Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Did you know that intercessory
prayer is the greatest school of
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training to become Christlike?
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Please join us today on
Pressing Into His Presence.
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We'll be discussing this and
why intercessory prayer is also
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the highest calling to ministry.
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Welcome to
Pressing Into His Presence.
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This series on
prayer is something that is
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just so special to me.
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And our hope is that you are
reaping the benefit of a more
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intimate prayer life with God
as we go through this teaching.
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This series was taken
from a book that I was
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privileged to write, also titled
Pressing Into His Presence.
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And we have been sharing how
God led me into a deeper level
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of prayer, and
totally, and I mean totally
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changed my life because of it.
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Today we're going
to begin on Chapter 8.
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Now from time to time it
seems beneficial to make a quick
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review of our progress.
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So let's do that now.
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So far we have considered how
God taught me to begin my prayer
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with praise, and He
prescribed praise for the
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benefit of our faith.
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We've learned how confession
is the clearing house of our
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conscience, and how God
hears, and God forgives.
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And one great reward
of confession is that
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it clears our conscience.
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It gives us
confidence before the Lord.
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We've reflected on the
five steps of repentance,
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and why it is only by
His power that we can turn
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away from our sins.
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Repentance is a gift from God.
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And we've learned now to
come before Him with clean
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hands and a pure heart.
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We've talked about the
transforming power of His Word,
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and how to take His promises
and make them our confession
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during prayer, declaring
that we agree with God's wisdom.
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Confessing His Word is our life
source, and it causes His way of
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thinking to become
our way of thinking.
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And for the last two
programs we have focused
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on intercessory prayer;
the part that this plays
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in His plan of salvation.
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So today we'll continue the
teaching on intercessory prayer
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and see how this
practice actually makes
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us more Christlike.
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We've also been considering,
as a matter of observation only,
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how this type of
prayer relates to each
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section of the Sanctuary.
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And we've seen that as
we intercede for others,
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we symbolically stand in
the holy place before the
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golden altar of incense.
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And earlier we took note
that our prayers rise before the
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King of kings, and as they do,
Christ adds His prayer to ours,
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and presents them to the Father.
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It is His intercession
that results in the release
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of God's blessings.
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We observed that pleading for
the perishing is accomplished
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with the great energy that
is supplied by the Holy Spirit.
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Our approach in
prayer is not to be ever
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one of casual indifference.
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We are to pray
earnestly, and in faith.
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Still, it is not our eloquence
or our favor, our fervor
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I should say, in
which we are to trust.
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Rather, we place our trust
in God who longs to bless man.
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And He waits on
those He created as agents
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of freewill to ask.
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Let's review the seven points
that I promised to present
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on intercessory prayer.
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This is... we'll just
go through these quickly.
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First our role as intercessors
is part of God's plan to bring
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blessings from heaven.
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We were created to be
co-intercessors with Christ.
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Intercessory prayer is the
highest calling to ministry.
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We're conformed to
the image of Jesus through
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intercessory prayer.
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5. Intercessory prayer
is our duty as a Christian.
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6. Neglecting the call to
intercession may be the reason
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that God's work on
earth isn't done. And finally
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7. Intercessors
are doubly blessed.
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So far we have examined
our role as intercessors,
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and why it's part of
God's plan to bring His
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blessings from heaven.
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Today we'll briefly
consider how we were created,
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and equipped for intercession,
and why this is the highest
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calling to ministry.
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If you're
following along in the book,
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Pressing Into His
Presence, today we're
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beginning on Chapter 8.
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Human beings were
created in the image of God.
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But that holy image was marred
in mankind after Adam and Eve's
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fall to temptation
in the garden of Eden.
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But God was ready to rescue,
and recreate the human species
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through His Calvary
plan, and the indescribable
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gift of salvation.
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When we accept Christ as
our Savior we are born again,
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recreated in His image.
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Psalms 24:1 says this:
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God is the
rightful owner of the earth.
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But Jesus explains in
the parable of the vineyard
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found in Matthew 21,
that our Heavenly Father has
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leased the earth to man.
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He's given it over to
mankind for development.
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This echo's the teaching of
Psalms 115:15, 16. And it says:
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The bottom line is that God
made man in His image so that
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we could be co-laborers.
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Let me repeat that.
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Because sometimes it's hard to
distinguish what you're saying.
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Co-laborers, to labor together.
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He created us so that we
could be co-laborers with Him
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on the earth; giving us
stewardship over this planet.
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And His completed creation
on earth contained the full
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potential for man to develop
computers, and space shuttles,
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and smart phones. The Creator
gave mankind creative talents,
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commanding us to work six days,
and then to rest on the seventh,
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the Holy Sabbath. As
God's re-created children,
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our destiny is to
become like Christ.
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One of my favorite Scripture
promises is Romans 8:28, 29,
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that shows us our
hope and our destiny.
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Verse 28 says that we know all
things work together for good
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for those who love God,
and those who are called
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according to His purpose.
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That's our hope. He's
going to work everything out
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together for our good.
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But you can't separate
verse 28 from verse 29.
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Because verse 29 explains
how God works all things
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together for our good.
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Verse 29 says, For whom
He foreknew He predestined
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to be conformed to
the image of His Son,
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that He might be the
firstborn among many brethren.
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That's our destiny; to become
conformed to the image of Jesus.
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So together it means that our
hope is that God will work out
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all things, everything
that happens in our lives.
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He works it together to conform
us to the image of Jesus,
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which we were predestined
to become as a child of God.
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A great illustration of this is
Joseph, the son of the patriarch
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Jacob and Rachel, who was sold
into slavery by his brothers.
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And their
intent was purely evil.
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Although Joseph suffered
greatly, and he must certainly
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have been perplexed
by the circumstances,
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God meant it for his good.
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Joseph developed
humility, he developed patience,
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and he learned to be
totally dependent upon God.
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And he came out of
his trials with more
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Chris like characteristics.
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Likewise God works all things
together for us to make us more
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like Jesus Christ.
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When we were adopted
by our Heavenly Father,
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we became more than faithful
co-laborers for the Lord.
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We also became co-heirs
with Christ, as Paul points out
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in Romans 8:15-17. Here he says:
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You know, God's plan of
salvation does not offer us a
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life free from trials and
suffering in this present world.
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But we will inherit eternal
life in God's kingdom of glory,
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sharing in the victory
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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if we share in His
sufferings against temptations
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and the powers of darkness.
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Our share in His
inheritance carries fundamental
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responsibilities at
the family business.
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God works to save souls, and
we must be about our Father's
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business until Christ returns.
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Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians
5:18-20, that we are ambassadors
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for Christ, co-laborers in
the spreading of the gospel,
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and trusted with the
ministry of reconciliation.
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As co-laborers, and
co-heirs, we were also recreated
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to be co-intercessors
with Christ, who serves as our
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great intercessor in Heaven.
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Our duty, as children of God,
is to participate in the family
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business by making
intercessions for all men.
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Let me read 1 Timothy
2:1-4 where Paul gives this
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instruction to Timothy. He says:
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Prayers of Godly
intercessors fill the Bible.
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I think of Abraham, Daniel,
and Paul, just to name a few,
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who labored fervently
in prayer for humanity.
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But intercessory prayer in
not consigned to a few special
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servants of the Lord.
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It is the duty, and it is
the great privilege of God's
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children; all of God's children.
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We are to continue earnestly
in prayer, with vigilance,
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pleading God's
promises over the perishing.
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This makes us like the watchmen
on the wall, as God describes
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in Isaiah 62:6, 7.
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These are the
words of the Lords.
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Here God is saying,
Remember My promises.
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Have faith in them.
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Don't keep silent.
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Pray them back to Me until
I've answered your prayers.
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When the people of God
were carried away as captives
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from Jerusalem to Babylon,
He instructed them to make
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a pleasant life
there; to have children
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increase their numbers.
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But He also exhorted the
captives to pray on behalf;
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to intercede on behalf
of Babylon, their captors.
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Listen to this.
This is Jeremiah 20:4-7.
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And God says seek the peace of
the city where I have caused you
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to be carried away captive.
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Pray to the Lord for it.
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In other words intercede.
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For in it, in its
peace, you will have peace.
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The eyes of the Lord should not
have to roam the earth in search
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of someone who will intercede
for a land filled with sinners.
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But listen to
this sorrowful note.
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There's just kind of an
accent in the words of the Lord
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found here. This is
Ezekiel 22: 29-31. It says:
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This is God speaking.
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In other words intercede.
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Isn't that amazing?
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He's looking for someone to
stand in the gap to intercede,
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and He can't find anybody.
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But perhaps the most powerful
Scripture regarding the ministry
00:15:57.02\00:16:02.26
of intercessory
prayer, is found in Isaiah 59.
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We're going to read
verses 14-16. Listen to this:
00:16:06.73\00:16:12.33
Can you imagine? God wondered.
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He was amazed that there
was no man to stand in the gap
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and intercede. He wondered why
no one loved the people enough
00:16:54.71\00:17:00.72
to intercede on their behalf.
00:17:00.75\00:17:02.42
He wondered that no
one had enough faith
00:17:02.45\00:17:05.72
in His power to deliver.
00:17:05.75\00:17:08.09
Is God searching in amazement
for intercessors today?
00:17:08.12\00:17:13.33
Is His holy heart filled with
woeful wonder as He searches
00:17:13.36\00:17:20.27
for someone to stand in the gap?
00:17:20.30\00:17:22.30
I pray not! I pray we will take
seriously this call, His call,
00:17:22.34\00:17:28.98
to intercede on
behalf of others.
00:17:29.01\00:17:31.18
Let our hearts understand
we are sinning against the Lord
00:17:31.21\00:17:35.58
when we do not
carry out our duty as
00:17:35.62\00:17:38.45
co-intercessors with Christ.
00:17:38.49\00:17:40.29
Consider these words from 1
Samuel 12:23. Samuel writes:
00:17:40.32\00:17:48.56
Huh, let us take
notice and take action.
00:17:59.57\00:18:04.15
Our lack of intercessory prayer
not only grieves the Lord,
00:18:04.18\00:18:08.35
but it is
actually a sin against Him.
00:18:08.38\00:18:11.02
We are destined to
develop the same essence of love
00:18:11.05\00:18:14.66
that defines God the
Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
00:18:14.69\00:18:17.89
We are destined to
develop the same attitude of
00:18:17.93\00:18:21.76
self-sacrificing love.
00:18:21.80\00:18:23.77
And when we become calloused
to the needs of others,
00:18:23.80\00:18:27.44
we are being
defined by selfishness.
00:18:27.47\00:18:30.14
We're no longer being led
by the Spirit of the Lord.
00:18:30.17\00:18:34.54
Intercessory prayer is
more than our duty before God,
00:18:34.58\00:18:40.32
it is our great
privilege to take part in this
00:18:40.35\00:18:45.69
most important ministry.
00:18:45.72\00:18:47.92
Some time ago a precious 93 year
old saint called me at 3ABN.
00:18:47.96\00:18:55.33
And my managerial duties
in programming development
00:18:55.36\00:18:59.23
don't normally permit me the
leisure of taking such calls.
00:18:59.27\00:19:03.57
But I believe this
was a divine appointment.
00:19:03.61\00:19:06.64
She encouraged me on
a day that I needed it.
00:19:06.68\00:19:10.11
And I, in turn, encouraged
her on a day that she needed it.
00:19:10.15\00:19:14.92
Sharing her stories of her
once active ministerial life,
00:19:14.95\00:19:19.55
she finally told me of her
present homebound condition.
00:19:19.59\00:19:24.79
She'd been a missionary.
00:19:24.83\00:19:26.49
Now she was old
and in a wheelchair.
00:19:26.53\00:19:28.60
And she sighed and said, Oh, I'm
no use to my Lord any longer.
00:19:28.63\00:19:34.84
It depresses me. And when I
asked her how she spent her time
00:19:34.87\00:19:39.04
she described her
prayer efforts for others
00:19:39.07\00:19:42.14
throughout the entire day.
00:19:42.18\00:19:43.58
And I said, Congratulations!
00:19:43.61\00:19:46.51
You have graduated to the
highest calling of ministry.
00:19:46.55\00:19:51.89
The highest level!
00:19:51.92\00:19:53.29
And she said, What?
00:19:53.32\00:19:55.62
And I told her, When
Christ hands out His rewards,
00:19:55.66\00:19:58.73
I believe He's going to call
on you to step forth before many
00:19:58.76\00:20:02.33
of the televangelists.
00:20:02.36\00:20:04.17
Can't you just see the
expression on their faces,
00:20:04.20\00:20:07.34
I said? And it was evident
that my comment shocked her.
00:20:07.37\00:20:11.54
In further explanation, I
told her that I was convinced
00:20:11.57\00:20:16.14
intercessory prayer is the
highest calling to ministry
00:20:16.18\00:20:20.72
that exists. Why? Because it
is the ministry of our risen,
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and exalted Savior.
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Let's look at several
Scriptures that describe
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Christ's heavenly ministries.
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And we're going to begin
with Hebrews 7:24, 25. It says:
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Speaking of Jesus.
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Christ lives to make
intercession for you.
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The apostle John describes
Jesus as our advocate who is
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interceding with the
Father on our behalf.
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In 1 John 2:1 he says:
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Now Paul further
gives us this promise in
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Romans 8:34, and he says:
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Who is he who condemns?
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It is Christ who died,
and furthermore is also risen,
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who is even at
the right hand of God,
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who also makes
intercession for us.
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The risen and exalted Christ
lives to pray for His people.
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It is because He died for our
sins, and rose to return to the
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Father, that He now can
exercise His right of becoming
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our advocate, and ever lives
to make intercession for us.
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Our greatest
safeguard is that He is alive,
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and He is constantly
interceding on our behalf.
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It gives me such joy to
know that He is in Heaven
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praying for me,
watching over me,
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and interceding on my behalf.
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His glorious intercession is the
highest expression of ministry.
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And He invites us to
be His prayer partners.
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If you take a moment and
think about this, could there be
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a higher calling to ministry?
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Of course action is vital.
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But no matter what deeds
we do on behalf of His cause,
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we should always accompany
our actions with seasons of
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intercession to release
God's power for those we serve.
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Sometimes we wonder why, if
Christ is interceding on our
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behalf, why our payers
may seem not to be answered.
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Often because He does see
the end from the beginning,
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He actually has answered,
and His answer was, No.
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I can certainly look back on
the times in my past when I just
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thank God that He answered,
what I considered unanswered
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prayers, was that He said, No.
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I'm so glad because otherwise
my life could have been in a
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completely different direction.
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You know, sometimes we
ask with the wrong purpose,
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or with selfish motives.
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And at other times His
answer is, Not right now.
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God's timing is perfect, and we
must learn to trust His wisdom.
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An interesting variation in
the timing of answered prayers
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is presented in the Old
Testament book of Daniel.
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On one occasion in Daniel 9:
20-22, Daniel received an answer
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while he was praying.
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Actually, while he was
praying the answer came.
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And the response in another
prayer in Daniel 10:10-13,
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he had fasted and prayed
for twenty-one days before
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the angel came to deliver the
message and tell him that God
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had actually heard him praying,
and that the answer was yes.
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It's just that there was a
battle in the spiritual realms
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that was delaying the answer.
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Christ's ministry of
intercession is always
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potent and productive.
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We should frequently remind
ourselves that God is working
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all things together for our
eternal benefit, to conform us
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to the image of His Son.
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I repeat myself: Our
destiny is to become like Jesus.
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And when we are born
again God re-creates us,
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and He restores us to
being co-laborers with Christ,
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co-heirs with Christ, and
co-intercessors with Christ.
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And a heart that is filled
with intercession is Christlike.
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To pray unceasing; as we
pray with the mind and heart of
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Christ, we become like Him.
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And to pray unceasingly
for the perishing world,
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is to resemble Christ's
relationship to mankind.
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And we become more like Him
during these times of prayer.
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Intercession is
our premier privilege.
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It is our highest calling
to ministry, and the greatest
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school of training
to become Christlike.
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The intercessor holds a
place of infinite importance
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in the kingdom of God.
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God has bestowed this
powerful ministry upon us
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to help Him with His
work in the salvation of men,
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and for the glory of His name.
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Well, I hope today that
God is touching your heart.
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And I hope that you realize,
as I realize, my great need of
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actually repenting and saying,
Lord, grant me repentance.
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Because sometimes as
much as I pray, I realize that
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I just don't pray enough.
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And so we need
to pray for others.
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We need to
realize this is ministry.
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And if you are sitting at home
today and you can't get out of
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a chair, you can still
have the highest calling
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to ministry there is.
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Please join us next time
when we will be considering
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the unfinished work
of intercessory prayer,
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and why we need to get
serious about it so God
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can finish His work.
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Now our prayer for you, as
always, is that the grace of our
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Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, the love of the Father,
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and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit, will be with you always.
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