PRAYER SCHOOL: RECEIVING & ADMINISTERING GOD S GRACE Today s Message: Part 1: No More Religion! Establishing the Right Foundation in Our Hearts (Uprooting Lies & Planting Ourselves in Truth So We Can Fully Receive Without Limit!) I. Important truth #1: Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned! Nor can your healing, your forgiveness, your freedom, your prosperity, etc. be earned all of this is included in the GIFT of salvation. [Eph 2:4-9 NIV] 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. A. Understanding grace 1. Grace = unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor that is given to EVERYONE freely through Christ we were ALL sinners and God sent His son to die for us WHILE we were sinners. We are saved by grace so that no man can boast. 2. Grace (charis) in the Greek = Strong s Concordance 5485 (khä'-rēs) : that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, good will, loving-kindness, favor of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, virtues, recompense, reward 3. Grace = the person of Jesus Christ & the finished work He accomplished on the cross (through faith and love working together) [Jhn 1:14 NIV] 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. B. What does it mean to be saved? 1. Salvation = sótéria in the Greek (G4991) welfare, prosperity, deliverance, preservation, salvation, safety (Note: welfare is defined as: health, happiness, fortune, comfort, security, safety, protection, prosperity, success) 9-3-17 1
2. Saved = sózó in the Greek (G4982) = delivered, protected, healed, preserved, done well, made whole C. Everything we have ever received from God, every promise in His Word we will ever experience in fullness, every ounce of God s love and faithfulness in our life, every bit of God s goodness flows to us by GRACE through FAITH. D. We can t earn anything from God. E. ALL of His promises are ALREADY yes and Amen to us when we become born-again and receive the GIFT of salvation through Christ: [2Co 1:20 NIV] 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. [2Ti 1:9-10 NIV] 9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus [Eph 3:7 NIV] 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. [1Pe 4:10 NIV] 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. II. Important Truth #2: Prayer is simply about coming into agreement with God in our heart and in our mouth and speaking out His words, His thoughts, His images and His emotions. God is love, so we are continually submitting ourselves to love. A. Prayer is NOT about begging God. If we are begging God, it s simply evidence of a wrong image of His nature and character. B. God IS love. Love is not only His nature, but it is the essence of His existence. [1Jo 4:8 NIV] 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. [Jhn 15:13 NIV] 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. [1Co 13:4-8 NIV] 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 9-3-17 2
C. Meditate on God s love for you! Love is the curtain rod that faith and everything else hinges on. [1Jo 3:1 NIV] 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. [1Jo 4:9-11 NIV] 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. [Psa 86:15 NIV] 15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. [Jer 29:11 NIV] 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. D. God s nature is unchanging. He IS love. He can t stop being love. [Heb 13:8 NIV] 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [Jas 1:17 NIV] 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows E. The most important truth for us to be rooted and established in is to KNOW God s love for us is unconditional. He hates sin, but He loves us. Where sin abounds, His grace abounds more! (Rom 5:20) His love wins us over and does the work of changing us and causes us to not want to sin. [Rom 5:8 NIV] 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [Gal 2:20 NIV] 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [Heb 4:16 NIV] 16 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. [Tit 2:11-12 NIV] 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 9-3-17 3
Prayer = 1. Communication with God (and He is always speaking words of grace) 2. Intimate heart to heart communication with your Father in heaven through His Word (Jesus) & His Holy Spirit. The veil was torn! (Matt 27:51) 3. Agreeing with The Word (Believing & Receiving what GOD says in the Bible) All powerful and effective prayer must be based on truth the Word of God is the source of all truth Jesus IS the way, the truth and the life; there is no other way to The Father except through the son. We can only enter into 4. Receiving God s thoughts, images, emotions & desires and submitting ourselves to them; calling those things that aren t as though they were in our heart, soul, mind, body, and every situation upon the earth 5. Using the power and authority given to us through Jesus Christ We are given the ability through Christ to change things for the better on this earth by speaking the Word of God and the Name of Jesus over every situation, problem, circumstance and person s life. 6. Bringing the supernatural into the natural; Bringing heaven to earth III. Important truth #3: God cannot just do whatever He wants to do on earth, He must have agreement from man. He gave the earth to man (male and female). [Psa 115:16 NIV] 16 The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind. [Gen 1:26-28 NIV] 26 Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. A. Even the coming of Jesus had to first be welcomed through prayer (Luke 2:21-38) B. Jesus taught us to pray on earth as it is in heaven we have to pray God s will onto the earth; nothing automatically just happens (Matt 6:10) IV. Important truth #4: Prayer is important. God calls the church a house of prayer. [Isa 56:7 NIV] 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." [Mat 21:13 NIV] 13 "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it 'a den of robbers.'" 9-3-17 4
[Mar 11:17 NIV] 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" [1Co 16:19-20 NIV] 19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. V. Important truth #5: YOU are a spirit. You have a body and you possess a soul. Transformation takes place from the inside out. As our soul prospers, so do we. We mediate on the Word so that the Word washes our soul and plants truth. John 17:17 (NIV) Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. In looking at the verse in the Greek, sanctify means: to make holy and has reference to ceremonially. Other word associations with sanctify from the original Greek word used are: purify, consecrate - specifically denoting mentally - to venerate (to regard or treat with reverence and honor, to desire) water filter The word used for truth is defined as not concealing." Scripture of course says - the Word is the truth, Jesus is the truth and we know He is the light as well which exposes all things that the darkness tries to conceal. Simply put, God is speaking to our hearts and saying pray my word! My Word is truth! My Word is what sanctifies you! My Word is what cleanses you and purifies you and frees you up to receive! My Word reveals who I am and my desires for you. The foundation of this whole class is on THE WORD OF GOD this is where our faith rests in what Jesus has already (in past tense) accomplished for us on the cross through the Father s love for us! John 17:19 Jesus speaking says: I sanctify myself that they too may be truly sanctified. *He sanctified himself for US, so we need to receive what he has done and the effects of what he has done! 1. We are set free from concealments - lies - all things blinding and deafening us to the truth (the Word) and to knowing God intimately. Through Jesus (the Word) sanctifying us, we are set free from anything that has kept us from knowing the truth about who God really is, his unconditional love for us and who we are in Christ (whether religion, man, the enemy, likes of the enemy, negative things people have spoken over us, etc.) 2. We will receive the truth (THE WORD) in our heart and soul, mind and body and KNOW who God is in His glory and who Christ is, and who we are in Christ. All that is now ours through Christ will be revealed to us and received in our hearts and minds and souls and bodies, causing those things to be made 9-3-17 5
manifest in our lives, in our families, in the Living Word Bible Church and in the greater church body. 3. We as a church and a people are being prepared for our groom, Jesus, as His bride. We are sanctified, purified, glorified as He is glorified in us and we are glorified in Him by recognizing who we are and completing the work he has given us to do through His grace and revelation of truth! (Through prayer conversations of grace we bring the supernatural finished work of CHRIST into the natural. We must speak what God speaks to our spirit into our soul and speak to ourselves often.) The WORD works however we need it to: 1. Fuller s soap (Mal 3:2) fuller meaning to whiten 2. Refiner s fire (Mal 3:3) 3. Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God in our mouth (Eph 6:17) 4. Hammer (Jer 23:29) 5. Shield (Eph 6:16) when activated by faith; (Prov 30:5) Jesus fulfilled the law on our behalf and delivered us from the curse and the old covenant of the law that was conditional based on what man did or didn t do to permit God s blessing to be evidenced in their lives. (Deut 28) Now we receive all things by grace, through faith. Jesus enabled us to partake once again of the covenant of grace that God had established with us in the garden before man was deceived into entering into a works system ruled by the enemy. Adam and Eve ate of the lie: IF you eat of this tree, THEN you will be like God the truth was they already were made in God s likeness and image we are no longer under the IF/THEN clauses thanks to Jesus sacrifice. He became the curse and delivered us from the curse (Gal 3:13). God has already done his part and given us access and the right to every provision in His Word through Christ; now it s up to us to believe (rely on) Christ and His finished work and to know that it was more than enough for us to receive every provision from God. We must receive all He has done on our behalf and receive that finished work and new identity into our soul. When we pray, we know the promise is ALREADY ours. [Jhn 3:3-6 NKJV] 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 9-3-17 6
When we choose to believe Jesus is God s manifested son given for us and we accept Him as Lord and Savior of our lives, a death to the old man takes place and we become born-again spiritually. We become a new creation in Christ. [2Co 5:17 NIV] 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! You are now a living spirit, no longer dead, but alive in Christ and the true you, the SPIRIT you, is perfectly aligned in Christ, but you are still carrying around a soul (your own mind, will, emotions, and what you consciously think about) that is imperfect and in the process of being continually renewed. (Think of your soul like a purse or wallet you choose what you put into your purse or wallet and you carry it around with you. Renewal takes place as we allow the Spirit to help us clean out the junk from our purse or wallet and to replace it with His belongings.) [Rom 12:2 NIV] 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. [Eph 4:23 NIV] 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; Through prayer, God speaks to our spirit and is continually communicating His love and grace to us. We speak to our soul and proclaim the finished work of Christ over every area of our lives. [Rom 8:15-17 NIV] 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and coheirs with Christ HOMEWORK: Meditate on God s love and faithfulness scriptures BECOME A PART OF OUR ONLINE PRAYER SCHOOL COMMUNITY: www.prayerschoolcommunity.com LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/prayerschoolcommunity Go to www.youtube.com and type in Prayer School Community into the search box. or type the following address into your web browser: https://www.youtube.com/channel/uc-68wyv2ajk7b-4eleanygw 9-3-17 7