Sermon Note
Pastor Lawrence
Abound in hope and always have hope in the Lord
Don’t lose hope. Don’t give up.
Our God is a God of all comfort. Even when you are discouraged and no strength to carry on, He will carry you thru
Mark 9:28-29
And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
Fasting is not included in the original Greek.
Keep on praying
Matthew 21:13
And He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves.’ ”
Matthew 21:14
Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.
The house of God, when we are a house of prayers we will see amazing miracles. There will be breakthrough.
Amazing breakthrough will come when we persist in prayers. Pray and not lose heart.
Luke 11:9-13
Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking
(Matt. 7:7–11)
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
The Lord is encouraging us to ask of Him and seek of Him.
When we pray, don’t let it be complicated
Ask and you shall receive.
Luke 18:1-5
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
Luke 18:6-8
Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
God hears your every cries. God hears your every prayers.
We ask and we shall receive.
Lets be bold and ask of God
Luke 1:37
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Abound in hope
Faith is the substance of things hope for.
Have great hope in the heart. Things are going to turn around.
Your breakthrough is coming!
Have hope in God and don’t give up
Mark 9:29
And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Acts 12:1-4
Herod’s Violence to the Church
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
Acts 12:5-6
Peter Freed from Prison
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.
Note : constant prayer
Acts 12:7-10
Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
The church faced a crisis. One of their top leaders was killed. But when constant prayers was offered by church to God, great things come to pass.
I believe they were praying in the spirit
Peter was led by the angel out of prison
When this house is the house of prayers we will see amazing breakthroughs, miracles
Do not give up. Keep on praying. Your time is coming.
Jesus as God He did not need to pray. As Man, He lived His life wholly dependent on God
Luke 11:1
The Model Prayer
(Matt. 6:9–15)
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Jesus was a Man of prayer
In Luke 3, He was a River Jordan
Jesus went to John to be baptised by him
When Jesus was baptised the heaven was opened and the Father said Jesus is His beloved in whom He is well pleased
Luke 3:21-22
John Baptizes Jesus
(Matt. 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; John 1:29–34)
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Prayer is an act of humility
While Jesus was praying, the heaven was opened.
Are you facing a challenge today? All you need to do is to pray.
Luke 5:15
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
Good things are happening in His ministry.
Luke 5:15-16
However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
When the Lord was faced in great success in His ministry, He often withdrew Himself to pray. He did not just pray when He was faced with need. He wholly depended on God His Father.
May we be like Him. Pray without ceasing
Take time to seek the Lord
Take time to pray
Take time to ask of Him
Take time to depend on Him
Be anxious for nothing
Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
In everything by prayers and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your request to God
Don’t be anxious about your life
Make your request to God and thank Him
Philippians 4:7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Keep on praying.
Prayers is the key
Job 42:10
And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
God wants to incentive our prayers.
When we pray for our friends, the Lord will bless us
James 5:16
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Luke 9:28-29
Jesus Transfigured on the Mount
(Matt. 16:28–17:9; Mark 9:2–10; 2 Pet. 1:16–18)
Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
As He prayer, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
As He prayed, He was transfigured
As we behold the Lord we are transformed from glory to glory
In your weakness, look to Him
The abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, you will reign in this life
Prayers is the grace of God touches our hearts
Our heart does not condemn us, we will ask of Him and receive
God has forgiven you
Hebrews 8:12
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
Don’t hold your sins against yourself today
1 John 3:21
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
Believe God you will reign in this life
Don’t just ask God for small things. Let your faith arise.
Ask for big things.
2 Kings 20:1-5
Hezekiah’s Life Extended
(2 Chr. 32:24–26; Is. 38:1–8)
In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’ ”
Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, “Remember now, O LORD, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD.
What do you do when you receive negative report? And this report is from the prophet
He turned his face towards the wall and prayed
I have heard your prayers
I have seen your tears
Surely i will heal you
Don’t despair because of the crisis.
It is an opportunity for you to pray
The Lord reversed the report
The Lord instructed the prophet to turn back
God is the God who hears your prayers
He has seen your tears!
God heard those cries!
Surely I will heal you
Do not despair because of the report
Let your faith arise
God is able to turn the situation around
Face Him, He is able to heal you!
Don’t give up
Everyday passes by, you are one day closer to your miracle
With God, nothing shall be impossible
Look to Jesus Christ. He is your hope
He will turn all things together for your good.
Prayers is our weapon
Ephesians 6:18
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Persevere in prayers.
Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
And they divided His garments and cast lots.
He was praying for those who crucified Him
His heart is to forgive
Our Lord is merciful and gracious
Psalms 103:10-12
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
His heart is to forgive
