John Osteen's How To Ask and Receive of God (1996)

throughout his life one thing that made most of Jesus he sacrificed everything to lead them to his father and to love them no matter what Jesus loved everyone that was what made him so different and so necessary to our lives I'm John Osteen pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston Texas through many years of ministry we've discovered that there's no greater joy than loving and caring for God's people that means you no matter your denomination grace or walk of life your dreams and desires are important to God and that makes them important to us we've dedicated our lives to bring in the compassion of Jesus to everyone by building faith in God through the teaching and preaching of his word Lakewood helps those who have been overcome to be overcomers we're interested in God's fair best for you so please just as you are join the people of Lakewood for the next hour as we open God's Word together at judge we're here for well we welcome you today to our telecast we're so glad you tuned in we're glad for all the people here give the Lord a good hand clap would you welcome you today to television and to the oasis of love and I want to remind you of God's Word in proverbs 4 20 my son my children attend to my words and you know what I was thinking about if you've ever been in the service you a lot of men here have been in the service when you're a sergeant a lieutenant general whoever came by man you stood at attention well the great art a commander of the armies of heaven is telling you to attend to his work so when he says attended you oughta attend more than he would anybody else says anything jump to attention because he said attend to my words incline your ear let them not depart from your eyes keep them in the midst of your heart did you know God's Word is full of promises anything you need is in here if it's going where charlie promises your household if it's for any kind of a need he'll supply all your needs if it's for salvation here's a now God now is the day of salvation yeah if it sparked healing I am the Lords of gila see God said he hates as his word to perform it so whatever you need you keep it stored in your heart don't let your eyes depart from it incline it here and keep it in the midst of your heart because you'll need it someday and it's there and he's there and all the people said Amen I tell you doors getting where she can preach catch praise the Lord you know the Bible says this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate therein day and night let the word of Christ dwell in you richly we're going to teach the Word of God today sing about the Word of God today we're going to be talking about calling upon the name of the Lord and our God will answer our cry or do we have a mighty God yes we have a God that can do wonderful things everybody say if this is my Bible I am what he says I am yeah but says I have can do what it says I could do they I will be taught the Word of God I bow to confess my mind is alert heart is receptive I will never be the same I'm about to receive the incorruptible indestructible everliving seed of the word of God I will never be the same shut it out never never ever never be the same in Jesus name Amen you may be seated we're reading from James chapter 5 it says is it among you afflicted that in prey is any merit that him saying Psalms in a sick among you let him call for the elders of the church let a parade notice how much it talks about prayer then pray over him anointing him with all in the name of the Lord the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord will raise him up he s committed sins they shall be forgiven him confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much say I am the righteousness of God say it again the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and the amplified says makes tremendous power available then it talks about Elijah Elijah was a man subject to lack trials and trouble troubles and sufferings as we are and he prayed earnestly that he might not rain and that it rained not on the earth of the space of three years and six months and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit now you know we sometimes we just kind of make these people like Elijah so big and so inhuman that we don't even think they're in the same class as we are I remember going to the Vatican and in the Vatican they have the great apostles up there so big and so great that you get the impression that they're greater than the ordinary human being but I want to tell you that just like you and I they're just ordinary people and Elijah God is clearly saying here that Elijah years just an ordinary person who suffered like trials and tribulations that we suffer and he prayed one thing about it no matter what kind of a situation you and your brain we're talking about prayer television audience Jesus said men on always to pray and not to faint and the disciples said when they saw Jesus pray they in the finish the Bible says they went over to Jesus and Lord teach us to pray teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples to pray well I believe ever pastor ought to teach the people to pray I think people are pray God is a God who answers prayer we are not alone in this wicked dark world I know aids are everywhere but we can pray and no drive-by shootings are prevalent but we can pray I know gangs are everywhere but we can pray I know the world is getting darker but we can pray thank God we have a God who answers prayer and he said to Jeremiah - Jeremiah call unto me and I will answer thee and show you great and mighty things which you know not and Jesus always urged us to pray the things that are impossible with men are possible with God and somebody said John Wesley I think it said it seems that God will do nothing except an answer to prayer James put it this way you have not because you ask not jesus said everyone that asked and keeps on asking receives everyone that seeks and keeps on seeking finds and everyone that knocks and keeps on knocking to him it is open now that's what Jesus said and I'll tell you you just want to be like a boy I'll just get you some scripture and just don't give up and just get just keep on keep on asking and ask it now one day you will ask so many times and seek so much and not so much God will answer the door and say okay after that you never need to ask any more you know you got it you know you got it and and I want to teach you about this asking and receiving from God because all of us let me see if I'm in the right crowd how many of you need something and I know everybody on television not know many of you have great needs out there well now this scripture here wasn't put in the Bible just because God couldn't think of anything else to put in the book of James he he filled it up there because it's important and you said well I wish I have that power like Elisha I just go out there one day and I decide I'm not you'll put up with this rain anymore and I'm just going to use my authority and I'm just going to say no I've decided we're not going to have it rained anymore I just decided that for three and a half years we're not going to have an arranged except by my word I just I just I'm tired to get wet I'm just not gonna have any more of that no that is what I didn't it at all Elisha did exactly what you and I have to do we have to find the Word of God and we have to act on the Word of God you see Elisha had read that scripture over there in the book of Deuteronomy he was acting on that that's why he could pray and shut up the heavens that's why he could pray and he could open the heavens God said if you serve me and do my commandments I will give you your reign in due season and your crops shall flourish and your fields will be fruitful if you'll serve me but then he said if you turn away from me and you serve other gods I will shut up the heavens that there be no rain now Elisha it wasn't some super human being that had more power with God than you have and I just simply read the Word of God and saw what God said Israel had been blessed they had received the rain and their crops and all of that now in Elijah's day they had turned away and were saying serving the false god called bail and they had forsaken God in Elijah was served up a battle and I can imagine one day he reads this scripture in Deuteronomy whatever God says that and something turns on the light turns on him said with God you said here if they turn and serve other gods you shut up the heavens but see God didn't just automatically shut up the heavens he's got to find someone to take his word bring it to him and put him in remembrance are you out there you notice over there in the Book of Daniel is a very very key scripture it says in chapter 9 of Daniel and you don't need to turn to it it says Daniel one day were seeking the Lord and he understood by the books the Bible actually it's in the Book of Jeremiah he said he was reading The Book of Jeremiah and he understood by what he read that Jeremiah had prophesied and Israel was going to be in bondage to Babylonia for 70 years and Daniel realized the 70 years were up so when Daniel understood that 70 years was up he didn't just say well God why don't you do it you said you were gonna do it no God needs somebody to pray God wants to save America but he needs somebody to pray God won't you children say but he needs somebody to pray so notice what Daniel did he said so I set my heart to seek God to bring this prophecy to pass do you understand what I'm talking about just because you see so many Bible it means going to happen you got to set your heart Daniel went before God and said God he is not all in the Bible but I can just hear him say God you said here in the Book of Jeremiah you prophesied to Jeremiah they were going to be in captivity of 70 years two years is up oh god we said Oh God forgive us O God bring us out Oh God do what you said your word said and God did it I said God did it now that's exactly that's exactly what Elijah did Elijah found out in the books in the books he was reading the Bible it will amaze you what God will speak to you if you read your Bible so I said well I read it every every the first Tuesday of every month y'all read your Bible everyday just underline you need to study it read it just read it just let God talk to you now can imagine Elijah you know he's all stirred up about all these false prophets and these you know prophets of Bale and how Israel would bow down to all those false prophets his spirit was turned up he didn't know quite what to do about one day he was reading the book of Deuteronomy over there in chapter 13 or chapter 11 where I read you and it says if you turn and serve other gods I will shut up the heavens oh he said I got it now so he went out there and he said God I want you to do what you said you do they're serving they're bound down to these idols they're worshiping these idols and you said you had shut up you'd shut up the heavens and I declare Oh God and you'll keep your word and he quit the king and said there shall be no rain until I speak the word what was he doing he's just simply doing what you and I can do today he found a scripture and acted on it he just acted on it because they were worshiping worshiping idols and God said if they worship idols I'm going to shut up the rain and I'm tell you didn't rain for three and a half years but one day you know Elijah had that confrontation of throne on Mount Carmel with all all those 450 prophets of bail and and so they got up there for a contest and they said that let's find out who the real God is and so they built a sacrifice you know and they said now the God sensors by fire he'll be God you'll be God and so the purpose of bail built their altar and they called own bail answer by fire answer by fire Oh bail where are you and bail didn't answer and Elijah got to make it fun up he said to cry louder he said he said maybe maybe maybe he's gone on a vacation and one translation said and I hate to say this but it actually says the Bible says maybe you had to go to the restroom yeah that's what one translation says serrano chica and then they got desperate see they got desperate begin to cut themselves and to bleed and all of that and and you know they cried until the evening and no bail answer listen I want to tell you you don't turn away to the to the akhaten to the new age and all of the wizards and and all of the other people to try to you know try to give you the false devil's power know when you need to help they're not going to help you the horoscope is not going to help you when you're in trouble no no the witches are not going to help you when you're in trouble no you got to stay in touch with the true and the Living God and so you know that just kept on and on and on and nobody answered but how could be less each day and he's a stone how can he answer anybody he's it by the Bible talks about we turn from idols to serve the Living God our God is alive thank god he's alive and his word is alive and so so Elijah healing that then finish out you know and so when it came time for him he said get the he is the Bible said he repaired the altar that's the first thing we'll do repair our altar they put all these stones around represent all the tribes of Israel and then he said now put the sacrifice on there and you know I'm sure the prophets of veil said now he's going to secret the night like that thing he's gonna send he's gonna light it with some fire and so Elijah said take all these huge containers of water and pour it over and then pour it over again then pour it over again till the water just surrounded everywhere no way nope I ain't a fire is going to be there and Elijah cried out said O God let Israel know that you are the Living God I want you to know fire fell from heaven and licked up the water and and consumed the sacrifice hallelujah I'll tell you Israel fell on their faces before God and begin to cry the Lord he is God the Lord he is God the Lord he is God amen and end up and they killed all the prophets prophets of Vail and Israel turned back to God now you see they have fulfilled what God said in the first part of that scripture so that's the reason Elijah could look up and say now go to pray and just go to rain how does he know that because they've repented because they turn from idols because they've turned away from the false gods because they turned back to the God of Israel now with all the confidence in the world Elijah can go out and say rain is going to come rain is going to come hallelujah because he were simply acting on the Word of God now what you need to understand is you need to read the Bible until you understand some things from the Bible a lot of people you know they won't God to answer the prayer they you don't know one scripture to Bible you know when you may know Jesus wept as the shortest version of Bible Jesus wept or you may know John 3:16 or something like that but do you have any any insight in this scripture about the trouble you're in any any scripture at all you know you need to find out what God says I'm thoroughly convinced that God wants all of our children to be saved he doesn't want what I'm saying you shall be believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved on your house I'm convinced to that so I could pray earnestly all my children are saved and you can pray earnestly that way because the Word of God says that I'm convinced and you couldn't be the daughter with me with a ball bat that it is the will of God for us to walk in this body without sickness and disease and aches and pains you said well I got plenty of them I have to have my share too but I'll fight them all I fight them up I will not accept them it's the work of the devil and I am the body of Christ and I will not take the works of the devil that's the reason not number myself among to say and I number myself am under heel you know one day I was so poor we heard me talk about poverty so much some of you grow we're not starting on this but let me tell you something we were so poor the poor people called us poor and but one day I got light on the fact that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of his people one day I found out God said the silver is mine and the gold is mine one day I read a scripture that said it is God that gives you power to get well and you know it takes money to do everything in the world takes money to eat takes money to pay rent pay utilities and it takes money to evangelize the world and I got a revelation on the fact that God wanted to bless me financially and when I got it I'm telling you I rose up and claim what God said about me and I said devil I want you to know I'm the head and not the tail I'm above only and not beneath and I am I will lend and not borrow and I've broke the power of poverty over my life but now listen listen the reason that prayer worked and all these prayers work is because I found the scripture I found the scripture the Bible says now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen for by the elders received a good report and all of these things and then it says in verse six of the eleventh chapter of Hebrews it says for without faith it is impossible to please God now what's he talking about Elijah saw the scripture and acted on it that is faith and when they complied he acted on the scripture that is faith now listen to me carefully without faith it is impossible to please God it's impossible to please God until you find the scripture and see that scripture belongs to you and act on it pray that scripture take that scripture in prayer we're talking about prayer and say God look here what I found in your Bible without faith it's impossible to please God for he that comes to God now talking about prayer he that comes to God listen must believe that he is but you got to believe more than he is you got to believe he's a reward I said you got to believe he's a reward he's not the one stealing and killing and taking away everything from your life if you're going to get your prayers answered you got to believe there is a God and you got to believe he's a good God he rewards those who seek Him and notice what it says he is a reward of those who diligently seek Him diligently seek Him that means you search the Bible like silver and gold and you finally find something god I've got to have them give me out of this trouble I want to promise and suddenly you find something in the Word of God and then you begin to pray it and I tone it and listen God will confirm his word as he said it and shall he not do it has he spoken it and shall he not come to pass he watches over his word to confirm it I'll tell you God will keep his word and when we pray his word his word works did you know there is no limitation to the people who understand what I'm talking about oh you'll have your battles I have my battles but I got good news for you I'm winning I said I'm winning I said I'm win I said I'm winning and I want to develop every person in this church to be a winner and to be victorious in the name of Jesus it's not some kind of magic formula or special goody-goody people it's people who take the Word of God and take it to God in prayer and stand on it and chase the devil off a me and it's wonderful to know how to pray prayer is taking God's word to him he said put me in remembrance declare thou that you may be justified in other words in play tonight he said show me show me in the scripture have I promised to do what you're talking to me about have you are you too lazy to find the scripture do you have any thank God I got him I got him I said you God you got time got time God I got a lot of put me in remembrance declare thou I'll tell you God delights first children to come boldly to the throne of grace and we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need be praying people take God's Word there's nothing impossible to those who will take God's word to him and stand on it and not give up God said it heaven and earth shall pass away but God's word will never pass away and that's the word you're sending you know I can give you scripture how you can be delivered how can you can be set free the Bible says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and you know you know the Bible is real clear God is not willing that any should perish think about that he God didn't want you to die who the hell God would have all men all women all children to be saved that's what God says and just says called and I'll answer and he that has the son has eternal life see you don't need religion you can need Jesus in your heart so I just want you to pray this prayer while the ordinance is real classic Oh God and no answer I know it and you know it but Christ died for sinners and I know he died for me and rose again paid the price for me to be saved and lord I ask you right now Jesus come into my heart be mindful be mushy I just give up I just surrender Jesus as all I can do just take me right now that heaven make a record this name jesus is my Lord and I'll never go back and determine I'm not going to hell I'm going to heaven

Channel: Keith Alan

Views: 217,406

Keywords: john osteen, Osteen, John, Sermons

Id: nNpapY_TiT8

Length: 27min 0sec (1620 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 24 2014