Topical · Week 3 of 6

Bold Access

Hebrews 4:14-16, Ephesians 3:12

Confidence in approaching God

Main Point

You don't need to clean yourself up before coming to God — the throne of grace is for the messy, the broken, and the desperate.

Application Ideas

What have you been afraid to bring to God? Approach His throne boldly this week with that very thing.

Discussion Questions

What does 'bold access' look like in practice? How does Jesus as our High Priest change our prayer life?

Detailed Sermon Outline

Primary Text: Hebrews 4:14-16, Ephesians 3:12

Supporting Texts: Matthew 7:7-11; 1 John 5:14-15; Romans 8:31-39

Big Idea: Through Christ, believers have bold access to God's throne of grace, where we can find mercy and help in any circumstance without fear or shame.

Target Length: 35-40 minutes

Introduction

One of the biggest barriers to prayer is the feeling that prayer isn't working. We pray and nothing changes. We ask and don't receive. We knock and the door doesn't open. So we stop praying.

But Jesus says, 'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.' This is a promise. But how do we understand it when it seems not to work?

Today we're exploring what true answered prayer looks like and why God sometimes says no.

I. God Answers, But Not Always How You Expect (Matthew 7:7-11)

Jesus promises that when you ask, you'll receive. When you seek, you'll find. When you knock, the door will open. But He doesn't say the answer will be yes to what you asked for.

Sometimes God says no because He sees something you don't. He loves you too much to give you what you're asking for.
Sometimes the answer is wait. Not no, but not yet.
Sometimes the answer is something different from what you asked for, but better.

A parent who gives every request to a child is not being loving. A parent who sometimes says no is being wise. God is a wise parent.

II. Ask According to God's Will (1 John 5:14-15)

'This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked for.'

The key phrase is 'according to his will.' You're not guaranteed to get what you want. You're guaranteed to get what aligns with God's kingdom.
This means prayer requires discernment. You have to ask, 'Is this what God wants? Or is this what I want?'

The closer you walk with God, the more your desires align with His. Your prayers naturally start asking for what matters eternally, not just what matters to you right now.

III. Prayer Changes You More Than Circumstances (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed. God said no. But in that no, Paul experienced God's grace in a new way. He learned that God's power is made perfect in weakness.

Sometimes God doesn't change your circumstance. He changes you. He gives you the strength to endure it.
Prayer is answered not when God changes your situation, but when you're transformed by your relationship with God through prayer.

The deepest answered prayers are those where you walk away from the prayer time different. Your perspective has shifted. Your faith has grown. Your peace has been restored. That's answered prayer.

Appeal

When God says no to your prayer, don't give up. Ask why. Listen. Seek to understand His will. And trust that His no is loving, even if you don't understand it right now.

The prayer that changes you is always answered. Let prayer transform how you think, how you believe, how you trust God.