Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning we are continuing our series called Prayer that Works.

I hope you have been using your prayer journals these past couple of weeks.

I am agreeing with you to receive the answers that God wants to give you.

Today we want to look at the topic of persuasive prayer.

If you have your Bibles go with me to the book of Exodus.

I will be reading from chapter 32.

I want to begin this morning by setting up Moses’ conversation with God.

About 4 months previously, Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt, and it seems from the moment they were freed from slavery the Israelites did nothing but complain.

They complained at the waters of the Red Sea because they were afraid of the Egyptians.

They complained in the desert because they didn’t think they had enough to eat and then they didn’t think they had enough to drink.

When they got to Mt. Horeb and saw the power of God displayed in lightening, thunder and smoke and they heard the voice of God, as He spoke declaring the 10 commandments, they basically told Moses, “You go talk to Him… we can’t stand to listen to Him anymore.”

Ever since they left Egypt, the Israelites had done nothing but complain and grumble.

And finally, while Moses is up on the Mountain top with this all powerful God, the Israelites decide that they’re bored and they talk Aaron into making a golden calf for them to worship, in spite of the fact that this was a direct violation of the 2nd commandment that had been proclaimed to them a little over 40 days before.

The Israelites have been nothing but trouble ever since God freed them from their chains and now it appears God has had enough.

Look at verse 7 of chapter 32.

Did you catch what God said to Moses?

God tells Moses, “I’m going to wipe them off the face of the earth and build a new nation around you.”

God was essentially done with these people.

Moses knew God was serious.

Moses begins to talk to God.

This prayer was immediate and it was extremely intense.

But the result of Moses’ prayer was amazing because it changed the mind of God.

God decided not to destroy the Israelites.

God changed his mind.

Some of you may think that this isn’t suppose to happen.

Look at what God tells us in Numbers 23:19

Some of you might even think this is a problem.

We’re taught that prayer is a power force.

All of our lives we have been told that we can change things through prayer.

But in the back of our minds there is this nagging suspicion that our prayers don’t really don’t do all that much.

Some of us think, God is God and God’s gonna do what God’s gonna do.

So we think what difference does prayer make?

If God’s going to do what He wants to do anyway, why bother?

But this passage tells us why we should bother.

Look at verse 10 again.

Why bother to tell Moses to leave Him alone?

Why not simply stretch forth His arm and wipe the Israelites off the face of the earth and then tell Moses what was going to happen next?

He’s God after all?

What difference would it make whether or not Moses approved of this plan?

But it made a big difference because it looks like God is asking Moses for permission to do what He has decided to do.

Here’s why.

God gave Moses the authority over the people of Israel.

Look at how God describes the Israelites.

When God sent Moses to go and get the Israelites out of Egypt, God gave Moses the authority over those people.

God put Moses in charge.

The people of Isreal have been given to Moses, they were his area of influence.

And while God does want to destroy them He asks Moses’ permission because that’s a responsibility God has given to him.

Moses has authority because God gave it to him.

And...

just like Moses, we have authority in prayer because God has given it to us.

That’s why Jesus said.

We have been given authority.

We have been given permission to plead with God to alter His will to meet our needs and desires.

That’s what prayer is all about.

And we’ve been given that privilege because we belong to Him.

So, now let’s look at the issue of changing God’s mind.

Understand this, Moses did not presume to change God’s mind.

Even though he had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will.

Look at verse 11.

Moses appeals to the reasons why God would want to spare the nation.

Even though Moses had a position of responsibility and authority with Israel, he still prayed with an eye on what would be in God’s will.

Think of it this way.

A husband has a position of authority and responsibility in the home.

The Bible tells us...

Now some men take this passage as permission to do whatever they please with their wives.

They believe they have a God ordained mandate to run their household with an iron fist.

But such men are fools.

For God tells husbands that even when we’re married to non-Christian wives, we are to treat our brides with special care.

That verse is saying that if a husband, who is the head of the house, misuses his wife, God won’t hear his prayers.

So, here is my point.

A husband has authority and responsibility in the home, but he is wise if he keeps an eye on what God’s will is in his home, otherwise, his prayers are hindered.

Likewise, we have authority in prayer.

In prayer, Christians have permission to ask God to shape His will to our requests, but we would be wise to always keep an eye on what god would desire.

That’s why Jesus said...

In other words, pray with an eye on what would please Jesus, what would glorify His name.

Look at verse 14 again.

God does not change His mind the same way a human does.

He has no doubts or unsteady thoughts.

He may honor the faith and prayers of His people by choosing a different course of action to accomplish His purposes.

In this way, He encourages His people to keep praying and believing.

There are some people who believe in the authority of prayer, but they use that authority with the belief that they can somehow force God into altering His will to their desires.

This is what God was telling Moses.

You keep doing what I have instructed you to do and when the time comes I will punish certain people for their sins.

When we pray we can pray with confidence.

We can come boldly before God with the knowledge that we have the authority to petition Him.

When we pray we are entering the presence of God with our requests.

Let me close with this...

In 1540 Luther’s good friend and assistant, Friedrich Myconius, became sick and was expected to die within a short time.

From his bed he wrote a tender farewell letter to Luther.

When Luther received the message, he immediately sent back a reply: “I command thee in the name of God to live because I still have need of thee in the work of reforming the church.

The Lord will never let me hear that thou art dead, but will permit thee to survive me.

For this I am praying because I seek only to glorify the name of God.”

Myconius had already lost the ability to speak when Luther’s reply came, but he soon recovered.

he lives 6 more years, dying two months after Luther did.

God hears our prayers and He answers them.

It is so important that we pray.

And go boldly to the throne room of God.