Good morning,
Praise the Lord for this day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
I am part of a small group of pastors that meets from time to time for study and prayer. We met yesterday for sharing and for prayer. One of the pastors prayed in his native language and he prayed also in English. It was a great time of being in the Lord's presence in prayer.
I have been reflecting on Romans 5, "Therefore, just as we have been justified, and we continue to remain justified, so we have obtained access into grace, and we continue to have access into this grace in which we stand." The author of Hebrews puts it this way, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus. . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience..." Hebrews 10:19, 22).
Because of Justification we have access to the Throne of grace. Ephesians 3:12: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” The Bible teaches us about prayer, based on the fact that we have been given access to God the Father through his work of justification. First, our access to God is direct. We do not need human mediators in order to have access to God. Therefore, we can come to God directly at any time of day or in any place and know that He hears us, and that He will answer your prayers. Secondly, our access to God is effective. This truth is taught by Ephesians 3:12. as it emphasizes that through faith in Christ “we have boldness and access with confidence.” In what is our confidence? Obviously, we can be assured that He will hear us and answer our prayers according to his wise and perfect will. Many of us are praying for our family members, for our friends and loved ones. May we remain fervent and faithful in prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit. May He grant us His perfect peace that passes all understanding as we wrestle with the concerns and cares that assail us. We declare that our Lord is able to deliver us. We will keep on praying and praising the Lord. He rules and He reigns. May the Lord make us passionate in praying. May He make us zealous in worship. May He make us extravagantly generous in giving and sharing.
It is, of course, possible to pray wrongly, and we often do that. But when we pray according to the wise will of God, we can be confident that he will both hear us and answer our prayers.
My favorite story in this respect is about Martin Luther and his good friend and assistant Frederick Myconius. One day Myconius became sick and was expected to die within a short time. On his death bed he wrote a loving farewell note to Luther; but when Luther received it he sat down instantly and wrote this reply: “I command you in the name of God to live, because I still have need of you in the work of reforming the church. . . . The Lord will never let me hear that you are dead, but will permit you to survive me. For this I am praying. .” The words seem shocking to us, because we live in less fervent times, but Luther’s prayer was clearly of God and therefore effective. In fact, although Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s letter came, in a short time he revived, and he lived six more years, surviving Luther by two months.
Can we be bold in prayer, as Luther was? There is a hymn by John Newton, the former slave trader and preacher, that puts it quite well:
Come, my soul, thy Suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer.
He himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring.
For his grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
Not only is our access to God direct, but it is also effective. That means that when we pray according to the wise will of God, we can be confident that he will both hear us and answer our prayers. Our approach to God is to be intimate. We know this because Jesus taught us to use the intimate term Father when we pray. It is the term Jesus used when praying, and it is the term he passed on to us: “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).
God is our King, which is why we can be bold in bringing large requests to him. But he is also our dear heavenly Father, and the access that we have as a result of our justification through the work of Christ has brought us into his home as beloved sons and daughters.
Because of Justification we have access to the Throne of grace. Ephesians 3:12: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” The Bible teaches us about prayer, based on the fact that we have been given access to God the Father through his work of justification. First, our access to God is direct. We do not need human mediators in order to have access to God. Therefore, we can come to God directly at any time of day or in any place and know that He hears us, and that He will answer your prayers. Secondly, our access to God is effective. This truth is taught by Ephesians 3:12. as it emphasizes that through faith in Christ “we have boldness and access with confidence.” In what is our confidence? Obviously, we can be assured that He will hear us and answer our prayers according to his wise and perfect will. Many of us are praying for our family members, for our friends and loved ones. May we remain fervent and faithful in prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit. May He grant us His perfect peace that passes all understanding as we wrestle with the concerns and cares that assail us. We declare that our Lord is able to deliver us. We will keep on praying and praising the Lord. He rules and He reigns. May the Lord make us passionate in praying. May He make us zealous in worship. May He make us extravagantly generous in giving and sharing.
It is, of course, possible to pray wrongly, and we often do that. But when we pray according to the wise will of God, we can be confident that he will both hear us and answer our prayers.
My favorite story in this respect is about Martin Luther and his good friend and assistant Frederick Myconius. One day Myconius became sick and was expected to die within a short time. On his death bed he wrote a loving farewell note to Luther; but when Luther received it he sat down instantly and wrote this reply: “I command you in the name of God to live, because I still have need of you in the work of reforming the church. . . . The Lord will never let me hear that you are dead, but will permit you to survive me. For this I am praying. .” The words seem shocking to us, because we live in less fervent times, but Luther’s prayer was clearly of God and therefore effective. In fact, although Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s letter came, in a short time he revived, and he lived six more years, surviving Luther by two months.
Can we be bold in prayer, as Luther was? There is a hymn by John Newton, the former slave trader and preacher, that puts it quite well:
Come, my soul, thy Suit prepare:
Jesus loves to answer prayer.
He himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring.
For his grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
Not only is our access to God direct, but it is also effective. That means that when we pray according to the wise will of God, we can be confident that he will both hear us and answer our prayers. Our approach to God is to be intimate. We know this because Jesus taught us to use the intimate term Father when we pray. It is the term Jesus used when praying, and it is the term he passed on to us: “Our Father who art in heaven” (Matthew 6:9).
God is our King, which is why we can be bold in bringing large requests to him. But he is also our dear heavenly Father, and the access that we have as a result of our justification through the work of Christ has brought us into his home as beloved sons and daughters.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/CLAg2NDcOt4
http://youtu.be/CLAg2NDcOt4
Friday March 9, 2012
Television Outreach
Time Warner Cable Channel 4
Time 7:00 PM
Saturday Evening Worship Service:
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott, NY
Sponsored by: Union Center United Methodist Church
Time: 6:00 PM gathering for Coffee Fellowship
6:30 PM Worship Service
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012
Speaker: Dave Hettinger
Special Music by Jane Hettinger. For information, call 607-748-6329
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