Pray Like Elijah

Pray Like Elijah
Pastor Steve Anderson | 8.23.23

James 5:13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer / effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

You can COME boldly/as righteous, and ASK confidently when you know your identity.

Identity is externally conveyed: it’s what’s God CONFERS upon you.

Our Identity “In Christ”

1. We are Chosen (In Christ)

Ephesians 1:4  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Psalm 33:12 What joy for the nation/the people whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God…for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”  

Favored: gaining approval, acceptance, or special benefits or blessings…..to have extra grace – unearned blessing –  operating in your life.

John 1:14 So the Word//Logos/Jesus became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 15 John (the Baptist) testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” 16 From his (Christ’s) abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

(KJV) 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 

2) We ARE Good Enough! (In Christ)

Isaiah 61:10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.

Colossians 2:9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 

It’s YOURS because of your faith in Jesus:

Romans 4:5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

It isn’t even about you…it’s about Jesus:

Hebrews 4:14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly/with confidence to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Excursion: Things that will hinder our prayers:

Unconfessed Sin (Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 59:2)

Unforgiveness (Mark 11:25)

Dealing harshly with our wife (1 Peter 3:7)

Doubt/Lack of Faith (James 1: 6-7)

Not asked in accordance with God’s will (James 4: 2-3)

4. The NEW Me (In Christ)…..I’m not who I was

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

(KJV) Old things are passed away….all things are become new)

1 Corinthians 6:9  Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

5. We Have Help (Holy Spirit)

Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

The Holy Spirit is: 

Empowering our prayers, 

Praying WITH us/helping us pray according to “God’s will, 

Praying FOR us!

NOTES

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