THE POWER OF PRAYER
I. LET'S TALK ABOUT BELIEVERS WHO AGREE IN PRAYER
A. What happens when the church prays together?
1. "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything, that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 18:19).
B. Leadership can't do it alone!
1. Charles Finney, Abel Clary. Second Great Awakening.
Finney
His sermons were chain lightning, flashing conviction into the hearts of the stoutest skeptics. Simple as a child in his utterances, he sometimes startled his hearers by his unique prayers." He could thunder the judgments of God upon sin with great liberty and power and then offer the mercy of the gospel with tenderness and tears. Without question he was a prophetic voice to 19th century America.
His ministry consistently produced revivals, even in areas considered hardened and unreceptive to the gospel. Finney's autobiography is filled with accounts of powerful manifestations of the Spirit. On one occasion when Finney was preaching in a school house, "suddenly an awful solemnity fell upon the assembly and the congregation fell from their seats, crying for mercy." Finney said, "If I had had a sword in each hand I could not have cut them off as fast as they fell. I think the whole congregation was on their knees or prostrated in two minutes." The crying and weeping of the people was so loud that Finney's exhortation of Christ's mercy could not even be heard.
"Finney seemed so anointed with the Holy Spirit that people were often brought under conviction of sin just by looking at him. When holding meetings at Utica, New York, he visited a large factory. At the sight of him one of the workers, and then another, and then another broke down and wept under a sense of their sins, and finally so many were sobbing and weeping that the machinery had to be stopped while Finney pointed them to Christ."
Abel Clary
Abel Clary that laid the ground work for these mighty moves of God. "Abel Clary was converted about the same time as Finney, and was licensed to preach also, but he had such a burden of prayer that he could not preach much. Finney wrote, "Mr. Clary continued as long as I did and did not leave until after I had left. He never appeared in public, but gave himself wholly to prayer. His whole time and strength was given to prayer. He would writhe and groan in agony, unable to stand under the weight." "After Clary's death Finney discovered Clary's prayer journal. Finney found in the exact order of the burden laid upon Clary's heart was the order of blessing poured upon his ministry."
2. D. L. Moody, Marianne Adland. 1872 English Revival.
3. Billy Graham and his prayer team
The Year: 1949
The Place: Los Angeles, California
The Results: An extended campaign that resulted in a change of approach in reaching mass number of people for Christ--leading to a new era of mass evangelism/crusades.
The Partners: Graham had conducted many similar events with much smaller results. He later realized that the only difference between the L.A. crusade and all the others before it had been the amount of prayer he and his people had given it.
B. WHAT CAN PRAYER DO?
1. If prayer did nothing other than what Jesus promised, it would be one of the greatest gifts God has given us. "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (John 16:23-24).
2. But prayer does even more. It changes the ordinary man or woman and makes them extraordinary. Jesus taught His disciples that real PRAYER CHANGES ME
Prayer changes us by drawing us closer to God, changing and molding us into His likeness in the process.
David understood prayer's power as a personal change agent. His prayer in Psalm 25:4-5 describes the process that prayer takes a person through: "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (emphasis added).
This passage contains three key phrases: show me, teach me, and guide me. When God shows us His standards and His will for our lives, it isn't always easy on us. It almost always requires us to grow and change. But once we accept what God would show us, He is able to teach us. And when we're teachable and growing, He is finally able to guide us, to lead us into His plan and purpose. When God shows me, He has my heart. When God teaches me, He has my mind. When God guides me, He has my hand.
DON'T LIVE BENEATH YOUR POTENTIAL
Despite God's promise of the power to change us and our world, many Christians never tap into it. They come to Christ, but then they live beneath their privileges [much like D.L. Moody said--look up the short article by D.L. Moody in the link/section on the book of Ephesians. Mr. Moody explains this subject more thoroughly.] It's as though God has prepared an incredible banquet for them, and they're sitting in the corner with a bologna sandwich. The problem is that they don't want to risk giving up the familiar sandwich for the promise of the banquet. It's almost like they're saying, "Okay, I'm saved and I'm going to heaven, but I'm going to stay right where I am until then."
PRAYER CHANGES OUR WORLD
God's hand moves when people and pastors pray together. Through prayer, God makes the impossible, possible.
Through prayer, God greatly multiplies our efforts. C.H. Spurgeon said, "Whenever God determines to do a great work, He first sets His people to pray."
C. THE TWO GREATEST INTERCESSORS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: MOSES AND SAMUEL HARNESSED THE POWER OF PRAYER!
1. Moses won a battle by prayer. "When Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: but when he let it down his hand, Amelek prevailed" (Ex. 17:11)
2. Moses saved a nation by prayer. "God said, ‘Let me alone that My wrath may burn hot against them, and I may consume them’" (Ex. 32:10). Moses prayed, "Yet now, if you will forgive their sin – if not; I pray blot me out of your book" (Ex. 32:32). "The Lord relented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people" (Ex. 32:14)
3. Samuel prayed for revival. The people said, "Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us" (I Samuel 7:8a)
5. We can move mountains as we pray.
Matthew 21:21: Jesus answered and said to them, Truly I say to you, If you have faith and do not doubt, you shall not only do this miracle of the fig tree, but also; if you shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be thrown into the sea; it shall be done.
Matthew 21:22: And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
II. AS WE PRAY IN THE MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS
A. THE POWER OF PRAYER IS SECURED IN THE NAME OF JESUS
1. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN SOME PLACE WHERE YOU COULDN'T GAIN ACCESS? Their with me! (FAIR)
2. The Intercession of Jesus: to keep us from sin. "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24,25 KJV).
B. JESUS’ JOINS US IN INTERCESSION
1. Jesus prayed often. What was Jesus’ prayer pattern on earth? "A place which was called Gethsemane, . . . sit ye here, while I shall pray" (Mark 14:32). "Jesus often resorted there" (John 18:2). What was Jesus’ qualification to be an intercessor? "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26).
Holy = pure nature
Harmless = never hurt anyone
Undefiled = did not sin
Separate = never gave into temptation
C. HOW JESUS PRAYED ON EARTH
a. Teach us to pray, Luke 11:1. Example.
b. "Glorify them; glorify me!" John 17 Petition.
c. "Keep them from the Evil One" John 17:15. Protection.
d. converts to come . . . HE CALLED THEM IN! for them which shall believe on me, John 17:20. Evangelism.
e. "Father forgive them" Luke 23:34. Forgiveness.
"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24,25 KJV).
III. THE HOLY SPIRIT GUIDES US IN OUR PRAYING
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26,27).
A. HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT HELP US PRAY?
1. Reminds us what to pray. (John 14:26).
2. Motivates us when to pray. (John 14:17).
3. Guides us in prayer. (John 16:13).
4. Will point us to Jesus. (John 15:26).
5. Gives us strength to pray. (Col. 1:8-12).
B. Unbelief. What’s our biggest hindrance to answered prayer? "Infirmities" is singular; we have only one infirmity, i.e., unbelief.
Other Weaknesses in Prayer
1. Lack of persistence. Matt. 7:7
2. Lack of concentration.
3. Unknown sin. John 9:31
4. Unconfessed sin. Isa. 59:1
5. Selfishness. James 4:2,3
6. Not asking. James 4:2
7. Anger/Resentment/Bitterness in our relationships
C. THE Holy Spirit Check List FOR US
Yes ? No
1. Are you indwelt by the Spirit (He comes at salvation)?
2. Are you baptized by the Spirit (placed into Jesus)?
3. Are you filled by the Spirit (yielded to Him)?
4. Are you seeking the Holy Spirit to guide you?
5. Are you walking in the Spirit?
6. Are all known sins confessed?
7. Are you studying to learn more of the Spirit?
8. Are you faithfully using your spiritual gifts?
9. Should you apologize to an offended person?
10. Are you worshiping God Biblicaly?
Conclusion: Paul prays for Thessalonians, "Making mention of you in our prayers" (I Thess. 1:2). Then requests, "Brethren pray for us" (I Thess 5:25).
