SBS Sermon Notes

Prayer / Intercession

Prayer:	A solemn request or thanksgiving to the Almighty: speaking to, communicating with Yahweh - the Creator, for one's-self or for others.
Intercession:	To intervene on behalf of another person or as a peacemaker; can only be made for others.

1. Prayer Likened to Fragrant Incense

Revelation 5:8	And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
Revelation 8:3	And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4: And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

2. Ask

The Most High is an extremely generous Person. Like every kind father He is keen to give His children good gifts. But to ensure that we really want them - we must first ask.

1 Kings 3:5

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what shall I give thee.

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9: Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10: Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

3. Ask Without Doubting

Doubt is the opposite of faith. Doubt is a form of sin. It exists, in varying quantities in all of us. Fight doubt. Conquer doubt.

James 1:5	If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7: For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
4:2	*...Ye have not because ye ask not. - So ask.*

4. Ask in Messiah's Name

To ask in Messiah's Name does not mean simply to voice the word Jesus (Yahshua, Yeshua or Yahoshua) after a prayer. It means to ask for the glory of Yahweh, for the good of Messiah's cause, for the spiritual benefit of the church and for the salvation of souls etc. It is most essential that the following mandatory conditions are met. If they are not, worthwhile results will not be obtained.

John 14:12

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14: If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Settle Differences First

Matthew 5:23

Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

1 Peter 3:7

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
The Greek word for 'hindered' is 'ekkopt' means 'to cut off.' In other words if you don't want to have yours prayers ignored, cut off or disregarded then as far as is possible be at peace with family and neighbour.

5. Intercession

The Most High wants His people to pray for others and He marvels when we do not. It is one of the few things that really surprises Him.

Isaiah 59:16

16: And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: ...

Abraham

Genesis 20:7

Prayed for Abimelech

Moses

Numbers 11:1-3; 21:1-7	Prayed for Israel
Deuteronomy 9:20	Prayed for Aaron his brother
9:26	Prayed for the People
Exodus 17:10-12	Prayed for victory with uplifted hands

Hezekiah

2 Kings 19:14-20

Prayed for Jerusalem and all Israel.

Daniel

Daniel 9:3-19

Prayed for forgiveness for himself and all Yahweh's people, also for understanding (chapter 10).

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ)

John 17

(whole chapter) Prayed as follows:
I have glorified thee... I have manifested thy name...Keep those who are left behind (11-12 and 15) complete my joy in them (13) sanctify them through thy Truth (17-19) that all those who will believe through their word (teaching) (20) I will continue to reveal your name - your character and your very self; that the love which you have bestowed on me may be in them - felt in their hearts, and that I myself may be in them as thou Father art in me and I in thee!.

Note how the Saviour first met all the mandatory requirements of prayer. I have glorified your name (done your will.) Not that Yahweh will refuse to hear the prayers of imperfect believers; for we know from experience that He answers every prayer offered by the repentant soul. But if you want extraordinary results then you must first do Yahweh's will, and then ask in Messiah's Name. If you do this you are guaranteed astonishing results.

Intercession

An intercessor is an advocate, a pleader, a person who makes a request on another's behalf. Believers should intercede for others.

Isaiah 59:16	Yahweh wondered that there was no intercessor!
Romans 8:27	The Holy Ghost makes intercession on our behalf.
8:34	The Saviour also makes intercession on our behalf.
Hebrews 7:25	He is able to save to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Isaiah 53:12	*... he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.*
1 Timothy 2:1	*I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men*

Summary

Prayer is spiritual incense. Let it rise before the throne of God each day. To get good results follow these few basic rules:

Live a righteous life. Seek to understand Yahweh's will and purposes for the world, the church and for yourself. In other words, obey the Almighty's commandments.

Ask in Messiah's Name. For things that will glorify Yahweh and be of spiritual benefit to the cause of Christ, to the church and to the rest of humanity.

Ask with the right motives. Believers often ask for the right things but with the intention of showing off to others. This is not just a form of self-deception: it is juvenile. It is a waste of time and produces no results. So check your motives. Be ruthless when you examine yourself. Constantly examine your motives; for here is where most of us fail miserably. We want to impress others with our power, our wisdom and our fame. Yahweh knows this and answers accordingly.

Wait for the results. They will come. If you are successful praise God; if not re-examine yourself, your motives and your life. The fault is somewhere there.

Note: Intercede for others. Meaningful miracles will happen! Souls will be converted to Christ. Believers will begin to obey the commandments. Yahweh's Signature (His sacred Sabbaths) will appear in the minds of the hitherto rebellious. The good fruit of: faith, obedience, holiness, praise, thanksgiving and sacrifice will soon become apparent. These are the real miracles of grace the Saviour came to perform in the soil of the human mind. These are far greater miracles than the healing of the physical body or the feeding of a multitude with bread and fish. The greatest miracles are seen when sinners give up sin and become holy like their heavenly Father is holy. You could be part of this almost incredible, miraculous process. Join me in aiming to make these verses a reality in our lives:

John 14:12

MLC Sermon Notes More sermons on Prayer

July 1999
Matanyah Learning Centre, Duiwelskloof, South Africa
matanyah.cjb.net/snotes/note0108.html