INTERCESSORY PRAYER: Praying for Others

hi thanks for joining us today my name is Phil and I'm one of the ministers here at beaches Baptist Church today we're continuing our series of talks on the subject of Prayer this time we're talking about intercessory prayer which isn't an especially common phrase it simply means praying on behalf of others an intercessor is one who takes the place of another or pleads another's case it's when we call out to God in prayer on behalf of those around us who need God's intervention in some way someone close to you becomes seriously ill or loses their job your child is being bullied at school or your friend is going through a messy divorce when these things happen the vast majority of us will turn to God in prayer asking him to help those who are in need and change the situation we're going to look at a few examples of intercessory prayer from the Bible to help us in our own pray firstly Abraham in Genesis chapter 18 God reveals his plans to Abraham and it's not good news for the people of the city of Sodom God says that the sins of the people of saadon are so grievous that their city is about to face destruction a terrible fate indeed earlier in the story we read how Abraham himself already rescued the people of Sodom and all their progress possessions when they were attacked by rival tribes the way the story is told suggests that this is intended as a warning to the city but they have not learned and their sins are so great that God suggests he's about to wipe them out altogether Abraham is greatly alarmed and chooses to stand in the gap between God and the people of Sodom in intercessory prayer it's an amazing encounter in which Abraham calls upon God's mercy grace and forgiveness on behalf of the people of Sodom not least for the sake of his nephew lot who lives there Genesis chapter 18 verse 23 to 33 then Abraham approached him and said will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked what if there are 50 righteous people in the city will you really sweep it away not there the place for the sake of fifty to fifty righteous people in it far be it from you to do such a thing to kill the righteous with the wicked treating the righteous and the wicked alike far be it from you will not the judge of earth do right the Lord said if I find completely righteous people in the city of Saddam I will stir the whole the whole face for their sake then Abraham spoke up again now that I have been as so bold as to speak to the Lord though I am nothing but dust and ashes what if the number of right chief righteous people is five less than fifty will you destroy the whole city for the lack of five people if I find forty there he said I will not destroy it once again he spoke to him what if only 40 are found there he said for 40 for the sake of 40 I will not do it then he said may the Lord not be angry but let me speak what if only thirty can be found there he answered I will not do it do it if I find dirty there then Abraham said now that I have been so i Boulder's to speak to the Lord what if only twenty can be found there he said for the sake of twenty I will not destroy it then he said may the Lord not be angry but let me sleep just once more what if only ten can be lounder he answered for the sake of ten I will not destroy it when the Lord finished had finished speaking with Abraham he left and Abraham returned home so Abraham stands in the gap between the people of Sodom and God he cries out to God on their behalf and appeals to his mercy and grace the exchange resembles something more akin to an Eastern marketplace with Abraham almost bartering with God for the sake of the Canaanites in Sodom and his nephew lot there are several things to notice here firstly God initiated the interaction with Abraham by revealing to him the fate of Sodom this shows us that intercessory prayer is God's idea God is completely committed to his partnership with his people he has chosen to use us to accomplish his will here on earth he doesn't need to got his more than K of sorting things out on his own but he is chosen to partner with us I remember a time not so long ago when I was in the church setting up audio equipment for the evening service as I was plugging in the leads and and the microphones my children came up and asked to help it would have been quicker and easier if I had carried on by myself but because I love my children and enjoy doing things together with them I involved them in the task at hand this is a bit like how God involved us in his work here on earth intercessory prayer is one of the major ways through which we can learn God's heart and his plans and purposes he chooses to partner with us even though it would be quicker and easier for him to sort it out on his own but as we pray as we spend time listening to God as he reveals his plans and purposes we find ourselves changed and brought closer to him so when we call out to God in intercessory prayer we should be seeking God's heart and his plans and purposes pair is God's idea we are engaged in his mission so we should be seeking Him secondly we see how Abraham was bold and persistent in his praying once Abraham came to understand more of God's hearts he became very bold and kept on praying and praying this should encourage us not to give up but to keep persevering in our prayers for those around us in the prayer course peak Greek uses the illustration of dominoes to help us understand the importance of being persistent in prayer Pete says that our prayers are each like dominoes which are stood up one after another every time we pray if we keep on praying time and time again being persistent eventually God may honor our persistence and all the prayers we have prayed may be answered at once like the dominoes all tumbling over when the end one is pushed maybe you've been praying for the same situation or the same person for a long time be encouraged to keep going don't give up God hears your prayers and he uses them to affect change in his world keep on going we fast forward several hundred years in the story of the people of Israel we find another example of intercessory prayer from the life of Moses when we pick up a story Israel God has just rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and led them towards freedom in the Promised Land through the wilderness they've arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai God has called Moses to climb the mountain so he can give him the Ten Commandments whilst the rest of the people wait down below because God was gone because Moses was gone from their sight for a while the people became impatient and asked their second-in-command Aaron to make them a statue so they could worship it as their God it is a huge insult to God who loves them and has commanded them not to worship any other image or God he's anger burns against them and he threatens to wipe them out this time it is Moses who stands in the gap between God and the people Exodus chapter 32 verses 9 to 14 I have seen these people the Lord said to Moses now you're a stiff-necked people now leave me alone said that my anger may burn against them that I may destroy them then I'll make you into a great nation but my thoughts are favor from the Lord his good Lord he said why should your anger burn against your people whom you brought from Egypt with great power in a mighty hat why should you JYP's and say it was with evil intent that brought them out to kill them in the mountains and what more spices the earth turn from your face anger Lent and do not bring disaster or new people remember your servants Abraham Isaac and Israel - whose war by your own self now will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky I will give your descendants all the land I promised them and it will be their inheritance forever then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened I think this passage gives us a great physical representation of what intercessory prayer is all about as Moses is at the top of the in interceding for the people down below it's like he is physically between God and the people this is what our prayers for others are all about standing in the gap between God and the people God is looking for people who will be willing to put themselves in that place for the sake of others later in a chapter Moses shows the extent to which he's willing to do this he says oh what a great sin these people have committed they've made themselves gods of gold but now please forgive their sin God but if not then blot me out of the book you have written sacrificial intercessory prayer that's what that is I find this really challenging Moses asked God to forgive the people and is even willing to pay the price for their wrongdoing that really is sacrificial love displayed in intercessory prayer Moses is praying boldly but also sacrificially he has caught hold of God's heart for his people he knows God's loves them he knows God does not want them to die in the wilderness he knows God's plan to lead them on into the Promised Land and for them to become a great nation through which all other nations of the earth will be blessed so he praised those things back to God and is even willing to count the cost himself what a brilliant example for us to aspire to in our praying Mota's really loved God and he really loved his people because God goosy loved God and really cared about God's plans he really wanted to see them come to fruition because Moses really loved his people he really wanted those people to be part of God's plan so he prays boldly persistently and sacrificially to my prayers for the world around me look anything like this or have I got some room for growth here what about you one final passage which helps us to understand the significance of intercessory prayer is found in Paul's letter to the Ephesians and chapter 6 it's a passage known as the armor of God Ephesians 6:11 2:18 finally be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes for our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything to stand stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace in addition to all this take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God 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 Paul teaches us that there is more to this life than just what we see and hear there is also a spiritual dimension which is just as real as the physical one there is a battle which is raging in this spiritual world which has out workings in the physical world - as God's people we are called to engage with this spiritual battle and to join with God in the fight in order to do so effectively we need to make use of the armor which God has provided for us to wear prayers of intercession are one of the major ways in which we join the battle and wage war against the spiritual forces of evil our prayers really matter so let's commit to continuing to grow in intercessory prayer as individuals and as a church let's obey God's call to join him in back let's pray boldly and persistently let's be willing to mind the gap on behalf of others and pray sacrificial let's put on the full armor of God and do battle with the king of kings

Channel: Beeches Baptist Church

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Keywords: Intercessory prayer, prayer, praying for others, intercession, what is intercessory prayer, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Church, Beeches Baptist Church, Phil Hornsey, effective prayer, partnering with God, Abraham, Moses, Paul, Genesis, Exodus, Ephesians

Id: cjuCPzvbDZ8

Length: 13min 16sec (796 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 20 2020