Prayer Energized by Intimacy with God - Bible Verse Handbook

Session #8 - Prayer Energized by Intimacy with God

I. CALLED TO ENCOUNTER INTIMACY WITH GOD

A. The Spirit is calling the Church into deep intimacy with God.

4 One thing I have desired of the LORD.that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple. (Ps. 27:4)

B. Jesus putting a "seal of fire" on our hearts speaks of progressively receiving grace to experience more of the love of God.

6 Set Me [Jesus] as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, [God's] jealousy as cruel [demanding] as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. 7 Many waters [sins, pressures] cannot quench love. (Song 8:6-7)

D. God's love poured in our hearts

5 The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit... (Rom. 5:5)

E. Water always puts out fire, unless it is God's supernatural fire.

15  So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
(Rev. 12:15)

1 But now, thus says the  Lord , who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. (Isa. 43:1-2)

F. We put Jesus on our heart simply by asking Him to touch our heart with His presence.

14 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh. (Rom. 13:14)

H. The Song is an 8-chapter love song. It is interpreted two ways:

1) Natural interpretation:

2) Spiritual interpretation:

30  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but   are like angels   of God in heaven. (Mt. 22:30)

II. THE END-TIME CHURCH WITH A BRIDAL IDENTIFY

A. The end-time Church will be in deep unity with the Holy Spirit in saying and doing what the Spirit is saying and doing.

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" (Rev. 22:17)

D. The Bridegroom message is a call to intimacy with God.

10 The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God...12 we have received...the Spirit...that we might know [experience] the things freely given. (1 Cor. 2:10-12)

E. As sons of God, we are in the position to experience God's throne as heirs of His power

21  To him who overcomes   I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
(Rev. 3:21)

17  and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with  Him,  that we may also be glorified together. (Rom. 8:17)

G. Some of the greatest men of God experienced the essential reality of the bridal message.

23  Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. (Jn. 13:23)

  26  When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother,  "Woman, behold your son!"   (Jn. 19:26)

2  Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." (Jn. 20:2)

7  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on  his  outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 

20  Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" (Jn. 21:7, 20)

John the Baptist was a prophet whom Jesus called the "greatest man"

11  "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.   (Mt. 11:11)

He understood Jesus as the Bridegroom God

29  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. (Jn. 3:29)

H. The Bridegroom message includes the revelation of Jesus' emotions for us as a Bridegroom God.

19  He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.

35  You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great. (Ps. 18:19, 35)

3  If You,  Lord , should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4  But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
(Ps. 130:3-4)

I•  Jesus the Bridegroom has a heart of gladness (happy heart).

9  You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God,   has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions." (Heb. 1:9)

The Church will be cleansed by experiencing the cherishing heart of Jesus

26  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,  27  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.  28  So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
(Eph. 5:26-29)

K. 4 You shall be called Hephzibah...for the LORD delights in you.5 For as the bridegroom rejoices [enjoys] over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 6 I have set watchmen on your walls.they shall never hold their peace [be silent, NAS] day or night.7 give Him no rest till He establishes.Jerusalem a praise in the earth. (Isa. 62:4-7)

III. CULTIVATING THE OIL OF INTIMACY WITH JESUS (MT. 25:1-13)

A•  His final judgment

The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations

31  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  32  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides  his  sheep from the goats.  33  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  34  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  35  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  36  I  was  naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'

37  "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed  You,  or thirsty and give  You  drink?  38  When did we see You a stranger and take  You  in, or naked and clothe  You?   39  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  40  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did  it  to one of the least of these My brethren, you did  it  to Me.'

41  "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  42  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;  43  I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'

44  "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  45  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do  it  to one of the least of these, you did not do  it  to Me.'  46  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mt. 25:31-46)

B•  Jesus' main exhortation to be prepared for the end times is by watching or developing a heart connection with the Spirit.

36  "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of   heaven,   but My Father only.  

42  Watch therefore, for you do not know what   hour your Lord is coming.   43  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what   hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.   44  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

  50  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for  him  and at an hour that he is   not aware of,   51  and will cut him in two and appoint  him  his portion with the hypocrites.   There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mt. 24:36, 42-44, 50)

13 Watch.for you know neither the day nor hour.the Son of Man is coming. (Mt. 25:13)

32  "But of that day and hour   no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the   Father.   33  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.   34  It is  like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave   authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.   35  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming-in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-   36  lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.   37  And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mk. 13:32-37)

36  Watch therefore, and   pray always that you may   be counted   worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and   to stand before the Son of Man." (Lk 21:36)

15  "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed  is  he who watches, and keeps his garments,   lest he walk naked and they see his shame." (Rev. 16:15)

D•  Ten times we are exhorted to watch and pray, related to the end times

42  Watch therefore, for you do not know what   hour your Lord is coming. (Mt. 24:42)

13  "Watch therefore, for you   know neither the day nor the hour   in which the Son of Man is coming. (Mt. 25:13)

9  "But   watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will   be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. (Mk. 13:9)

  36  Watch therefore, and   pray always that you may   be counted   worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and   to stand before the Son of Man." (Lk. 21:36)

  6  Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.  (1 Thes. 5:6)

15  "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed  is  he who watches, and keeps his garments,   lest he walk naked and they see his shame." (Rev. 16:15)

IV. KINGDOM LEADERSHIP AT THE END OF THE AGE: DEFINING WISE LEADERSHIP

1 Then the Kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the Bridegroom. 2 Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. (Mt. 25:1-2)

A•  Virgins: All believers are as virgins before God because of Jesus' righteousness

17  Therefore, if anyone  is  in Christ,  he is  a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  (2 Cor. 5:17)

2 I betrothed you to one husband.I present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2)

B•  Lamp: Each of these virgins had a lamp that speaks of a ministry that brought God's light to others

15  Nor do they   light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all  who are  in the house.   16  Let your light so shine before men,   that they may see your good works and   glorify your Father in heaven. (Mt. 5:15-16)

20  The   mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are   the   angels of the seven churches, and   the seven lampstands   which you saw are the seven churches. (Rev. 1:20)

5  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works,   or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-unless you repent.   (Rev. 2:5)

3  And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."

4  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.  5  And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.  6  These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. (Rev. 11:3-6)

2  And he said to me, "What do you see?"

So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. (Zech. 4:2)

For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns. (Is. 62:1)

35  He was the burning and   shining lamp, and   you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. (Jn. 5:35)

V. FIVE WISE VIRGINS: ACQUIRED OIL AS THEIR MINISTRY LAMPS SHINED

2 Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. (Mt. 25:2-4)

A•  The "oil" speaks of the presence of the Spirit tenderizing our heart as we spend time with God.

.  21  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, (2 Cor 1:21)

20  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 

27  But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you  [ g ] will abide in Him. (1 J n. 2:20, 27)

C.The two witnesses are "sons of oil"

14  So he said, "These  are  the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth." (Zech 4:14)

D. The foolish ministries recognize their mistake in neglecting oil.

8 The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." 9 The wise answered, "No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves." (Mt. 25:8-9)

E. Jesus exhorts us to "buy oil" or to engage in the God-ordained process of acquiring intimacy with God. We do not earn this, but invest ourselves in a costly way to receive it.

18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich. (Rev. 3:18)

VI. BEING PREPARED FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

10 While they went to buy, the Bridegroom came [progressive seasons of revival], and those who were ready went in with Him to the wedding; and the door [of opportunity for usefulness] was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us!" 12 He answered, "Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you." (Mt. 25:10-12)

•  This passage is not a warning about losing salvation. Jesus did not know (recognize) them as those who engaged with Him as the Bridegroom. "I do not know you," describes their lack of intimacy with Jesus, not their lack of salvation.

He does not call them evil

48  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master   is delaying   his coming,' (Mt. 24:48)

Or wicked and lazy, or cursed

26  "But his lord answered and said to him, 'You   wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

41  "Then He will also say to those on the left hand,   'Depart from Me, you cursed,   into the everlasting fire prepared for   the devil and his angels: (Mt. 25:26, 41)

Nor does He say He never knew them

23 I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me.!" (Mt. 7:23)

B. The ancient Jewish custom of that day involved celebrating a wedding over the course of several nights (ideally seven nights, for a wealthy family). Those who were closest to the couple to be married were invited on the first night and subsequently each of the following nights.

C. The wedding supper of the Lamb

7  Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."  8  And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9  Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." (Rev. 19:7-9)

F. Jesus' advice is to watch, or to open our heart to develop intimacy with Him as the Bridegroom. Many will miss future opportunities to be used in their fullest way.

13 Watch.for you know neither the day nor hour.the Son of Man is coming. (Mt. 25:13)

G. The Bridegroom Jesus

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet   the bridegroom. (Mt. 25:1)

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Much of this teaching will be used by the English speaking Pastors in the Africa Training Bible School.(ATBS)

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