Sermon June 30, 2013 Call 2 Fall a sermon on the importance of prayer!

This morning June 30^th, 2013 we are joining many other churches around the country to discuss the importance of prayer.

As I watch the news and look around our nation I am concerned. Society today continues to deteriorate. People no longer follow Biblical values; they live their lives focused on the moment and on material things. They only think about themselves.

Our nation has lost its way. No longer can we comfortably say that we are One Nation Under God, unless our nations god is something other than our Creator. Sadly our leadership bows to the whims of people and special interest groups. The Supreme Court of the United States made that clear this week and seeing how the President and other leaders responded are perfect examples that we need to be praying for them.

As true believers in the One True God we only have one thing we can do. It is something that every single one of us can do. It is not pushing petitions, it is not standing on street corners calling out everything evil we see. As followers of Jesus we need to pray!

Edward McKendree Bounds said this about prayer:

“Prayer concerns God, whose purposes and plans are conditioned on prayer. His will and His glory are bound up in praying.”

“When the church is in the condition of prayer, God’s cause always flourishes, and His kingdom on earth always triumphs. When the church fails to pray, God’s cause decays, and evil of every kind prevails.”

When you look around with the deterioration of morals, dwindling church attendance, and so much more it is easy to see that evil is prevailing.

Why is this so, if we listen to what it tells us in Ephesians 3:20

“²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, “

The Bible tells us that God is able to do so much more than we can ever imagine, so why is evil prevailing in our town and the nation.

One potential answer can be found in James 4:2

“² You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask”

While I believe each of us takes time to pray, I think many believers in our country either do not have Faith that God will answer their prayers, or do not take the time to pray for our country and our leaders. Sadly God does not answer prayers because His people and the leaders of our nation no longer ask Him to intercede.

Thankfully there are plenty of verses in the Bible that gives us direction in what we are supposed to do, especially if we look at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He was a man that prayed.

1 Peter 2:21 states

“²¹ For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example,
so that you should follow in His steps.”

We need to follow in His footsteps, we need to follow His example, we need to live a life of prayer.

Some examples from Scripture showing us this life style:

Mark 1:35

^“35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.”

Luke 3:21

“²¹ When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As He was praying, heaven opened”

Luke 5:16

“¹⁶ Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed”

Dr. Henry Blackaby writes in Experiencing Prayer With Jesus – The Power of His Presence and Example

“At this critical time in history, we don’t need simply ‘more prayer’ from God’s people; we need specifically the kind of praying exemplified in the life of Christ.”

God is looking for praying people. He does not want us to sit here and just say words. He wants us to pray in union with Christ Jesus who intercedes for us. God will then take this prayer and use it to shape the world. If believers around the country take time to pray and to earnestly seek God’s will here on Earth, God will answer those prayers. He will send the power of the Holy Spirit to change hearts, to change lives, which will lead to changing our country. The more God’s people pray, the more change we will see.

In chapter 56 of the book of Isaiah, God’s house is called a house of prayer. That is exactly what God wants from us here and every other Church or gathering of Christians around the world. This is His house, Prayer is the most important thing we do.

Why is prayer so important?

First and foremost God Commands it.

In Matthew 6 Jesus talks about Prayer.

⁵ Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward! ⁶ But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷ When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. ⁸ Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. ⁹ “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]

In verses 5, 6, and 7 we see the words ‘When You Pray’. It is not ‘If’ we pray, it is ‘When’ we pray. Jesus is telling us that we are expected to pray. Verse 9-13 gives us a great example of prayer, the Lord’s Prayer.

Luke 18:1

“¹ He then told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not become discouraged”

Jesus is telling us that we need to pray and not to give up. Just because we do not see a change today, tomorrow, next week, or even next year. We need to continue to pray!

Colossians 4:2

“² Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17

“Pray constantly”

If we are to follow Christ we need to be a church full of people who Pray!

Our nation is seeing difficult times, people continue to stray from God, Christians and non-Christians alike are living lives that do not honor God. We need to be praying!

Ephesians 6:18

“¹⁸ Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.”

What we are seeing in the world show us that these are times we need to pray.

2 Timothy 3:1

“But know this: Difficult times will come in the last days”

While we may or may not be in the last days, we are definitely in terrible times. The more our nation falls away from God the more we need to pray.

1 Timothy 4:1

“¹ Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons”

We are in a time where people are abandoning God and embracing the gods of this world. We need to be praying.

We need to devote ourselves to prayer! We need to seek God’s will for our lives, the life of our church, our nation, all of its people, and its leaders.

For God to work, His people need to be praying, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:9-10

‘“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Through faithful and diligent prayer, God’s kingdom will advance in this world.

While we are in dark times, while we see people turning away from God and embracing things of this world. All hope is not lost.

 
If we as believers in Jesus Christ join with others around the nation and pray God can and will answer those prayers.
 
The Prayer of Jabez, in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

^“9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez called out to the God of Israel: “If only You would bless me, extend my border, let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain.” And God granted his request”

This is a great example of God listening to prayer. The prayer of one man changed his life, the prayer of many can save a nation.

2 Chronicles 7:14

“14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land..”

God will hear our prayers! We are going to count on that promise, God will hear our prayers and heal our nation.

As you go about your week, I implore you to take time every day to pray for our government leaders, our nation, the young and old. Pray for a return to Biblical values in how people live their lives and lead their families.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in lives in ways we have not seen in our lifetimes. Pray for God to move!

Let’s Pray!

Thanks for Reading and God Bless!

 

Robert