Mark Medley: Hey everyone, welcome to session six of the Foundation's class.
Mark Medley: I'm Pastor Mark Medley at Trinity Community Church, and we're covering prayer in the life of a believer today.
Mark Medley: And it's important that this comes after what Kelly taught in session five about the Bible, the importance of the Bible getting inside of you, because these two things are really kind of linked together.
Mark Medley: There's a little definition of prayer there in your booklet.
Mark Medley: It says prayer is simply a lifestyle of conversing with God.
Mark Medley: And I think that's a really good definition.
Mark Medley: Another definition would be what Tim Keller writes in his book on prayer.
Mark Medley: Prayer is a continuing conversation that God has started through his word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.
Mark Medley: The goal of prayer is real personal connection with God.
Mark Medley: Just an expanded definition there.
Mark Medley: But it's interesting that it says that God has started this conversation.
Mark Medley: God has already spoken.
Mark Medley: He's spoken to us through his word.
Mark Medley: He's drawn us by his spirit.
Mark Medley: He's regenerated us.
Mark Medley: And by his grace, he invites us into this relationship.
Mark Medley: And so I want to talk about what's in your book, but first of all, I want to kind of talk a little bit about what prayer is.
Mark Medley: And the first thing I want to say is that to pray is to change.
Mark Medley: In 2 Corinthians 3 18, Paul says that we with unveiled face behold the glory of God, and we're transformed.
Mark Medley: As we behold him, we're transformed into his image from glory to glory.
Mark Medley: Little by little, becoming more and more like him.
Mark Medley: As we see him, we become like him.
Mark Medley: This is pretty uh important principle, actually, as the more things that we see, the whatever we're looking at, we become like.
Mark Medley: And this is the same with God.
Mark Medley: So uh this this comes, uh the scripture there says this comes from the Lord, from the Spirit, this transformation.
Mark Medley: So to pray is to change.
Mark Medley: To see the Lord, to speak with the Lord, to encounter Him is to change.
Mark Medley: It's uh it's not possible to participate in real prayer without real change happening inside of us.
Mark Medley: So uh that deep change comes from reordering our lives, reordering our priorities.
Mark Medley: Okay, and that and or as Tim Keller says, deep change only comes through reordering our loves, our our passion, what we long for, what our devotion is toward.
Mark Medley: That when we reorder that, change happens in our lives.
Mark Medley: And this comes through prayer.
Mark Medley: So um I would like to think of prayer as an invitation.
Mark Medley: It's an invitation to the throne of God, the throne of grace, as it's called in scripture.
Mark Medley: We are invited, we are to come boldly to the throne of grace.
Mark Medley: I was in Africa, excuse me, a few years back, and uh we uh were going to this village to try to find some uh to try to get it's get some information, build connections, and get some information about the culture there.
Mark Medley: And uh I went into the to the uh to the village of my friend Bright, and we asked for the chief there of the village.
Mark Medley: They said the chief is not available, and so we said, Well, we're just trying to, um, writing a book and we're trying to get some information about your history and your culture here.
Mark Medley: And then the young man said, Well, I'll I'll go see if the chief is back.
Mark Medley: And so uh 20 minutes later, uh he came back and said, The chief will see you, but you have to you have to bring him a present.
Mark Medley: This is the way it is in Africa.
Mark Medley: You have to go get something to bring.
Mark Medley: You don't come into the presence of the chief without bringing something.
Mark Medley: Okay, you kind of prepare yourself, and then there's a protocol when you walk in, you you look down, you don't look directly at the chief, and you don't speak directly to him, you speak through, you speak through somebody to him.
Mark Medley: Very interesting.
Mark Medley: My whole point here is there's a protocol, and you have to be invited.
Mark Medley: You can't just go in to see the chief.
Mark Medley: You have to, he has to open the doors to you to you, you know, and so this is what's important about prayer is that God has already opened the doors.
Mark Medley: God is accessible, God has invited us into his throne of grace.
Mark Medley: This king has said, Come into my throne of grace, so that you can receive help in those times of need.
Mark Medley: So prayer is an invitation into this throne of grace.
Mark Medley: Um, as I needed an intermediary there, I couldn't speak directly to the to the the chief.
Mark Medley: I needed someone to speak through, and he would speak through someone to me.
Mark Medley: At least he did that for a little while, and then things changed.
Mark Medley: But uh we have an intermediary.
Mark Medley: This throne of grace we approach because of the blood of Jesus, the book of Hebrews tells us.
Mark Medley: So we come boldly to the throne of grace to get help when we need it through our intermediary, the who is Jesus.
Mark Medley: So in that's why we pray in Jesus' name.
Mark Medley: We pray to to the Father in Jesus' name.
Mark Medley: Uh also, this is an invitation into relationship because if you if you think about what prayer is, um, it's really about relationship.
Mark Medley: It's not really about duty, it's about devotion.
Mark Medley: And it's not about law, it's about love.
Mark Medley: It's not about the performance and uh and how you do it and how often you do it.
Mark Medley: It's really about love.
Mark Medley: When the disciples came to Jesus and they saw that he prayed often, and they heard him pray, and they also knew another form of prayer from the Pharisees.
Mark Medley: So they came to him, and I imagine they would they were in this place of Lord, we've seen you pray, we've seen them pray, we like yours better.
Mark Medley: Lord, teach us to pray.
Mark Medley: Obviously, this is important to you.
Mark Medley: So, so Rabbi, teach us to pray.
Mark Medley: So Jesus was glad to do that, and Jesus said, When you pray, say, and maybe you know the first words of the Lord's Prayer, our Father.
Mark Medley: Our Father.
Mark Medley: Father is the first word of prayer because relationship is the priority of prayer.
Mark Medley: Relationship is what prayer is about.
Mark Medley: Before you ask, before you even worship, before you ask for your needs, for your daily bread, before you ask for protection from the evil one, before you ask for forgiveness of your sins, all of those things are part of prayer.
Mark Medley: But the first thing is father, relationship with him.
Mark Medley: So prayer is about relationship.
Mark Medley: He invites us to his throne of grace, he invites us into this relationship to know him as a father who wants to provide and protect for his children, protect his children.
Mark Medley: And then I think we can see prayer as an invitation into the heart of God and the mission of God.
Mark Medley: So the heart of God, that that relationship, knowing him first.
Mark Medley: Jesus said, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, then you will ask whatever you will.
Mark Medley: It'll be done for you.
Mark Medley: That's those are heavy words.
Mark Medley: That those are words that help build your and challenge your faith at the same time.
Mark Medley: But he said, This relationship has to happen.
Mark Medley: Abide in me.
Mark Medley: You can't bear fruit unless the you abide.
Mark Medley: The branch can't bear fruit unless it abides in the vine.
Mark Medley: It's only possible when you're connected to him.
Mark Medley: There's a vital relationship with him.
Mark Medley: And what happens in prayer is we're we're our vital relationship with Jesus, the the branch, us to the vine, Jesus, um continues to develop.
Mark Medley: And as it does, our mind becomes like his mind, our burdens become his burdens.
Mark Medley: Uh, what burdens his heart, burdens our heart, is what I mean.
Mark Medley: And so when we come in prayer to him, our prayer, our heart has already been sort of preconditioned or pre-informed by this relationship.
Mark Medley: I know what he's like, I know what he wants.
Mark Medley: My prayers become less like my will be done, more like his will be done, more like what he would want to pray.
Mark Medley: So the things that break his heart are the things that break my heart.
Mark Medley: The things that joy his heart joy my heart.
Mark Medley: So you see, this prayer is a relationship.
Mark Medley: First, he and God invites us into his heart, and then also into his mission, that your kingdom would come and your will would be done.
Mark Medley: And your kingdom uh uh is your kingdom expand, your rule would expand.
Mark Medley: And I want to see what you want happen and your desires and your authority and kingdom happen, come right now, right here on earth as it is in heaven.
Mark Medley: So prayer, the invitation to the throne of grace, the invitation to relationship, and an invitation into the heart of God and into the mission of God.
Mark Medley: But also, I like to say that uh prayer is expected.
Mark Medley: When Jesus spoke to uh his Sermon on the Mount and he spoke of prayer there, he said, When you pray, don't pray like the Pharisees who do it out in the open and they're all waiting for people to come and see them.
Mark Medley: But but rather uh do it secretly in your closet.
Mark Medley: But but you notice he said he didn't say if you pray or I I suggest you pray.
Mark Medley: If you find yourself praying, no, he's a when you pray, it's an expectation.
Mark Medley: Because uh, for example, my wife and I, um it's an expectation that we communicate.
Mark Medley: Uh, it's not a burden, it's not a duty.
Mark Medley: It's like, oh, I gotta go talk to her again.
Mark Medley: It's because I I mean I really love it.
Mark Medley: I love to do it.
Mark Medley: I want to know her uh more deeply and more intimately.
Mark Medley: And you know, so so it's something I long to do, but it's an expectation of the relationship.
Mark Medley: This is part of it, and it's an expectation when you pray, Jesus said.
Mark Medley: So as expected, Paul said, uh pray continually, pray without ceasing.
Mark Medley: So why don't we pray?
Mark Medley: Sometimes, well, uh maybe the most convicting thing to talk about is a prayer life because we know we need to be doing it, and we all often have a sneaking suspicion that we're not doing enough of it.
Mark Medley: So why don't we pray?
Mark Medley: Uh maybe because we don't value it, we don't believe it's gonna do anything, but it doesn't change, but we don't plan for it sometimes.
Mark Medley: It's just simply a matter of time management.
Mark Medley: We just need to put prayer time in our day.
Mark Medley: There's a lot of different things, but it's expected, it's expected of us.
Mark Medley: And then prayer is learned.
Mark Medley: This is the good news.
Mark Medley: Though they had been with Jesus so long, they said, Lord, teach us to pray.
Mark Medley: This is something that we learn as we go on in our walk with Jesus.
Mark Medley: Mostly it's learned by doing it.
Mark Medley: It's like on-the-job training mostly.
Mark Medley: We learn by doing it with others as well.
Mark Medley: So, one of the first things we learn is our spiritual emptiness, and this is what drives us to prayer.
Mark Medley: Then we learn how to hear his voice more carefully or more accurately.
Mark Medley: We discern his voice, we read his word, we see what his interests are and what he desires, and we pray toward those things.
Mark Medley: One of the greatest things to do is to take the last lesson and this lesson and merge them together and pray the scriptures over people.
Mark Medley: Just pray.
Mark Medley: Hey, we Lord, your scripture says this.
Mark Medley: I pray this for that person.
Mark Medley: Just go write down the psalm or write down a passage of scripture and pray for them.
Mark Medley: And maybe we'll do that before we finish here.
Mark Medley: Maybe I'll pull the Bible out and we'll do that.
Mark Medley: Another thing we need to know is that prayer is answered.
Mark Medley: This is why we pray to see results, right?
Mark Medley: This is why we pray.
Mark Medley: Jesus said he gave promises about answered prayer.
Mark Medley: There are there are stipulations in the Bible.
Mark Medley: Why do we not get answered prayer?
Mark Medley: Sometimes we have asked wrongly according to our the lust of our own flesh, as James said it.
Mark Medley: Sometimes it's timing.
Mark Medley: God knows everything.
Mark Medley: We know little.
Mark Medley: We pray for something, and maybe it's not quite time yet.
Mark Medley: Maybe other things need to line up in order for that prayer request to be answered.
Mark Medley: And so God knows the right time to answer.
Mark Medley: It's not only about what he does, it's also about when he does it.
Mark Medley: That's part of the wisdom of God.
Mark Medley: Uh, sometimes he wants us to press in and persevere.
Mark Medley: Sometimes we don't get it the first time we ask.
Mark Medley: But there's a longing and a hunger that comes from ask, from, from that is a part of prayer.
Mark Medley: And this is the parable that Jesus told about the man or the or the uh the woman uh with the judge, the unjust judge, and she was asking him to hear her case and to judge righteously or to judge her case, and he wouldn't do it, and she kept talking and she kept bugging him and she kept nagging until he did it.
Mark Medley: I'm like, I'm gonna, I don't even want to do this, but I'm gonna do this because she's gonna drive me crazy by keeping on asking.
Mark Medley: Okay, and so Jesus wasn't saying this is the way God is, he was saying this is the way man is.
Mark Medley: How much more is God gonna hear you when you cry out to him?
Mark Medley: So that's important.
Mark Medley: And then sometimes we don't get the answer we're expecting because God is wanting to answer it in a different way than we are expecting.
Mark Medley: So sometimes the answer to the prayer is yes now, sometimes it's yes later, sometimes it's not in that way, but I will show you.
Mark Medley: And sometimes the answer is no, because all of those answers come from the heart of a loving father, though.
Mark Medley: It's really important to understand that it all it all comes from the the heart of kindness.
Mark Medley: So there's a there's a dance with prayer.
Mark Medley: There's a we are partnering together with the Holy Spirit to know the heart of the Father.
Mark Medley: And we are hearing his voice and we're praying, and he's moving, and we're moving along with him, and we're we're he's following, he's he's leading, and we're following.
Mark Medley: And that's that's part of what prayer is about.
Mark Medley: So um let's look at your your booklet, session six, prayer in the life of the of a believer.
Mark Medley: I do want to spend some time talking about these scriptures here.
Mark Medley: Matthew chapter 26, verse 36 through 39.
Mark Medley: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray over there.
Mark Medley: And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Mark Medley: Then he said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.
Mark Medley: Stay here and watch with me.
Mark Medley: Then he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed, Oh, my father, it is possible that this cup passed from me, nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
Mark Medley: So we see Jesus in extreme sorrow and and ang and agony here.
Mark Medley: And we see, as we have talked earlier, um lesson three, I think it was, we see that this cup he was talking about was the cup of the wrath of God that he was going to be drinking undeservedly.
Mark Medley: He who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might know his righteousness.
Mark Medley: And so in this time of difficulty, he was consecrating himself, submitting himself.
Mark Medley: This is part of what prayer is.
Mark Medley: Consecration means I'm set apart to you.
Mark Medley: It means it's not so much about what I want, but I believe that what you want is greater.
Mark Medley: I believe that what you want is based out of your love for me.
Mark Medley: And so I'm going to submit.
Mark Medley: Submit means to come underneath.
Mark Medley: To come underneath.
Mark Medley: There's two words in the Greek for submit, and one of them is hopakuo, one is hopataso.
Mark Medley: Hupakuo means hupo means under.
Mark Medley: Coming up under the authority of something, the authority of someone.
Mark Medley: Out of law, out of because I have to.
Mark Medley: This is this is uh in the military.
Mark Medley: When I'm the private and you're the sergeant, and I have to salute you, and I have to do what you say, and I may hate you.
Mark Medley: I may I may uh spit in your direction when you walk away, but I have to do it.
Mark Medley: I'm coming up and under under your authority, out of duty.
Mark Medley: But the idea of hopatasso is to come up underneath someone's authority out of devotion, because of love, because I long to.
Mark Medley: This is what the scripture says when it says, wives, submit to your husbands, hopatasso, because I love you, because there's a relationship, there's a dynamic here that is important.
Mark Medley: It's not just my duty, it is my love, my devotion, my devotion to you.
Mark Medley: And I submit.
Mark Medley: This is what we're talking about when we say consecration and submission out of devotion to God.
Mark Medley: We lay aside what we want.
Mark Medley: And we say, Not my will, but your will be done.
Mark Medley: This is part of prayer, an important part of prayer.
Mark Medley: Humbling ourselves under God because he is God and we are not, and he knows best, and we don't.
Mark Medley: Then there's the prayer of faith, 1 John 5, 14.
Mark Medley: Now, this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us, and we know that he hears us.
Mark Medley: And if we know that he hears us, we whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him.
Mark Medley: So this is not like the prayer of consecration.
Mark Medley: This is a prayer we pray when we know what God's will is, when we're sure of it, when we're sure he wants to move in the lives of our loved ones and he wants to bring them to salvation.
Mark Medley: We when we're sure uh that he wants to bring righteousness and his glory to a situation, and we have a feeling in our heart, a stirring and an uh an assurance in our heart by the Holy Spirit, this is what God's will is, and we're pushing into that thing.
Mark Medley: So you pray a prayer of faith because I know this is what God wants.
Mark Medley: I'm praying this thing with boldness and assurance and expectation that He is going to bring the answer.
Mark Medley: So it's not something you think God spoke to you or someone erroneous, some erroneous desire that's not in line with the scriptures.
Mark Medley: Of course, all of the things that are his will will be in line and be informed by the scriptures.
Mark Medley: Of course, the word of God is his will, right?
Mark Medley: And so we're praying according to that.
Mark Medley: That's why praying the scriptures are very powerful.
Mark Medley: Because you're praying directly from what the Word of God, what the will of God is.
Mark Medley: Then there's the prayer of agreement, Matthew 18, 19.
Mark Medley: Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
Mark Medley: And the word agree there means to harmonize, it means to come together, you know, like we are singing together the same song, the same words, in the same rhythm with a different note, but we're harmonizing.
Mark Medley: So a metaphor we would understand is one of the a number of musical instruments set in the same key, playing the same tune.
Mark Medley: This scripture refers to perfect agreement of hearts, desires, wishes, and voices of two or more persons praying to God.
Mark Medley: That is so powerful when you pray together with people.
Mark Medley: So this is important.
Mark Medley: This Implies that personal prayer is not the only kind of prayer.
Mark Medley: Me by myself in a room with God is not the only kind of prayer.
Mark Medley: There's another kind of prayer that I need to be involved with.
Mark Medley: I need to pray with other people, pulling together and agreeing on these things.
Mark Medley: Then there's the prayer of personal edification, Jude.
Mark Medley: Beloved, but you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.
Mark Medley: So they were, so the believers here are told to edify or build up each other.
Mark Medley: Edify means to encourage, to strengthen, to build up something.
Mark Medley: And they're saying in this scripture is saying you can do this yourself by praying in the Spirit, by praying in leadership, in the leadership of the Spirit.
Mark Medley: And as the Spirit leads, you are praying.
Mark Medley: And sometimes it also is Romans 8, where we don't know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit helps us with groanings that are too deep for words.
Mark Medley: We don't even know what to pray, but our heart is groaning.
Mark Medley: That's part of it.
Mark Medley: Also in 1 Corinthians 14, it Paul speaks about praying with understanding or in the language you know and praying in the Spirit with your spirit language, a language of the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues, so that you are praying perfect prayers unto God and building up yourself.
Mark Medley: So praying in the spirit is such a powerful thing.
Mark Medley: Praying in tongues, and I know some of you probably have uh prayed for that uh gift of tongues, a prayer language, and you haven't, and some of you maybe don't.
Mark Medley: And it's okay.
Mark Medley: Your prayers are powerful no matter what language you're praying them in.
Mark Medley: But there's something about allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through you in a prayer language that is uh something you don't understand.
Mark Medley: So you are you're uh praying, the Holy Spirit is praying the perfect will of God.
Mark Medley: Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14, perfect will of God for you, through you.
Mark Medley: God is He is praying perfect prayers through you and encouraging your giving thanks well.
Mark Medley: It also says there.
Mark Medley: So praying in our own language is prompted by the Holy Spirit, praying with groanings that can be cannot be uttered in Romans 8, praying in an unknown tongue in 1 Corinthians 14.
Mark Medley: And then there's a prayer of supplication.
Mark Medley: And uh Romans 6, verse 18, Paul says, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit.
Mark Medley: It also says all kinds of prayer, one version.
Mark Medley: And if you read that in the Greek, it's it's speaking of different types of prayer, but a prayer of supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for the saints.
Mark Medley: What is supplication?
Mark Medley: It's pressing in and asking for what you need.
Mark Medley: The context here is spiritual warfare.
Mark Medley: We're battling not with flesh and blood, but we're battling in the spirit.
Mark Medley: And so, according to historians, it was customary for Greek armies to offer prayers for success to their gods before they went to war.
Mark Medley: In this scripture, Paul's telling believers how to succeed in battle.
Mark Medley: Pray.
Mark Medley: Always be in a spirit of prayer in every season, in every situation.
Mark Medley: Receive that invitation.
Mark Medley: Send your RSVP.
Mark Medley: I hear you inviting me into the throne room, into relationship with you, into your heart and into your mission.
Mark Medley: Lord, I hear these things.
Mark Medley: I hear you.
Mark Medley: Let's be ready to engage in prayer at all times.
Mark Medley: And then there's a prayer in Philippians 4 where it says that prayer brings peace.
Mark Medley: And Paul writes this from prison, by the way, he's writing this be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Mark Medley: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Mark Medley: Paul is saying, Don't give any place to anxiety.
Mark Medley: He's saying give place to prayer.
Mark Medley: Replace the fear with faith, with trust, and believing God.
Mark Medley: And from that comes this peace, knowing that God cares, that God is able, that he's strong, and he wants to intervene on your uh behalf.
Mark Medley: So I'm gonna close out this session today, actually praying from the scriptures.
Mark Medley: Okay, I want to pray a prayer for you from Ephesians.
Mark Medley: It's a prayer that Paul is actually praying for the believers there at Ephesians, but I want to do this because I'd like to show you what I mean by praying the scriptures.
Mark Medley: And I'm reading the scripture here, but I'm taking the scripture and I'm just turning it into a prayer for uh for you as you're listening here.
Mark Medley: So, Father, I thank you.
Mark Medley: I come before you on behalf of my brothers and sisters who may be watching this video, and I bow my knees to you, Father, because you are the Lord of heaven and earth, and because you invite us into this relationship, you're the king of all, and you invite us into your throne room, Lord, and that we can ask boldly for what we need.
Mark Medley: And so, you, who every family in heaven and earth is named, after every family whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, and according to your riches and according to your glory, Lord, I want to pray that you would grant my friends strength, that you would fill them up, that you would fortify them and edify them and strengthen them in their inner man, God, that you would give them power, your power of your Holy Spirit, your presence there, God, in their lives, power to hear your voice, power to pray in your direction, power to speak your words to other people, power for witness, power to live their lives free from sin, Lord, through your spirit and their inner being, Lord, and inside them, they would know this power working.
Mark Medley: So that Jesus, you would dwell in their hearts through faith, and that they would be rooted and grounded in love.
Mark Medley: Lord, the bedrock of their life would be you and who and your heart for them.
Mark Medley: Lord, that their roots would go down deep into the soil of your love and they would get their nourishment, everything they need to live and bear fruit from the love of Christ that's within them.
Mark Medley: Let them be rooted and grounded in your love, Lord.
Mark Medley: Let them be strengthened to understand with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth and to know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge.
Mark Medley: Lord, I pray that you would stretch them in their spirits, that you would expand their hearts to be able to understand and know this love which is beyond understanding.
Mark Medley: But Lord, take them deeper into a place.
Mark Medley: Let them be rooted in this love and then take them deeper in their understanding of it.
Mark Medley: God, let them see the fullness of your love for them, Lord, that they would be filled with all the fullness of God.
Mark Medley: And I say now to him who's able to do far more abundantly than everything that we can ask or think, according to your power that works inside of them, to you be glory in the church and in Jesus Christ throughout every generation, in their lives, in their families, in their sons and daughters, in their fathers and mothers, throughout every generation, forever and forever, Lord.
Mark Medley: Thank you for your kingdom that has no end.
Mark Medley: Bless them in the name of Jesus.
Mark Medley: Amen.
Mark Medley: So it's really pretty simple to pray the scriptures.
Mark Medley: The scriptures not only speak to us, they give us words to speak back to God.
Mark Medley: And so this is this is God's invitation.
Mark Medley: Come into my heart, come into my mission, be a part of who I am and what I want to happen on this earth.
Mark Medley: That's what prayer is about.
Mark Medley: God bless.