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I’m unclean, I’m unrighteous I’m dried out and I’m unstable so why in all the world

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would almighty God listen to a guy or a woman who is unclean, unrighteous, dried

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out and unstable? Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and Colin

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I’m gonna put you on the spot here. How do you answer that question? What if God

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But there’s only one word answer and that’s grace that’s the only

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explanation. But the reason for that fourfold description of absolute

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desperation is that that is precisely how Isaiah the Prophet describes our own

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condition when we’re praying. This is very important. When I pray I’m not heard

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because of some righteousness or something that I’ve done that is going

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to be found in me. When we come before the Lord, we come empty-handed. Come

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as those who are beggars seeking bread. We come looking for his mercy and for

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his grace. It’s wonderfully liberating to understand that. How many people have

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thought I can’t come to God until I’ve sorted myself out enough to be able to

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come? Well if you go on that basis you’ll never come to God, you’ll never pray,

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you’ll never become a Christian. We have to come as we are, and it’s really good

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news that however desperate and however weak, God is ready to hear us and

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receive us when we truly come to him. That’s a terrific truth for us to hang

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on to as we open our Bible today at Isaiah 63-4. As we continue the message,

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restore prayer. Here’s Colin. Now think about this, many Christians are

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persuaded in their minds that God can resurrect them from the dead and

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bring them into everlasting heaven after they’ve died. But they’re not

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convinced that God is able to give them victory over what they call a

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besetting sin while they’re still alive. Think about that. We talk about our

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besetting sins, our pride, our laziness, our indiscipline, our lust,

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greed. What happens is that because we know so little of the power of God in

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our lives, we find a way of accommodating to live with our sins. We said that’s

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just the way I am. I can’t change at least in this area and therefore we

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quickly lose hope. When Isaiah says, Oh, Lord, come down. Come down and make your

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name known. Come like the fire that sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, he

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is saying, Lord, come in a way that causes us to experience your power in our

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lives. And again you find in the New Testament that this is precisely how

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Paul prayed for ordinary Christians like us in Ephesus. Ephesians and chapter one

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and verses 18 through 20 there. Ephesians 1 and 18 through 20, I pray that the eyes

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of your heart will be enlightened so that you may know the hope to which he’s

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called you, and so that you will know the incomparably great power of God for us

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who believe. Because the power of God for us who believe Paul says, is like the

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mighty power he exercised when he raised Jesus from the dead and caused him to

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ascend into heaven. Isaiah knows from his own experience that the vast majority

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of quote believing people have no sense of that power of God being at work in

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their lives. Which is why they’re always complaining about being so weak and

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incapable of victory. So I’m wanting to stretch your vision to pray bigger

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prayers. I’m wanting to ask you that alongside praying for your family and

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praying for your friends and all the details of personal life that are

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absolutely appropriate to bring before God. I wanted to ask you to pray with me

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for a movement of God in our lives and among our people and through our

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ministry that would cause His felt presence to change our lives and to

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change the lives of other people as well. O that you would render heavens and come

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down. O that you would make your name known. O that you would be among us in a

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way that’s like fire that causes twigs to blaze and causes water to boil.

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O that you’d be here in a way that changes lives. I’m asking if you would

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pray that with me yourself. I’m asking you to pray that in your

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family, to get a bigger horizon of what we

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can ask from such a great King. It’s great to pray for all the folks that are in

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hospital. Let’s do that. But let’s do more than that. Let’s learn to pray at

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another level from Isaiah the prophet who cried out to God, O that You would

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rend the heavens and come down. Make your name and your nature known. What to pray?

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Now here’s the second thing. I said there would just be two parts here, the second

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we talked about what we should pray, I want in the second part to look briefly

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at how we should pray. I want to be really practical here because there are

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some wonderful things to learn from the model prayer that Isaiah has here for us.

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I can summarize the point perhaps best this way that effective prayer

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rises from confidence in the goodness of God and confidence in the relationship

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that we have with God in other words if you’re going to pray like Isaiah prayed

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it will come from these things it will flow from them got a known grasp and see

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the goodness of God and you’re going to no one grasp and see the relationship

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that by God’s grace through Jesus Christ is yours with him how to pray here you

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are you’re sitting sometime next week and you’re saying I want to spend some

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time in prayer how do I get started where do I get going well I want to

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adjust that you begin by filling your mind with the goodness of God like that’s

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one of the reasons why reading the Bible is such a helpful way of getting us

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moving in this whole business of prayer because in order to pray effectively on

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any given day I have to fill my mind with a fresh sense and knowledge of the

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abundant goodness of God and I want you to notice how Isaiah does this it’s very

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striking if you look at the context of Isaiah 64 you will see it clearly it’s

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almost like watching an athlete you know in the long jump and there’s this long

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run-up and you see this athlete and he’s gathering pace as he goes along the

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run-up and then finally hits the board and then he’s off and he’s airborne as

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he takes into the air well look at the run-up to this great prayer in chapter

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64 it begins as far back as chapter 63 in verse 7 and the run-up is all

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about Isaiah filling his mind with the goodness of God verse 7 of chapter

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63 I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord the deeds of which for which he is

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to be praised according to all that the Lord has done for us yes the many good

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things he has done for the house of Israel according to his compassion and

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his many kindnesses and he goes on to list all the works for which God is to

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praise is not actually praying at this point he’s not speaking to God he

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doesn’t begin speaking to God until the middle of verse 14 suddenly in the

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middle of verse 14 he starts speaking you language and his eyes are up towards

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the Lord he says this is how you guided your people to make for yourself a

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glorious name but he takes off in verse 14 his run up is in verses 7 to 13

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what’s he doing in these verses he’s preparing his mind to pray and you

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prepare to pray by filling your mind with the goodness of the Lord effective

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prayer arises from seeing how good God is faith we learned this a few weeks ago

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is the conviction that God is always up to something good and so if you want to

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pray with faith you must begin by filling your mind with the great truths

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of the gospel that this God to whom you’re coming is the God who loves you

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this God of whom I’m going to ask great things has already sent his Son into the

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world for me and so if if he would send his son into the world for me then why

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would he withhold from me any good thing this God knew me before I was ever born

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into the world and planned in love for every moment of my life and my eternity

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and it’s to him that I’m coming now you fill your mind with the goodness of God

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you will find that things begin to move and you have a greater liberty as you

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yourself into prayer it’s almost as if chapter 64 bursts out of Isaiah’s mind

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being filled with this catalog of the goodness of God anyone who comes to God

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anyone who seeks him the book of Hebrews says chapter 11 and verse 6 must

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believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him

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you’re listening to open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and the message

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today restore prayer it’s from a series restore my soul heart cries for revival

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looking at that big question today how should we pray and if you’ve missed any

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of the series up-to-date and you want to go back or listen again you can do that

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online at our website that’s open the bible.org UK or as a podcast simply go to

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your favorite podcast site and search for open the Bible UK back to the

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message now here’s Colin fill your mind with the goodness of God that will

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launch you into prayer and then here’s the second thing the half of prayer

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plead the relationship that you have with God as a very important let me tell

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you straight up and this is from my own experience but it is honestly universal

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Christian experience when you pray if you begin praying this year in a serious

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way you will very quickly feel your unworthiness and that’s precisely where

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people get discouraged and quit and give up and don’t come back. I want you to

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know that if you feel your unworthiness when you pray we all do coming into a

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place makes you aware that you are an unholy person. And Isaiah felt the same

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way. You see it in verse 6 of chapter 64,

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And all our righteousness he’s including himself here, all our righteous

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acts rather are like filthy rags. We all shrivel up like a leaf, and like

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the wind, our sins sweep us away. That is very quickly four pictures of

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our human condition. Isaiah says here’s what we’re like when we

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come before God, and I come before God, I come as a leper, as one who

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is unclean, as someone who in and of myself I have no right to enter

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the presence of God. That’s the first picture. Second picture is rags.

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All our righteous acts are like filthy rags. In other words,

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the best things that we do like preaching, serving, worship leading,

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the best things we do are never as good as they appear because our own hearts

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are so mixed up in so many ways. All our righteousness is like filthy rags.

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Augustine said, I dare not he said to God,

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I dare not commend to you the work of my hands because if I did,

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you’d probably see more sins in them than merits. The best things I do are mixed

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with that which is unworthy. So Isaiah’s aware of this,

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then he uses a third picture like the leaf, we all shrivel up like a leaf.

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Well, that’s so helpful. I think it means this. Isaiah felt worn

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out when he came to God. Exhausted, I’m like a dry leaf.

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I lack energy. I lack life. I don’t feel I’ve got anything to give

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in prayer. And then, the fourth image is like the wind,

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like the wind, our sins sweep us away. What a picture that is of the power

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of sin. Here, we are struggling with the same sins we struggled with before.

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And we are not prevailing against the world, but the world is prevailing

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against us. So Isaiah comes to God, and he feels this fourfold unworthiness.

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He says, Oh, God, I come to you and this is what I feel,

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this is the reality that I see. I’m unclean, I’m unrighteous,

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I’m dried out, and I’m unstable. He said, Well, why in all the

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world would all Mighty God listen to a guy or a woman who’s unclean,

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unrighteous, dried out, and unstable? Why in all the world would God

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listen to you or to me? And that’s why I’m saying when you come

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into the presence of God, you not only fill your mind with the

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goodness of God but you plead your relationship with God in and

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through Jesus Christ. I just want you to see how Isaiah does

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this in these moments. Verse 8, he pleads the relationship he

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has with God as father. Yet O Lord, you are our father. That

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supremely is the relationship that we have with God through

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our lord and savior Jesus Christ. So you see what he’s

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saying? Lord, I come to you, I come to you as an unclean,

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unrighteous, dried out, unstable person. And yet I’m asking you

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to hear me today and here’s the reason, because you are my

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father. In Jesus Christ, you have adopted me to be your son

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and your daughter. For his sake, listen to my prayer. Don’t let

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guilt kill your prayer life. The only sinless prayers that were

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ever made were the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ and all

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other prayers, hang on the mercy of God. We plead the relationship

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that we have with God in Jesus Christ. I come to him and I say,

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the reason I’m asking you to listen to my prayer is simply

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that in Jesus name you are, O God, my Father.

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You come to him like that in the name of

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the Lord Jesus Christ, he will never turn you away.

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He will hear your prayer.

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And here’s the very last thing.

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I want you to notice that there’s

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a second marvelous description that Isaiah has

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of our relationship with God.

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And the two must always be kept together.

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He describes his relationship with God,

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not only as our Father, but as the potter.

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Verse eight, we are the clay, you are the potter.

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We are all the work of your hands.

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Now when Isaiah entering the presence of God

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says you’re the potter, he is inviting God

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to make whatever God chooses of Isaiah’s life.

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He’s coming to God and he’s saying here I am.

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Now you’re not only my Father by grace through the Lord Jesus

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Christ but because I am his and therefore I am yours.

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My life is surrendered for you to do in this life,

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with this life, and through this life, whatever you choose.

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You’re the potter.

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I am the clay.

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We begin as a church praying like this.

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What it means is we’re saying, Lord, this is your church.

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And as best we know how, with all our hopes and dreams,

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we want to be wholly available to you

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to do whatever is your purpose, whatever

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you desire to do through us, here and around the world.

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Because you are not only the gracious saviour

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you are our sovereign Lord.

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In other words, prayer that seeks the presence of God

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recognizes that prayer is not about you trying

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to bend God to your desires.

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It’s not you and me trying to get hold of God

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to get what we want done.

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It is in the last analysis us coming before

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this gracious Father who is also our sovereign Lord,

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and saying to him, Lord, you are the one who must shape

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and mold my life and make of this life

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not what I think it should be,

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but what you plan for it to be.

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You start praying like that,

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you’ll be a different person a year from now.

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We start praying like that,

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Lord, this is your church and you are to shape us.

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We ask and mold us and make us

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whatever you want us to be

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here and around the world.

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O, that you would rend the heavens and come down.

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That’s a different church.

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Boy, this is very simple,

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but it is earth-shakingly profound.

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O, that you would rend the heavens, O God, and come down.

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O, that you would come down among us

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in such a way that lives are changed

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by a felt knowledge of your love

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and an experience of your power.

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And O God, we come to you filling our minds

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with your awesome goodness in the gospel.

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We come to you recognizing our own unworthiness,

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but we’re pleading the relationship

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you’ve formed with us yourself.

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You’re our father in Jesus Christ and you are the potter.

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And our greatest desire is that you would make

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of this life and make of this church what you will.

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I guess I just got two questions.

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One is are you ready to pray Isaiah’s prayer?

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Second is do you think you’re ready

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for Isaiah’s prayer to be answered?

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Of course, it was answered, wonderfully answered

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when God’s people came back from exile.

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Wonderfully answered at a much greater level

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when God rent the heavens and came down

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in the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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And we are living in anticipation of the day

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when its ultimate fulfillment will be complete.

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And the trumpet will sound and he will rent the heavens

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and he will come down, and every eye will behold him,

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and on that day, may it be

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that we are ready, prepared to rise

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and to meet him with joy,

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seeing face to face, the one we have loved,

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worshiped, and known.

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Worshipped and known heart to heart.

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Two powerful questions today, as we end our message.

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Are you ready to pray Isaiah’s prayer,

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and are you ready for Isaiah’s prayer to be answered?

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Our message has been restore prayer

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and it’s part of a series called Restore My Soul,

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looking at nine heart cries for revival,

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and if you’ve missed any of the series

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or you’d like to go back and listen again,

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you can always do that by coming online

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to our website, openthebible.org.uk,

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or find us as a podcast, follow the link

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on our website to find the podcast,

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or go to your favorite podcast site,

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search for Open The Bible UK,

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and subscribe to receive regular updates.

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We want to help you to understand

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how the books in the Bible fit together,

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and a good way to do that is with Open The Bible Story.

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You can find that on our website.

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It’s a journey through the whole Bible,

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a study course in 30 parts entitled The Drive.

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It will take you deep into the valleys

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of the Old Testament, the peaks

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of the glories of Jesus, and the ups

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and downs of the Christian life.

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All the way through, it will show

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how the Bible always points to the person

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of Jesus Christ.

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You can find Open The Bible Story

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on our website at openthebible.org.uk.

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Open the Bible is supported by our listeners.

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And this month, if you’ve been considering

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setting up a new payment in support

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of Open the Bible, we have a great offer for you.

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To say thank you,

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we’ll send you a copy of C.H. Spurgeon’s book,

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Encouragement for the Depressed.

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00:23:42,719 –> 00:23:45,020

Colin, how will C.H. Spurgeon’s book

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help those who feel discouraged today?

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Well, Spurgeon is really a very tender shepherd.

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He was a pastor, and he spoke with great strength,

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but also with great gentleness that arose really

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out of his own experience of suffering,

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and especially what he sometimes referred to

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as the black dog.

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There was a darkness that sometimes came over him,

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and it was a real struggle in his life.

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I mean, he says, for example,

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”The strong are not always vigorous,

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”the wise are not always ready,

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”the brave are not always courageous,

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”and the joyous are not always happy.”

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So this is a realistic view of the Christian life.

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He’s speaking into the realities that we all experience,

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and he’s speaking out of his own personal experience,

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and what he brings is a wonderful encouragement

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to lay our burdens on the Lord

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and to trust his promises even in the darkest times.

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Well, we’d love to send you a copy of this book

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to say thank you for supporting

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Open the Bible Financially.

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This offer is available all this month

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if you are able to setup a new donation

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to the work of Open the Bible

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in the amount of five pounds per month or more.

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Full details or to give online come to our website,

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00:25:03,680 –> 00:25:06,920

openthebible.org.’uk.

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For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith,

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I’m David Pik,

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and I hope you’ll join us again next time.

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Music

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Millions of people aren’t really interested in God.

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So what do you think God would say to them?

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Find out next time on Open the Bible.