Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Introduction:

1. Story in Luke 5:17-20

It is a story of friendship love

It raises the question of how much did they love him?

It raises the question of what would it take to stop them?

Determined to bring him to Christ!

Left some gaps last week I’d like to clear up this morning.

Incredible account. News of impending judgment and Abraham’s response.

Abraham’s family was in a spiritual battle. What could he do?

We are in a spiritual battle.

We are in a huge battle for the human heart.

What can we do? How are we to fight in a spiritual battle?

I. One Weapon of Our Warfare is Prayer

Way did I use “warrior” and “intercessor” together.

Because we are in a spiritual batter and our weapons differ

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” NIV

1 Peter 2:11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. ” NASB95

Ephesians 6:12-20 “For our struggle (up close and personal) is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. “Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,

and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

“and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

“in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (fears and doubts that come at us from out of no where)

“And take up the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the

Spirit, which is the word of God.

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit,

and with this in view,

be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, “and pray on my behalf, (including me)

that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, “for which I am an ambassador in chains;

that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

John 17:15-17 ““I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. ““They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ““Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. ”

The weapons of our warfare…

1. The Word

2. Prayer

1 Timothy 2:1 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions (intercessions) and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ” NASB95

ἔντευξις a falling in with, a conversation with,

You may never had heard the word “Intercession” Used more then we might at first think.

Matthew 26:36-41 “Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” “And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be grieved and distressed. “Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” “And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? ““Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ” NASB95

Intercession: caring so deeply for the people around you that you desperately want them to experience God and his help in their situations. Caring enough for someone that you stand in front of God on their behalf! Pleading someone’s case before God! Refusing the let God go went He intervenes!

If not Abraham, then who would stand in the gap?

God has a job only you can do.

Intercession: to plead on another’s behalf

How committed are you to getting through?

Moses interceded for Israel

Deut 9:26-27 ““I prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord God, do not destroy Your people, even Your inheritance, whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. “‘Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look at the stubbornness of this people or at their wickedness or their sin. ”

The church interceded for Peter – Acts 12:1f

Acts 12:3-6 “When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread. “When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. “On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. ” NASB95

The Holy Spirit intercedes for us…

Romans 8:26-27 “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; “and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ”

Illus – Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, story of Father Nash, p.174

“Intercede” means to pray for someone else.

“Groanings” or “groans” expresses feelings of compassion for our weak condition. The Holy Spirit requests the Father’s help for us with deep compassion. God Himself by the Spirit comes to our aid whenever we need help.

What is JC doing now? Christ Jesus intercedes for us…

Romans 8:33-34 “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ” NASB95

II. Practical Ways Get Involved!

1. Pray for a specific place at meal times

Oshkosh, 54901; 54902; 54904

Ormo, Winneconne, Picket

A country a week

2. Strengthen your own quiet time

Luke 4:42 “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. ” NASB95

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. ” NASB95

Apple trees in our back yard. Counter-intuitively if we want better fruit we have to prune away branches. In fact, it is almost impossible to be too drastic.

Jean Fleming, in her book, Between Walden and the Whirlwind: Living the Christ-Centered Life says…

“I view my life as a tree. The trunk is the anchor of my life, my relationship with Christ. The limbs represent those major focus areas that God has given me – family, job, ministry and personal development. And the branches represent the ever-proliferating multitude of activities. Even without special care, activity branches multiply. Soon the profusion of branches becomes more prominent than the trunk and limbs. When this happens, I feel trapped, frustrated, and empty. Why? Because my life is shaped and drained by activities that have lost their pertinence to Christ.”

3. Create time in your schedule by fasting…

Turn off the TV

Skip a meal

Turn off cell phone and use it only to make calls instead of answer

calls at specific times in your day.

Refuse to check your emails until your spend time with Christ.

Learn to say “no”

Steve Jobs – Apple Computer in 1998 preached that the company needed a prioritizing plan to rediscover its main emphasis. “Focus does not mean saying yes. It means saying no.”

No is a complete sentence. And we must learn to say it for of all to ourselves.

4. Take the “Reach 3” Challenge

5. Actually use the prayer sheet in the bulletin

6. Use your waking, whispering and waning moments to intercede

7. Save the dates and make it a point to attend Oakbrook’s

Special times of prayer…once a month, week of cottage prayer meetings…make one of the functions of your small group to become a neighborhood house of prayer.

III. For What Should We Pray?

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view,

be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, “and pray on my behalf, (include me)

that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, “for which I am an ambassador in chains;

that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”