Prayer – Does it make a Difference?”

Series: Conversations with Jesus
John 16:23-24
“A tale is told about a small town that had historically been "dry," but then a local businessman decided to build a pub. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. It just so happened that shortly thereafter lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The owner of the bar sued the church, claiming that the prayers of the congregation were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not responsible. The presiding judge, after his initial review of the case, stated "no matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The pub owner believes in prayer and the Christians do not."
INTRO-video, half of prayer is an encounter
I’m guessing all of us find ourselves in this video
-we find ourselves asking—
-is God listening?
-is He influenceable?
-if He is, why doesn’t He respond?
-why am I still facing this addiction?
-despite my prayers—this relationship still fell apart
-I still lost my job, she stilled died
-I’m still not healed—I’m still in this depression
-I’ve prayed—yet she’s as hardened towards Jesus as ever—God—why?
What intensifies our emotions—perplexes our brains—confuses our souls
-are the promises Jesus has given in the upper room—
a. 14:13-14-whatever you ask in My name—this I will do-in order that the
Father is glorified in the Son
-you may ask Me whatever in My name—I Myself will do
b. 15:7-if you remain in Me and My word remains in you—whatever you want-ask and it will become for you
c. in this today’s text—Jesus again makes this sweeping promise (read 16:17-24)
In each passage—Jesus raises our expectations regarding prayer
-and so it’s reasonable to ask—what’s going on?
-what are we to do with these verses?
-everything inside of me wants to embrace them
-everything in my theology says I should, I must believe them
-but experiences sometimes seem to contradict them
-there is the temptation—as CS Lewis put it—
-to see them as old fashioned sayings which have to be outgrown
Illustration- selection school……………………
-and it all felt like opened doors that suddenly slammed shut
-a bad dream, a cruel joke
-it’s tempting to dismiss these verses
- 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
But I can’t—and you can’t
Because they were uttered by the One who is nothing but reliable in everything He says and does
-so what are these texts saying?
-and more importantly—what are they doing?
Here’s what they are clearly saying—
1. PRAYER HAS TO BE A LIFE PRIORITY
-as with the rest of Scripture—they underscore that prayer is not an option
-prayer is the place where man and God meet
-the means God uses to advance His kingdom
-prayer was the routine of the EARLY CHURCH-Acts 2:42
-Jesus valued prayer enough to spend many hours at the task
-the more intense the demands upon His life—the more He prayed (Mk 1:35)
-the greater the darkness—the greater were His prayers
-such that He closed this conversation with the longest recorded prayer in the Gospels- John 17.
-and it is prayer that largely defines Jesus’ present ministry-Heb 7:25
As Philip Yancey writes in his book on Prayer—
“When doubts creep in, and I wonder if prayer is a sanctified form of talking to myself, I remind myself that Jesus, who spoke the worlds into existence—and holds all things together—felt a compelling need to pray”
2. PRAYER WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE
-in each promise, something happens as a result of prayer
-His actions depend upon our asking-14:13
-what will be done depends upon our requests-15:7
-receiving hinges on asking-16:24
-Jesus underscored this often-both in how He lived and what He taught
-when the disciples seemed to be absolutely helpless in their attempts to help an afflicted boy
-Jesus’ response was simply—these are matters that require prayer
-other texts underscore this—
-Js 4:2—you have not—because you ask not
-Moses prayed—and God withheld His judgment-Ex 32:10-14
-Jabez prayed—and God expanded his boundaries-I Chron 4:10
-James writes—the prayers of righteous saints can accomplish much-5:16
I think prayer is the means of releasing God’s willingness and ability to act in the world that otherwise would not happen
-pray—and something of the marks of God’s rule become present in the present
-pray—and God fills our sails with His Spirit
-pray-and God awakens the church-the revivals of Edwards, Wesley the Lewis revivals were first revivals of prayer, when even 2 gather together to pray God s moved
-who of us have not witnessed this—that when a decision is covered with prayer—a day is begun with prayer--it is generally different?
-Karl Barth came to this settled conclusion--“He does not act in the same way whether we pray or not” God hears and moves when we pray
-in fact—He does not act (what do you think?), wow the God of the universe relies upon your prayers
-as Bonhoeffer wrote-“A day without prayer is a day without meaning”
I suspect up this point—we pretty much agree
-prayer is important
-prayer changes things—maybe not the things I want to change
-but this still hasn’t addressed the issue
-if these are promises from God—why isn’t God coming through?
-let’s start with a safe answer—a third lesson from these texts--
3. ANSWERED PRAYER DOES DEPEND UPON CONDITIONS
-for these verses do seem to establish some conditions—ones that should not be easily dismissed—or taken lightly
THE CONDITION OF BELIEVING-14:12-14
- 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
-the promise of vs 13 is linked with the condition of vs 12—“the one believing”
-there are no answered prayers for those who lack faith
-but there are answered prayers to those who take God at His word
-believing in His promises—His power—His faithfulness
-that answered prayer springs from trust is underscored throughout the NT
-Matt 21:22-if you believe-you will receive whatever you ask
-Mk 11:24-whatever you ask—believe that you have received it, and it is yours
-Js 1:6-but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt
-Js 5:15-the prayer offered in faith will make the person well
B. THE CONDITION OF ABIDING-15:7
-Jesus begins with a conditional clause in the second promise statement-if you remain in Me and My words remain in you
-if we are intimately connected to God—allowing His word to pour into us
-and us into Him—such that there is this undivided whole-this intimate union
-than ask—and you will receive
-which makes sense
-for in abiding—things get sifted out
-prayer ceases to be a selfish activity
-we will have His heartbeat, understand His priorities—pursue His will
-and hence—pray according to His will
-and as I John 5:14 puts it—if we ask anything according to His will—He hears us
C. THE CONDITION OF IN MY NAME-16:23-24
-in each of these, Jesus seems to also link His promises to praying in His name
-not as some magical incantation—some formula, some technique used to give power to our prayers
-but prayer that understands that we can come boldly to the throne of God because we come in His name—not our own
-under His authority—as one in alignment with the heart of Jesus
-one can add others that Scripture mentions—
-praying earnestly
-praying over time
-praying with fasting
Each of these conditions challenge us to do some assessing
-but what if—in all of this—God is still not answering my prayers—He does not seem to be hearing
-I am trusting
-I am abiding
-I am coming in His name
-I am praying legitimate requests
-I am not asking God to restore amputated legs
-bring my dog back from the dead
-let the Don’s win the league
-and yet my prayers remain unanswered
-illus-someone is my old church her sister used her lack of healing as failing to meet the conditions
-as a sort of club to beat her for not having faith
-the fact is--she had huge faith
-and she loved Jesus—and she still died of cancer
4. UNANSWERED PRAYERS MAY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE CONDITIONS
A. THEY MAY HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH A FLAWED WORLD
-there are some things we cannot escape
-a sinful world means there will be sickness--there will be death—there will be accidents—there will be wars
B. THEY MAY HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH GOD’S BETTER WAYS
1. WAYS THAT BECOME CLEAR OVER TIME
-though Paul pleaded to be healed-God healed in ways that transcended the physical-2 Cor 12-though Moses begged to enter the promised land-it was better for Israel—for its next leader-that he was out of the picture
-though David prayed God would heal his son—God had another man to rule the kingdom
-though Elijah prayed for his death—God kept him alive for something far better
-Heb 11:39-40-none of them received what was promised—for God planned something better
point-lots of unanswered prayers stand as wonderful acts of grace—where God protected us from ourselves—prayers that would have kept us from growing
-prayers that would have led to us settling for second best
Illus-Bruce Almighty-what happens if God answered every prayer
-if God answered every prayer—He would in effect turn the world over to us to run
2. WAYS THAT REMAIN A MYSTERY
-for we look through a glass dimly, we never see the whole picture
-we live with God’s indiscernible will
-that points us to a God who cannot be conformed to our small box, where we often like to put God
SO WHAT IS THIS TEXT DOING?
-Back to my first point—calling us to this mysterious—yet most significant act
-as FB Meyer once put it—
“The greatest tragedy in life is not unanswered prayer—but unoffered prayer”
Texts that illustrate and example prayer are all throughout the Bible. Also, there are places where God gives us some understanding on the realities of prayer and that is where we are today.
So in summing up- There is a tension between the promises of prayer in Scripture and the reality of answered and so called unanswered prayer. How do we live with that tension? What can we glean from the words of Christ that help us be okay with the constancy of the tension? Using three texts: John 14:13-14; 15:7; and 16:23 four suggestions:
1. Prayer has to be a life priority. It is where God and man meet. It was exampled as a priority in Jesus’ life.
2. Prayer will make a difference. Receiving in prayer depends on us asking.
3. Answered prayer does depend upon conditions.
Ø The condition of believing 14:12-13
Ø The condition of abiding 15:7
Ø The condition of being “in Jesus name” 16:23
4. Unanswered prayers may have nothing to do with these stated conditions but may have to do with:
Ø The fact that we live in a flawed world
Ø The fact that God may have a better way and that prayer itself is a mystery
But even with all of this, prayer must be our priority, it is the lifeblood of faith, prayer may go unanswered and that may hurt us, but the greater tragedy is a prayer that is not answered but a prayer never offered. Not matter what, get on your knees, seek God in all things and pray! God’s been speaking to me this week, roman 8v 28, Jer 29 v 11
When we pray, remember:
1. The love of God that wants the best for us.2. The wisdom of God that knows what is best for us.3. The power of God that can accomplish it.
finish with 2nd half of video, prayer is an encounter
Early African converts to Christianity were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
Knowing that intercessory prayer is our mightiest weapon and the supreme call for all Christians today, I pleadingly urge our people everywhere to pray. Believing that prayer is the greatest contribution that our people can make in this critical hour, I humbly urge that we take time to pray--to really pray. Let there be prayer at sunup, at noonday, at sundown, at midnight--all through the day. Let us all pray for our children, our youth, our aged, our pastors, our homes. Let us pray for our churches. Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word 'concern' out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice.
Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.

A woman went to Andrew Murray with the problem of feeling she couldn't pray. He said, "Why then, do you not try this? As you go to your inner chamber, however cold and dark your heart may be, do not try in your own might to force yourself into the right attitude. Bow before Him, and tell Him that He sees in what a sad state you are, and that your only hope is in Him. Trust Him, with a childlike trust, to have mercy upon you, and wait upon Him. In such a trust you are in a right relationship to Him. You have nothing -- He has everything."



The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Theme:
In Jesus, we receive the right to become children of God. 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Object:
A gift you received for Christmas
Scripture:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13 (NIV)
This tie I am wearing was one of my Christmas gifts. I really do like it. Did you receive a lot of gifts for Christmas? I'm sure that you did. Of all of the gifts that you received for Christmas, what was the very best one? What was your favorite? (Give the children an opportunity to tell you about their favorite gift.)
You know, there is one thing that I have learned about Christmas gifts. No matter how much you enjoy receiving them, they just don't last. Some of you may have received new clothes. They look nice and you enjoy wearing them, but sooner or later, they wear out, go out of style, or you outgrow them. I am sure that many of you received toys. You really enjoy the toys, but eventually, they either get broken or you get tired of playing with them. Perhaps you got some candy. Well, when you eat it, it is gone. Except for what you wind up wearing around your waist.
There is one Christmas gift that is different. It never wears out. It never goes out of style. You will never become tired of it. It is like the Energizer Bunny -- it is a gift that keeps on giving year, after year, after year. Do you know what that gift is? It is the true gift that Christmas is all about. It is God's gift to us. His Son, Jesus.
The Bible tells us that all who receive Jesus and believe in his name become the children of God! When we become the children of God, we have all of the rights and privileges of being His child. He will love us, protect us, and provide everything that we need. The best part is that it never ends. The Bible says that "kindness and love will be with us every day of our life, and we will live forever in the house of the LORD." (Psalm 23:6 paraphrased)
I enjoy giving and receiving gifts at Christmas, but I think it is important for us to remember that the greatest gift of all was God's gift to us. It is the gift that keeps on giving!
Dear Father, we thank you for loving us so much that you gave your Son so that we too could become your children. Amen.