Draft on Prayer

Sermon Studies on the Old Testament (ILCW Series C) The Text: Genesis 18:20–32

God graciously received Abraham’s bold requests, again, not on the basis of Abraham’s inherent virtue, but because of God’s divine mercy.

Sermon Studies on the Old Testament (ILCW Series C) The Text: Genesis 18:20–32

We present our requests with the same confidence as we are invited by our Father. Through the Lord Jesus, who as our Priest and Intercessor has cleansed us of our sins and declared us acceptable before God, we have confidence to enter God’s presence as his dear children (Gal 4:6, 7; Heb 4:14–16; 10:19–25).

Sermon Studies on the Old Testament (ILCW Series C) The Text: Genesis 18:20–32

As a footnote to the text, we observe that God didn’t grant Abraham’s prayer—at least not in the way he requested it.

Sermon Studies on the Old Testament (ILCW Series C) The Text: Genesis 18:20–32

“May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak” (v. 30)

To burn, or to be inflamed with anger.

Prayer Knows No Limits, and we know that God wants and invites us to come to him and pray as Abraham did; therefore, we can be confident we are doing God’s will when we pray boldly and confidently. Why? Because

Persistent Prayer is Pleasing Prayer

Genesis 18:20–23 NKJV

And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

Abraham’s prayer didn’t begin with Abraham presuming to approach God; the Lord initiated it with a gracious invitation (vv 17–18).

The Lord starts the conversation, and those verses tell why.

To say “all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in” Abraham is a promise of the Messiah; all people will be blessed because one of Abraham’s great-great-great descendants would be the Christ.

Jesus would bless all nations by reconciling the world to God, bringing us back into a relationship with the heavenly Father.

And get this:

The Lord as he stood speaking to Abraham was none other than this Christ, long before he would become incarnate, a true human being, as Jesus of Nazareth.

This Lord himself invited Abraham to pray to him because of the Messiah he would be.

God invites us to pray to him because of Jesus.

Illustration: In confirmation class, I ask, “Does God always answer prayer?” The answer I normally get is “Yes, but sometimes the answer is ‘No.’ ” It’s then that I begin teaching about prayer. I tell my students that the answer to my first question is “No. God doesn’t always answer prayer.” You see, I just said “prayer.” I didn’t say “Christian prayer.” I then use the New Testament to teach what it means for a Christian to pray “properly.”

Proper prayer, Christian prayer (which includes prayers of the Old Testament faithful people such as Abraham), is always through Jesus, the Christ.

We are privileged to go to the Father through the Son.

That’s because Jesus’ death on the cross took away the sin that separated us from God, that would have kept God from answering any of our prayers (Col 2:12–14).

Now, because those sins have been nailed to Jesus’ cross, we’re back together with God. He’s our dear Father; we’re his dear children. And the Father answers the requests of his children.

We plead for mercy “in Jesus’ name” because our merciful Jesus makes not only us acceptable to the Father but our prayers as well.

Genesis 18:23–32 NKJV

And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.”

Prayer is a merciful gift from the Lord that we often misuse and abuse.

Maybe we do sometimes approach the Lord in prayer as if it’s all about chutzpah.

We brazenly ask for whatever we want, not considering whether it’s in keeping with what he’s taught us in Scripture or whether it’s loving toward others.

An A on the exam (though I didn’t study), permission to go out (though my parents say it’s not safe), a date with ? (though his girlfriend won’t like that at all).

That new job (though my wife is afraid it’ll mean too much time away from family).

For the kids to move back closer to home (though that’s really all about what I want).

The Lord is often treated like a soda machine as we make our demands—as if we’re the ones calling the shots.

Often our “pleading” is a mask for ultimatums, that God better do as we want, or we’re through with him.

But it’s just as much misusing God’s merciful gift of prayer if we don’t approach God at all.

If we ignore praying altogether.

Too busy.

Too confident we can handle it on our own.

Or if we don’t pray because we don’t believe God cares to hear from us.

“Ah, he’s got too much going on to think about little old me.”

“I don’t deserve God’s help. Look at the mess I’ve made of my life.”

None of these is the way Abraham understood the Lord’s invitation to pray (vv 20–21, 23–24).

He knows he’s got no claim on God (v 27). He’s just dust and ashes.

He’s not dictating.

He’s begging, pleading.

But he does ask. He’s not afraid to pray and to ask for more, more, more.

Why? How can dust and ashes ask, even push, almighty God? And not be reprimanded by God for doing it? It’s because Abraham knew this:

Genesis 18:23–33 NKJV

And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the Lord went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

See how great is God’s mercy in answering prayer!

This is where Abraham’s story in our text gets really amazing (vv 23–33).

Why did Abraham care about Sodom? The city was so wicked!

Well, because his nephew Lot was now living there. Abraham wanted to save him.

Just as we all have special, personal, family concerns.

We may not think they’re a big deal to God, but look how the Lord answers.

Six straight times—count ’em—God says yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

And the bigger picture God had already answered even more wonderfully back in v 19: “that the Lord may [the Lord will!] bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

This is our promise as well: the Lord says yes in showering his mercy and peace upon us.

He allows us to address him in the faith he has given us in Baptism and which he continues to strengthen through Word and his Table.

We plead our case to him, trusting in his mercy for us fragile, fallen humans, knowing his mercy is new each morning and his grace sufficient for us in all times and places.

And that faith he creates and strengthens trusts firmly that his mercy always gives the best.

Conclusion:It’s not guts or moxie or chutzpah that lets us come before the all-knowing, all-powerful Lord. Prayer is a blessed privilege, a gift, given us from our merciful Father for the sake of his Son. That does mean, though, we can pray with the same forward boldness Abraham shows. We turn to the Lord in consistent, pleading prayer, leaning on his mercy, which always hears. Amen.

Introduction: Chutzpah. Moxie. Intestinal fortitude. Guts.

We’d be inclined to say Abraham had a lot of these in our Old Testament Reading today. He stands there before the Judge of all the earth and bargains. “Lord, how about this deal? Okay, you like that? Let me ask for a little more. Good. But, then, how about . . . ? Settled, except, maybe, you could throw in . . . And, as long as we’re talkin’, how about . . . ? Oh, and one more thing . . .” Chutzpah.

Except that doesn’t really describe Abraham’s attitude at all. He says, “I’m nothing but dust and ashes.” So, then, where does he come off talking to the Lord like that? Well, Abraham understood—and believed—what God would have us understand and believe today, that

The Lord Has Mercifully Gifted Us with Prayer,

that it’s not about us at all, about our moxie or guts or presumption. It’s about the Lord and his mercy and the gift he’s given us in prayer.