TITLE: Call Unto Me
TEXT: Jeremiah 33:3
TOPIC: Prayer
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Preached by Louis Bartet at Point Assembly of God on January 26, 2003.
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ILLUS: I’m sure most of you will remember the sniper incident that terrorized the Washington area. Before they were apprehended the snipers killed 10 and wounded 3. What you may not know is, prayer played a vital role in bringing that ordeal to an end.
50 Christian truckers got together to pray that somehow the sniper terrorizing the Washington area would be caught. Ron Lantz was scheduled to retire in a few days and didn¡¦t even live in the area, but he felt sure that God would answer their prayers. In fact, he told the others attending the prayer meeting that God was going to use him to catch the sniper.
A few days after they began to pray Ron was listening to the radio as he was driving through the region and felt compelled to pull off the highway to a rest stop. It was just a couple of miles from where the initial prayer meeting had taken place. As he pulled in, he was shocked to see a car similar to what was being described on the radio.
Carefully trying to read the license plate, a chill went up his back as the numbers matched. He quickly called 911 and remained there for what he said were the longest 15 minutes of his life, until the police arrived. He even pulled his truck across the exit, there would now be no escape for these elusive murderers. The rest is now history-the snipers were taken into custody without incident and the horrifying ordeal was over.
SOURCE: www.presidentialprayerteam.org.
Incredible? YES! Unbelievable? NO!
According to Jeremiah 33:3, we serve a God who gives incredible answers to prayer.
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. (NAS)
Although God begins with a command, it is a command based upon two significant realities.
1. First, the person praying is admitting their limitations. This is implied by the phrase, "mighty things, which you do not know." .
When Jeremiah penned this God given promise he "was still confined in the court of the guard" (33:1). He is in prison and Jerusalem has been conquered and destroyed. The longed for restoration is beyond his grasp. There is nothing that he or the disposed inhabitants of Israel could do to restore the fortunes of Israel or the fortunes of Judah.
God’s word to them is, "Ask me to do what you cannot do." This suggests the second significant reality.
2. Second, the person praying is admitting that God is the answer to their need. God’s word to those who recognize their limitations is, "Call unto Me." We’re not instructed to call upon¡K
„X Budda
„X Confucious
„X Mohammed
„X Baal
„X The spirit of the forest
„X The force
„X Hari Krishna
„X Joseph Smith
„X Charles Manson
„X Jim Jones
„X David Koresh
„X Yoda or
„X Anyone or anything else!
All that stuff gathered and placed in a big pile wouldn’t make a good moose nugget¡K or a small cow chip.
God instructs us, "call upon Me!"
Who is the "Me" in this passage? The "Me" in this verse is none other than God Himself. He is¡K
„X Elohim, the One to whom all power belongs.
„X El Shaddai, the Almighty God.
„X El Elyon, the Most High God above whom there is no other.
„X El Olam, the Everlasting God who is without beginning or end.
„X El Roi, the God who sees me.
„X Jehovah, the self-sustaining all sufficient One.
„X Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of hosts, the Guardian and Helper of those who fear Him.
„X Jehovah Jireh, the Lord our Provider.
„X Jehovah Rapha, the Lord our Healer who gives us health and deliverance from disease.
„X Jehovah Nissi, the Lord my Banner, the One who gives me victory over my enemy.
„X Jehovah MQaddishkhem, the Lord that sanctifies or separates us unto Himself.
„X Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our Peace.
„X Jehovah Rohi, the Lord my Shepherd, the One who protects me, provides for me and who is present with me.
„X Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness, the One who through the sacrifice of Jesus gives me rightstanding with Himself.
„X Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is there, the One who is with me day and night.
„X Abba, my Father.
„X Immanuel, God with us.
„X The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
„X The Way, the Truth, and the Life.
„X The Resurrection and the Life.
„X The Word.
„X The great High Priest.
„X The Head of the Body.
„X The good Shepherd.
„X The only begotten Son of the Father.
„X The Living Bread come down from heaven.
„X The faithful Witness.
„X The Prince of the kings of the earth.
„X The Bridegroom.
„X The Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.
„X The Lion of the tribe of Judah.
„X The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
„X The King of kings and Lord of lords.
„X The bright and morning Star.
„X The Lord of glory.
„X He is JESUS!
God’s instruction to us is "Call unto Me."
„X If you are in the red, He says, "Call unto Me, Jehovah-Jireh, and I will supply your need."
„X If you are sick, He says, "Call unto Me, Jehovah-Rophe, and I will heal your body.
„X If you are confused, He says, "Call unto Me, the Mighty Counselor, and I’ll give you counsel."
„X If you feel alone, He says, "Call unto me, Jehovah-Shammah, for I am the Lord who is there."
„X If you are going through the valley of the shadow of death, He says, "Call unto me, Jehovah-Rohi, for I am the good Shepherd who is with you.
„X If you are hungry, He says, "Call unto me, the Living Bread."
„X If you are thirsty, He says, "Call unto me, the fountain of living waters, and out of your belly will flow rivers of living water."
Trans: Just knowing who He is should motivate us to respond to His prompting.
I. THE PROMPTING. God instructs us, "Call upon Me." The Hebrew term here is qara (kaw-raw). In Psalm 147:9, it is used to describe the "cry" of the young ravens for food. When used with reference to prayer it carries the idea of an urgent cry for help.
In Psalm 50:15, the Psalmist records the following invitation, "And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
In Psalm 91:14 and 15, God’s speaks to the one who trusts in the Lord and says, "Because he has love Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known my name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him" (Psalm 91:14-15).
This is what Bartimaeus did.
Mark 10:46-47 ¡V And they came to Jericho, and as He was going out from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out (krazo, the cry of a raven) and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
God’s word to us is, set aside your pride and cry out to Me like the dependent creature you are. Admit your inabilities and call Me to your aid.
Trans: To those who yield to God’s prompting, God makes a promise.
II. THE PROMISE. "¡K I will answer thee and show thee."
In this verse God promises to do two things for those who cry out to Him.
A. I will answer thee.
Micah concluded, if God does not answer prayer, then the prophets will have no message to offer, the prophetic light will go out, the seers will be without vision and this will thrust the nation into chaos. (See Micah 3:6-7). In verse 8, Micah declares, "On the other hand"¡Xbecause God had answered his prayer¡X"I am filled with power¡Xwith the Spirit of the Lord¡Xand with justice and courage to make known to Jacob his rebellious act, even to Israel his sin." Even a rebuke is better than silence.
When prayer is silenced, God is silent. When people pray, God answers.
Illus: Phil Callaway didn’t know what to say when his young children asked if Mommy was going to die. His wife, Ramona, suffered from horrible seizures.
Hundreds of friends and relatives prayed, but Ramona’s weight eventually slipped to 90 pounds. Medical specialists tried everything, but by the fall of 1996, the seizures were occurring daily, sometimes hourly.
Phil rarely left Ramona’s side. He wondered if she would even make it to her 30th birthday. One evening, when things looked utterly hopeless, Phil paced their dark back yard, then fell to his knees. "God!" he cried out. "I can’t take it anymore. Please do something!"
Instantly, a doctor’s name came to mind. Phil called the doctor, who saw Ramona the next morning and diagnosed a rare chemical deficiency.
Within a week, Ramona’s seizures ended. Her eyes sparkled again. The miracle was so incredible, Phil says, "God gave me back my wife."
Citation: Christian Reader (Jan/Feb 2002), pp.12-13; source: Luis Palau, It’s a God Thing, www.palau.org/godthing
TRANS: Not only does God promise to answer us, He promises¡K
B. I will show thee great and mighty things.
The term "show" is a translation of the Hebrew word "nagad" and means to make conspicuous. Something that was previously unknown or unknowable is made known.
The Hebrew term translated "mighty things" is betsuroth and in its earliest usage it referred to a "sheepfold," but with time it came to mean a "fortress." In common usage it was used to refer to that which was inaccessible, either because it was hidden or well protected.
ILLUS: Jody Jamison was a new Christian, but she believed this. She was 500 miles away from home before the days of Pop-A-Lock, her car door was locked and she could not find the key. She had dumped the contents of her purse out three times in search of the missing key. She scoured the motel room where she had been staying for the past week, but still no key. In recalling the event she said, "It just hit me, if Jesus could save me, surely He could help me find my keys." Jody prayed, "Jesus, you know where my keys are, so please help me find them." Immediately she was prompted to look inside her purse again. Once again she dumped its contents on the bed and browsed through the disorganized mess. This time she noticed something shiny protruding out of a wadded up piece of tissue. Upon investigation, you guessed it, she found her key.
Your situation may be a bit more serious than a lost key.
„X Perhaps you need direction for your life.
„X Perhaps you need deliverance from a health destroying habit.
„X Maybe your need God’s answer for your ailing marriage.
„X Maybe you need a job or financial assistance to keep from losing your home.
Perhaps you are in need of something that is immediately inaccessible. God gives those who call upon Him access to hidden things.
Whatever you need, God has an answer for you if you will call upon Him.
TRANS: Not only does God answer those who call upon Him, His provisions are greater than our petitions.
III. THE PROVISION. God’s provisions are greater than our problem. Paul echoed this in his letter to the Ephesians when he wrote, "Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think¡Kto Him be the glory¡K" (Eph. 3:20, 21).
ILLUS: When the little boy placed his tiny lunch in Jesus’ hands, it fed 5000 and there was enough left over to fill 12 baskets.
ILLUS: After the woman gathered empty vessels, shut the door and began to pour oil into the vessels from her little bottle of oil, the flow of oil stopped only after she had no more room to contain God’s provision.
God can answer you bigger than you can pray!
CONCLUSION:
ILLUS: One day George Mueller looked down the streets of Bristol, England, & saw 100¡¦s of homeless children. He was so moved with concern for them that he decided that something had to be done.
He had only two pence in his pocket. That¡¦s two cents. But he decided to start an orphanage. In 60 years, beginning with two pence, George Mueller took care of 10,000 orphans. He looked out & saw homeless kids. He could have said, " I don¡¦t have any money. There’s no way to care for them, to meet their needs, to buy the food." Instead, he looked at them & said, " I will reach out & help them." And God blessed his efforts in a mighty way.
During his 60 years of ministry, George Mueller never solicited funds from anyone. Instead he committed himself to pray and ask God for what he needed to keep the orphanage running. During his 60 years of ministry George Mueller kept a record of his prayers, & his prayer records filled more than 3,000 pages. His notes show that more than 30,000 prayers were answered.
One night there was no food in the orphanage to give to the children for breakfast. But at 3:00 in the morning a baker called him up & said, "I just can¡¦t sleep. I¡¦m going down to the bakery to bake some bread. Would it be all right for me to bring some over to you this morning?"
On another occasion a milk truck just happened to break down in front of the orphanage on a day when they had no milk. The truck driver came in & said, "All this milk is going to spoil. Would you like some of it?" And their need was met.
Time & time again, 30,000 times in 60 years, God answered George Mueller¡¦s prayers.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
THE SECRET TO ANSWERED PRAYER IS TO PRAY
And
THE SECRET TO UNASWERED PRAYERS IS TO SILENCE PRAYER.
Paul exhorted Pastor Timothy, "Let your request be made known to God."
James declared, "You have not because you ask not."
If we do not have what He wants us to have it is only because we have not asked!
Let us "Call unto Him."
I’d like us to end this service as a praying Church.
Some of us need to take God at His word and "Call unto Him."
Who knows, but that He will immediately "answer us and give us access to what has been inaccessible and make known to us what has heretofore been unknowable.
Will you join me in these altars for a time of prayer?
SOURCES:
Some illustrations from Sermon Central.
Some illustrations from Preaching Today.
I used a Power Point Presentation with this sermon.
