Fasting and Prayer

Fasting and Prayer 

Subject – What We Can Expect When We Fast and Pray Sincerely

By Rick Welborne

Isaiah 58:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.
²  Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.
³  'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' "In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers.
⁴  Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high.
⁵  Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD?
⁶  "Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?
⁷  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸  Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
⁹  Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰  If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹  The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹²  Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
¹³  "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
¹⁴  Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." 

--As we gather to pray and seek the Lord in 2024, I want you to understand that we can expect great things from God when we do it sincerely.

--I also want you to understand, according to the Word, that you shouldn’t expect anything from God when you do not meet His expectations. Are you saying God’s promises are conditional? Yes!

1. Conditions for Effective Fasting and Prayer.

--This is simply according to this chapter in Isaiah. I believe we can take God’s Word for what it says.

--Verse 1 tells us the first thing we must be willing to do to get ready for effective fasting and prayer is to point out sin and obvious transgression. We can’t live any way we want and expect God to answer us.

--Verse 2 tells us to stop with the hypocrisy. Stop pretending we really want to know God and obey Him. Stop pretending in worship that we really are here to honor Him when we know we are not living right.

--Verse 3 tells to stop acting like we don’t know why God does not answer our prayers and does not acknowledge our fasting. How you treat people nullifies any hope of answered prayers.

--Verses 4&5 exposes again our hypocrisy because we want to be noticed for our fasting and prayers. We want people to know we are suffering. God asked…is this acceptable? The answer is no!

--Verse 9 tells us to stop pointing our finger at others (false accusations) and stop the malicious talk (speaking wickedness). If you want answered prayers, stop slandering others. Stop it!

--Verse 13 tells us what many do not want to hear but here we go again. The expectation of results from our fasting and prayer are directly connected to our love for God’s house and His day.

--Please don’t tell me you really want God to answer your prayers about prodigals or anything else when you are unfaithful to His house and honoring Him on His Day!

Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV) ²⁴ And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

--Verse 13 again is very clear that we are not to do our own thing or our own pleasure on His Day. Our prayers being answered is directly tied to our faithfulness to God and His House.

2. God’s Purpose for Sincere Fasting and Prayer.

--Verse 6 tells us that true fasting and prayer will loose the bonds of wickedness. How many of you know someone who is bound by wickedness, addictions, spirits, or inappropriate relationships?

Luke 4:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 

--How many of you know family or friends who are under heavy burdens and they need to be free? If we fast and pray they can be free from their burdens. 

Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV) ²⁷ It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil. 

--Verse 6 There are so many oppressed by life and by the enemy of our souls but when the enemy comes in like a flood (we fast and pray) the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him.

--How do we flesh out what it looks like to be a person who fasts and prays in sincerity?

Isaiah 58:7(NKJV) ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? 

3. Prayers that will be answered when we fast and pray in truth.

--Verse 8 tells us that our light shall break forth like the morning…As we fast and pray God will take our influence to the next level in our witnessing, discipleship, and even in business.

--Verse 8 your healing shall spring forth speedily. Who does not want to see their prayers answered for healing. Maybe, just maybe, the missing ingredients is diligent fasting and prayer. 

--During this 21 days of fasting, concentrate on the person you want healed and watch what God can do.

--The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. God will be our protector and the protector of those we are praying for.

Psalm 91:1-7 (NKJV)
¹  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
²  I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
³  Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
⁴  He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
⁵  You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
⁶  Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
⁷  A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 

--Verse 9 tells us that we will definitely have answers to our prayers. How many of you are tired of getting a busy signal or no return calls? 

Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV) 9Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.’

--Verse 11 He promises us divine direction. The LORD will guide you continually.

--I hear politicians talk about building the infrastructure of the United States here America and most of it is just talk. Yet our roads, bridges, our buildings are getting older and older and are falling apart.

--How much more the infrastructure of our nation from a spiritual and moral perspective. When we fast and pray we can do it.

Isaiah 58:12 (NKJV) ¹² Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. 

2 Chronicles 7:12-16 (NKJV)
¹²  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.
¹³  When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
¹⁴  if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
¹⁵  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
¹⁶  For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

--Let us fast and pray!

Speak, Lord, for Your Servant is Listening – Christmas

Speak, Lord, for Your Servant is Listening – Christmas

Subject – The Importance of God’s Voice and the Christmas Story

By Rick Welborne

1 Samuel 3:9-10 (NIV)
⁹  So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
¹⁰  The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 

--We have been speaking quite some time about the importance and the power of hearing God’s voice. It is difficult to do His will if we cannot hear His voice.

--I have appreciated and am thankful for so many telling me how hearing God’s voice has changed their lives and many times given them direction when they did not know what to do.

--I listened to a retired missionary tell me the story of how God took him and his wife from a very successful career to having a home for children overseas. 

--With tears in his eyes he shared how the opportunity was presented to him and how he felt there was no way until he heard that still small voice saying this is My will for your life.

--Maybe you have never considered what I am about to share with you about the beautiful Christmas story. How important was it for the characters in this story to hear the voice of God?

1. Mary Hears from God.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT2)
²⁶  In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
²⁷  to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
²⁸  Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
²⁹  Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
³⁰  “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!
³¹  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
³²  He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David.
³³  And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
³⁴  Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
³⁵  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
³⁶  What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month.
³⁷  For nothing is impossible with God.”
³⁸  Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. 

--We can learn so much from Mary and how God communicated with her. God’s Words through the angel Gabriel was about to change her life forever.

--What can be more wonderful than a message from God letting you know that God is with you? Because she is afraid, the angel tells her to not be afraid because she had found favor with God.

--You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 

--If you are listening, God is speaking the same words to you. What is conceived in you is the Son of God and He will set up His throne in your life. And Holy Spirit will come upon you!

--Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So what is born inside you born will be the Son of God. We want Jesus glorified in our lives.

--One of the greatest words from God ever…For nothing is impossible with God. Mary’s response to Gabriel must be our response whenever God speaks to us. Willing to serve and obey.

Luke 1:38 (NKJV) ³⁸ Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 

--How would this story have changed if Mary could not hear from God and be an obedient servant?

2. Joseph Hears from God.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NLT2)
¹⁸  This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
¹⁹  Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
²⁰  As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
²¹  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
²²  All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
²³  “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
²⁴  When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.
²⁵  But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. 

--Again, we can learn so much from this encounter with Joseph. Notice with Mary, God spoke to her through an angel, probably a vision while she was awake. 

--Gabriel speaks to Joseph in a dream. God can use a vision, a dream, or an angel to speak to us. And, God can speak to us in many different ways. Why? Because He is God.

--What can we learn. We can learn how to treat people respectfully. Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before they are married she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Right!

--Joseph was a good man. He did not want to disgrace her publicly. Why do we get such joy from destroying people publicly? Joseph was a good man and good men hear from God.

--“Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus.

--How would this story have changed if Joseph could not hear from God and was not willing to be obedient to the words given to Him?

--Joseph new the Word of God and he knew the prophecies of the Messiah said that a virgin would conceive. Men of God, obedience becomes easier when you know God’s Word! 

--When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. A good man.

3. The Shepherds Hear From God.

Luke 2:8-20 (NLT2)
⁸  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
⁹  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
¹⁰  but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.
¹¹  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
¹²  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
¹³  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
¹⁴  “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
¹⁵  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
¹⁶  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.
¹⁷  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
¹⁸  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
¹⁹  but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.
²⁰  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. 

--We learn, as it says in the Book of Acts, that it is for certain that God is no respecter of persons. Shepherds were not known to be the best of society but the lowly of society.

--God is still wanting to appear and to speak to those of whom many (even in the church) have given up on. What a sight for the angel of the Lord to appear in the sky and to speak. What?

--“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 

--Everyone say “Good news.” Everyone needs to hear the good news. Everyone needs the opportunity to hear the Savior has been born. That’s why we do missions.

--It’s not enough to just have a lovely church and an exciting service for those of us who are already benefactors of the good news. Everyone needs to hear. Go shout it on the mountains!

--Can you imagine hearing the armies of heaven (the heavenly host) praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth?

--I love the phrases that were said about the shepherds…they hurried…they found…they told everyone…they praised and glorified God for all they had seen and heard.

--Again, how important was it for Mary, and Joseph, and the shepherds to hear God’s voice and then, to do what He commanded them to do?

--How important is it for you and me to hear the voice of God, and then, to do what He commands us to do?

Jeremiah 11:4 (NKJV) ⁴ 'Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,'

Your Christian Life Doesn’t Have to be Toxic - 5

Your Christian Life Doesn’t Have to be Toxic - 5

Subject – Cross-less Christians

By Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 (NIV)
¹⁷  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
¹⁸  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

Philippians 3:18-20 (NLT)
¹⁸  For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.
¹⁹  They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.
²⁰  But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

--Last week we continued our series on Toxic Christians and we talked about Christian atheist.

Christian atheist:  Someone who confesses Christ but lives like He does not exist.

--Today I want to speak to you about cross-less Christians.

Cross-less Christian – Someone who believes that their life in Christ should be, and must be, free from pain and suffering.

--Much damage has been done in the Kingdom by those who have taught a prosperity gospel that is all about what we receive and enjoy compared to what we give up and endure.

--This is probably not the kind of sermon you would preach if you were trying to be seeker sensitive or trying to boost your offering for your television program.

--So many want preachers to tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. Preaching or teaching the Word of God comes with great responsibility and with fear and trembling. My job:

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NKJV)
¹  I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:
²  Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
³  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
⁴  and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
⁵  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 

--Today I want us to talk about the cross of Jesus Christ…The Purpose…The Pain…The Power!

1. The Purpose of the Cross

John 3:14-16 (NKJV)
¹⁴  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
¹⁵  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁶  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

--The absolute purpose of the cross…the reason Jesus was lifted up was so that all of us could be saved. We do not have to be lost or to spend eternity away from God because of what Jesus did. 

--The message of the cross may seem to be foolish to some…think about the pretty cross you wear around your neck as jewelry.  The symbol of death for our Lord Jesus Christ!

--Celebrities wear crosses…athletes have crosses tattooed on their bodies…right next to momma…people have crosses on their walls or desk…oh, that we would remember what it stands for.

--Just imagine people wearing an electric chair ornament around their neck because someone they loved or someone who died for them was being electrocuted. That’s crazy!  Really?

--How about someone wearing a hypodermic needle for those who die by injection…that is sick, Pastor Rick.

--So what’s my point?  We have so softened the purpose of the cross and we have so devalued the price Jesus paid to the point we can wear the symbol of His death and still live any way we want..

Matthew 27:39-43 (NKJV)
³⁹  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads
⁴⁰  and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
⁴¹  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,
⁴²  "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
⁴³  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' "  

--He saved others; Himself He cannot save…the chief priest, the scribes, and elders didn’t know how true their statement was…His purpose was not to save Himself but to save all of us.

2. The Pain of the Cross

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
⁶  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
⁷  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
⁸  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

--You see Jesus did not endure the cross for a bunch of wonderful people…He did it for rotten sinners like you and me.  Our veterans went to fight for those who loved our country and those who do not.  Thank you!

--Oh, how we here in America want a painless Christianity…give me the assurance of Heaven, give me my children serving God, give me blessings (big house and fancy cars) but no suffering please.

--Only a century ago there were brave souls who became known as one-way missionaries. They purchased their tickets to the mission field without the return half. 

 --Instead of suitcases they packed their belongings in coffins. Most said their goodbyes to family knowing they would never see them again.

--A.W.Milne was one of those missionaries. He sailed to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific knowing that the missionaries before him were martyred by the headhunters there.

--Milne did not fear for his life because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed. He lived among the people there for 35 years and loved them. They buried him in the middle of their village.

Milne’s Tombstone – When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.

Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV)
²⁴  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
²⁵  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
²⁶  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

3. The Power of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

--The cross is the power of God…the cross is the power of God to save us and to save those who are lost.

John 12:32-33 (NKJV) ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
³³  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

--To the carnal mind this does not make sense…how can a dead man on a cross draw people to Himself?

--Yes, He died on the cross and, yes, He was buried but that is not the end of the story…something happened three days later.  Jesus walked out of the tomb sealing the deal forever.

Philippians 3:10-14 (NKJV) ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
¹¹  if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
¹²  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
¹³  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
¹⁴  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

--Pastor, I can’t press on…I can’t serve God because I have done ________.  The power of the cross can take away all your sin. It is nailed to the cross.

Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV)
¹³  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
¹⁴  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
¹⁵  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.