Great Moments in Prayer

Notes from Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Speaker: Chris Edwards


Preparation for great moments in life are survived by great moments in prayer.

Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here, and watch with me...

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.
Matthew 26:36, 38, 40; Hebrews 5:7

In Jesus' time of great sorrow, He asked his three closest friends to watch and pray.  Instead, they went to sleep.


Jesus did not protect himself from the high cost of friendship - he paid the cost to be a friend. But Jesus also didn't rely on human friendship to sustain him in his greatest times of need. He relied on Scripture and Prayer.

Jesus was committed to being a good friend despite their lack of reciprocation.

Encountering the Lame at the Gate

Notes from Monday, April 12, 2010
Speaker: Tim Butler

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.  Acts 3:1-3

The Companions
Apparently, Peter and John didn't hang out together that much.  In the Bible, Peter is usually with Andrew, and John with James.  They're unusual companions because they had completely different temperaments.  Peter is "vocal"; John is "quiet".  Peter is a "doer"; John is a "dreamer".  Peter is a "motivator"; John is a "mystic".

The love of Jesus Christ had a unifying effect on these different men, so much so that they were coming to the temple together to pray.  They were planning to agree together in prayer before the throne of God.  Likewise, a love for Christ should unify even the most different personalities in a congregation to agree in prayer.

The Cripple
The man had been lame from birth.  He had a birth defect that rendered him helpless and hopeless.  He had no way of helping himself, except to beg.

The lame man is a picture of every one of us, born with the birth defect of sin.  Helpless and hopeless, with no way of helping ourselves, except to beg.

The Contrast
Beside the wealth of a nation, his woe
Beside the loveliness of the Beautiful Gate, his lameness
Beside a place of blessing, his hopelessness

The lost are in our midst everyday, lame at the gate.  Do we race right past them in our determined pursuit of wealth?  Are we blinded to their lameness by our adoration of lovely material things?  Have we become so comfortable in our blessings that we can no even longer comprehend or empathize with their hopelessness?  May God help me to understand that the lame at the gate are my persistent responsibility.

The Confrontation
"Look on us."  
Very bold.

"Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee". 
The cure to his lameness was not money or government assistance.  The cure to his lameness was the Lord Jesus Christ.

"And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up."
Peter didn't heal him from a distance; he took him by the hand, as a friend.  In the same way, we must follow Christ's model - we must get personally involved in the lives and troubles of others in the spirit of friendship.

Perhaps I should be praying every day
"Lord, help me see the lame at the gate. 
Help me stop and offer the true cure for their lameness - Jesus Christ."

How to Limit God

Notes from Sunday, April 11, 2010
Speaker: John Reynolds

Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.  Psalm 78:41


Whoa! Wait minute! They limited God? How?


Have you ever driven a car that had a "governor"? If so, you know that the governor is designed to limit the speed. The governor doesn't reduce the power of the engine, but it does limit the "outworking" of the power that was originally built into the engine.


Sometimes we limit the "outworking" of the power of God in our lives.


(1) By forgetting what He's done for us.


They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. Psalm 78:42


It's important to keep remembering and reciting what God has done for me. I need to keep a journal of God's provision and read it, especially when I find myself among giants and fortresses.


(2) By being lazy.


But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22


When we don't put into practice what we've heard, we lose that knowledge. It's important to USE what we LEARN each week.


Last week, I heard over 20 sermons and attended about 8 seminar sessions at a conference. And in all those sermons and seminar sessions, some common themes emerged. If I haven't found ways to weave those common themes into my everyday life over the course of the next few weeks, I'll forget about them within the month. God also used the sermons and sessions to impress upon me some specific steps I need to take. If I don't begin to take action on those specific steps in the course of the next few weeks, I'll forget about them within the month.


(3) By misplaced loyalties.


And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. I Samuel 16:1


God is rebuking Samuel for his misplaced loyalty in Saul. Sometimes we continue to place our loyalty in a person or an institution even after it has gone wrong. We must place our loyalty in the Lord, and not in man or institutions.


(4) By unbelief.


Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest. Hebrews 3:7-11


And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58


Unbelief provokes God to wrath and grieves God. He chooses not to perform mighty works because of our unbelief. It's so important to believe God's promises. When my heart believes God, that belief will work its way out into my actions and words. My words and actions will always reflect either belief or unbelief, whatever is in my heart.


(5) By prayerlessness.


...ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2


Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3


Lack of prayer brings lack of power. I would love to convert my weaknesses to strengths through prayer this year. I'd love to convert worry to prayer this year. I'd love to convert "fretting" uncertainty to prayer this year. I'd love to convert hurt to prayer this year. I'd love to convert inadequacies to prayer this year.


I see evidence of these five governors in my life. And the sad thing is, I've installed every one of them myself! May 2010 be the year I remove the governors... and remove the limits.

SITL 4: Peculiar People Beside A Beautiful King

And now for verse 4 of Stepping In the Light...

Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Upward, still upward we'll follow our Guide;
When we shall see Him, the King in His beauty,
Happy, how happy, our place at His side.

Another vivid word picture of following our Guide (Holy Spirit) in the steps of the Savior upward and upward. A joyful journey because we will see our Savior in His heavenly state - a beautiful King. And He will honor us by inviting us to stand at His side.
 Perhaps the songwriter was reading this passage in Titus as he composed the lyrics for verses 3 and 4...

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;


Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:11-14

A long journey, indeed, and all uphill - climbing upward, and upward. A tiring, challenging journey, but the vision of what awaits us spurs us on. That blessed hope, the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, is our motivation to walk upward in His steps and yield as He purifies us along the way. The day is surely coming when a people, made peculiar by His redemption and purification, will stand beside their beautiful King.

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Stepping in the light, stepping in the light.
How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Led in paths of light.

SITL 3: A Journey of Grace

And now for verse 3 of Stepping In The Light...

Walking in footsteps of gentle forbearance,
Footsteps of faithfulness, mercy and love,
Looking to Him for the grace freely promised,
Happy, how happy, our journey above.

What a vivid word picture this verse expresses. In my mind's eye, I see the same strong Savior who defended me from temptation in verse two, now leading me on a journey.

The strong Savior doesn't goad and push and drive me from behind like common cattle; He goes before me on the journey and leads me gently with forbearance,

For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.  Psalm 103:14

He is faithful to "never leave thee nor forsake thee" on the journey. He is merciful: He doesn't give me the bad that I deserve; instead, He gives me love that I do not deserve. What a vivid picture of grace, a grace that teaches me to forsake the world's path and take up His path.  A grace that makes me want to follow Him closely, step where He steps, keep His pace, endure and perservere without complaint.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world... Titus 2:11-12

SITL 2: Press Close or Slide Away

Have you ever known anyone who gradually slid away from the Lord, then later you hear that they've become heavily involved in sin?  Maybe you thought that the sin was a result of their backslidden condition.  It is true that a backslidden condition will weaken us spiritually, just as starving weakens us physically.  Then in our weakened condition, we're more prone to sin, like a starving person is more prone to disease.

However, a good friend of mine recently showed me that the reverse is also true.  She became heavily involved in sin before she became backslidden.  Sort of.  She gave herself over to sin while remaining very "active" in church - sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, attended every preaching and prayer service.  Kept up the charade for at least a year.  She wasn't backslidden according to her activity level, but looking back, I can see a change in the quality of her activity.  Her humor gradually became sarcasm; reverence gave way to scorn; holiness gave way to sensuality; passion gave way to apathy.  Her heart eventually worked its way out into her actions and words.

How could this happen to someone who attends every service?  To someone who teaches a Bible lesson every week?  To someone who is surrounded by believers?

I don't know exactly how it happened to her, but I can understand one thing at least.  I understand that we can't gauge spiritual condition by activity levels.  Spiritual condition is a matter of the heart.  Sin begins in the heart and eventually works its way out to actions and words.  The battleground is in the heart.  That's why the Bible warns us to 

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

How do we keep (guard) the battleground of our hearts?  We press closer to Christ - and not with activity levels, but with our hearts, in a relationship.  And we trust His strong arm to defend us.

Pressing more closely to Him who is leading,
When we are tempted to turn from the way;
Trusting the arm that is strong to defend us,
Happy, how happy, our praises each day.

My good friend once had a beautiful life when she walked with Christ, but it's slipping away piece by piece.  Oddly enough, it seems to grieve her loved ones more than it grieves her.  Big lesson - in times of temptation, resist the instinct to pull away from Christ.  Press more closely to Him with your heart.

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Stepping in the light, stepping in the light.
How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Led in paths of light.

SITL 1: The Parental Bragfest

This hymn, Stepping in the Light, came to mind as I was thinking about parents being a light and a lamp, because we can't be a light and a lamp for someone else unless we're stepping in the light ourselves...

The first verse reminds me Whose example I should follow and Whose example should shape my life...

Trying to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Trying to follow our Savior and King;
Shaping our lives by His blessed example,
Happy, how happy, the songs that we bring.

If I don't stay focused on Christ as the example and Christ-likeness as the goal, a little "peer pressure" from other parents can easily shift my priorities to more worldly goals.

Here's how it happens.  Someone will casually ask "how are your children doing?"  And The Parental Bragfest begins!  Each parent in turn will rattle off the lastest greatest achievements and accomplishments of their offspring.  So of course, you dive in and take your turn, and come away feeling rather proud and successful.  After all, it takes a great parent to raise a brilliant, talented, ambitious, successful child like yours!

Admit it, we like that proud successful feeling... we like impressing others.  And we'll push our children to achieve and accomplish whatever's fashionable.  If the guys at the office are focused in on SAT scores, you make a mental note to see about Junior's score - and maybe get him some tutoring to bring it up a bit!  Now wasn't it easy for a little "peer pressure" at the office to change our priorities as parents?

Sometimes our thinking gets a little warped by "peer pressure", and we begin to think that the best thing we can do for our children is LEAD them and SHAPE them to achieve, achieve, ACHIEVE!

But that's not true.  The best thing we can do for their children is FOLLOW after Christ and SHAPE our lives by Christ's example.

The chorus says it's "beautiful" to walk in the steps of the Savior.  Want a beautiful life?  Follow Christ.  Want a beautiful family?  Follow Christ.

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Stepping in the light, stepping in the light.
How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior,
Led in paths of light.

If we do this, we may not have the pride of rattling off a long list of achievements at the next Parental Bragfest, but we will have something better..... joy.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.  3 John 1:4

R U Lamp, Light, or Laissez Faire?

Our culture today has adopted sort of a laissez faire mentality in childrearing; just take care of their physical needs and let them determine their course and character. After all, they have the right to pick their own friends, explore their own interests, and even select their own church -- right?

Is this laissez faire approach what God has in mind for the role of parents?

The Scriptures here declare that the father's commandment and the mother's law....

My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. Prov 6:20-23

Do we really grasp the magnitude of the expectation God has placed upon parents? Over and over, the Bible exhorts children to honor and obey their parents. This implies an expectation: that parents will discharge their duty faithfully.

• will lead the child as they go
• will keep the child as they rest
• will talk with the child as they awake.

The Scriptures here declare that...

• the father's commandment is a lamp (to illuminate the next step on the path)
• the mother's law is a light (to illuminate the next milestone down the road)
• reproofs of instuction are the way of life (corrections keep them on God's narrow way).

Apparently, God expect parents' instruction, law, and reproofs to illuminate God's way of life. He expects parents' instructions to agree with His Word.

God expects parents to show their children

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

• the practical usefulness and applicability of the Scriptures to daily life
• how the Scripture's lamp (as in luminary or candlelight) can clearly show the very next right step in life
• how the Scripture's light (as in daylight) can provide a clear view of the next long stretch of the road before us as well as the road just behind us.

How involved will you be with your children's steps today?
How involved will you be with your children's course of life?
Will your involvement be a lamp and a light, agreeing with God's Word?
Or will you settle for laissez faire?

If I will.... Then God will....

Here's a wonderful promise in the form of an If I will.... then God will....

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5


In other words, if I will
(1) RECEIVE God's Word (as good ground receives seed)
(2) HIDE God's commands (carry and treasure them in my heart)
(3) CRY after knowledge (pray and ask for knowledge and understanding)
(4) INCLINE my ear / APPLY my heart (give active attention in order to obey)
(5) SEEK & SEARCH (as a miner seeks for silver and treasures)
Then God will give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding.

A much better treasure than my college degree, and doesn't cost me any money.  This alone proves that God is no respector of persons, because He made the acquisition of the most precious eternal things (salvation, wisdom, joy, peace, love, etc) available to any man, no matter how poor or unimportant.

God's Ultimate Judgment: Having My Own Way

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices (Prov 1:31).

This passage in Proverbs paints a picture of Wisdom crying in the streets, publicly inviting men to come and partake of her banquet.

Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you (Prov 1:23). 

But foolish men REFUSE her call, DISREGARD her helping hand, IGNORE her counsel, and RESIST her reproof.  Fools refuse the banquet of wisdom.  They push back against the wisdom of God because they want their own way, and God allows them to have their own way.  In so doing, God is actually pronouncing the ultimate form of judgment upon them.

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.  For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them (Prov 1:31-32).

A day of calamity surely looms in their future.  When that dreadful day comes, the fool will cry out asking God to relieve them of their troubles.  This is not a cry of repentance nor a cry for forgiveness.  It is a request for God to remove His judgment.  In that dreadful day, Wisdom will not answer them; rather she will laugh and mock (Prov 1:24-30).

May I never forget the peril of having my own way.  May I hearken unto God and His wisdom.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil (Prov 1:33).