James 5:17-18 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Ok what sport do you think of by this dramatization? “Hey how do you think you did out there today? (put on cap and take drink of Coke) Well the NAPA, Coca-Cola, Bosch Spark Plugs, Tupperware, Tylenol Cold and Flu Dodge Charger was a really hot car today, probably the hottest car in the field. If it hadn’t been for that love tap given to me by the 20 car in turn 4 ten laps in we probably would have pulled out a win. Bill Davis Racing gave us a great car. I don’t think anyone else had what it takes to beat the NAPA 55 Dodge today.” Of course NASCAR. I admit I’m a big NASCAR fan and today was the race out in Las Vegas, and it seems every week my father-in-law and I (yes we are both Mark Martin fans) say something about NASCAR being the only sporting event that still opens in prayer. But does God really hear this prayer? Does he answer these prayers? Does God really care about the outcome of the Las Vegas race? And if so, who’s His driver? My sermon is titled “God Won’t Answer Prayer”
What is Prayer
A. Prayer is out communication with God, a conversation
1. Prayer is our half of the conversation
2. God speaks to us through His word
3. We speak to Him through prayer
4. Two must participate for it to be a conversation
- For instance what if you called your mother one afternoon and she never said a word on the phone? Would that be a conversation? No both must talk.
B. Prayer is not just for requests
1. Our bulletin has about 20 names on the prayer list, I preached at Sand Springs they had probably over 40! That’s all good, but that’s not all prayer is about
2. We tend to think of prayer as just time to ask for things
a. We may ask for others
b. We may ask for ourselves
c. Maybe for blessings or needs
d. For forgiveness
3. What if the only time your teenager ever talked to you was when he needed something? No wait that IS the only time he talks to you. But is that a relationship?
ILLUSTRATION Alan told me a story about one time when Miss Tean called him and said she had made a big batch of banana pudding and he should come get some. He asked if there would be enough, and of course she had made a huge batch, and Brother Joe T couldn’t eat it all. In a few days he went by there to get some pudding and Joe T asked what he was doing there. He said he was there for some banana pudding. Of course that made Joe T mad, and he said there wasn’t enough. But of course Miss Tean sent him home with some pudding. Well a while later she called again saying she had made a couple chocolate pies and that he needed to come by and get him a slice or two. And of course he did. This made Joe T fuming mad, yelling and screaming saying the only time you come by is to get banana pudding or chocolate pie. He still got some pie.
4. That’s how we treat God sometimes; we only come to Him when we need something, we only pray when we have a need.
C. Pray Continually?
Acts 6:4 says “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer”. 1 Thess. 5:17 says “pray without ceasing.”
1. We should be on our knees all the time? NO but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times.
2. It should be natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, short prayers.
3. Pray in all situations not just when we need something
a. When we have needs, requests
b. Thankfulness – I Thess. 5:18 “In everything give thanks.”
c. Praise – I Thess. 5:16 “Rejoice always.”
D. Prayer should be a conversation. We should be comfortable enough to speak to God, speak with God just like one of our closest friends.
1. John 15:13-14 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Then what did he say? “Ye are my friends.”
I AM A FRIEND OF GOD
There is a great song by Philips Craig and Dean by that title part of it goes like this “Who am I that you are mindful of me, that you hear me, when I call, is it true that you are thinking of me, how you love me, it’s amazing so amazing…I am a friend of God, He calls me friend”
Who can pray?
E. Just the prophets/preachers/deacons?
1. The preachers or deacons always pray the best prayers don’t they.
2. Someone said one time He couldn’t pray for Sunday lunch because he was asked to pray in Sunday School, choir and closing prayer for the worship service. He had already prayed all the prayers he knew.
3. There’s always that one person you dread the pastor calling on to close in prayer. And of course the one you’re glad he did. “Heavenly Father, thank you for this day, thank you for this good service, in Jesus name Amen.”
F. Any child of God can pray.
1. James 5:17 say? “Elijah was a man just like us.”
2. But he prayed earnestly
G. Some powerful prayers of Elijah
1. Prayed for rain to stop (I Kings 17:1)
2. Prayed for the widow’s son to live again (I Kings 17:20)
3. Prayed miraculous fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice (I Kings 18:36-37)
4. Prayed for an end of the drought (I Kings 18:42)
5. Prayed fire from heaven to consume 100 soldiers (II Kings 1:10-12)
H. Elijah prayed earnestly and expectantly expecting God to answer, just like we can
1. God flashed fire from heaven for Elijah
2. He will help us accomplish what He commands us to do
3. Maybe not as dramatic
4. We can have faith that God will provide what we need to carry His commands through
a. Wisdom to raise a family
b. Courage to take a stand for truth
c. Means to provide help for someone in need
God won’t answer prayer
I. What situations had Elijah been involved in?
1. Widow’s son?
a. Had just spent time in obedient seclusion in the desert
b. Listened to God’s commands regarding treatment of the widow
2. Baal Showdown?
a. God had commanded him to go before the evil king Ahab
b. Ahab had a death warrant out for Elijah
c. Elijah had a close relationship with God
3. Elijah’s success was a direct result of his obedience
J. How did God answer his prayers?
1. Immediately
2. God heard his prayers
3. Why did God hear?
4. Because he wasn’t harboring sin Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
K. Harbored Sin
1. Our confession of sin must be continual because we continue to do wrong.
2. True confession requires us to listen to God and to want to stop doing what is wrong.
3. When we refuse to repent or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between God and us.
L. Cherished Sin puts a stain on our prayers.
1. ILLUSTRATION: Some of you know I read meters for a living and one day the week after Thanksgiving last year, I fell into quick sand, wet sand up to my knees, stained jeans, socks, shoes, sand in my pants. I had to deal with that discomfort for the rest of the morning, until I got a chance to change my clothes. It was very irritating, and it was cold.
Just like cherished sin, we hold onto it, and it ruins our whole day. It irritates us, angers us, causes us pain and stains our prayers so that God will not listen. Our prayers cannot be stained with sin, but MUST MUST be stained with the forgiving blood of Jesus Christ.
2. We often end prayer with “and forgive me of my sins”; maybe we need to start our prayers that way?
3. Until we get rid of that stain, that cherished, harbored sin, our prayers aren’t productive.
4. Just like those stained clothes. I wasn’t very productive that morning with them.
M. Cherished Sin causes Pain.
1. What does it mean to cherish something? To love and care, or value something highly, or one dictionary defines it to protect and care for lovingly. Its something we want to be close to.
2. We hold on to these sins and they draw us in closer and closer until we fall completely.
3. Anger, hatred, prejudice, lust, greed, sexual, whatever they are we keep these sins, these memories or ideas in our mind because they are important to us and bring us pleasure
4. Eventually we fall and it hurts.
a. Our relationship with others
b. Our relationship with God
c. And our Prayers
5. ILLUSTRATION: My brother-in-law Brad told me a story one time, and I just knew I would use it in a sermon one day. He served in the Marines and the Navy and has my greatest respect, and we should always be in prayer for our troops serving right now. Him and his friend were out shooting their new handgun, several hundred yards. They were used to shooting military style, which was sitting down Indian style holding the gun out like this. So Brad shoots and misses. So he thinks “I’ll just move the gun a little closer and BOOM! The rear sight STICKS in his forehead. Blood starts trickling down his face. His loving caring buddy says something like “you alright there Sparky?” And he had to actually force the gun out of his head. Our cherished, harbored sin is like that gun. We hold onto it at arms length, but we want it just a little closer and BOOM! We fall back into it and it hurts us. It stains our prayers.
N. God can forgive those cherished Sins
1. God promised to forgive our sin
- I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
2. Psalm 51 is a prayer of confession of David after his Soap Opera with Bathsheba and Uriah
3. Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
4. This is when God listens to our prayers
James 5:16 say “The effectual (unceasing) fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Who is righteous? We cannot be righteous for even Elijah wasn’t perfect. Matthew Henry states “we must be righteous in a Gospel sense, not loving or approving of any iniquity.”
The NIV states this verse this way “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” And I like the way one paraphrase says it. “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.”
So how can we know that God hears our prayers? That He will answer our prayers? We must remember prayer is not just for requests, but also for thankfulness and praise and rejoicing. We must approach God without cherished sin in our hearts. He is faithful and just to forgive us. We must ask him for that forgiveness. Don’t let sin stain your prayers, but let Jesus Christ’s blood stain them a crimson red for out Father’s eyes.
