Let's go to the Lord in prayer. We're going to look at, we've been doing the disciplines of discipleship. We looked at supplication the last two weeks. Now, of course, we have to look at unanswered prayer. Why, when we engage in supplication, do sometimes our prayers go unanswered? Let's pray, shall we? O Lord God, this is your holy word, and we are your servants. Give us understanding that we might know your testimonies. You have prayed for us, O Lord. Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. Use your holy, eternal, inerrant written word to set us apart this day to your service and to your glory. Show us now great and mighty things which we do not know. The sower sows the word. Let not your word go out and return empty, but accomplish that purpose for which you have drawn us together and for which you are sending it out. Protect us from Satan, Lord, who will snatch your word. Protect us from the world's cares and the delight of wealth and the passion of other interests which enter in and choke your word. Protect us from a wrong reaction to difficulties and discouragements and persecutions which make our hearts hard and unresponsive to your word. Rather give us good soil, O Lord, Plow up now the hard ground of our hearts, that your sown word would send roots downward, and then bear fruit upward. Unsheathe now the sword of your spirit, O Lord. Cut to the vining point of bone and marrow, soul and spirit. Judge now the thoughts and intention of each heart gathered here. Spread your word to us as a banquet table, O Lord. Grant grace that we might eat of the rich meat and drink of the sweet milk of the great doctrines of your written word. give us the heart of the prophet who cried to you thy words were found and I did eat them and thy words became to me a joy and a delight of my heart for I am called by thy name O LORD God of Hosts O LORD we live in a dark and a wicked age Broad is the way, and many are on it, which leads to destruction. Make your word a lamp to our feet. Make your word a light to our path. Show us that narrow way that you would have us run. And Lord, as we run in the paths of your commandments, enlarge our hearts. that in loving you we might be more obedient to your written word. Drop your word against our lives as a plumb line, O Lord. Grant grace that we might see how we deviate from its high and holy purposes. Make your word to us a mirror, O Lord. Grant grace that we might not be as those who look and go away and forget, but make us active doers, not forgetful listeners of your written word. Oh Lord, because of our fealty to you, because of our undying love and devotion to your Son, our resurrected Savior, We pledge to you this day our total submission to your holy, eternal, inerrant written word. And we pledge to you our unquestioning obedience to all of its commands. In the name of our Lord and resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Okay. Unanswered prayer. What are some reasons that prayer goes unanswered? Now, for some people, in the Charismatic, the Pentecostal Church, among evangelical mystics, even to approach the subject of unanswered prayer will cause your prayers to be unanswered. that's because they have a superstitious belief in magic words that will get our prayers answered and the fact that they place their faith in their ability to believe the more they believe the stronger their prayers will be so their faith is in their ability to believe we know that we place our faith in Christ and we believe his holy eternal inerrant written word as that being the will of God for us so we don't worry about that God loves us he has a wonderful plan for our life and we do not have to keep track of the magic prayers the magic phrases the exact wording God will judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart, as will his word. And so he asks us to come boldly before the throne of grace. So let's look at that first. Diana, are you reading today, Diana? I am. Okay. Hebrews, if you would read for us, Diana, if you would read Hebrews Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 Hebrews 4 verse 16 please Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So we can go with confidence into the presence of God. We don't have to worry that we are unworthy because we already know we are unworthy. So we have confidence in the presence of God because of Christ, not because of us. So Bishan, if you would read Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 and 15. Since therefore the children sharing flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil. And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. So we are freed from fear in our relationship with God. God loves us. He has a wonderful plan for our life. So Bishan, now read verse 16. Verse 16 says, And deliver all those who through fear of death were subject Okay, for surely it is not for angels. It is not angels that helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Yeah, and that's us. So God wants to help us. He said, come into my presence. You will find grace. You will find mercy. God wants to help us and he wants to have a close relationship with us. that's not the problem the problem is do we want to be helped by God as his servant or do we want him to be our servant so Deanna read Luke 9.23 for us please Deanna 9.23 And he said to all, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Now, we are welcome to spend time with Jesus. He wants us to. But not on our terms. On His terms. And the frustration I have in the area of supplication is that spending time with God is not enough for most people. What they want is God to do their will. And that is just not going to happen. So in Luke 9.23, if we come after Him, we do two things. What's the first thing, Deanna, does it say in Luke 9.23? Pick up His cross. And then what is the other thing? If anyone would come after me, let him do what? Follow me. That's right. Yeah. We deny ourselves. We take up the cross. We follow Jesus. That has very little to do with us getting him to do our will, doesn't it? Yes. Bishan, would you turn, if you would, to Philippians 3. verse 10. Philippians 3 verse 10. Philippians 3 verse 10 says that I may know him and the power of the resurrection. Now that's what everybody wants isn't it? Yes sir. They want to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. But does it stop there? No. Oh keep breathing Bishop. and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in death. So we have to realize that when we take up our cross and follow Jesus, it is not a piece of jewelry that we are submitting our will and our life and our purpose and our directions to that of Christ. And then, as such, we can ask Him for something, but we don't tell Him what we want Him to do. And we for sure do not thank Him for doing it when He hasn't done it. Because He may not do it. It may not be His will. And that's one of the pernicious teachings on prayer right now, where they say, well, you just go ahead and thank God. Thank God even before it happens. Well, you know, Deanna, I want to thank you for giving me your car. Well, there's a problem there, isn't it? You haven't offered it to me. That's rude, isn't it? And how much more rude, how much more arrogant would it be to say that to God? So let's look at some passages, shall we? The first is Deuteronomy 1, 41-46. Then you said to me, we have sinned against the Lord, we will indeed go up and fight just as the Lord commanded us. And every man of you girded on his weapon of war and regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country. And the LORD said to me, Say to them, Do not go up, nor fight, for I am not among you, otherwise you will be defeated." So here we have Israel was defeated before Ai. They didn't want to go up and fight. Now they say, OK, we will go up and fight. And God says, no, too late. Now I don't want you to go up and fight. So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead, you rebelled against the command of the Lord. You acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. The Amorites who lived in the hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and crushed you from Syria to Oromah. Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. So you remained in Kadesh many days where you spent there. If God has told us to not do something, He is not going to answer our prayer and do it. So one reason prayers are not answered, are they in direct disobedience to God's word. So we have to know the word of God when we pray. Let's look at Job 14.5, Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and his limits you have set, so that he cannot pass. Certain things are preordained by God, and our prayers are not going to change that. Now, we've talked about this before. We all die by organ failure, don't we? Our organs either wear out, or our organs fail by trauma, as in a car wreck, or by disease, such as cancer. But one way or another, our organs are going to fail and we are going to die. That is going to happen to everybody. Hebrews 9.27, it is appointed for men to die once. This date of our death is predetermined by God. How we die and how we live is not predetermined. But when God calls us home, that's a decision by God. No amount of prayer is going to keep you from dying. If by faith you do not die, if by faith God heals all organ failure, who's in heaven? People without faith. All the people with faith are on earth. That's upside down. We don't stay out of heaven by faith. We go to heaven by faith. Nothing has gone wrong when we die. Our organs are going to fail and we are going to die, including me. So if later this week you all get an email that I had a heart attack and went to be with the Lord, you know, I feel sorry for you. You guys will still be there on earth suffering. I'll be in heaven. So, don't feel sorry for me, I'll feel sorry for you. Nothing has gone wrong. I want to die and go to heaven. Now, as long as it is the Lord's will for me to stay here on earth and serve Him, I will, but I have no intention of staying here on this earth one minute longer than is the will of God. So, the preordained will of God will not be thwarted. Jesus is going to return. Certain prophecies are going to be fulfilled before he returns. No amount of prayer is going to keep those prophecies from being fulfilled. There will be wars and rumors of war and nations will rise against nations. And no amount of prayer for peace on earth is going to keep those prophecies, that preordained will of God, from taking place. Notice Psalm 66, 18. If I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will not hear. Clinging to known wickedness. That does not mean if I recognize that I'm a sinful person God will not hear. That's called humility. That Hebrew word regard means that you know it and you're clinging to it. If you have a child and you have told him if he makes an A on an exam, he gets some ice cream, and you know for a fact, the teacher has reported to you, that the way he got that A on the exam is by cheating. And in fact, she has found out that cheating on his schoolwork has been a lifestyle with him all year. When he brings his report card to you to get his ice cream, are you going to receive the report card and give him ice cream? No, because he cheated. He knows he cheated. What he needs to do is repent from cheating and learn to work hard and earn his grades. And if we have known wickedness in our heart. and we come to God for His blessing, He wants to deal with our wickedness, not to judge us, but to help us to be successful in His sight and in our ministry. Okay, Deanna, if you were to turn to Hebrews 10, verse 18, and Bishan, if I could ask you if you would please turn to Hebrews 12, 18 Hebrews 10 18 Deanna and then beyond Bishan you will turn to Hebrews 12 verse 9 where there's forgiveness of these there is no longer any offering for them yeah so you have been forgiven Deanna so God is not going to punish you for your sins You don't have to do anything to get God to love you. If you write in the margins of your Bible, by verse 8, you can write Romans 5.8, God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It is too late to do something to get God to love you. He loved you before you even thought of him. He loved you while you were in rebellion against him. He loved you while you were a slave of Satan. So, God loves you. That's not the problem. The problem is, do we love God? John 14, 15 says, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments. It does not say, if you keep my commandments, I will love you. God loves us. The problem is, do we love God? And when we regard wickedness, when we cling to wickedness, God wants us to live a successful Christian life. So rather than answering our prayers, He will discipline us for righteousness. Bishan, would you please read Hebrews 12 verse 9. Hebrews 12 verse 9. Besides this, we have we've had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them shall we not much more be subject to the father of spirits and leave? so we have fathers who disciplined us that doesn't mean they hated us they just wanted us to do the right thing not the wrong thing verse 10 Bishop verse 10 for they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. Now our fathers did the best job they could, but they made many mistakes, especially if they weren't Christians. But according to verse 10, why does God discipline us, Bishan? That we may share his holiness? That's right. So, when it says He disciplines us for our good, and the result is that we will share in His holiness. So when we sin, we never have to ask ourselves, what bad thing is God going to do to me? It will be good. It may be painful, but it will be good for us. And the result will be, we will be more holy. In Psalm 66, 18, if we are regarding wickedness in our heart, God is not going to answer our prayer. That doesn't mean God is going to abandon us, but rather He's going to discipline us so that we will repent from the wickedness and cling to Him in holiness. Proverbs 15 verse 8 and verse 29. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. One reason prayers go unanswered is the people who are offering those prayers are wicked. They are not Christians. and there are wicked people in the church who are non-Christians. I have never understood why non-Christians, especially those who seek to undermine the word of God in the church, why they don't just go join the exchange club or become politically active or do something with the United Nations. Why do they engage themselves in the church when they don't believe the Bible and when they're blatantly disobeying the Bible? But nevertheless, Jesus said that will happen. So is there a scripture, the prayers of the righteous availed much? Yes, that's right, Deanna. Deanna, turn to James 4. Alright, James 5. James 5? Uh-huh. What, what's that? Let's see, uh... Oops, I'm looking at 1 Peter. I want James. Hold on. There I go. James 5 verse 16. I've often quoted that followed by even mine do some good. Yes. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power. as it is working. Back in King James it may have said availeth much. Yes it does. That's good news for 17th century man. King James. So God is not going to hear the prayer of the wicked, but we are not wicked. If you are a Christian, you may do a wicked action. But you will never be a wicked person. Deanna, would you look at Romans 8.1 please? And Bishan, if you will look at 2 Corinthians 5.17. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So you are in Christ now, Deanna. So you may sin, but your very nature is that of Christ. Bishan, read 2nd Corinthians 5.17, please. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, a new has come. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. And all Christians are new creatures. We are all in Christ. So we are not wicked. But God will not hear the prayer of the wicked. What does God want the wicked to do? Yeah, to receive Christ. They receive Christ. That's the only thing He wants them to do. So, let's look at two passages on that. I'm having fun with this study. I hope you guys have as much fun as I do. Okay, Deanna, I'll get you, if you would read John 6, 28 and 29. and brother Bishan if you will read John chapter one verse eleven through thirteen okay so we'll do Deanna first first read John six twenty-eight please Deanna then they said to him what must we do to be doing the works of God yeah so They want to know how to do God's work so they can be saved. That's a good question, isn't it? What do we have to do? Well, when these guys get saved, they're going to make good disciples. Well, verse 29, Deanna. Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. Yeah, so that's all we have to do. So when James, when it says faith without actions is dead, we remember that Jesus has defined the action. Believing in Him. So anytime it talks about you having to do something to be saved, God the Holy Spirit has given us the fill in the blank. Believe in Christ. So Bishan, if you would read John chapter 1, 11 to 13 John 1 11 to 13 He came to his own and his own people did not receive him But all who did receive him Who believed in his name? He gave the right to become children of God. Okay, we are born not of blood nor of the wheel of the flesh nor the will of men, but of God. So that's what God wants the wicked to do. Repent, pray, and receive Christ. That's the will of God for the wicked. And he's not going to hear their other prayers. It's not going to listen to them about the weather, about their family, about these other things, because the stakes are too high. They're going to hell. He wants them to go to heaven. Then we can sort out the rest. Deanna, if you would read 1 Timothy 2.5, Bishan if you will read John 14.6. For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Yeah, there's only one access to God. It's not through your wife, it's not through your husband, it's not through your pastor, it's not through your priest, It's only Jesus. Bishan, would you read that please? John 14, 6. John 14, 6. Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So that's what God wants. He wants the wicked to come to him through Jesus and to be born again and to become righteous. To have the righteousness of Christ through faith. so god was not going to hear the prayer of the wicket it was there you're saying that god only listens to and answers the prayers of christian yes that's what we're saying unless that prayer is the repentance and receiving christ program if you want to uh... Get your accounting degree at the University of Texas. And so you study all of the accounting books. You get copies of the tests from all the accounting classes. You listen to all the lectures, but you don't enroll in a single class. Are you going to get a degree? No. No. It's not just what you do, it's who you are. You have to be a student at the university, enrolled in the business school, accepted into the accounting class. And that is the same with our relationship with God. We have to be born again as Christians, then we can go talk to God about things. Deanna would go to the professor and say, hey, I didn't get credit for this class. He said, well, you weren't in there. Oh, yeah, yeah. No, look, you're not enrolled in the class. I don't care what you've done. It doesn't count. Proverbs 21, 13. He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not the answer. Now what we're dealing here is a heartless response to those in need. And so Eleanor and I always have part of our giving to the poor. I don't support the professional poor. I know there's some people in an intersection near our home that beg. But my ministry takes me in about a 30 mile radius and I have seen them as far away as way on the other side of Houston begging. They have a little circuit they use. And I've talked to some people who have filling stations and restaurants nearby, and they say yes, they are dropped off by someone. They go into their restroom, they change their clothes into their begging clothes and go out and beg. And then at the end of the day, they change back into normal clothes and take their money and get picked back up. They are professional poor. I don't have money for professional poor. But I do give to widows, to orphans, to the cry of the poor. There are hospitals that give care like St. Jude's hospital at no cost. to the poor so I'll give to St. Jude's Hospital. There are ministries in Houston that clothe and feed the truly poor and I will give to them. We do not want to have a heartless response to those in need because God looks and sees. Proverbs 28 9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is an abomination. God does not want us to be lawless people. That has to do both with the word of God, that would be capital L, the law of God, but also it has to do with the laws of the land. God wants us to have a good reputation as Christians when it comes to the laws of the land. And if we are going to embarrass Him by our behavior, we cannot expect our prayers to come before Him. Deanna, would you read 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 20 please. 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 20. For what credit is it if when you sit and are beaten for it you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. Yeah, so we're not to be lawless. Deanna, then read 1st Peter 3, 14. But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. Yeah, so if we're going to suffer, let's suffer for doing the right thing, not for doing the wrong thing. I was once speaking to a student group on campus at Texas, at Oklahoma State University. And I was told they had reserved a meeting room. So I showed up at the university. I had my message all ready. The lights were all turned on in the room. There were about 20 or 30 students in there with the student organization. And in the middle of my message, the campus police showed up. They wanted to know what was going on. Well, I was a guest. I didn't know what was going on. And it turned out the student leader who was responsible for reserving the room didn't reserve the room. He forgot about it. So we were breaking the law. Well, he asked us to leave. He was nice about it. And then some of the students were talking about being persecuted. And I said, hey, we were not being persecuted. We were lawbreakers. And this student should go to that officer and ask his forgiveness. Because that officer has better things to do than go around getting Christians to obey the law. So, but, God is not gonna honor the lawless. God said, well, you know, John drove all the way over here from Houston, and now he's trying to speak, but he's not gonna speak, because this is a lawless group here. Well, Isaiah 1.15. Now, I wasn't lawless. I was just caught up in judgment of these other students, which sometimes happens. Isaiah 1.15. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. Violent men, murderers, are not just people who actually do these things, but who allow injustice to result in the death of another. Their hands are covered in blood. I can't think of any sin in the modern Protestant Church that a Protestant can commit where he will be refused Holy Communion by the pastor or be asked not to pray out loud in the church. But that doesn't mean that God is accepting his act of service and prayer just because man does. God, these people who run these abortion mills, crooked politicians who allow drug gangs to thrive, corrupt people in the police or the military. who allow criminals to act in violence against the innocent. They can go to church, but God is not going to hear their prayers. Their hands are covered with blood. Now, that's a pretty strong statement, their hands are covered with blood. That doesn't mean if you sin, God's not going to hear your prayer, is he? We sin, sometimes we don't even know we've sinned. But, if your hands are covered with blood, that needs to be repented of and taken care of. Isaiah 59 1-3 But hold the LORD's hand, it is not so short that it cannot save, nor is his ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, your fingers with iniquity, your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness. So if a person knows he is doing wicked and he is practicing wickedness, God is not going to hear his prayer. That goes hand in hand with number nine. Jeremiah 7, 9 and 10. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery? and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered, that you may do all these abominations." And we have to remember that God looks from heaven and sees I always warn people, you may fool other people by living a double life, but you will never fool God. Always amazes me in the university ministry. the sins that university students can engage in over the weekend and yet still show up for church on Sunday morning and be surprised at the stunted state of their spiritual life. That goes true for people who are not in the university ministry. People who live a double life at work and in their social life but then show up for church? God does not hear their prayers. He wants them to repent. Habakkuk 1, 1-3, How long, O LORD, will I call for help? And you will not hear. I cry to you, violence, yet you do not save. Why do you make me see iniquity and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me. Strife exists, contentions arise. Sometimes the righteous are caught up in the judgment of the wicked." That happened in Israel, didn't it? When God judged the nation of Israel, Elijah got caught up in the middle of it. Jeremiah, Isaiah, the righteous were caught up in the middle of the destruction of the nation of Israel. And if God's hand of judgment is coming down upon a nation or people group, the righteous will be caught up in the judgment of the wicked. But, the good news is Let's turn to 1st Peter chapter 1. 1st Peter 1 verse 17. Verse 6 and 7. So Deanna you take 1st Peter 1 6 and Bishan you take 1st Peter 1 7. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while If necessary, you have been grieved by various trials. And so these trials are unnecessary. But what will happen, Bishan? Read verse 7. Okay, sorry. 1 Peter 1, 7. Please. Okay, I'm sorry. No, that's great, Bishan. Take your time. So that the tested genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Yeah, when we are caught up like Habakkuk was, and the judgment of God upon Israel and yet remain faithful. Our faith is refined like gold and then something happens. Deanna, read James 1, 12 please. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." Yeah, there are special crowns to be given out in heaven to those Christians who remain faithful under trials. Now this isn't necessarily persecution. This is just being caught up in trials that God is bringing about. So we see, look at Habakkuk 1. Habakkuk is a righteous man, but he's living in this wicked, vile nation that God is judging. And God is not going to answer his prayer and not judge this nation. But as Habakkuk stays faithful, he will be rewarded. 1st Corinthians 10.13 Vienna if you would read that. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. God will sustain you, he will help you to endure it, and he will reward you for your faithfulness. So what was Habakkuk's conclusion in chapter 3 verse 17? Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olives should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flocks should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls." Verse 18. Yet I will exalt in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. no matter what our physical condition is we are saved and going to heaven and we can rejoice in that and there will be rewards for us for remaining faithful but one of the prayers God is not going to answer if he is going to judge a city or a people or a nation or the world as the times grow terrible, leading up to the return of Christ, is that things will get better. I tell the people, men in my Bible study, there's going to be a great revival and Jesus is not coming back soon. Or Jesus is coming back soon and things are going to get really bad. But it can't be both ways because we know the prophecies, don't we? Matthew 4.7 Jesus said to him, on the other hand it is written, you shall not put the Lord your God to test." God will not answer prayers that are a test of who and what He is. Are you God? Are you sovereign? Are you good? I have university students, sometimes when I'm speaking a evangelistic message, they say, you know, well, if God, if there is a God, let him appear right here and I'll believe in him. I say, hey, If I were to contact the school administration and say there's some students here who don't believe the university president is the university president unless he comes and makes an appearance right now. He stops what he's doing and comes right here. Will he do it? No. So do you think the God of the universe is going to do that? No. God is not insecure nor threatened by our lack of faith. He is not and he is not going to respond to a test to see who he is or and he is not going to respond to a prayer test. He's already said that. Matthew 12, 38 and 39. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you. But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, yet no sign will be given to it other than the sign of Jonah the prophet. When men want a sign, some sort of fleece rather than the written word of God, God will say no. That doesn't mean they will get a sign and that's the dangerous thing. Bishan, if you will turn to 2 Thessalonians 2 8-10 and Sister Deanna if you will turn to Matthew, if you will turn to Matthew chapter 7 verse 22 and 23. Brother Bishan, what does 2 Thess 2? 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 9 Go ahead and read verse 8 through 10 8 to 10 says, And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nothing. by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders. And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be seen. These people want signs and wonders not the Word of God and that's what they'll get. And that's a very dangerous position to be in when we begin trusting in signs and wonders because any demon can do a sign and a wonder. Sister Deanna, read Matthew 7 verse 22 and 23 please. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. The thing we have to remember is when God says no, God, the Holy Spirit, is not the only spirit. 1st John 4.1 says there are many false spirits in the world and if we keep praying they'll supply us with the fleece, the sign and the wonder. Matthew 20.20-22 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with their sons, her sons bowing down and making requests of him. And he said to him, What do you wish? She said to him, Command in your kingdom that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and one on your left. But Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup which I am to drink? They said to him, We are able. Sometimes we pray rash prayers and God doesn't answer them. And we should be thankful because God knows the consequences of answering that prayer and we don't. Just like I knew a minister who used to say, I don't mind humility, I just don't like being humbled. So I think being a servant of the church is a good idea just so long as people don't treat me like one. And we have to remember when we pray for patience, humility, that God will give us a servant heart, we may not be realizing the trials we are asking God to take us through. But we can take confidence in the fact that He will not take us through a trial that is more than we can endure because of the promise in 1 Corinthians 10.13, even though we think we can endure it. John 15.7, reason number 14. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you. Either we are not abiding in Christ or we are not abiding in his word or both. God's going to answer these prayers if we are walking with God and if our prayers line up with the word of God. First Corinthians 12, 7-10, Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelation for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given a thorn of the flesh, a messenger for Satan to torment me, to keep me from exalting myself. Concerning this, I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me, and He said, My grace is sufficient to you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties, for Christ's sake, for when I'm weak, then I'm strong. Paul didn't want to go through these things. It was God's will to take him through these things. And when Paul said, don't take me through these things, what did God say? No, I'm not answering that prayer. 1 Timothy 2.8 Therefore, I want men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without rash, wrath, or distinction." And if we are part of distinction and wrath in the Church, if we are a divisive member of the Church, God wants to talk to us about that, not our prayers. James 1, 5-7 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously and without reproach, and it will be given him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like 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, unstable in his prayers." Now remember, what's he talking about here, about God answering our prayers? Wisdom, isn't he? Psalm 119, 125, David prayed, I am thy servant, give me understanding that I may know thy testimonies. So God will answer our prayers to make us men and women of the word. If we're willing to, in faith, become men and women of the word. But if all we want to do is just miraculously know the Bible, that's not going to happen. In my seminary class in Russia, when I was able to teach there, before the seminary, before we took the test, I always said, let's begin in prayer. And I would say, oh Lord, please bless those students who have worked really hard at mastering the content of my lectures. and do not cheapen their sacrifice by blessing those lazy students who have not studied with a good grade. I can see some people really didn't like that prayer. But I believe that's what James 1, 5-7 is talking about. James 4.3 You ask, and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your pleasures. We are not thinking of the glory of God. We are just thinking of ourselves. I could put, we are not thinking of the glory of God, nor of the kingdom of God, His Church. We're just thinking about ourselves. 1st Peter 3.7 You husbands in the same way live with your wives in an understanding way as with someone weaker since she is a woman and show her honor as a fellow heir in the grace of life so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1st Peter 3.7 If we emotionally abuse our wife If we physically abuse our wife, if we neglect our wife, our prayers will not be hindered. We want to talk to God about things. He wants to talk to us about how we are treating His daughter, who Jesus shed His blood for. 1 John 3.22 and whatever we ask we receive from him because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. When we are indifferent to the commandments of God we cannot expect our prayers to be answered. Why? 1st John 5, 14 and 15. And this is the confidence that we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request we have asked for Him. If it is not God's will, God is not going to do it. Many people say, well, if God only does his will, why bother asking? Well, if you ask your father, if you're mad at your teacher and ask your father to go beat up your teacher, is your father going to go beat up your teacher? No. So your conclusion is, well, why even ask my dad for anything if he won't go beat up my teacher? Well, you can ask your father for things, but they have to be in accordance with your father's will. He's not going to break the law for you. And so we should be thankful that God does not answer prayers that are not his will. Can you imagine the chaos on the face of the earth? Just think of the weather. One person has never seen snow in Lagos, so they want it to snow. Another person wants it to rain. Another person wants a tornado to bring judgment upon Lagos. Another person wants sunshine. Another person wants the wind to blow. Can you imagine the chaos if God did all those things simultaneously? No, he is only going to do his will. And so I take great comfort in the fact that I don't have to worry that if I pray something that is not God's will, that it's going to happen. In fact, if I thought that God would answer my prayer, even if it was not His will, I would never pray. But thanks be to the Lord that I have these promises from Him that I can come boldly into His presence, I can seek grace and mercy, I can present my request, but I can have confidence knowing that He will only do His will. But I still get to have a relationship with Him. You know what the alternative is, don't you? You come into the presence of God, you ask Him something that's not His will, He judges you and kills you. That's the history of the nation of Israel, isn't it? Well, praise God that we don't face that type of judgment. God understands, He listens to us, He will discipline us and help us to be trained to share in His holiness. May God add His blessing to His Holy Word. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.