This morning, it's my privilege to open up the Word of God. with us. And my prayer is that God will Enable us to, in the power of the Holy Spirit of God, embrace what he's going to show us this morning. By way of introduction. to what we're going to consider Mm-hmm.
I'd like to draw our attention very briefly to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. The Old Testament book of Nehemiah introduces us a very godly man. And this man Nehemiah was characterized by A number of great qualities that are worth our emulation. Uh He had vision. He was called of God.
He saw the greatness of the work entrusted to him. He was able to discern the tactics of the enemy and take action accordingly. He worked hard. He lived an exemplary life. He sought to glorify God alone.
He had courage. He enlisted others to work alongside him in a work that was entrusted to him. He was determined. And all these qualities are outstanding, and qualities that we should desire to have. But there is another quality Nehemiah possesses that stands out perhaps above the rest.
He was a man of prayer. He was a leader from the knees up. It is this quality that God has placed upon my heart for us to focus on this morning. The book of Nehemiah opens and closes with prayer. It begins and ends with prayer.
Prayer saturates the book from beginning to end. The prayers of Nehemiah are recorded throughout the book in chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 13.
Some of Nehemiah's prayers are lengthy, as in chapters 1 and 9.
Some of Nehemiah's prayers are very brief, what we could call telegraph prayers, and we see these in chapters 4 and 6. whether lengthy or brief. Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Having considered the importance of prayer in Nehemiah's life, I would like to transition to what the Lord has placed upon my heart to have us look at together this morning. The Word of God reveals in all four Gospels.
Jesus' cleansing of the temple. We see this in Matthew chapter 21, Mark 14, Luke 19, and John 2. The account we're going to consider this morning is found in Matthew chapter 12. 21. And as we begin, I'd like to have us focus on verses 12 and 13.
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer. But you make it a den. of robbers. Jesus, as he was often accustomed to doing, quotes from the Old Testament here.
He is quoting from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah chapter 56 anticipates the day that non-Jewish people. will be welcomed into the temple. Those who seek God and obey his commands will be welcomed. Isaiah fifty six, verses six and seven.
And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, These I will bring to my holy mountain. and make them joyful in my house. of prayer. I'd like to ask to have you stop and think with me for a moment. of all the phrases that could have been used.
to describe The temple. God says. My house shall be called house of prayer.
Now think with me for a moment. God could have said My house shall be called a house of acceptance. accountability, community, counseling, discipleship, encouragement, evangelism, fellowship, instruction. Love, ministry, mission, outreach. Preaching, sacrifice, service.
spiritual leadership, support, teaching, truth, worship. God could have said those things. But he doesn't. He says, My house shall be called A house of prayer. And now, please think with me of all the phrases that could be used to describe the church.
The Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, Lifeline Community. Lifeline community shall be a place of acceptance. accountability, community, counseling, discipleship, encouragement, evangelism, fellowship, instruction, love, ministry, mission, outreach, preaching, sacrifice, service, spiritual leadership, support, teaching, truth, worship.
Now don't get me wrong. All these things are very, very important. In ministry. Every one of them. is very important.
There is one other. Beria Nevertheless. That needs to be very, very important to us. In that is the area. of prayer.
Think about this with me for a moment, please. If the Lord Jesus Christ were to come, and visit Lifeline Community.
next week and walk Among Our aisles. just as he did in Revelation chapters two and three with the seven churches of Asia. What might he say to us? I know. I know he would not have to address us as a den of robbers.
driving us out and turning over tables. He would not have to do that. And I believe Jesus would acknowledge the many very important and worthwhile ministries that go on here. as lifeline community. The many things that we do We strive to do them.
Uh in his name and in his power. And that's extremely important. Jesus may have to address, however. An area. That We may need to give more attention.
The Area of Prayer. Pay more attention to becoming. A prayer saturated House of Prayer.
Now there Are some very important areas of ministry within the local church? that I have found over the years, and perhaps you have too, They are much easier to talk about than to do. For example. We would all undoubtedly firmly believe and a critical importance of telling others about Jesus Christ. It's much easier to talk about than it is to do.
Would you agree? Another area that we We find easier to talk about, perhaps, than to do. is accountability. Another area may be establishing community and practicing fellowship and presence with our brothers and sisters in Christ. And the list could go on and on.
Another area that we undoubtedly firmly believe to be of critical importance. but find it much easier to talk about than to do. Maybe the area of prayer. Why, generally speaking? Do we not, as Christ's followers, pray as we should?
Let me be the first to say that I can very readily identify with what I'm about to say. I do not pray as I should. I struggle with certain things that keep me from praying as I should. Perhaps you do as well. Busyness This is probably overwhelmingly so the number one reason we as Christ's followers do not pray as we should.
Let's ask ourselves, what needs to change in my life?
So I can devote more time. to prayer. Apathy. Perhaps we have little desire to invest time with the Lord in prayer. We may look at prayer as something we ought to do.
Something we should do as Christ's followers, but not as something we get to do. If we are not hungry for the Lord, it is most likely because we have filled ourselves up with something else. and this something else may very well have become an idol. in our life. Self-sufficiency.
We would probably never vocalize or verbalize this. But we can and often do begin to think, perhaps, that we can run things ourselves.
Okay. Even if this is not What we believe. We have not become desperate enough. To stop and change. Our mode.
of operation. Our loving God longs to fellowship with us in prayer. Let's not thwart his loving desire to connect with us. because of busyness or apathy. or self-sufficiency.
As we proceed, I want to ask that we carefully consider together the characteristics of a prayer-saturated house of prayer. According to Matthew chapter 21, verses twelve through sixteen. A prayer saturated house of prayer. is a place of Purity. We see this in verses 12 and 13.
Okay. Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. God is perfectly holy. And he calls us. His children.
to live holy lives as well. While on this side of eternity, In the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, who dwells within us, we need to be striving towards. Increased holiness. Both in our lives individually and in our life and ministry. as a corporate body of believers here in Lifeline.
A prayer-saturated house of prayer is a place of people. Verse 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple. We have the privilege. of being attentive and sensitive. to the needs of those around us.
And as we become aware of the needs of others, We can and should and yes, we get To pray. with them right then and there. By doing this, I believe we can develop here in Lifeline. A culture. of prayer.
A culture of praying with And four. One another. Not to be seen. But to genuinely show that we care. for one another.
for everyone that enters. this building. A prayer-saturated house of prayer is a Place of power. Verse 14, And he that is Jesus healed them. We know that our good and faithful God certainly can and does heal physical infirmities according with His perfect plan and purpose and will.
Another way in which God can and does heal in a prayer-saturated house of prayer. is in his works of salvation. and sanctification. When someone comes to Christ, that person passes from Death to life? From bondage to freedom.
From guilt to peace. God's power is certainly revealed. in salvation. God's power is also revealed in sanctification as He increasingly transforms us, those of us who know Him as our Savior. as he increasingly transforms us into the likeness of his son.
God's powerful work of sanctification in our lives, being increasingly conformed to the likeness of Jesus, not only affects us personally. It affects all our relationships. Let's stop and think for a moment. If I really allow the Holy Spirit of God. to increasingly transform me Into the likeness of his son.
Imagine what that can do, not only in my own life. But in my marriage. In my family. In our extended families, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, our co-workers. all our relationships.
A prayer-saturated house of prayer is a place of persecution. I'm going to kind of go through this one very quickly. See this in verses 15 and 16. When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and their children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the son of David, they were indignant. And they said to him, Do you hear?
What these are saying. I recently read a quote on the C.S. Lewis Institute website, a great quote. One of the greatest paradoxes in Christian history is that the church is most pure. in times of cultural Hostility.
When things are easy and good, that is when the church most often goes astray. When Christianity seems identical with the culture, and even when the church seems to be enjoying its greatest earthly success. Then It is weakest. Conversely, When the church encounters hardship, persecution, and suffering, then it is closest to its crucified Lord. Then there are fewer hypocrites and nominal believers among its members.
Then the faith of Christian burns most intensely. And C. S. Lewis himself writes. Those who suffer the same things from the same people for the same person, capital P, Person.
can scarcely not love. one another. The more we, Lifeline community, become a prayer-saturated house of prayer, the more we will look less like our culture. And the more we will look like our crucified Lord. A prayer-saturated house of prayer is a place of praise.
Verse 16. Yeah. And Jesus said to them, Yes, have you never read out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise, pardon me? Again, Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, specifically Psalm 8, verses 1 and 2. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name!
and all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. out of the mouth of babies and infants. You have established strength because of your foes. To still The enemy.
And the Avenger. Praise is acknowledging God for who He is. It is a joyful recounting. of what he has done for us. all his wonderful righteous deeds.
Psalm 18.3 declares, The Lord is worthy to be praised. I want to take a moment to very sincerely thank those of you who serve as part of our worship team here in Lifeline. Thank you so very much, all of you. And I include A V with this. You do not focus on entertaining us.
You focus on leading us to praise and worship. our good and faithful God who is worthy to be praised. Thank you so much. I'd like to ask that we carefully consider Why we as lifeline community should be. A prayer-saturated house of prayer.
We should be a prayer-saturated house of prayer. because it is commanded. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 17, we read, Pray without ceasing. By developing and maintaining this privilege, this get to We will develop and maintain a God consciousness. Living every moment in the presence of God and in fellowship with Him.
We should be a prayer-saturated house of prayer because it is essential to victory over the forces of evil. In Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 20, Paul writes about the importance of putting on the full armor of God in order that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. In that context, He exhorts us. to be praying at all times. In the spirit.
We should be a prayer-saturated house of prayer because it is to follow Christ's example. Mark chapter 1 verse 35 And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he, Jesus, departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed. Jesus saturated. His earthly life of preaching, teaching, healing, ministering, serving, and choosing his disciples with prayer.
How much more? Should we saturate our individual lives and ministries in the life and ministry? of lifeline community and prayer. And the precious thing is We get to do that. We should be a prayer-saturated house of prayer because it is emphasized in the early church.
The believers in the newly founded church, Acts 2.42, devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers. If we long for the power of the early church, And I believe we do. We must be willing to do what it takes to experience that power. and our power will be directly proportionate. to our commitment to prayer.
Let's conclude briefly, please, by making it personal and asking ourselves. Is prayer? A way of life in Lifeline Community. A way of life that permeates every ministry within the church. in every outreach of the Church, rather than being seen as an isolated Program?
Is lifeline community as a result? of being a prayer-saturated house of prayer. Filled With the tangible Presence. of God? Dio Moody said this.
The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to Him. By God's help, I aim to be that man. I'd like to paraphrase and say this. The world has yet to see what God can do with a church family. Totally dependent upon him.
Totally dependent. and committed becoming A prayer saturated House of Prayer. Through God's empowering Holy Spirit. Let's commit to being that church. to the glory of God.
A prayer-saturated house of prayer. Let's pray together, please. Our father I readily admit, I'd be the first one to admit. I really need to grow in this area. And Lord, I pray that I would.
I pray that all of us here would. I pray that we lifeline. Community. would become a prayer-saturated house of prayer. For your glory, we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
