Sunday Morning - June 28, 1998
Text: Genesis 32:24-28
ALWAYS PRAY
Luke 18:1 "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"
PRIVATE PRAYER
Matthew 6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
CORPORATE PRAYER
Acts 12:12 "And when he [Peter] had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying."
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING
Acts 12:5 "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."
INDIVIDUAL PRAYER
James 5:16-18 "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
JACOB'S STRUGGLE
Genesis 32:24-30 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
ALLOWED BY GOD
Genesis 31:13 "I am the God of Bethel, ...now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred."
WHERE YOU WILL BE AFRAID
Genesis 32:7 "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed [vexed, in a strait]: ..." [of Esau, verse 6]
TROUBLE ALLOWED BY GOD
Genesis 31:31 "And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me."
JACOB RESISTED
25. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
THE ANGEL
Hosea 12:4 "Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: ..."
MADE WEAK
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
JACOB'S PRAYER
26. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
THE LORD'S PURPOSE
Genesis 32:9 "...the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:"
LORD YOU SAID...
Genesis 32:12 "And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude."
BLESSING JABEZ
1 Chronicles 4:10 "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."
YOU DON'T DESERVE IT
27. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
ALWAYS PRAY
Luke 18:1 "...men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"
Matthew 7:7 "Ask [present active imperative], and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
James 4:2-3 "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
A SURE THING
John 14:13 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
IN MY NAME
John 16:23 "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you."
ASK FOR FULL JOY
John 16:24 "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."
Matthew 25:23 "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."
NOT A SURE THING
John 15:16 "...that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
ANNULLING HIS JUDGMENTS
Job 40:8 "Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?"
Mark 14:36 "And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."
1 John 3:22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."
THE CONFIDENCE
1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
HIS WILL
Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Philippians 2:16 "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."
THE WILL OF GOD
Romans 8:27 "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
Colossians 4:12 "Epaphras, ...always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."
Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
THY WILL BE DONE
Luke 11:2 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."
PRAYER OF HOPE
2 Samuel 12:22 "...Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me [David], that the child may live?"