"MY HOUSE - Shall Be Called A House of Prayer!"

Prayer is vital communication with God, important to human existence and the God-kind of life!

In the life of Christ, we see numerous occasions of “all night” prayer and times of refreshing in the presence of the Father.

Jesus did nothing apart from the Father’s guidance and governance. (John 5:19)*

In the same way that Satan deceived Eve in the garden, he deceives the church through cunning deception and twists God’s word or upsets the creative order of God.

“Satan blinds peoples minds to God’s truth.” (2 Cor.4: 4)*

Every ‘thing’ has a reason for existence. It will either have:

• A Purposed Application, or
• A Perverted Relevance

In our mandate to pray, we’ve misunderstood our role of responsibility and rarely receive answers to our prayers. We violate our level of authority and fail, due to lack of understanding.

GOD’S DIVINE HEAVENLY ORDER INCLUDES:

The Third Heaven or the “heaven of heavens” (Neh.9: 6)* = the dwelling place of God’s throne and all benevolent spiritual beings such as archangels and angels, as well as the seraphim and cherubim who surround God’s throne and protect His radiant glory.

Angels are commissioned to:

• Bring messages from God
• Minister to people
• Administer the judgments of God
• Relay specific instructions
• Fulfill specific tasks such as healing, strengthening or encouraging us.

The Second Heaven is the command post of Satan and his diabolical spiritual dignitaries, which include principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual hosts of wickedness.

Satan orchestrates rebellion and anarchy around the world.

Christ reigns and is seated far above thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers and has dominion over things!

• Colossians 1:16*
• Ephesians 1:20-21*

Satan seized authority over the earth (life-sustaining biosphere/terrestrial realm) from Adam, but Jesus in His earthly ministry destroyed the works of the devil, by serving notice that He had come to legally take the ill-gotten authority back from him (Satan; Luke 4:8)*

After His death, Jesus descended into hell and triumphed over them. (Col.2: 14-15)*

• Stripped all authority from Satan = to return authority to mankind.
• The rule of earth was returned to Jesus.
• “All authority has been given to Me (Jesus) in heaven and on earth.” (Matt.28: 18)*
• Satan has power with no authority to stop the work of the church. “The gates of hell shall not prevail…”

This is the reason, Jesus experienced:

• Absolute assurance of answered prayer wherever He traveled
• Unprecedented breakthroughs with maximum impact
• The supernatural power of God in every situation
• Change through declaring God’s word (“It is written…”) “To name” is to assign the character, purpose, or destiny of a thing.
• The manifestation of God’s promises throughout His entire earthly ministry
• Confidence in the Fatherhood of God to never leave him or forsake him
• Authority over all the forces of darkness in the earth realm.

Man’s dominion in the beginning was over the earth, the sky, the land, and the sea – so is the basis of our proper earthly sphere of authority in spiritual warfare or conflicts.

Our disobedience, as in the garden, leads to chaos, deterioration, death, and corruption.

Besides the role of the church to preach the gospel and make disciples, we’ve been commissioned to:

• Matt.10:7-8*
• Heal the sick
• Cleanse the lepers
• Raise the dead
• Cast out demons

Jesus left these important principles concerning prayer for the church to live/walk out our "AUTHORITY" in submission to His leadership through the Holy Spirit.

Authority (Gk. Exousia) = refers to the right to use power, to take action, to issue commands, and to respond in obedience. (Authority has a specific jurisdiction and limitation)

• We are commanded to pray
• We are to designate a specific time to prayer
• We are to walk in the proper posture for answered prayer (faith + patience)
• We are to understand the incorrect ways to pray and avoid them (vain repetitions, wavering, coveting, reviling etc)
• We are to fulfill our purpose of prayer (to establish God’s Kingdom rule and authority)
• We are to maintain/have a proper relationship for answered prayer by exercising our:
• Family rights (as joint-heirs with Christ)
• Legal rights (through His blood)
• Redemptive rights (through the finished work of the cross)
• Creative rights (through our confession)
• We have an inheritance through prayer
• Promises
• Provision
• Privileges
• Protection
• We can experience God’s infinite fatherhood through prayer
• His desire to prosper us
• His willingness to use us
• His ability to overcome our every problem

The Father will not satisfy or respond to unbelief. So when we step out of bounds (distrust), attempting to do it our own way, we limit the hand of God from working in/on our behalf.

• We can place ourselves in difficult situations – through presumption towards God, imposed by our mere curiosity or skepticism.
• Answered Prayer follows wisdom, faith, righteousness, and transparence.
• With absolute simplicity and assurance

In EVERY CHURCH that’s a verifiable segment or part of the Kingdom of God, Jesus wants His Body to experience answered prayer by allowing God to fully establish His government in every local assembly.

True Divine Government requires leadership (of the Holy Ghost) and Lordship (under Jesus Christ). Lordship requires a domain or territory with a divinely instituted ruler in absolute authority.

Therefore the Lord/King has governance over that domain or spiritual territory.

Kingdom (Gk. – Basileia) = meaning a realm or a region governed by a king.

Kingdoms in the last few centuries are known now as republics, because:

• They no longer have a king, and are Governed by the people
• No King = No True Kingdom

 The four primary subjects referencing the King and the Kingdom in all four gospels are:

 1. The proclamation of the Kingdom (306 verses)

 2. The proclamation of the King (964 verses)

 3. The rejection of the King (901 verses)

 4. The rejection of the Kingdom (782 verses)

OUR PRESENT STATE AND LESSON FOR TODAY!

In the church, there is and has always been some controversy over the terms, “ The Kingdom of Heaven” and “The Kingdom of God”.

In most theological circles, these terms are synonymous, but with the correct understanding, these two terms have many similarities, but significant and important differences, which hold great value to understanding the scriptures in their literal and proper context.

For instance:

1. Matthew’s Gospel is the only book that uses the term “Kingdom of Heaven” – which means “Christ as Jehovah’s King”. (Matthew 21:15-16 – READ)
2. Mark’s Gospel presents Christ as Jehovah’s servant. (Mark 11:13-14, 17 – READ)
3. Luke’s Gospel presents Christ as Jehovah’s Man or the Son of Man. (Luke 19:42-44 – READ)
4. John’s Gospel presents Christ as Jehovah’s Anointed One or Divine One (Son of God) – manifested in the flesh.

'Heaven’ is plural in all the passages found in Matthew:

• Which literally means “the kingdom from the heavens”.
• A dispensational term that refers to the Messiah’s Kingdom on the Earth.
• Not a Kingdom of this world but is in this world.
• The sovereignty comes from heaven because the king is from there (CITIZENSHIP) 

In John 18:36-37, “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king, To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth, Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is a dispensational term because its context references two distinct periods of time.

• Dispensation (Age) of Grace = Now (Sphere of Profession)
• The Millennium = Second Advent (Literal Kingdom)

The Dispensation/Age of Grace in reference to the Kingdom of Heaven:

• Is not now the literal reign of heaven over earth, but a “sphere of profession” or earthly sphere of a universal kingdom.
• The sphere of profession = the professing Christian world, Christendom
• The sphere of profession includes the “professed” and “true” sons of God in this present age.
•  In the Millennium, only the “true sons of God” will enter into the eternal rule of Jesus Christ over his literal earthly kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Christ came to the earth and was rejected, but the Father sent Him to gain authority and govern the Kingdom of Heaven, which re-establishes the rule of the Kingdom of God over the rebellious part of the universe so that God may be all in all as in the beginning.

At Christ’s return, the “professed” and “true” sons of God will be separated. (Separate the wheat from the tares)

READ THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND & CONTEXT.

In Isaiah 56 Verse 1: READ

1. Judgment = justice
2. Justice = righteousness
• Isaiah 9:6-7; vs. 7 – “government…to establish it with judgment and with justice…”

In 56:1; “for my salvation is near to come”

• Matt.3: 2; “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
• Dan.2: 44; “the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…shall not be left to other people. (No republic)
•  Matt.4: 17; “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (…The time John was cast into prison; injustice – a sign of His coming)

In Isaiah 56 Verse 2: READ

Isaiah 58:1, 13-14 (refer to)

• Cry aloud and spare not…
• God is seeking a people who will honor him with their lives completely.
• An “oracle” of God
• Delight to do His will
• Keeps his hand from evil

In Isaiah 56 Verse 3: READ

56:3; “the son of the stranger”

• No more strangers but fellow citizens
• Eph.2: 12-19 (refer to)
• For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven – our actions are different from the world.
• Phil.3: 15-21 (refer to)

In Isaiah 56 Verse 4: READ 

• God speaks to the Eunuchs (unmarried, virginal, chamberlains – state officers)
• Keep His Sabbaths
• Choose the things that please me
• Take hold of my covenant

In Isaiah 56 Verse 5: READ

56:5a; “mine house” (possession, ownership, rulership)

• 1 Tim.3: 15-16*; “We should know to behave in the house of God”

56:5b, “a name better than of sons and daughters”

• 1 John 3:1-2: (refer to)
• What manner of love …to be called the sons of God.
• The world doesn’t know us (peculiar)
• When He appears we shall be like Him

In Isaiah 56 Verse 6: READ

The promise to the stranger…

• Join themselves to Him (commitment)
• Serve Him (spirit led life)
• Love His name (allegiance)
• Become His servants (epistles)
• Keep His Sabbaths (devotion)
• Take hold of His covenant (salvation)

In Isaiah 56 Verse 7: READ

56:7; “…will bring to his holy mountain”

• Isaiah 2:2-3 - READ
• Established in the top of the mountain (Abraham)
• Shall be exalted above the hills
• All nations shall flow into it
• Isaiah 60:11 (refer to)
• Thy gates shall be openly continually
• Shall not be shut day or night
• Men will bring the forces of the gentiles
• Kings will come in procession
• “And make them joyful in His house of prayer”
• “Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted”
• Romans 12:1 (refer to)
• Present your bodies a living sacrifice
• “…Upon mine altar”
• Isaiah 60:7 – all the flocks of Kedar – the descendants of Ishmael – God is concerned
• Acceptance from the Father
• Haggai 2:6-9 (refer to)
• I will shake the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and the dry land
• I will shake all nations
• The desire of nations shall come
• I will fill this house with glory
• The silver and gold is mine
• The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former
• In this place, will I give peace
• “For mine house shall be called a house of prayer”
• Malachi 4:6 – “Turn the hearts of the fathers to the children…”
• “For all people”
• Malachi 1:11 (refer to)
• Name shall be great among the gentiles
• In every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering
• Name shall be great among the heathen (nations)
• John 3:16 – “God so loved the world…” (Are you a light to the world?)

In Isaiah 56 Verse 8: READ

“Which gathers the outcasts of Israel”

• Isaiah 11:12 – shall set up an ensign (banner) for the nations
• Isaiah 54:7 – “for a small moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercy will I gather you”
• “I will gather others to Him”
•  John 10:16 – “other sheep”
• Isaiah 42:5-9 - READ

END OF BIBLE STUDY.