In Jesus Name
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Mr. Hilton
Mr. Hilton
This Thursday there is something of a holiday called the national day of prayer. Well it's not a day that we get off work or school it is something that has been set aside by Congress, initially a day other than a typical Sunday for the nation to pray to God. As hard to believe as it is, that our country would have such a day at all, It may be harder to imagine that it was in the great grandfather of Paris Hilton who hosted the first national day of prayer.
He said this about prayer, and please remember I am reading these words verbatim. They are his not mine:
It took a war and the frightening evil of Communism to show the world that this whole business of prayer is not a sissy, a counterfeit thing, Rather it is a part of man’s personality, without which he limps.
The language may seem a little crude to us today, the point that he is making in the vernacular of the time is that having experienced war it should be evident to a nation that prayer is a needful thing. And he goes on to reject the idea that prayer is a thing reserved only for the weak when he says that man can’t even walk, unless he walks in prayer. It is prayer, that brings strength even if it is also a refuge for the week.
This morning I hope you'll consider with me the necessity of prayer. What prayer is. What prayer isn’t and how we should approach this day set aside on the first Thursday in May, every year.
Our message this morning is entitled In Jesus Name
Let’s Pray
History
History
Before the establishment of a official yearly call to prayer there were several calls for national prayer throughout our history. Once such was that called for by the Continental Congress for a day of fasting and prayer ion June 1, 1774. It was a prayer protest. Shortly before parliament in England had passed the Boston port act, it was an act punishing Boston as a whole for the acts of the Boston tea party.
In a country that has seen everything from marches sit-ins and even riots as modes of protest, prayer being an active protest seems a little odd. It was even odder is the language that was used to call people to protest.
The proclamation issued by congress was for this:
A day of publick humiliation, fasting and prayer ; that we may, with united hearts and voices, unfeignedly confess and deplore our many sins, and offer up our Joint supplications to the all- wise, omnipotent, and merciful Disposer of all events; humbly beseeching him to forgive our iniquities, to remove our present calamities, to avert those desolating Judgments with which we are threatened, and to bless our rightful Sovereign, King George the Third, and inspire him with wisdom to discern and pursue the true interest of all his subjects ...
I can't help but notice what a different tone of discourse we read here. Today we have a nation that has differences for sure, but the lack of charity on both sides of the political divide is nearly absolute.
We can take a great lesson from the fathers of our nation and that even before they go to prayer they do so with the admonition to go to prayer and humiliation and in fasting. I can't help but wonder what it would be that would so move the Christians of this country today to skip a meal much less posture their hearts and humility through the act of fasting.
What is more surprising is that they specifically request for the colonists to call out to God, not for their own blessing, but for the blessing of the king. The blessing of the very person who was the source of their discontent.
And this call to prayer closed in this way:
And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for publick worship, and to abstain from servile labour and recreation on said day.
It was a call for unity in Christ.
Interfaith
Interfaith
In 2008 Ravi Zacharias was asked to lead the nation in prayer, for the National Day of Prayer. After his death, we learned a lot about Ravi that was unbecoming of a Christian, but his decision about this prayer bothered me even back then. He chose to not pray in Jesus name. And he did this so as to not offend Jewish participants.
I am not the person who gets upset when churches get together for some cause or another. Now, there are definitely differences between denominations. I would agree that many of those differences would make it impossible to have close fellowship. But I think we could agree on many of the fundamentals of our faith, and count these as Christian brothers and sisters in Christ.
When I was a kid growing up I would go camping once a month with our scout troop. On most trips my Dad would take the entire troop to church, but a few times a year we would have large camporee’s, gatherings of a dozen or more troops around the area. We we had those outings there were often church services on Sunday mornings. Typically Catholic and Non-Denominational. Sometimes there would be one that was specifically baptist, but not often.
When I got back into scouting as an adult I found that they did away with non-denominational services in favor of interfaith services. The goal of the service is to have a meeting that is acceptable to Christians of every denomination, Jewish people, Muslims, Hindu’s etc. At this meeting they would encourage scouts, even scouts that were strictly Christian to proclaim the wisdom of not just Christ but Buddah and Muhammad and Zoroaster.
I decided that this is something that my son’s troop will not participate in. I can’t understand how anyone who is serous about their faith could not be offended, Christian or otherwise, by a service like this. The effort here is to proclaim all religions as equal in a sort of organization approved universalism.
Without Christ
Without Christ
We can’t have worship with Christ and we know the exclusivity of the Cross. Acts 4:12 reads
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
This is a message that was delivered by Peter to a Jewish council that had them arrested for preaching the gospel. Peter preceded this by telling the Jewish people that it was they, the Jewish people who had crucified the Son of God. That every name which they needed to call upon in order to be saved.
In Gal 5:11 Paul writes
11 And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.
He makes the point that in rejecting the traditions of other religions, Judaism here specifically, the cross is an offence. The gospel is offensive. I have to warn that it should be the gospel that is offensive and not behavior or spirit of the Christian. Nevertheless, The gospel will be offensive.
Universalism
Universalism
Does that mean that we can’t meet together and pray together with people of other religions? Yes — I am afraid it does.
In Exodus 34:14 we read the 1st of the 10 commandments. Exodus 34:14
14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
The word Jealous seems to come up here a couple of times, one would get the idea that God, the creator of the universe doesn’t want to share his glory!
In 2 Kings 18:4, a passage we just referenced in the previous sermon series, we read of Hezekiah
4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
So what does a righteous king do? He removes the all of the places where false gods could be worshiped.
We don’t live in a theocracy. Unfortunately we don’t have prophets of God guiding our leaders with direct revelation. For us to live in a country that limited freedom of religion, ours or otherwise would be a mistake and we have thousands of years of history for our example.
But it should still grieve us. Not just concern us, but grieve us when we see false gods given the glory Christ deserves. It should grieve us to see people reject Christ while fortified by their religion against conversion.
A Call for Prayer
A Call for Prayer
I do believe that there should be a call for prayer in this country, and I wish it would look like what was called for by the continental congress.
Public Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer. Things I am afraid that one-by-one have been removed from our Christian life
Public Humiliation
Public Humiliation
Consider public humiliation. This doesn’t mean to go out and be humiliated in public. The continental congress wasn’t calling on us being tarred and feathered in the city square. They were employing the people of America to be humbled. To bow their knees before God and call upon his wisdom and grace. To put their desires and their wisdom under that of an All Mighty God.
Fasting
Fasting
Fasting is another thing. I don’t know ever of a church intentionally calling their congregation to a time of fasting. I don’t even know how many people would even know what to do if such a call were made.
Fasting is something that has left the American Christian vernacular. It clearly left in the time since 1774 because it was well expected enough in at the time for it to be called for by the Congress.
In reality, most in the church don’t know what the purpose of fasting is. Or why to fast, or when. David wrote this in Ps 35:13
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
David fasted to humble his soul. Fasting is to give us a more humble posture as we approach God.
James 4:6 says
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
If we are truly seeking the grace of God, then we should be fasting. It is almost a gauge for us to know how serious we are about approaching God with the concerns of our heart.
Prayer
Prayer
But most importantly the call is for prayer. When our heart aches we should go to God in prayer. When we don’t know what we should do, we should go to God in prayer, we should go to prayer for all of our needs.
And we should be careful as well. I wonder how many people pray for the leaders of their country even when they don’t agree with them. It’s no big secret that I am not on the same side of the political aisle as our current administration — but consider this prayer by the Continental Congress. They asked for King George the Third to be blessed. The differences were so great between congress and the King that they would shortly thereafter declare independence and go to war over that declaration.
But they prayed for the Kings blessing anyway. And for the King to be endowed with the wisdom of God. I think this Thursday if you take time out of your day to pray for our nation, that is what your prayer ought to be. A prayer for America’s leaders to have the wisdom of God. A prayer for our leaders to deliver our country to success. And a pray that they seek Christ.
We can wonder in any economy how we will be provided for. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
But just like Jesus response in v33 I believe if our leaders have their priorities straight everything else will follow. Because as Jesus said
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Let’s Pray
