From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: In all honesty, in all transparency, we have to say something right at the first. Prayer is difficult. It is hard to pray. And it's a paradox cuz prayer is easy to pray on one side because a little child can pray. You don't have to go to seminary to know how to pray. Now, why is prayer it's easy but it's hard? Why is it like that?

Larry Nobles: As Jesus was crying out to his father in Gethsemane, he encouraged his disciples to watch and pray. In a world filled with uncertainty and brokenness and overwhelming challenges, it calls you and me to fervent focused prayer. And in this timely series, we begin today on From His Heart called Watch and Pray. Pastor Jeff reminds us prayer is not a last resort, but our greatest need. And in this first message of the series, we'll discover four life-shaping marks of a praying Christian and learn how we can take practical steps to strengthen our prayer life. Now, this six-lesson series is also our gift to you for your support this month of any amount to From His Heart.

You can get details at fromhisheart.org. Now, go open your Bible to Colossians chapter four. Here again is Pastor Jeff to begin the lesson entitled a house of prayer part one.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: You know, Jesus said Isaiah he quoted from Isaiah chapter 56 verse seven. My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. Now, as important as preaching is, he didn't say my house should be called a house of preaching. He didn't say my house should be called a house of praise, although praise is really critical. He didn't say my house should be called a house of fellowship, although fellowship is critical. He said my house should be called a house of prayer for all the nations. Now, in the Old Testament, God had a house.

He had a place where he dwelt with his people. First, it was a tent that moved around in the wilderness with Moses and the people. And then under Solomon, he built a house. He built the temple, this beautiful beautiful structure. And God in the Old Testament times had a temple for his people. They would come to the temple to meet with God. But now we know in the New Testament times that after Pentecost, the Bible says, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit came to live inside of us.

And that 's why Jesus said, hey, it's it told his disciples, it's better for you that I go away because if I don't go away, the Holy Spirit won't come. And when the Holy Spirit comes, he's just like me and he'll be with you and he'll be in you. In you. Christ in you, the hope of glory through his spirit. And so now we have become a temple of God. Every Christian because the Holy Spirit lives inside. Do you not know that your body is a temple, literally the holy of holies? And so you're a house of God, so to speak.

Now, my house, Jesus said, shall be called a house of prayer. How are you doing in this thing called prayer because you as a believer in Jesus if you're a believer in Jesus, you're a house. God lives in the house. And the house is supposed to be called a house of prayer. Prayer is so critical. Paul said in Colossians chapter four verse two, devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Want to share with you four insights from Colossians chapter four, four insights to encourage us in this thing called prayer.

Insight number one, God wants us to be faithful in prayer. To be faithful and regular, to devote ourselves to prayer. That is really critical. Prayer is something that we are commanded to do and that we are privileged to do, to call upon the God of the universe. Now, in all honesty, in all transparency, we have to say something right at the first. Prayer is difficult. It is hard to pray. And it's a paradox cuz prayer is easy to pray on one side because a little child can pray. You don't have to go to seminary to know how to pray.

Little kids can pray. My grandsons, they pray. Jack is four and Chase is two. They their parents are teaching them how to pray. And they don't know a whole lot. Their prayers are pretty rudimentary, but they can pray. So it's easy on one side, a little child can do it, but it's hard on the other side. The great Christian doctor David Martin Lloyd Jones of the 1900s had this quote. Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer. And that wild this is a guy who walked with God. This is a guy who studied the word of God.

Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer. And I say amen to that. That is true. Now, why is prayer it's easy but it's hard? Why is it like that? Because there's power in prayer. And because there's power in prayer, the devil will fight you to keep you from praying. Your flesh will fight you to keep you from praying. How many have this experience? You go to pray, you're in prayer for 10 seconds and your mind wanders to something else. Uh you know, you go to pray and and you think, well, I got all this stuff to pray and and you come before the Lord and you you think, man, I've been on my knees.

I must have been on my knees for 40 minutes and you look and spend 3 minutes. You know, and it says it's like, uh what is what is I've I've run out of things to pray for and and it's just hard and the devil will fight you and your mind will wander and your phone will ding and other things will be calling you. All that is because there's power in prayer. Jeremiah 33 verse three, call to me, the Lord says, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

God promises to answer when we pray. Prayer is powerful. As I said, prayer links our nothingness with God's almighty power. There's nothing that God can't do. And when we pray, we can connect with God's power. So prayer requires diligence and perseverance. We need to devote ourselves to prayer. That word devote in the Greek means to be strong, steadfast, earnest towards, to persevere and attend to continually. Jesus put it this way, ask and keep asking, knock and keep knocking, seek and keep seeking because the one who asks and keeps asking, he gets a response. And the one who seeks and keeps seeking, he finds.

The one who knocks and keeps knocking on heaven's door in his prayers, that door is opened. So we need to keep doing it. I love Psalm 27 verses 13 and 14. David says, I would have despaired unless I believed I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord. We throw in the towel on prayer so much of the time because things don't get answered just like that. We need to keep knocking and seeking and asking and praying and praying and praying.

Devote yourselves to prayer. So God wants us to be faithful in prayer, the first insight. Second insight, God wants us to be watchful in prayer. Watchful in prayer. Devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it. See, when we say watch and pray, when Jesus told those guys watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The word watch doesn't mean well, okay, I'm I'm out of the game. I'm going to go to sit on the bench and just watch everybody else play. No, it means you're still in the game and you're watching.

You're on the alert like the watchman on the wall. And you're very alert while you're praying. We get that from Nehemiah, a picture Nehemiah chapter four. You know, Nehemiah was the one that God put on his heart to go back to Jerusalem where the wall had been broken down and been broken down for just decade after decade after decade after decade. A city without walls didn't work back then. It doesn't work today. You have to have some kind of a wall and some kind of a barrier. Otherwise, if everything's just wide open, you can't defend yourself.

Well, Jerusalem was in a bad way because the wall had been broken down and it it stayed broken down since Nebuchadnezzar broke it down in 586 BC. And the Lord put on Nehemiah's heart go and get the people together to rebuild the wall. It's a big undertaking. Well, the enemies of the Jews didn't want to see the wall rebuilt cuz they didn't want to see a strong Jerusalem. So they threatened to attack the builders. And this is what Nehemiah said. And all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Nevertheless, we made our prayer to our God.

And because of them, we set a watch against them day and night. They were watching and praying. They were alert as they prayed. Now, how do you keep your mind engaged when you pray so it doesn't just drift off? Something that will help. Remember that prayer is talking to the God of the universe. Talking to the God of the universe, the God who spoke the worlds into existence. That's how we keep alert and awake and vigilant as we pray. Now, I've had the privilege with doing the radio every morning on Real Truth for Today of talking to some people that I probably wouldn't have gotten an opportunity to talk to.

Jim Semblav, interviewed him twice. Well, Jim Semblav is a is a wealth of of ministry, experience and stories and how God has used his life. Johnny Erickson taught us one of my heroes in the faith getting to interview her and getting to know her and talk to her. Dr. John Lennox is is a tremendous apologist. I have to say when I had him on the radio program, I was nervous cuz that guy is a brainiac with a capital B. And your pastor is brain challenged with a small B compared to that guy. And so it's like, you know, just want to do really well and you want to stay engaged.

I got to talk to George Foreman for an hour. That was a lot of fun. Now, George is not like John Lennox in terms of of being this is massive brainiac. George is a lot of fun to talk to. He's in heaven now. But people like that, you know, when you get them on the the radio, you're not your mind is not drifting. You're very locked in to the interview. Now, those people are nothing compared to the God of the universe. The God who spoke and it stood fast. He commanded and it was done. And we get to come before him.

He invites us to come. Come boldly before the throne of grace that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We need to remember that we are talking to the God of the universe, the king of kings and Lord of lords. That helps us to be alert. And then prayer is focused and attentive because we are talking to the king of kings and Lord of lords. Devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it.

Larry Nobles: You're listening to From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve and the series Watch and Pray. Today's lesson a house of prayer. There are moments in life when you realize just how desperately you need the Lord. People everywhere are facing situations that leave them overwhelmed, afraid and searching for answers. They need to know that there is a God who hears them when they call and that he loves them and he offers guaranteed hope through Christ. Prayer, of course, is such an important part of the Christian life. Yet it also can be one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines.

The great theologian Martin Lloyd Jones once said, everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer. I think he was right. Now, this month our emphasis will be on prayer. And we know that prayer works. From His Heart is a listener supported broadcast ministry and we are dependent on the prayers of those who listen each and every day. And God pours out his blessings to us so that we can reach around the world. Over the next few years, we're hoping to expand into five new languages, but we need your support to do that.

So pray and ask God if he would have you to join us in this effort. And we will thank you by sending you Pastor Jeff's new series Watch and Pray. It's six lessons that will bless your heart. Go to fromhisheart.org or simply call 866-40 Bible, 866-40 Bible. And know that your continued praying and supporting of this ministry means so very much. Now, let's continue with part one of the message a house of prayer and the series Watch and Pray.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: You know what people do in prayer? We we're all guilty of this at one point or another is just to have these blah blah blah prayers. You ever done that? It's just you you pull out a prayer sheet. Maybe you have a prayer sheet. I keep a prayer sheet in my Bible and you just kind of going through it and you're just checking boxes. Okay, I prayed for family. I prayed for this person. I prayed for that person. I prayed for that need. And you're just reading it like you'd read a a grocery list. And your mind is not engaged at all.

It's just blah blah blah blah. I remember talking to a guy one time his relationship with the Lord was terrible. He said, well, I still pray. I said, yeah, tell me about that. Well, I you know, I go through a list. I said, uh where's your mind when you're praying all that stuff, your list? He said, well, you know, I mean, I'm I'm saying the words. I was like, yeah, you're it's just mindless. You're not really engaging with God. That's what prayer is. Prayer is connecting to God. And so we stay focused and attentive and we throw away the blah blah blah stuff.

You don't get points for going through a list. Prayer means something when it means something to you when you're talking to your father who is also the king. And you know, we need to be alert in prayer, aware in prayer. Bible says of the sons of Issachar, they were men who understood the times and what Israel should do. We need to be aware of what's going on in our world. We need to be aware of the temperature and the climate of things so that our prayers can be directed toward things going on in America, things going on in our community, things going on in the world.

So we're on alert. So God wants us to be faithful in prayer. Insight number one, watchful in prayer. Insight number two, God wants us to be third insight, grateful in prayer. Grateful in prayer. Keeping alert in it, the Bible says, with an attitude of thanksgiving. Hebrews 13:5 says this, through him then, speaking of Jesus, through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that gives thanks to his name. How grateful are you in your prayers? How much thanksgiving do you have in your prayers? You know, sometimes people their their prayers tend to be uh moaning and groaning and whining and griping about this person, this situation, that situation, all these things.

And nobody likes to listen to whining and griping. You think God likes to listen to that? No. You don't. I don't. You remember being on trips with your kids in the backseat, long trips? And you're just like, oh, she's touching me. You know, that kind of thing. And you know, and then and the whining and the griping that can easily come. Little kids can do that a lot. We don't want to be like that with with the Lord. My preaching professor Wayne McDill he had four kids and he said sometimes one of the kids would come downstairs and be all grumpy and all that stuff.

And Wayne was a no-nonsense kind of guy. He just tell his son, you can get go back upstairs and when you can come down with a happy disposition and a smile on your face, then you can eat breakfast with us. But we're not putting up with your whiny gripy behavior. And so the kid would do it, you know, okay. Uh hey, devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Now, thankful praying gives evidence of genuine faith. When you can thank God we even when things are really tough, when you can thank God, that shows that you trust God.

That shows that you know that God is over it all. And so you can be thankful and grateful as you pray. The song that was so popular some years ago, when you're up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams and your hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan's manifested schemes. When you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fear, don't let the faith you're standing in seem to disappear. What do you do? You praise the Lord. Through him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of lips that give thanks to his name.

Thankful praying shows that you really trust God. You know that he's over it all. Now, I have said uh many many times before three things that every Christian needs to have chiseled on his heart, on her heart. Number one, God is good. God is good. Things can be bad in life, but God is good. He's always good. Number two, God loves me and God loves you. His loving kindness is everlasting. Truly he is good. Truly his loving kindness is everlasting. And number three, Romans 8:28 God works all things together for good to those who love him, to those who are called according to his purpose.

And when you understand and you know deep down in your heart, no matter what happens in life, God is good. God loves me and God is going to work this together for good. You can give thanks to him and you can praise him. And the other thing about thankful praying, what does it do? It drives out the anxiety and the worry that so easily comes into our hearts. Philippians chapter four, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And then what happens? And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Be thankful God wants us faithful. He wants us watchful. He wants us grateful. And then fourth and finally, God wants us to be purposeful in prayer. To be purposeful in prayer. So here's Paul. Paul's writing this letter from prison in Rome. This is his first Roman imprisonment and he writes to the Colossians and never been to Colossae, but he is writing this letter to them. Devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving praying at the same time for us as well that God will open up to us a door for the word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been imprisoned that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace as though seasoned with salt so that you will know how you should respond to each person. God wants our prayers to be purposeful. Now, what is the purpose of prayer? You know, you hear people saying, well, God knows everything and God's will's always going to be done. What's the point of me even praying? Well, I want to give you two purposes. We could mention more, but two that are really really critical and really rise to the top.

Number one, the purpose of prayer is to draw you near to God. That's why we pray. It it's not just we come before the Lord, God, I want you to do this for me and this for me and this for me and this for me. The Lord is not some kind of heavenly bellhop. I'm going to take your luggage wherever you say. He doesn't come. Uh you know, some people have the idea that prayer is like a rubbing a a genie's lamp and out comes the genie and God is the genie and he comes out and says, yes, master.

You know, he's the master. We're the servant. The whole purpose of prayer, one of the big draws of prayer is to draw us to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Why do you have so many problems in life? Why are there problems just everywhere? Why is it everywhere you look there's a problem here, a problem there. It's like old McDonald here, a problem there, a problem everywhere, a problem problem. You got problems with your kids, problems with your grandkids, problems at work. Man who is short-lived, Job said, and full of trouble.

And he has problems. Jesus said in the world, you have tribulation, but be of good cheer. Be of good courage. I have overcome the world. God gives us problems to show us how much we need him.

Larry Nobles: We're going to pause there for now on From His Heart halfway through the lesson a house of prayer. Next time after a brief review, Pastor Jeff will continue describing how important prayer really is to the Christian life. Now, one of the greatest privileges of ministry is praying for people. Whatever you're facing today, whatever it is, you don't have to face it alone. And it would be our privilege to pray for you personally. Go to the prayer section of our website today at fromhisheart.org. Well, that's all for today. Thank you for joining us. I'm Larry Nobles and we hope that you will not miss the part two of a house of prayer when Pastor Jeff returns next time to continue the message from the Watch and Pray series.

Here's just a little bit of what you'll hear then.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Sometimes we get the idea that prayer is getting my will before heaven's throne to get my will on earth to be done in heaven. No. Prayer is calling on God to get his will in heaven done on earth. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Larry Nobles: Join Pastor Jeff next time as he speaks truth, love and hope to a lost and hurting world here on From His Heart.