God’s Abundance: Unlimited (#914)
As announced, we’re going to start a new series today on God’s abundance.  And we we’ll talk about finances, but there are many, many other areas in life where God has great abundance in addition to just finances. 
Today, for our first session on God’s abundance, we’re basically going to talk about how unlimited God is.  How He doesn’t have the constraints you and I have. 
We are very statistics driven in our society and there is nothing wrong with that.  People for instance, in financial markets say the average return on investments is ten percent a year since 1902.  And they figure, OK, if the average is ten you might go up 20 or 30 one year, but you’re probably not going to go up 800 percent in one year.  The average is ten percent.  And this applies to other things.  For instance, we’re in the middle of many changes in our nation’s capital.  And everybody is going to throw statistics around to support their points of view.  And again, they are limited.  People want to lower taxes, but you can’t take them below zero.  And you can’t go past one hundred percent.  You have limits.  It is the same thing with this and that: there are limits everywhere in this world we can’t go beyond.  Even in space travel, no matter how quick they go (even on Star Trek) you can’t go past the speed of light.  Today, we have a hard time with our aircraft going a few times the speed of sound in our fighter jets (and we’re pretty good at that).  But we haven’t gotten a fighter jet anywhere near the speed of light.  And I can’t remember exactly remember the numbers, but if you go Mach three, which is three times the speed of sound — I think you are still only going at one or two percent of the speed of light.  It is a really small fraction, it is just totally different.  The point is… the point in this whole long story is there are limits in everything we do as people.  You know when I was running in high school and I was very happy to break a five minute mile, which was the record at my high school.  But then at that time there were only a few people that could run a four minute mile.  Now, as I understand, most colleges will have a runner that can run a four-minute mile.  But still, nobody’s broken the three minute mile.  And nobody’s ever going to break the two minute mile.  It is just that there are limits you see, in everything you do.  Except with God.  And that is the whole point of today’s session and the reason scriptures indicate that God is not bound by the limits you and I have.  We all do have limits, but we need not worry about our limits, we need not stress over our limits, we need not get negative about our limits, we just need to accept as people we can only do so much.  In any area of life… I just gave a few examples, but this applies in any area of life — we have limits.  But God does not.  So, all we do is do the best we can within the limits we have to abide within.  But then pray that God will do way beyond what our limitations are. 
Just because you and I have limitations doesn’t mean that God has limitations.  So, here we go, Ephesians chapter three in verse 20….
As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20170226.  All Rights Reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Eph. 3:20                     God is able to do exceeding abundantly above
Isa 55:8-12                  God’s ways are higher than our ways
Mat. 26:52                   Jesus could have called twelve legions of angels
Josh. 10:1-14               God listened to a man and kept the sun high in the sky
Mat. 21:22                   Whatever we ask in prayer, believing, we shall receive
I John 5:14-15             Whatever we ask according to his will, he hears us
Heb. 4:15-16               Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace
Mat. 6:24-34               We are anxious for nothing, knowing that God is aware of our every need
Teaching
God’s Abundance: Unlimited (#914)

A

Prayer: Prayer and Peace (#913)
We’ve been having a series on prayer and we are just planning a fellowship weekend the end of March/the beginning of April, on Stayed Mind and the Peace of God; so I thought I’d have a little segue here where we’ll talk about prayer and peace.  And by the way, this will be the last teaching in our series on prayer.  Then I’m going to start another series on the abundance of God.  Where we’ll be talking about how God, in every single area of life, provides abundantly.  Whatever the area of life is that you may have a concern or need, God is there and God can provide, not only what you need, but much more.  So, we’ll go into the abundance of God starting next time.  But today, we’ll wrap up our series of many weeks on prayer.  And this will be a bit of a segue into our class on Stayed Mind and the Peace of God, which we’ll have at our fellowship weekend, in about six weeks.  And several of the verses, because of other things they cover, we would have already talked about in this series on prayer; but some of them we haven’t.  So let’s get started here; let’s start in Psalm 37 and in verse 7…
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20170212, all rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Ps. 37:7-11           The meek shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace
Ps. 37:34-40         The end of the perfect man is peace (vs. 34 – wait: expect)
Ps. 119:165           Great peace have they which love thy law
Prov. 3:1-6            God’s commandments add peace (vs. 2)
Prov. 3:13-18        All the paths of wisdom are peace
Isa. 26:3-4             Perfect peace whose mind is stayed (steadfast, steady)
Isa. 32:17              The work (achievement) of righteousness shall be peace
Isa. 48:18              Peace like a river
John 14:25-27       Not as the world gives
Rom. 5:1                Being justified by believing, we have peace with God, so how do we get that peace in our hearts?
Rom. 15:13           Joy & peace in believing
Rom. 8:6               Think spiritually, not thoughts of the senses
Phil. 4:6, 7            Be anxious for nothing (moderation – gentleness, patience)
Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus – JB Phillips
Philippians 4:6-7   6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – NLT
Col. 3:15-16    Let the peace of God rule [be an umpire, decide, determine, direct, control] in your hearts
Teaching
Prayer: Prayer and Peace (#913)

Prayer: Prayer and Seeking (#912)
Well, we’ve been having a great series on prayer; covering many aspects of it: prayer with believing; prayer with desire; prayer with knowing what you can chose and what has already been chosen for you — a lot of fun little topics.  Today we’ll talk about prayer in the context of seeking God.  This is something we looked at a couple of years ago, but today we’ll look at it specifically from the context of prayer.  And we’ll start in Deuteronomy chapter 4.  Because some people think that they just pray and pray and pray and nothing happens or ever will happen; yet God is very clear that He is there and if we seek Him we’ll find Him.  So here we are in Deuteronomy chapter 4 and in verse 23…
Taught by Bruce Mahone on 20170129.  All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Deut. 4:23-31           If you seek the Lord, you will find him (vs. 29)
I Chron. 16:10-12     Seek the LORD and his strength
Psalm 9:9-10             Thou hast not forsaken them that seek thee
Psalm 34:10             The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing
Psalm 34:22              None of them that trust [Heb. Chasa: seek refuge, flee for protection, put trust in, confide or hope in] in him shall be desolate [guilty, offended]
Psalm 63                    Early [diligently] will I seek thee (vs. 1).
Marrow & fatness (vs. 5): the richest of foods (NIV), a rich feast (NRSV)
A portion for foxes (vs. 10): food for jackals
Prov. 8:12-21            Those that seek me (wisdom) early [diligently] shall find me (vs. 17)
Jer. 29:10-14              Ye shall seek me and find me (vs. 13)
Matt. 7:7-8                 Seek, and ye shall find (vs. 7)
Col. 3:1-3                    Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth (vs. 1)
Heb. 13:14                 Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come
Teaching
Prayer: Prayer and Seeking (#912)

Prayer: Prayer and Desire (#911)
Today we’re going to talk about prayer and desire and we’ll start in Psalm 37 verse 4….
As taught by Bruce Mahone 20170117, all rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes

Psalm 37:4                   Delight thyself in the Lord…he shall give the desires of thine heart
Jer 42:1-17                    That the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk                                                (vs. 3.  cf. Jer. 44:15-19, whatsoever goeth forth out or our mouth)
Luke 22:39-44              Remove this cup from me…not my will, but thine, be done (vs. 42)
Acts 16:6-15                 Forbidden (koluo) of the Holy Ghost…Macedonian call
Acts 20:7-21:36            What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? (Acts 21:13)
Rom 1:8-13                   I purposed (determined) to come unto you, but was let (koluo -forbidden, hindered, prevented)
Col 4:2-3                        Praying…that God would open unto us a door of utterance
James 4:13-15               Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that
Teaching
Pray and Desire (#911)

Prayer: Prayer and Choice (#910)
Today we’re going to talk about an aspect in prayer involving choice.  Somethings we can choose, somethings we can’t; somethings God has already chosen, and somethings He lays out in his Word what we should do and it is up to us to do it or not.  And if God has said very clearly what His will is in a situation, we can certainly pray and ask Him to change, which He occasionally will.  But for the most part, once God has said something we should go ahead and do it.  [Maybe we’ll have a session where God changed His mind when people prayed about it.]  But if God is not willing to change His mind, then we just have to go with what He’s said.  So here in Genesis chapter 2 verse 15…
Taught by Bruce Mahone, 20170101.  All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
What We Can Choose
Gen 2:15-17; 3:1ff      Adam was given a command, and chose to disobey it
Deut 28                        The blessings and the curse of the law
Jer 42ff                          God provided them a way of safety, which they rejected
Jonah 3-4                      God gave Nineveh a chance to repent, which they did
Rom 10:9-10                 If thou shalt confess (acknowledge), thou shalt be saved
What Has Been Chosen
Rom 5:6-9                      Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath (vs. 9)
Rom 8:15-25                  Waiting for…the redemption of our body (vs. 23)
Rom 13:11                     Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed
I Cor 15:51-58               This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (vs. 53)
Eph 1:13-14                   Until the redemption of the purchased possession (vs. 14)
Eph 2:4-8                        That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (vs. 7)
Eph 4:30                          Ye are sealed unto the day of redemption
Col 1:3-5                          For the hope which is laid up (NIV: stored up) for you in heaven (vs. 5)
I Thes 4:13ff                    So shall we ever be with the Lord (vs. 17)
I Thes 5:9-10                   God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation
I Tim 1:1                           Lord Jesus Christ our hope
Tit 1:2                               In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
Tit 3:5-7                           Heirs according to the hope of eternal life
I Pet 1:3-9                       Begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – vs. 3
Teaching
Prayer: Prayer and Choice (#910)

Prayer: Prayer and the Law of Believing (#909)
We’ve been having a series on prayer our last several sessions and we’ll continue that today with a focus on the Law of Believing, a misunderstood thing in many circles.  Many people have the idea that you just hope God will be nice to you, but it is totally up to Him.  Other people think everything is random anyway.  Other people however, go the other extreme, like we talked a few sessions ago, where you can just make up your mind and believe for anything you want, whether God says it is available or not.  So we will work a little bit on the Law of Believing today, not to repeat what we did a few sessions ago, but to focus on the different sides of believing.  And let’s start in Matthew chapter 9, verse 14…
Taught by Bruce Mahone, 20161211.  All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Mark 9:14-27        If you can believe.
Children:
Matt. 15:22-28      Canaanite woman believed for daughter.
Demented persons:
Luke 4:33-36         Man with unclean spirit in synagogue.
Dead people:
Acts 9:36-42          Peter prayed, Dorcas raised.
Two types of believing:
Mat. 9:22               Woman with issue of blood healed.
Job 3:25                  Fear brought disaster. Later, believing restored all.
Synchronized life:
Mark 11:23-24       Do not doubt in heart.
(Mat. 12:34             Out of the abundance of the heart.)
Romans 8:35-39    Persuaded – confession (practical   key).
Heb. 4:2                  Mixed with believing.
II Cor. 10:3-5          Every thought to the obedience of Christ – Synchronized with God’s Word.
What we confess with our mouths will eventually make it into our hearts.  What we believe in our hearts determines what we receive in our daily living.  We need to synchronize our words, our actions, and our thoughts with God’s Word in order to walk in the deliverance to which God has called us.
Teaching
Prayer: Prayer and the Law of Believing (#909)

Prayer: Pray with Expectation (#908)

We’ve been talking about prayer for the several sessions and we’ll continue to do that for a while.  And today we’re going to continue that discussion, and I think in a previous time we talked about prayer in general, then we talked about the importance of believing with prayer, then knowing what is available, and today we are going to go another step in that direction and talk about prayer with expectation.  This is a topic we talk about from time to time; that what are we expecting, because God wants us to expect Him to follow through on what he said, is an aspect of believing — to simply have expectation that  God will actually carry through on what He says.  Expectations are a big thing to a lot of people: in business and in sales, management are very careful to do what they call managing peoples’ expectations, because if what people expect in a business deal, a job, or a sale or something they are buying — if they expect expect a certain thing and then they only receive half of it, they get mad, they get discouraged, they may threaten all kinds of trouble; but if they only expect a little bit and you give them twice as much then they are all happy,  So expectations are a very, very big deal in all aspects of life.  And God talks a lot about expectations and what we should expect from Him and if we know what we can expect from God, and then we expect it, we not only will receive the things we ask in prayer, but we’ll be much more happy and content because we will have a better idea of what expectations are realistic and what expectation are simply not realistic.  So let’s start in Psalms 27….

Taught by Bruce Mahone 20161127

Verse Listing and Notes

Ps. 27:14    Wait (qawah – expect, look for) on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.
Ps. 37:1-9, 34-37    Vs. 5: Commit thy way – “roll thy way upon” the Lord (vss. 9, 34: qawah – wait with expectation)The end of the perfect man is peace
Ps. 40:1-5           I waited (qawah – vs. 1) patiently (intently – waiting I waited) for the Lord, and he heard
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit (vs. 2).
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. (NRSV)
Ps. 62:5-8           My expectation is from him (God), vs. 5
(Ps. 130)    There is forgiveness with God (vs. 4), that he may be feared (revered).  I wait (with expectation) for the Lord (vs. 5).  Watch for the morning –  would include guards, keepers
Isa. 40:28-31      They that wait (with expectation) upon the LORD shall renew their strength
Lam 3:21-26       The Lord’s compassions and mercies (lovingkindness) are new every morning
portion (vs. 23: share, possession)
wait (vs 25: qawah – wait with eager expectation)
Teaching
Prayer: Pray with Expectation (#908)

Prayer: Prayer with Believing (#907)
Today we’ll continue our series on prayer; looking at prayer and believing.  This has been a very interesting topic through the history Christianity, because as you all know from the various people you know, the classes you’ve taken, and the things you have experienced in your own life that there are two basic approaches to prayer; there are those that feel God is totally in charge of everything so that everything is predestined so you can pray, but it really doesn’t matter because God is going to do what He to do wants anyway. So there is that extreme, where we have virtually no control and then there is the other extreme, which I like to call the power of positive thinking approach where we can make up anything we want, and tell God you’ve got to do it.  So that is the other extreme, that’s where you have two countries in a war and they both believe God is on there side and they both believe they’re going to win, but that doesn’t make much sense because it doesn’t make much sense for God to want them to annihilate each other (although there are a couple of records like that in the old testament, but that was a bunch of unbelievers killing each other off).
So you have these two extremes and as usual the truth is in the middle.  God actually gives us freedom of will, our lives are not predestined, yet we can’t tell God to do something He’s not willing to do.  And I think you know this story that I’ve told from time to time about a wonderful believer, a sincere Christian woman about 30 years ago who was so fed up the political situation in Washington, which is not uncommon I realize, but she was so fed up with it that se was praying for a large crevasse to open up and swallow up the entire city of Washington and it would all go away, and her problems would be solved.  And whether or not you believe that is a good idea and whether or not it would solve anything is one issue, but the bigger issue is what gave her the right to pray for something like that.  Did she have any right to just make up her mind that she didn’t like the politics in Washington so everybody should be swallowed up in a great crevasse and disappear?  We’ll as we’ll see in the scriptures today, we can pray, we should pray, we can believe to receive deliverance, but it has to be according to God’s will. And unless God gave this woman revelation that she could get rid of the city of Washington, she had no right to expect that of God, she could ask God for it, but to expect it or demand it, she had no right unless God told her that that was the thing that had to be done.  And so the thing we’ll see is that we have to start with what God promises and then we have to pray and believe that God will do what He has said. And it is just that simple.
Start with what God has said is available or what He wants you to do or what He says He will do for you, which can be summed up by saying what’s available and then you pray and believe that God will carry through on what He’s promised.  But don’t pray, well you can ask God for anything you want, but for instance: I can walk into a Chevy dealer and ask if they’ll sell me a hamburger.  There’s a very slight chance that it is customer appreciation day and they have a grill going out back and they will sell me a hamburger, but chances are I’m not going to get a hamburger at the Chevy dealer.  Just like if I walked into to a hamburger joint and asked them to buy a new car; it is possible that someone on the staff has a car out back he’s selling that has a for sale sticker, then sure I can get a car there, but it’s not likely that I’m going to get a new car at a burger joint.  You have to go for what is available.  Burger joints have all kinds of burgers and occasionally some soups, salads, and milkshakes, but they’re a place to great burgers.  Chevy dealers are a place to buy cars, but don’t try to buy a Ford there, they probably won’t have one, unless it is in the used car lot.  That is just not the way things work.  So we have to know what is available from God, we have to know what He’s promised, we have to know what He said He’s willing to do then we have to be absolutely firm in our prayer and believing that God will bring it to pass.
So let’s get going here.  Now that I’ve told you what I’m going to tell you, we’ll go see if the scriptures support what I said or if I made it all up.  Please turn to I John chapter 5, verse 13…
Taught by Bruce Mahone 20161113, All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
I John 5:13-15              If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us
James 5:16-18             He prayed earnestly that it might not rain
I Kings 17:1-18:1         The Word of the Lord – No Rain, Rain
John 5:24, 38, 44-47    He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life
John 9:35-38                Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
II Chron. 20                 They prayed.  God sent further information, and deliverance
Mat. 21:19-22              Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive
Mark 11:13-24             When ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them
Phil. 4:19                      My God shall supply all your need
Teaching
907 – Prayer – Prayer with Believing

Prayer: Prayer Instead of Care (#906)
Today we are going to continue our series on prayer that we started last time.  And the title of today’s teaching is Prayer Instead of Care.  We all have a tendency to to have too much care, or in in a sense,  be worried or anxious about things.  And, we’ll probably mention this in every session on prayer, because it is just a big part of it.  But today we’ll go into a little more detail about that care or anxiety and what it is we can do to alleviate it.  So let’s start here in Matthew chapter 13 and in verse 1…
Taught by Bruce Mahone on 20161030.  All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Mat. 13:1-9; 18-23    The care (merimna – anxiety, worry, care) of this world can choke God’s Word
Mat. 6:25-34              Take no thought [merimnao – to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly) concerned ] for tomorrow
Luke 10:38-42           Thou art careful (merimnao) and troubled (agitated). One thing is needful
Phil. 4:4-9                   Be anxious for nothing (moderation – gentleness, patience)
Don’t worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus – JB Phillips
Philippians 4:6-7   6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – NLT
I Peter 5:6-9               Casting all your mental distraction (merimna) on him, for is is aware (melo) of your needs
Psalm 1                      Meditate on God’s Word
Prov 3:5-6                  He shall direct your paths
Phil. 3:13-16              Reaching forth unto those things which are before
Teaching
906 Prayer: Prayer Instead of Care

Prayer: Keep Asking (#905)
Today we’re going to start a new series on Prayer.   This will be the first session and the theme of today is simply: keep asking.  Yes, Keep asking.  We find this a lot in life and it reminds me of a guy I knew years ago who was a satellite salesman down South who said my job is to bug them until they buy.  You can sell a lot of satellites that way.  And if you didn’t keep asking, somebody else would ask them and they might buy their satellite.  Although we’re not selling satellites or anything else, we are asking God, and God wants us to ask.  There are things God just can give you; like air and water coming down from the sky and things like that, but there are other things that God says you should ask for.  And a lot of it is because He give us freedom of will; He is not going to come in and invade your life and make things happen.  But if you ask Him for help, He’ll be there to help.  So that will be the theme today, and we’ll cover many other aspects of prayer in the weeks ahead.  And some of what we’ll read today, we’ll review in later sessions.  So let’s start in Luke 18:1….
Copyright Bruce Mahone 20161016.
Verse Listing and Notes:
Luke 18: 1-8.                    Pray, don’t faint or lose heart.
James 5:17-18.                 Elias/Ejijah: prayed and walked by revelation.
I Kings 17:1-24.                God’s will, Ahab, and no rain.
Phillipians 4:6.                  Go to God with prayer and b anxious for nothing.
Lamentations 3:22-26.    Quietly wait.
Teaching:
Prayer: Keep Asking (#905)