I. EXORDIUM:
Do you enjoy answered prayers from GOD?
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
Believers
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show how to pray in the New Testament age of Grace.
IV. TEXT:
Ezra 8:23 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and He heard our prayer.
V. THESIS:
Prayer is communing [praise,worship and thanksgiving] with GOD.
VI. TITLE:
GOD answered our prayers
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Author: unknown. Ezra might have been the compiler
B. Date written: 450 B.C.
C. Purpose: To document GOD's faithfulness, keeping His promises, sovereignly protecting His People and returned them to their own land.
D. To whom written: Jerusalem's restored remnant and future generations.
E. Main theme: Return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity
F. Keywords: Word of GOD, Power of the Word of GOD in human life, Word of the LORD
G. Key verses:
Ezra 1:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you!
Ezra 7:10 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.
VIII. MAIN BODY:
A. We fasted
"So we fasted"
1. The word:"fasted" came from the Hebrew word:"tsum" meaning "to cover over (the mouth)", "to fast" and came from the Greek word:"nesteuo" meaning "to abstain from food". It's communing with GOD without the aid of food.
New testament fasting are as follows:
a. The Holy Spirit speaks in a time of fast and lead them to dedicate workers for the task.
Acts 13:2-3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”
So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.
b. It's a time of turning the elders/leaders to the care of the LORD.
Acts 14:23 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
c. A good apostle like Paul practices fasting.
2 Corinthians 6:5 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.
In all of these events, leaders and workers are always present in the fast. Ezra in his time, instead of doing the natural that is "to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way" he did the supernatural way: prayer and fasting. We are spirit-beings not physical beings, spiritual ways work for us best rather than physical ways. Ezra would rather rely on GOD's Power to accompany and protect them instead of the human king's accompaniment and protection.
Ezra 8:22 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.”
B. We earnestly prayed
"and earnestly prayed"
1. Earnest prayer in the New Testament is defined in James 5:16-17 and have mentioned Elijah as an example in 1 Kings 17:1
James 5:16-18 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
1 Kings 17:1 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”
2. Earnest prayer is then:
a. not long
b. no kneeling
c. no begging
d. simply a declaration of Elijah's faith in GOD and His Words. - To just declare His Words, we need to seek Him thru His Words. We need to know His will thru His Words so we can mention, declare and say it in our prayer of faith.
C. GOD heard our prayer
"and He heard our prayer"
Our New testament prayers should consist of praise/worship, and thanksgiving because GOD already gave everything to us and there's nothing left for Him to give because He didn't hide His Only Son to us. When we thank GOD, we are claiming, applying, experiencing and releasing His blessings of answered prayers in our lives.
Romans 1:8 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.
1 Corinthians 1:4 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.
As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:24 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
Colossians 3:17 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Philemon 1:4 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon,
Revelation 11:17 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.
Romans 1:17 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”
Hebrews 11:6 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek him.
IX. CONCLUSION:
We pray to convince/remind ourselves and not GOD. We remember because we are the ones who forget.
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