THE SEVEN EXTRAORDINARY POWERS OF PRAYER
Ex. 17:8-13
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Children’s Prayers. “Dear God...”
1. "Could you please give my brother some brains? So far he doesn't have any." Angela, 8.
2. "Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the weatherman." Hank, 7.
3. "I need to raise my allowance. Could you have one of your Angels tell my father? Thank you." Dave, 7.
4. A five-year-old said grace at family dinner, "Dear God, thank you for these pancakes...." When he concluded, his parents asked him why he thanked God for pancakes when they were having chicken. He smiled and said, "I thought I'd see if He was paying attention."
B. TEXT
8 The Amalekites...attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.” 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
C. THESIS
1. There are many powerful forces in the universe;
a. the power of the atom;
b. The atomic power of fission; how stars burn;
c. Gamma rays - almost unstoppable & deadly;
d. Gravitational forces that hold galaxies together;
e. Dark matter & black holes.
2. But one force is more powerful than all those of the cosmos – Prayer! Prayer has the power to sway the Creator of the Universe into altering the course of nature/ history.
3. Today we're going to look at The 7 Extraordinary Powers of Prayer. These 7 should open our eyes to what prayer can do and give us encouragement to pray. The 1st of the 7 extraordinary powers of prayer:
I. POWER TO CONTACT HEAVEN’S THRONE
A. EXAMPLES OF CLOSENESS TO GOD
1. THE O.T. TEMPLE, by its very design, indicated the difficult steps necessary before one could come into the presence of God. Cleansings, special garments, repentance, and sacrifices had to be offered even for the Priests to enter God's presence.
2. ONLY A FEW CLOSE ANGELS. Only the seraph’s (which means “burning ones), a few cherubs, archangels (Lk. 1:19), & the 24 elders (poss. angels) could come into close proximity to God, in Heaven.
3. The book of Job says that all the Angels came before God (1:6), but that doesn’t mean they were close to the throne of God, because even Satan came with them.
4. But what’s remarkable is that, through prayer, WE can come before the very throne of God & into His presence!
B. SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR OUR CLOSENESS
1. Heb 10:19-20 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.” This shows that our access to God was established by the blood of Jesus.
2. Heb. 4:16 tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
C. HOW CAN WE ENJOY SUCH CLOSENESS?
1. If we were appearing before the King of England, we would have to address him with formality and titles, such as, “Your Majesty.” You can’t talk to a king without permission.
2. But in speaking to the Lord of the Universe, it’s a completely reversal. Why? BECAUSE WE’RE NOT “SUBJECTS,” WE’RE ADOPTED CHILDREN! Jesus said, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father, who is in Heaven’” (Luke 11:2). No formal titles! No official words of introduction!
3. In prayer, we come to God as His children. God knows us by name and He always wants to talk with us. We don’t need an invitation; we have the right to come any time!
4. And God is never too busy to listen, He’s never too involved to answer. Praise God for the blood of Jesus that gives us access to God! Next is the…
II. POWER TO ENFORCE GOD’S WILL IN THIS WORLD
A. DOMINION OF THE WORLD LOST
1. In Gen 1:26, God gave US (humans) dominion over this entire world & its creatures. We were its rulers by right.
2. But when Adam & Eve yielded to Satan and sinned, we turned that right over to him. The Lord Jesus said, “Whoever sins is the SLAVE to sin” John 8:34. Sin & Satan became our masters.
B. DOMINION RESTORED THROUGH CHRIST
1. But Jesus came down from heaven and became a man, suffered and died on the cross and rose again on the third day. Jesus defeated the enemy on the cross.
2. Col 2:15 says, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” In Rev 1:18, Jesus said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades!” Jesus got the keys of dominion and returned them to the REDEEMED!
C. ENFORCING GOD’S WILL
1. Since we live in the realm of man, we become God’s ambassadors, God's representatives, from Himself to the people around us.
2. Through prayer, we become conduits of God's grace and power, by asking God to intervene in the lives of people and to give them help in whatever problem they are in. Since God is the judge, he cannot show partiality; that’s why God needs intercessors to plead the case of others -- so that He can intervene.
3. Prayer can usher the kingdom of God into different nations. Prayer can make the difference between someone being assassinated or not. Prayer has frequently saved God's servants from those who wanted to kill them.
4. 1 Jn 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Think of the example of Israel fighting the Amalekites; as long as Moses held up his hands in prayer, the battle was won by Israel. And the reverse happened when Moses ceased to pray. Prayer determined which way the battle went. The 3rd power:
III. POWER TO RESIST & DEFEAT SATAN
A. ANGELS HAVE FAR GREATER POWER THAN MAN
Satan was one of the most powerful Angels (a guardian cherub, Ez. 28:14) and was equivalent to an archangel, but...
B. IN CHRIST, WE HAVE POWER OVER HIM! ...because of Christ’s victory at Calvary & the tomb!
1. Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto YOU power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you" Luke 10:19. We are told, "Greater is He that is in you, then he [the devil] who is in the world" 1 John 4:4.
2. James said, "Submit yourselves therefore, unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you" (4:7). If we’re submitted to God, all we have to do is “resist" him. Since we’re in Christ, the devil isn’t allowed to force his will on us, but is commanded by God to flee! This ensures our victory in every contest; all we have to do is resist and he must flee.
3. So we should not fear any invisible power, for Jesus has put them all under His feet, and we are in Him. We may feel as weak as a “little toe,” but in Christ you’re still over ALL the power of the enemy!
IV. POWER TO TRANSCEND THE LAWS OF NATURE
A. JESUS DID HIS MIRACLES THROUGH PRAYER
1. It was after praying much of the night that Jesus walked on the water. It was after praying that Jesus multiplied the bread and fish. It was through prayer that Jesus healed the sick. It was as Jesus was praying that He was transfigured and his face shone as the Sun.
2. Why? In Lk. 18:27, Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Prayer gets God involved in the impossible situation, and that makes the impossible, possible.
B. WHAT IS A MIRACLE?
1. God’s normal, natural way of working we call a law of nature.
2. But lower laws can be transcended by higher laws (for example the law of gravity can be transcended by the law of lift, as with flying).
3. When God overrides his usual way of working – we call it a miracle.
C. WHEN TO PRAY FOR A MIRACLE
1. When we come up against a challenge/ problem that there is no natural solution to, it’s time to pray for a miracle.
2. Joshua, when confronted with the impossibility of defeating all of Israel's enemies before sundown, prayerfully told the Sun and Moon to stand still until they had vanquished their enemies. Since that was God’s will, it happened. The 5th extraordinary power:
V. POWER TO OBTAIN ANGELIC ASSISTANCE
A. PRAYER IS THE KEY TO ANGELIC SUPPORT
1. What are all the angels? According to Heb 1:14 they are God’s servants to the heirs of salvation (US).
2. The Lord Jesus told us that Angelic support is gained by prayer; “Do you think I cannot CALL ON my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Mt. 26:53.
B. WHAT KINDS OF WAYS ANGELS ASSIST US?
1. They protect from danger (Elisha – 2 Kings 6:16).
2. They deliver God’s children (Paul (ship) – Acts 27:23; Peter (jail) – 12:1-11).
3. They bring message to God’s children (Shepherds – Lk 2:9-13; Women – Mt. 28:2-7; Cornelius – Acts 10:1-7).
4. They renew our strength (Lk. 22:43 – Christ in Gethsemane).
C. APPLICATION
This does not mean we should regularly bombard heaven for angelic assistance, but it does mean we should be open to that possibility. Daniel, when praying, suddenly saw Angels appear to bring him aid and a message from God. The 6th Power of Prayer:
VI. POWER TO MOVE MOUNTAINS
A. SCRIPTURE & MOUNTAINS
1. Jesus said, “...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matt. 17:20.
2. Some unbelieving interpreters have said this is only metaphorical, but I believe it to be literal and to communicate to us that even the largest and most unmovable of obstacles can be moved through prayer.
3. I believe prayer can deliver a child from drug addiction, heal a marriage that’s fractured, supply finances when there’s no visible source, or to provide a child to adopt or a car if you need one. God can raise up empires and take them down.
B. EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANS SAW FULFILLMENT
1. 1,000 years ago in Egypt, the Muslim Caliph, Al-Muiz, was trying to destroy the Christians. He called in their lead Pastor, Anba Abraam, and gave him an ultimatum. The Caliph read Mt. 17:20 where Jesus said faith could move mountains. He told them to prove the words of Jesus by moving a certain mountain. If they failed to move the mountain, they would either be killed or forced to convert to Islam. The Christians prayed and fasted for three days.
2. According to the story, there was an earthquake the third day and the mountain moved and split. As a result of that miracle, many Muslims converted to Christ, and a church started meeting in the chasm that was created by the earthquake.
3. What’s the proof of this story? 1). Coptic Christians in Egypt still fast for those three days in memory of that miracle. 2). The name of the Mountain on the outskirts of Cairo is Mokattam, which is Arabic for “split in two.” 3). A strong church has been meeting in this same location for over 1,000 years. It’s called Cave Church, with over 12,000 Christian worshippers who gather on a regular basis. (http://cavechurch.com)
4. Jesus said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer!" The 7th Power is...
VII. THE POWER TO BLESS
A. EXAMPLES OF BLESSING. To "BLESS" (definition) means "to pronounce a blessing; to convey a gift by a potent utterance."
1. After God had done his six days of creation, He pronounced it good and gave it His blessing, Gen. 1:22-28. And all life prospered and grew as a result.
2. Humans can also pronounce blessings on their families and others:
a. Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau (Genesis 27:28-29);
b. Jacob Blessing his sons in Genesis 49;
c. Rebecca's family blessed her (Genesis 24:30);
d. Moses blessed the Israelites (Deut. 33:1);
e. The priests/Levites blessed the people (Numbers 6:24-26);
f. The disciples blessed their hosts (Matthew 10:13).
B. APPLICATION
1. These blessings are a sacred form of prayer for a friend or loved one in which the spiritual inheritance of one is passed to the other.
2. If it was a good idea for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to pass on the blessings they had received to their heirs, then it should be something we should consider at key crossroads of our lives.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: A Chicken Laid our Bibles
1. A Christian family in China told how God worked a miracle for them. Their old grandfather in rural Gansu province taught his family about Christ from fragments of verses he’d gotten from a Christian worker long before.
2. At last he gathered the family together and said, "We only have 500 verses of the sacred texts. It’s time for us to find the rest of them." We all looked at each other. This sounded impossible. We didn’t even know it was called a "Bible."
3. "But who will find us these texts?" He replied, "God will; we must pray." We prayed and prayed; for two years we prayed. Grandfather, held firm: "God is testing us to see if we are really His. We must keep praying."
4. One Sunday as we prayed, a chicken came into our house. She clucked and made a great noise and then promptly laid an egg. We didn’t know where she’d come from, so my grandfather tied some money to the leg of the chicken to pay for the egg. The chicken strutted off.
5. Less than an hour later there was a loud cry on the street. Someone was yelling, "Who tied money to my chicken? The voice sounded angry, but my grandfather replied without hesitation, "It was me."
6. A well-dressed man who had soft hands and was very well groomed came into our house. He said, "I am a high ranking member of the Communist party in Beijing." Our hearts sank. What was he going to do?
7. "I have never heard of such honesty in all my life," he said. "This is astonishing. My government desperately needs your spirit of scrupulous honesty. If only there were more like you in China. Tell me, what makes you so honest?"
8. My grandfather answered him in two words: "Jesus Christ!" The Communist official seemed to smile to himself and then asked, "Can I do anything for you?" My grandfather said, "We would like to find the sacred texts of Christ!"
9. The official looked at him, "Do you mean a Bible?” Grandfather nodded, "Can you help us get a copy?" The official smiled, "I will see what I can do." Months went by. One day a young man appeared in our village, asking for us. He pulled out from his tote bag seven brand new Bibles.
10. We asked him, "How did you know to give these to us?" He said, “A pastor of a Beijing house-church was arrested. While in jail, he was visited by a high ranking public official, who said, `If I let you go, will you promise to deliver a Bible to an old man and his family in Gansu?' He said, “Yes sir.”
11. That's why we say, "A chicken laid our Bibles!"
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Salvation Call.
2. How many of you of something you need from the Lord? Let’s come to the altars and pray for 15 minutes about our needs. PRAYER.
