Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
yes lord worship that's our prayer today lord that you would fill us i knew god with your holy spirit that you would anoint us with fresh oil as david prayed psalm 92 lord that you'd hear our prayers god for an outpouring of the holy spirit for a revival again a move a true move of the holy spirit a real revival lord we need we need your touch we need your power lord we don't want to just have empty words but lord we want what we do what we preach what we pray what we share with people want it to be powerful we want to be anointed with power from on high from you we know that only comes through fasting and prayer obedience lord we make that our prayer today we know our country needs revival we know we're in the midst of the falling away the apostasy but you promised lord in the book of daniel that in the last days that there were many be turned to righteousness as well that the people who know their god will be strong and do exploits so lord we stand on that believing you're going to move in and through our lives and in the church that's hungry for you lord we pray that today jesus name amen amen you may be seated this morning welcome you to fire and grace church those of you listening by blog talk radio we welcome you having more and more listeners all the time it's quite amazing i want you to take your bibles out this morning and i want you to turn with me first of all we're going to turn to luke chapter 18. i've called this this morning understanding the power of prayer because i think we need to understand a lot of the the principles of prayer that i think we get we overlook a lot of times but the importance of it and also the warning that jesus gave i believe it's a end-time warning that a lot of people be losing their faith in the power of prayer and i'm talking about in the power of prayer that's offered to the creator god in the name of jesus christ the messiah god didn't accept all prayers amen remember he said jesus said use not vain repetitions as the heathen do matthew 6 he said use not vain
repetitions as the heathen do he said for they think they'll be heard by their much speaking right well jesus said there could be a lot of speaking there could be a lot of praying going on it doesn't mean that god's gonna hear it or receive it or respect it right so we need to look and we need to ask the question is my faith growing in the power of prayer and if it is that will be evidenced by the fact that i put prayer my private prayer time and prayer meetings and and prayer as a high priority in my christian life listen you're going to take time for what's important to you okay i can show you though that if you're not taking time for prayer you're beginning to lose your faith really the root cause of not praying is that you're losing faith that your prayers will make a difference because if you believe that your prayers will make a difference in somebody's life to help them see something they need to see or get through a struggle they need to get through or to help them come to know jesus as their lord and savior or to help them if they're sick or if they're depressed or if they're going through a demonic attack if you believe that your prayers in jesus name will help them and will be effective and powerful then you would do it if you love people see what i'm saying not only does does being a man or woman of prayer prove that you have faith in the word of god and faith that your prayers are going to be effective but it proves that you love people too i would say this the christian that doesn't pray is shouting from the rooftop i don't really care about my brothers and sisters and i don't really care about the unsaved and the lost that are going to hell and if prayer is not a priority in your life to spend quality time there daily then it's time to check your priorities it's time to make some changes because true prayer offered he says you know we're going to look at this in a second but in james 5 it says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman availeth much [Music] amen i'm telling you today and i know this from almost 30 years now of ministry and and being a man of prayer and having seasons where i prayed hours a day in seasons where i didn't pray as much i can tell you for a fact there is power from jesus that will come in your life the more time you spend in prayer you will see the effects of it
sometimes it takes a long time to see the answers and to see the effects but your prayers if you are in faith and if you are praying according to the word of god your prayers will avail much in the world and in people in people around you now let me just say this there's some things that prayer will not change prayer will not change god's word okay prayer will not change certain prophetic things that god has said are going to happen we're we're not going to pray away the antichrist okay you understand what i'm saying we our prayers do not change god and they do not change god's word okay they can change us and they can change our thinking and they can change uh you know even physical things that are going wrong because god's all-powerful but now let me say this we're going to find out this morning too if the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman avails much we need to understand the reason a lot of the reason a lot of prayers are not answered because they're being offered by people who are not living a godly and righteous life and then they want to get mad and offended that god's not answering their prayers so let's just get this straight god's not obligated to answer just anybody's prayer see he something you need to understand god's arm cannot be twisted [Music] cannot be manipulated you want your prayers answered the bible tells us real complain at first john do those things that are pleasing in his sight now does god sometimes hear the prayer of the unsaved and the ungodly and the wicked when when when they lift up their prayer and cry for help yes sometimes he does show mercy and answers the prayer of the unsaved the ungodly the the the unrighteous and the wicked because he's merciful and he's trying to reach out to them and pull them in but that's not the standard that's not the rule that's the exception that's god showing mercy but let me just say this anybody called a christian who's been truly born again and a believer in jesus and they say they love jesus and they love the word of god if you want to persist to live in unrighteousness and unholiness and wickedness and practice iniquity do not expect your prayers to be answered and then you get mad and offended with god all you want to [Music] now then there's the other side of the coin too that you can be living a godly life a righteous life an obedient life walking in the light of god's word pursuing god loving god
and god's not always going to do what you want when you want and sometimes see we don't like to hear this part he does answer and it's no we don't want that answer or it may be not now or it may just be silence the greatest test of our faith and you can see it david the david king david was called the man after god's own heart and yet you see throughout the psalms him crying out why are you hiding your face from me when i'm talking about this season that he fell into sin with bathsheba no no we're talking about in his life time as he sought god as he pursued god he would talk about being in the presence of god and being in the glory of god and seeing miracles and seeing god fight his enemies for him but there were many times he would say why are you letting my enemies triumph over me why are you hiding your face from me why do you cast me far from your presence see this is something that all believers are going to go through because god is not always going to answer our prayers immediately it's not going to be instant grits microwave christianity god's not a genie that's going to grant you three wishes if you rub the lamp just right prayer is more about seeking after god for god's will in your own life and for you to stand in the gap and be an intercessor for other people who don't who are blinded by satan or deceive or in darkness the world needs the church to stand in the gap as much as possible somebody just yesterday brought this question to my wife you know she said you know you and you and dean you're in the word you're praying you read the word you're in the word but sometimes you know sickness may come in your family you pray and you have to go through it like anybody else and they were trying to basically get offended well they are offended with god but they were basically just trying to say you know if you guys can't do it who can do it i sit back and go that just shows there is not a comprehension that sometimes you have to walk through the trial and through the difficulty and that not getting offended with god or angry at god or bitter is the victory of your faith
[Music] and i tell people this all time if god chooses to heal in one situation but then chooses not to heal in another both is him working because he's always trying to build our faith he's going to build our faith either in the power of prayer to get an answer or a supernatural healing or a miracle or a provision or he's going to allow our faith to be tested do we still trust him do we still love him do we still serve him do we still believe in the supernatural when we pray that we didn't get the supernatural which is the greater strengthening or test of our faith i think it's when he says no i think it's when he says nothing maybe and it's just we gotta wait wait it out right but never ever doubt this fact if you are a born-again christian you're trying to live a godly obedient life you're hungry for god don't ever doubt for a minute that your prayers are in vain or that they're powerless or that they're not making a difference you are making a difference in somebody's life in your own life in your family in lost people and brothers and sisters in christ that are struggling whoever you're praying for you're making a difference in their life because there is power in prayer whether you feel it or see it immediately or not and this is why jesus said these words in luke 18 vitally important words here [Music] luke 18 verse 1. and he jesus spake a parable unto them to this end that men are always to pray and not to faint now faint here means to grow weak can i just define that for you to grow weak in prayer is to mean that you begin to doubt that your prayers are effective and powerful and making a difference and then you back away and you don't pray much that's weakness [Music] you hear me luke chapter 18 verse one and he spake a parable unto them to this end that man always to pray and not to faint now let's look at the parable he spoke saying there was in a city a judge which feared not god neither regarded man and there was a widow in that city and she came unto him saying avenge me of my adversary and he would not for a while but afterward he said within himself though i fear not god nor regard man yet because this widow troubleth me i will avenge her lest by her continual coming she weary me and the lord said hear what the unjust judge saith
and shall not god avenge his own elect which cry day and night unto him though he bear along with them i tell you that he will avenge them speedily nevertheless when the son of man cometh the second coming of jesus the end shall he find faith on earth oh my goodness what faith is jesus revealing to us that he's going to be looking for on the earth when he comes again he's going to be looking for people who haven't given up on prayer he's going to be looking at people who are still praying fervently and often even when it seems like god is not answering immediately this is the this is the parable this is the the illustration this is the point jesus is trying to get across i'm looking for faith that will keep praying when the answer hasn't come yet i'm looking for faith that will keep praying even though the enemy looks like he's winning and beating you what was she praying for avenge me of my adversary my enemy who's our enemy satan the powers of darkness the evil men and women that are running this world the oppression the persecution the hatred from the people and the leaders of this world has only begun and jesus is saying he's here is the cries of his people lord deliver us from our enemy from satan from demons from the powers of darkness from these wicked evil people from their wicked evil plans the lord says don't lose faith don't back away from praying because i'm looking for faith that will endure i'm looking for people who will believe that the prayers are making a difference in the lives of people even when the world's getting darker and darker and more and more people are getting more and more evil and more and more people are falling away from the faith don't let you yourself fall away from the faith the real issue is will i be found a man and a woman of faith and prayer through the difficulty through the darkness i can tell you this right now i i've said this many times but i'm going to say it again being a man or woman of prayer walking in the faith of jesus christ believing your prayers make a difference doing spiritual warfare in prayer doing everything you can do we're going to talk about all this stuff this morning but doing everything you can do in prayer is going to
i'll say this you're going to be able to avoid a lot of junk the devil wants to throw at you you're going to beat the devil you're going to beat off a lot of sickness you're going to beat off a lot of demonic stuff you're going to beat off a lot of a lot of attacks that would affect you you're going to beat them in prayer before they ever can happen so you're going to avoid a lot of junk people who won't pray are going to go through but it doesn't mean that you're going to avoid every difficulty or every trial you hear what i'm saying but see it's kind of like this just to give you an example you've got a hundred problems coming your way a hundred attacks a hundred difficulties a hundred problems whatever you wanna call them but you're a man a woman of prayer you're going to fast you're going to pray in the name of jesus you're going to resist the devil you're going to bind the devil you're going to pray for people you're just you're going to you're going to devote quality time to prayer you may end up being able because you're a man of woman of prayer and because of that power that's going to come to you and because god's going to answer in different ways some you will see some you will not see but you're going to be able to say avoid 80 percent of those things i'm just giving you an illustration here but if you're going to be a man or woman christian lazy prayer is not an important thing for you spiritual warfare is not an important thing for you you'd rather watch tv you'd rather play video and video games you'd rather listen to secular music you'd rather you know read secular novels you'd rather spend all your time on the junk of this world well you're probably going to get about 80 percent of the problems you're going to get through to you and the other 20 is not going to be so much because of your praying because probably somebody else is praying for you ouch you know my dad illustrated this to me my dad my dad grew up he believed in jesus but he wasn't saved yet but my grandmother my dad's mother she was a woman of prayer i mean in her prayers as my dad would say her prayers got answered i could tell you the miracle of how she he was in the 82nd airborne during vietnam drafted she told him you will not go he volunteered he was in the 82nd airborne he was at a paratrooper his entire company went to vietnam my uncle was in that company my uncle went to vietnam my uncle had atheist parents my dad didn't go when they first went then he volunteered oh weeks went by he didn't get he he volunteered to be a machine guard a machine
helicopter door gunner life expectancy in vietnam two weeks okay volunteer do you know the first rule in the army don't volunteer for anything right because they're going to take you they're going oh he wants to go ship him out right [Music] my dad volunteered didn't go so he volunteered you know this a few weeks went got by i can't remember he told me three four five weeks six weeks he finally goes and he says i don't know he goes he went to his commander said i was going on so he volunteered again several weeks went by i mean he put the paperwork in several weeks went by he still hadn't gone more his company went [Music] 82nd airborne now this is one step away from special forces you understand that boys go right [Music] so then he finally went to his commander his company commanders they called him top so what's going on top i volunteered twice he said well he pulled his desk drawer open he said yeah here's your paperwork i pulled it out they basically said son you just got married your wife's pregnant and i wanted you working for me he said now i'll put these back in if you really want to go but you're about to get out he said okay so he called his mom or when he went back and talked to his mom he said you believe this i volunteered twice and i didn't go to vietnam and his mom said i knew you would i prayed you wouldn't and the lord told me you would simple as that my uncle on the other hand had two atheist parents he served i don't know two three tours in vietnam killed a bunch of people with his hands with his bare hands and with his gun he was a tunnel rat he came back with agent orange he came back with respiratory problems and he came back with some mental and emotional issues that's plagued him his whole life you get what i'm saying you see the difference what made the difference in the two men prayer my uncle came back you know why my uncle survived i believe and didn't get killed [Music] because my aunt my my great aunts nor lee zola my grandma all were praying for the for him when he was there and he survived he probably never never i don't know that he ever to this day i don't know if he credits that to them or not but i can tell you that's what happened
austin in afghanistan my stepson [Music] told us the story of them being all on top of explosive hidden explosive devices the taliban and the iranians built and a guy on a cell phone trying to detonate the bomb and it wouldn't go off and they're standing on top it goes off they're all his whole platoon's dead he's telling us this story and i'm going i know why it wouldn't go off some people in afghanistan and vietnam weren't so lucky weren't so blessed to have somebody praying for them or they weren't praying people you get what i'm saying now i'm not saying that you know what there are a lot of christians that went to war and they died in war that's part of it i'm just telling you never ever doubt the power of prayer in the mighty name of jesus to change things to intervene in situations that others are going to go through the whole thing i'd rather pray in faith and believe i'm going to escape 90 of it and then trust god to walk through what i got the other 10 i got to walk through to take my chances and try to deal with a whole hundred percent by my lack of prayer lack of faith self somebody else says good preaching pastor dean jesus [Music] ask the question could you not tear one out turn with me i'm going to read this verse go to james chapter 5. we need to read this everybody get there james chapter five let's read we're gonna start reading from about verse verse 10. this is powerful sometimes we read verses and we don't take in the fullness of the context of the passage before we get into this part where james is talking about the power of prayer and the the power of the of righteous man or woman's prayer he talks about job isn't it interesting everybody remember what happened to job he brings up job let's look at it james chapter 5 verse 10 he says
take my brethren the prophets who have spoken in the name of the lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience can i give you a definition of patience you know what that is that means to endure suffering or grief or affliction or wrongdoing to suffer or endure it without complaining ouch [Music] how many of us complain a lot pastor dean's hands raised so funny yesterday i'm gonna tell i'm gonna tell on myself i get stressed out we gotta be somewhere on time and we're not making it trying to leave at a certain time and sometimes it's my fault and sometimes it's her fault i'll say that yesterday it was my fault kind of my fault but still i get frustrated it was funny because faith wasn't ready yet either i was i was in another room and i hollered at her said go get dressed you know get in there go get drink it was hilarious because she had to wait on her mom and anyway but she asked her what she goes why is daddy so crazy and i thought yeah i do it we're all a little crazy aren't we especially when it comes to complaining and being impatient but he says here take my brethren the prophets who have spoken in the name of the lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience behold we count them happy which endure you have heard of the patience of job and have seen the end of the lord that the lord is very pitiful and tender and of tender mercy so he's saying job went through hell job lost his everything he owned he lost his children he lost you know his health for a while job went through hell because the lord said i'm going to let satan sift you as well let satan have you to really show the test of faith the test of faith is when it's going bad and you still remain faithful to jesus and to god right [Music] and he said verse 12 but above all things my brethren swear not neither by heaven neither by earth neither by any other oath let your gay be a and your neighbor lest you fall into con condemnation and he says is any among you afflicted let him pray uh-oh and and i like this because it says let him pray he didn't say let him call the pastor and ask the pastor to pray though that's okay but you get what i'm saying let him or her pray
right is it he mary let him sing songs is any sick among you let him call for the elders of the church let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the lord and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the lord shall raise him up somebody say this with me there is a prayer of faith now wait a minute i can't hear you there is a prayer of faith and there is a prayer of doubt [Music] and the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much i will stop right there see within all this there's these little truths these little conditions right [Music] one is remember job when you pray right remember job sometimes you're gonna have to walk through something endure something go through the trouble but remember what he says is remember the end of the lord the lord blessed him with more of everything and took care of him and fixed it and healed him right so he said remember job and be patient and then he said what if you're afflicted you pray see i'm going to be very honest with you i don't mind praying for people i don't mind going to a hospital i don't mind helping people with that i don't mind that don't mind praying for you at church i don't mind praying for you at your home i don't mind visiting you i don't mind any of that what i do mind what i don't like is when i know and believe it or not i do know when you're not a person of prayer or prayer is not a priority and it's been it's slipping in your life and you want me or nancy or somebody else to pick up your slack and we will we do but that's not what god said here if any of you afflicted [Music] you supposed to be praying right [Music] mark chapter one jesus said rose up a great while before day entered into a private place and prayed before he started his day jesus did that jesus didn't start his ministry until he spent 40 days in prayer and fasting
and spiritual warfare jesus as a man as as god in the flesh operated as a man how do i know that even though he was god in the flesh he operated as a man anointed by the spirit of god because it says in acts 10 38 how god anointed jesus of nazareth who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil why did he need to be anointed because jesus chose to humble himself and take on the form of a man and to operate as a man while he was on the earth he operated as a man anointed by god now truly this is a great mystery but he chose to do it that way all right [Music] it's powerful stuff right but jesus was teaching the disciples by example that prayer has to be a priority and not to lose your faith in the truth about spending time in prayer that it's effective and that it's helping people and that it's helping you i'm telling you the problem the reason the main reason you don't pray aside from the fact that you just get in the flesh and want to do everything else the real deep rooted reason is because you just think you're the you've just been believe the lie of the devil you're wasting your time it's not effective i'm not getting answers you know maybe something's wrong with me i don't know how to pray or i'm not praying right or i'm not praying enough or i pray and then things don't work out so i'm just i'm done with it and deep down we bury that and then we get busy we let busyness block out the real reason why we don't pray and ministers are the worst at leading counseling and preaching and teaching and going out on the street or whatever their thing is to do we can begin to kid ourselves that that's as good as praying but everything is accomplished everything that's truly effective and powerful and makes a difference in the kingdom of god somebody paid the price in the prayer closet for it and sometimes we get the benefits of someone else's sacrifice in prayer
and thank god for it because sometimes we're slacking but i got to ask you you got to ask you got to ask yourself this question what pro what what place what priority is prayer in my life do i have a time do i have a place am i committed to that i think all of us have let that slip to some degree at different times i mean we're human beings the best of us are inconsistent we're we're constantly we're consistently inconsistent that's that's a good way to put it right [Music] the folks and even you younger ones i know a lot of you you'd rather play with your your tablet your video games watch tv play football play with legos whatever you'd rather do that than make prayer first please learn early on that that is idolatry if you're if you're going to be a christian putting anything before seeking god and loving god is idolatry and if you don't understand that now you will just continue to repeat this through your life and it goes for the adults as well so i'm busy pastor dean who is it put the phone down shut the laptop turn off the tv cut off the tablet put the football on the shelf and pray in the name of jesus pray for your church family pray for you you you young ones pray for your mom and dad pray for your siblings pray for your pray for your pastor pray for your church pray for your friends pray for the people that you know don't know jesus you can do that josiah you can do it he and you can do it silence you can do john you can do it make it a priority you want your church to be powerful you want to feel the presence of god you want to see miracles it's only going to come through a church
that corporately places prayer as a high priority individually i mean we're only as good as we are you know as they say we're only as get the change only as good as its weakest link right [Music] but it doesn't matter how strong you are it doesn't matter how much you know you can be a man or woman of prayer it doesn't matter how young you are and the brownsville revival some of the most powerful meetings were when they brought the children in to pray for people go with me the first time i'll show you the verse i quoted earlier trying to find it myself can't remember it's in chapter three if it's in chapter five hang on a second yes chapter 3 chapter 3. [Music] y'all with me verse we'll drop down to verse 22. [Music] he says and whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight everybody see that does everybody say to me getting answers is not automatic [Music] why would god answer if he knows you you don't really care about doing what he says why would he really answer if he knows you don't really care that much about pleasing him huh that's right let's look at another one go with me to we're going to jump over to psalm 66. just giving you a few
psalm 66 i think pretty sure that's it yes psalm 66. everybody there [Music] oh this is all this is so good here this is david praying you with me verse 13 he said i will go into thy house speaking i will go into god's house with burnt offerings and i will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth is spoken when i was in trouble anybody ever made any promises to god when you were in trouble i was a vow i will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices and fatlings and incense of rams and i will offer bullocks and goats now of course we don't do that anymore because jesus became our sacrifice for sin on the cross and we don't have to offer bullocks and goats and blood sacrifices anymore but what is this saying he said when we come into god's house we're going to bring the sacrifices we're going to have something to sacrifice well let me tell you something before they came to the house of god they had to prepare their sacrifice meaning they had to go out in the field and they had to examine the goat or the lamb or whatever they were going to offer because it had to be without blemish it couldn't be blind it couldn't be lame they had to examine it and make sure they were bringing the best into god's house what that represents to me and a lot of prosperity preachers right here to be preaching money but what that means to me more than anything is the sacrifices what you do before in prayer what you do before in fasting that's what you bring to the house of god you bring with you the presence of god the power of god because you prepared your sacrifice before you came to church amen that's why when when when the solomon built the temple and he said this is going to be a house of prayer for all nations he also called it both a house of prayer for all nations and a house of sacrifice and when jesus came on the scene and the in the second temple was built and jesus came on the scene and you know the money changers were in there and all that and when he drove them out he said my house should be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves well what's the difference what is a thief a thief comes in and takes something that they didn't that they didn't earn that they didn't buy that they didn't pay for see that's what happens in the house of god a lot of times yeah listen to me we got people who come in the house of god all they want to do is take that you bless me pastor help me pray for me help me give to me that's a thief a true believer comes in with a
sacrifice they come in with something to give and i'll tell you what i'd rather have you as a man or woman of prayer than your money any day of the week i'd rather have your prayers i rather know you're a man a woman of prayer and fasting and loving god and certain and searching after god and and preparing your sacrifices before you get to church if we become men and women of prayer who are who make the house of god a house of sacrifice and a house of prayer instead of a den of thieves we will have the power of god you'll remember when jesus if you go back matter of fact let's read it go with me just you can hold your spirit go with me to matthew 21 this is this is important i want to show you what happens when you make the house of god a house of prayer instead of a den of thieves something happens matthew 21 this happened on palm sunday actually today's palm sunday so this is interesting didn't plan on going here at all matthew 21 verse 12. and jesus went into the temple of god and cast out them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers in the seats of them that sold doves and he said unto them it is written my house should be called the house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves and the blind in the lane came to him in the temple and he healed them and when the chief priests and the scribes and saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying in the temple saying hosanna to the son of david they were so displeased and he said to them here's not what he's saying jesus said unto them yay have you never read of the mouth of babes and cyclings thou has perfected praise and he left them and went out of the city into bethany and he lodged there you see what happened when jesus went in and when he drove out the thieves out of the temple when he drove out the people that all they were concerned about was money and and what they could get from the temple and from the people he said my house should be called a house of prayer and once he got the thieves out and he got the people who were hungry for him he said the blind and the lame came and they were healed the miracles and the power of god happened in the temple the question is what are we doing in the temple have we just come to get what we didn't earn that's a thief oh and don't get me wrong there are there are people that are hurting there are people that are lost there are people that are broken there are people that are messed up they need to come to the house to get something that's okay for a while but after a while you got to grow up and be a person that prepares your sacrifice before you get there and
you come to the house of god as a house of prayer you've got to be a house of prayer you're a temple not just a church where we unit get together but you're a temple is your temple a house of prayer a house of sacrifice or is it a den of thieves what is your spirit soul and body you're either one or the other your temple sandra your temple your spirit your soul your body your temple is either a house of prayer or a den of thieves marlene nancy mandy john trey are you just trying to get the blessings are you trying to be a blessing does it give me or i got hit i got i gave i i'm telling you i would rather have you sacrifice an hour a day two hours whatever you can do i'd rather having you sacrifice that before you came to church than bringing in here some big offering of money [Music] you couldn't approach god in the old covenant without a sacrifice [Music] oh and he did expect your money too by the way because he said where your treasure is your heart will be also but you couldn't even approach him without a lamb without a goat for a sin offering or a lamb or a bullet or a calf something had to die blood had to be shed it had to cost you something had to come out of your flock the one of the reasons to make jesus angry with the money changers and and the people in the temple that were selling the animals is that people didn't even have to get their own they didn't even have to go through maybe bringing an animal that they raised that they were attached to or something they didn't cost them that much throw out a few dollar bills grab this animal you didn't really expect it and you go take it it's become a religious ritual a machine that's what the temple had become it's what worship had become and we are the same thing we come we sing songs we hope god gives us a few tingles we go home and we live another prayerless
empty week and we wonder why we're depressed we wonder why the devil's beating us up over the head we wonder why and then usually these same people that are the thieves instead of the the ones with the sacrifice they usually become the most discontented because they're not getting enough from the pastor you will never get enough from the pastor because god didn't design it for you to get everything you need from a pastor or from a church service the whole thing's not designed that way [Music] you get most of what you need by your private time and prayer and your time in the word of god and your time in fasting and seeking after god on your own the church is the fellowship the church is a place to gather to worship the church is a place to edify one another the church is a place where yes elders and leaders feed you and give direction and make sure that you're guarded from wolves and false teaching and all those kind of things and to help you fight off the enemy but see i'm just telling you you what you are away from church is what you really are a house of prayer or dean of thieves [Music] your faith will always be revealed by what you do and what you say your priorities will always be revealed not by what you say but by where you spend your time always can i say this [Music] ministry can become an idol and it can get in the way of a relationship family time and family stuff can get in the way work i'm going to finish with this verse because the lord gave me this this morning this will be our last verse i want you i want you to turn with me to mark i mean not mark but luke chapter eight i was going to read a minute ago psalm 68 or 66 18 if i regard iniquity in my heart the lord will not hear me just mark that one down i don't think that needs any um further discussion anyway kind of speaks for itself doesn't it but luke chapter 8 we'll finish here you see jesus gave this parable and can i can i just tell you that this parable is the foundation of all of jesus teaching about walking this life this spiritual
life and this relationship with him about walking it out because we walk it out by the word of god we walk it out by believing the word of god we walk it out by obeying the word of god and bearing fruit and jesus gave this parable of the sower and what i love is we're not going to read it in in mark 4 but in mark 4 there's a little part in there that's not in luke where jesus said it to the guys you know to his disciples if you don't know this parable how do you go know the rest of them meaning that this parable is foundational to your to your christian walk to your christian life to knowing jesus walking with jesus it's it reveals everything we need to know and this is what he tells us luke chapter 8 are you there i'll get there in a second goodness all right here we go verse four and when much people were gathered together and were come to him out of every city he spake by a parable he said a spirit went out to sow his seed and he sowed and some fell by the wayside and it was trodden down and the fowls of the air devoured it and so it fell upon a rock and as soon as it was sprung up it withered away because it lacked moisture and some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it and the other fell on good ground and sprang up and bear fruit a hundred fold and when he had said these things he cried he that hath ears to hear let him hear and his disciples asked him saying what might this parable be because they didn't get it and he said unto them unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of god but to others in parables that seeing they might see might not see rather that seem they might not see and hearing they might not understand now the parable is this the seed is the word of god now the word of god is twofold the word of god is the written word of god the bible what we have genesis to malachi matthew to revelation and jesus himself the living word of god amen he said now the seed is the word of god those by the wayside are they that heareth they hear the word they hear the truth they hear the teaching of the body they hear about jesus then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts lest they should believe and be saved so the first people are people who hear the word of god they hear the gospel of jesus christ they hear the truth of the scripture and they choose not to believe it and the devil comes takes it away from them and they choose not to believe it and it says they are not saved so we got the first the unsaved people that's the first group they're out of the way the rest of it is about saved people how do we know that because it's what he said
verse 13 they on the rock are they which when they hear the word receive the word with joy remember what i just said first peter [Music] says that we are saved or we are born again by the word of god so you can't be saved without the word of god a few weeks ago i talked faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of god right jesus is the word made flesh he's his name one of his names is the word of god so he says here that they on the rock are they that hear the word and they receive it with joy oh my these people believe it they receive jesus with joy they receive the word of god they receive the truth they're the ones saying amen preacher i believe that i believe in jesus i believe the gospel i believe the bible is is the inspired word i believe it i receive it they'll run up they'll pray they'll they'll pray and accept jesus and we know they were born again because it says that they hear the word receivable joy these have no root but yet they grow these have no root which for a while believe now the word believe here is the greek word pistes meaning faith in jesus for salvation believing that the scriptures believing the moral precepts of god almighty in the bible this is the fact they have faith they believe for a while that it so you know for the one second always say folks this is what it's saying they were saved for a while [Music] that just hurt somebody right there they were saved for a while but in the time of temptation they fall away now i love what mark says in the time when persecution arises or difficulties arise they fall away fall away from what the word of god they fall away from the truth they fall away from their relationship with the word of god jesus they fall away and this saying which for a while believes mean they stop believing meaning they stop living by faith walking by faith they stopped anybody ever seen somebody start the christian walk get saved believe for a while with joy happy about it and then persecution comes or life difficulties and trials and tests and they're not getting their prayers answered the way they want and and or something bad happens and they get angry at god or they get offended and then they fall away they they believe for a while they were saved for a while but they fall away from god jesus is saying remember this is the part two this is the second group of people foundational to christianity but see this is also your prayer life the person that begins falling away from god is the person that starts falling away from prayer right [Music] let's keep going
this is where it gets a lot of people right here the third group of people and they which fell among the thorns are they which when they have heard the word of god the gospel of jesus the truth of jesus you got to repent you got to believe jesus died on the cross rose again you got to believe that receive that it says they they heard when they have heard they go forth that means they begin to grow how do we know they begin to grow and since they are choked the plants as these plants they begin to grow they're choked out [Music] with the cares and the riches and the pleasures of this life and they bring no fruit to perfection and no fruit to maturity oh my see this we got a lot of fruitless christians you know that a lot of fruitless christians they have believed they've been born again they received the word of god they've grown but they have allowed the thorns and the vines and the weeds of the cares of this world riches money chasing after money and the pleasures of this life to choke the word of god out of their lives and they bear no fruit well what fruit should you be buried what you're talking about well the first fruit you better bear is this it's called the fruit of repentance meaning you turn from sin you confess your sin turn from it's called fruit the fruit of repentance it's not a work it's a fruit right talks about the fruit of holiness uh-oh being separate from the world being different from the world not loving the things of the world uh-oh i have more fruit fruit of repentance the fruit of holiness we all know about the fruits of the nine fruits of the spirit there's also the fruit of leading other people to jesus to the truth a lot of fruit that we got that we should bear and jesus said this in john 15 verse 2 he said every he said i'm the vine and you are the branches every branch in me uh oh wait a minute how do you get in jesus you have to what believe you have to be born again you have to be baptized into christ right [Music] he said every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and cast into the fire that's not losing some rewards at the judgment seat of christ no fruit on your tree
on your branch you it's for a reason it's because you let the cares of this world your pursuit of finances and running after pleasure choke the life out of you and the first place you're going to witness to that is the time you spend in prayer and the word of god but then there's the fourth group and this is where we finish but that which fell on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart having heard the word keep it and bring forth fruit with patience somebody say this with me i must bring forth fruit with patience the fruit of repentance let me hear it the fruit of repentance the fruit of holiness the fruit of the spirit the fruit of soul saved and lives changed [Music] do i have fruit if you don't i promise you this if you will make prayer and fasting and time in the word time with god a priority so that your roots can go down deep you will bear fruit in time because it's automatic if the tree is healthy and the roots are going down it will bear fruit in its season you know i just had to explain that to faith a minute ago faith looked out the window she loves the figs that we have fig trees she loves those figs we go out there and eat them right off the tree don't we babe [Music] she looked out the window of the kitchen she goes what is that because the little green leaves are starting to come on the fig tree the big fig tree right little green leaves she goes we go have ooh she was a happy fix i said baby we're not going to have figs to eat until about august and september the fruit will come but see you'll start to grow you'll start to flourish you may not be winning people to jesus right now but you will you may not be seeing miracles right now but you will but you got to get the seed in the ground and you got to be watering it and you got to you got to let it go down deep so
it can bear fruit you will a christian a born-again christian who who puts god and prayer and fasting and the word of god as a priority will bear fruit your prayers will have power they will be effectual they will change your life they will change somebody else's life you may never know how many people were saved and go to heaven because you prayed and obeyed god and got some roots down deep and that's why i love psalm 1. when he says psalm 1 what who will be like a tree planted beside living rocks he said the man or the woman who meditates in the word of god day and night time with god makes the tree the roots go down deep and it's like a tree planted beside a river it'll always have a supply of water and it will bear fruit in its season just read someone when you leave do you want to bear fruit do you want to have power do you want to be able to endure trials and difficulties in the darkness that's coming do you want to see people around you affected by your prayers in your life then become a house of prayer house of prayer [Music] or den of thieves which are you let's pray hallelujah father we thank you first of all that you're merciful with us and patient with us as lord at times it takes us a long time to get things and lord there are those of us lord who used to pray more than we do and we need to get back to that and those of us who've never really dug in and developed an ongoing daily prayer life and devotional life god help us in getting our priorities right lord even the young ones those listening today prayer will not enable us to avoid everything we're not going to change the prophecies and the things that are written in the scriptures that are going to come to pass but we can change lives we can see the power of god we can see the light of jesus christ in the gospel of jesus christ penetrate mind we can see satan and his powers push back off of people and them come to know jesus through prayer and fasting we can see people healed and delivered we can see people lord or encouraged and strengthened god make us a house of prayer make fire and grace church a house of prayer make us oh lord in america we've well our churches have primarily been houses of thieves dens of thieves well we want to be houses of prayer and houses of sacrifice
help us get the truth of what happened on palm sunday when jesus went into the temple lord i ask you to let this sink in to my brothers and sisters this morning they will either be a house of prayer and sacrifice so there'll be a house of thieves a den of thieves i don't want fire and grace church to be den of thieves that just come to take what they can get all we pray this and we thank you for the truth of your word help us to be those that hear your word and do it and bring forth fruit we want to have fruit we want to have faith when you return again we pray this in jesus name amen and amen do you understand better the power of prayer i could have given you a lot of examples a lot of testimonies but that wasn't the purpose of today the purpose of today is to get you to prioritize your life the way god wants you to seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you you know jesus only said do something first twice seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and first being the strong man both had to do with prayer one is seeking after god the other is fighting the devil amen that's the two that's the two arms you got to punch with seeking god prayer fighting through your flesh and resisting the death one two punch jab right cross man all right