Sermon Notes January 19, 2025

The Final Ingredient                                                                      “Prayer that is Powerful & Effective”

Matthew 21:18-22, “Early in the morning, as Jesus was on His way back to the city, He was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then He said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered.20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. ‘How did the fig tree wither so quickly?’ they asked.21 Jesus replied, ‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”’”

John 14:12-14, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it.”  

Matthew 17:20-21, “He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’” 

So what does it mean to ask something in Jesus’ name? 

  1. To pray in Jesus’ name means that you are praying for what _____________________________________ was about. 

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

 Matthew 13:58, “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” 

2. Meaning: Because of their hard hearts & shallow spirits, they didn’t ________________________________to Jesus to heal.

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” 

Luke 18:1-8, “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?’”