.  Where can we get the strength we need to live on the spiritual streets of Bagdad?

 

I.          Three Phases of Prayer

“Our prayers reflect the state or condition of our spirit.  They are a proxy statement for the predisposition of our mind.  The tendencies of our prayers reflect which phase of spiritual life we occupy.  Are our prayers along the line of

 

Phase One:  “Lord, give me…?”  “Gimme, gimme, gimme.  My name is Jimmy.” 

            We are a needy people.

            It is ok to share our needs and those of others with God asking

                        for His help.  But God grows us up and moves us along.

 

Phase Two: “Lord, make me…?”

            God opens our eyes to our spiritual condition and our personal

                        baggage.  He helps us see the real issues in our lives. 

            As gold ore placed into the fire, the pressures of life raise our

                        Impurities to the top where God heals the residue of the

                        problems in our lives.  But God’s plans for us are bigger.

                        He moves us along to the next phase.

 

Phase Three: “Lord, thank you…?”

            Slowly our focus is moved off of us.  God has been healing our

                        Brokenness.  And we begin to see the light at the end of the

                        tunnel. 

 

Our one dimensional focus begins to become 2 and 3 dimension

 

II.         Prayer is for Developing Intimacy With God

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ” NASB95

 

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. ” NASB95

 

Illustration:  Little girl drawing a picture at the kitchen table. 

Her mother asked her what she was drawing.

The little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God”

Mother said, “Oh darling, no one knows what God looks like”

Little girl, “They will in a minute.”

 

Knowing God is eternal life!

John 17:3 ““This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. ” NASB95

 

Knowing God is the source of security.  Everything else will let us down.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. ” NASB95

 

Knowing God is the source of strength even in difficult days.

Daniel 11:32-33 ““By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.”

 

 “Prayer is the currency of our personal relationship with Christ.  It is the medium of exchange between needy people and a rich God.  The man who is poor in relationships, destitute in hope, and hungry for significance can purchase them with prayer….Abraham prayer. Rachel prayed. Moses prayed. Elisha prayed. Gideon prayed. Hannah prayed. Samuel prayed.  David prayed.  Jonah prayed.  Mary prayed.  Peter prayed. John prayed. Paul prayed.  Throughout history God has met with people who prayed to Him.”

 

Mark 1:35 “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. ” NASB95

 

Matthew 14:23 “After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. ” NASB95

 

John 14:18-21 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you… “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” NASB95

 

How can we learn to pray like Jesus?

 

III.        An Anthem of Hope

A.        Who Is Like You? – Meditate on the attributes of God.

Exodus 15:11 ““Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?”

            Knowing what the true God is like helped Moses…

            gain perspective in the midst of a pagan, polytheistic society.

            So easy to be run over and run down by our circumstances.

 

Psalm 35:10 “All my bones will say, “Lord, who is like You, Who delivers the afflicted from him who is too strong for him, And the afflicted and the needy from him who robs him?” ” NASB95

            The world is no friend of the afflicted and needy.

            Ours is the most compassionate society on earth and yet.

 

Psalm 71:18-19 “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come. For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? ” NASB95

Psalm 77:13 “Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? ” NASB95

 

Psalm 89:5-7 “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord, A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him? ” NASB95

 

Isaiah 40:12-15, 18-31

 

B.        You Pardon Sin – Confess Personal Sin

the attributes of God will call attention to our weakness and sin.

 

Psalm 103:1-17

Isaiah 43:25 ““I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. “

 

Isaiah 44:22 ““I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” ” NASB95

 

Luke 5:4-8 “When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” ” NASB95

            There must be a contrast!  Something to help us see.

            We are so often either content with ourselves or

                        Paralyzed by Satan’s accusations.  “Accuser of the brothers”

 

Story: Luke 7:36-50 (esp 39, 42, 47)

 ~ Does not retain anger long – he lets it go.  Do I?

            Aren’t you glad God is not a score keeper!  Are you?

            Yes, God disciplines those who are His.

            But even His discipline is an indication that we are His.

Ephesians 4:29-30

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

 

~ Delights in unchanging love  (Hesed = loyal love)

            Where does God get His joy?  Delight is…

~ A new day of compassion is coming

 

Isaiah 40:11 “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. ” NASB95

 

Isaiah 55:6-9 “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. ” NASB95

 

C.        You Are Able To Keep Us From Stumbling

 

Jude 24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy”

 

Application:  Ask God to control and empower you with His Holy Spirit.