GET TOGETHER
Daniel 2:17-18
S: Praying with people
Th: Live a Prayer Life (A Passion for His Presence)
Pr: GOD’S PEOPLE PRAY TOGETHER.
?: Why?
KW: Reasons
TS: Using Daniel 2 as our basis, we will find three reasons why God’s people are to pray together.
The _____ reason we should pray together is
I. ASSAULT
II. ADVANCEMENT
III. AFFECTION
Version: ESV
RMBC 01 Sept 02 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Prayer (piece of tape)
A Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn’t quite remember it. Exasperated, she went to the pastor’s study and asked for help.
The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial. After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Finally, he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently. Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.
The teacher was amazed. "I’m in awe at your faith, pastor," she said.
"It’s really nothing," he answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."
While there was not an attempt of deception here, I am concerned that it sometimes appears that we are people of prayer.
So, as a matter of practicality, we must ask ourselves today…
Are we a people of prayer?
You see…
We can look good.
We can look like we have it all together as a church family.
But it can be appearance.
You know, when a church interviews for a new pastor, do you know what the most common trait that a church looks for?
They want a pastor who prays.
Do you know what every pastor really wants?
He wants a church that prays!
He wants a church that prays because the pastor knows that a church will do not better than maintain itself if there is insufficient prayer.
So, here we have this subject of prayer.
It is something that we all agree is absolutely essential to our lives and to the church.
And yet it is something that seems to frustrate us all.
Prayer is something that we realize ought to be a fundamental priority, and yet, at best, more often than not, it becomes an afterthought.
TRANSITION:
It is our goal this month to do what we can to make prayer a priority in our individual lives and in the church as a whole.
So…
1. Our theme for the month is “Live a Prayer Life.”
Pastor Dick Murphy has written an excellent introduction regarding our theme for discipleship month.
Here is what Dick writes in the opening paragraph of today’s issue of Current:
“The focus this month is that as true disciples of Jesus Christ, prayer must be an integral part of our lives – we must constantly turn to God in prayer as our very lives are dependent upon Him and upon maintaining an on-going relationship with Him.”
“Live a prayer life.”
We have an example in Scripture that demonstrates how to live a prayer life–Daniel.
Today, our study finds its basis in the 2nd chapter of Daniel.
And we find here that…
2. Daniel had reason to pray (Daniel 2:13).
The chapter opens up with Nebuchadnezzar having some troublesome dreams.
They had been so troubling that he lost sleep over them.
So, Nebuchadnezzar wants to know what the dreams mean and he calls in his wise men to give the interpretation.
There is one problem.
He won’t say what the dream is.
Now we don’t know why exactly.
Perhaps, he doesn’t remember himself or he decides to test the wise men.
Naturally, the wise men want to hear the dream first and then give their interpretation.
But Nebuchadnezzar will have none of that and he threatens them to come up with the “whole enchilada” or it’s “curtains” for the whole lot of them.
Their response is that no one can do that!
It is impossible.
So Nebuchadnezzar sentenced all the wise men to death.
Though Daniel had not been a part of these proceedings, he was, nevertheless, included.
So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
Now if you were Daniel, this would not be the news you would be looking for.
Obviously, you do not want to be clumped in with all these other wise men who appeal to idols, and yet, condemned with them you are.
You have to appreciate Daniel’s response because he deals with it intelligently and with his faith in gear.
For…
3. Daniel sought help (Daniel 2:17-18).
We might think the answer would be that he would start praying first.
But that’s not the report of the text here…
Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel called for a prayer meeting.
Now why does he do that?
It is probably because Daniel thought it would be better if they were all praying together.
So the four of them sought God’s mercy.
For they understood this…
When you do not seek God’s mercy, you are left to the mercy of man!
So, by their successful example, they teach us this…
4. GOD’S PEOPLE PRAY TOGETHER.
As we continue our study, we are going to discover why.
5. Using Daniel 2 as our basis, we will find three reasons why God’s people are to pray together.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reason we should pray together is the ASSAULT.
You see…
1. We are in a fight (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Note what Paul says in Ephesians…
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Don’t ever fail to realize that we are in a spiritual struggle.
Satan has declared war on you!
He is an unseen enemy with many strategies and schemes.
He has tricks up His sleeve to trip you up, knock you down, and destroy you.
But we have a divine weapon that defeats him.
It is prayer!
E. M. Bounds, a 19th century pastor know for his writings on prayer said:
“Prayer is our most formidable weapon, but the one in which we are least skilled and the most adverse to using.”
So please note this…
The devil is not terribly frightened about our human efforts and credentials.
In fact, we’ll get along fine with him if we depend on ourselves and flash our accomplishments about for others to see.
We can do that all we want if we are pleased to do so.
But what he doesn’t want us doing is pray.
He does not want us depending on God.
He does not want us seeking God’s mercy, like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Prayer moves God, and Satan would rather have his evil way.
ILL Notebook: Prayer (Moody’s Bar Room Meeting)
D.L. Moody once entered a tavern in order to ask the bartender if his two little girls might attend his Sunday School. He was told that an atheist club met there every Thursday night and the owner of the bar was in no mood to offend them. Moody looked into the face of this man and pleaded with him on behalf of his girls. Finally, the man’s heart was touched and he said, “Preacher, I’ll tell you what I’ll do. If you’ll come down here Thursday night and meet with the boys in a joint discussion, and win, you shall have the children. But if not, it’s all off!”
“Agreed,” said Moody. Moody went right out and looked up a crippled newsboy who really knew how to pray and said to him, “Tommy, I need you next Thursday night!”
When the hour of the meeting arrived, Tommy and the evangelist entered the tavern. It was full of men sitting on whiskey barrels, beer kegs, and even on the bar—eagerly awaiting the coming debate. Moody began by saying, “Gentlemen, it’s our custom to open our meeting with prayer. Tommy, jump up on that barrel and lead us in prayer.”
Tommy began to beseech the Lord for the souls of all present. As the tears rolled down the little fellow’s cheeks, the more tenderhearted of the men beat a retreat. Finally, even the hardest men present began to leave until there was no one left except the bartender, Moody and the praying boy.
Moody turned to the father and said, “I claim your girls for my Sunday School!”
The bartender answered, “All right, you win. But it’s a strange way to fight!”
And Moody answered, “It’s the way I win many a battle.”
You know, we need that kind of boldness…
2. We need boldness (Acts 4:29).
Note the prayer of the early church in Acts 4…
“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness…”
They knew they existed in the midst of spiritual conflict.
And they did not pray that the conflict would go away.
Instead, they prayed that they would have the courage to continue to speak the truth.
Why did they pray that way?
It is because of the second reason…
II. The second reason we should pray together is ADVANCEMENT.
You know, the purpose of prayer is not to get what we want.
It is not to make our lives easier and better.
Sometimes the prayer of Jabez is incorrectly interpreted that way.
So let us be right about this.
The purpose of prayer is not about us.
We pray because…
1. We are to move forward with kingdom concerns (Matthew 6:10).
Notice how Jesus put it in “The Lord’s Prayer”…
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
We pray, not for the advancement of our kingdoms, but of God’s.
What God wants is what we are to pray for.
So we pray for God to act on His own behalf, because we want His concerns to be our concerns.
This is so true in the church.
We often get distracted by picnics, sports and entertainment, and though I am always up for a party, the church is not to be about these things.
For…
2. Our primary goal is to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
Remember Jesus’ final command in Matthew…
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
I believe earnestly that God wants to bless this command.
When it is on our hearts to win people for Him, He will hear us and give us souls to disciple.
It is the prayer He loves to answer.
Now, this is so important, God calls us to pray together.
Daniel’s example continues to ring true here.
Daniel sought mercy for himself, his friends and the other wise men as well.
In the same way, we are to seek God’s mercy on the behalf of others that do not know God.
When we do this, we fulfill “Your kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Now we come to…
III. The third reason we should pray together is AFFECTION.
1. We are to be a people of passion.
This passion is identified in two different ways.
The first is that we are to have a passion for God.
Indeed, this has been our theme for this year: “A Passion for His Presence.”
So, we demonstrate our affection and our love for Him when we come to Him in prayer.
We identify the privilege that we have to be in relationship with the Lord God Almighty when we go to Him in prayer.
The second passion is for each other.
When we come together in prayer, we are, in reality, bearing each other’s burdens.
We are holding each other up.
God uses this wonderful gift of prayer to sensitize us to the needs of others.
It draws us closer and knits us together.
We should not discount the importance of this, for…
2. God blesses when we are united together (Acts 4:32-33).
Note the change in the early church in Acts 4…
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Please note this…
When the church is in complete unity, the world believes the message.
The testimony of the resurrection makes sense when we truly love one another.
The gospel does not make any sense when we do not care for one another.
So let us pray together, and see the results that God has for us.
We need to love one another in prayer and watch the spirit of generosity pour out of us.
We need to love God and love one another in prayer, and watch God bless us and favor us with His great grace.
APPLICATION:
ILL Peanuts cartoon
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demands that Linus change the TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t.
“What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?” asks Linus.
“These five fingers,” says Lucy. “Individually they’re nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold.”
“Which channel do you want?” asks Linus.
Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, “Why can’t you guys get organized like that?”
So, let me ask us that same question?
Why can’t we get organized like that?
1. We need to get together in prayer.
I earnestly believe that praying alone is not going to do it.
God wants more out of us as His people.
He not only wants to see if we have a passion for Him individually, but He wants to see it corporately as well.
You know, our Christian culture constantly complains about returning prayer to our public schools.
Frankly, it embarrasses me, because we don’t have that kind of prayer in our churches.
How dare we expect it there when we don’t do it here!
I truly believe this year is a test for us.
Are we going to be a house of prayer?
Again, I believe with all my heart that…
2. We will never get past the status quo unless we become a praying church.
I have repeated to you in the past that I believe our best days are ahead of us.
But we are not going to get there doing it the way we have been doing it up till now.
Dr. A. C. Dixon (a contemporary of R. A. Torrey) said…
“When we rely on organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely on education, we get what education can do; when we rely on eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. But when we rely on prayer, we get what God can do!”
It is time to get together and pray.
It is time for this church “to live the prayer life” together.
And if you are too busy to pray, please remember that you are too busy.
So let us follow the example of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and get together.
For God calls us to pray together.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Let’s get together and pray…for we are under assault and our most formidable weapon is prayer, because we are dependent on God and desires that we seek Him so that He might show His mercies and blessings.
Let’s get together and pray…for we have kingdom work to do; we need to encourage each other so we can advance (move forward) and make the disciples that He will give us the strength to do.
Let’s get together and pray…for when we do so, we share an affection (passion) for God; and then also, for each other that brings a unity that effectively communicates to a lost world.
Now…May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
