The danger of prayerlessness
Strong and Courageous • Sermon • Submitted
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How is your prayer life?
In process of moving house, complication of sorting the mortgage. Complicated - but thankfully Laura’s dad has a financial advisor who specialises in mortgages, and said I could contact him at any time. I’d be a fool not to get advice, seek his wisdom, and his help.
Today I want us to think about this. The creator God has given us open access to himself. We can talk to him at any time about anything and enjoy his perfect wisdom, recieve his help. Yet how often we fail to pray.
How often is the last thing we think of doing. Only when we are desperate or in moments of guilt or need.
Context.
Israelites journey. See how essential their relationship with God is - need to depend on him completely and listen to his word. Just re dedicated themselves to him.
Yet here chapter 9 - we find this bizzar twist, where God’s people find themselves bound to a promise they shouldn’t have made - and Matt next week going to help us think about that, but I wanted us to pause think about prayer, because middle of chapter 9 find this chilling phrase
they did not enquire of the LORD
God’s people find themselves caught out because they failed to pray.
Today want us to pause in this chapter to think about prayer.
Pray more!
Pray more!
Why we dont pray
Why we dont pray
Context - Nations perhaps hearing of first defeat of Ai decide to rise up in cause to destory Israel. Enemies og God.
Except one - people of Gibeon. These are ones author wants us to give attention to. Nearby land.
Whats the problem - God commanded Israel not to make covenants with nations around. - Canaanite
“I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you. Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”
Gibeon sneaky (illustrate)
Come up with a ruse v4.
What do they want - want to trick God’s people into making a deal to protect.
Same covenant peopel of Israel have with God. One of his protection and provision.
So they decieve.
they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.”
Israelites question, but in the end the evidence pursuades.
illustrate
adverts for stain removers
Danger of common sense. - v14, how are they duped?
The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.
Here is people whose whole mission is dependent solely on Lord’s power and provision, who all along has given them specific instruction, and provided all they need. And yet here faced with major decision. Turn back to self reliance. Evidence is there and the deal looks good.
Why author spend significant time on Gibeon ruse not on other armies.
Because our greatest spiritual danger lies not in the open opposition to God’s word but in the subtle deception of our hearts.
How does Satan drag us away from God, by luring us in to make allegiences with the world, by drawing us away from our dependence on him.
(exactly reason God did not want his people to make treatys with these local nations)
Why don’t we pray - because we are easily led into self reliance. We make all kind of decisions without consulting the Lord. jobs we take, the relationships we form, the commitments we make - as indivudals and a church.
(Local charities want to work with us)
Who we spend time with, significant conversation.
In every day we think we are okay on our own.
Problem for Israelites wasnt that they didnt think - it was that they didn’t pray
Particualrly true today. age of reason.
In age of intellect great danger that we let our logic and reasoning fade our the voice of God. We do not come to God because we do not think we need God.
illustration, sitting on busy train, reading
Striking is Israel weren’t without intelligience, they asked questions. perhaps even showed suspicion, but in made own judgemet
Self reliance is the killer of a healthy prayer life, and a dead prayer life shows a dead Christian
Why we should to pay
Why we should to pay
What is so suprising and mad about covenant they make in chapter 9 is that in previous weeks we’ve seen how uttlerly realiant they are on power of God.
In hebrew v2 “came together” one mouth - as one voice. Recognised need for each other to wage war against people of God.
But contrast people of Israel in v14 “did not inquire - same word, literally did not seek the mouth of God. God’s enemies with one mouth gathered to attack God’s people, and God’s peopel failed to seek wisdom of God, and instead made a treaty with the enemy.
They had common sence but lacked wisdom. And all they had to do was seek God by going to the high priest Eleazar. Just as with victory at Jericho and Ai, God would have delivered them from ruse of Gibeon.
Because Christian life, (all life) is utterly dependent on the power of God.
We are no more capable of living the Christian life that we are of becoming a Christian.
It’s only by the ressurection power of the Holy Spirit that we can know God, enjoy God and live for God.
"A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian”
Billy Graham
How often we make decisions in haste only to regret them.
How often do we make decisions but live in the anxiety of doubt
How often do we make decisions only based on worldly way of thinking. (Israelite problem), because our priorities are wordly priorities and not Kingdom priorities.
“He that lives a prayerless life, lives without God in the world”
Jonathan Edwards
Why should we pray - because prayer is declaration that we utterly dependent on God.
Illustration (from last week)
Heart - blood flowing out is God’s word
blood flowing in prayer - needs God to breath into us. Day after day. Includes every decision we make.
Prayer is an acknowledgement that we are uttelry dependent on God and his grace and a statement that we want to live under his authortiy.
Because we can!
People of God could have approrached God easily. God had given them preist to intercede. How much more true is this for us.
Appreciate the gospel. What has death & ressurection achieved for those who trust in him?
Forgiveness for sin yes but much more than that
Guilt and shame wiped away - yes but much more
Rescue from hell -yes but much more
eternal life in perfect kingdom yes but much more!
greatest offer in the gospel, is that by his blood Jesus has given us a new identy and a new relationship as children of the living almighty God.
We can call him Father.
We don’t need to go to a priest, Jesus is our highpreist, ascended and interceding for us.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Illustrate - prince Philip - access to the queen
We can walk into the throne room of the King of Kings because he is our heavenly Father in the Lord Jesus.
It’s not that we should pray its that we get to pray!
We have unlimited access to the one of infinate resources who knows us and loves us and wants what is truly best for us.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Israel didnt have the wisdom to see the ruse, the trap because they didnt ask for it!
Want wisdom? pray more!
Want to know God - talk to him!
Bad day, good day, normal day - tell your Father about it.
Big decision, small decision - seek his wisdom.
Like any parent, he loves it when his chidren come to him, and he delights to care for us, and give us what we need.
What are we to do - pray more. Talk to our heavenly Father.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
What are we to do as pepole of God - well just as central is the word to be, so is active prayer life.
Pray at centre with the word.
Wednesday mornings 9-10
Sunday morings from 9-9:15am
Prayer and rpaise once a month
Prayer and picnic
pray for each other
pray as you have conversations
pray as you walk to work
Pray before you make signficant decisions
Pray before you make small decisions
Pray about your motives
“Most Christians expect little from God, ask little and therefore recieve little and are contect with little.”
A.W.Pink
Lets pray
Prayer
Lord we need you.
We cannot live without you
Pause for own prayers to the LORD.
LORDS PRAYER