The Power of Prayer

How many people here are left-handed? Whoa, let's see, one. One, two, three, four, five. That's right, you are. Which females, it's very rare for females to be left-handed. Not even one percent of the world is women are left-handed. Well, I am left-handed, and I have some bad news and good news for all us left-handed people. The bad news is, whoa, really want me to get that bad news out. The bad news is, left-handed people tend to die nine years earlier than right-hand people. The good news? We left-handers will be praying a lot more than you guys. So I go into the sermon about the power of prayer. That's the title today, the power of prayer. The power of prayer has little to do with you or me. That's right. The power is in complete control of the answer-er. We still have something to do. But the power, the power is important. It's important in this country to know who has power if you want to get something done. It's important on your jobs if you know who has the power to get something done. Well, for all of us, we should know the ultimate power is up above, and we have access to that power. Jesus Christ is the last human day on the earth. As you can read about Matthew 26 in verse 39, he looked at God and said, I don't want to do this. If there's some other way, is there a plan B? But then he said, I will. But your will be done. It's about God's will. He would accept God's will because what? Because he accepted who had the power, and it wasn't him. And the sooner we realize who has the power, the less stressed we will be. Because how many of us have tried to do things on our own? We tell God we need your help, and then we go and do what? Try to do some things on our own. I think all of us have done that. Janaye is smiling to me, so I take it she has to. But yes, I think all of us have. And that's the purpose of this sermon today, is to understand the power of prayer. I will repeat myself, and I have said this more than a few times over my 12 years here in this congregation, but I will say it again. God answers every prayer. Yes, no, and not yet. Yes, no, and not yet. My question to you today is, can you take a no? Can you take a no? I can't always. I don't want to take a no. And so sometimes I take a no as, not yet, because there is a time in the future. Only God controls that, whether it's next week or 50 years from now. He's still in charge. So are you proficient at prayer? I guess that's the next question. Are we really proficient at prayer? Are we experienced prayers? Are we novices at prayer? And hopefully we don't have any virgin prayers today, one that's never really prayed. I bring this out because my father passed away 11 years ago.

He told me when he came into this church, God's church, that he had a hard time praying. And he very seldom did pray. I didn't know it, didn't notice it, because it's something that basically is pretty much private, isn't it? I just remember one time seeing him, I walked into a room and saw him on his knees. It's the only time I ever saw my father pray. But he needed the prayers at the time. And he also told me how growing up, they didn't pray in his family, especially not around my grandfather. And so with eight or nine kids at the table, having dinner one night, they invited a young boy to come over, a friend of theirs from school, to come over and eat and play. And he did. So my grandmother called in for dinner and all these young kids, so many of them at the table. He asked, he said, aren't we going to say grace?

And my grandfather looked at my grandmother, and he kind of growled. And the boy just started saying grace, and halfway through it, my grandfather smacked him off his chair onto the floor and said, we're not doing that garbage in my house and cursed. Find out two years later, every one of the children, my father being one of them, was affected by that because they didn't go to church. They didn't know God. And my grandfather didn't want anybody to know God. Does anybody know the reason why? Because my grandfather wanted all the power. My grandfather wanted to be the one in charge. Everybody should come to him. He was a good-sized man, and he used it. He was a bully. He was a dictator in his own home, and one of the main reasons, he wanted to be the one to have the power. Thankful I was not raised in that type of family. Thankful that we have families like yours, where I've seen them, and they know God is the most powerful person in your home. And we need to realize that. And one of the ways in which we do that is prayer. We realize we don't have complete control.

So I want to go through some examples here, because I want us to question our execution of prayer.

And could there be better execution on our part? Because that's basically what it is, isn't it?

Execution. Are we doing what God wants us to do?

I think that's our responsibility. So if you will join me, I'll look at some examples. We went through the last time I was here about how not to pray, that Christ told us to, and how to pray.

And some may say, well, how many weeks are you going to go speaking on prayer?

How many weeks do I need to?

And I'm talking to myself, because I find out a lot about myself when you put these messages together. So I'm hopeful that you will redeem some of this information. Let's go to Luke first. Let's go to Luke.

And let's go to Luke 18.

Luke 18. What did we learn here? Luke 18 verse 2. Luke 18 verse 2. There wasn't a certain city, a judge, who did not fear God nor regard man. Kind of like my grandfather.

Now, there was a widow in that city, and she came to him saying, Avenge me of my adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward, he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. As Mike was going through the Greek today, which is very helpful, that weary actually means hits me in the eye.

So there's something painful, this Greek word, when you would use it. But look what verse 1 said, you don't have to turn there, but it says, Then he spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. He's talking about us. He's given that parable to compare that woman who had to come before the judge, even though he's not righteous. We have a righteous judge. We can come up there. I'm back. And he's showing from this parable that we ought to pray and not, do what? Become weary.

Verse 6, 6, Then the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge said, and shall not, and shall God not avenge his own elect, who cry out one time?

Day and night. You know what he's telling me? I know he's telling you this. He's telling me this. Sometimes you're going to have to pray day and night, day and night, day and night over something.

Not just, gotta ask you now, you know, deliver that Mercedes to my driveway.

No, but if it's something serious, and many of us go to God because it's serious, maybe it's a health issue. Maybe it's a people issue. Maybe it's a relative. Maybe it's of many things.

Mike was pointing out in his sermonette. Maybe it's one of those we need to work on.

This is not a one-stop, one-fix thing. He can, and we'll see that today. God can stop it, fix it, take care of it, relieve us, just like that.

But a lot of times He doesn't.

It's not a judgment on Him, it's a judgment on us. Do we quit?

Or does He? I'm back.

Again, He doesn't get tired of that.

He doesn't get tired of us coming back. That's deep love. When your children, you know, or is She ever get tired of them calling you? Nope. Nope, you want to hear them. Ask God with us. Every day, wonder where He's at.

Wonder where She's at.

Verse 8. I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.

And then He actually says the verse, when the Son of Man comes, will He really? Uses the adverb really. Really, really, really, really. Find faith. How is that tied to prayer? It means people aren't praying.

We need to be not one of those people. We need to be praying. It's that important, too. To God, and to us.

Because everyone in here that's needed God in the last week, I can guarantee you.

Some of you say, not me. I'm perfect. Yeah, you do need prayer. If that's what you're saying, we really do need prayer.

Go to Matthew 17. Matthew 17.

Verse 18. Matthew 17, verse 18. You can see this follows the trip that Jesus Christ went and was trans and had the transfiguration on the mountain. And he took three of his disciples up and they had this amazing thing. We'll talk about it later this year. As they come down that mountain and the other disciples were down there, they didn't really know what happened up there. They just knew they came down there. They had a problem. Because this man had come to them.

And said, my son as a demon and as fits throws himself into fire.

And cast this demon out. And you know, I mean, it doesn't say it there, but you can see the picture reading. They tried.

They probably did their best. Well, you know, the nine others down here. We've got this.

We've seen it done. As a matter of fact, we've experienced it before. We just cast that demon right out. They couldn't do it. Could not do it.

Let's go to verse then 18.

And Jesus rebuked the demon, and He came out of him. And the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why could we not cast him out?

So Jesus said to them, because of your unbelief.

For assuredly I say to you, if you have the faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here, and it will move. And nothing, nothing will be impossible for you. However, this, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. And your disciples say to me, while you're thinking in your mind, well, I'm not casting out demons. What's that to do with me? I have cast out some demons before.

I never know.

Really, don't have much warning.

So I have to pray every day and fast to be ready. And you'll say, well, that has nothing to do with me, does it?

You think some of your problems, some of your issues, are not going to require prayer and fasting? Are you going to say, well, that all stopped with Job?

Guess what? There's some Job's in this room.

That there's some, there's some things that's going to require prayer and fasting. By you! It's you going to the power!

Because he didn't stop with Job.

And I'll be interested someday to talk to God and see if he says, oh, I've done that quite a bit.

Have you considered my servant, Grace? But you can't take her life.

Because all of us here at times, most of us, have felt like we fought. We fought a battle with a higher power.

He's out there walking about as a roaring lion, trying to destroy your life, your marriage, your happiness, everything. We need some prayer. We need some prayer. Let's go over to First Kings. He remembers this one. I love the story. I love how it pictures it. Let's see if I got that here.

First Kings 18. You know the story.

It was the Battle of the Mountain.

On one side, 450 prophets of Baal, and on the other side, Elijah. And I won't go through the story since most of you know that. Let's see which one. Power. And so the 450 or 900, depends on how you read the scripture. They spent half a day conjuring up trying to bring fire down from heaven.

They yelled and they screamed and they danced, and they finally got to cutting themselves, their blood just gushed over and out to everybody, trying to raise fire. They couldn't do it half a day. Then it was Elijah's time. And he said, well, before I do this, of course, I like how he was mocking them.

Because he said, when they couldn't get that fire to come down, well, maybe you're God. Maybe your God's gone on a journey. And he's just not around. Because you have to see, if you understand mythology, some of those gods that, I remember seeing it, I saw a picture of Atlas having the earth, having the planet earth on his shoulders. Anybody remember that? As a kid, they showed a picture. Yes. And so that's what they suppose was holding up the planet. And so one of the stories was that he wanted to go on a little bit of a journey, but he couldn't. So he had Hercules come in and put it on his shoulders. So this was nothing that Elijah didn't know. They made up the stuff. And then the ultimate thing was, he goes, oh, maybe he's in the bathroom. But if you read the Hebrew, it's a little more coarse than that. As Mike didn't read that, I won't read you the Hebrew of what was said at that time. But then Elijah said, okay, I'm about to set this thing on fire, or God is. I'm about to call fire down from heaven. But I need you to put it down in some water. I need you to just pour water all over this thing. And keep pouring and keep pouring and pouring until it's just overflowing. And here they had just gone through a three-year drought. So you can imagine some of those people, oh, man, that's going down in that ground and it could be drinking. And then what did he do? Well, let's join the story here in 1 Kings 18 and verse 36. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word, and not look at me.

Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that you are the Lord God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you again. Then, of course, what do we know? Fire came, and then fire from the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifices, the wood and the stone and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in all the water. All the trenches. Now, when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, the Lord is God! The Lord is God!

That short prayer usually takes about five to ten seconds to read, to say.

He had all day. He could have gone in. He had everyone's attention. He could have gone into a long diatribe and told everybody to repent, and told everybody that your sins, and he could have spent two hours because the other prophets spent half a day. But he didn't. Why not?

Think about that. Because it wasn't needed. It wasn't needed. It shows us sometimes we need short prayers. It shows there's times even not as drastic as this. Because if he hadn't called fire down from heaven, his body was not as just as head chopped out. He's going to be chopped into pieces. But a short prayer works, brethren.

We just need to know the time, don't we? We need to make sure. Sometimes it's driving and seeing the car beside you just swerve into the middle lane and then flip over on its side, and there's nothing you can do. I've seen it twice in 12 years. And all I could do was watch that car go like this.

But I did say, God, you're in charge. That's all I had time to say. And many of you, same way. Isn't that incredible instruction?

I mean, here, we wouldn't know this. Say it! That's what's important, is to be able to say it, not the length of it. There are times when you can spend time with God.

I've called my mother before in Tennessee and just said, I love you. And that's it. Talk to you later. I love you. When's the last time we just said that to God? Just to remind him.

Let's go to Mark 6. Mark 6. Get over here, Mark. Mark 6. I usually mark these.

Mark 6. One verse. 41. 41. And when he had taken the five loaves and two fish, he looked up into heaven, blessed, and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fish, he divided among them all. And if you go down later, there were about 5,000 people.

I don't think we need to break the bread and the fish over here today. Looks like there's plenty of food to feed all of you because there's not 5,000. So what I found interesting was that every time that I could find that Christ was about to eat, he blessed the food.

He asked God's blessing on it. He said, grace. Do we? I know there was a time in the Church of God where I was told, well, we didn't pray in public. You didn't go to a restaurant. Anybody remember that? Well, you didn't do that. That's just making a show. And I kept it that way because a man told me to. Well, I don't go by what man tells me anymore. And I'd tell you not to either. But it was a man who showed me what God wanted me to do.

I was a speaker. I was given a sermon. And this older man, he was in his 80s. He, Mary and I would take him out for dinner and lunch afterwards because he lost his wife and he was not in good health. But he wanted to come to church. We had to drive, well, it wasn't an hour and a half one way just to pick him up and then go and bring him.

But he was such a precious man, such a godly man. Humble. Just, what a... I want to enjoy taking orders from him in the kingdom. He is such a great man. But when we took him out, he would always stop and he'd say, we need to say grace. And I was... Wait a minute, I'm supposed to be here? And then he would just say a short prayer, but such a heartfelt prayer. That it's like, whew, I realize I'm in the presence of someone more godly than I am. For sure. And after that time, I never stopped praying in public.

Christ said 5,000 people. Couldn't he just lower his head? And they wouldn't even know it. But obviously 5,000 people, they hurt him, didn't they? They saw him. He wasn't afraid, I'm going to look too... You know, Privatit just went over the last time I was here, about not standing on the corner and go, oh, God! Is that what we do? If we want to be heard by men, we've got a problem.

We need to pray more so that he can guide us. Go to Matthew 26. Matthew 26. I'm really interested in what you're going to do next week. Really interested in the interactive Bible study. I really want to hear your prayers. And I want to hear your input. I want to hear why that means something to you.

Because this book is loaded, and you may have some I need to know. And I've read the thing two or three times. Matthew 26, verse 41. Here, Christ asks his disciples, just pray. Wait and pray. You don't have to do anything. Just watch and pray. And what didn't they do? They stopped watching and stopped praying because they were what? Sleeping! Sometimes it's best not to wait till the end of the day to say your prayers, isn't it? It is for me, morning person. Doesn't hurt in the evening. But look what it says in verse 41. 41, watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.

Boy, didn't that say something to us? Watch and pray. Now, I can guarantee you, you need to look at this verse this week. Because you need to watch because there's going to be some temptation coming your way. And when it does, you don't go, I got this. You pray. Pray when you see it.

Pray when you feel it. Call on that power. Because that's the power that'll take care of it. 41, the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is what? Weak. He went away again a second time, prayed, saying, oh my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me unless I drink it, you will be done. And He came and found them asleep again. For their eyes were heavy. Don't wait till your eyes get heavy.

That's what it's telling us. Does it mean any less power from God? No. God still has a power. But how important is that power to you? How much respect do we have? In verse 44, so He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. It may take more than one prayer to handle some problems in a day. You may have to go back two or three times, like the widow. And the thing about it, I think, here is the most important thing to watch my watch today.

God can make you pray, okay? God can make you pray, and He can take you to your knees to where you realize who has the power, because you're powerless. I've had to do that many times where He took me to my knees, and I found it's a lot easier if I do it myself. It's a lot less forceful. It's a little easier to swallow. Now let's go to Luke 22. I'm not going to run out of time. Luke 22. Verse 31.

Verse 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, Simon Peter, that was, Cephas, indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat. Mmm. That would send a chill down your spine. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Mmm. So Christ prayed for him.

Strengthen him. So he'd end up hanging on a tree like Judas with such guilt because he did deny three times. And it is so interesting that in Romans 8, verse 34, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, it says that Jesus Christ makes intercession for us. He prays for us with us. Wow! He's prayed for Peter, prays for you and me when we do it because he's a high priest. Read the verse. Romans 8, 34. It's powerful. All right, I have to go with me to the last verse I will be covering here. First Kings. First Kings. First Kings 8. It's where the dedication of the temple by Solomon and many of you may have said that's going to be my one next week. Okay, I'm not covering the whole thing. I'm just covering a little bit of it because there's so much there. It's so powerful. I remember getting turned on to that my room upstairs in Tennessee. I just went in and started studying about the temple before you even gave me that book. It made me realize, wow, this guy was on fire. This guy was on fire when that temple was built. What happened to him? It could happen to me. Scary. Let's go. First Kings 8. Let's go to 22. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel and spread out his hands towards heaven. You seen that before? I've seen how people do it. Is there anything wrong with that? Well, no, it just shows I did it. But are you doing it to be seen? I've seen people, you know, I don't know their sincerity, but I know that wouldn't be sincere to me if I did it. I don't want to be seen. I want to be heard in prayer. God doesn't need for you to go, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, listen, listen. No, he's got it. But Solomon was telling... This was a temple his father had designed. His father had had ruined the plans. His father had gotten this together. He spent years building this, and this was the apex of his entire kingdom. And he said, Lord, God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on the earth below it like you who keep your covenant and mercy with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart. You have kept what you promised your servant, David, my father. You have both spoken with your mouth and fulfilled it with your hand as it is this day. Therefore, Lord, God of Israel, now keep what is promised, what you promised your servant, David, my father, saying, You shall not fail to have a man sit before me on the throne of Israel. Only... People will leave this out sometimes. Only if your sons take heed on their way that they walk before me as you have walked before me. There's some conditions. He laid them out. And now I pray, O God of Israel, let your word come true, which you have spoken to your servant, David, my father. But will God indeed dwell on earth? Behold, heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot continue. How much less is temple, which I built, which was such an awesome looking thing that everybody went, and he says, this is not even worthy of you.

Yet regard the prayer of your servant. Have you asked that? Have we said, God, please regard my prayer? No, I need it, God. No, just regard. Please. I know you have the power. I mean, if I've been pulled over a couple times since I've been here for speeding or doing something, and guess what? I got mercy from the guy. I haven't gotten a ticket since I've been here. Okay? Now, do you think I said, what are you doing? What are you giving me a ticket for? I was only six miles away. No, I said, sir, officer, I'm sorry. Here's my stuff. I realize that with God, too. He has the power. That man had the power to write me a ticket. Mary was with me on one of those. It's her fault she didn't tell me slow down.

But she just knew I was going to get it. Put the man in mercy. God is more merciful than any other human can even think about being. But how do we address him in prayer? God, hear me. God, hear me. Verse 28. Verse 28.

Hear, forgive. Just a portion of it. Brethren, it is the power of prayer that matters.

You remember Peter being thrown into prison? Remember him praying? I like how Thomas Watson, the theologian, put it. The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was a prayer that fetched the angels. We need to remember that. The power of prayer. Praying can make a person stop sinning. Or sinning can make a person stop praying. But none of that matters as long as you know. And you know this week where the power is. The power of prayer is up there.