Bible Study on prayer
Scripture
Matthew 21:18-22 (NKJV)
18 Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
The Five Steps
1. Grasp the text in their town. What did the text mean to the biblical audience?
In step one, the disciples thought Jesus was only talking about the fig tree. They could not understand why the fig tree withered away so soon.
In what time frame was this passage written, who were the people, the geographical location?
What was the history and the culture of that time?
Who was the writer?
Who was the audience?
What were they doing?
What event was occurring during the time of this passage?
Was the writer addressing a problem?
What was the prevailing spirit at that time?
2. Measure the width of the river to cross. what is the difference between original audience and us?
The difference between the original audience and us is that they were under law, but we are under grace today. These were disciples of Christ who were not given the Holy Spirit yet.
Their understanding was limited. They were uneducated. We today live in a Western culture. Many of those cultural influence are not relevant. In Western society, we have too many rights and freedom. We rely on technology and science, whereas in those days, they were reliant on their immediate circles of influence. All information was derived from their teachers.
How are we different today from the people in that time in terms of education, politics, economic?
What major cultural differences affect the message?
What is our pre-understanding and pre-supposition?
Who was the ruling authority?
3. Cross the principlizing bridge. What is the theological principle in this text?
The theological principle in this text is that if we curse our problems by faith in Jesus Christ, our problems shall be removed or resolved. The main point here is that we must pray and believe. Then we shall have what we prayed for.
What is the principle communicating?
What is the theological (based upon the nature and will of God as revealed to humans) truth or theology (the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God's attributes and relations to the universe) or principle (an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct) conveyed by this passage?
4. Consult the biblical map. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?
Our theological principle that fits with the rest of the Bible is that if we pray by faith in Jesus Christ, we shall have what we prayed for.
The theological principle that we have discovered must be consistent and supported by the entire Bible. There is no contradiction.
What other passages supports this principle?
2 Corinthians 5:7
For we live by faith, not by sight.
List the cross references?
5. Grasp the text in our town. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principle?
Christians today should live out this theological principle in that we must bind the word of God onto each and every situation in our lives to receive understanding, healing and resolution from God’s perspective from the Kingdom of Heaven, not from earth nor from man. It is only by the word of God that we can conquer our problems. We must transcend every situation into the kingdom realm. What man says is not important. What God says about a situation is most important. Therefore, when we bind the Word of God onto our everyday life situations, we shall be set free.
Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
How does this theological principle apply to my real life situation and what new understanding and revelation was gleaned from this study? Did my spirituality change and increase in a more mature perfected way? Am I still relying on second hand revelation or am i developing a more deeper relationship with Jesus Christ? Do I now understanding better that He gave me power over sickness, illness and evil spirits.? (Matt 10:1; Luke 9:1-2) Am I operating under his divine lordship?
The only way I know that if I am operating under His divine lordship, I must have my total allegiance, loyalty and commitment to Jesus Christ. The local church brings the believer to the crossing point that Jesus Christ is Lord over every aspect of my entire life.
If I am a level two carnal Christian, what is my application?
Should I be living constantly in a carnal Christian life?
Does this Bible study affect me in such a way to make me consider to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand?
What is this double dipping? A carnal Christian is a double dipper. His conscience should be bothering him because his carnality wars against God. The two cannot coexist because he will blow up like Judas, who killed himself. This carnal living has this Judas spirit. Once the person makes an excuse and justify his sin, he is nailing Jesus Christ on the cross again and like Judas, will betray and deny Him. Carnal believers cannot be trusted. If he is to be a servant of the Lord, he must be holy and sanctified.
Is my level of spirituality acceptable to Jesus Christ?
Conclusion to step five:
How is the theological principle going to make me more like Him?
Is there some area in my life that I need to address today so that I become more in the image and likeness of Jesus Christ?
What sin issue has not been dealt with that is hindering a Christian’s spirituality into maturity with HIm?
Is the affliction a sin issue, a test of faith or spiritual warfare or all three?
If a person discerns and transcends the situation, what is the message that God is conveying through this affliction. Like unto the disciples in the text where Jesus is teaching them and illustrating the power of God. He simply said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”
WE too as disciple of Christ exercise this by speaking to it. WE simply say it. Let no evil, sickness, illness, disease bear any more fruit. We too can speak to this situation and let no more fruit bear from this situation. We speak to this mountains or problems, “be thou cast into the sea.” When we say this, we are cursing the problem at its roots. We are killing it with our words. We are speaking death. We do not bless it. WE do not want it to flourish and prosper, but just the opposite. We curse it to death. So if we know a tree is bad or evil, we do not bless it. We curse it and speak death to it. And whatever things we ask for, believing, we shall receive. Then we ask Jesus to bring life into the situation and abundant life we shall have. (John 10:10) However , there is a P.S. which is that we must forgive all those who have trespass against us in order for God to answer our prayer. If not, our prayers will be hindered and they will not be heard.
The point here that needs to be emphasize is if you do not forgive men of their trespass, your heavenly Father will not forgive you your trespass.
SO we say in the Lord’s prayer, Father, forgive me of my trespasses as I (simultaneously) forgive those who have trespass against me. And lead me not into anymore temptations, trials and testings but deliver me from evil. The illness, sickness, and negative situation will remain until the person has learned the lesson, then he will be delivered from that evil.
Cross reference
Mark 11:20 -26
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”[g
Keywords-
curse (to detest utterly; abhor; abominate, to doom) the fig tree
have faith (belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness) in God
whatever things you pray (address a solemn request, petition) for
Commentary
What Jesus is saying to me in this passage is that we have the power to speak death to our mountains (our problems). However, we must exercise faith in God when we are doing it.
How do we exercise faith in God ?
We must daily have a time to pray, meditate and study. We must know what the Word of God say. We must develop a deeper relationship with God. Just Sunday morning in church is not enough. He must have a daily quiet time with the Lord, 24/7.
And if we will believe that God will answer our prayers, we can curse our problems and they shall be resolved.
Sickness is a mountain that we can curse and speak death to. We can remove the sickness when we pray and believe. The P.S. in this passage (Mark 11:25-26) is that we must forgive those who have trespassed against us before we pray. If not, our prayers will not be answered.
Summary
In summary, when sickness or problems come out way, we curse them in Jesus name by faith. We do not want to bless a sickness or a problem. We do not want to bless evil. We want to speak death to it. Matthew 10:1 said that Jesus gave to the disciples the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. So this power and authority comes from Jesus. As He spoke to the fig tree, He cursed it and it die. (Mark 11) We have the same power and authority to speak death to this sickness so that it will wither away. And then we want to speak life to a person as per John 10:10. So the culprit behind sickness and illness is the devil The thief (the devil) comes to steal, kill and destroy. So we want to speak death to the thief and behold Jesus who comes to bring life and abundant life.
Jesus already told us to take care of these problems because He has already given us the power and authority to do so.
John 20:28
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Conclusion
Simply put, Jesus Christ is Lord over all sickness and diseases, the devil and the demons, the heavens and the earth.
He is Lord over all things. And so, no matter what, God (Jesus Christ) is in control. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. Know that He is God and there is no other. He is preeminent, supreme, high above all things. There is only one presence, one power that is supreme. Jesus Christ has the final say, period.
Amen.
Miyagi
The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship
Makaha, HI USA
Matthew 18: 20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
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