LESSON 3 of 9
Text: “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:” (Ephesians 3:11)
A. We always seem to want to understand everything so when we find something we do not understand we push for an understanding and often times come up with an understanding, but it is will be misunderstanding.
B. We do not need to know everything in prayer. We need to rest, we need to know God who gives understanding. Our understanding comes from God not from figuring things out. He gives understanding in His ways, works, and words. We need to be content to hold with a good and pure conscious the mystery of Godliness that we be willing to hold correctly a mystery something we do not know, and hold it in our heart and be content not to understand it and move further along into the heart of God.
C. We really do not know much. We often think we know that is why we pray so much, but the Spirit knows and the Spirit who knows will help us who do not know. So it does not matter what you know, but matters who you know. We do not need to know anything, but if we know God we will know whatever God wants us to know.
D. Proper communication brings us to the whom rather to the what. And the whom (God) then can bring us to the want He wants in any given situation. Then we can harmonize with the will of God in our request, and when asking we then will flow in the will of God.
E. For us to flow in the will of God in prayer we MUST lay down our ways and will to take on His ways and will, we MUST lay aside our thoughts and take on His thoughts.
F. So, prayer puts us in touch with God, not what we think, but in reality, as we are willing to commune with Him it brings us closer and closer until our life is in touch with God’s.
G. This communion then will move us away from the “gimmies” (what most of what we call prayer) and we are then able to speak to God on behalf of others. We can then even speak to God about those who are giving us a hard time. We are to be concerned about those who are not in touch with God, we are to talk to God about them.
H. We are not here to get, to receive, but we are here on this earth to give. When the Lord gives to us He is giving it to us so that it (whatever He gives you) may flow out of you after He gives it to you. What He gives is not our goods, but His goods.
I. What God puts in us starts a flow, we are then able to invest into lives others. And if we can invest in the lives of others then that will bring a return the Lord is seeking. God gives to us so that we might be able to give to others.
J. So prayer brings us into all of these things (probably even more than our understanding is able to comprehend) and into the glory of God. The last and most important purpose of prayer is to bring us into the glory of God. Prayer brings us into an intensity and purity that leads us to His glory. And His glory leads us to adjustment and correction. This is not the transfiguration??? (term not in the Bible), but the glory of God.
K. And Moses after he came down from the mountain, I wonder why we do not see this glory today? Do we really believe??
L. In the Book of Acts Steven, there it is, the glory of God.
M. The intensity of God’s glory will come on those who are willing to pay the price and willing to adjust and be corrected. God is after correction. There will be those shook loose and shaken out for the way, they will fall by the way side if they can not be corrected and God will take those who can be corrected, His elect on.
N. We need to hold this desire to commune with God. It is about knowing God and being conformed into His Son’s (Jesus) image. We need to ask Him for this desire, this hunger will bring us into commune with Him.
O. Where we are not concerned what we will get, but to walk hand and hand with Him, to harmonize with His character and intentions, to walk the way He desires for you to way, and not to worry where He is leading you. Because He is leading you to Calvary to die.
