Participants: Mark Finley
Series Code: 11HC
Program Code: 11HC000003
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00:15 Well welcome back. And we've been enjoying
00:18 this great spiritual feast that we're having here tonight 00:23 and getting ready for the second message. 00:26 This is a message that will be coming to us from 00:29 Pastor Mark Finley. 00:31 And he's going to be talking to us about prayer 00:34 and how prayer really does make a difference. 00:37 And I will tell you that I've known Pastor Mark 00:41 for many, many years. 00:43 We... He was just beginning his internship as a minister 00:48 and I was just finishing my internship as a minister. 00:52 So we're not that far apart in age. 00:54 And he began his ministry in New England 00:59 as did I. And we enjoyed our friendship back then. 01:04 Through the years we've kept in touch, 01:06 and we certainly have had 01:10 a great fellowship at times together. 01:14 And so tonight we're going to enjoy as the Holy Spirit 01:18 lays a message upon him 01:21 that he's going to be sharing with us. 01:23 And I want to also tell you that he is now 01:28 the assistant to the president of the General Conference 01:32 of Seventh-day Adventists. 01:34 Now, he was vice president of the General Conference. 01:38 Vice president hardly ever sees the president, 01:42 but the assistant to the president is working right with 01:45 him constantly. 01:47 And they have been developing together 01:50 these plans for revival and plans for evangelism 01:55 around the world. And I ask that you keep 01:58 that administrative team - Pastor Ted Wilson, 02:03 Pastor Mark Finley, and those that work very closely 02:07 with them - in working towards an evangelistic plan 02:12 led by the Spirit of God to go into the great cities of this 02:17 world beginning with New York City. 02:19 And over the weekend I think Mark will probably 02:22 share some of the plans that so far have been developed. 02:27 And they will be having hundreds of evangelistic series 02:32 in the New York City area as well as using media. 02:36 We have offered 3ABN as one of those means. 02:41 Danny and I are meeting together with Pastor Ted Wilson 02:45 and with Pastor Mark Finley, and we made the offer to them 02:50 that in any way that 3ABN can be used 02:54 in this outreach we want to be used. 02:58 That's why God has brought this organization into being. 03:02 That's why you have sustained it all these years: 03:05 in order to see this message go around the world. 03:10 And any time the gospel of Jesus is being preached 03:15 we certainly want to be a part of that. 03:18 Just before Pastor Finley comes 03:21 we're going to enjoy one more message of music 03:24 from Reggie and Ladye Love Smith. 03:26 One of the songs that I love to hear them sing 03:29 more than any other: Great Is Thy Faithfulness. 03:39 "Great is Thy faithfulness, " 03:46 O God my 03:49 Father, 03:54 There is no shadow of 03:59 turning with Thee; 04:06 Thou changest not, 04:11 Thy compassions, 04:13 they fail not; 04:18 As Thou has been 04:23 Thou forever 04:26 will be. 04:31 "Great is Thy faithfulness! 04:37 Great is Thy faithfulness! " 04:43 Morning by morning 04:48 new mercies I see; 04:56 All I have needed 05:00 Thy hand hath 05:04 provided, 05:09 "Great is 05:12 Thy faithfulness, " 05:20 Lord, unto 05:25 me! 05:39 Summer and winter 05:44 and springtime and harvest; 05:50 Sun, moon and stars 05:55 in their courses above, 06:01 Join with all nature 06:06 in manifold witness, 06:12 To Thy great faithfulness, 06:17 mercy and love. 06:22 "Great is Thy faithfulness! 06:28 Great is Thy faithfulness! " 06:33 Morning by morning 06:38 new mercies I see; 06:44 All I have needed 06:48 Thy hand hath provided, 06:54 "Great is Thy faithfulness, " 06:59 Lord, unto me! 07:04 "Great is Thy faithfulness! 07:09 Great is Thy faithfulness! " 07:14 Morning by morning 07:19 new mercies I see; 07:24 All I have needed 07:29 Thy hand hath provided, 07:34 "Great is Thy faithfulness! 07:39 Great is Thy faithfulness! 07:44 Great is Thy 07:47 faithfulness, " 07:55 Lord, unto 08:00 me! 08:15 Amen. 08:21 Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me! 08:27 Amen. In a time of economic uncertainty 08:30 and political uncertainty 08:31 and a time of uncertainty when you look at the weather patterns 08:35 in our world, a time of uncertainty when you look at 08:39 the future of our world, 08:41 God is faithful. Amen. 08:45 As I travel around the world I've noticed that 08:47 there is a new wind blowing 08:50 in the Seventh-day Adventist church. 08:52 More and more people are gathering together to seek God 08:56 in prayer. Little prayer bands are being formed 09:00 in conference offices, in union offices, 09:04 in division offices, in the General Conference headquarters. 09:07 In local Adventist churches 09:10 members are gathering for prayer, 09:13 and in many places the winds of spiritual revival 09:17 are blowing. 09:19 There has never been a revival in the history of the world 09:22 that has not been bathed in and saturated in prayer. 09:29 In fact, we're told by the messenger of the Lord 09:32 a revival need not be expected without prayer 09:37 because God must do something in us 09:41 before He can do something through us. 09:45 And God must do something to us 09:48 before He can do something with the world. 09:53 The problem with the preaching of the gospel is not 09:56 the hardness of the hearts in the world, 09:58 it's the hardness of our hearts at times, isn't it? 10:01 There are many that long for the gifts of the Spirit, 10:06 but God loves to give us the fruits of the Spirit. 10:09 Because if the fruits of the Spirit are characterized 10:11 in our lives, God will manifest the gifts of the Spirit. 10:17 Tonight I want to study with you 10:20 five essentials from the prayer life of Jesus. 10:24 I want to walk through the New Testament with you 10:27 and look at the prayer life of Jesus. 10:29 What was Jesus' prayer life like? 10:33 And what can we learn for our spiritual lives 10:37 from the very prayer life of Christ? 10:39 Let's pray. Father in heaven, 10:42 as we open the New Testament 10:45 and see the life of Jesus, 10:47 as we understand more deeply His prayer life, 10:51 I pray that You would enable us tonight 10:55 to drink from that heavenly stream. 11:00 That we would be fed with the bread of life. 11:04 That we would hear the Spirit of God speaking to our hearts. 11:08 This is no time for an apathetic, complacent, 11:13 Laodicean spiritual experience. 11:16 This is no time merely to believe with our head 11:21 but not be committed in our hearts. 11:24 This is no time for formal, academic religion. 11:29 This is a time for heart- agonizing, heart-throbbing 11:35 prayer. This is a time to be on our knees seeking God. 11:39 It's a time to open our hearts to be filled with the 11:42 Holy Spirit. It's a time for a genuine, authentic experience 11:47 with the living Christ. 11:49 And so I pray Thee that You would come and touch our hearts. 11:51 That You would open our eyes. 11:53 That You would help us to hear the voice of Jesus 11:56 speaking to us tonight, 11:57 drawing us closer to His side. 12:00 We thank you that You're going to be here 12:03 with all of Your power. In Christ's name, Amen. 12:06 A number of years ago 12:09 I was invited to hold a major evangelistic meeting 12:13 in Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea. 12:16 Just before we got there 12:19 the government made a decision to sell off 12:22 a lot of their land to multi- national corporations. 12:28 The university students recognized that if that happened 12:31 that they would lose their natural resources 12:36 and the country in years to come would be impoverished. 12:39 So the students marched by the hundreds in the streets of 12:44 Port Moresby, the capital city. 12:46 The police overreacted. 12:49 They shot into the crowd, 12:51 and as they did seven students were killed. 12:54 The students rioted. 12:58 The dissident elements of society joined these students 13:01 and they rioted as well. 13:02 Cars were burned. 13:05 The plate glass windows of shops were broken 13:08 and throughout that city there was rioting, revolution, 13:14 devastation. 13:15 The government, in an attempt to control it, 13:18 put a curfew on the city. 13:21 Nothing moved from 7 o'clock at night till 7 o'clock 13:25 in the morning. Now that posed a real problem for us. 13:30 I arrived in Port Moresby on a Monday 13:32 and the curfew was still on. 13:34 And we were told that we would not be able to have our meetings 13:38 unless the curfew lifted. 13:40 We organized 1,000 people to pray... 13:44 1,000 prayer warriors. 13:46 They prayed morning, noon, and night. 13:50 And if you've ever been to Papua, New Guinea, 13:52 these folk know how to pray. 13:55 They do not simply "say" their prayers... 13:58 they pray. 14:00 And I've met with them - 50, 100- in a small room 14:03 where it was so crowded you couldn't even stand up 14:06 on our knees praying and seeking God 14:09 and listening to the agony of their hearts. 14:11 "Oh, God, move upon the government officials. " 14:14 "Oh, God, move upon parliament. " 14:16 Monday curfew, Tuesday curfew, Wednesday curfew, 14:21 Thursday curfew. But on Thursday we told our staff 14:25 "Go set up the stadium. There's nothing against 14:29 setting up the stadium in the daytime. 14:31 Set it up. We can't preach at night, but Thursday set it up 14:35 by faith. " We went to bed Thursday night with the curfew. 14:39 Woke up Friday morning and the first thing I did after praying 14:43 was ran to the little kiosk to buy a newspaper. 14:46 This newspaper today is one of my most treasured possessions. 14:50 My wife and I keep this as a keepsake of what 14:53 God can do. Headlines of the newspaper: 14:56 Parliament meets until 2 AM in the morning. 14:59 Curfew lifted so Seventh-day Adventists 15:02 can have their meeting. Amen! 15:06 Subtitle: The entire nation is invited to the Sir John Guise 15:11 Stadium tonight to hear the prime minister speak 15:15 on the state of the nation. 15:17 Then the prime minister will introduce American evangelist 15:20 Mark Finley who will speak a message of peace to this nation. 15:24 The entire nation is to come. 15:25 That night 100,000 people by count 15:31 came to the stadium. Amen. 15:33 What is the largest stadium in Chicago? 15:36 Soldier Field. How many does that place seat? 15:39 60,000? 70,000? 15:41 That's too small. 15:43 100,000 people came to the stadium. 15:47 The prime minister of the nation introduced me that night. 15:51 The message was taken by television. 15:53 It's estimated that in that country 2-1/2 million people 15:57 listened to the message. 15:58 And every night they came... 100,000 people. 16:02 And the first appeal 10,000 people came forward for baptism. 16:08 When God's people are on their knees praying 16:13 something happens that does not happen when we do not pray. 16:18 You say: "I don't understand all that. " 16:22 You don't have to understand it, just pray. Amen. 16:25 In the controversy between good and evil 16:30 there are ground rules. 16:32 And one of those ground rules is this: 16:34 God will never violate our freedom of choice. 16:40 Now God is doing everything He can for your son or your 16:43 daughter who doesn't know Christ before you pray. 16:46 He's doing everything He can for your husband or wife 16:49 who doesn't know Christ before you pray. 16:52 But God is limited. 16:54 He is limited by their freedom of choice. 16:57 But when we pray, God looks at the devil 17:01 and He says: "I respect that Christian's freedom of 17:06 choice and I will pour out the river of water of life 17:10 through them. And they will be a conduit of blessing. " 17:13 And God does for us when we pray 17:16 things that don't happen when we don't pray. 17:19 Amen. You say: "I don't fully understand all that. " 17:22 Don't worry about what you don't understand. 17:24 Let's suppose here's a cornologist. 17:27 Do you know what a cornologist is? 17:30 He got his Ph. D. studying one kernel of corn 17:34 so he's a cornologist. 17:37 He's over here at the University of Illinois. 17:40 He knows every single thing about that kernel of corn. 17:43 He knows every vitamin. He knows there's lysine and 17:46 niacin. He knows everything about that kernel of corn. 17:48 He is the foremost authority on corn in the world. 17:52 There's nobody greater than him in the whole world on corn. 17:57 He's written his Ph. D. dissertation 18:00 on the 13th kernel from the bottom up 18:04 in my imagination. 18:07 Now I have a question for you: 18:09 here is a man living in the jungles of Brazil 18:12 that doesn't know anything about corn. 18:15 Nothing. Doesn't know one vitamin, one mineral. 18:18 The man possibly can't even read, 18:20 but his wife cooks him a kernel of corn. 18:25 And on one summer day the cornologist in his back yard 18:29 eats a kernel of corn at the same time that the guy in Brazil 18:33 who can't read and who's illiterate... doesn't know 18:35 anything about corn... eats his kernel. 18:37 Who gets the most vitamins and minerals? 18:42 Who gets the most vitamins and minerals? 18:45 You don't need to know everything 18:48 to appreciate the something you don't know everything about. 18:54 You don't need to know everything about something 18:57 to appreciate the something you don't know everything about. 19:00 Don't try to figure out the ins and outs, 19:03 the whys and wherefores about prayer. 19:06 Simply believe by faith 19:09 that God hears! 19:13 Take your Bible, please. Five essentials from the prayer life 19:17 of Jesus. Five essentials from the prayer life of Jesus 19:22 that can transform your prayer life. 19:25 Five essentials from the prayer life of Jesus 19:28 that can enable you to have a vibrant, fresh, 19:32 new relationship with God in prayer. 19:35 Every revival in history has been bathed in prayer. 19:40 Every Biblical revival has been bathed in prayer. 19:43 Where there is revival - a renewal of spiritual life - 19:47 somebody is praying. 19:49 Mark the first chapter the 35th verse. 19:52 Mark chapter 1 verse 35. 19:54 "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before 19:58 daylight, He went and departed to a solitary place 20:02 and there He prayed. " 20:04 Jesus had a time to pray. 20:08 Jesus had a time to pray. 20:11 Mark it down... principle #1 in Jesus' prayer life: 20:16 Jesus had a time set aside to pray 20:19 for communion and fellowship with the Father, 20:23 and nothing separated Jesus from His Father 20:28 during that prayer time. 20:29 These times of unbroken communication with the Father 20:33 were times that Jesus set apart. 20:36 He was not too busy to pray. 20:38 Not too active to pray. 20:41 Take your Bible and look at a second vision here of Jesus' 20:45 time in praying: Luke the 5th chapter. 20:48 Dr. Luke describes Jesus' prayer life more times than any other, 20:54 than any other Bible writer. 20:56 Luke the 5th chapter. 20:58 Again we notice that Jesus had a time to pray. 21:02 Luke chapter 5 verse 16: 21:05 "So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness 21:09 and there prayed. " 21:10 Jesus' prayer life was not spasmodic. 21:13 It was not off again and on again. 21:14 He didn't pray on Monday and not pray on Tuesday and Wednesday. 21:18 Jesus often had times alone. 21:22 Every morning He had time set apart. 21:25 Before He faced the multitude He went to the mountain. 21:29 Before Jesus went to the crowds He went to the Father. 21:32 Jesus could stand before kings because He knelt before 21:35 the King of the universe. 21:37 He could face earthly judges because He had come to the 21:42 judge of all mankind. 21:44 Jesus was empowered in those moments that He prayed. 21:49 And if Christ, the Son of God, had time set aside to pray, 21:53 can we do any less? 21:55 Luke the 9th chapter... Again, the gospel of Luke records 22:00 these alone times that Jesus had with the Father. 22:04 Times that He set apart to be alone. 22:07 Times that when every earthly voice was hushed 22:11 and every human voice still 22:13 that He could listen to the voice of God. 22:16 We live in a society of noise, 22:19 and it's hard to get away from the noise... 22:21 it's hard to get away from the clamor and the chatter. 22:24 People talk to me about labor-saving devices. 22:28 And they say to me: "Pastor Mark, 22:30 here's a cell phone. 22:32 This cell phone can do everything you need. 22:35 I mean, this cell phone... you can talk to people on it. 22:38 This cell phone... you can get a message on it. 22:41 This cell phone... you can get your computed data on it. 22:45 This cell phone has maps on it. Take this with you 22:48 and you'll have everything you need. " 22:51 The problem is: when they send me 40 or 50 e-mails a day, 22:57 when they send me text message after text message, 23:01 when I fly on the airplane for 2 hours and I look on this 23:04 little thing and I find out that I have 12 new phone calls 23:08 that I have to answer... 23:10 it's difficult to get away from people today. 23:14 In the busyness of our society 23:19 it's hard to be alone. 23:22 You know, in the late 1800's 23:26 a European visited America. And he came back to Europe 23:32 and one of his friends said to him: 23:35 "What impressed you most about America? " 23:38 You know, the Europeans have a very wry sense of humor. 23:41 And he said: "Those Americans are always moving. 23:46 In fact, they've invented a chair called a rocking chair 23:49 and they can't even sit still when they sit down. " 23:53 Does your life sometimes feel hectic? 23:57 Do you at times feel rushed? 24:00 You have retired and you wonder how you ever found time to work. 24:07 In the hectic stream of life 24:11 Jesus calls us to quietness. 24:14 Do you have a time to pray? 24:16 A time that is set apart for you and God? 24:21 Well I have people say to me: "Pastor Mark, 24:23 I just pray all the time. " 24:25 That's like a person saying "I eat all the time. " 24:28 Yeah, you look like it, too. 24:31 If you eat all the time, what are you eating? Potato chips 24:35 and Hershey bars? And Hostess Twinkies? 24:39 If you eat all the time, what's happening? 24:42 Usually you're eating a junk food diet that doesn't provide 24:47 adequate vitamins and minerals to the diet, right? 24:51 Certainly God says: "Pray without ceasing; 24:55 be in an attitude of prayer. " 24:57 But if all you're doing through the day is darting 25:00 19-second prayers to God, 25:03 you will not have the experience with Jesus 25:07 to live through the crisis 25:09 at the close of this earth's history. 25:11 Jesus set aside a time to pray... 25:14 a time that He would be alone with God. 25:17 A time that He could listen to God's voice 25:19 speaking to His heart. 25:21 Do you have a time to pray? 25:24 A time that nothing interrupts? 25:27 A time alone with God? 25:29 The second thing we notice about Jesus' prayer life is this: 25:32 you find it in the text in Mark chapter 1. 25:34 So back to Mark chapter 1. Jesus had a time to pray. 25:38 A time that nothing interrupted. 25:40 A time to spend alone time with God. 25:43 A time that He could be spiritually nourished 25:47 by the Father. 25:48 A time the Spirit could speak to His heart. 25:50 A time that He could receive strength from the Almighty. 25:53 A time that He could receive wisdom from the Almighty. 25:56 Mark chapter 1. We look there again at verse 35. 26:00 "Now in the morning having risen a great while before daylight 26:03 He went out and departed to a solitary place 26:06 and there He prayed. " 26:08 Jesus not only had a time to pray, 26:10 Jesus had a place to pray. 26:14 Jesus often went to the Garden of Gethsemane, 26:17 and there in Gethsemane He knelt and He prayed. 26:19 That was His prayer place 'neath the olive trees. 26:22 When Jesus wasn't in Jerusalem 26:24 He often went out into the fields of Galilee 26:27 and there He prayed. 26:29 Do you have a place to pray? 26:32 A place that you've set aside? 26:34 Often in the morning my wife is up and out. 26:37 We now live in the state of Virginia 26:40 and my wife Ernestine - you know her as Teenie - 26:43 is out walking the trails. 26:44 And she has her place to pray on those trails, 26:47 alone in the morning. 26:49 My prayer place is in my study. 26:51 There's an old blue chair, and I kneel by that each morning 26:54 in my study and I say: "God, take me today. 26:56 God give me wisdom today. 26:58 God help me as we have to make critical decisions in the 27:02 General Conference office today. Lord, I don't know what to do. 27:05 Those decisions are so complex. 27:07 You look at one side of the question then you look at 27:08 another side of the question. 27:09 Lord, I need wisdom from You today. 27:12 Lord, today give me strength. Today there'll be temptations. " 27:16 There at my prayer time, 27:18 there in my prayer place I seek God. 27:21 You know, I was not brought up in a Seventh-day Adventist home. 27:27 My father was a Protestant; 27:30 my mother was a Catholic. 27:32 I never saw them argue once over religion. 27:37 When my father married my mother the priest said: 27:41 "Yes, I will marry you but not in the Catholic church. 27:44 You've got to be married in the rectory. 27:45 And I'll only marry you, " he said to my father, 27:50 "to this Catholic woman if you promise 27:52 when you're married that when you have children 27:54 you'll bring them up Catholic. " 27:55 My father wasn't an Adventist so he made that promise. 27:58 Later on my dad became a Seventh-day Adventist. 28:02 My mom was a Catholic. 28:04 But I can remember so distinctly in my mind 28:09 on Friday nights I would come home and watch the late, 28:13 late, late show. I'd be out playing basketball 28:16 on Friday nights. Sports were my god in those years. 28:19 Come back from playing basketball and I'd watch 28:22 the late, late, late show. I'd watch Frankenstein 28:24 and Alfred Hitchcock. Any of you remember those movies? 28:27 You do? I thought you were Adventists. 28:29 What are you watching that stuff for? 28:30 I have an excuse... I wasn't an Adventist back then. 28:36 These were the days of black and white television. 28:41 And the thing would be so snowy 28:44 and I'd be in front of that screen, you know, watching. 28:48 Friday night; 11 o'clock. 28:50 And I would look through the crack in the door 28:54 and there was dad kneeling down 28:59 by an old black and white chair. We didn't have much money. 29:02 Stuffing coming out of that chair. 29:05 Old vinyl chair. 29:06 I can see it in my mind now. Look through that light 29:09 there was dad praying... 11 o'clock Friday night. 29:12 "Dear Jesus, bless my boy. 29:15 Jesus, he doesn't know You. 29:17 Jesus, bless him. Surround him with Your love. 29:21 Surround him with Your grace. Somehow open his heart 29:23 and mind. " And the Lord began to work on my heart. 29:28 Dad shared Jesus' love with me and ultimately led me 29:32 into the Adventist church. 29:33 Dad had a place to pray. 29:37 Do you have a sacred place? 29:41 A place where God comes down? 29:44 A place that you can look back at and say: 29:47 "That's where God visited me. 29:49 That's where God spoke to me. 29:52 By that chair God strengthened me; God gave me wisdom. 29:56 God impressed my mind. " 29:59 Jesus had a what? 30:01 Time to pray. 30:03 Jesus had a what? 30:05 A place to pray. 30:07 I am not talking about a candy cotton religious experience 30:13 that is sweet in your mouth but provides you 30:16 with no spiritual nourishment. 30:18 I'm talking about knowing God. 30:20 Knowing Him in the depth of your being. 30:24 Knowing Him with every fabric of your being. 30:28 Knowing Him deep within your heart. 30:31 Knowing Him in your mind. 30:32 Setting aside time to pray. 30:35 Setting aside a place to pray. 30:37 Now there's a third thing about Jesus' prayer life 30:39 that may surprise you. 30:41 Secret prayer is not necessarily silent prayer. 30:49 Jesus prayed aloud. 30:51 Now don't misunderstand me. There are times 30:54 that praying out loud might be inappropriate. 30:57 If you are a computer expert working over here at IBM 31:01 and you're working with all secular people 31:04 and there's a snafu with the computer system 31:07 and you get down on your knees in the middle of the office 31:09 and begin praying out loud, well... 31:12 there may be... may be a lot wiser to pray silently 31:16 at that point. 31:18 There is never a time that it's inappropriate to pray silently. 31:24 But if you want a vibrant experience with God, 31:30 a time to pray, a place to pray, 31:33 praying aloud. Let's look at Jesus' prayer life. 31:35 Matthew the 26th chapter. 31:38 Matthew the 26th chapter. 31:44 Matthew 26:39. 31:47 Matthew 26:39. 31:51 "He went a little farther... " 31:53 This is Jesus. He has His time to pray. 31:55 This is Jesus. He has His place to pray. 31:57 Matthew 26:39: 31:59 "And He went a little farther. He fell on His face 32:01 and prayed thinking... " 32:06 He fell on His face and prayed what? 32:09 Prayed what? "Saying... " Verse 42: 32:12 "And He went again a second time 32:14 and prayed saying: 'Oh My Father, if this cup 32:18 cannot pass from Me unless I drink it, 32:21 Your will be done. ' " Verse 44: 32:23 "So He left them, went again and prayed the third time 32:27 saying the same words. " 32:29 Jesus had His time to pray; Jesus had His place to pray; 32:32 and Jesus prayed out loud pouring His heart out 32:35 to the Father. On our way to Hebrews, let's look at 32:39 Luke 11 verse 1. 32:40 Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray 32:46 in the Lord's Prayer? Why? 32:48 Because they came to Jesus at His prayer time; 32:52 they found Jesus in His prayer place; 32:55 and they heard Him praying out loud. 32:56 And these disciples never had heard anybody pray like that. 33:00 Jesus wasn't saying a prayer. 33:02 These were not the formal, ritualistic 33:04 prayers of the Pharisees... Jesus was talking to God. 33:07 Jesus was communicating with the Father. 33:09 Luke 11 verse 1: 33:11 "And it came to pass as He was praying in a certain place" - 33:14 there's His prayer place; this is His prayer time - 33:16 "when He ceased... " How did they know He ceased? 33:19 Because He stopped praying verbally. 33:21 And so they'd never heard anybody pray like that before. 33:24 They were overhearing His prayers! 33:27 And they said: "Jesus, teach us to pray. " 33:29 Hebrews the 5th chapter... Jesus prayed out loud. 33:33 Hebrews the 5th chapter. 33:35 You were looking there at the 7th verse. 33:38 Here it is again. When you study Jesus' prayer life 33:42 not only did He have a time to pray, 33:44 not only did He have a place to pray, 33:46 but Jesus was on His knees out loud pouring His soul out 33:50 to God in intimate communion with the Father. 33:53 Here you go: Hebrews chapter 5 verse 7: 33:57 "Who in the days of His flesh 33:59 when He had offered up prayers and supplication with... " What? 34:03 "strong or vehement cries and tears to Him who was able 34:07 to save Him from death. " 34:09 Why is it valuable to pray out loud? 34:12 Has your mind ever wandered when you prayed? 34:17 You get on your knees, you begin to pray 34:20 "Dear Lord" and you're praying say mentally in your mind 34:23 and you begin to think "Um, wait a minute... 34:26 I should have... what time do I have to pick up the kids 34:30 at school? You know, I went grocery shopping today 34:33 and I forgot to get this... " 34:35 "What was the score of that sports game? " 34:38 "Um, wait a minute, what do I have to do at work? " 34:41 You're on your knees praying - right? - 34:43 and your mind begins to do what? 34:45 Anybody's mind ever wandered in prayer here? 34:48 Any honest people here? 34:49 Yeah sure, but what happens? Your mind wanders 34:54 and as it does 34:57 you go on 2 or 3 minutes in prayer. 35:01 You started praying but 4 minutes later your mind's 35:04 all over the place and you say: "Wait a minute... 35:07 oh, I'm supposed to be praying here, " right? 35:09 But when you pray aloud 35:12 the brain is engaged to form the words that come out of your 35:17 mouth, and when you stop verbally talking 35:22 you recognize it. "Hey, wait a minute. 35:25 My mind just began to wander. " 35:27 And you bring it back much more quickly. 35:30 Jesus had a time to pray; Jesus had a place to pray; 35:33 Jesus prayed aloud. "Pastor, Pastor, I don't want to 35:36 pray aloud. " Why not? 35:38 "Because the devil will hear my prayers 35:40 and he will know exactly what I'm thinking and praying about 35:46 and he will be able to develop a strategy against me. " 35:49 So because the devil can't read my thoughts 35:52 but he can hear what I say 35:54 I don't want to pray out loud. 35:56 Anybody think that way? 35:59 I have a question to ask you. 36:00 Is the devil omnipresent? 36:04 Well... there are some people not sure. 36:07 All right, is the devil omnipresent? 36:09 No, he's not. Who's only omnipresent? 36:11 God. Is the devil omniscient? 36:14 That means does he know everything. 36:16 No, he doesn't. 36:18 So how can the devil hear your prayers, then, 36:23 and know what you're praying if he's not omnipresent? 36:25 Only by sending the evil angels, right? 36:28 But when you pray God shuts you in 36:34 with a circle of good angels 36:39 who beat back the forces of hell. 36:42 The last place that the devil wants to be 36:47 is where a saint is praying... a believer is praying. 36:51 Let me show you that. 36:53 Do not take my word for it, 36:55 take the word of divine inspiration. 36:57 Here it is: 36:58 "At the sound of earnest prayer 37:04 Satan's whole host trembles and flees. " 37:08 Say it together with me, please. 37:11 At the sound... Together! 37:12 Wherever you are. Television audience, this is your time too. 37:14 Join us: "At the sound of earnest prayer 37:19 Satan's host trembles and flees. " 37:23 One more time: 37:25 "At the sound of earnest prayer 37:29 Satan's host trembles and flees. " 37:33 First volume of the Testimonies page 346. 37:36 When you pray, when your prayers ascend to God, 37:38 Satan's whole host trembles because good angels 37:42 wing their way from worlds afar to beat back 37:44 the forces of hell. They shut you in. 37:48 A place to pray; a time to pray; 37:51 praying out loud to seek God. 37:53 Fourth thing about Jesus' prayer life. 37:55 Here it is: fourth thing about Jesus' prayer life. 37:58 Jesus prayed for His friends by name. 38:02 Jesus prayed for people by name. 38:05 Luke chapter 23. 38:06 Jesus' prayer life was not so vague and general 38:10 that you couldn't know if it was answered or not answered. 38:15 Luke chapter 22. Here we go... Luke chapter 22. 38:19 Some people pray so general prayers 38:23 that they could never know whether God answered them 38:26 or not. Luke chapter 22. 38:29 Verse 31: "And the Lord said 38:33 'Simon, Simon. Indeed Satan has asked for you 38:37 that he might sift you as wheat 38:39 but I have prayed for you 38:42 that your faith should not fail. ' " 38:44 Jesus said to Simon: 38:46 "Satan has asked for you 38:48 but I have prayed for you. " 38:53 Jesus is saying that about you today. 38:55 There may be temptations, there may be challenges, 38:58 there may be difficulties, 38:59 but Jesus in the sanctuary in heaven 39:02 is praying for you. You are on His lips. 39:06 You are on His heart. 39:07 You are on His mind... Jesus is praying for you. 39:11 Jesus prays for Peter by name. 39:14 Now there's a few things in the text we need to see. 39:16 "And the Lord said: 'Simon, Simon. 39:19 Indeed Satan has asked for you. ' " 39:21 Who did Satan... 39:27 When Satan asked for Peter, who was Satan asking for Peter? 39:31 Who was Satan asking for Peter? 39:36 Well some are going to say God and some are going to say Jesus. 39:41 But I want you to think this through. 39:44 Why would Satan ask God to give him Peter? 39:48 Would God even consider giving the soul of Peter... 39:51 giving the life of Peter to Satan? 39:53 Would He do that? 39:55 No. 39:56 Would Satan ask Jesus to give him Peter? 40:00 Why would He do that? 40:01 I mean, why would Jesus even consider that? 40:03 I'm going to make a suggestion for you. 40:05 Who is Satan asking? 40:07 He's asking the evil angels. 40:09 He is saying: "You go get that man. 40:12 That man has great possibilities for the kingdom of God. 40:16 You go get that one. I want Peter! 40:18 I want him to fall. 40:20 If we can get Peter to fall, we have created a great crisis. " 40:25 Satan says to his evil angels: 40:28 "Go get that young man. " 40:30 "Go get that young woman. " 40:31 Satan studies our genetic backgrounds. 40:35 He knows the genetic weaknesses that are embedded in every 40:38 nerve and tissue of the bodies. 40:40 Satan knows our inclinations toward evil. 40:43 Satan knows our tendencies toward evil. 40:46 Satan knows where we are most likely to fall. 40:50 If it's criticism, he will give you reason to criticize. 40:55 He will dangle some juicy tidbit before your face. 40:59 If it is lust, he knows how to parade certain images 41:04 before your mind. 41:05 If it's overeating and indulgence, 41:07 Satan studies a) our genetic background; 41:10 b) Satan studies where we've fallen in the past 41:13 and we're most weak; 41:14 and Satan says to his evil angels: "Go get that man. " 41:17 "Go get that woman. " 41:18 "Go get their son... go get their daughter. " 41:20 And Jesus says to you and me: 41:23 "In your time of prayer, in your place of prayer, 41:26 in your... when you're praying out loud, 41:29 as you are praying for your son, 41:31 as you're praying for your daughter, 41:33 as you're praying for your neighbor, 41:34 as you're praying for your husband, 41:35 as you're praying for your wife, 41:37 I will send a retinue of angels if you pray for them by name. " 41:41 As we are on our knees praying 41:44 just like Jesus prayed for Peter... 41:47 And although Peter fell, he was supernaturally empowered 41:51 by God. He came and knelt in forgiveness before God 41:55 and repentance before Jesus. 41:57 And Peter was supernaturally endowed with the Holy Spirit 42:00 on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000... 3,000 42:04 were led to Christ. Prayer is powerful. 42:08 Jesus prayed for Peter. Are you praying for your son? 42:10 Are you praying for your daughter? 42:12 Are you praying for your husband? 42:13 Are you praying for your neighbors? 42:15 Great Controversy page 525 42:17 "God will grant an answer to the prayer of faith... 42:21 that which He would not do did we not thus pray. " 42:25 I love it. "God will grant an answer to the prayer of faith... 42:28 that which He would not do did we not thus pray. " 42:34 There are many texts in the Bible that tell us 42:36 that we ought to pray but there are few 42:39 that tell us what happens when we pray. 42:41 Here's one. Take your Bible, please. I John chapter 5. 42:45 What happens when I kneel down? 42:46 What happens when I pray for my son or daughter? 42:49 What happens when I pray for a husband or wife? 42:51 What happens when I pray for a neighbor 42:53 that doesn't know Christ? 42:54 What does God do? How does prayer work? 42:56 We may not understand everything about it, but this is a 42:59 marvelous text. I John chapter 5: here it is. 43:01 Verse 18 and onward: 43:03 I John chapter 5. 43:07 And we're looking there. Verse 14 rather... verse 14 43:11 and onward... I John chapter 5 verse 14: 43:13 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him... " 43:16 Where is our confidence when we pray? 43:19 Is it in ourselves? Is it in our prayers? 43:21 This is the confidence we have where everybody? 43:24 In Him. "This is the confidence we have in Him: 43:26 if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. " 43:29 Is it His will to save your neighbor? 43:32 Is it His will to save your husband, your wife, 43:34 your son, your daughter? Certainly! 43:36 He will work powerfully in their lives. 43:38 Now certainly they have freedom of choice. 43:40 Certainly they can reject it. 43:42 But it will be harder for them to reject than to accept 43:45 if we pray. 43:47 You see, if we pray, rejecting the gospel becomes difficult 43:52 because the Holy Spirit's working in their hearts. 43:54 The Holy Spirit's bringing them conviction. 43:56 Now notice verse 16: 43:57 "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not 44:01 lead to death... " What is the sin that leads to death? 44:03 The unpardonable sin. 44:05 So here we see somebody. He hasn't rejected the Holy Spirit 44:08 in their life. "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin 44:11 that does not lead to death, He will ask... " 44:14 Who is the He that's doing the asking? 44:16 The Intercessor. "He will ask 44:18 and He... " Who is that He? 44:22 God. "Will give Him... " Who is the Him? 44:25 The Intercessor. "Life for those who commit sin 44:28 not leading to death. " 44:30 This is wonderful. 44:31 On our knees we're praying for somebody 44:33 that doesn't know Jesus. 44:35 Just like Jesus prayed for Peter by name 44:38 we're praying for somebody in temptation. 44:41 We're praying for somebody who's in a struggle 44:44 between life and death. And as we pray 44:47 the river of water of life from the throne of God 44:51 flows through us to touch their lives in miraculous ways. 44:55 We becomes channels for the conduit of the Holy... 44:58 We becomes channels - conduits - for the Holy Spirit 45:01 to touch that man, that woman, that son or that daughter. 45:04 Here is one of the most marvelous statements ever 45:08 written by the pen of inspiration, God's messenger 45:12 for this last hour. Listen to it: 45:13 "Ministering angels are waiting about the throne... " 45:16 Where are the angels? Where are they? 45:19 About the throne. 45:20 "to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ 45:25 in answer to every prayer offered in living faith. " 45:28 II Selected Messages 377. 45:32 Ministering angels around the throne. 45:34 Waiting... Waiting to answer 45:40 the mandate of Christ - the command of Christ - 45:42 as prayers ascend to heaven. 45:44 Here is some godly father, some godly mother. 45:47 They're on their knees. They're praying for a daughter 45:50 or a son who's up there in Chicago. 45:51 And that son or daughter is about ready to make a decision 45:55 that will take them further from Christ. 45:58 And that mom is in her bedroom. She's kneeling down 46:01 by that chair at her prayer time that evening 46:04 and she's praying: "Lord, bless my daughter Alice. " 46:06 "Lord, bless Judy. " And as she prays, 46:09 her prayers ascend to heaven and the angels gather round 46:12 the throne and they say: "Jesus, can I go? " 46:15 "Jesus, can I go? " "Jesus, can I go? " 46:17 And Jesus looks at an angel and He says: "You go. " 46:21 And that angel wings his way from the throne of God 46:24 and beats back the angels of hell. 46:27 And that young woman makes the right decision. Praise God! 46:30 Praise God! 46:32 Jesus had a time to pray. Jesus had a place to pray. 46:40 Jesus prayed aloud. 46:42 Jesus prayed for His friends by name. 46:46 And you are on His heart tonight. 46:48 You're on His mind tonight. 46:50 There's one more thing about Jesus' prayer. 46:52 Take your Bible and go back to the gospel of Luke 46:54 the 9th chapter. 46:56 Jesus often prayed with others. 47:00 There's power in praying alone 47:03 but there's power in getting another man, another woman. 47:07 There's power in little prayer bands as they form together. 47:11 Luke the 9th chapter 28th verse. 47:17 "And it came to pass about 8 days after these sayings 47:20 that He took Peter, John, and James 47:23 and went up on the mountain to pray. " 47:25 Three men meeting to pray. 47:29 Three women who form a prayer band. 47:32 Oh, to come into an Adventist church on Sabbath morning 47:36 and look over that congregation at 8:30 AM 47:39 and see 15 prayer bands scattered throughout the church 47:42 praying for the anointing of the Holy Spirit 47:45 that Sabbath morning. 47:48 Oh to come to an Adventist church on a Wednesday night 47:51 and see prayer bands scattered throughout the sanctuary 47:54 praying for that city that there'll be a breakthrough 47:56 for the kingdom of God. 47:58 Oh to come to a conference office, 48:00 come to the General Conference division, and see prayer bands 48:04 praying for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 48:07 There's something that happens when people unite in prayer. 48:11 Matthew the 18th chapter. 48:12 Matthew the 18th chapter. 48:17 And look there at Matthew chapter 18 48:20 verses 18 and 19. 48:25 Matthew 18:18-19. 48:27 "Assuredly I say to you whatever you bind on earth 48:30 will be bound on heaven and whatever you loose on earth 48:32 will be loosed in heaven. " 48:34 How do we bind up heaven? 48:36 How do we loose heaven? 48:37 "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on anything 48:40 concerning anything that they ask, 48:42 it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 48:44 For where two or three are gathered together 48:46 in My name... " That doesn't mean 48:48 that the church is empty and only 2 or 3 people come 48:51 so the preacher gets up and says: "The Bible says 48:53 when 2 or 3 together are gathered, He's there. " 48:55 I'm sure He's there, but that's not the primary meaning 48:57 of the text. The primary meaning of this text is a prayer band. 49:00 Where two or three people get together 49:02 and in the unity of their lives heart beats with heart 49:05 mind beats with mind 49:06 and they get together to pray. 49:09 Women are having a prayer group at their house 49:11 on a Thursday afternoon and 2, 3, 4, 5 women pray. 49:15 Men meeting for a prayer breakfast in the morning 49:17 before they go to work and feeding a little bit. 49:19 Sharing the Word of God; getting down on their knees and praying. 49:22 "Again I say to you that if 2 or 3 agree on earth 49:25 anything they'll ask it will be done for them 49:28 of My Father in heaven. 49:29 For where 2 or 3 are gathered in My name 49:31 I am in the midst. " 49:33 Do you have a time to pray 49:39 that nothing interrupts? 49:41 Do you have a place to pray 49:44 where you pour your heart out to God alone? 49:47 Do you have a prayer list? 49:49 Five names... six names. People you've written down 49:52 on your list and you're praying for them. 49:53 You're believing God for them. 49:55 Do you have somebody you're praying with? Prayer partners? 50:01 A few years ago there was a very significant pastor's meeting 50:07 in Boston, Massachusetts. 50:10 It was not a meeting of Seventh- day Adventist pastors. 50:13 These pastors were evangelical pastors, and they were coming 50:15 from all over the United States, 300-400 pastors. 50:18 One of the pastors from Chicago 50:21 was on an American Airlines flight. 50:23 He was sitting on the aisle. 50:24 And as he was sitting on the aisle 50:26 there was nobody in the middle seat and there was a man 50:28 sitting at the window seat. And the plane took off, and 50:31 this man - pastor, going to the pastor's meeting, 50:34 sitting on the aisle - looked across and he saw 50:37 the man at the window praying. 50:40 And he thought to himself: 50:42 "Great, I've got a Christian seatmate, but I don't want to 50:45 intimidate him too much and tell him I'm a pastor. 50:48 I'm so thankful that I have somebody that's a Christian. " 50:51 So he looked over. The man prayed for a while 50:53 and he prayed and he prayed. 50:54 And the pastor looked over and he said: 50:56 "You know, I'm just wondering... You're a... You must be 50:59 a Christian. I saw you praying and I'm a Christian too. " 51:02 And the man looked up with a very scowly-looking face 51:06 and he said: "What are you talking about? 51:08 I'm not a Christian. Are you so arrogant you only think 51:11 Christians pray? " The pastor did not quite know 51:14 what to say. And sometimes, you know, you put your foot 51:17 in your mouth... you kind of say the wrong thing? 51:19 So the pastor looked at him and he said: 51:20 "Well if you're not a Christian, who are you? 51:22 What are you praying about? " 51:23 And the man said: "I'm a Satanist. 51:26 I'm a Satanist and I've been praying. 51:29 And I'll tell you what I'm praying about. 51:31 You may not be aware of this but there's a pastor's meeting 51:34 in Boston. " 51:35 And the pastor said his heart began to beat, 51:37 the hair on the back of his neck stood up. And he said: 51:40 "There's a pastor's meeting in Boston 51:42 and I am meeting with a group of Satanists 51:45 because we believe that Christianity is a relic 51:49 of the Dark Ages. When you look at the Crusades and all the 51:52 brutal persecution, " he said, "Christianity hasn't done 51:54 anything good for the world. " Which is a total lie, of course. 51:57 But he said: "I am meeting with a group of Satanists, 52:01 and we're going to pray that disunity will come into that 52:04 pastor's meeting. 52:05 We're going to pray that divorce will take place 52:07 among those pastors. We're going to pray that their 52:09 kids will be lost, and I'm meeting with 300-400 Satanists. 52:12 If you are not praying for your pastor, 52:17 the Satanist may be praying against your pastor. 52:19 If you're not praying for your city, 52:22 the Satanist may be praying against it. 52:25 I was going to Melbourne, Australia, to hold an 52:27 evangelistic meeting. I met with a group of Adventist 52:29 pastors and I told them this story. 52:32 At the end of my series on prayer 52:35 in which I urged Adventists to be praying and seeking God 52:40 at the end of that the coordinator of my evangelistic 52:43 meetings - an Adventist pastor - stood up and he said: 52:45 "I have to speak to all these pastors. " 52:47 He said: "My wife was on a train the other day 52:50 here in Melbourne, Australia. 52:51 It was noon. She looked... saw somebody praying 52:57 and she said: 'Oh, you must be a Christian. ' " 53:00 She said: "The lady looked up and said: 'I am not a Christian 53:02 at all. At 12 o'clock every day in Melbourne 53:05 the Satanists covenant to meet together to pray 53:08 that Satan will have victory in this city. ' " 53:11 My brother, my sister, do you know Jesus Christ? 53:14 Are you on your knees praying every single day? 53:18 Maybe you've turned in to this broadcast 53:21 and you're looking for something deeper 53:23 in your own spiritual life. 53:25 Maybe you have had a superficial Christian experience. 53:32 Maybe you've been apathetic. 53:35 God is speaking to you. 53:37 He's calling you to set aside a time to pray. 53:40 He's calling you to set aside a place to pray. 53:43 He's calling you to pour your heart out to God. 53:46 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, they are spiritual. 53:52 There is a battle - a battle between Christ and Satan. 53:56 A battle between good and evil. 54:00 We cannot win that battle 54:05 without the divine power of the Living God filling our lives. 54:09 Will you commit your life right now to earnest intercession? 54:14 Will you say: "Jesus, I don't want the superficial. 54:18 I don't want an external Christian experience. 54:22 I want something deep, and each day I will meet You 54:25 at the time of prayer. 54:27 Each day I will meet You at the place of prayer. " 54:31 Will you bow your heads with me just now? 54:32 Oh my Father, we've heard the call of the Spirit tonight. 54:36 We thank you that we can open our hearts to You. 54:40 We thank you that the God of the universe 54:45 wants to communicate with us through prayer. 54:50 We thank you that the sovereign, almighty God 54:54 imparts His power through us 54:58 by means of the Holy Spirit. 55:01 Oh, Lord, we are weak but You are strong. 55:05 We are ignorant but You are wise. 55:08 We are frail but You are almighty. 55:10 Come and lead us to a deep spiritual experience 55:15 with you. We pray Thee in Christ's name, Amen. 55:21 Amen. 55:26 Thank you, Pastor Mark. 55:28 Praise the Lord! What a message! 55:31 What a message. 55:33 We start back again tomorrow morning. Those of you that are 55:36 here in person... 8 o'clock for your breakfast. 55:39 And those of you that are at home, you can eat breakfast 55:42 whenever you want. And... But at 9 o'clock 55:47 we will begin our seminars here. They will be televised live, 55:52 and the first presenter tomorrow morning 55:54 at 9 o'clock is Brenda Walsh. 55:56 And she is going to be speaking on Out Of Your Comfort Zone. 56:01 And then at 10:30 AM Pastor Mark Finley will be back: 56:05 The Holy Spirit and Revival at 10:30 AM. 56:09 At 12 o'clock: Good Man Lost, Bad Man Saved 56:14 with Pastor Charles Bradford. 56:17 So that's the morning tomorrow morning. 56:19 And we hope that those of you that are at home 56:22 will join us just like those of you that are here. 56:26 And if you live within... you know, close enough, 56:29 drive on in and join us. We'll be happy to have you. 56:32 And by the way, we hope that 56:37 each of you receives a blessing 56:43 that you have been searching for in your own spiritual life. 56:46 Because I know that you wouldn't be here 56:50 if you weren't looking for that blessing. 56:52 Remember, we don't recharge our batteries here... 56:55 we make sure we're plugged in. 56:56 Because we are not battery- operated, 56:59 we are plugged in only to the power of our Lord and Savior 57:04 Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. 57:06 And that plug must be plugged in all the time. 57:11 Well He's ready to bless us all the time, 57:14 and we'll be looking for you tomorrow morning. 57:16 May God bless you each one. |
Revised 2014-12-17