Date:      4th February 2007                                                                  (Sunday AM)                                                                       Ref: A0285

Place:     Kambah P.S.

Title: Breakthrough

Text:        & Matthew 17:14-21

Illust:     “Up in a little town in Maine, things were pretty dead some years ago. The churches were not accomplishing anything. There were a few godly men in the churches, and they said, “Here we are, only uneducated laymen, but something must be done in this town. Let us form a praying band. We will all center our prayers on one man; who shall it be!”

“They picked out one of the hardest men in town, a hopeless drunkard, and all centered their prayers on him. In a week he was converted. They centered their prayers on the next hardest man in town, and soon he was converted. Then they took up another and another, until within a year, two or three hundred were brought to Christ, and the fire spread out into the surrounding country.

I.                   What Do You Want?

A.               Can’t Hit a Target You Can’t See

i.                 One of the 1st lessons I learnt in sales was the concept of goal setting. This is the basic foundational issue for all success in Sales. I could go further & say all business, indeed life. What are your goals, what do you want to achieve?

         In Melbourne a few weeks ago for the Annual Managers kick-off meeting. There the boss laid out the results from last year & his targets for the coming year. – Everything we do will be measured in relation to those targets.

         “The best marksmen in the world can’t hit a target in the fog”

ii.               This same principle applies in your marriage. ~ At the Marriage Retreat Pr Vicary made the comment that he goes away once a year for a week just with his wife & one of the things that they do is evaluate & refine their goals for their marriage.

iii.             Also applies to your walk with God. Where do you want to be? Do you have a goal to read through the Bible, to study more, to be used by God more? What are your spiritual goals?

B.               Breakthrough Where?

i.                 This brings me to the heart of the issue this AM, What do you want? We may talk about breakthrough, but the question is breakthrough where? – Our text & vs 14-16 – The Father is very specific, not coming with a general desire to see revival in Judea, witness the supernatural. No He has a need, he has a goal. The healing of his son.

ii.               What is your need, what are you going to pray for? If you want to see a breakthrough; Finances, relationships, employment, health, emotional/mental struggles, salvation of the lost. Supernatural gifts; I want to encourage you to get specific. Write out a list.

iii.             In sales & business, targets/goals are realistic but designed to be a stretch. If you sold $10m last year then this year we want $12m. The key is though they have to be realistic. If not, everybody just looks at it & goes, not going to happen. ~ Morale drain. In the Kingdom of God, do we need to set realistic goals? Absolutely

         Jeremiah 32:17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. (NKJV) – Realistically we can pray for anything in the will of God. Nothing is too hard for God ~  Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? (NKJV)

         Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. (NKJV) God can intervene & save in any situation – Is it realistic to pray for the leaders of the bikie gangs / organised crime figures / those in the pornography industry / drug dealers / goths / heavy metal heads / your family members? – Absolutely it is ~ 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (NKJV)

II.                 Focussed Prayer

A.               Lay It Before the Lord

i.                 In our illustration the church members got sick of the status quo & determined they wanted breakthrough. They identified that that meant they wanted to see people saved. This led to focussed, combined, prayer.

ii.               & 2 Kings 19:14-19 - Hezekiah needs a breakthrough, his city is besieged by the brutal Assyrians, Hezekiah takes the need to the only place that makes sense. He lays it out before the Lord. – Focussed, God here is the need please move.

iii.             How much do we struggle with, how powerless do we feel in life, what needless loads do we carry all because we fail to do the one thing that makes sense, bring the need before God.

B.               Wrestle with the Angel

i.                 Here is where we need to understand what is needed for breakthrough. We live in the instant gratification generation, If you want to buy it now, you can put it on a credit card / so called “interest free” con’s (I mean loans), fast food, drive through everything (dry cleaners, coffee shops, Food outlets)

ii.               Nobody wants to struggle or press through for anything anymore, If an answer doesn’t come immediately, then you give up in discouragement thinking nothing is going to happen? – The bible encourages us to persevere

iii.             Jacob & Gen 32:34-30 – Jacob refused to let go, until he received his blessing. A new name, a breakthrough in his character.

iv.             Are you prepared to persevere, to press through, to get up in the morning to pray, to stay up all night to bring a need before the Lord. Could you not tarry one hour, could you not tarry all night! – How desperate are you for a breakthrough?

III.              Breakthrough Power

A.               One Who is Hungry

i.                 Lastly this AM, we want to look at prayer’s supercharger

         A supercharger is an air compressor used to force more air (and hence more oxygen) into the combustion chamber(s) of an engine  This allows it to burn more fuel in a given cycle - which in turn makes it produce more power.

ii.               & vs. 21 – Fasting. Not a hunger strike, not a weight loss program but a spiritual discipline pursued as a means of saying ‘God, I am serious’ – The focus we need to have comes from an understanding of the Greek word translated fasting

          The Meaning of the Word. nḗstis means “one who has not eaten,” “who is empty,” then “who fasts.” nēsteúō means “to be without food or hungry,” but mostly “to fast.” The noun nēsteía means “suffering hunger,” usually “fasting.”[1]

iii.             An acknowledgement that you want to be empty, empty of the things of this world, empty of carnal desires, of your own strength & ability. - “Lord I can’t do anything on my own. I am desperate for you to move”

B.               Filled with the Power of God

i.                 Unlike TM, you don’t want to be empty for the sake of being empty, the goal is to be filled, but instead of carnal fleshly desires. Your desire needs to be, to get filled with the presence & the power of God.

         & 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 – Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast ~  & 2 Chr 20:14-17 – he see’s a major breakthrough!

ii.               God can turn around any circumstance, change any heart, Lazarus was dead, had been for 4 days & when Jesus moved, even death was no obstacle.

iii.             I would encourage you to be involved in Fellowship fasts / Personal fasts. – Not because it is what “we do” but because you want to see breakthrough, you want to say; ‘God, I am serious about this.’ You will pray specifically and & want to supercharge your prayers, symbolically saying, by going without food ‘I empty myself, so that you can fill me’. – God I want a breakthrough!

iv.             Who will you pray & fast for – specifically

         Conference Pastors – Enough flyers, even if not going you can still take one to pray for the preachers

         Family members you want to see saved

         Desperate need in your life

         Victor, Kylie, Emmanuel

IV.             Altar Call

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[1]Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. 1995, c1985. Theological dictionary of the New Testament. Translation of: Theologisches Worterbuch zum Neuen Testament. W.B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, Mich.