Receiving in prayer and a gracious spirit (3)

[Background music: Singing and instrumental intro] CGC says the fellowship cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God give us godly homes. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tents Ministries. May you be blessed as you visit. Indeed, we thank our God again. We give him all praise. We give him all the glory. We give him adoration. We bless his holy name for his mercies, for his love, for his goodness. Lord God, we are indeed appreciative to you. Thank you for all that you are to us. Thank you, oh Lord, for preservation. Thank you for diverse mercies received. Lord, unto you again we gather this evening. Lord, we pray that as we all connect together, our brethren who are on Mixlr, our brethren who are on Telegram, you who are here physically, Lord we pray that you will meet with all of us in the name of Jesus Christ. Our eyes are on you, Father, that you will meet each and every one of us at the points of our needs. Lord God Almighty, we look up unto you, we pray that there will be seed for the sower, there will be bread for the eaters in the name of Jesus. Thank you, eternal Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Yeah, we thank God again for another Monday, a time again to fellowship in scriptures and with scriptures. And I'm believing God that as we fellowship together this evening, the Lord indeed will work in our midst in the name of Jesus Christ. We have been looking at the topic, "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Spirit." We have been able to have two series running: "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Spirit One," "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Spirit Two." Today we are trusting God to conclude the matter with this third episode, "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Spirit Three." We trust God that today we should be able to bring this matter to a close as we focus ourselves on the implications of all that we have been discussing. Today we want to look actually at the implications of all that we have been discussing in the last two weeks. That's what we want to look at this evening. We have been able to survey the matter of receiving in prayer and a gracious spirit, looking at what our Lord Jesus said in the book of Mark 11:22–24. We have been able to look at that and we said that actually it is because he made a new and a living way through his death so that we can access God. So access to God is not on the basis of our righteousness, it is not on the basis of our holiness. Access to God is simply on the basis of God's goodness. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in this son shouldn't perish but have eternal life. So access to God is not mediated, or is not made possible, by some holy things we do and some godly lives that we have lived or something. We should take that off our perception, off our thinking. We are able to access God today on account of God's goodness. He loves, and in that loving, Jesus died to make it possible for us to be able to access God. That was our first emphasis in our first series of the topic. In the second series, our focus was on Hebrews 4. Hebrews 4, that was last week. We saw that the Bible says we do not have a high priest that does not understand our human weaknesses, but we have this high priest who was tempted in every way as we are, but yet he was without sin. It says, so having therefore this assurance of faith, and let us come boldly to the throne of grace so as to obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. Hebrews 4:14–16. That was the focus last week. That the boldness to come to God in prayer is something made possible on account of the fact that we have a high priest who has gone ahead of us. And the truth that there is this high priest who bears with our infirmities. Because we have a high priest who bears with our infirmities, we saw clearly last week that it becomes very, very important for us to realize that even when we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. It is the blood of Jesus that still makes us acceptable. It's not the blood of Jesus that people say, "I plead the blood of Jesus, I plead the blood of..." all these... Jesus' blood was offered once for all. I don't know how you are pleading that blood anyway. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the fact that because he by one sacrifice perfected forever them that are sanctified, that eternal sacrifice that he made is what daily makes us to be acceptable in the sight of God. I said we need to appreciate the fact that daily we are loaded with the sin of innocence, the sin of ignorance. Daily we are encompassed with the sin of our human nature, of our human frame. But because we have a high priest who can bear with us, we have a high priest who has gone ahead for us, that is why we can still daily access the presence of God. And I made this clear last week that I'm not talking of walking in darkness. I'm not talking of the sin of darkness. I'm talking of the sin that has to do with our level of walk with God. No matter how high we think we have gotten to, there is still some—and as a result, even though our conscience don't condemn us, even though our conscience is clear—that is still not what make us acceptable to God. What make us acceptable to God is because there is a cleansing blood. That blood is what makes us to be acceptable. And because there is a high priest who is daily interceding for us. That was our emphasis last week. If we have this great understanding, what then are the implications for us? That is what we want to look at today. The implications. "A Gracious Spirit and Receiving in Prayer." What we really want to look at today about it is the implication of having a high priest over us. The implications for us that we have a high priest who it is only because of his sacrifice that we are made acceptable to God. No matter how holy you think you have lived, that holiness cannot make you acceptable to God. No matter how pure you think you have lived, that purity is not enough to access God. Because in that purity, in that holiness, you are still being perfected. They are still perfecting you. And what is not perfect can never be acceptable. And that is the only basis why we have boldness to say, "No, the word of God says this, and so because the word of God says this, I'm standing on the word of God." Or, "Yes, let us come boldly to the throne of grace." The only basis for faith, boldness to come before God, the only basis for it is that God is merciful. So answer, access in prayer and answer in prayer is only on the basis of God's mercy. It's only on that basis. So if it is only on that basis, if it is only on the basis of God's mercies that we have access in prayer and we have answers to prayer, if it is only on this basis, what are the implications for our daily life? I have seven implications here. Seven implications for our daily living. We'll look at these seven things and then we would have rounded up everything on "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Spirit." Number one. Number one. What are the implications? What are the consequences of this great truth? Number one. [Glitchy/Repeating audio 7:37 - 8:36] ... I take that again. And I want you to hear me very, very well. If you don't have a gracious spirit, if you are not merciful in heart, if you are not that kind of a person, then you need to know that you are not blessed. You need to realize that in the real sense of it, you are not a blessed person. The person who made that statement is not me. The person who made that statement is our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus made it very clear that anybody who is not merciful is not actually a blessed person. If you are not merciful, you are not blessed. You will find that in Matthew 5:7. Matthew 5:7 was a direct statement of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." I would like us to read that scripture in several other translations. New King James says, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." NLT says, "God blesses those who are merciful for they will be shown mercy." NIV says, "Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy." I pray you will be shown mercy in the name of Jesus Christ. The Message says, "You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being careful, you find yourself cared for." Amplified translation Matthew 5:7 says, "Blessed, happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions—are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!" We will find that again in the book of Micah. Micah chapter 6:8. "He has shown you, oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" That's New King James. NLT: "No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." I hope you are getting the point we are making. To love mercy is a requirement from God. Once you don't love mercy, you are living below the requirements of God. You are a disobedient child. No matter whatever justification you may have for why you don't have a compassionate heart, a merciful heart, why you are not compassionate and merciful, why you don't withhold punishment from those who have obviously hurt you. When you are somebody like that, you are living below the requirements of God. He said it's a requirement. He said God requires it from you. NIV says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." To be kind to your neighbor. You see what God wants is clear. You try to raise some justification. You see the things the person did, if you really understand it. You begin to create all kinds of reason why you are not compassionate. Why you lost your first love. A lot of us have departed from our first love. Our first love for the brethren. Our first love for our brother. Our first love for our sister. Our first love for the brotherhood. Because of silly excuses. You need to get something clear. What God want is clear and simple. What God requires is that you are compassionate. May the Lord work this in your heart, in your soul, regardless of how hurt you think you might have been wounded by anyone or by any circumstances. May God work in your heart to make you compassionate in the name of Jesus Christ. When you take that same thing in the Amplified translation, it's clear. "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" To love kindness and mercy is a requirement. So anybody living below this requirement is not a blessed person. And I want you to note that you are not a blessed person if you are not a compassionate person, if you are not somebody who love mercy, if you are not somebody who love kindness, being compassionate. Just know that you are not a blessed person as far as the kingdom of God is concerned. May the Lord deliver us in the name of Jesus Christ. Implication number two. Is that the forgiveness we have in Christ... I need to make something clear. Our sins have been forgiven. We have been perfected by one sacrifice that was offered once for all. We don't need to keep offering the blood or pleading the blood. That blood was offered once for all. The person who offer the blood is an eternal person. So he doesn't need to keep repeating and repeating that sacrifice. It is an eternal sacrifice. Now our forgiveness, we got pardon from God based on that sacrifice. But you notice when we come to the Lord's Prayer, and in Jesus teaching the disciples about prayer, he says... that Mark that we read, he says whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith. However, when you stand to pray, forgive so that your Father too can forgive you. Mark 11:25. Now the point of that forgiveness there, I want you to note that it was linked with prayer. Now please understand that our sins were forgiven in Christ. It's not because we forgive people their sin that is why God brought us to himself. God forbid. God brought us to himself by his own goodness and kindness towards us. However, for you to daily receive that kindness... you know we are asked to pray without ceasing. We are asked to... men ought always to pray and not to faint. We are asked to bring everything to God in prayer. Now that blessedness of coming to God in prayer and receiving the mercy of answered prayer is on the basis of how much you forgive people. That's what the Bible is saying. There is a connection between this receiving mercy in prayer, this receiving coming to God and God looking upon you with mercy, God being merciful to you, being attending to you. You see, there is a level you cannot get to with God if you don't forgive people their sin. Because you are living in disobedience. You are walking in darkness. It is an indication that you don't have a correct walk with God. And if your walk with God is not correct, then there is very little that you can even have sweet fellowship with him. There is an extent to which you can share intimacy with God. The secrets of God may not be with you because you are not like him. Because you are living in disobedience. You are living as a stubborn and wicked child. And so we are talking about as a child, not as a sinner. I need to make this clear so that you don't think that it is because of your being merciful to people that God accepted you to himself. No. You have been accepted. But the extent to which you can grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, the extent of that experience of intimacy with God is seriously limited when you are not somebody who forgive people their trespasses. Some people are not able to grow intimately with God today, not because they are not praying, not because they are not reading the Bible, not because they are not drawing near to God as much as they want, as much as they can, but there is something acting as a barrier to their intimacy with God being made possible. And that is their hardheartedness. When you have a hard heart, you are departing from God. Don't forget our fathers. He said they had an evil heart of unbelief that made for their departing from God. Hebrews 3:12. So God sware in his anger, "These people cannot enter my rest." That's what we are saying. When you have a heart that is hard, you also have a heart that is departing from God. You have a heart that God will say, "No, you cannot enter my rest." May we not miss the rest of God in the name of Jesus Christ. Implication number three. We are looking at the implication of this matter that we have been raising. Number three. It becomes very, very crucial for us that we daily make all effort to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. What it means is that since we have a high priest who has gone ahead of us, daily interceding for us so that we can be acceptable to God, who by his own flesh and blood made a new way for us, since we have such person daily trying to make sure that there is a unity, there is an acceptance, a constant fellowship between we and God, the implication for us too here is that we must daily endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Implication number two is in Matthew 6 in the Lord's Prayer. Implication number three is in Ephesians chapter 4:1. "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering." Please learn to be lowly in heart. Learn to be compassionate in heart. Learn to suffer long with people. "With longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1–3. We must endeavor because Jesus is endeavoring for us. He's daily making intercession. His blood is daily giving us access to God. We too must be here having longsuffering, having lowliness of mind, having gentleness of mind, bearing with one another, doing everything to keep the unity of the spirit. Don't break the unity of the spirit. Don't break the unity of the spirit. Don't break the unity of the spirit. The Lord will help us in the name of Jesus. Implication number four. We forgive, forbear, tolerate, and accept one another. You will see that in Ephesians chapter 4:31–32. Implication for us, what is implication for us? That Ephesians again, chapter 4:31–32. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice." Ah, don't be malicious. Don't be malicious. What are we to do? He says, however, he says, "And be kind one to another." Be kind one to another. "Tenderhearted." Let your heart be tender. Let your heart be tender. "Forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you." My brother, my sister, implication for our daily life is that our heart must be tender. Our heart must be tender. May the Lord help us in the name of Jesus. Implication number five. Is that we should be ever thankful for this great gift of salvation. Implication for our life is that we should live with a thankful heart. A heart that is thankful. The psalmist said in Psalm 103, "Praise ye the Lord, oh my soul, who forgive your sin, who daily loading you with benefit." Look at the Lord, look at the Lord. He's daily loading you with benefit. He's daily forgiving your sin. He's daily making sure you are accessible, you are acceptable to him. He's daily making sure that you are preserved, you are kept. And the Bible says that because of this thing that the Lord is doing, so that we can accept the Lord, then it becomes very, very important that we are forever thankful for this great gift of salvation. We are forever thankful. Forever thankful. It's very, very important. We are thankful in several ways. Please show your thankfulness to God in several ways. It's very, very important. Number six. Number six is that we joyfully serve him with all our might and strength. The implication of this is that we want to joyfully serve the Lord with all our might, with all our strength. If you really appreciate what God have done, then you will begin to serve the Lord with all your might, with all your strength. You begin to serve the Lord. You serve the Lord because you are showing gratitude. You are being appreciative. You are saying, "Thank God for access to this great where we stand. Thank God for this thing that we are enjoying." Thank God, thank God, thank God. You get the point I'm making. That's why we now give ourselves to serve him. We give ourselves to daily serving the Lord. Serving him with all our strength, with all we are. Oh, it reminds me of that song, "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb." "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb. With all my strength, with all I am. I will seek to honor his command. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb." And if you look at the stanza, a lot of things to learn from. It says, "I have heard how Christians long ago were brought before a tyrant king, a tyrant throne, and they were told that he would spare their life if they would renounce the name of Christ. But one by one they chose to die. The Son of God they would not deny. Like a great angelic choir sung, I can almost hear their voices ring. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. With all my strength, with all I am. I will seek to honor his command. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. Now the years have come and the years have gone, but the cause of Jesus still goes on. And now our time has come to count the cost, to reject this world, to embrace the cross. And one by one let us live our lives for the one who died to give us life." You see, the point is thanksgiving. One by one let us live our life for the one who died to give us life. Till the trumpet sound on the final day, let us proudly stand and boldly say, "I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. With all my might, with all I am. I will seek to honor his command. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. To the Lamb who bore my pain, who took my place, who wore my shame. I will seek to honor his command. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb. To the Lamb who bore my sin, to the Lamb who took my place, to the Lamb who wore my shame. I will seek to honor his command. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb." It continues on and on. But the point I'm making there is that there is an implication for our life. Implication for our life is that of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving. That of service. To serve the Lord with all we have, with all our strength. It's very, very crucial for us as believers. So we joyfully serve him with all our strength and our might. And when you look at Deuteronomy chapter 28, look at something that God said about serving God joyfully. Deuteronomy chapter 28. Let's see something there. I believe we are all familiar with Deuteronomy 28. That is where you have all the curses and all the blessings. Blessed are you if you do this. Then the curses started. Cursed are you, cursed are you for so many things. But when it gets to... I want you to look at what he said when God was talking about these curses. There was something he said that honestly, every time I get to that verse of the scripture, it makes a lot of meaning to me. That the Lord was saying that because you did not serve the Lord. Now look at what he said about himself in verse 63. Look at what the Lord said about himself in Deuteronomy 28:63. It says, "And it shall be that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, to multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, to bring you to nothing, and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess." What am I trying to make you see? Do you see that the Lord blesses us joyfully? He says, "It shall be that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good." You see, when God is doing us good, it is a joy to him. When God is multiplying us, it is a joy to him. When God is doing these things for us, he's doing it joyfully. He's doing it with a sense of rejoicing. He's doing it with a sense of happiness. That is how the Lord rejoices in blessing us. And you will now see what the Lord God got angry about when he was dealing with the children of Israel, when he was ruling the curse, when he was talking about the curse that will come upon them. You will notice what he said about the way he also wanted them, he would that they should serve him. And because they did not serve him that way, you will see that he said in verse 47... talking to the children of Israel, he said, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything," he says, "Therefore you shall serve your enemies." May that not be your portion. May that not be your portion. May that not be your portion. Look at what the Lord is saying. The Lord wanted them to serve him with joy, because he too, he was blessing them with joy. He was blessing them with rejoicing. You see, when God do you good, God rejoices in doing it. So when you want to serve God, God wants you to serve him joyfully. He wants it cheerfully. That's why the Bible say God loves a cheerful giver. Anybody who want to give anything to God, is it your time? Is it your service? Is it your money? Is it your labor? Whatever you are giving to God, God want you to do it joyfully, cheerfully. When you don't serve God that way, you become nauseating to God. You become nauseating to God. He said, because you did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything. Look at it. Are you the one who preserve your life? Look at how God give you life every day. Look at around yourself. You have been focusing on what has not been done. You are not focusing on the amount of thing that God has done for you as a Christian. Do you think that it is because you wanted to be saved that you are saved? Don't you see how some people are wasting their life in sin, in darkness? And God brought you to light. And you have been not serving God with joyfulness because you think you have not gotten a good job. You feel one shoe is not very good. Or because you have not gotten a good car. Because you could not serve God joyfully. He says, because you could not serve him joyfully for the abundance of everything. Of course, because as at that time, it's not as if everything around them was all rosy, but God wants people, God loves people that have a heart of gratitude. And you see, many times, even with human beings, people don't like you, you miss a lot of things when you don't have a heart of gratitude. I have seen occasions where I did things for my students, the same thing to them. And some of my students came back with so much, not that they gave me anything so particularly. But they just came back just to say thank you and thank you and thank you, that they just appreciate it. Do you know that such memory lingers in my heart? And many years later when those students call again for something else, "Oh that girl, that was so grateful." Not because she gave any money. You want to attend to them again. And those ones that just went away, when they call, what first comes your mind is that is it because you need something again he's coming. It's even with human beings you find this thing coming up in relationship. Learn to have a grateful heart. Learn to serve with joy. Because you must remember that the image of God is in man. These are very, very important things. I don't know how you are serving God. I don't know where you think you are doing a work for God. You are serving God, learn to serve God joyfully. Learn to put your passion, earnestness, everything into it. If you want to serve the Lord, are you studying the Bible? Do it passionately. Are you pray? Pray fervently. Whatever you are doing, put your heart, serve God joyfully. That's the implication of appreciating what Jesus made available for us. Implication of this that Jesus did for us. Implication. And lastly, number seven, the last one. We don't give to men as they deserve but as they need. That's another thing you must learn. That God... if God is to deal with you as you deserve, you would have been... Let me read this psalm to you, Psalm 103:8–13. As we close, as we begin to close for this evening. Psalm 103:8. "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever." Why are you keeping your own anger forever? You are still remembering what your mother did to you when you were eight years old. May God forgive you. You're still remembering what your uncle... "Ah when I was a child, I asked him for money, he just shouted on me. I hate that man." You are still hating that man for what he did to you when you were a child? May God help your memory. "I still remember when I was in form one. That day, I just went to my father, I did not even realize that I was so tired from school and just said, 'Daddy please this,' he just shouted on me. That daddy almost destroyed personality." Every time I look at the man now in his old age, he asks for my help, I just feel like just to rebuff him. Ah! May God have mercy on you. May God have mercy on you. Why are you keeping your anger forever? Why are you keeping your anger forever? Yes, the person wronged you. Yes, the person betrayed you. Yes, the person wounded you. But why are you keeping your anger forever? Why? "He will not keep his anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities." If God is to hold you the way you are holding that person, that uncle, that grandmother, that grandfather, that in-law, that cousin, God should not have even saved you. God would have made you remain as a sinner and die and go to hell. Let us, let us, may God open our eyes. May God open our eyes. May God open our eyes. We must be careful. We must be careful. "He has not dealt with us according to our sin or punished us according to our iniquity." That is God. "As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pity those who fear him." Many times the Lord pities you. Look at the kind of heart that you have and you have asked so many things from God and God has answered. Just look back at your life, some of you that are listening to me now that your heart is like that. Look at how many prayers God has answered you. If God was to deal with you, God would have said, "Okay, you, you will not go anywhere. Where you are you will not increase." Please, let us learn this implication. Please, brethren, wherever you are listening to me now, whether on Telegram, whether on Mixlr, wherever you are connecting with us, and if you are connecting with us, you remember somebody somewhere that need to hear this message, please download from the website, send this message to them. The reason why many people could not develop intimacy with God today is because their heart is not gracious. There is a little extent to which you can go if you don't have a gracious heart. There are answers to prayer you will never get because your heart is not gracious. May our heart be gracious. May our heart be gracious. Let us close for today. We have come to the end of this series: "Receiving in Prayer and a Gracious Heart." Let us begin to pray. Commit yourself to the Lord this evening. I don't know what you have heard. I don't know how it came to you. I don't know how it has blessed you. Whichever way it has come to you, please just say one or two things to God in prayers. Our Father we thank you. Oh Lord our God, my prayer this evening is that you will grant us a gracious heart. Lord, everywhere our heart is hard, Lord please break us. Lord please mold us. Lord please bless us and Lord please use us. Thank you eternal Father. In Jesus' most holy name we pray. Amen. Let us share the grace together in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen. And amen. This message is coming to you from Family Tents Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the life of singles and marriage through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission help. Our regular activities are discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 PM; Adolescents and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage Forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Family Life seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the first bridge, Ilu-Ife community, opposite Verity oil filling station along Ilesa road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytents@yahoo.co.uk, familytentsministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentsministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.