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weekly sermon 1-31-10
Power Of Prayer
I want to start this Sunday's message out with a little story. Some of you may have seen an email with this same story enclosed, but in any case this is that story.
In a small Texas town (Mt. Vernon), Drummond's bar began construction on a new building to increase their business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers.... Work progressed right up till the week before opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means. The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not."
I had a discussion with a young lady last night concerning this same subject. She was talking about how many various religions do not stand up for what they truly believe. Her backing on making this statement was how many religious bodies will shove in your face what they believe, but when truly faced they back down. I asked her and myself why it was so. Why do we as believers want to tell others about our religious beliefs but when it truly affects our personal lives we tend to back down and let our belief system take a back seat? The story told above is one example of that very same thing. The church folks there prayed vehemently for something to happen to keep this bar from opening and when God answered their prayers they were elated right up to the point when it affected their own personal church lives. The church body denied that they had anything to do with it at all. The statement the judge made is what really got me to thinking.
The bar owner MUST have believed in the power of prayer because he whole lawsuit was based on the fact that the prayers of the church, being answered by God, was what caused the damage to his bar. The church folks must NOT have believed in the power of prayer because their defense in the lawsuit was based on the fact that there was no way that their prayers are what caused the demise of the business. Who was the true believer in the power of prayer here? It really makes you wonder what the folks of the church truly believed.
There is a similar story in the Bible concerning this very same thing, power of prayer. The story, in the Bible, deals with some of the most believing of all the folks in the Bible, the disciples themselves.
Turn with me, if you will, to Mark 9:14-29, "And when he came to [his] disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. (15)And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to [him] saluted him. (16)And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? (17)And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; (18)And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. (19)He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. (20)And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. (21)And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. (22)And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. (23)Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth. (24)And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (25)When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. (26)And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. (27)But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. (28)And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? (29)And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."
If you followed along in this story you see a man that had a son that was possessed with a dumb spirit. This spirit was literally controlling and slowly killing his son. There was a multitude that were questioning the beliefs of the disciples. When this very same multitude saw Jesus approaching all of them came running over to Him. The one man, with the son, was the one that approached Christ asking Him to remove the spirit from his son, as the disciples were unable to remove it. Jesus told the man that if he really wanted the spirit to leave his boy, all he had to do was believe. The man said to Jesus that he believed and prayed Him to help him with his unbelief. Jesus then rebuked the spirit from the boy and the boy was made whole.
Once all this had taken place and Jesus retreated into the house, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive the dumb spirit out of the boy. Jesus answer here is the most important part of this message. 'He said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting'.
Jesus answer to them was for them to truly believe in the power of prayer. The disciples when faced with the multitudes questioning their very belief system, back down to the point that they themselves could not cure the problem with the very tool that was given to them by Christ Himself. Had the disciples truly believed in the power of the prayers they were asking, then they too could have drove the spirit out of the boy.
We must remember that anything that the Lord Jesus Christ did, we have that same power. Christ gave us the power to be able to perform the very same things that He performed while here in the flesh. John, 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Remember here also that we can ONLY perform these works through the power of God. Jesus could not perform any work without the power of prayer to His very own Father..John 5:19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
Our belief in the Almighty God is something that has to be within us and come out of us at all times. If we are truly going to stand and call ourselves Christian, then we have to believe at all times, no matter the consequences to our own beings. Then and only then will we truly be seen in the eyes of God as His true follower.
If you are not standing before the face of danger claiming whole heartedly to be a Christian or if you do not know what it even means to be a Christian, but would like to know, then all you have to do is say this simple prayer with me.
Say this simple prayer with me, Dear Lord, I want you to be the Lord over my life, forgive me of my sins, and give me the gift of everlasting life. Amen.
If you have said this simple prayer, then we believe that you have received salvation. We would love to rejoice with you, so please drop us a note, in our link, to let us know and confess Jesus before man, so that we may send you a few things that we hope will help you in your new Christian walk.
With Love in Christ,
Pastor Stone
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