(# 267) Romans 8 - In Prayer and In All Things, God Never Leaves Us On Our Own

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Barah Ministries teaches the Word of God from God’s perspective and not from a human perspective.  We want to know what God has to say to us though His Word and we’re convinced He knows exactly what He’s talking about.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

In Prayer and In All Things, God Never Leaves Us On Our Own

 

In one of her songs, singer Bette Midler croons, “God is watching us from a distance.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Our omnipresent God, who is everywhere at the same time, and who is not at all bound by time and space, is with us, up close and personal, every single minute.  Nowhere is His presence more near than at the time when we are praying.

 

Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 26 to 30 is the passage under study…

 

Romans 8:26

In the same way we groan within ourselves (Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 23), waiting eagerly for our adoption as adult sons…waiting eagerly for the redemption of our bodies…and waiting eagerly for the freedom of the glory of the children of God…just the way we groan, God the Holy the Spirit, who is called the “first fruits” of our salvation, groans to help our weakness; for example, we do not know how to pray as we should…but God the Holy Spirit Himself personally intercedes for us in prayer with groanings too deep for words…

 

Romans 8:27

…and God the Father, who keeps on searching the hearts of all those who pray, knows what the mind of God the Holy Spirit is (through His groanings which cannot be uttered in words), because God the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints (all believers in Christ) according to the will of God the Father.

 

Romans 8:28

And we know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God the Father, to those who are called according to the Father’s purpose.

 

Romans 8:29

For those whom God the Father foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), so that the Lord  would be the firstborn among many brethren…

 

Romans 8:30

…and these whom God the Father predestined, He also called; and these whom God the Father called, He also justified; and these whom God the Father justified, He also glorified.

 

God the Holy Spirit is our Mentor and our Teacher, and in prayer the Spirit is our Internal Agent and Intercessor who comes powerfully to our assistance in our weakness, just as the Lord Jesus Christ promised He would in John, Chapter 16, Verses 5 to 7…

 

John 16:5

“But now I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am going to God the Father who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’”

 

John 16:6

“But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

 

John 16:7

“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (God the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” 

 

John, Chapter 16, Verses 13 and 14…

 

John 16:13

But when He, God the Holy Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

 

John 16:14

God the Holy Spirit will glorify Me (the Lord Jesus Christ), for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

 

So when we ask, “What is the right attitude when praying?” … When we ask, “How do I pray?” … When we ask, “What do I pray for?” … we completely miss the point.  The right approach to prayer is the one that has nothing to do with you.  The right approach to prayer is the one that acknowledges your weakness, and that counts on someone who always gets things done…God the Holy Spirit.  God does not expect anything of us in the spiritual life…that is, He KNOWS we don’t have power…He is not counting on human power to drive a supernatural life.   That’s incomprehensible to us…that God has something FOR us and needs nothing in return.  So in the matter of prayer, we simply take the help from the Helper…God the Holy Spirit…because God never leaves His believers on their own.  Welcome to a place where you can know that praying well has little to do with you and everything to do with what God does for you.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

AWESOME GOD

Rich Mullins 

 

The opening song for this lesson is AWESOME GOD by Rich Mullins.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father thank you for requiring nothing of us to power our prayer life…thank you that we don’t have to take the Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking to be able to communicate with you…

Teach us how to talk to you as we talk to a friend…all day…every day…as many times as we want…and help us to realize that no request…no conversation…is too small for You.

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name... Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

In Prayer and In All Things, God Never Leaves Us On Our Own

 

When we think prayer is about what we do or don’t do, we are like the Pharisees in Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 9 to 14…

 

Luke 18:9

And the Lord Jesus Christ also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt…

 

Luke 18:10

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

 

Luke 18:11

“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.’”

 

Luke 18:12

“‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

 

Luke 18:13

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner (I am an unbeliever)!’”

 

Luke 18:14

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) tell you, this man (the tax collector) went to his house justified (saved) rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

In prayer, God doesn’t need to hear our resume.  God does everything for us, so there is no need to worry about exalting ourselves in His eyes…about having just the right works…about having just the right format…as if somehow we can impress God.  In prayer, we simply come as we are, and let the Holy Spirit help our weakness.  Let’s take a few moments to take the offering before we contemplate a few closing thoughts in the matter of prayer.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

BARAH MINISTRIES FINANCIAL POLICY

We choose not to charge for the things we provide to help you study the Word of God.  We wish to reflect God’s grace.  Help yourselves to bibles, to music, to books, to pamphlets, to anything that would help you, a family member, or a friend learn about God.  No price appears on any material from Barah Ministries so that anyone who wants to learn about God can do so free of charge.

 

BARAH MINISTRIES FINANCIAL POLICY

 

Even though the materials are free of charge, they are not free of cost.  We appreciate the financial support you provide which allows us to share the Word of God with the hearers God brings to listen.  Please be generous in your support of God’s work through this ministry.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

Romans 12:3

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

 

 

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

In Prayer and In All Things, God Never Leaves Us On Our Own

 

As a Roman Catholic, we prayed the rosary…

 

ROSARY SLIDE

 

…praying the rosary is a form of prayer named for the string of prayer beads used to count the component prayers.  One “Our Father” is followed by ten “Hail Marys” which is followed by a “Glory Be.”

 

OUR FATHER

 

Our Father, Who art in heaven

Hallowed be Thy Name…

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive those who trespass against us…

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power

And the glory forever.  Amen.

 

HAIL MARY

 

Hail Mary, full of grace

The Lord is with thee

Blessed art thou amongst women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb,

Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us, sinners,

Now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

 

GLORY BE

 

Glory be to the Father

And to the Son

And to the Holy Spirit…

As it was in the beginning

Is now

And ever shall be

World without end

Amen.

 

I prayed thousands of rosaries in my twenty-one years as a Roman Catholic…and I could never get my head wrapped around why that was a good idea in light of this biblical passage…Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 5 to 8…

 

Mathew 6:5

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

 

Mathew 6:6

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

 

Mathew 6:7

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles (the unbelievers) do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

 

Mathew 6:8

“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

 

Prayer is not a public matter.  Prayer is not a demonstration of our righteousness.  Prayer is not a way we get others to see how spiritual we are.  Prayer is a private conversation between God and you.  Most importantly, prayer is a way for us to bring divine power to our own assistance in the face of human weakness.  Prayer requires nothing of us except weakness.

 

Let’s take a quick music break and we’ll have some final thoughts concerning our brief look at prayer.

 

MUSIC BREAK

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE

Mercy Me

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

In Prayer and In All Things, God Never Leaves Us On Our Own

 

Some final thoughts on prayer…

 

Prayer is not mechanical…so you would never be asking yourself, “Did I do it right?”

 

Prayer is not formula…it is unlikely that one of your prayers would ever be like another.  Prayer is the same every time.

 

Prayer is not the “vanity” of meaningless repetition…it is not The Rosary,

the Our Father, The Hail Mary, the Glory Be.

 

Prayer is not about consistency (the “you gotta” life)…it is not to be rigidly scheduled, and when it is missed you take the opportunity to beat yourself up as if somehow you have let God down.

 

Prayer does not require diaries, or lists, and Hallmark books with burnt page edges and strings and perfumed scents.  Sorry ladies.

 

Prayer taps into divine possibilities not human frailties.  So we don’t worry if we have just the right thoughts…or just the right words…or just the right setting.  You can pray as you are falling asleep.  You can pray on a crowded bus.  You can pray amidst the chaos of someone else talking.  “Father, please silence them…please break out their teeth so they will shut up.”

 

Prayer takes advantage of all those times when you can’t get it done…because God is always able to get anything done.  Luke, Chapter 1, Verse 37…

 

Luke 1:37

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

 

God never leaves us on our own…John, Chapter 15, Verse 5…

 

John 15:5

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

 

Without God’s help our prayers are meaningless…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

 

In God’s plan, there are a lot of things we don’t know…we don't know how to be saved…we don’t know how to live the holy life we don’t know how to pray as we should. 

 

Lucky for us, God never leaves us on our own.  He gives us God the Holy Spirit to help us in all things, and the Spirit does things for us without taking over our choices…our will.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 18…

 

Ephesians 2:18

…for through the Lord Jesus Christ we both (Jews and Gentiles) have our access in one Spirit to God the Father.

 

God the Holy Spirit is like someone who helps you write a grant when you don’t know how.  God the Holy Spirit is like someone who helps you know what to say to get a job.

 

We don’t know what to pray for…we are limited in our thoughts.  For example, if we ask for million dollars to build a church…God know we need a lot more than money to have a church facility.  God the Holy Spirit thinks of the things we haven’t thought of when we are praying.  Then, God the Holy Spirit becomes your spokesman to the Godhead…Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 20…

 

Matthew 10:20

For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

 

The spirit is not the only one who speaks up for you…the risen Lord does the same...Hebrews, Chapter 7, Verse 25…

 

Hebrews 7:25

Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ is able also to save forever those who draw near to God the Father through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 

Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 24…

 

Hebrews 9:24

For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but Christ entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God the Father for us…

 

The Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us in heaven, at His Father’s right hand, and He represents us and our petitions.

 

Praying is the way we talk to the Lord.  Prayer does not even need to be made in words, because God the Father keeps on searching our hearts…and as the One who knows us better than we know ourselves, He knows what we want before we ask.

 

So, what of the mute who cannot talk…can he pray?  What of the inarticulate?  Can he pray?  God doesn't need competence from us.

 

God helps those who help themselves?  Hardly.  God helps the completely incompetent…and that is all of us.  Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 26 and 27…

 

Romans 8:26

In the same way we groan within ourselves (Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 23), waiting eagerly for our adoption as adult sons…waiting eagerly for the redemption of our bodies…and waiting eagerly for the freedom of the glory of the children of God…just the way we groan, God the Holy the Spirit, who is called the “first fruits” of our salvation, groans to help our weakness; for example, we do not know how to pray as we should…but God the Holy Spirit Himself personally intercedes for us in prayer with groanings too deep for words…

 

Romans 8:27

…and God the Father, who keeps on searching the hearts of all those who pray, knows what the mind of God the Holy Spirit is (through His groanings which cannot be uttered in words), because God the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints (all believers in Christ) according to the will of God the Father.

 

God never leaves us to our own devices…especially not in a matter as important as prayer.  The Holy Spirit is the perfect translator and is totally trusted by the Father.  Let Him work for you while you relax.

 

When the Lord Jesus Christ

Promises Salvation, It’s a Guarantee!

 

Romans 3:10

…as it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one”

 

Romans 5:8

But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (as unbelievers), Christ died instead of us.

 

John 3:17

For God the Father did not send the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) into the world to condemn the world, but the Father sent His Son into the world that the world might be saved through believing in Him.

 

John 1:12

But as many as received the Lord (taking advantage of the free gift of salvation), to them He gave the right (once and for all time) to become children of God…to those who believe in Christ’s name…

 

CLOSING SONG

I STAND AMAZED

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS- INTERCESSION- PETITION

 

We pray that You protect our steps as we go out into the world, Father…and that you keep us on the narrow way, completely dependent on You and Your Guiding, Mentoring Spirit…we ask this in Christ’s name, Amen.

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com


©® Barah Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.