Shameless Audacity 7/21/2019

Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  40:16
0 ratings
· 252 views

If we will pray with shameless audacity God will answer our prayer!

Files
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →

Introduction

Can you believe that it is already the last few days of July? It is hard to believe the year has passed so quickly already.
In August we are moving from having church wide prayer one Saturday a month to having it weekly on Monday night. This is a move that is past due, God has been dealing with me for sometime that we need to promote more prayer. I am not always quick to make changes, I would rather move a little slower and upset the ship a little less than to constantly make sweeping changes.
But it is time for this church to move aggressively toward the purpose God has for us. The only way it comes to pass is through becoming a people of prayer!
Today I want to preach under the title of Shameless Audacity. I am preaching on the topic of prayer.
Luke 11:5–13 NKJV
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Understand: God wants us to bring our needs before Him in prayer.
Jesus exhorts us to be audacious in bringing our requests before God.
Hebrews 4:16 NKJV
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In Luke 11 our Lord gives similar instructions.
Luke 11:8 NKJV
I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
He will not rise and give because he is his friend. It will be because of his persistence. At some point the friend in bed is going to get up and give him as many as he needs… “Just give me some peace.”
This principle of prayer is response to a request by Jesus disciples.
Luke 11:1 NKJV
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
The disciples saw in Jesus approach to prayer something they felt they needed to learn. Jesus prayer was effective.
James the half brother of Jesus knew the kind of prayer that had an impact.
James 5:16 NKJV
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Prayer’s Effectiveness

History is made and changed by prayer.
Your spiritual life is made and changed by prayer. The prayers you pray are the most effective spiritual thing you can do for any situation.
God intervenes in the affairs of individuals because of prayer.
God intervenes in families because of prayer.
God will intervene in churches in response to prayer.
In fact, God has changed the destiny of nations because His people united together in fasting and prayer.
In 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 Judah was being threatened by an armed invasion. King Jehoshaphat called the whole nation to pray and fast. All of the nation of Judah stood before the Lord. Husbands, wives, and their little children all stood before God in prayer and fasting.
God responded by turning the three nations who had come to invade Judah against one another.
2 Chronicles 20:24 NKJV
So when Judah came to a place overlooking the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude; and there were their dead bodies, fallen on the earth. No one had escaped.
In Jonah 3, the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah’s warning of judgment when the King proclaimed a fast for the people and the animals.
Nineveh was spared from destruction for nearly two centuries.
Jonah 3:10 NKJV
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

God wants an intercessor

When Israel had turned away from God and had started to worship the idols of neighboring nations. God wanted to spare Jerusalem from judgement.
He sought someone to stand in the gap before Him.
Ezekiel 22:30–31 NKJV
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.
No one could be found that would pray.
We are called to prayer. We are called to stand in the gap for those who are blind to truth and have turned away from God.

Prevailing prayer

There is no prayer like the prayer made in the right season, a prayer able and capable to make change. We call those prayers, prevailing prayers.
Every prayer has the opportunity to be a prevailing prayer because we pray to a prevailing God!
Elijah prayed and fire fell. Elijah prayed and false prophets fell. Again Elijah prayed a little cloud appeared and the rain fell.
Elisha prayed and the waters of the Jordan River rolled back. He prayed again, and a child was restored to life.
Hezekiah prayed and the shadow on the sundial moved backward as God turned time back. He prayed again, and his life was prolonged fifteen years.
Moses prayed
Exodus 32:32 NKJV
Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
Joshua prayed, the sun and moon stood still until victory was gained.
Hannah prayed and Samuel was born.
Prayer works!
Prayer still works!
Twelve hundred men met Charles Spurgeon every Monday night for a prayer meeting.
John Wesley prayed two hours a day and preached no less than four times a day until in his eighties.
David Brainerd carried such a burden for the Native American people that on one occasion while walking through deep snow he fell upon his face and prayed. He prayed until his clothes were wet with sweat; the sweat turned to ice and his clothes froze. He wrestled for the souls of the people he loved.
John Knox prayed, “God, give me Scotland or I die.”
Well on in age, he needed help getting into the pulpit. Then as he prayed for the lost souls of Scotland his strength would multiply and the pulpit would shake, threatening to fall apart under the thunder of his burdened preaching.
One writer wrote that “Queen Mary of Scotland once said of John Knox that she feared his prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.”
Queen Mary filled the jails with Protestants who were hunted down. John Knox was so stirred that for hours upon his face he pleaded before God for Scotland.
In one of these seasons of prayer John Knox sprang to his feet declaring “Deliverance has come! Deliverance has come!”
Already a rider had been dispatched with the proclamation that Queen Mary was dead.
If we consider the history of all church revivals:
The days of Luther, Wesley, Finney, and Moody were characterized by the power of prayer. Those revivals began with prayer and ended because their followers neglected prayer.
The great pentecostal movement that started at the turn of the previous century started with prayer. They shook the cities of Los Angeles and Houston with miracles, signs and wonders because of prayer.
What started with 60 people at an old church went on for three years at Azusa street. Growing to more than 1500 trying to pack into that little church.
People from a diversity of backgrounds came together to worship: men, women, children, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated. People of all ages flocked to Los Angeles with both skepticism and a desire to participate. The intermingling of races and the group's encouragement of women in leadership was remarkable, as 1906 was the height of the "Jim Crow" era of racial segregation, and fourteen years prior to women receiving suffrage in the United States.
Worship at 312 Azusa Street was frequent and spontaneous, with services going almost around the clock. The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers were not kind in their description:
“The night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers, who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve racking attitude of prayer and supplication.
They claim to be filled with the spirit. They have a one eyed, illiterate, Negro as their preacher who stays on his knees much of the time with his head hidden between the wooden milk crates. He doesn't talk very much but at times he can be heard shouting, ‘Repent,’ and he's supposed to be running the thing ... They repeatedly sing the same song, ‘The Comforter Has Come.’”
A prophecy was given during this revival, at some unknown point by some unknown person. Nearly a hundred years later, it sounds a warning for us in the Apostolic movement ...
“In the last days three things will happen in the great Pentecostal Movement ... there will be an overemphasis on power, rather than on righteousness; there will be an overemphasis on the gifts of the Spirit, rather than on the Lordship of Christ; there will be an overemphasis on praise, to a God they no longer pray to.”
We have to have prayer!

Shameless Audacity

Luke 11:5–6 NKJV
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
The neighbor kept up the audacious knocking and asking and finally got what he wanted.
It was not because of friendship.
Jesus told a parable of a woman who refused to take no for an answer. She needed and wanted justice. The Judge got weary of her coming.
Luke 18:4–5 NKJV
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.’ ”
Her greatest hurdle was the judge. She kept petitioning in spite of his rejection.
Luke 18:7–8 NKJV
And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Jesus gave us a model for prayer. His intention was not our repeating His words. But for to come shameless with audacity to ask what He has promised us.
Altar Music
He gave simple instructions.
Ask, seek, knock.
Luke 11:9–10 NKJV
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11:13 NKJV
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
This is His promise. The promise of receiving the Holy Spirit. The same experience as was poured out in Acts 2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.
Acts 2:1 NKJV
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:4 NKJV
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:33 NKJV
Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit. You now see and hear.
Acts 2:37–39 NKJV
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Luke 11:13 NKJV
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
If you have not experienced it yet… ask, seek, knock until you have experienced it!

Conclusion

We are on the verge of the greatest revival. All revivals begin with prayer - persistent, prevailing prayer - audacious prayer.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more