BE A LIFTER OF THE ARMS, BE A GAP STANDER!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I. WE MUST PRAY FOR THE UNHINDERED POWER OF THE GOSPEL
TO BE FREELY RELEASED ALL AROUND US.
WE MUST BUILD A TEAM THAT RELEASES GOD’S UNHINDERED POWER!
A. LET US NOT HINDER THE GOSPEL THAT WE TEACH!
LOOK HOW ACTS CLOSES:
Acts 28: 30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came to unto him.
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding.
B. From David Wilkerson:
THE ORIGINAL GREEK FOR "FORBIDDING" HERE ACTUALLY MEANS
HINDERING.
C. The New American Standard Version states it this way: PAUL PREACHED AND TAUGHT THE GOSPEL WITH ALL OPENNESS, UNHINDERED.
D. Paul will soon be martyred, but he refused to allow anything to hinder the POWER OF THE GOSPEL HE WAS PREACHING.
II. PRAY FOR WORKERS, PRAY FOR MORE WORKERS.
PRAY FOR SPIRITUAL REFRESHMENT AND ENCOURAGEMENT.
A. WE MUST INTERCEDE TO ALL THAT ARE WORKING IN THE HARVEST.
Matthew 9:37 Then saith he unto His disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that he will send forth laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great,but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he
would send forth laborers into His harvest.
B. I have been told these verses about the laborers suggest in the original PUNY!
C. Puny means slight in power, size or importance, weak, inferior in performance.
D. Are we offering God something more than a puny effort?
E. The harvest is ripe, the laborers must come together as a team.
III. THE CHURCH NEEDS SOME UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIMENTS!
THE CHURCH IS A BODY, A TEAM.
A. TEAM: Together Each Accomplishes More!
B. I was a student on the LMU campus in the early ’70’s.
There was a required course called Music Appreciation.
We had to spend hours in the music library listening to Masterpieces from the music greats.
One day while digging through some old albums, I ran across this title that caught my eye, THE UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIMENT.
I stopped and read the small print. Seems this great pianist played for the great opera singers.
He often played for the great tender singer, Luciano Pavarotti in Italy, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, London, and Paris.
He also played for many other great and famous singers.
But people never knew him, he was just an accompaniment.
The marquee never had this man’s name, and if it did, it was in very small letters. 31 years later I don’t remember his name?
I just remember THE UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIMENT.
His talent was used to support and complement and bring completeness to great vocal masters. This musician was a master of his art but he was
always in a subordinate part, A SUPPORTIVE PART.
B. Remember several years ago the Oak Ridge Boys sang a song, EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A LEAD GUITAR PLAYER FOR
JESUS?
C. I played lead guitar for years, and I went to playing the bass guitar for a Southern Gospel Group.
The bass guitar is an accompaniment instrument. It is seldom recognized but it is very important to the music as a whole.
D. Reading the work of the Unashamed Accompaniment album cover helped me as I moved to the back seat.
E. THE CHURCH NEEDS SOME UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIMENTS!
IV. CAN WE HEAR THE CALL? SHEEP MUST KNOW THE SHEPHERD’S VOICE?
THERE GOES FORTH A MASS CALL TO ALL BELIEVERS!
A. BIND TOGETHER AS PRAYER WARRIORS NOT JUST PRAYER PARTNERS.
B. We can have a lesser power within our hearts.
We can be charmed ---- but not changed!
We can have decisions --- without CONVERSIONS.
WE CAN HAVE DEDICATION --- WITHOUT COMMITMENT.
C. We can have eye service and lip service as outward rituals.
D. We can have great theological debates and never know Jesus as our personal Savior.
1 Timothy 2:1 EXHORT THEREFORE, THAT, FIRST OF ALL,
SUPPLICATIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSIONS, AND GIVING
THANKS, BE MADE FOR ALL MEN.
Ephesians 6:6 Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart!
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
V. LET US DEFINE A FEW IMPORTANT WORDS.
A. PERSEVERANCE:
***To keep on in the face of counter influences, opposition, or discouragement
***To put up with hardships ***Endure, stick it out ***hold on
***Steadfastness
B. SUPPLICATE, SUPPLICATION
***To make a humble request
***To ask humbly and earnestly ***entreat
C. PRAY:
***Entreat, implore, *** to make a request, or plea.
***To address God with praise, adoration, confession, supplication, thanksgiving.
D. PRAYER:
***To address God in word or thought. ***An earnest request ***To express deep needs
E. INTERCEDE:
***To intervene between others with reconciling differences. ***To mediate.
F. INTERCESSION:
***Prayers, petition, entreaty in favor on behalf of another.
G. DO WE BELIEVE YOUR PROBLEM?
OR DO WE BELIEVE GOD’S WORD?
H. MANY CAN TOUCH GOD, BUT WE NEED TO MOVE GOD BY SPEAKING, DECLARING, AND ACCEPTING GOD’S WORD IS FOR ME TODAY!
VI. THERE ARE MANY LEVELS OF SERVICE FOR JESUS AND THE CROSS.
ONE LEVEL IS TO BE A LIFTER OF THE ARMS OF WORKERS.
A. WE NEED TEAMWORK, UNSELFISH TEAM WORK TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PLAN.
B. ONE MAN CAN’T DO IT!
THE CALL TO INTERCESSION COMES FROM WITHIN.
Exodus 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, and fight with the Amalek: to morrow I WILL STAND ON THE TOP of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with the Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands were heavy, and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
C. There are several levels of workers on Moses team:
1. The leader with God’s plan.
2. The foot worker --- The warrior that gladly followed the command of the leader.
3. The quiet supporter and helper, they saw the need and developed a plan to be LIFTERS OF THE ARMS.
4. THE NEW LEADER IN TRAINING.
VII. THERE IS ANOTHER LEVEL OF MINISTRY TO THE CROSS AND THAT IS TO GROW INTO A POSITION OF STANDING IN THE GAP.
A. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SAD DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
B. THE PRIEST WERE ABSOLUTELY POLISHED AND SKILLED IN THEIR "OUTER COURT DUTIES", BUT THEY WERE SO LACKING IN THE "INNER COURT SKILLS" OF REAL WORSHIP AND A CALL TO REPENTANCE AND CORRECTION!
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that they should make up a hedge, and stand in the gap before me for land, that I should not destroy it:
but I FOUND NONE.
VIII. THERE IS GREAT INSANITY IN SAMENESS?
HOW OUT OF TOUCH CAN THE MAN OF GOD GET?
A. WHY CAN’T WE SEE WHAT IS AHEAD??
B. GOD CAN USE A DONKEY TO INTERCEDE! WHAT COULD GOD DO WITH US?
C. RECOGNIZE THE DEGREES OF MISERY?
BEWARE OF DISPLACEMENT OF ANGER!
Numbers 22: 22 And God’s anger was kindled because Balaam went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was
riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
D. CAN WE HEAR MILD WARNINGS? CAN’T WE SEE ANGER WILL NOT BRING INTERCESSION? BEAT THE DONKEY?
Numbers 22:23 And the donkey saw the angel standing in the way, and his sword was drawn in his hand: and the donkey turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the donkey, to turn her away.
E. THE MISERY INDEX WILL INCREASE! NOW CAN WE HEAR?
WHEN ANGER INCREASES: BEAT THE DONKEY?
Numbers 22: 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord and thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: he smote her again.
F. THE MISERY INDEX TURNS INTO GREAT PAIN!
BLOWING UP ANGER. BEAT THE DONKEY?
Numbers 22: 27 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, SHE FELL DOWN UNDER BALAAM and Balaam’s anger was so kindled, he smote the donkey with a staff.
G. NOW YOU BETTER LISTEN BIG PREACHER:
DISPLACEMENT OF ANGER!
Numbers 22: 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO THEE, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
H. DUMB PREACHER STILL DON’T GET IT? WHY CAN’T WE GET IT? STILL THREATEN THE DONKEY?
Numbers 22:29 And Balaam said unto the donkey, Because thou hast mocked me: I would that there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
I. WAKE UP PREACHER, WAKE UP?
Numbers 22:30 And the donkey said unto Balaam, Am I now thine donkey, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day?
Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And Balaam said, NAY!
J. FINALLY THE EYES SEE, AND THE EARS HEAR BEYOND THE ANGER OF THE MOMENT!
Numbers 22: 31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand,
and Balaam bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
K. TO HINDER THE WORK OF GOD IS VERY DANGEROUS, AND NOT
TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY! INSTEAD OF CHANGE, WE BEAT THE DONKEY AGAIN?
Numbers 22: 32 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine donkey these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me.
33 AND THE DONKEY SAW ME, AND TURNED FROM ME THESE
THREE TIMES: UNLESS SHE HAD TURNED FROM ME, SURELY NOW
ALSO I HAD SLAIN THEE, AND SAVED HER ALIVE.
Numbers 22:34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I HAVE SINNED, FOR I KNEW NOT THOU STOODEST IN THE WAY AGAINST ME: now therefore if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
IX. MOSES PLACED HIM SELF IN GREAT DANGER AS HE BECAME
A GAPSTANDER AND WOULD NOT ALLOW THE ENEMY A VICTORY!
WE WORK TOGETHER!
Exodus 32:31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made the gods of gold.
32 Yet now, if thou forgive their sin ---: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
X. WE MUST TAKE AN INDIVIDUAL STAND WHEN THE ATTACK COMES AGAINST US.
II Kings 20: 1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord...
3 HEZEKIAH WEPT SORE
II Kings 20:5 Turn again and tell Hezekiah, ---
Thus saith the Lord, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy eyes: behold, I will heal thee, ---
XI. DAVID SINNED, HIS DISOBEDIENCE AND NOT LISTENING COST GREATLY.
THERE WAS A TERRIBLE CHOICE:
A. 7 YEARS OF FAMINE?
B. 3 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR ENEMIES?
C. OR THREE DAYS OF PESTILENCE?
D. DAVID YIELDS TO THE LORD? LORD YOU DO WHAT IS BEST?
II Samuel 24: 24 And the King said unto Araunah, (uh-RAW-nah) Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings
unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
Will we step beyond dedication and make a life long commitment?
Will we step beyond being just charmed, will we submit to change?
Will we go deeper than decisions, let’s allow God’s power to bring us to real conversion.
Come to the foot of the cross and allow the Holy Spirit to use you as a LIFTER OF THE ARMS!
MAY YOU COME TO THE HEART OFTHE CROSS AND BE A GAP STANDER!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help me? Pass this lesson on ----
