- Introducing Prayerman!
- Blueprint for Prayer
- God the Genie?
- A Call to Prayer
Read at beginning of service:
Acts 2:42-43 (NIV)
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
INTRODUCTION
A bus driver and a minister were standing in line to get into heaven. The bus driver approached the gate and St. Peter said, “Welcome, I understand you were a bus driver. Since I?m in charge of housing, I believe I have found the perfect place for you. See that mansion over the hilltop? It?s yours.”The minister heard all this and began to stand a little taller. He said to himself, “If a bus driver got a place like that, just think what I?ll get.”The minister approached the gate and St. Peter said, “Welcome, I understand you were a minister. See that shack in the valley?”St. Peter had hardly gotten the words out of his mouth when the shocked minister said, “I was a minister, I preached the gospel, I helped teach people about God. Why does that bus driver get a mansion, and I get a shack?”Sadly, St. Peter responded, “Well, it seems when you preached, people slept. When the bus driver drove, people prayed.”
Now I hope that?s not the kind of reception I?ll get when I get to heaven (just kidding)! The scripture passage that was read this morning from the book of Acts is talking about the establishment of the first Christian church and among the things that are mentioned as characteristics of these people is a very important phrase, “they devoted themselves?to prayer”. And then immediately following that phrase we find recorded that everyone was awestruck as incredible things, wonders and miraculous signs were seen in the lives of the apostles. I think there is a connection here folks between the observation that the early church devoted themselves to prayer and the miraculous wonders and signs present in the apostles lives! Prayer is important, prayer is vital, prayer is crucial in the life of the believer and in the church.
Last week I spoke on the need for passion in our lives as Christians and I praise God for the incredible work that was done in many of your lives as you responded to the call. It is only natural then that we move into teaching on probably what is the most important life characteristics that helps to instill and maintain that passion within your lives. Last week many of you were broken which if you?ll remember from the story of Nehemiah births passion in our hearts. But the next thing that happened to Nehemiah was that his passion was deepened in prayer. And that friends is why it is important that I talk to you about prayer. I?ve entitled this series PrayerPak ? Lessons on Powerful Prayer and I?ll begin the series by talking this morning about my hero.
Before we go any further will you join me in prayer!
Illustration ? 1940?s “Manhattan Project”
SECRET PROJECT; precious few who knew about it.
To personnel at the assembly plant of the secret project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, it was know as Project “S-Y”
To the Joint Chiefs, it was known as “S-1″
To the head of the Department of War, “X”
To the scientists at Los Alamos, New Mexico, “The Gadget”, “Thin Man”, “Fat Man.”
August 6, 1945: Hiroshima, Japan. An 18 year old girl describes this “Secret” in her own words:
Kaz Suyeishi said: “It was a beautiful day. I had just finished breakfast, and my mother told me to go water the front yard. I went outside and saw a friend in the street and went to greet her. We started talking, and then we heard a B-29. It was a sound we knew well. I called it the angel, because it had never dropped a bomb to hurt us. Up in the sky we saw the beautiful airplane, just like a ballerina, dancing against a blue sky. I told my friend to wave at the angel, and then it was gone. The only difference was that this time it left a white spot up in the sky. I thought it was the parachute of an American pilot coming down in enemy territory. Then suddenly there was a very, very powerful yellowish-orange flash-like when you?re taking a picture and you use the flash ? only a hundred thousand times more powerful.”
This is the description of what was known as a secret power of the United States of America. A power that changed the world. I?m going to resume where I left off at the end of this message but I?d like to talk about the secret power of my hero. If you have ever read superhero comic books or seen movies with superheroes you?ve probably noticed that they have this super power that makes them heroes. Superman has his super strength, the ability to fly, and the miraculous “super” things he can do with his eyes and breath. Spiderman has his spider-sense and uncanny ability to climb walls and skyscrapers while wielding his spider web making abilities. Batman has super acrobatic abilities and a super-intelligence that allows his to craft nifty gadgets and devices that help him combat crime and solve baffling cases in mythical Gotham City. And if you know the stories of all these heroes you?ll also know that there is a secret behind the “power” that these heroes have. Superman is an alien from Krypton and gets his superpowers from the lower gravity and yellow sun of earth. Spidey got his power from the bite of a radioactive spider. Batman was birthed in the heart of an orphaned boy who saw his parents murdered and then vowed to avenge his parents death by fighting crime for the rest of his life.I suppose my hero has a “super” power that distinguishes him too, a power that is greater than the atomic bomb, an ability or trait that accomplishes far more than any Superman, Batman, or Spiderman ever could and even more. But the difference with my hero is he wants all of us to know this power and the secret behind His power is available to anyone who chooses it.
Luke 11:1 (NIV)
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
My hero is Prayerman! And his name is Jesus. And the secret of Jesus? power was prayer. This morning for the first message in this series on prayer I think it is important I begin with taking a look at the life of Jesus because as our model there is so much He teaches about prayer. There are so many instances recorded in the gospel accounts that involve Jesus either teaching about prayer or praying Himself. And so I?ll begin this morning by taking a survey of Prayerman?s take on prayer!
JESUS PRAYED TO KEEP HIS PRIORITIES IN HEAVENLY ORDER
Prayerman teaches us that time alone spent with God helps us to keep our priorities straight.
Luke 5:15-16 (NIV)
15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Jesus had just healed a leper (v. 13) and the news about Jesus spread throughout the area. People started hearing about this super-guy in the neighborhood and came to hear him and be healed. But notice Jesus? response to this sudden swelling of popularity. He withdrew and prayed.
There are other instances when Jesus withdrew from the crowds to pray alone:
Matthew 14:23 (NIV)
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,(see also Mark 6:46; John 6:14,15)
After feeding more than 5000 people, Jesus immediately dismissed His disciples and the crowd and went to pray alone until evening. The text in John says that the reason He withdrew was because the people wanted to make him king by force.
The people were amazed by this miraculous sign and began to say,
John 6:14 (NIV)
14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
They were in a state of expectation for a long time and were hungry for liberation from their Roman rulers. When they saw and experienced Jesus? miracle ? excitement and ambition overcame them. The people and the disciples were not looking for a suffering Savior, but a conquering King. Here was Jesus? chance to use His power to destroy the Roman yoke and to establish a glorious kingdom on earth. Undoubtedly Satan was repeating his previous temptation to Christ when both met face to face in the desert: “All this I will give you” (Mat. 4:9). Jesus discerned the danger. How was He able to resist such temptation? He could be famous, powerful, rich, and rule the world! He wouldn?t have to suffer criticism, persecution, attacks and death; He would be everyone?s hero! What was His secret?
Mark 6:45-46 (NIV)
45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
At this crucial moment, Jesus sought to be alone with His Father for added strength and to seek His Father?s approval, not the peoples?
Matthew 26:36 (NIV)
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”(see also Mark 14:32)
In the garden of Gethsemane, He prayed apart from Peter, James and John, HIS CLOSEST FRIENDS. Going a little farther from where his three disciples were, Jesus sought to pour out his heart to His Father. This was not a public prayer; Jesus agonized with a supreme agony that no human being could ever bear or understand. This prayer was to be prayed alone. Besides, His disciples could not understand such a prayer. The words of Jesus, “If it be possible, take this cup from me” were intimate and heartfelt words that only the Father could understand.
Jesus prayed in order to keep his priorities in heavenly order. He prayed to keep his focus on what was his priority on earth. And in doing so Jesus modeled for us that time alone spent with God helps us to keep our priorities straight. Helps us determine what is important, what is more important, and what is most important.
JESUS PRAYED IN ORDER TO PERCEIVE AS GOD PERCEIVES.
Luke 6:12 (NIV)
12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Jesus spent an entire night praying to God and then the next morning, He chose the twelve disciples. He spent the entire night in prayer because He was about to make one of the most important choices in His entire life and ministry: to choose who would carry on the work that He began here on earth. But look at who He chose! Impetuous Peter; doubting Thomas; The thunderous James and John; Matthew the thief; skeptical Philip. Couldn?t He have made some better choices? Well, looking back through the glasses of time we see that Jesus made the best choices! Why, because he spent time in prayer! He purposely spent the entire night communing with the Father in order to receive guidance.
The prosperity and spread of the Gospel was to depend on these 12 rough men! Choices made in the midst of prayer. Jesus, the Prayerman, teaches that time alone spent with God helps us to see as God sees and not as man sees.
1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
God sees possibility and victory where we see impossibility and defeat. God sees potential where we see pollution. God sees hope where we see loss. And the only way we can perceive as God perceives is to tap in through prayer. Do you have huge decisions on the horizon? Are there things in life that are puzzling you? Then its time to pray.
JESUS PRAYED IN ORDER TO REMEMBER AND REINFORCE HIS PURPOSE IN LIFE
Mark 1:35 (NIV)
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Jesus was staying at Peter?s house (v29) in Capernaum (vs. 21). It was Saturday night because they left the synagogue to go to his home (vv. 29,32). Verse 33 states that the whole town gathered at the door after sunset. They arrived at night because they did not want to be healed on the Sabbath for fear of the rabbis.
From the homes, the shops, the market places, the inhabitants of the city pressed toward the humble dwelling that sheltered Jesus?Hour after hour they came and went; for none could know whether tomorrow would find the Healer still among them.
Not until the last sufferer had been relieved did Jesus cease His work. It was far into the night when the multitude departed, and silence settled down upon the home of Simon. The long exciting day was past, and Jesus sought rest. (Ellen G. White, “The Desire of Ages” p. 259)
Early in the morning, Jesus “snuck” out of the house while it was still dark to be alone with the Father. When His disciples finally woke up, they didn?t find Jesus in the house. They went looking for him because already the people returned to see Jesus. But Jesus was not satisfied to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonder worker or a healer of physical diseases. He was seeking to draw men to Him as their Savior. His answer to His disciples must have disappointed them: “Let us go somewhere else- to the nearby villages ? so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (v. 38)
Jesus prayed in order to remember and reinforce his purpose in life. In Luke 9: 18 Jesus was praying in private and after His prayer, He asked His disciples who they thought He was. The clear lesson then is that time spent alone with God helps us to know our purpose and mission in life.
CONCLUSION
Do you see the progression here? As you spend time in prayer ? following the example of Jesus Christ ? His priorities become your priorities because you are perceiving things the way God sees them and as a result you?ll understand God?s purpose and mission for your life!
The atomic age began on August 6, 1945. The bomb was nicknamed “Little Boy” and was the equivalent of 20,000 tons of TNT. It was loaded onto Lieutenant Colonel Paul Tibbets? B-29 christened Enola Gay, after his mother.
When bombardier Tom Ferebee pulled the trigger to release “Little Boy” on Monday, August 6, 1945 at 8:15am. It descended in 43 seconds. The Enola Gay and its escorts then banked over the site while crew members took pictures, then prepared to flee, the most dramatic hit-and-run in history. But first Lieutenant Colonel Tibbets turned the B-29 to bring ruined city into view. The image of devastation was stunning. “My God,” wrote co-pilot Robert Lewis, “what have we done?”
When the bomb exploded, it completely destroyed 5 square miles of the city of Hiroshima. But the bomb never made contact. It never hit the ground. It was programmed to detonate 2000 feet above Hiroshima.
An air-detonated nuclear weapon produces energy roughly in the proportion of 50 percent in blast, or shock waves; 35 percent in heat, or thermal radiation; and 15 percent in short-and long-term nuclear radiation. The shock wave, a very high-pressure front, propagates outward at supersonic speed [more than a mile a second]. It?s arrival is experienced as a sudden and shattering blow followed by hurricane-force winds. The thermal radiation generated by a nuclear explosion travels at the speed of light and can burn all combustible materials for miles around. (Excerpted from Compton?s Interactive Encyclopedia CD.)
This was the “Manhattan Project,” the United States? secret power.Jesus had a secret power as well, only it is not really a secret. It has been revealed in the gospels and handed down to us.Jesus found His power in privacy with God. Time spent alone with the Father resulted in power: power to see as God sees, to make the best decisions, to keep His priorities in heavenly order, to please and gain popularity with the Father and not with people, to remember our mission and purpose in life.Jesus, my hero, as our example, PRAYERMAN!
When we spend time alone with Jesus, we receive power from heaven.
The Holy Spirit descends, not in 43 seconds like the bomb, but at the speed of thought. And He doesn?t stay 2000 feet in the air to do His work from above, but penetrates our inner being and detonates in our hearts to do His work from within.
Co-pilot Robert Lewis, on seeing the effects of the world?s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima said, “My God, what have we done?? Those who have been called out of this world by God ? you and me ? can see the effects when we spend time alone with our heavenly Father and with praise declare, “My God, what you have done!”
The A-bomb?s explosion resulted in a shock wave ? a sudden and shattering blow ? travelling at supersonic speeds followed by hurricane force winds and thermal radiation that burns all combustible material for miles around.
As a fruit of time spent alone with Jesus, there is also a “shock wave” : people around us will be shocked by the transformation of our lives.
As a fruit of time spent alone with Jesus, there is also thermal radiation: people around us will feel the heat of God?s love and be warmed by it.
If Jesus, in His humanity, felt it necessary to spend time alone with the Father, how much more should we do so?
Will you? Will you be a person of prayer as Jesus was?