How To Pray More Powerfully In 14 days (Part II)
Luke 11:5-8 May 4, 2003 Chester, IL Chester FBC Mike Fogerson, Speaker
INTRODUCTION:
1 Ten Ways To Know You Picked The Wrong Church.
10 When you enter, the ushers ask if you want smoking or non.
9 No cover charge, but communion is a two-drink minimum.
8 Services are B.Y.O.S. (Bring your own snakes)
7 They have a karaoke worship time.
6 The guy who records the minutes at the business meetings votes against everything because he can’t spell `unanimously’.
5 The only song the organist knows is "Free Bird"
4 The church van has a gun rack.
3 The Bible used is the Dr. Suess Version
2 They have an ATM in the lobby
1 The minister is able to use you to illustrate the breaking of 9 out of 10 commandments.
Before refrigerators, people used icehouses to preserve their food. Icehouses had thick walls, no windows, and a tightly fitted door. In winter, when streams and lakes were frozen, large blocks of ice were cut, hauled to the icehouses, and covered with sawdust. Often the ice would last well into the summer.
One man lost a valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He searched diligently for it, carefully raking through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. His fellow workers also looked, but their efforts, too, proved futile.
A small boy who heard about the fruitless search slipped into the icehouse during the noon hour and soon emerged with the watch.
Amazed, the men asked him how he found it.
"I closed the door," the boy replied, "lay down in the sawdust, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking."
Often the question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are being still enough, and quiet enough, to hear. 2 We are finishing the second week of learning how to pray more powerfully.
(Briefly describe Three Step Strategy to Prayer Ministry)
A Jesus disciples didn’t ask "How" to raise the dead, heal the sick, make the blind to see, make five loaves/2 fish feed 5,000. They said , "Lord, teach us how to pray."
a Luke 11:5-8
5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, [6] because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 "Then the one inside answers, `Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ [8] I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
b Jesus taught His followers how to pray with power. (ETS)
B Prayer opens the door for God himself to do his work in us. (ESS)
a I hope you’ll commit yourself to participating in the power behind church growth. (Objective)
b What missing building blocks are stopping you from building a powerful prayer life? (Probing Question)
T.S.: Let’s look at the first three building blocks that make for powerful prayer.
IV The fourth building block that makes powerful prayer is....FAITH IN PRAYER. (vv:5&6)
A Faith was what got the man to the neighbors house.
(A willing love got the guy out of bed, but faith got him to the neighbors door)
a He was sure, confident, certain that if only he asked the neighbor for some bread...he would get it.
b He went fully believing His request would be answered.
(I don’t think he would have went if he didn’t believe his request would be answered.)
B Faithlessness will take power from your prayers.
a If don’t expect/believe that God is going to answer your prayer...why pray? *Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
*James 5:15a "And the prayer offered in faith will make a sick person well; the Lord will raise him up....."
And the prayer offered in faith well....
*make a sick marriage well.. *make a sick attitude well
*make a sick church well..
b Faithlessness shows unbelief. What does surprise show? (Unbelief)
*When God answers your prayer and your shocked...you may have unbelief.
C How do we develop faith? (Not a class, seminar, sermon)
a We’ve already got a head start as believers.
*A. W. Tozer eloquently described the unusual characteristics of a Christian who lives by faith. "A real Christian is an odd number anyway.
*He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen,
*talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see,
* expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another,
*empties himself in order to be full,
*admits he is wrong so he can be declared right,
* goes down in order to get up,
*is strongest when he is weakest,
*richest when he is poorest, *and happiest when he feels worst.
*He dies so he can live, *forsakes in order to have,
*gives away so he can keep, * sees the invisible,
*hears the inaudible, *and knows that which passeth knowledge."
*To live by faith means embracing a lifestyle that contradicts most of life.
b Develop faith? Use what you have! ("There is no such thing as a correspondence course for swimming." If you want to swim you must get in the pool. Pro-active faith requires "getting wet." (Just do it!)
T.S.: Faith is essential to powerful prayer just like the next building block.
V The fifth building block to powerful prayer is...PERSISTENCE. (v.7b)
A 7b "..don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything When he heard this, how do think it made him fill? (Disappointed, hurt, frustrated, hopeless, mad, ticked off)
a How many of you would have went home? NOT THIS GUY!!!!
*He knocked harder..in spite of being told "no" the first time.
b [8] I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up.."
*Jesus is telling his followers to shamelessly bug God with their prayers.
(NOT THE ONLY TIME HE TELLS THEM TOO!!!)
*Luke 18:1-8 (The Message) Jesus told them a story that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: `My rights are being violated. Protect me!’ "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, `I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. But because this widow won’t quit badgering me, I’d better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I’m going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.’" Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t he stick up for them? I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?" *Lesson? Keep praying until something happens!!!
B Powerful prayer is persistent. (Widow/Judge, Neighbor with Abundance/Neighbor with a need)
a I Thess. 5:17 "pray continuously" HOW?
*How does a mother love her child w/o ceasing?
*How do you breath/see/hear w/o ceasing?
*A healthy mom does it NATURALLY. Healthy people do it NATURALLY.
*If your spiritually healthy, you’ll pray without ceasing...NATURALLY.
b Heb.4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
*Without pride. Without shame. Without dignity (You can’t look at the feel good about yourself). Without ego.
*Don’t care what others think, feel or believe...Your Going To God out of shamelessness....persistently!!
C Video clip form "Say Anything" of John Cusack’s character plays his radio on the hood of his car.
a God wants us to shameless crank up our prayers. Consistently, Persistently. (No regard to pride, ego, self,...)
b You learn to pray by praying!!!!! "Pray without ceasing!"
T.S.: How long do you prayer? Until God answers.
VI The sixth building block that makes powerful prayer is...WAIT FOR GOD TO ANSWER. [8] I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
A The neighbor didn’t leave without having his need met. (Two Key Insights)
a The man was asking for another persons legitimate need. (Intercessory)
b He was asking for a need.
*I bet he WANTED biscuits/gravy/country ham/eggs.......He got toast.
*He wasn’t leaving till the need was met.
B Keep praying until God answers your prayer.
(Okay. I know what your thinking. How do you know what God’s answer is.
God answers every prayer in one of three ways....
1 Yes (The prayer is answered immediately.)
*MK 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Print Mk. 10:52, Acts 4:8-10, rf. Mt.8:13, 9:22, 12:15, 12:22, 14:14, 15:28, 17:18 LK 4:40, 9:42, 22:51)
AC 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! [9] If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, [10] then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed)
2 Yes, but not right now. (The prayer is answered eventually)
*As the case with the man in need.
*Raising of Lazuras
JN 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." [5] Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. {17} On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
*Jesus is the only friend I have who can be six days late and still be just on time!
3 no. (The pray is answered negatively)
*2CO 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
*You can have buckets of faith, persistence,..and God will still you now.
C Interview Pam
Conclusion:
A lady who had a small house on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the century was quite wealthy but also quite frugal. The people were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home. Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked if her electricity was working well, and she assured him it was. "I’m wondering if you can explain something to me," he said. "Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?" "Certainly," she answered. "Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off."
She’s tapped into the power but doesn’t use it. Her house is connected but not altered. Don’t we make the same mistake? We, too-with our souls saved but our hearts unchanged – are connected but not altered. Trusting Christ for salvation but resisting transformation. We occasionally flip the switch, but most of the time we settle for shadows. ("Just Like Jesus"; Max Lucado)
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a VERY long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
In the summer of 1876, grasshoppers nearly destroyed the crops in Minnesota. SO in the spring of 1877, farmers were worried. They believed that the dreadful plague would once again visit them and again destroy the rich wheat crop, bringing ruin to thousands of people.
The situation was so serious that Governor John S. Pillsbury proclaimed April 26 as a day of prayer and fasting He urged every man, woman and child to ask God to prevent the terrible scourge. On that April day all schools, shops, stores and offices were closed. There was a reverent, quite hush over all the state.
The next day dawned bright and clear. Temperature soared to what they ordinary were in midsummer, which was very unusual for April. Minnesotans were devastated as they discovered billions of grasshopper larvae wiggling to life. For 3 days the unusual heat persisted, and the larvae hatched. It appeared that it wouldn’t be long before they started feeding and destroying the wheat crop.
On the fourth day, however the temperature suddenly dropped, and that night frost, covered the entire state. Result - it killed every one of those creeping, crawling pests as surely as if poison or fire had been used, It went down in the history of Minnesota as the day God answered the prayers of the people.
That is an awesome story!
BUT UNDERSTAND – it was NOT the first and certainly was NOT the last time, that Almighty God answered the prayers of his people.
50 Christian truckers got together to pray to pray that somehow the sniper terrorizing the Washington, DC area would be caught. Ron Lantz would be retiring as a driver 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 there that God was going to use him to catch the sniper.
A few days later he was listening to the radio as he was driving again 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 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 right there before his eyes.
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.
Ron’s testimony is being beamed around the world today. It shows the power of prayer. And in a class act, showing his true character, when asked what he would do with the award money, he said the half million dollars would simply be given to the victims’ families.
The snipers killed 10 and wounded 3 around our nation’s capital over the past three weeks, leaving the entire region in a state of terror. Yet out of the great darkness has also come a great beam of light as the world has heard a clear testimony of the power of prayer.
Parents prayed for tot’s resurrection
Silverthorne couple orders casket after hoping for a miracle
By Joe Garner, Rocky Mountain News
November 16, 2002
A Silverthorne family has ordered a tiny casket for their toddler after praying in vain since Sunday that he would be brought back to life.
Paul and Valerie Jungck had 2-year-old Zion embalmed but kept his body at home while they prayed for his resurrection.
"I know confirmed stories of people who have been raised from the dead," Paul Jungck, the boy’s father, told the Summit Daily News. "We have really prayed for that," he said. "I know that (God) can bring him back to life again."
Zion died at home Sunday when a filing cabinet fell on him while his mother was in the kitchen and his father was attending church, said Verna Pottle, a spokeswoman for the Silverthorne Police Department.
The Jungcks have scheduled a service at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Agape Outpost Church near Breckenridge, where Zion’s father was worshiping when his son died, said Russ Goodrum, a neighbor who is the pastor of another Summit County church.
Goodrum said he did not know if the parents have made burial arrangements.
"We have tried to be there for them, but we have not advised them," Goodrum said. "This is not a denial issue. It’s an issue of the fervor and sincerity of their faith."
The father, who told the local newspaper he and his family are charismatic Christians, said he was "not ashamed of what we’re doing."
"We believe God still does the miracles today he did in the Bible," said Jungck, 39. "We would see more miracles if we would just pray and believe."
The family tragedy began with the toddler playing with his 8-year-old brother and his mother, Valerie Jungck, 42, Pottle said. When she went into the kitchen to fix breakfast, the little boy climbed up two metal filing cabinets stacked on top of each other, causing the top one to fall and crush his chest, authorities said.
Silverthorne officers met the older brother at the front door.
"All he said was, ’My brother,’ " Pottle said. "They found the little boy and his mother in the living room."
The two officers, who were soon joined by a detective, determined that "this was just a tragic accident," Pottle said.
Zion Jungck was pronounced dead at Summit Medical Center, said Summit County Coroner Dave Joslin. The cause of death was extensive internal injuries, which created massive internal bleeding, he said.
"I determined an autopsy was not really necessary," Joslin said. "It would have given us the specifics, but nothing would have brought the little boy back."
He said he didn’t "have a chance to talk to the parents, but their preference wouldn’t have been a factor in my decision."
The coroner turned over the child’s corpse to his parents at the clinic, although transfer of custody usually occurs at a mortuary.
By Colorado law, a body must be cremated or preserved within 24 hours, although the family waited until Tuesday to take their son to be embalmed at Hegmann Funeral Services in Idaho Springs, Joslin said.
"They were a little late, but sometimes you let minor things slide," the coroner said.
The parents then drove the embalmed body back to their home in Silverthorne, where they have grieved and prayed within their circle of family and friends, authorities said.
Joslin, who has been coroner for six years, said the family has done nothing illegal.
But, he said, "I’ve never had something like this happen to be me before."
