ASK FOR IT BELIEVE IT AND RECEIVE IT

Proclamation:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”  Mark 11:24-25 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Mark as he received it from the apostle Peter.  He began this chapter presenting the events which surrounded the entrance Jesus made into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-11) including the cursing of the fig tree which did not bear any fruit, (Mark 11:12-14 and 19-21) and the overturning of the tables of the money changers in the temple. (Mark 11:15-18)  Jesus told His disciples to have faith in God.  He said that they could move mountains if they believed in their heart that they could. (Mark 11:22-23)  Then He told them that whatever they asked for in prayer would be theirs, if they believed that they would receive it.  He also told them to forgive others who had wronged them so that God in heaven would forgive them of their sins.

Application:

First of all, if we do not have faith in God, then praying is useless.  “Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)  Secondly, we must truly believe in our heart and not doubt that we will receive that which we ask for in prayer.  When we pray we must believe that it is already done.  However, we need to make sure that what we ask for is consistent with the will of God and that it will give Him glory.  Thirdly, we must forgive those who have done us wrong before we can be forgiven for the wrong that we have done. (Matthew 6:15, Mark 11:26, and Luke 6:37)  We need to pray for the inner strength to move the mountains of problems that we face daily, or pray for the strength to climb them. (Ephesians 3:16)  We must all do our part in kingdom building for The Lord.  Those of us who are nonproductive and not fruitful will soon wither away and be removed. (John 15:1-2 and 15:6)

NON-BELIEF IN JESUS THE CHRIST IS A PROBLEM OF THE HEART

Proclamation:

“… Jesus … told this parable: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path … some fell on rocky ground … Other seed fell among thorns … Still other seed fell on good soil …’”  Luke 8:4-8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent travelling companion of the Apostle Paul.  In this chapter Luke begins by stating that as Jesus was travelling one town and village to another, a large crowd was gathering (Luke 8:1) and Jesus told them this parable, the parable of the sower.  Afterwards His disciples asked Him what this parable meant and He explained it to them. (Luke 8:9-15)  Later in this chapter Luke records the events around the calming of the storm by Jesus, (Luke 8:22-25) His healing and  restoring a demon-possessed man containing a Legion of demons, (Luke 8:26-38) His healing of a woman who had a twelve-year-long bleeding disorder, and raising the twelve year old daughter of Jarius from the dead. (Luke 8:40-53)

Application:

The “seed” here is The Word of God.  The “path,” the hard packed ground represents the hard hearts of the non-believers who hear The Word of God but refuse to accept it.  The “rocky ground” represents the hearts of those superficial folk who receive The Word of God with joy but it does not take root in their lives and they quickly fall away.  The “thorns” represents the hearts of those who receive The Word of God but are so caught up in and chocked by their concerns for things of this world that they produce no fruit.  The “good soil” represents the hearts of those who hear The Word of God, retain it, live it, and produce fruit because of it.  All of us fall into one of these groups.  Group one, the hard-hearted folk, believe in anything but Jesus.  Group two, the fair-weather folk, celebrate during the worship service but there is no evidence of Christ in their life outside of church.  Group three, the worldly concerned folk, care more about everything else than they do The Word of God and they cannot be productive Christians because of their outside influences, cares, and pleasures.  Group four, the productive believers, these are the ones who hear The Word of God, believe it, keep it in their hearts, live by it, and who let their light shine for the glory of God.