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As we’ve been talking about the past several weeks/months, for the month of May, we will be walking through some topics that I believe are beneficial to stabilizing the church...
The topics of:
Prayer
Water Baptism
Giving
Discipleship
Missions
And hopefully - - as we walk through them - we’ll hear the CALL-TO-ACTION when needed...
Maybe - a call to move
Maybe - a call to change
Either way - we’ll finish up the book of Galatians following the month of May.
Our first topic that we’ll focus on in this short series - is PRAYER
I DON’T think it would be an OVERSTATEMENT to say - that Prayer is probably the most UNDERRATED and NEGLECTED aspect of Christianity...
…which I think - would point to it being one of the most misunderstood aspects of Christianity...
Seems weird to say - because I think most people would reply to THAT by saying - What??
Its not that complicated...
You just pray...
BUT DO WE?
So let’s take a closer look...
The first aspect of PRAYER that we’re going to look at - - is that it is - INDEED - a Privilege!
SLIDE: What is Prayer?
A Privilege Bought With Blood
What is Prayer?
*How often do we hear about Professional Athletes RUINING their careers because of:
drugs
violence
etc…?
We hear about it a lot - One of our own - Josh Gordon**
And what we often say is - He doesn’t understand that playing in the NFL is a PRIVILEGE - NOT A RIGHT!
Well - when we come to this topic of PRAYER - we have to understand that it’s a PRIVILEGE!
AND - that this privilege was bought with BLOOD!
Back in the OT times, within the Holy Temple in Jerusalem...
..there were different areas/courts...
SLIDE: Temple Pic
You had the outer court… where people could mingle...
Then you had the inner courtyard....or the Priests Court - where sacrifices could be made...
And then you had the Holy Place....a separate structure that housed the Altar of Incense...
A Table of Showbread...
And then what was called - the Holy of Holies...
It was the Holy of Holies where the presence of God dwelt…BUT...
…as you can see - there was a giant VEIL that separated where men dwelt, from where God dwelt...
NOW - let’s keep looking at this…and I’m going to READ through Hebrews 9:1-8…
It’s going to describe what we’re seeing here...
So - we see that the Temple was constructed the way that it was - for a REASON...
And the High Priest was only allowed to pass through the curtain - ONCE A YEAR… to make atonement for sins...
WHAT DOES THE CURTAIN represent?
It represents SIN....in that SIN is what SEPARATES us from God...
The VEIL in the Temple - represented the SIN of mankind…in that it SEPARATES us from God...
And ONLY the High Priest was allowed to go through the VEIL (once a year)…to atone for SINS...
So now - let’s look at what happened when Christ died on the cross...
Notice how it tore...
from TOP - to - Bottom
ONLY God could have done this...
This veil, by all estimates, was about 60 feet tall...
And when Christ died…the BARRIER of SIN was now REMOVED....FOR WHO?
For all who would BELIEVE!!
So BEFORE - where in the Old Testament - the high priest needed to CONTINUOUSLY make sacrifices for sins...
we KNOW based on the fact that this had to be done YEAR after YEAR...
…that it was just a TEMPORARY atonement...
Hebrews 10 speaks to this...
And here’s where Christ comes in to play...
Jesus Christ - purchased US with His blood!
He was our SACRIFICE - ONCE for ALL…and when He died...
…what SEPARATED man from God (SIN) - that BARRIER fell - FOR ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE in Jesus!
We NOW had direct access to God!
Instead of needing to go thru the High Priest...
We NOW - had direct access OURSELVES!
And PRAYER is a PATHWAY - to God
And so - Understand the PRIVILEGE we have
We have God’s EAR (through PRAYER) - if we HAVE Jesus Christ as our SAVIOR!
Notice I said - IF we have Jesus Christ as our Savior!
This means - NOT EVERYONE has God’s ear...
It’s saying here - that when SIN remains between you and God - He doesn’t LISTEN to your prayers...
God does not listen to - Unbelievers prayers
But like we saw BEFORE - When Christ died, the VEIL - TORE!
Sin is REMOVED between the - BELIEVER in Jesus Christ - and God the Father
WHICH means - if you trust in Christ and have been SAVED - you have God’s EAR in prayer...
What a Privilege that is!!
PRAY - Can we pray now - and THANK God for this amazing privilege we have?
Go before Him now - and just THANK Him that He LISTENS to you…!
Pray now...
Prayer is a privilege....
And BECAUSE this PRIVILEGE is based on FAITH…(HAVING God’s ear in prayer)...
INDIVIDUAL Faith in Jesus Christ…!
That means… (not only a Privilege)
SLIDE: What is Prayer?
Personal Communion with God
What is Prayer?
As Christians we MUST not forget - God wants to hear from - YOU!
God CREATED PRAYER to be a means that we use to - GLORIFY Him! - and NOT JUST corporately!
But in many DIFFERENT - PERSONAL ways...
SLIDE:
God created prayer as a means by which we can enjoy Him
God IS - the epitome of JOY…it’s FULLNESS in His right hand...
Prayer helps us to TAP INTO that JOY....
NOW - think of how POWERFUL that joy really is!
think of the Crucifixion…think of the pain…the suffering...
Listen to a Physicians take on the Crucifixion:
The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand.
This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.
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