Only By Prayer
Notes
Transcript
A pastor had a little kitten stuck up in a tree, and the kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove until the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. As he moved just a little too far, the rope broke. The tree snapped upright and the kitten instantly sailed through the air and out of sight.
He felt just terrible and walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they had seen a little kitten. Nobody had and finally he prayed, “Lord, I commit this kitten to Your keeping,” and then went about his business.
A few days later, he was at the grocery store and met one of his church members. In her shopping cart he was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her why she was buying cat food when she hated cats so much.
She replied, “You won’t believe this, but I have been refusing to buy my little girl a cat even though she has been begging for one. Finally I told her that if God gives you a cat, I’ll let you keep it.
“I watched my child go out into the yard, get on her knees and ask God for a cat. Really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky with its paws spread out and landed right in front of her. Of course I had to let her keep the kitten because it came from God…”
I know we believe prayer changes things. But, I wonder whether we understand the real urgency in prayer.
Do we realize there are things God has ordained to take place as a result of His people praying?
The end of Chapter 17 has Israel coming up against an enemy other than Egypt for the first time...and I really feel the need to come at this passage from two angles. So, we will spend two weeks in it.
This week we look at the importance of prayer in the outworking of God’s will for the world and His people.
Going to Battle
Going to Battle
Exodus 17:8–16
8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Deut. tells us
It was a sneak attack. Now, isn’t that interesting? The enemies of God planning a sneak attack…playing dirty…sounds a lot like what we talked about a couple weeks ago with the tactics of Satan we ready about in 1 Peter.
We were encouraged to watch our flank…and it is from the rear that the enemy struck.
We’ve seen the amalekites before...when we studied Esther the enemy of the Jews was Haman the Agagite....so what’s an agagite?
Agag was the king of the Amalekites at the time Saul was the first king of Israel
The Amalekites were a nomadic people of the southern desert region who frequently raided Israel from the beginning of its history. This heathen nation had the dubious distinction of being the first people of the world to attack and try to destroy God’s newly formed covenant nation.
Because of this, God promised Moses that he would completely erase the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven and would be at war with them from generation to generation (Ex. 17:8–16).
In Deuteronomy 25:17–19, God commanded Israel, once they were settled in the land, to be agents of his promise and so war against the Amalekites as to blot out their memory forever.
In the years between Moses and King Saul, God gave Israel the land as promised. When Saul came to power, God instructed him through the prophet Samuel to “attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them,” and to “put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (1 Sam. 15:1–3). Saul did attack the Amalekites as commanded, but he took Agag their king alive and spared his life along with the best of the sheep and cattle, in disobedience to God’s command.
What we are seeing here is the beginning episode in a much larger story arc throughout the OT. But, lest we think this is just about historical battles between peoples, let’s think again. The spiritual attacks we’ve discussed lately are also key to understanding this …its ultimately about the assault on God’s people and purposes by the enemy Satan.
This is another evil attempt by the enemy to destroy God’s chosen people…to ruin God’s plan of redemption. Remember, Satan knows exactly how loving and gracious God is and HE HATES IT. In his deluded pride he thinks he can alter history, so he makes these attempts.
If you’ve ever been to Yellowstone park…or maybe have seen pictures or documentaries about the area you would remember all the interesting geologic features. There are the famous hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and steam vents all over the park.
The amazing thing we see on the surface tell a story about what is really happening under the surface. Below the woods, meadows, lakes…below the hotels, picnic tables, and visitors center is a massive dormant volcano. Yellowstone sits above a huge chamber of magma and what we see on the surface is only the visible results of whats really going on underground.
That’s what we’re seeing here in this story…the surface level effects of a much larger thing happening. We see the conflict between God and Satan bubble to the surface of our world in the garden, when Pharaoh refused to let them go, when the Amalekites attacked, when Saul tried to kill david, when the nations came up against israel, when Herod threatened to kill the firstborn, and on and on we can think of so many examples in Scripture…and beyond.
We can see Satan try to take down Peter…to see the apostles martyered…to see Nero burning Christians alive…to see a corrupt church emerge in the middle ages....to see persecution throughout church history and in our day. Its all part of the same story.
Its a reminder to us about who are enemy really is: 1 Peter 5:8–9 [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (ESV)
Ephesians 6:12 [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV)
Perseverance in Prayer
Perseverance in Prayer
Moses’ intercession
This isn’t just any battle.
Moses realizes the battle’s outcome according to God’s will is for him to keep interceding for the Israelites. If he fails to persist, the battle will be lost.
So with help...
The outcome of the battle is dependent on Moses’ intercession.
Now think about this…because we can twist this the wrong way…we can twist it by saying that if we only persist long enough God will be forced to do what we want.
And unfortunately many wolves in sheep’s clothing have told churchgoers that.
If you only believe hard enough, God is compelled to do what you ask.
But, we recognize that’s twisting Scripture....because it fails to account for a very important aspect…God’s will.
God isn’t going to be compelled. God acts according to His will and purposes…according to His character.
He cannot be bent and twisted to do as we wish. He is not a genie in a bottle.
BUT…what if we understood prayer not as a magical incantation…but rather as God’s ordained means to accomplish his purposes?
What if we correctly understood that God had planned things to happen through our prayers?
In other words…God not only ordains the ends…but he also ordains the means of how His will will be accomplished.
Prayer then becomes a huge responsibility…a huge privilege…a humbling thing.
But in our pride…in our strange way of looking at the world in our sin we sometimes relegate prayer to the margins.
We think of prayer as a last resort…or we think prayer somehow fills in the gaps where we can’t quite make it.
We think, like those who err, that our job in prayer is to try to reverse what God was doing....all the while forgetting that prayer really is part of God’s will.
Jesus’ disciples learned that lesson the hard way.
Mark 9:14–29
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Jesus wanted this to be a lesson to the disciples and to this father…so when he sees the crowd coming toward him he acts in haste to drive the demon out.
The demon fights to the very end again attacking the boy before fleeing…and it appears the demon has done a number on the boy. Whether he is dead or not is not the question. The reader knows it doesn’t matter, for Jesus has the power to resurrect or revive. But, for the father of the boy…his faith remained tested right to the end.
But the disciples are perplexed. He had sent them out previously with authority to cast out demons. So, why now were they not able to do so?
He answers about prayer. There are some things that can only be done thru prayer.
Prayer in faith. Faith is the key to prayer…trusting God’s promises…trusting His word.
So, as we use this gospel story to give us some shape to our Exodus passage and I want us to think about Moses’ reliance on God and how we can learn.
Three R’s…rests on outside power, recognizes weakness, returns to the cross.
Rests on Outside Power
Rests on Outside Power
The boy’s father was out of options. He was simply at the end of himself. He knew there was nothing more he could do for his son.
So, he throws himself upon Jesus. Just like the woman with the hemorage and the synogogue leader before…he casts himself in all his desparation upon Jesus.
But, he recognizes faith is not a work…faith is a rest…faith is a casting off.
We see this in Moses too. He recognizes God in the success of the battle. He isn’t relying on himself…he is looking to the Lord.
Moses could have so easily become a conceited man…look what I can do!
But in humility he sat down upon that rock with his hand being held up that the outworking of God’s will could be accomplished.
Maybe you’ve seen in movies and cartoons the guy on a bicycle attached to a generator powering something…keeping some catastophe from occuring by pedaling harder and harder.
I think sometimes this is how ppl view faith…that faith in Jesus is like being on a bike attached to a generator. We simply need to pedal harder to get God to work. But the opposite is true. This father sees that faith is rest…it is rest in something outside of himself. The one expressing true faith recognizes he has nothing to offer. He comes empty handed.
So, do you pray like everything depends on you…or do you pray like everything depends on God?
Don’t be so quick to answer. Our prayers can be woefully self-serving and prideful.
But true prayer rests on the character of God outside of us…it rests on the promises he has made…and it recognizes we cannot do anything without him.
Recognizes Weakness
Recognizes Weakness
The man believes but admits his faith is weak. He cries out in verse 24…i believe…help my...
True faith recognizes its own weakness…and this is important for every Christian to understand. In our lives as believers there will be seasons of strong faith and weak faith…of assurances and doubts. Why? Because of sin, of suffering, of trials, of times of prosperity and times of great need.
But notice, though this man’s faith is weak…it is barely hanging on…it is still saving faith. And this teaches us a valuable lesson…or reminds us of one anyway.
It is not the quantity of our faith…but in whom we trust
It is not how much faith we have but in whom our faith rests. Its not the amount of faith…it is the object of our faith…the Lord Jesus Christ.
Moses quickly realized his own weakness. He had to have a seat brought to him and his arm held up by two men.
He had no power to persist.
But out of that humility flows a reliance on God that can be found nowhere else but from the position of helplessness.
There are things in life we will only understand if we realize how weak we really are.
Unbelief is a reality we all face. Every child of God throughout their lives deals with unbelief. When we sin as Christians, you better believe unbelief in God’s promises is at the core of that sin.
John Calvin said, “We cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged with doubt, or any assurance that is not assailed by some anxiety. . . . Believers are in perpetual conflict with their own unbelief”
But, true faith recognizes that it is not about never experiencing unbelief but the reality that my faith…even as fragile as it may be at times…its not looking in but looking out.
It is not looking to me and my level of belief…it is instead looking to Jesus as the all-sufficient Savior. it is looking to his perfect sacrifice…his atonement for my sins…his perfect righteousness imputed to me. So, though unbelief is a reality…it is not the norm...
So, while we’re on the topic of unbelief let me briefly talk about assurance.
Assurance is something God desires for his children to have…to know they are His…yet theologians and pastors down through the centuries have recognized that assurance is a lifelong battle…one with many trials along the way.
I like how someone put it: many struggle with assurance because they direct their eyes within rather than without. Make no mistake, introspection serves its purpose in the Christian life. We are to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).
This is necessary and good. Yet, many Christians suffer from overzealous introspection. Like a medieval inquisitor, we lay our souls upon the rack and inflict torture with constant accusatory questions:
Do I bear enough of the fruit of the Spirit? Is my faith solid enough? Have I confessed and repented sufficiently? Have I tricked myself into thinking I am a believer? And all the while, we forget to look to our Savior in faith. The Great Shepherd’s promise, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28), seems too foreign to too many of His sheep.
These overzealous introspective types are often victims of bad theology…who have been beaten down by erroneous views of sanctification that highlight higher-life theology. They are fooled by people who have fooled themselves.
Brothers and sisters…if we are constantly looking inward without looking outside of us to our savior…we will always come up short. Look…introspection is commanded and beneficial…but introspection should always point us outward…to our need…when we inspect ourselves we will see more and more how much we need Jesus.
We all want to see ourselves grow in the faith…but we do not want to find ourselves trying to grow apart from gazing upon our perfect savior and then working out that salvation with fear and trembling.
Returns to the Cross
Returns to the Cross
True faith returns to the cross. Now, you may be thinking…no where in this passage does Jesus mention the cross and nowhere does Moses either obviously.
That’s true…but it nevertheless is an important part of what’s going on here in both passages. Jesus is calling his disciples to faith and growth as disciples. All of that is in the context of his teaching about himself and his purpose for coming to Earth. Moses sets up an altar to God’s power over the enemy…his might…his glory.
Moses’ faith was ultimately in God’s promises. And though he did not know God’s plan fully…Moses’ faith was not in himself, but in the Lord and the Lord’s ability to save.
The reality of faith is that it takes hold of Jesus…the Jesus who came to die and rise again. So, faith always finds itself returning to the finished work of Christ.
Don’t miss the aspect of suffering here. Suffering results in greater faith as faith is grown and matured in the fires of affliction. Suffering drives us back to the cross…back to Jesus to make sense of it…to bring peace to it.
The wilderness was hard…and Israel was learning some very difficult lessons through suffering.
Look at the great heroes of the Bible…why are they heroes? Not because of their personal abilities…many of them were weak and feeble.
No, they’re heroes because of how God demonstrated his power, mercy, and grace through them. But look at how those men and women were shaped…how God formed their character…through affliction, trial, testing, refining, repenting.
Abraham’s test with Issaic, Moses fleeing into the desert, David running for his life, David confronted with his sin, the disciples in a boat ready to capsize…a woman with a hemorage crawling through the dirt…Peter walking on water…Peter denying Christ…Stephen being stoned…John being exiled…the list goes on and on.
God continually brings his children to the place of total dependence…because there they learn all they have is Jesus…all they have is to rest on those promises…and then go forth serving from that place.
Though weak faith can save as long as it is rooted in the work of Christ…our faith a Christians should deepen and grow and that only happens through greater intimacy with our Lord.
Now, here Jesus is speaking of prayer specifically…but we know from other areas of Scripture that the other means of grace God uses to deepen our intimacy and faith. Corporate worship, fasting, the ministry of the Word, the ordinances…they all grow us closer to Jesus.
But, prayer drives us to Jesus…and that’s what the disciples needed to see and what we need to see…inability in ministry should not drive us deeper into ourselves but instead should drive us to prayer and dependence on God.
As someone said: the Lord blesses His people with the gift of prayer. What a relief this means of grace provides for the limping Christian. He grants to us the privilege and solace of crying out to Him, a cry granted only to His children. And our pleadings do not fall on deaf ears (Ps. 18:6).
They ascend into the very throne room of God. We speak into His ear and may do so with boldness (Heb.4:16). James says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). Let the Christian struggling with assurance cry out with the psalmist, “How long O Lord?” (Ps. 13:1). The desperate cries of God’s sons and daughters to their heavenly Father never fall on deaf ears. He loves to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11).