Disappointed in Prayer - Is It Me?
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the concept of unanswered prayers, often referred to as the 'Dark Side of Prayer.' It delves into the reasons why prayers might not be answered, suggesting that it could be due to the individual's lack of righteousness, the nature of their prayers, or God's will. The speaker encourages viewers to reflect on their faith, righteousness, and self-righteousness, emphasizing the importance of living a life aligned with God's teachings to experience the power of prayer and receive what is asked for.
Takeaways
- 🙏 Jesus emphasized the importance of prayer by repeating the promises of receiving, finding, and having doors opened when we ask, seek, and knock.
- 🕊️ Despite the promises, there are times when prayer seems unanswered, leading to feelings of emptiness and questioning the efficacy of prayer.
- 🤔 The 'Dark Side of Prayer' refers to the struggle with unanswered prayers, which can hurt and even damage our faith.
- 📖 Proverbs warns that God may not hear the prayers of those who do not follow His counsel or despise His reproof.
- 💔 Unanswered prayer can lead to questioning God's integrity, the power of prayer, and even one's own salvation.
- 🙅♂️ The lack of righteousness in our lives might be a reason why our prayers are not answered; we must examine our relationship with God.
- 🩸 The concept of righteousness is tied to blood (forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice), belief, baptism, and living by the Bible.
- 🌱 Faith, as illustrated by Abraham's example, is crucial for righteousness and thus effective prayer.
- 🔍 We must consider whether we are self-righteous, which can hinder our prayers, as Jesus taught in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.
- 🔄 The process of examining our faith involves looking at our actions, beliefs, and how we live our lives in accordance with God's word.
- 📚 The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing God's word, which is essential for a righteous life and effective prayer.
Q & A
What is the key message behind Matthew 7:7?
-The key message of Matthew 7:7 is that those who ask, seek, and knock will receive, find, and have doors opened to them. Jesus emphasizes that persistent prayer and faith will be rewarded.
What is the ASK acronym mentioned in the script?
-The ASK acronym stands for Ask, Seek, and Knock, representing the three actions Jesus mentions in Matthew 7:7. It serves as an easy way to remember the verse.
Why does the speaker refer to a 'Dark Side of Prayer'?
-The speaker refers to the 'Dark Side of Prayer' when discussing times when prayers seem unanswered, which can lead to doubt in God's integrity, the effectiveness of prayer, and even personal faith.
What reasons does the speaker suggest for unanswered prayers?
-The speaker suggests three reasons for unanswered prayers: it could be due to the person praying, the nature of their prayers, or God's will.
How does Proverbs 1:28-30 relate to unanswered prayers?
-Proverbs 1:28-30 suggests that God may not answer prayers because people have rejected His counsel and guidance, meaning their hearts may not be aligned with His will.
What role does righteousness play in prayer according to the script?
-According to the script, righteousness is crucial in prayer. The prayers of a righteous person are powerful, as seen in James 5:16. If someone is not living righteously, their prayers may not be heard.
What does Psalm 66:18 say about the condition of the heart in prayer?
-Psalm 66:18 states that if a person cherishes sin in their heart, the Lord will not listen to their prayers, emphasizing the importance of inner purity when approaching God.
How does self-righteousness impact prayer according to the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican?
-In the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18), self-righteousness prevents effective prayer. The Pharisee prayed to himself and not to God, while the humble Publican was justified because he recognized his need for God's mercy.
What does the speaker suggest we do when prayers seem unanswered?
-The speaker suggests examining our lives and relationship with God, as stated in 2 Corinthians 13:5, to ensure we are living in faith and righteousness before questioning God's response to our prayers.
What four words from Romans are highlighted to describe the path to righteousness?
-The four words highlighted from Romans are Blood, Belief, Baptism, and Bible. These represent the key elements in attaining and maintaining righteousness through Christ's sacrifice, faith, baptism, and continued study of the Scriptures.
Outlines
🔍 Emphasizing the Importance of Persistent Prayer
This paragraph begins with a familiar biblical verse, Matthew 7:7, and reflects on the neat way to remember the commands: Ask, Seek, and Knock (ASK). The speaker encourages the audience to reread the passage and notice how emphatically Jesus repeats the same idea, reinforcing the certainty of receiving, finding, and having doors opened. However, the speaker expresses personal frustration with prayer, recounting moments when they asked, sought, and knocked but received no answers. This leads to a deeper exploration of the 'dark side of prayer,' where unanswered prayers can shake one's faith, leading to questions about God's integrity, the power of prayer, and personal righteousness.
🛑 The Possible Reasons Behind Unanswered Prayers
This paragraph delves into the idea that unanswered prayers could be due to personal unrighteousness. The speaker references several Bible passages that warn of God not answering prayers if individuals turn away from His law or cherish iniquity in their hearts. Psalm 66:18 and Proverbs 1:28-30 highlight that prayers can be hindered by disobedience or neglect of God’s word. The speaker emphasizes that being right with God is crucial for prayers to be effective and that unresolved issues between the individual and God could be the reason for unanswered prayers.
📖 Living by Faith as a Path to Righteousness
This paragraph explores how righteousness is defined in the Bible, focusing on four key words from the book of Romans: blood, belief, baptism, and Bible. These represent the steps towards righteousness, starting with God’s grace and Jesus’ blood, which provide forgiveness. This is accessed through faith, like Abraham’s faith, which leads to baptism. Baptism is seen as a spiritual rebirth, marking the point of forgiveness. Finally, living by the Bible sustains a righteous life. The speaker emphasizes that these elements are essential for receiving God's gift of righteousness and the privilege of effective prayer.
⚖️ Self-Righteousness as a Barrier to Prayer
The final paragraph warns against self-righteousness as a possible reason for unanswered prayers. Using Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Publican from Luke 18, the speaker illustrates how self-righteousness can render prayers ineffective. The Pharisee's prayer was not to God but 'with himself,' reflecting arrogance rather than humility. Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in themselves rather than in God. The speaker urges self-examination, citing 2 Corinthians 13:5, encouraging the audience to assess whether they are truly living in faith or merely trusting in their own righteousness. This introspection is crucial before questioning God or the power of prayer.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ask
💡Seek
💡Knock
💡Dark Side of Prayer
💡Righteous
💡Self-righteous
💡Faith
💡Blood
💡Baptism
💡Bible
💡Integrity
Highlights
The importance of Matthew 7:7 in understanding prayer and its outcomes.
The mnemonic 'ASK' to remember the verse: Ask, Seek, Knock.
Jesus' emphasis on prayer through repetition in the Bible.
The contrast between Jesus' teachings and personal experiences of unanswered prayers.
The concept of the 'Dark Side of Prayer' and its impact on faith.
The potential reasons for unanswered prayers, including personal righteousness.
Scriptural references to the importance of righteousness in prayer from Proverbs and James.
The idea that prayer outcomes may be hindered by a lack of righteousness or self-righteousness.
The significance of faith in receiving answers to prayer.
The role of belief, baptism, and Bible in living a righteous life according to Romans.
The necessity of examining oneself for self-righteousness before questioning the power of prayer.
The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican as an example of self-righteousness.
The importance of living a life that aligns with the teachings of the Bible for effective prayer.
The call to examine one's life and faith as a prerequisite for answered prayers.
The encouragement to live a life that opens the heart of God to our prayers.
The significance of self-examination in maintaining a strong faith and effective prayer life.
Transcripts
[Music]
thank you
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
to you seek and you will find knock and
it will be opened Matthew 7 7. have you
seen the cute way to remember that verse
as if we needed help to remember
something so familiar a ask S seek K
knock
isn't that neat ask
but I want you to read the verse with me
again and this time continue reading to
see how emphatic Jesus was with the
point that he was making
ask and it will be given to you seek and
you will find knock and it will be
opened then he puts an exclamation mark
behind this point for everyone who asks
receives and the one who seeks fines and
to the one who knocks it will be opened
he said the same thing three different
ways and then he said it again it's like
he emphatically said the same thing six
times that's Jesus talking I want to say
this with all the love and respect I
have for him in my heart Jesus said ask
and it will be given but there have been
times I've asked and I'm still
empty-handed without that for which I
prayed
Jesus said seek and you will find but
there have been times that I have looked
looked carefully and diligently and I'm
still waiting to find that for which I
prayed Jesus said knock and it will be
opened but I have knocked and knocked
and knocked until my Knuckles wanted to
bleed and I felt like no one ever came
to the door of Heaven to even see if I
was there
sometime prayer just doesn't
seem to work why why does that happen
this is what I call the Dark Side of
prayer and man can it hurt
in fact it can cause prayer to destroy
our faith here's our prayer here's God's
care why doesn't he put them together
we ask seek knock and
nothing happens
it can make us question the Integrity of
God the efficacy of prayer and even the
destiny of our soul I mean if the prayer
of a righteous person has great power
James 5 16. when I pray and nothing
happens does that mean I'm not righteous
not saved
if you're like me you need help with
this
so I'd like for us to take the next few
of our studies to suggest three reasons
why
we don't always get that for which we
pray
it might be because of us
our prayers or God
let's start by getting personal
to begin we might not get that for which
we pray because we're not righteous
we're warned about this repeatedly they
will call upon me but I will not answer
they will seek me diligently but will
not find me God said why
they would have none of my counsel and
despised all of my reproof Proverbs 1
28-30 Proverbs 28 9 if one turns away
his ear from hearing the law scripture
even his prayer is an Abomination wait
what
listen to Psalm 66 18. if I had
cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord
would not have listened
we find the same thing in the New
Testament it's the prayer of a righteous
person someone right with God that has
great power James 5 16 the eyes of the
Lord are upon the righteous and his ears
are open to their prayer first Peter 3
12. that same chapter even tells us if
we're not being considerate at home our
prayers will be hindered literally
cut away
it may be that we're praying and
nothing's happening
because nothing is happening between us
and God
Twice The Book of Proverbs tells us
there's a way that seems right to a man
but its end is the way of death we may
think we're right when in reality we're
not
maybe the New Testament book of Romans
can help us the whole book may be summed
up with its thesis the righteous
shall live by faith Romans 1 17. four
words in the book go on to identify the
righteous blood belief baptism and Bible
first there's the word blood we all sin
but we can be justified by God's grace
as a gift Romans 3 23-25 forgiveness or
Redemption is in Christ Jesus by his
blood to be received by faith God's
grace makes forgiveness available Jesus
blood makes forgiveness possible
but next there's the word believe
according to this same passage
forgiveness is available by the grace of
God
made possible by the blood of Jesus but
it's accessible by faith it won't be
ours until we have faith then the next
two chapters Romans 4 and 5 point to
Abraham's Faith as the kind of faith
that is counted for righteousness it's a
faith that accepts trusts and acts on
What God Says and that brings us to the
word baptism in Romans 6. when we have a
faith like Abraham that that moves us to
the spiritual death burial and
resurrection of New Testament baptism at
the point of baptism we're forgiven and
made righteous by God's grace and Jesus
blood then there's the word bible
we not only come to the blood of Jesus
and baptism because of faith we are to
continue to live by faith the theme of
Romans and according to Romans 10 17
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by
the word of God so it's blood believe
baptism and are continuing to live by
the Bible that allows us to enjoy what
Romans 5 17 calls the gift of
righteousness
and
the privilege of Prayer
but there's one final note before we
close we might not get that for which we
pray because we are self-righteous
remember Jesus parable of the Pharisee
and Publican Luke 18. both went to the
temple to pray the Pharisee as Jesus
told the story stood and prayed thus
with himself God I thank you that I'm
not like other men
note Jesus said he prayed with himself
not to God and in the story he wasn't
Justified his prayer didn't amount to
anything but a speech he made to himself
about himself
the Bible tells us Jesus spoke that
Parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous and
despised others they were self-righteous
so when it comes to what we're calling
the Dark Side of Prayer
we pray and nothing happens you and I
need to consider whether or not we're
among the righteous or
the self-righteous
before we start questioning the presence
of God in our lives or the power of
prayer for our lives we might need to
question how we're living Our Lives
in the words of second Corinthians 13 5
examine yourself to see whether you are
in the faith man that's an exam we want
to pass if indeed we want to ask and
receive
seek and find
knock and have the heart of God
open to us
Lord
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