God Needs Intercessors

GOD NEEDS INTERCESSORS

Ezekiel 22:30-31

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Country Church Stewardship

1. The pastor of a tiny country church was struggling with a shortage of tithes and offerings. One Sunday he announced, “Now, before we receive the offering, I would like to request that the person who stole the eggs from Widow Jones’s chicken coop please NOT GIVE any of their money in the offering. God doesn’t want money from a thieving sinner.”

2. The offering plate was passed, and for the first time in months, everybody gave.

B. TEXT

“So I sought for a man among them who would...stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them...” Ezek. 22:30-31, NKJV.

C. THESIS

1. I’m here today to talk about the power of intercession. Intercession leads to a lot of ‘believe it or not stories.’ A well-documented one is about Rees Howells. During WW2, Hitler’s General Rommel was about to conquer North Africa. He was right at the gates of Cairo and victory was in his grasp.

2. Rees and a group of intercessors were praying at that very moment that Rommel would be defeated. It seemed like a futile prayer, for the battle was already lost. But God pressed the intercessors to pray.

3. The British had just set up an 8-inch water line for fresh water. On that day they were testing it for 3 hours with salt water. Fresh water was too precious to use for testing.

4. During that 3-hour period, the Germans, who had run out of water, attacked. They shot the line full of holes and began to gulp down the salt water because they didn’t realize what it was.

5. In the hot desert sun of 120o they were soon completely immobilized. They threw down their weapons and surrendered. Had the Germans attacked a couple of hours earlier or later they would have been victorious, but thanks to the prayers of God’s saints, they were defeated. [Glenn Pease]

6. That’s why we’re talking about Intercessory Prayer this morning. You’ve been given a “Prayer Guide” to fill in names so that you can pray at the end of service for them.

I. A BIBLICAL HISTORY OF INTERCESSION

Intercessory prayer has been practiced by all the best of God’s saints.

A. OLD TESTAMENT INTERCESSORS

1. Abraham prayed earnestly for Lot and his family, and “Jewed” God down from a 50 to 10 righteous required not to destroy Sodom, Gen. 19:24-33.

2. Moses often interceded and saved Israel. One time God told Moses, “Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they.” Ex. 32:10-14. But Moses interceded and, by prayer, turned aside God’s wrath.

3. Samuel called on God, and God “thundered” against the Philistines and routed them (1 Sam. 7:10).

4. Hezekiah spread out Sennacherib’s letter before the Lord & prayed and God put to death 185,000 men (2 Kgs. 19:35).

5. Elijah prayed, and it didn’t rain 3½ years. He prayed again, and God sent rain on Israel.

6. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet because of his many crying intercessions.

7. Daniel received many visions when he prayed. Prayer saved him in the lion’s den, and his prayers helped Israel come back from captivity (Daniel 9).

B. NEW TESTAMENT INTERCESSORS

1. But, Church, the best example of intercessory prayer is the Lord Jesus. Was there anyone who interceded as He did? Even on the Cross He prayed for His enemies. Remember, church, it’s our Savior’s example which is the greatest pattern for our lives. If HE needed to pray, how much more us?

2. In the New Testament, Peter prayed on the top of houses; Stephen prayed when stones were falling, and Paul prayed on a storm-tossed ship and in deep prison cells.

C. NOT PRAYING IS UNTHINKABLE

1. Samuel said, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you” 1 Sam. 12:23.

2. IT UNITES US. One man told the Pastor he had a bone to pick with him. The pastor said “Let’s pray first”. When they rose from their knees, he said, “Now, friend, what it is that you’ve found fault with.” The man blushed, stammered, and said, he did not think there was anything at all except in himself.

II. WHY IS INTERCESSION SO DIFFICULT?

A. WHAT IS INTERCESSORY PRAYER?

1. There’s more than one kind of prayer. There’s relational prayer. There’s praise prayer. There’s thanksgiving prayer, etc. But there’s also a deeper, more powerful level of prayer that few enter into – the office of intercession for the lives of people, the well-being of Christ’s church, and the destiny of nations!