Prayer of the Philippines

Psalms 85

INTRO: This is our prayer, this is our hope

I.                THE PRAYER DIRECTED TO GOD

A. Be favorable to us again and restore us to our former respectable condition (v1)

B. Refrain from being angry with us and forgive us of our sins (v2)

C.  Bring us back to you without any chastisement (v4)

D. Strengthen us again for we acknowledge your sovereignty on us (v6)

II.            THE ANSWER GOD WILL DIRECT TO US

A. He will promise us peace (v8)

B.  He will give us His salvation and His glory will shine on us again (v9)

C. We will be united in peace, love and righteousness (v10)

D. Abundance and goodness will be on our land (v12)

CONCLUSION: The Lord will revive us if we humbly call on Him (2 Chronicles 7:14). The Hebrew word humble is ‘Kaw-nah’ which means to “bend on knee.” Bending one’s knee is to bow in respect and submission. Bending our knees is also a manner of praying.

Asking is not always an approved manner neither is it also off beam

Luke 11:10

INTRO: Everyone who asks, seek and knock will surely have it.

I.       WHAT WE’D RATHER DO AT THE OUTSET THAN ASK

A.    Long

B.    Desire

C.    Wish

II.      WHAT WE ARE TO ASK APPROPRIATELY

A.    Wisdom

B.    Holy Spirit

C.    Anything real

III.     WHILE YOU ASK OPENLY

A.    Realize your lack

B.    Ask out of poverty

C. Ask with moral appreciation and spiritual understanding

CONCLUSION: Ask in heartfelt prayer for genuine requests in Jesus’ name and expect His promise of getting the answer sooner than expected.

What is love?

1 Corinthians 13

INTRO: Love is not just a many splendored thing that comes out from the most unexpected places. It may move mysteriously but it is not blind and can’t hurt anybody. You find it irresistible to love.

I.                THE ABSENCE OF LOVE

A. Ever-repeating annoyance (v1)

B.  No importance found (v2)

C.  Worthless, none the better (v3)

II.            THE PRESENCE OF LOVE

A. Patience and kindness is there and no envy (v4)

B.  No arrogance and ill-manner and even irritable qualities (v5)

C.  No gloating over other’s sins and keeps no record of their wrongs (v6)

III.       THE ESSENCE OF LOVE (Inmost nature)

A. Undying and eternal (v8)

B.  Delights in truth and honesty (v8)

C.  No limit and never fails (v7)

IV.      SCIENCE OF LOVE (Systematic)

A. Begins simply from a childish outlook (v11)

B. Then comes to mature understanding (v12)

C. And finishes to complete, full knowledge seeing the true nature of love (v12)

CONCLUSION:

Have faith in order to have an optimistic anticipation and give out or be in love. Find it irresistible in the strongest sense.

Adversities in our faith brings excitement to our souls

(James 1:2) “Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds.”

INTRO: Yes, the testing of our faithfulness or the ordeal we go through daily in relation to our commitment in God produce sparkles or animation in our attentiveness to our maker.

I.                THE TESTING OF OUR FAITH (1 Peter 1:7)

A. Yields persistence or steadfastness (pagkamainantuson) (V2) and this determination give us the confidence that we “gain our lives” (Luke 21:19) Gaining our lives mean we grow or advance and improve.

B. We are “made perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (v4). To lack nothing means nothing is missing or absent since the good thing that we have is widespread. We also meet the terms of Jesus instructing us to “be perfect” (Matthew 5:48)

II.            THE RATIFICATION OF OUR FAITH

A. Use godly wisdom (v5). In order to have such wisdom means we are to ask for it persistently (Matthew 7:7) and that believe or have faith that you’ll receive it, don’t ever doubt (Mark 11:4)

B.  Desire, hope, entreat and appeal to God in faith and dedication—with full confidence.

CONCLUSION: Blessed are you when you remain steadfast under trial (KV12). When under trial, do not continue aimlessly (1 Corinthians 9:26), look more to the things invisible (2 Corinthians 4:18) in so doing you renew yourself daily. We who are poor in this world are chosen by God to be rich in faith and heirs of His kingdom (James 2:5).

We all hurdle difficult exams in life

Psalms 26:1-3

INTRO: The word examine comes from Hebrew “Baw-Khan” meaning to test, to investigate, to prove, to try and to tempt (convince, attract, excite). We need to examine ourselves once in a while in order to know our proficiency (advancement) and knowledge of God and the stage of our faith. This is to be done through questions or inquiry about ourselves. Problems, uncertainties, difficulties, sometimes doubts help us examine ourselves.

I.                EXAMINING FIRST

A. Let God examine  us first. “Susiha ug sulayi ako o Ginoo, usisaha ang akong mga tinguha ug mga huna-huna.” (Psalms 26:2)

B. Have a ready defense. From Hebrew “Gawnan” which means protect or defend. A defense from God’s examination does not mean resistance but an apology or a plea for vindication. In human treatment, this diligence of having a defense is shown in 1 Corinthians 9:3 “Kon sawayon ako sa mga tawo, tubagon ko sila.” Such response is not to counter back with the same condemnation but to ‘react with wisdom’ (Eccleasiastes 7:12). and let your accusers and critics hear your defense (Acts 22:1)

II.            EXAMINING AFTER

A. Then we examine ourselves. Check, inspect,  scrutinize what’s wrong, observe, think about, analyze, weigh up, sift, and investigate yourself. First Corinthians 11:28 tells us to question or appraise ourselves.

B.  Stay in faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5) Be your own critic and evaluator. Judge yourself and pronounce an opinion about what and where you are, whether you are still devoted and committed to God.  

CONCLUSION: Receive the reward of blessing—a good grade from God Himself. Have a deepened and developed faith, intensified more by the examination that gives God all the glory.