Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000014
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00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Did you know that intercessory prayer is the greatest school of 00:05 training to become Christlike? 00:07 Please join us today on Pressing Into His Presence. 00:12 We'll be discussing this and why intercessory prayer is also 00:16 the highest calling to ministry. 00:40 Welcome to Pressing Into His Presence. 00:42 This series on prayer is something that is 00:46 just so special to me. 00:47 And our hope is that you are reaping the benefit of a more 00:52 intimate prayer life with God as we go through this teaching. 00:57 This series was taken from a book that I was 01:00 privileged to write, also titled Pressing Into His Presence. 01:04 And we have been sharing how God led me into a deeper level 01:08 of prayer, and totally, and I mean totally 01:12 changed my life because of it. 01:14 Today we're going to begin on Chapter 8. 01:18 Now from time to time it seems beneficial to make a quick 01:22 review of our progress. 01:25 So let's do that now. 01:27 So far we have considered how God taught me to begin my prayer 01:32 with praise, and He prescribed praise for the 01:35 benefit of our faith. 01:36 We've learned how confession is the clearing house of our 01:39 conscience, and how God hears, and God forgives. 01:43 And one great reward of confession is that 01:48 it clears our conscience. 01:51 It gives us confidence before the Lord. 01:54 We've reflected on the five steps of repentance, 01:57 and why it is only by His power that we can turn 02:00 away from our sins. 02:01 Repentance is a gift from God. 02:04 And we've learned now to come before Him with clean 02:08 hands and a pure heart. 02:09 We've talked about the transforming power of His Word, 02:14 and how to take His promises and make them our confession 02:18 during prayer, declaring that we agree with God's wisdom. 02:22 Confessing His Word is our life source, and it causes His way of 02:28 thinking to become our way of thinking. 02:31 And for the last two programs we have focused 02:34 on intercessory prayer; the part that this plays 02:39 in His plan of salvation. 02:40 So today we'll continue the teaching on intercessory prayer 02:43 and see how this practice actually makes 02:46 us more Christlike. 02:48 We've also been considering, as a matter of observation only, 02:53 how this type of prayer relates to each 02:56 section of the Sanctuary. 02:58 And we've seen that as we intercede for others, 03:02 we symbolically stand in the holy place before the 03:07 golden altar of incense. 03:10 And earlier we took note that our prayers rise before the 03:15 King of kings, and as they do, Christ adds His prayer to ours, 03:21 and presents them to the Father. 03:23 It is His intercession that results in the release 03:27 of God's blessings. 03:28 We observed that pleading for the perishing is accomplished 03:33 with the great energy that is supplied by the Holy Spirit. 03:38 Our approach in prayer is not to be ever 03:42 one of casual indifference. 03:45 We are to pray earnestly, and in faith. 03:49 Still, it is not our eloquence or our favor, our fervor 03:55 I should say, in which we are to trust. 03:57 Rather, we place our trust in God who longs to bless man. 04:04 And He waits on those He created as agents 04:08 of freewill to ask. 04:11 Let's review the seven points that I promised to present 04:14 on intercessory prayer. 04:16 This is... we'll just go through these quickly. 04:19 First our role as intercessors is part of God's plan to bring 04:25 blessings from heaven. 04:26 We were created to be co-intercessors with Christ. 04:30 Intercessory prayer is the highest calling to ministry. 04:35 We're conformed to the image of Jesus through 04:38 intercessory prayer. 04:40 5. Intercessory prayer is our duty as a Christian. 04:45 6. Neglecting the call to intercession may be the reason 04:49 that God's work on earth isn't done. And finally 04:53 7. Intercessors are doubly blessed. 04:57 So far we have examined our role as intercessors, 05:02 and why it's part of God's plan to bring His 05:05 blessings from heaven. 05:06 Today we'll briefly consider how we were created, 05:10 and equipped for intercession, and why this is the highest 05:15 calling to ministry. 05:16 If you're following along in the book, 05:18 Pressing Into His Presence, today we're 05:21 beginning on Chapter 8. 05:22 Human beings were created in the image of God. 05:29 But that holy image was marred in mankind after Adam and Eve's 05:33 fall to temptation in the garden of Eden. 05:36 But God was ready to rescue, and recreate the human species 05:41 through His Calvary plan, and the indescribable 05:45 gift of salvation. 05:46 When we accept Christ as our Savior we are born again, 05:51 recreated in His image. 05:55 Psalms 24:1 says this: 06:07 God is the rightful owner of the earth. 06:12 But Jesus explains in the parable of the vineyard 06:14 found in Matthew 21, that our Heavenly Father has 06:19 leased the earth to man. 06:20 He's given it over to mankind for development. 06:24 This echo's the teaching of Psalms 115:15, 16. And it says: 06:45 The bottom line is that God made man in His image so that 06:54 we could be co-laborers. 06:57 Let me repeat that. 06:58 Because sometimes it's hard to distinguish what you're saying. 07:02 Co-laborers, to labor together. 07:06 He created us so that we could be co-laborers with Him 07:10 on the earth; giving us stewardship over this planet. 07:14 And His completed creation on earth contained the full 07:19 potential for man to develop computers, and space shuttles, 07:24 and smart phones. The Creator gave mankind creative talents, 07:30 commanding us to work six days, and then to rest on the seventh, 07:36 the Holy Sabbath. As God's re-created children, 07:41 our destiny is to become like Christ. 07:46 One of my favorite Scripture promises is Romans 8:28, 29, 07:51 that shows us our hope and our destiny. 07:54 Verse 28 says that we know all things work together for good 07:58 for those who love God, and those who are called 08:02 according to His purpose. 08:04 That's our hope. He's going to work everything out 08:07 together for our good. 08:08 But you can't separate verse 28 from verse 29. 08:12 Because verse 29 explains how God works all things 08:17 together for our good. 08:18 Verse 29 says, For whom He foreknew He predestined 08:23 to be conformed to the image of His Son, 08:25 that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 08:29 That's our destiny; to become conformed to the image of Jesus. 08:36 So together it means that our hope is that God will work out 08:41 all things, everything that happens in our lives. 08:45 He works it together to conform us to the image of Jesus, 08:50 which we were predestined to become as a child of God. 08:56 A great illustration of this is Joseph, the son of the patriarch 09:02 Jacob and Rachel, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. 09:07 And their intent was purely evil. 09:10 Although Joseph suffered greatly, and he must certainly 09:14 have been perplexed by the circumstances, 09:16 God meant it for his good. 09:19 Joseph developed humility, he developed patience, 09:24 and he learned to be totally dependent upon God. 09:29 And he came out of his trials with more 09:32 Chris like characteristics. 09:34 Likewise God works all things together for us to make us more 09:39 like Jesus Christ. 09:41 When we were adopted by our Heavenly Father, 09:44 we became more than faithful co-laborers for the Lord. 09:51 We also became co-heirs with Christ, as Paul points out 09:58 in Romans 8:15-17. Here he says: 10:35 You know, God's plan of salvation does not offer us a 10:39 life free from trials and suffering in this present world. 10:43 But we will inherit eternal life in God's kingdom of glory, 10:48 sharing in the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, 10:51 if we share in His sufferings against temptations 10:55 and the powers of darkness. 10:57 Our share in His inheritance carries fundamental 11:01 responsibilities at the family business. 11:04 God works to save souls, and we must be about our Father's 11:09 business until Christ returns. 11:11 Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, that we are ambassadors 11:18 for Christ, co-laborers in the spreading of the gospel, 11:23 and trusted with the ministry of reconciliation. 11:27 As co-laborers, and co-heirs, we were also recreated 11:34 to be co-intercessors with Christ, who serves as our 11:40 great intercessor in Heaven. 11:41 Our duty, as children of God, is to participate in the family 11:46 business by making intercessions for all men. 11:51 Let me read 1 Timothy 2:1-4 where Paul gives this 11:57 instruction to Timothy. He says: 12:30 Prayers of Godly intercessors fill the Bible. 12:35 I think of Abraham, Daniel, and Paul, just to name a few, 12:40 who labored fervently in prayer for humanity. 12:43 But intercessory prayer in not consigned to a few special 12:49 servants of the Lord. 12:51 It is the duty, and it is the great privilege of God's 12:55 children; all of God's children. 12:57 We are to continue earnestly in prayer, with vigilance, 13:01 pleading God's promises over the perishing. 13:05 This makes us like the watchmen on the wall, as God describes 13:11 in Isaiah 62:6, 7. 13:15 These are the words of the Lords. 13:45 Here God is saying, Remember My promises. 13:50 Have faith in them. 13:51 Don't keep silent. 13:52 Pray them back to Me until I've answered your prayers. 13:55 When the people of God were carried away as captives 13:58 from Jerusalem to Babylon, He instructed them to make 14:02 a pleasant life there; to have children 14:05 increase their numbers. 14:06 But He also exhorted the captives to pray on behalf; 14:13 to intercede on behalf of Babylon, their captors. 14:17 Listen to this. This is Jeremiah 20:4-7. 14:22 And God says seek the peace of the city where I have caused you 14:26 to be carried away captive. 14:28 Pray to the Lord for it. 14:30 In other words intercede. 14:32 For in it, in its peace, you will have peace. 14:37 The eyes of the Lord should not have to roam the earth in search 14:42 of someone who will intercede for a land filled with sinners. 14:46 But listen to this sorrowful note. 14:50 There's just kind of an accent in the words of the Lord 14:54 found here. This is Ezekiel 22: 29-31. It says: 15:03 This is God speaking. 15:25 In other words intercede. 15:48 Isn't that amazing? 15:52 He's looking for someone to stand in the gap to intercede, 15:55 and He can't find anybody. 15:57 But perhaps the most powerful Scripture regarding the ministry 16:02 of intercessory prayer, is found in Isaiah 59. 16:06 We're going to read verses 14-16. Listen to this: 16:44 Can you imagine? God wondered. 16:49 He was amazed that there was no man to stand in the gap 16:54 and intercede. He wondered why no one loved the people enough 17:00 to intercede on their behalf. 17:02 He wondered that no one had enough faith 17:05 in His power to deliver. 17:08 Is God searching in amazement for intercessors today? 17:13 Is His holy heart filled with woeful wonder as He searches 17:20 for someone to stand in the gap? 17:22 I pray not! I pray we will take seriously this call, His call, 17:29 to intercede on behalf of others. 17:31 Let our hearts understand we are sinning against the Lord 17:35 when we do not carry out our duty as 17:38 co-intercessors with Christ. 17:40 Consider these words from 1 Samuel 12:23. Samuel writes: 17:59 Huh, let us take notice and take action. 18:04 Our lack of intercessory prayer not only grieves the Lord, 18:08 but it is actually a sin against Him. 18:11 We are destined to develop the same essence of love 18:14 that defines God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. 18:17 We are destined to develop the same attitude of 18:21 self-sacrificing love. 18:23 And when we become calloused to the needs of others, 18:27 we are being defined by selfishness. 18:30 We're no longer being led by the Spirit of the Lord. 18:34 Intercessory prayer is more than our duty before God, 18:40 it is our great privilege to take part in this 18:45 most important ministry. 18:47 Some time ago a precious 93 year old saint called me at 3ABN. 18:55 And my managerial duties in programming development 18:59 don't normally permit me the leisure of taking such calls. 19:03 But I believe this was a divine appointment. 19:06 She encouraged me on a day that I needed it. 19:10 And I, in turn, encouraged her on a day that she needed it. 19:14 Sharing her stories of her once active ministerial life, 19:19 she finally told me of her present homebound condition. 19:24 She'd been a missionary. 19:26 Now she was old and in a wheelchair. 19:28 And she sighed and said, Oh, I'm no use to my Lord any longer. 19:34 It depresses me. And when I asked her how she spent her time 19:39 she described her prayer efforts for others 19:42 throughout the entire day. 19:43 And I said, Congratulations! 19:46 You have graduated to the highest calling of ministry. 19:51 The highest level! 19:53 And she said, What? 19:55 And I told her, When Christ hands out His rewards, 19:58 I believe He's going to call on you to step forth before many 20:02 of the televangelists. 20:04 Can't you just see the expression on their faces, 20:07 I said? And it was evident that my comment shocked her. 20:11 In further explanation, I told her that I was convinced 20:16 intercessory prayer is the highest calling to ministry 20:20 that exists. Why? Because it is the ministry of our risen, 20:27 and exalted Savior. 20:28 Let's look at several Scriptures that describe 20:34 Christ's heavenly ministries. 20:36 And we're going to begin with Hebrews 7:24, 25. It says: 20:45 Speaking of Jesus. 21:06 Christ lives to make intercession for you. 21:10 The apostle John describes Jesus as our advocate who is 21:15 interceding with the Father on our behalf. 21:18 In 1 John 2:1 he says: 21:46 Now Paul further gives us this promise in 21:51 Romans 8:34, and he says: 21:55 Who is he who condemns? 21:57 It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, 22:02 who is even at the right hand of God, 22:05 who also makes intercession for us. 22:11 The risen and exalted Christ lives to pray for His people. 22:19 It is because He died for our sins, and rose to return to the 22:25 Father, that He now can exercise His right of becoming 22:29 our advocate, and ever lives to make intercession for us. 22:34 Our greatest safeguard is that He is alive, 22:39 and He is constantly interceding on our behalf. 22:44 It gives me such joy to know that He is in Heaven 22:50 praying for me, watching over me, 22:53 and interceding on my behalf. 22:56 His glorious intercession is the highest expression of ministry. 23:02 And He invites us to be His prayer partners. 23:06 If you take a moment and think about this, could there be 23:10 a higher calling to ministry? 23:14 Of course action is vital. 23:17 But no matter what deeds we do on behalf of His cause, 23:21 we should always accompany our actions with seasons of 23:27 intercession to release God's power for those we serve. 23:32 Sometimes we wonder why, if Christ is interceding on our 23:38 behalf, why our payers may seem not to be answered. 23:43 Often because He does see the end from the beginning, 23:48 He actually has answered, and His answer was, No. 23:53 I can certainly look back on the times in my past when I just 24:00 thank God that He answered, what I considered unanswered 24:06 prayers, was that He said, No. 24:08 I'm so glad because otherwise my life could have been in a 24:14 completely different direction. 24:16 You know, sometimes we ask with the wrong purpose, 24:20 or with selfish motives. 24:22 And at other times His answer is, Not right now. 24:27 God's timing is perfect, and we must learn to trust His wisdom. 24:33 An interesting variation in the timing of answered prayers 24:37 is presented in the Old Testament book of Daniel. 24:41 On one occasion in Daniel 9: 20-22, Daniel received an answer 24:49 while he was praying. 24:50 Actually, while he was praying the answer came. 24:54 And the response in another prayer in Daniel 10:10-13, 25:01 he had fasted and prayed for twenty-one days before 25:05 the angel came to deliver the message and tell him that God 25:12 had actually heard him praying, and that the answer was yes. 25:17 It's just that there was a battle in the spiritual realms 25:22 that was delaying the answer. 25:25 Christ's ministry of intercession is always 25:30 potent and productive. 25:31 We should frequently remind ourselves that God is working 25:37 all things together for our eternal benefit, to conform us 25:42 to the image of His Son. 25:44 I repeat myself: Our destiny is to become like Jesus. 25:50 And when we are born again God re-creates us, 25:56 and He restores us to being co-laborers with Christ, 26:02 co-heirs with Christ, and co-intercessors with Christ. 26:07 And a heart that is filled with intercession is Christlike. 26:14 To pray unceasing; as we pray with the mind and heart of 26:20 Christ, we become like Him. 26:22 And to pray unceasingly for the perishing world, 26:27 is to resemble Christ's relationship to mankind. 26:31 And we become more like Him during these times of prayer. 26:34 Intercession is our premier privilege. 26:39 It is our highest calling to ministry, and the greatest 26:44 school of training to become Christlike. 26:46 The intercessor holds a place of infinite importance 26:51 in the kingdom of God. 26:53 God has bestowed this powerful ministry upon us 26:58 to help Him with His work in the salvation of men, 27:04 and for the glory of His name. 27:06 Well, I hope today that God is touching your heart. 27:12 And I hope that you realize, as I realize, my great need of 27:19 actually repenting and saying, Lord, grant me repentance. 27:23 Because sometimes as much as I pray, I realize that 27:26 I just don't pray enough. 27:28 And so we need to pray for others. 27:31 We need to realize this is ministry. 27:34 And if you are sitting at home today and you can't get out of 27:38 a chair, you can still have the highest calling 27:41 to ministry there is. 27:42 Please join us next time when we will be considering 27:46 the unfinished work of intercessory prayer, 27:51 and why we need to get serious about it so God 27:55 can finish His work. 27:57 Now our prayer for you, as always, is that the grace of our 28:03 Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, 28:06 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, will be with you always. |
Revised 2015-01-22