Restore My Glory Part 6

Posted by Paula White - Thu, September 10, 2009 at 09:00 PM

Click here to download the sermon notes for “Restore My Glory Part 6”.

Nehemiah 1:4-11

I. The Power of Prayer
a. God’s purpose is to restore that which has been lost and then reconstruct that which has been broken down.
b. The role of intercessory prayer is vital and essential in the development of restoration
i. Prayer = is the foundation of rebuilding, repairing and restoring. It is the precursor for provision in your life

Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

c. Without prayer there will be no power or provision
i. Nehemiah opens with prayer in Chapter 1
ii. He continues with prayer in Chapters 2-14
iii. He closes with prayer in Chapter 13
1. He prayed liked it was all up to God and he worked like it was all up to him

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

II. The Initiation of Purpose Starts with a Prayer
a. The prayer of Nehemiah contained
i. Affirmation of the attributes of God
ii. Supplication and confession
iii. Intercession in light of God’s word (promises)
iv. Petition for favorable response from the King
b. God gives us patterns for a purpose
i. A Pattern = order or arrangement of parts. A model or design from which copies can be made
c. As we implement the pattern of Nehemiah’s prayer we start the process of restoration

“It seems God is limited by our prayer life ~ that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him” ~J. Wesley

d. While we know that God can act intelligently through His sovereignty, He can do whatever He wants, whenever He wants

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

e. God desires and uses prayer as a vehicle to bring His will to pass
f. Prayer is personal communication with God
i. Prayer is
1. “Beseeching the Lord” Exodus 32:11
2. “Pouring out the soul before the Lord” 1 Samuel 1:15
3. “Praying and crying to heaven” 2 Chronicles 32:20
4. “Seeking God and making supplication” John 8:5
5. “Drawing near to God” Psalms 73:28

III. The Prayer of Nehemiah
a. Affirmation the Attributes of God (Who He is)
i. Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God

1. His ability and willingness to hold intimacy with us

2. His personal control of all things and all His creation
ii. Nehemiah declares “O Lord God of Heaven…” and points to the sovereignty of God, meaning His absolute right to do all things according to His own good pleasure
b. Supplication and Confession
i. Acceptable prayer = must be sincere offered with reverence and godly fear in humility and complete surrender to His dive will

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

ii. In verse 6 Nehemiah says, “Please listen God, open your eyes to me”
1. “I know we blew it”
2. “I know I missed it”
3. “I know my father missed it”
4. “I confess my sins”
a. Confess (Greek) = to assent. Covenant, acknowledgement

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

iii. The truthful prayer

1. David prays it in Psalms 51:1-3, 6 and so on
a. Psalms 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
b. David was saying, “I’m not perfect, but use my pain for your purpose”

2. Hannah in 1 Samuel Chapter 1
a. She goes to the altar and explodes
b. God sees our areas that still need to be transformed and doesn’t’ hold that against us
c. Intercession
i. The birthing process of prayer
ii. Places us in the will of God
iii. Gives authority to decree a thing
iv. The “sending” mode of prayer
v. “Calls In”
vi. Secures intervention
vii. Causes advancement
viii. Releases things in the Spirit
ix. Provides healing in the land
x. Unlocks the timing of God
d. Petition for a Favorable Response
i. The prayer of petition (or faith) is to change things (or) bring to pass
ii. This prayer is always based on God’s revealed will in His word

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

What Things (Greek) = all that, as many, as much, whatsoever, where so ever, with so ever. No limitations!!

Desire = ask, beg, crave

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Amiss (Greek) = diseased, evil, grievously, improper and wrong
That = to intent
Ye may consume 9greek) = spend, waste
Lusts (Greek) = sensual, delight, desire for pleasure

In other words you are asking out of a heart with wrong, impure motives and God loves you so much that He will deal with your heart before releasing blessings in your life that will break you.

The real power to prayer = It changes “me” to changes “things”. God begins to mold Nehemiah into the answer for his own prayer…

Restore My Glory Part 6

Comments

Blog Categories

Monthly Archives

Recent Entries

RSS Feed