WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.040 --> 00:00:21.110 I would like for you to open your Bible to the same text we looked at last week… last time. 2 00:00:21.110 --> 00:00:35.920 So in James chapter five the verse that we were focusing on is verse 16, but I’m going to back up to verse 13. 3 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:45.620 Read this in context. 4 00:00:45.620 --> 00:00:50.260 Is anyone among you suffering? 5 00:00:50.260 --> 00:00:51.840 Then he must pray. 6 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:53.780 Is anyone cheerful? 7 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:56.500 He’s to sing praises. 8 00:00:56.500 --> 00:00:58.480 Is anyone among you sick? 9 00:00:58.480 --> 00:01:06.440 Then he must call for the elders of the church and they’re to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 10 00:01:06.440 --> 00:01:12.780 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who’s sick, and the Lord will raise him up. 11 00:01:12.780 --> 00:01:16.480 And if he has committed sins, they’ll be forgiven him. 12 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:25.320 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. 13 00:01:25.320 --> 00:01:31.940 The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 14 00:01:31.940 --> 00:01:41.900 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 15 00:01:41.900 --> 00:01:50.260 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit. 16 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:55.320 And the second text is John 15 and verse 7. 17 00:01:55.320 --> 00:02:04.340 In the midst of that section of Jesus instruction on what it means to abide in him, abiding in the vine. 18 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:05.380 Jesus is the vine. 19 00:02:05.380 --> 00:02:06.080 We are the branches. 20 00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:20.200 He spoke to his disciples: If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 21 00:02:20.200 --> 00:02:27.660 Let’s look to the Lord and ask his blessing on this inerrant word that we have from him. 22 00:02:27.660 --> 00:02:32.900 Father, we are so grateful for the preciousness of your word and the promises of scripture. 23 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:54.360 We thank you father for the encouragement for us to draw close to you and father the the blessings of a relationship with you that mean eternal life and father the sweetness of fellowship with our savior the lord Jesus. 24 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:59.580 All these things father we pray that you help us to see and grow in this morning. 25 00:02:59.580 --> 00:03:04.200 We ask Lord that you would encourage us and bless us through your word. 26 00:03:04.200 --> 00:03:09.820 Father that you would instruct us so that we know how to better approach you. 27 00:03:09.820 --> 00:03:30.060 And father we pray that by the abundant grace that you have have given us in Christ Jesus, we would mature as believers and be able to have a prayer life that is effective that accomplishes your purpose in this world. 28 00:03:30.060 --> 00:03:34.660 We ask Father for such grace and blessing in Christ’s name. 29 00:03:34.660 --> 00:03:40.320 Amen. 30 00:03:40.320 --> 00:03:51.840 Well, last time three weeks ago, we were we I thought maybe I would remind you what that was about because it has been a bit. 31 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:56.340 I remembered the sermon pretty well, but I didn’t remember that I was sick when I did it. 32 00:03:56.340 --> 00:04:00.220 You guys reminded me of that this morning. 33 00:04:00.220 --> 00:04:04.960 So it’s easy to forget things. 34 00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:26.260 But we were looking at this text and a few other texts on prayer on the the idea is as it was said to me, I’d love to have a few people that I could go to to make my to make prayer requests knowing that they’re the kind of people whose prayers are answered. 35 00:04:26.260 --> 00:04:32.780 And then she said, I want to be that kind of person. 36 00:04:32.780 --> 00:04:38.460 I want to be the kind of person who has a relationship with God whose prayers are answered. 37 00:04:38.460 --> 00:04:42.660 That’s a that’s such a rich, wonderful aspiration. 38 00:04:42.660 --> 00:04:45.620 It’s truly great. 39 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:49.680 And and it’s true of me too. 40 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:52.680 As I said last time, I want to be that kind of person. 41 00:04:52.680 --> 00:05:08.930 And I’d love to have a church filled with people who I could make mention prayer request in the work of the Lord, knowing that they’re going to lift those prayers up to to the Lord and see his miraculous workings. 42 00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:13.520 I I think that that would be an extraordinary thing. 43 00:05:13.520 --> 00:05:27.280 And then last time we looked at a couple of people as examples from from recent church history fairly recent if you count 150 years ago is recent. 44 00:05:27.280 --> 00:05:32.780 George Müller who was known for supporting thousands of orphans solely through prayer. 45 00:05:32.780 --> 00:05:37.180 He he didn’t ask anyone any human being for anything. 46 00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:42.660 He only asked the Lord and the Lord would meet the needs in extraordinary ways. 47 00:05:42.660 --> 00:05:55.880 He actually supported thousands of missionaries, thousands thousands of orphans and he founded a mission as well with missions and he did an enormous amount of extraordinary work. 48 00:05:55.880 --> 00:05:57.820 God used him in such wonderful ways. 49 00:05:57.820 --> 00:06:00.180 He was a man who knew how to pray. 50 00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:38.580 And I also mentioned John Nelson Hyde who was a missionary in India who despite his physical and linguistic struggles he led hundreds of people to faith primarily through his overnight really intense prayer sessions and just looking at some of the story we looked at a couple of the stories from these men’s lives and it was truly extraordinary lives the kinds of lives that we might have if we lived the way they lived in relation with God. 51 00:06:38.580 --> 00:06:41.820 And that God could use us. 52 00:06:41.820 --> 00:06:44.320 These men were uniquely gifted. 53 00:06:44.320 --> 00:06:47.600 No question. 54 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:53.600 But I hesitate to say that they were that different from any of us. 55 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:55.660 I don’t think they were. 56 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:57.780 God gifts his people. 57 00:06:57.780 --> 00:07:12.520 Every one of us in this church is a person who has been gifted by the Holy Spirit of God in various ways and you can be used by God in extraordinary ways if we submit ourselves to him in relation to him. 58 00:07:12.520 --> 00:07:43.510 You know James who wrote this letter that we are looking at James the just James the brother of of the Lord was a man who was known for prayer and Ucidius who wrote a history in about fourth century was writing a history of the Christian church collected you know his sayings of people much earlier and he quotes Hegopus who was describing James. 59 00:07:43.510 --> 00:08:01.380 He said he said he was accustomed to enter alone into the temple and be found kneeling upon his knees and interceding for the forgiveness of the people so that his knees became as hard as that of a Hamill. 60 00:08:01.380 --> 00:08:03.700 James was a man of prayer. 61 00:08:03.700 --> 00:08:10.000 And he’s instructing us throughout this letter on what it means to be people of prayer. 62 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:19.540 And he gives an example, you know, he gives an example that’s more extraordinary than George Müller or John Nelson H. 63 00:08:19.540 --> 00:08:21.420 He gives the example. 64 00:08:21.420 --> 00:08:27.760 If you want to look for a man whose prayers are effective, he singles out Elijah. 65 00:08:27.760 --> 00:08:33.080 He says Elijah He’s talking about effective prayers of a righteous man. 66 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.700 And he singles out Elijah. 67 00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:40.560 You remember Elijah and the and the you remember the prophet Elijah? 68 00:08:40.560 --> 00:08:44.460 You remember what he was like? 69 00:08:44.460 --> 00:08:55.420 He the first miracle I think one of the first miracles mentioned that he was connected with was praying for the great drought. 70 00:08:55.420 --> 00:09:02.080 He went he declared to King Ahab that there’s not going to be any rain or d to fall on Israel until he gives the word. 71 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.900 And that’s exactly what happened. 72 00:09:04.900 --> 00:09:21.020 And then the one of the next miracles was because of the drought that occurred and the and the famine there was a widow who was starving to death and and he and that there was that flower and the oil that never failed. 73 00:09:21.020 --> 00:09:22.320 You remember that? 74 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.160 Elijah’s prayer. 75 00:09:25.160 --> 00:09:29.880 Remember that same widow that boy died and she appeals to him. 76 00:09:29.880 --> 00:09:36.460 And Elijah prays for this boy and God restores the life of that young man. 77 00:09:36.460 --> 00:09:46.260 These are pretty big miracles that pretty extraordinary ways for God for God to act in in a person with a person’s ministry. 78 00:09:46.260 --> 00:09:51.040 And then he’s famous for calling down fire from heaven and Mount Carmel. 79 00:09:51.040 --> 00:09:57.060 In fact, that wasn’t the only time he called fire down from heaven on a couple of occasions, more than one. 80 00:09:57.060 --> 00:10:01.430 And then he prayed for the end of the drought. 81 00:10:01.430 --> 00:10:27.620 He he then he he just before he was offered up as I guess that’s the the right description he he parted the Jordan River and God used him to create to in some of the most remarkable miracles similar to those that took place with Moses used him in incredible ways. 82 00:10:27.620 --> 00:10:30.760 And then finally, you know, he goes to heaven in the whirlwind. 83 00:10:30.760 --> 00:10:39.440 He goes to he didn’t die a natural death, but he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, in a chariot of fire. 84 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:40.760 That’s Elijah. 85 00:10:40.760 --> 00:10:42.060 You remember him? 86 00:10:42.060 --> 00:10:45.040 Look at James words about Elijah. 87 00:10:45.040 --> 00:10:53.220 He says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.” 88 00:10:53.220 --> 00:11:00.680 Now, if you look for somebody who has an extraordinary prayer life and you say, “Well, if ever there was somebody who is exceptional. 89 00:11:00.680 --> 00:11:05.000 It’s Elijah.” 90 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.040 James says he’s just like us. 91 00:11:08.040 --> 00:11:13.260 He was a sinner who who God has shown great mercy to. 92 00:11:13.260 --> 00:11:15.820 He’s saved by grace just like us. 93 00:11:15.820 --> 00:11:18.640 He’s a person just like us. 94 00:11:18.640 --> 00:11:42.180 And so what James is saying is we need to we need to recognize that God can work extraordinary things through prayer and building his kingdom for his glory to his purpose and we can be part of it. 95 00:11:42.180 --> 00:11:46.740 Any one of us could be part of great things that God does in the world. 96 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:54.700 And so what an encouragement to pray and what an encouragement to pray large prayers to the Lord. 97 00:11:54.700 --> 00:12:25.080 So it says Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly and he gives that example of that first miracle that when he tells Ahab that it’s not going to rain and so he tells Ahab that it’s not going to rain and doesn’t rain for three and a half years then he prays again and the sky pours rain and the earth produces its fruit. 98 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:40.240 So one of the things that’s crucial here is this key And I mean this way that we need to understand what it what it means what it means to have an extraordinary prayer life. 99 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:50.140 I think the first thing is that is that we have to have a deep relationship with the Lord. 100 00:12:50.140 --> 00:12:54.540 We have to be living in fellowship with the Lord. 101 00:12:54.540 --> 00:13:02.700 Elijah is a man of like passions, but he’s also a man who’s in a right relationship with God. 102 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:05.220 He’s in fellowship with God. 103 00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:16.480 In the chapter just before this, chapter 4 and verse 8, James says: Draw near to God and he’ll draw near to you. 104 00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:19.360 Cleanse your hands, you sinners. 105 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.240 Purify your heart, you double-minded. 106 00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:25.000 Sin is a very serious thing. 107 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:30.540 You know, if you we we mentioned last time, if if you regard sin in your heart. 108 00:13:30.540 --> 00:13:32.480 The Lord doesn’t hear your prayers. 109 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:40.640 It says in the Psalms tells us, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners.” 110 00:13:40.640 --> 00:13:49.820 There’s something very similar to that in that Paul writes when he’s addressing instructions for the church in his letter to Timothy. 111 00:13:49.820 --> 00:14:03.500 He writes, “Therefore, I want the men in I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands,” the men in the church should pray lifting up holy hands. 112 00:14:03.500 --> 00:14:10.080 You read that and you think, well, is that the way we should pray every Sunday morning when we come together? 113 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.860 Should we be holding our hands up to the Lord? 114 00:14:12.860 --> 00:14:15.360 Well, that’s not the point of that verse. 115 00:14:15.360 --> 00:14:18.660 It’s not the posture that he’s talking about. 116 00:14:18.660 --> 00:14:24.040 That holy hands, hands that have been washed and cleansed. 117 00:14:24.040 --> 00:14:29.460 The idea goes back in part to the Jew the Jewish ceremonies. 118 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:30.200 for worship. 119 00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:37.080 They had all these labors and people would wash their hands before they worshiped. 120 00:14:37.080 --> 00:14:40.620 There was nothing about cleanliness or getting rid of germs. 121 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:42.940 It was symbolic. 122 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:44.420 It was symbolism. 123 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:51.440 And this is symbolism here as well because hands symbolize the activities of life. 124 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.000 All the things that you do. 125 00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:01.860 And when you or if you have holy hands It represents a holy life. 126 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:04.010 It represents a pure heart. 127 00:15:04.010 --> 00:15:09.800 It the the inward reality of a holy life. 128 00:15:09.800 --> 00:15:20.860 So the power of prayer is directly related to purity and to in our in our relationship that we have with God in our in in that in that sense. 129 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:23.240 And yet it is not merit. 130 00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:29.040 It would shift and you could think well if I do all these things I will have I’m going to be good with the Lord. 131 00:15:29.040 --> 00:15:37.040 No the thing is you need to be good with the Lord then you’ll do these things. 132 00:15:37.040 --> 00:15:45.330 So what does it mean to live in such a relationship with God to live pure and right? 133 00:15:45.330 --> 00:15:55.660 Well, there’s an idea and so that’s why I have this other verse from John 15:4 which is really a key verse in these sermons. 134 00:15:55.660 --> 00:16:00.780 We closed with that last time. 135 00:16:00.780 --> 00:16:06.490 John 15:4 Jesus said: Abide in me and I in you. 136 00:16:06.490 --> 00:16:16.160 And as the branch can’t bear fruit in itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 137 00:16:16.160 --> 00:16:19.400 He goes on to say, “I’m the vine. 138 00:16:19.400 --> 00:16:21.020 You’re the branches. 139 00:16:21.020 --> 00:16:26.780 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” 140 00:16:26.780 --> 00:16:33.220 In verse six, “if anyone doesn’t abide in me, he’s thrown away like a branch that withers.” 141 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:41.300 Verse seven, “if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it’ll be done for you.” 142 00:16:41.300 --> 00:16:44.520 That’s the key verse that we’re looking at. 143 00:16:44.520 --> 00:16:46.820 Abide in me and I in you. 144 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:53.160 If if I if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it’ll be done for you. 145 00:16:53.160 --> 00:16:57.180 And then he goes on to say, “as the father loved me, I’ve loved you. 146 00:16:57.180 --> 00:16:58.890 Abide in my love.” 147 00:16:58.890 --> 00:17:06.740 15:10, “if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I’ve kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love.” 148 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:18.340 In 1 John 2:27 , “the anointing that you received from him abides in you just as he’s taught you abide in him.” 149 00:17:18.340 --> 00:17:20.880 Okay, that’s a whole list of verses. 150 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:22.500 What are we talking about? 151 00:17:22.500 --> 00:17:25.620 What does it mean to abide in Jesus Christ? 152 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:30.440 That’s the first group of these verses on abiding. 153 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:37.040 To abide in Jesus Christ first of all means that we have the life of God in us. 154 00:17:37.040 --> 00:17:39.620 We have the very life of Jesus in us. 155 00:17:39.620 --> 00:17:45.880 That’s what that symbolism about the vine and the branches is about. 156 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:49.680 We we’re in relationship with Christ. 157 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:56.940 If you are the branch and he is the vine, the life flows from him into us. 158 00:17:56.940 --> 00:17:58.980 We have spiritual life. 159 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:00.760 not in ourselves. 160 00:18:00.760 --> 00:18:02.720 We can’t do anything to get it. 161 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:09.940 We receive it as a as abundant grace from God when we come to faith in Christ. 162 00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:12.440 And we are in the vine. 163 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:14.640 We’re to abide in the vine. 164 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:18.990 We’re to stay connected to to to the vine. 165 00:18:18.990 --> 00:18:23.090 And we are to have that have and enjoy that that life. 166 00:18:23.090 --> 00:18:25.540 That’s that’s key. 167 00:18:25.540 --> 00:18:47.080 And that’s the point of John 15 is that we’re in this deep fundamental relationship with Jesus Christ that is like it’s it’s like it’s biological, you know, it’s it’s deeper than than just what we say or what or what we do. 168 00:18:47.080 --> 00:18:52.260 We’re actually receiving we have the spirit of God in us. 169 00:18:52.260 --> 00:19:00.820 That’s why in 1 John 2:27 , the anointing, the spirit that that you’ve received from him abides in you. 170 00:19:00.820 --> 00:19:06.960 So because of that, just as that spirit has taught you, abide in Christ. 171 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:09.860 And there we shift the second part of this. 172 00:19:09.860 --> 00:19:27.680 And that is if you’re abiding in Christ, the person who actually is in Christ, connected to the vine, wants to do what Jesus desires, wants to be, wants to listen to his word, wants to listen to his commandment that says that we’re to love one another. 173 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:40.180 For example, that’s specifically mentioned in First John and 1 John 2:6 says: Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk the same way which he walked. 174 00:19:40.180 --> 00:19:46.310 If you say if you and and by the way that’s a that’s a great verse to point this out. 175 00:19:46.310 --> 00:19:51.920 First John, the epistle to First John is telling us who is real in the church. 176 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:53.140 That’s the point. 177 00:19:53.140 --> 00:19:54.680 Who’s truly saved? 178 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:57.300 Who’s the person who’s a believer? 179 00:19:57.300 --> 00:19:59.420 That’s the point of First John. 180 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:06.000 And so there’s all these things that he points to that indicates the reality of faith. 181 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:09.840 And so you can say you can have a say so faith. 182 00:20:09.840 --> 00:20:13.900 You can say that you abide in him. 183 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:19.760 But if you that’s really true of you, then you need to be walking the way Jesus walked. 184 00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:20.780 That’s what he says. 185 00:20:20.780 --> 00:20:25.060 You need to be walking as a as a as a figure of how you live your life. 186 00:20:25.060 --> 00:20:29.620 You need to be living your life and the way that Jesus lives his life. 187 00:20:29.620 --> 00:20:37.080 to the emphasis here again is on purity and the purity in a relationship with God. 188 00:20:37.080 --> 00:20:47.500 1 John 3:6 : No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. 189 00:20:47.500 --> 00:20:52.040 No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 190 00:20:52.040 --> 00:20:52.820 All right? 191 00:20:52.820 --> 00:20:57.800 If you actually abide in Christ, you don’t pursue sin. 192 00:20:57.800 --> 00:21:02.580 You don’t follow that and it become a characteristic of your life. 193 00:21:02.580 --> 00:21:09.180 You might get caught up in something for a bit, but a believer can’t stay in that. 194 00:21:09.180 --> 00:21:12.060 It’s not characteristic of a true believer. 195 00:21:12.060 --> 00:21:16.380 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. 196 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:22.300 No one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 197 00:21:22.300 --> 00:21:29.600 D.A. Carson, a theologian, tells a story about how he went to a conference in Europe. 198 00:21:29.600 --> 00:22:13.640 This was years ago and the conference there were people from all from different places and he he didn’t have many people to speak English to he but he spoke French and he found this person who spoke French and they kind of became friends another person who was attending this conference and they would meet together for lunch and different times and they have conversations and all of a sudden the guy wasn’t showing up for the conference and this man who was who was married and had a family he Carson put it together that this guy’s having an affair while he’s here. 199 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:24.640 He’s having a relationship with some woman here in this hotel and he’s a married man and that disturbed him and so he decided to confront him about it. 200 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:30.880 So he confronts him with this and the man says It’s my job to sin. 201 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:36.840 It’s God’s job to forgive. 202 00:22:36.840 --> 00:22:39.140 You know what that is? 203 00:22:39.140 --> 00:22:44.340 That’s a person who is not abiding in Christ. 204 00:22:44.340 --> 00:22:50.260 That’s a person who is continuing in his sin. 205 00:22:50.260 --> 00:22:56.200 That’s a person who is pursuing sin and he’s presumptive of the grace of God. 206 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:02.140 A person who lives like that doesn’t have a relationship with God. 207 00:23:02.140 --> 00:23:11.040 That that’s the person who regards sin in his heart and God doesn’t hear his prayers. 208 00:23:11.040 --> 00:23:29.760 So that’s the first part of that saying that that promise of Jesus that if if we abide in him and his word abides in us, ask whatever you wish and it’ll be done for you. 209 00:23:29.760 --> 00:23:37.180 If you abide in me, he says, we abide in Christ and his words abide in us. 210 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:38.520 That’s the second part. 211 00:23:38.520 --> 00:23:45.320 The second part of this is that the word of God abides in us. 212 00:23:45.320 --> 00:23:48.980 The word of God abides in us. 213 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:54.340 The gospel truth that we originally heard, we continue to believe. 214 00:23:54.340 --> 00:24:01.100 We trust the word of God that we have been taught, the apostolic teachings. 215 00:24:01.100 --> 00:24:06.860 We regard it, value it, it’s precious to us. 216 00:24:06.860 --> 00:24:12.960 And if we if that is true of us, then we listen to it. 217 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:25.560 If we have faith in the word of God, if we’re trusting the word of God, then we act that out naturally in our life, not to merit anything, not to earn anything, because because we love it. 218 00:24:25.560 --> 00:24:26.500 We value it. 219 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:28.580 It’s God’s own word. 220 00:24:28.580 --> 00:24:40.100 So 1 John 2:24 says: Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. 221 00:24:40.100 --> 00:24:49.000 If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and the Father. 222 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:52.240 That’s the relationship fellowship with God. 223 00:24:52.240 --> 00:25:35.220 If the word of God is living in you, is is active in you by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, it it’s real to you and it shapes the way you think and the way you behave and and what you choose then you’re in a relationship a deep relationship with the son and with the father that’s what it says so that’s one part of it you know and it the other side of this and it’s just it’s a secondary thing but I think it’s still important and that is But how can how can it abide in us if we don’t know it? 224 00:25:35.220 --> 00:25:47.150 How can the word of God abide in us if we have if if we if we you know once a week or or occasionally we hear something of the word of God? 225 00:25:47.150 --> 00:25:57.780 I mean don’t we need to be filling ourselves with the word of God, thinking about it, meditating on it for it to be in us? 226 00:25:57.780 --> 00:26:04.720 We should know it. 227 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:09.640 So that’s where we come back to Elijah. 228 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:20.270 You know, it’s a it’s it’s interesting that Elijah is clearly a man who knows knows the word of God. 229 00:26:20.270 --> 00:26:27.100 He he’s the Lord spoke through him for one thing, but he knows the scripture. 230 00:26:27.100 --> 00:26:32.960 And so when you look at this example that James singles out. 231 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:41.840 I think it’s interesting because you you might think that some of the other miracles that that that Elijah did would be a a bigger example. 232 00:26:41.840 --> 00:26:44.570 Now, he picks this one. 233 00:26:44.570 --> 00:26:53.180 He talks about the prayer of a righteous man because you remember Elijah on his knees when he when when he prayed for the rain. 234 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:57.100 This this thing is seasoned with Elijah’s prayers. 235 00:26:57.100 --> 00:27:00.740 This is this this thing comes about because Elijah Elah is praying. 236 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:04.980 But what is he praying? 237 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:08.020 Elijah knows God’s word. 238 00:27:08.020 --> 00:27:09.560 He knows the word of God. 239 00:27:09.560 --> 00:27:23.200 And so Deuteronomy 11:16-17 is a message from God through Moses to Israel. 240 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:28.820 Be careful or you’ll be enticed to turn away and worship other gods. 241 00:27:28.820 --> 00:27:31.140 What’s going on in Elijah’s day? 242 00:27:31.140 --> 00:27:33.420 They’re worshiping Baal. 243 00:27:33.420 --> 00:27:35.840 Israel is turned and worshiping Baal. 244 00:27:35.840 --> 00:27:40.860 Jezebel is leading the nation into idolatry. 245 00:27:40.860 --> 00:27:44.840 The whole nation is turned away from God to Baal. 246 00:27:44.840 --> 00:27:53.000 Deuteronomy 16:17 : Be careful or you’ll be enticed to turn away and worship other gods. 247 00:27:53.000 --> 00:28:05.520 Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce. 248 00:28:05.520 --> 00:28:07.120 Israel’s in idolatry. 249 00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:08.820 The nation is in idolatry. 250 00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:13.360 Elijah claims the very word of God. 251 00:28:13.360 --> 00:28:15.310 He knows the word of God. 252 00:28:15.310 --> 00:28:17.140 And he goes to Ahab. 253 00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:19.080 And this is Elijah’s prayer. 254 00:28:19.080 --> 00:28:28.900 And this is Elijah’s proclamation to Ahab that it’s not going to rain until God gives me the word. 255 00:28:28.900 --> 00:28:34.000 And I tell you that’s the that’s the that’s the message. 256 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:41.820 God is going to withhold the rain because God said he would hold the rain. 257 00:28:41.820 --> 00:28:44.940 He claims this promise. 258 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:46.840 That’s the situation. 259 00:28:46.840 --> 00:28:48.700 They’re in exactly the situation. 260 00:28:48.700 --> 00:28:56.460 He goes to the passage in the Old Testament that says that this is the way God will act in this situation. 261 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:03.040 He prays that God doesn’t He’s claiming a promise of God. 262 00:29:03.040 --> 00:29:33.880 Later on, you know, it’s it’s not exactly, it’s very very interesting, but Solomon points out in his prayer at the dedication of the temple, when the Holy Spirit of God enters Solomon’s temple, Solomon prays, “When the heavens are shut up and there’s no rain because they’ve sinned against you, and they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin when you’ve afflicted them. 263 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:39.140 Then here in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants and your people Israel. 264 00:29:39.140 --> 00:29:47.960 Indeed, teach them the good way that they should walk and send the rain on your land which you have given to the people for an inheritance. 265 00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:56.860 Another promise that God sends the rain when the people repent. 266 00:29:56.860 --> 00:29:59.380 That’s exactly what Elijah claims. 267 00:29:59.380 --> 00:30:09.260 He’s taking the promises of God, lifting up to God, asking God to fulfill to fulfill his word. 268 00:30:09.260 --> 00:30:32.760 George Muller and Arthur Pearson’s biography, Arthur Pearson was a contemporary of Müller and he wrote the fir I guess the first biography of Müller and he said that Müller would say to young people, “Put your finger on the passage on which your faith rests.” 269 00:30:32.760 --> 00:30:35.020 That’s a great advice. 270 00:30:35.020 --> 00:30:39.110 Find the passage and claim it. 271 00:30:39.110 --> 00:30:47.100 And he says that Müller applied this personally when he encountered a specific word, a promise for a crisis. 272 00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:54.340 He had put his finger on the text and he would say, “You have spoken. 273 00:30:54.340 --> 00:30:57.080 I believe.” 274 00:30:57.080 --> 00:31:14.140 Claiming the word of God in faith, looking for God to act for his own glory, working in in relationship with God because you’re abiding in him and claiming the very promises of God. 275 00:31:14.140 --> 00:31:25.520 That is an aspect of the word abiding in you and being used by the spirit of God because you know the promises of God and the claim. 276 00:31:25.520 --> 00:31:29.520 That’s one way for your prayers to be more effective. 277 00:31:29.520 --> 00:31:35.020 when you’re actually claiming what God says will happen. 278 00:31:35.020 --> 00:31:40.600 So, we need to recognize that these things need to be true of us. 279 00:31:40.600 --> 00:31:47.740 We need to be striving for a pure relationship with God because that’s the nature of Christian life. 280 00:31:47.740 --> 00:31:57.540 He came, John tells us, the reason Jesus came is to deliver us from our sins. 281 00:31:57.540 --> 00:32:01.840 We’re to be delivered from these sins. 282 00:32:01.840 --> 00:32:07.400 We’re to live a pure life before him. 283 00:32:07.400 --> 00:32:11.040 And yet we do sin, don’t we? 284 00:32:11.040 --> 00:32:19.260 And when we sin, the relationship that we have with God, the fellowship is is hindered. 285 00:32:19.260 --> 00:32:21.280 It’s broken in a way. 286 00:32:21.280 --> 00:32:26.260 It doesn’t mean that you’ve lost your salvation, but the fellowship is broken when we sin. 287 00:32:26.260 --> 00:32:28.980 And we we sin in countless ways. 288 00:32:28.980 --> 00:32:32.420 And often we know we’ve sinned. 289 00:32:32.420 --> 00:32:35.660 We know why we’ve sinned. 290 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:39.520 And that that that hinders us in multiple ways. 291 00:32:39.520 --> 00:32:55.180 I mean, for one thing, we can’t we can’t go before God as a hypocrite claiming to be righteous before God and regarding and continuing in the sin, protecting that precious sin in our heart. 292 00:32:55.180 --> 00:32:56.420 You can’t do that. 293 00:32:56.420 --> 00:33:00.800 That’s what the psalm means when it says he won’t hear at that prayer. 294 00:33:00.800 --> 00:33:05.060 God doesn’t listen to you if you come to him in hypocrisy. 295 00:33:05.060 --> 00:33:09.520 In fact, it’s it’s like you think you’re going to deceive God. 296 00:33:09.520 --> 00:33:11.180 You know what a ridiculous thing. 297 00:33:11.180 --> 00:33:12.880 You think you’re going to trick him. 298 00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:17.180 That’s that’s an extremely dangerous approach. 299 00:33:17.180 --> 00:33:20.200 I mean, you think of Ananas and Safara. 300 00:33:20.200 --> 00:33:22.240 That’s exactly what they were doing. 301 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:24.440 You have not lied to me. 302 00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:28.840 Peter says, you have lied to the Holy Spirit. 303 00:33:28.840 --> 00:33:34.000 You can’t you can’t trick God. 304 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:40.760 And God, you know, is not going to honor the prayer of a hypocrite to begin with. 305 00:33:40.760 --> 00:33:42.460 But it’s more than that. 306 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:51.180 When you sin against the Lord, your rel, you know, your relationship is not right with him. 307 00:33:51.180 --> 00:33:54.140 And what do you want to do? 308 00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:57.600 You don’t exactly want to go to the Bible. 309 00:33:57.600 --> 00:34:00.860 You know, you don’t want to spend that time with the Lord, right? 310 00:34:00.860 --> 00:34:03.800 Then you feel guilty. 311 00:34:03.800 --> 00:34:07.300 Your relationship has been hurt. 312 00:34:07.300 --> 00:34:17.940 You don’t have the same relationship with him because you’re if you feel the guilt and weight of your sin. 313 00:34:17.940 --> 00:34:28.320 And if you feel the guilt and weight of your sin, you we the tendency that we all have is to not do the good thing that we know to do in that situation. 314 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:32.600 We want to hide from God just like Adam hid from God. 315 00:34:32.600 --> 00:34:39.520 You want to avoid him because guilt you don’t want to be confronted by him. 316 00:34:39.520 --> 00:34:50.840 So you tend to avoid avoid him. 317 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:54.140 We can’t live that way. 318 00:34:54.140 --> 00:34:59.440 You know, you can’t you can’t you can’t be the hypocrite. 319 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:05.760 You can’t be the per James by the way calls that a double-minded person. 320 00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:12.740 And he says that if you are a double-minded person, your prayer isn’t going to be answered because you it’s not a prayer of faith. 321 00:35:12.740 --> 00:35:26.760 You really aren’t trusting. 322 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:29.380 So what are we what’s the way back? 323 00:35:29.380 --> 00:35:30.840 you’ve sinned against the Lord. 324 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:38.800 You don’t want to you don’t want to do the right thing that you know to do. 325 00:35:38.800 --> 00:35:48.440 I mean the Jerry Bridges gives a a good example of a person who that has a terrible morning. 326 00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:50.740 He sinned in some way. 327 00:35:50.740 --> 00:35:54.500 He didn’t do his Bible study that morning. 328 00:35:54.500 --> 00:35:57.540 Everything has gone wrong for him spiritually that day. 329 00:35:57.540 --> 00:36:02.600 And then he’s at the office and here’s an opportunity for him to share the gospel. 330 00:36:02.600 --> 00:36:05.420 It’s right there. 331 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:07.840 What do you do? 332 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:16.000 Jerry Bridges says you preach the gospel to yourself and you share the gospel. 333 00:36:16.000 --> 00:36:18.320 That’s the right thing to do. 334 00:36:18.320 --> 00:36:26.820 In other words, let me break that down so that we understand what he what he means so that we don’t miss it. 335 00:36:26.820 --> 00:36:32.480 John, we’re dependent on on the Apostle John in his study very much. 336 00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:37.400 And he explains it to us at the very beginning of his of of first John. 337 00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:50.680 He says: If we walk in the light as he is himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus’s son cleanses us from all sin. 338 00:36:50.680 --> 00:36:58.500 If we walk in the light, that’s he’s talking about having fellowship with God and with each other. 339 00:36:58.500 --> 00:37:06.100 That’s the relationship we’re looking for for an effective prayer life, fellowship with God. 340 00:37:06.100 --> 00:37:09.980 And so, how do you what does it mean to walk in the light? 341 00:37:09.980 --> 00:37:14.400 Well, first of all, we remember the word of God. 342 00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:18.040 The word of God confronts us with our sin. 343 00:37:18.040 --> 00:37:27.740 The reason you might miss that Bible that that that prayer time with the Lord and the reading of God’s word that morning is because you feel guilty and you don’t want to be confronted with your sin. 344 00:37:27.740 --> 00:37:30.420 Maybe you’re hiding from from God. 345 00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:32.460 But you don’t let that happen. 346 00:37:32.460 --> 00:37:38.900 You hear the word of God and the word of God convicts you of sin. 347 00:37:38.900 --> 00:37:40.730 You confess it. 348 00:37:40.730 --> 00:37:49.220 This in the very steps that follow John 1:7, walking in the light as he is himself is in the light. 349 00:37:49.220 --> 00:37:55.000 That’s letting his light the light of truth shine into your heart to reveal what’s there. 350 00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:58.750 Then you your your sin is revealed and you confess it. 351 00:37:58.750 --> 00:38:05.900 One Eight, if we say we have no sin, we’re deceiving ourselves and the truth isn’t in us. 352 00:38:05.900 --> 00:38:16.580 If we confess our sins, he’s faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 353 00:38:16.580 --> 00:38:19.140 That’s walking in the light. 354 00:38:19.140 --> 00:38:23.480 Your sin is revealed to you by God through his word. 355 00:38:23.480 --> 00:38:24.960 You know that you’ve sinned. 356 00:38:24.960 --> 00:38:26.280 You feel guilty over your sin. 357 00:38:26.280 --> 00:38:30.840 Instead of that driving you from God, it should drive have you to your knees. 358 00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:33.920 You come before God in confession. 359 00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:41.840 You look to the Lord for confessing exactly what you’ve done, repenting of it, turning from it. 360 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:44.720 You don’t want this to ever happen to you again. 361 00:38:44.720 --> 00:38:52.800 You You turn from such sin because it hinders your the best thing in your life, which is your relationship with God. 362 00:38:52.800 --> 00:38:54.000 You confess it. 363 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:57.740 And when you do that, he’s faithful to forgive you. 364 00:38:57.740 --> 00:38:58.860 He will forgive you. 365 00:38:58.860 --> 00:39:00.760 He will restore that relationship. 366 00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:03.080 You will be cleansed from the sin. 367 00:39:03.080 --> 00:39:08.560 And the only place that you can be cleansed from the sin is here. 368 00:39:08.560 --> 00:39:13.860 He’s faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 369 00:39:13.860 --> 00:39:20.460 The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. 370 00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:23.140 The relationship’s restored. 371 00:39:23.140 --> 00:39:27.820 We we can go there and and and fellowship with God. 372 00:39:27.820 --> 00:39:42.920 We can offer our prayers to God, not because we’re have any merit or righteousness, but because we are in Christ Jesus and we have his abundant righteousness. 373 00:39:42.920 --> 00:39:53.640 We’re to preach this gospel to ourselves, then come to God with our prayers in the confidence of the righteousness of Christ. 374 00:39:53.640 --> 00:39:55.320 Let me pray for us. 375 00:39:55.320 --> 00:39:56.360 It’s time. 376 00:39:56.360 --> 00:40:04.260 And we’ll continue this next week and look at what it means to pray in the name of Jesus. 377 00:40:04.260 --> 00:40:08.500 And it doesn’t mean that we tack that on the end of a prayer. 378 00:40:08.500 --> 00:40:11.580 What does it mean to pray in his name? 379 00:40:11.580 --> 00:40:14.280 Let’s look to him and ask his blessing. 380 00:40:14.280 --> 00:40:24.840 Father, we thank you for the abundant grace that you have shown us in giving us our savior, the Lord Jesus, and such mercy. 381 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:28.140 How many times do you restore us? 382 00:40:28.140 --> 00:40:29.100 Father, thank you. 383 00:40:29.100 --> 00:40:33.000 for the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin. 384 00:40:33.000 --> 00:40:39.680 Thank you for the privilege that we have to walk in the light as you are in the light. 385 00:40:39.680 --> 00:40:49.940 Father, to to have when we when we fail in some way to have an immediate way to have that relationship restored to few. 386 00:40:49.940 --> 00:40:58.820 Father, we we pray that you work such grace in us and give us the desire to live right before you. 387 00:40:58.820 --> 00:41:00.860 every day of our life. 388 00:41:00.860 --> 00:41:06.580 And we pray that as we do so that you would grow our love for you. 389 00:41:06.580 --> 00:41:19.900 And Father, we thank you that when we offer our prayers to you that they come to your throne perfect, perfected by the power of your Holy Spirit. 390 00:41:19.900 --> 00:41:39.520 And Father, in the grace and strength and might of the perfect righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, Help us to pray great prayers for your glory, for your work, for the salvation of people. 391 00:41:39.520 --> 00:41:46.900 Father, help us to pray prayers that really matter and that would bring glory to the name of our savior. 392 00:41:46.900 --> 00:41:53.720 And let this be your heart and our desire and bless these prayers as they’re offered. 393 00:41:53.720 --> 00:41:58.520 Father, thank you for the powerful and wonderful things that you’re going to do. 394 00:41:58.520 --> 00:42:04.200 to the prayers of these people as they lift them up to you. 395 00:42:04.200 --> 00:42:10.300 We praise you for it truly in the name of our savior, the Lord Jesus. 396 00:42:10.300 --> 00:42:12.300 Amen.