Unanswered Prayer - Part 1

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ coming. I know this… He doesn't do that at all.

In fact, God always puts a very clean condition. One thing in a strange as it sounds during huge movements in the prosperity movement of evangelical church in America teach exactly the opposite of this. It teaches that God exist so that he can fulfill every dream and one in design. That's why there is couldn't be further from the truth when he says joining us today on this additional fellowship in the world Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church, located in Metairie, Louisiana, one pastor now. Again he shows us God's word meets like I think a lot of us think like Winston Churchill did when he was trying to describe Russian he said this Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma and for a lot of us. If you really think about prayer.

That's the way turns out for like you say this way, the doctoral class at the seminary in prayer and up before you could go with the seminary and we would discuss prayer the pre-reading requisite was 50 books so it read 50 books before you go and talk about prayer. So I read 50 books we want talk about prayer. We all sat around for half a day for a full week when it was all done I didn't understand anything more about prayer than I did when I had read the book is an amazing thing when you think about prayer seat. Some people over the years. Some people would say that that prayer makes God change his mind. That's what prayer can do other people say no prayer can't possibly change anything because God's immutable and God do his will.

While Scripture seems to reveal a mystery here. It reveals that there is a sovereign God and man's involvement is all part of God's sovereign plan now to your benefit. I can say this not to try to solve the mystery. They shall not talk about. I want to talk about a question we all have a very very practical level when it comes to prayer circle revealed with David in Psalm 61 says this my cryo God give heed to my prayer from the end of the earth. I call you when my heart is faint Davis is.

I cry out to God and you know what he gets back.

Nothing.

No answer given ever prayed about anything and then you said why doesn't answer my prayer wise or no answer.

I've been praying and praying, I don't get anything back. Well on a certain level. It's a mystery. And God operates the way God operates, but on another level when I want to talk about this morning is something different and that is is that you might be surprised when it comes in answer prayer. This isn't new to us and it's not because you know I'm not a really spiritual Christian.

That's why my personal and answered.

Now I give you a couple examples. Habakkuk 1 of the prophets. He said this overlord.

How long so I cry not hear me Job in Job 31 said is all that I had one who would hear me.

Oh that the Almighty would finally answer me. David said in Psalm 13 how long the Lord will you forget me forever. How long will you hide your face from me.

Even the best of us have the same question but hasn't got answer prayers.

And so the Bible speaks to this. But in a very particular way. It might be because of you and me. God may not answer your prayer.

Not because of his mysterious sovereignty because of you because of me.

I want to look at several reasons. God gives us today at his word go with me to James chapter 4 in the New Testament. An obvious one in James four verse two. James writes this, he said you lost and you do not have. So you commit murder. I think that's hyperbole. He said you are envious and you cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. Then he says this.

You do not have because you do not ask. Sometimes there are no answers to our prayer because we don't pray and that's quite interesting. You see, I think we all want what Jesus: abundant life. Who would want that as a child of God who would want a life it's filled with joy and peace and hope.

Regardless of what the circumstances are around everybody one set maybe. Maybe there's something else we want even more so we end up defining what we want a little bit differently. I think that God would want us to. He said you lost any city you are envious what we lust that are envious of what other people consider the American dream. We want what we see other people have and we believe that will make us happy.

If I get what they have and I'll be happy somehow. It's interesting that won't do it. I give you another little verse the help of Freeman turned back to James chapter 1 verse 17 James writes as he said every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

So how many good things come from above all, every he said every good thing and every perfect gift comes from above to one of the proms we have. That's what God says I have it's it's James is wasting what Jesus said when he said, have come to give you life and give it to you abundantly. It's every good thing. Our problem is we don't actually believe that is the problem is that we not every good thing. There's so much out there that are good things. I mean, I've said this over the years.

But in America what is better than more, nothing. There is nothing better than more, we look for more and we have what we look for more. That's the American dream. We want to do this. He said no every good thing comes for me. So even if we get sometimes the things that we think is good and by the way, how do we know we want something else because we lust after every after just with James that later. This is what we want and then we just assume he said look, if you would ask me, I would give you every good thing not your definition of every good thing. My definition of every good thing I give you, so we don't ask. You see, we really don't ask. That's the way this happens, and happens often like that. That's why Paul told the Thessalonians. You need to be about praying without ceasing, doesn't mean going to Roman, prayed, means just your whole thought life should be strictly on God. Why do I want good things in my life. Yet what is everyone of them come from God. So I want to be in prayer with God so but sometimes I never asked notice back to James for look at first three. The next verse you asking you to not receive why you ask with wrong motives of the you may spend it on your pleasures. So God won't answer your prayer. Why, because of your motives. You have completely the wrong motives. In other words, he says a lot of our prayer life is selfish and worldly. That's our prayer life.

We end up becoming selfish and worldly. We want what we want. One thing I know from reading the word of God. God is not a divine vending machine. You know the image is not a sugar daddy.

That's just not who that's is not a goddess. He doesn't do that at all.

In fact, God always puts a very clean condition on things in a strange as it sounds. There are huge movements in the prosperity movement of evangelical church in America that would teach exactly the opposite of this verse. It teaches that God exist so that he can fulfill every dream and want and desire you've ever had. That's why there is a God. It couldn't be further from the truth when he says he said you pray from a worldly point of view go with me to first John chapter 5, first John chapter 5 in verse 14 and never going to see the condition of what we get. First John 514. John writes this he said this is the confidence we have before him that you talk about prayer. Don't underestimate how important it freezes. Can you and I have total confidence when we go before God in prayer.

Yes, that's what he says you can and desire you really think or do you go I'm going to go to God in prayer close my eyes cross my fingers. I just hope something happens. That's a confidence but John says you can have total confidence when you go before here is that if you ask anything that sounds good. Good. Now the next phrase of what you don't like. According to his will. If you ask anything according to his will he hears us. And we know that if he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked you can have. You can ask God anything and you'll get it. That sounds pretty good except for the phrase according to his will. While yet we we often omit that I saw some time ago when television a guy that was saying that the worst thing that a Christian could ever do is to pray to God and see according to your will. That was the worst thing a Christian could do.

It's not according to which, according to my will. You see, that's what prayer is and if I have enough faith in my will. God's going to do what I asked. That's blasphemous dozen workable member Jesus in the sermon on the Lord's prayer. Remember what little part of the Lord's prayer.

He said he said your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Remember when Jesus plate sweating droplets of blood in the Garnica seminar before the crucifixion and eat his request was father, let this cup pass from me. His next words. Nevertheless, not my will be done, but yours so I don't think Jesus lacked faith. You see, that wasn't it at all. There is a lacking of faith that can have an effect will look at that moment, but certainly not that one. That's not the way this works. In fact, if you really honest with yourself when it comes this what you saying to God is my prayer.

God, you will be changed. I want your will to be changed to my will.

That's what I want change your will to meet my will.

That's a lot doing your will be done to see to guide your will be changed from see that such thing up in a very very different way every time I pray and you pray, one of the things I should be doing is thanking God for everything he's done.

In fact, does the Bible say you to give thanks to God for everything. Yes I but in everything, yes I but for all things, yes, that's the way I should pray his will be done using key that everything or God is ever accomplished in my life for yours. Every good thing is accomplished in your life you know who did it. God, I should praise him for that.

Thank you. Is he that's the way this should work. We are he wants us to be dependent on him, moment by moment, day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year. That's his will for us.

That's what God really wants. So sometimes we don't pray. In other times we pray, but we do it with the wrong motives. David back this up in one of my favorite verses of the Old Testament. First time I saw it, I highlighted Psalm 37 four delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. It is do I want the desires of my heart. Yes. However, I want to get those if I delight myself in him, so that tells you what can a whole. I have so if my heart is totally delighting in him to give me whatever I desire, but often I will be desiring from delighting in him. So many of the things I go to the Lord and pray for.

See, that's a very important part of God allows us to pray our humanity. He loves us that because I don't know everything, so I'm allowed to pray that but just as Jesus about this cup pass from me. I can put everything I want but always with a nevertheless not my will, becoming said, I don't know anymore, but you do so, we sometimes pray with the wrong motives now go back with me to James chapter 1 James one and starting in verse two.

This is where faith really comes and it's interesting.

James writes, considerate, all joy, my brother, when you encounter various trials. This is a hard verse I talked about it many times I am to consider all joy when my life faces its most difficult challenges not when you face those is joy.

The first thing you think of homeboy just got that diagnosis. Praise God. You see, it's hard for us to see pretty snow doesn't matter what the trial was I'm sovereign over everything and I love you. Don't worry about that. So he says consider all joy. But when you encounter various trials. What's a trial. Therefore, knowing that the testing of your faith. That's why go through trials and so do you got allows us to go through trials to test our faith know he doesn't test our faith to see how far along we are. He tests our faith. So you see how far along you are. There's a difference and that God already knows where you're at you and I have a tendency to very much underestimate or overestimate our faith, he said, but if you go through a trial would creates endurance well and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect telling us complete, lacking nothing. God's is a trial be good for you to grow you up. You will grow spiritually in the worst days of your life such as yeah that's going to happen. Now the hard part for us is interesting if I'm going through this, or you are, there's a question lingers in our head why God why my going through this one will have to go through this. I don't understand.

I think we've all had thoughts like that. We've all done time and time again.

So here's what James writes. He said if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously without reproach, you will be given to you want to know why just asked me to give you the wisdom to handle your trial while that's pretty good. All there's a condition I have to ask in a particular state of mind. Watch what happens. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind for that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord being double minded man unstable in all his ways.

Well if I don't ask in faith God will give me wisdom you see won't help me through it.

Help please understand you when I should have wisdom when it goes through various trials we mean by that.

Hasn't God told us a lot of thick did God ever say these words to you from Romans 828 all things in your life work together for good. The got ever say that is that help you at all. This can work for your good.

I have to believe I don't I how can this be good. God said it was good. Godzilla never leave you nor forsake you. Always be here. He said I'm always for you. He said it's going through terrible trial come to the throne of grace. I'll give you the grace and mercy that you need to God's already told us all that.

That's wisdom and insight into what I'm going through. See that's the case that's why someone like Paul who went through terrible terrible things to consider. Like James at all. Joy. Why did Paul think that he had wisdom he actually believed what God said to the pub for us as we know what God said. But we don't believe I can see how any goods coming out of this. You see, within God's not to give you any insight or wisdom into it. If that's our primary concern is a person.

Fourthly, I want to go with me to Psalm 66 Psalm 66. This gift comes pretty convicting the Psalm is attributed to David. Even though the superscription does not necessarily say so. Verse 18.

Now notice what David says. David says if I regard wickedness in my heart.

The Lord will not hear me to get that. I regard wickedness in my heart he will not hear me gives a good you hold certain sin in your heart. God's is unlike in this view. I'm not so it's kind of a universal principle. By the way this David know anything about this. The David community since your world is a man after God's own heart, the duty to do anything. I mean wall yet committed adultery and then murdered the husband does at sunset for you. It is, but immediately David went confess the Lord right.

David knew he was king. No one can hold me accountable.

So for a year or year plus David just held onto it. I'm unsure even I know how guilty even felt and then God sent Nathan to a prophet, and Nathan pointed look. You're the man in David realism found out's of any rights to confessional songs. A year later, and what happened during that year. David said I was in anguish. Spiritually, I shriveled up completely spiritually.

My life was void what's happening.

God's not listening to David Huizinga listen to David Tillich. David acknowledges his own sin is not listening to see David regarded that held onto it is like go with me now to Isaiah 59 now illustrated again. Isaiah chapter 59 verses one into Isaiah 59 verses one into it starts out with a really good statement and then the condition he says behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save nor is his ear so dull that it cannot hear God sovereign. He can do anything he hears everything that you got is, but there's a word your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not that's on the listen you harbor your own sins. And you kept them you see is what David said .5. If I cherish this in my heart that said, I'm noticing seeking that's easy to do because Jeremiah tells us that a heart of a man is desperately wicked and then Jeremiah says it's deceitful above all things, and for you who does your heart deceive you see who is your heart deceive you, as a way this works. That's how desperately wicked it is when we were living in Plano I was going through seminary in Texas retaining a church aid to pastors and one of the pastors who taught was an extraordinarily gifted guy a very good counselor and he and his wife had five children think the model family and then he decided to have an affair on his wife and move in with the one of his counselees and removed a neighboring town and up the elders of the church then went on and confronted him at the door with his mistress and he told them book your completely mistaken.

Never has my relationship with Jesus been this close in this riches.

It is right now doing that is best deception is the guy who left this wife and five kids and he says it's great. I'm great with the Lord now is not, that's a lie.

You can see your own heart can do to you after going over the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you just like the message one more time. Remember the little green website called in one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help his radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting monthly with just the one time gift support for ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word.

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