Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The importance of prayer in no man’s land.
Sunday, July 15, 2001
“But” = alla ajll! = expresses opposition or antithesis; sets up a strong contrast between worry and the function of the faith-rest technique in prayer.
“in everything”[en] + [panti] = in every circumstance, going forward into no man’s land, or in any phase of your spiritual life
“By prayer and supplication” =[te] + [proseuche] pros = face to face with, seuche = to pray, wish, will, voice;
te proseuche = “through prayer”
[kai] = and [te] = through
“supplication” = [deesei] = emphasizing the mechanics of prayer, especially involving entreaty or petition for specific and special or personal needs.
“Thwarted” = egkopto = to cut into, to frustrate, to detain, to hinder, be oppressive unto.
meta + eucharistias Meta = after
dia + genitive = through something. dia + accusative = because of something.
meta + accusative = after thanksgivings
1TH 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law, and through life in the PPOG, established the precedence for the spiritual life for the Church-age.
MAT 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” ROM 10:4 “For Christ is the end of the Law for the purpose of righteousness to every one who believes.”
He gave us a spiritual life that never existed before because we are Royal family.
You are a member of the Royal family of God and a royal priest; you have benefits that have never been given before in all of human history.
Our royal priesthood shows that God’s plan for us in the Church-age as Royal family is totally and completely unique.
A priest is a human being who represents people before God.
In the Church-age, since every believer is a priest, every believer represents himself before God.
In the Old Testament it was always a matter of your physical birth.
The husband was the priest in the Old Testament and functioned as the priest before God.
The tribe of Levi, the family of Aaron, became the area of priesthood and you had to born into it.
We are the royal family to God and we have a Royal priesthood, 1PE 2:5-9.
Prayer is the function of the royal priesthood whereby the Church-age believer has access and privilege to present two categories of requests to God the Father.
a. Petitions are prayers for yourself. b. Intercessory prayers are prayers for others.
Prayer is addressed to the Father, MAT 6:6-9, EPH 1:17, EPH 3:14, 1PE 1:17, in the name of the Son, JOH 14:13-14, and in the enabling power (filling) of the Holy Spirit, EPH 6:18.
A promise is no better than the character of the one who makes it.
“The throne of grace” is the highest place of authority and government in the universe.
“Grace to help in time of need” = future need and storing up grace provisions for the future difficulties.
MAT 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
REV 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
The divine promises to those who pray rests upon the fulfillment of certain conditions.
a. We must have confidence in prayer as a practical power and legitimate powerful weapon, HEB 11:6.
Prayer is either an extraordinary force or a disgraceful farce.
We must believe that God answers prayer not because our faith makes Him answer, but because “believing” reveals our trust in His character and integrity.
God is Love, 1JO 4:8b, and God is motivated by His love to answer our prayers.
Since God is eternal and immutable, His love is unchanging and enduring.
ROM 8:38-39 – no matter how a believer fails, no matter what he does, God keeps on loving him.
God is sovereign; He is supreme in rule and has authority over all things. There is no higher authority in the universe than God! DEU 4:39.
DEU 4:39 “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”
God is also perfect righteousness, 1SA 2:2, LEV 19:2.
1SA 2:2 “There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides Thee, Nor is there any rock like our God.”
Another divine attribute which is very comforting when it comes to prayer is omniscience.
You Father has always known everything, every thought, every motive, every event and every action of every person who would ever live!
assured = ashash (King James – “show yourselves men”) = have assurance and confidence
JOH 13:7 “What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter.”
2CO 12:8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
2CO 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.