|
|
1411 Rim Road Fayetteville, North Carolina 28314 Office Phone: 910-868-5686 |
|  |
If you desire to listen to the corresponding audio sermon
feel free to click here:
RealAudio Sermons
Web Page
Answered Prayer
1 Kings 18:20-40;
Mark 11:24-26
October 30, 2005
The Rev. Kong Namkung
A little boy was too rambunctious during the worship. His father picked the boy up and moved toward the door. As they were heading down the aisle, the boy said to the congregation at the top of his voice, “Ya’ll pray for me now!”
How many of you believe that God answers prayer? Say YES if you do. How many of you have ever prayed for something, but didn’t happen? Say YES again. We pray thousands of things, but most of them had not been answered. I have been praying for Angel’s knee, Ken Dye’s kidney stone, Melanie’s parents, financial stability of the church, God’s comfort on Mary, and so on. Most of these prayers had not answered by God. I know I am the one, who did not receive God’s responses. Do we truly believe what the Bible says? In today’s gospel lesson Mark 11:24 says, “So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” I have a problem with the word, “whatever.” Does it mean that if I pray for being the president of the USA, or to be a Bill Gate, then will I be? Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you shall find, and knock, and the door will be opened to you.” According to this verse, all prayers should be answered, but we have not received the answers. Matthew 21:22, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” We have the problem with these verses because our experience in prayer is just the opposite of what the Bible says.
The sermon title for the last week was “God’s desire for us.” God wants us to have an intimate relationship with us. The purpose of prayer is to enhance, enrich, and establish our relationship with God. Prayer is not like throwing pennies in a wishing well and making a wish as you blow birthday candles on your birthday party. The truth of the matter is that God wants more than anything to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. God wants to be a part of your life. In fact, God wants to be the whole of your life. God loves to hear from us, “You are my all in all.”
Max Lucado walked with his daughter, Andrea, who was four years old in a brand new neighborhood. Different yards, different people, different dogs, might cause her trouble. So he asked his daughter, “Are you Okay?” “Sure!” Do you know where we are? No! Do you know how to get home? No. and you aren’t worried? Without hesitation she reached up and took his hand said, “I don’t have to know how to get home. You already do.” The child trusts the father and his guidance. Likewise, our relationship with God leads us to trust Him wholeheartedly. With the foundation of the intimate relationship with God, we are searching for the Bible for answered prayers. What conditions do we have in order to receive answers of our prayers?
John 15:7 says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.” After Peter and John went back to their community of faith from the prison, what did the congregation pray for? Acts 4:29-31. Did they pray that God would take away their persecution? Did they pray that God would destroy their persecutors? Did they pray that God would allow them to stop witnessing until things quieted down? NO! What did they pray for? They prayed that the Lord would enable them to speak the Word of God with great boldness; despite the threats they were under if they did so. The apostles held the word of God and were willing to proclaim it boldly.
Elijah in 1 Kings 18: 36 prayed to God saying, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.” These words were identical that whenever God appeared to God’s people and used by God when God appeared to Moses on the mountain of Horeb in Exodus 3:6. When Elijah prayed he used the word of God in his prayer.
God requires that we listen to Him first in his Word before He listens to us. If we do not attention to what God says to us in his word, why should God pay attention to us when we talk to God? If we ignore His word, why should God pay attention to what we say to God? So I encourage you to join the bible studies on Sundays and during the week. The more you understand the Bible, the more you will know how to pray affectively.
As we abide in His word, his word will show us where we are in the relationship with God. In other words, we see ourselves in the mirror of the word of God. We see our sins and God wants us to confess our sins before God that we may have the intimate relationship with God. Psalm 66:18 says, “I cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Isaiah 59:2 says, “Your iniquities have been barriers, between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he does not hear.” Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who tries to conceal his sin cannot prosper, but he who admits them confesses them, forsakes them will have mercy.” 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we are just deceiving ourselves. But if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Our Old Testament lesson 1 Kings 18: 33 says, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time.” Again he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time, so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water.” Elijah had a very strong faith that he would pour out water all over the woods. He had faith in God, who would send fire from heaven and burn the wood. His faith on God was strong than the water and all other idol worshippers. He stood alone with God and he never be shaken because of faith. And God responded to his prayer with fire.
James 1:6-7 says, “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for let not hat man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel did not know if God would deliver them from furnace, yet refused to bow to a pagan idol. That is unwavering faith. Another example of unwavering faith might be the example of Joseph who would not commit immorality with Potiphars’ wife because he believed it was wrong regardless of the personal cost.
1 Kings 18:36, “Let is be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your biding. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you have turned their hearts back.” It is God’s will and intention that none of us should perish, but all of us would call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. John 6:39, “This is the will of Him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me.”
God always hears us and responds to us and our prayers when we pray for the salvation. My father was saved about one week before he was called by God. My brother was saved a couple months before he passed away. I knew that there were many days and nights that I fasted for their soul and God responded to my prayers.
Same words, but different perspective is that God does not listen to our prayer when we pray for our own pleasures, not for others’ salvation. James 4:1-3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Luke 18:10 Two persons went up to temple to pray. One is honest and the other is not. One’s prayer was responded and the other was not. Why? The one how answered was an honest prayer. If you do not believe tell God so. Ask Him to help you like the man who said to Jesus, “Lord, I believe help me where my belief is lacking.” If you have only got a little bit of faith, tell him and he is big enough to stand the truth- then ask for more faith.
God answers our prayers when we abide in His word, with confessing heart, with faith, seeking others’ salvation and be honest with God.
Some people approach prayer like they do a soft drink machine. What do you do when you go up to a soft drink machine? You put in your money, you make your selection, you punch the button, and you wait for your soft drink to drop out of the machine. The whole transaction takes a few seconds. If the soft drink doesn’t drop out of the machine, you get ticked-off. You punch the machine. You hit it and if that doesn’t work, you write a nasty little note that says, “This machine took my money” and you leave it on the machine. Some people approach prayer like that!
Many people think that God is always going to answer their prayers the way they want them answered and in the time that they want them answered. And when God doesn’t perform the way they think God ought to perform, they feel cheated. They think God is not a good or loving God. I have heard that they no loner believe in God because their prayer was not answered. Prayer is not given to us as a way to present our demands to God! Prayer is not like presenting our Christmas wish list to Santa Claus.
Prayer is for the intimate relationship with God. Someone wrote about our prayer requests in this way, “I asked for strength, that I might achieve. God made me weak that I might listen. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given grace that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might fell the need for God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I received nothing that I asked for, yet all that I hoped for. My prayer was answered.
On wonder the way Jesus prayed on the Garden of Gethsemane saying, “Father, remove this up from me, but please, not what I want, but what you want.”
My mother has been in a coma for 4 year and 6 months. I have been praying to God wake her up from her coma. God has not responded to my prayer. I asked God many time, “Why, my mother?” Now I know that God wants my mother to spend time with God that she may have the intimate relationship with God and she prays for me this unworthy servant of God.
You and I truly believe the Bible is the full of God’s promise and they have been fulfilled and will be. When we meet the conditions that God has laid for us, we can see tremendous results in our lives. Thank God for the privilege of prayer. Whatever we ask for in prayer, it will be fulfilled with the conditions.
1 Kings
18:20-40
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on
Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will
you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if
Baal is God, follow him."
But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD's prophets
left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. 23 Get two bulls for
us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces
and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other
bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call on
the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who
answers by fire — he is God."
Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and
prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your
god, but do not light the fire." 26 So they took the bull given them and
prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal,
answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And
they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he
is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he
is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed
themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood
flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying
until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no
one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to
him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. 31 Elijah
took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to
whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel."
32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a
trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 He arranged
the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said
to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and
on the wood."
34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The
water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and
prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today
that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all
these things at your command. 37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these
people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their
hearts back again."
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood,
the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The
LORD-he is God! The LORD-he is God!"
40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let
anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to
the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. NIV
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." NIV 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." NKJV
Questions, suggestions and problems concerning the Cornerstone United Methodist Church Website should be directed toward the Cornerstone Webmaster at: webmaster@cornerstoneumconline.com This Website Has
Been Visited
Since Beginning
Operation. 
Print This Page | 
Bookmark This Site! | 
Email a Friend! | 
E-Cards
Thanks for Stopping By!
