The Prayers Of The Righteous

Prayers of the Righteous

James 5:

Over the last few weeks I have spent a great deal of time on the matter of prayer

Two weeks ago we talked about divine healing but the emphasis was on prayer

Sunday we talked about the simple matter of asking

But greater that the position or posture for prayer

The truth is our lifestyle must be a righteous lifestyle if we want God to hear and answer our prayer

So tonight James tells us that the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous availeth much

So just what is James saying to us?

The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].amp

The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Message

God works effectually through prayer, but that prayer must come from a clean, dedicated hear

The Images of Prayer in scripture

It is like incense

The tabernacle- Old Testament

Revelation 5: 1-8

8:1-4

The imagery is all through scripture our prayer comes up to the lord like fragrant incense and it delight heaven

Examples of prayer/intercession

Moses

Exo 32:30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."

Exo 32:31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.

Exo 32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written."

Exo 32:33 But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

Exo 32:34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them."

Deu 9:13 "Furthermore, the LORD said to me, ’I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people.

Deu 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’

Deu 9:15 So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

Deu 9:16 And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

Deu 9:17 So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.

Deu 9:18 Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger.

Deu 9:19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the LORD bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also.

Deu 9:20 And the LORD was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.

Deu 9:21 Then I took the sinful thing, the calf that you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain.

Deu 9:22 "At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath.

Deu 9:23 And when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, ’Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God and did not believe him or obey his voice.

Deu 9:24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.

Deu 9:25 "So I lay prostrate before the LORD for these forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said he would destroy you.

Deu 9:26 And I prayed to the LORD, ’O Lord GOD, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Deu 9:27 Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin,

Deu 9:28 lest the land from which you brought us say, "Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness."