OPEN: The story is told of the sharecropper who was charged with stealing his landlord’s mule. The landlord was a rich and domineering man who had few friends among the common people, but the evidence against the defendant was overwhelming. When the jury retired to consider the verdict, they were out only 5 minutes.
"Have you reached a verdict, Mr. Foreman?" asked the judge.
"We have, Your Honor," the foreman replied, and handed a paper to the clerk.
The clerk read: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty, provided that he returns the mule."
The judge brought the gavel down sharply, saying, "Folks that’s not a proper verdict. The defendant is either guilty or not guilty." He told the jury to retire and come back with a lawful verdict. So they left the room and returned again in another five minutes.
The verdict was handed to the clerk who unfolded the paper, and read the following: "We the jury find the defendant not guilty. He can keep the mule."
APPLY: You might say that jury was engaged in some creative decision making. They were not comfortable with the options they had, so they came up a verdict that was new and unique.
In today’s text (dealing with Moses’ prayer for Israel)… we’re faced with something uncomfortable for many of us. It’s a teaching from scripture that seems to go against everything we’ve ever been taught about God. But a teaching which might just help us look at prayer in a way that is entirely new & unique
I. First, let’s look at the setting for Moses’ prayer
About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and it seems - from the moment they were freed from slavery - the Israelites did nothing but complain.
· They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians
· They complained in the desert because
o … 1st they didn’t think they had enough to eat
o … and then, they didn’t think they had enough to drink
· When they got to Mt. Horeb and saw the power of God displayed in lightning, thunder and smoke and they heard the voice of God as He spoke declared the 10 Commandments they (in essence) told Moses – You go talk to Him… we can’t stand to listen to Him anymore! (20:19)
Ever since they left Egypt, the Israelites had done nothing but complain and grumble. And finally, while Moses is up on the Mountain top with this all powerful God, the Israelites decide that they’re bored and they talk Aaron (Moses’ Bro.) into making a golden calf for them to worship - IN SPITE of the fact that this was a direct violation of the 2nd commandment had proclaimed to them a little over 40 days before!
The Israelites have been nothing but trouble ever since God freed them from their chains… and now – it appears – God has had… enough. REREAD Exodus 32:7-10. God tells Moses “I’m going to wipe them off the face of the earth and build a new nation around you.”
II. Was God serious? Did He really intend to annihilate the entire nation & rebuild a new nation from Moses’ offspring? Yes… I believe He did!
ILLUS: One thing I learned long ago as a parent - never threaten any punishment that you don’t intend to follow through on. Kids begin to pick up on that!
Moses certainly took God seriously. Moses was so convinced that God intended to do what He threatened, that he offered up an immediate, and extremely intense prayer. AND - as a result of Moses’ prayer – God changed His mind and decided NOT to destroy the Israelites.
(pause) He did WHAT??? God changed His mind? He’s not supposed to do that!
In Numbers God Himself tells us “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
ILLUS: While I was working on the sermon with another preacher (a few of us preachers work together on our sermons and use the same texts) he frankly told me “I’m real uncomfortable with this…” He said: “My theology tells me God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. God is supposed to know all things. But if He knows all things - why make this threat if He knows He’ll not do what He’s threatened?”
III. (pause) It is a problem.
We’re taught that prayer is a powerful force.
Jesus said: "…I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19
In Mark 11:24 He tells us: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
And in John 15:7 Jesus declares: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”
Or as James puts it: “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b
All our religious lives, we’ve been told that we can change things through prayer. But, in the back of our minds, there’s this nagging suspicion that our prayers don’t really do all that much. I mean – God is God and God’s gonna do what God’s gonna to do. AND SO, what difference does prayer make? I mean, if God’s going to do what He wants to do anyway – why bother?
IV. Exodus 32, tells us why we should bother!
Think about this for a minute… Why did God tell Moses to “leave Me alone?”
“Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." Exodus 32:10
Why bother to tell Moses to leave Him alone? Why not simply stretch forth His arm and wipe Israelites off the face of map… and then tell Moses what was going to happen next? He’s God after all? What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?
(pause) it seems it made ALL the difference in the world. For, you see, it looks like God is asking Moses’ for permission to do what He has decided.
V. Why would God do that?
Because, God had given Moses authority over the people of Israel. Notice how God describes the Israelites:
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. Exodus 32:7
ILLUS: This isn’t like when a wife gets mad at the kids and she says to the husband: “they’re your kids, you take care of them.” That’s not what’s happening here. What’s happening is: God has given Moses a responsibility for these people. And, now that the Israelites have so blatantly mistreated and abused God - even now – God is not about to take away that authority and responsibility He’s given Moses.
ILLUS: When Brad came here, he understood he was under the oversight of the Elders & myself.
His area of influence was to be the youth of the church. If I or one of the Elders wants to have something done with the youth – who do we go to? Brad. Why? Because that’s his area of influence – we gave it to him, and we won’t easily take it away.
The people of Israel have been given to Moses – they were his area of influence. And while God DOES want to destroy them He asks Moses’ permission because that’s a responsibility God has given to him. Moses has authority because God gave it to him.
Likewise, we have authority in prayer because God has given it to us. That’s why Jesus said:
* “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:19
* “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24
* “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” John 15:7
We have been given authority – permission to plead with God to alter His will to meet our needs and desires. That’s what prayer is all about. And we’ve been given that privilege because we belong to Him.
VI. But now, let’s get to this issue of changing God’s mind.
Moses did not presume to change God’s mind. Even though he had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will. Reread vs. 11-13. Notice that Moses appeals to the reasons why God would want to spare the nation: Egypt would get the impression that Jehovah had brought the people out into the desert for the sole purpose of destroying them and there was that promise God had made to Abraham, Isaac and Israel…
Let me repeat: Even though Moses had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will.
ILLUS: As an example: A husband has a position of authority and responsibility in the home. The Bible tells us “…the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” Ephesians 5:23
Now some men take this passage as permission to do whatever they please with their wives. They believe they have a God ordained mandate to RUN their household with an iron fist. But such men are fools! For God tells husbands – that even when we’re married to non-Christians wives – we are to treat our brides with special care.
If you have your Bible today - turn to I Peter 3:7 (HUSBANDS MARK THIS)
(for those of you who don’t have a Bible today) Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. I Peter 3:7
You know what that’s saying?
· It’s saying that a husband – head of the house – must not misuse his wife
· BECAUSE IF HE DOES – God won’t hear his prayers!!!
So, my point is this: a husband has authority and responsibility in the home, but he is wise if he keeps an eye on what God’s will is in his home – otherwise his prayers are hindered.
Likewise, we have authority in prayer. In prayer, Christians have permission to ask God to shape His will to our requests, but we would be wise to always keep an eye on what God would desire.
That’s why Jesus said: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:14
In other words, pray with an eye on what would please Jesus – what would glorify His name.
VII. Before we close, we need to address the question of using prayer to manipulate God.
There are those who believe in the authority of prayer, but who use that "authority" with the belief that they can somehow force God into altering His will to their desires.
ILLUS: I once encountered a man who had been praying intently to God for his mother to be healed. When she died, he became so embittered that he left his faith and never returned to church. Though he never would have admitted it, he had used prayer to force God to do his bidding.
It tells us in Exodus32:30-34
“The next day Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’
So Moses went back to the LORD and said, ‘Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin— but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.’
The LORD replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.’”
In essence, God was telling Moses – this great leader and Godly man – that there were some things that God would not change. Though God had granted Moses’ earlier request, there were requests that would not be granted.
CLOSE: When you and I pray, we can pray with confidence. We can boldly come before God with the knowledge that we have authority to petition Him.
Hebrews10:19-22 tells us – as Christians – we can boldly approach the throne of God
“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, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
When you & I pray, we are entering the presence of God with our requests.
ILLUS: In 1540 Luther’s good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, became sick and was expected to die within a short time. From his bed he wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther. When Luther received the message, he immediately sent back a reply: "I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church -- the Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me. For this I am praying …because I seek only to glorify the name of God."
(pause…)
Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s reply came, but he soon recovered. He lived 6 more years - dying two months after Luther did.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
The Power Of Praise – Revelation 4:1-11
How To Pray Like A Righteous Man – James 5:1-20
The Power Of Persistent Prayer – Daniel 10:1-14
The Power Of Persuasive Prayer – Exodus 32:1-20
The Prayer Of Antioch – Acts 13:1-3
