Devotional Materials. Week Commencing Sunday 6th March 2022
“Return to us O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Restore us, O Lord God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” Psalm 80: 14, 19
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6:18
These two verses remind us of the importance of prayer. The Lord invites us to bring our prayers and requests to Him at all times. Our first hymn is a prayer. It recognises God is holy and pure. It recognises our hearts are shadowed, our nation lost in the darkness and bondage of sin. As we sing it we make an urgent request: ‘Shine Jesus shine fill this land with the Father’s glory’
Hymn
‘Lord the light of your love is shining’ MP 445
Graham Kendrick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rce9UHYZwl4
Opening Prayer
Jesus said ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12)
Lord Jesus we worship You. We think of your matchless words, your power and compassion displayed in miracles. We think of your Incarnation- the Son of God coming into this world as Saviour. The cross, there bearing our sins. The mighty resurrection, ascension and now exalted above all. And you will return to take us to be with You in glory.
You bring light, truth, meaning, direction to what would otherwise be a meaningless and futile existence. But by your death and resurrection the power of sin is broken and death is defeated.
How we long for our land- the people of our town and nation, to come out of the darkness of unbelief and sin- how we pray ‘shine Jesus shine fill this land with the Father’s glory’
We confess we have sinned against You and done many things to grieve You, we have often been selfish, we have sometimes forgotten to pray to You, and we have not loved You as we should. For these and other sins forgive us we pray.
Hymns
‘Light of the world’ MP 1086
Tim Hughes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_KNvkk2G-Y
‘Can a nation be changed? MP 977 (Guitar)
Matt Redman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGkXIzsyISo
Reading. Genesis 18:16-33
16When the men got up to leave, they looked down towards Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.’
20Then the Lord said, ‘The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.’
22The men turned away and went towards Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. 23Then Abraham approached him and said: ‘Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far 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 all the earth do right?’
26The Lord said, ‘If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.’
27Then Abraham spoke up again: ‘Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?’
‘If I find forty-five there,’ he said, ‘I will not destroy it.’
29Once again he spoke to him, ‘What if only forty are found there?’
He said, ‘For the sake of forty, I will not do it.’
30Then 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 if I find thirty there.’
31Abraham said, ‘Now that I have been so bold as 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.’
32Then he said, ‘May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?’
He answered, ‘For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.’
33When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
Prayers
‘For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 4:6)
We praise You Lord for bringing us out of darkness into your light. You have shown us Your salvation in Christ- like the Apostle we know what it is to have your light shine in our hearts. So we would now intercede for all who do not know You. For this is everyone’s greatest need; to hear and receive the Gospel, and so come to a personal knowledge of You.
So we would pray for all missionaries and evangelists, all those who proclaim your Gospel in the streets, all who tell of what You have done through one to one conversations.
We pray that You would give your church here at Angmering a heart for those who are ‘lost’ without You. That You would stir us up to intercede for such. That You would stir us up to pray for every faith filled purpose You give us, inspired by the Great Commission to win souls for You, and see new Christians nurtured as disciples in your church. Give us wisdom to see how we at ABC can be increasingly obedient and useful to you in the fulfilment of the Commission You have called us to.
Lord we would pray about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We pray You would redeem this situation by drawing many people to yourself. May Ukrainians and Russians discover that Jesus is the only true source of peace, safety, comfort, truth and freedom.
We pray that Ukrainians ultimately would hope not in governments, elections or diplomacy, but in Jesus Christ.
We pray Lord You would deliver Ukraine from evil. Have mercy and heal this land. Grant Ukraine peace and the chance to develop as a nation that values truth, justice and freedom, and all that is rooted in You
We pray for a culture in which political disagreements don’t lead to hatred or violence.
We recognise the conflict between Ukraine and Russia can spill over into personal conflict within families, especially when family members live on opposite sides of the border and are influenced by different sides of the “information war.” We pray for unity and a love for one another that supersedes the problems between the countries.
Lord bless soldiers’ wives and children with peace and safety while their husbands and fathers are gone.
We pray for the various world leaders involved in diplomacy over Ukraine.
We pray that the evangelical church will remain united, even as it faces difficult questions, such as how involved believers ought to be in politics or in armed conflict.
In the past few years, the Ukrainian evangelical church has become much more passionate about sending its own cross-cultural workers to reach the lost. Pray that this conflict will not dissuade Ukrainians from taking the gospel message to Russia and to other lands.
We pray for Christians in the military. This is a challenging time; we ask You guide them as their faith is being tested in new ways.
Fears stemming from the conflict come up frequently in conversation. We pray that missionaries, other believers and we ourselves will have many opportunities to explain to their neighbours and friends the reason for the hope within us, even in this time of trial.
(Send international https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine )
Lord you teach that in the prelude to your return ‘Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places’ Help us to look beyond our immediate circumstances and instead be ready and prepared for your return, that in this fallen world we might have hope in You. Amen
Hymn
‘Name of all Majesty’ MP 481
Timothy Dudley-Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg2nyvVcewE
Sermon. ‘Bold Praying’
We saw last week how Abraham received 3 mysterious guests. They gave their message concerning Sarah, that she would have a son. However it becomes clear they have another mission to carry out. They face south towards Sodom, and two of the men, the 2 angels, set out in that direction. The third- the Lord Himself- stays with Abraham to speak with him.
Abraham was the friend of God. That friendship meant that the Lord could entrust him with secrets hidden from others. Verse 18 the Lord says “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” On the contrary the Lord goes on to share His intentions with Abraham because the level of friendship is such that the Lord can share his secrets with him. Jesus said to his disciples “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
This is the kind of friendship you and I must crave with Jesus above all things. It’s only as we live close to the Lord that we will receive God’s secrets: those things hidden from even the most educated and the cleverest of people. The “movers and shakers” of Sodom and Gomorrah were not the ones who knew what was going to happen to them. So too the media correspondents and politicians, the social commentators of today are not the ones who know. They do not know what our essential problem is, the true solution, how we should now live and the future concerning us all. Only the Lord is omniscient. The ones who truly know what’s going on are those who the Lord chooses to share His knowledge with. By the end of the Lord’s speaking with Abraham, Abraham knew more about Sodom’s future than its citizens did.
The wisdom and knowledge God wants to impart to us is not a secret. All that Jesus made known to the disciples we have in the Bible. God’s Word. The answers to Humanity’s biggest questions are all found there. Every one of us could know God’s wisdom if we came humbly into His presence, learning from His Word. But if you come to the Bible with an arrogant attitude, setting yourself above it, then you will be one of those who as Jesus taught will be “ever seeing but never perceiving and ever hearing but never understanding.” God knows the heart whether it is receptive to Him or not. If you insist on the limited thinking frameworks of this world as your only keys to knowledge- the economic, political, social, psychological, environmental, philosophical and you try to squeeze biblical revelation into these existing moulds- you will not receive God’s revelation that way. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts, His ways higher than our ways so if you want to know His thoughts you must come humbly, setting aside what you think you know and receive what God has revealed on His terms. As Paul says (1 Cor 2:13) we speak “ not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” So the essential thing for the Christian today- indeed the Church- is the same as it has always been; not more knowledge of the culture or greater awareness of current affairs, programmes and strategies; all have a place, but the essential thing- the one thing needed is for the Christian, the Church, is to sit at Jesus feet and learn from Him. That’s what Jesus commended Mary for. A picture of prayerful, humble dependence on Christ and meditating /absorbing His Word for your living. Does that picture describe your relationship with the Lord? Is that your priority? Are you a friend of God? This is foundational without this basis we are blind and ignorant to God’s wisdom, however sophisticated our education or upbringing.
So what does the Lord reveal about Himself to Abraham?
He is a holy God, He loves righteousness and hates sin. So much so, that those things human beings are tempted to live with comfortably are repulsive to Him and deserving of judgment. The Lord says the “outcry against Sodom is so great and their sin so grievous” (20) The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly wicked because they were given over to sexual practices contrary to God’s Creation and His marriage ordinance for men and women- including homosexual practise We see this is what is in mind from the incident at the beginning of Chapter 20 but also Jude 7 in the New Testament speaking of the Day of Judgment writes “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion they serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire”
Romans 1 verses 18 onwards study the descent of the fallen mind. First there is a refusal to recognise that God is Creator. Instead of glorifying Him as God or giving thanks to Him people refuse to recognise God’s power and divine nature from what has been made. Out of that proud rebellion their thinking becomes futile, their hearts darkened. Thinking themselves wise they in reality become fools. They then make idols of created things and become bound by them: people can never find life in just the created gifts God has given them- they need to know God for that- so they obsess/ take too far the gift and even pervert it in the vain and futile hope fulfilment will come that way. Homosexual activity is an outworking of that outlook. It’s true that human pride gives rise to other forms of sin and idolatry such as material greed. Interestingly the prophet Ezekiel speaks of the sin of Sodom “She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49)
All forms of idolatry are self-destructive, they are also are an affront to a Holy God and stand under His judgment. Our modern world, particularly in the West, has had the witness of the Christian Gospel for a long time, but we have rejected it and are descending into a morass of corruption and wickedness even greater than that of the pagan world before Christ. God has assured mankind, through his word of coming judgment.
But the Lord reveals this knowledge to Abraham for another reason. He is going to make Abraham a great nation, through him all nations will be blessed. (18) Abraham needed to know the reason for the terrible destruction the cities were about to undergo. He would need to explain it to his children and they to their descendants. The destruction of Sodom would be a perpetual warning to Israel that although God is gracious and merciful and long suffering. He is also a God of wrath and judgment. God’s people must never grow comfortable with those things God hates. These things must not infect his people. We see the Lord told Abraham these things basically so that he and his people bring up their children right. If goodness and righteousness is to flourish Abraham and his descendants must be rid of such practices. Instead they must grow up “Keeping the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just”.
Even many unbelievers today are uneasy about the results of the new paganism in our land. The rejection of God as Creator, the abuse of Sex, the drive for Money, Power and Popularity has given rise to, Social Darwinism- the survival of the “fittest” mentality, arrogance, oppression, violence, selfishness and family breakdown. Such results must follow from idolatry-we reap what we sow- but these results are also the outworking of God’s judgment on our society too. Romans 1 tells us the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against present godlessness and wickedness. So the answer to these evils isn’t in more education about why they are bad. It isn’t found in some social adjustment to accommodate the evil. The evils are symptomatic of sin, of personal rebellion against God. So the answer also goes deeper. It is found in personal repentance as God’s Word directs. Repentance entails turning from one’s own rebellion against God, turning from idolatry in whatever form it might take, and being put right with God through Jesus Christ. In this way you are no longer a slave to sin, no longer under God’s wrath. Instead you have hope and you give your children hope. Because now you can teach them God’s wisdom from His Word- what is pleasing to God. Their conscience is reinforced. They learn to trust Jesus for themselves. They learn to reject what is evil and instead keep the way of the Lord doing what is right and just.
The Lord has told Abraham of His intentions and now Abraham intercedes for the people. This is the first intercessory prayer recorded in the Bible and serves as an example for our own prayers. Abraham initially prayed that Sodom might be spared if there were fifty righteous people found in it, then forty five, then forty, then thirty, then twenty, and finally only ten. Each time God agreed to his request, so that if only ten righteous people could have been found in Sodom, God would not have destroyed the city.
So what do we learn from this prayer?
First that Abraham believed God. Abraham wouldn’t have prayed this prayer unless He’d believed what God had revealed about His nature and His intentions. Underlying his intercessory prayer is the assumption that God is holy and a righteous Judge and that idolatry will be punished. Abraham does not deny that the Lord should judge, only that He should judge justly: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” he asks. Abraham believes God is a righteous judge. Abraham is not getting his queue here from the movers and shakers of Sodom. He’s not a subscriber to Sodom and Gomorrah’s “Independent” or “The Mirror”. He’s not affirming the culture because that’s what it is. He’s not celebrating the city’s aggressive consumerism and “liberated” attitudes to sexuality as most are around him. He gets his cue from what God is like- from what God has revealed about Himself and His ways. This prayer is urgent because Abraham believes what God says. And he sees the implications- he is naturally concerned for Lot his nephew living in Sodom and he was concerned for the people of the plain- he had saved them previously from the north-eastern kings. He was aware of their depraved practices, but he hoped against hope they might still turn to the Lord. So he intercedes for them.
This leads me to the question: Why is the Church so weak when it comes to evangelism and intercessory prayer in this Country? Could it be we do not believe what the Lord has revealed to us about His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love of righteousness- that He is the Judge of all the earth? We do not believe what He has told us about what will befall those who refuse to believe? That the wages of sin is death and beyond that death lies judgment and hell? Like Jude in the New Testament, Peter in his second letter refers to the destruction of these cities as a picture of the coming day of judgment; “an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly” The Lord Jesus Himself used the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah as a warning for people about the end times (Luke 17:28-32) Do we believe what God has shown us? If we do then it will follow we will intercede for those who do not know Christ. If we care for people as Abraham did, we will pray for a turning away from evils in our land, we will pray for revival, for mass repentance and a turning to Christ. We will pray for our loved ones who do not know Christ that they come to know Him. It is not enough for us to be a blessing to our Lord and our homes and fellow believers; we must also seek to win a lost world and bring sinners to the only Saviour Jesus Christ. Abraham’s prayer is urgent and concerned because he believed God.
There are other qualities to note about Abraham’s prayer: It’s a humble prayer. “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak” and “I am nothing but dust and ashes” -Abraham recognises his unworthiness before the living God. He doesn’t argue with God. He doesn’t demand the earth. He takes small steps in humility because he recognises God is the Judge, not Abraham- in humility he gradually and painstakingly requests an ever decreasing number of righteous people to be found in the city so it might be spared. This also shows perseverance in his prayer. Six times Abraham returns to his petition. He is persistent here. The Lord Jesus teaches we too should be persistent in prayer through His parable of the “persistent widow”.
Although Abraham’s prayer is offered in a spirit of humility, it’s also quite bold and definite in nature- specific reductions are requested. No doubt this comes from Abraham reflecting on God’s character. That God is holy yes, but also that God is merciful and shows loving kindness. Abraham’s concern for others reflects God’s own heart for them: The Bible tells us that God is not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9) 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us He wants all men to be saved. Ezekial 33:11 the Lord says “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” The mercy and loving kindness of God is what Abraham is banking on as he makes his requests.
The fact that Abraham’s prayer is specific raises the issue of the value or effectiveness of prayer at all. Was God going to spare Sodom if He found as many as 10 righteous people in the city anyway? Was it God just drawing Abraham on for Abraham’s benefit so he might learn to intercede- would God have given him the final request if he had asked Him that at the beginning since that’s what God was going to do any way? Or did Abraham’s prayer really change God’s mind?
We are brought to two truths in the Bible that are both equally affirmed. God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. Time after time both are taught and exemplified in the Bible
- God is absolutely sovereign, but His sovereignty never functions in scripture to reduce human responsibility
- Human beings are responsible creatures- That is, they choose, they believe, they disobey, they respond, and there is moral significance in their choices; but human responsibility never functions in Scripture to diminish God’s sovereignty.
Our problem is in believing both are true. We tend to use the one to diminish the other, we tend to emphasise one at the expense of the other. Rather we should accept the mystery and hold both positions together. This helps us when we come to pray. A belief in God’s sovereignty never functions in Scripture to foster fatalism. It never functions to stop us making specific requests in prayer as Abraham did, it never stifles evangelistic zeal strategies or missions as first the Apostles and then missionaries and churches have undertaken through the centuries. God’s Sovereignty functions to reassure us we belong to God, provides security and encourages us to persevere in the face of trial.
Human responsibility never functions in Scripture to picture God at the end of His resources and dependent on us- as though God’s hands were somehow tied. Exhortations to believe and obey in Scripture function to increase our responsibility, to emphasise the urgency of the steps we must take, to show us what the only proper response is to this kind of God. So there is mystery as to how both truths are at work in this prayer. But we must not let human rationalisations stop us from praying intercessory prayers for the lost. The power of both truths is helpfully captured in this phrase: “Act as if it all depended on you and pray as if it all depended on God”. If you would like to think more about this issue- Sovereignty and responsibility- good chapter in D A Carson’s book “A Call To Spiritual Reformation”. It gives helpful advice about how to develop a regular systematic approach to intercessory prayer. It goes through Paul’s prayers using them as examples to help intercessors know the kind of things they should be praying for.
Kingsley Appiagyei, previously a president of the Baptist Union wrote ‘The role of Christians and churches is to fervently pray for renewing of people’s faith to take place. Revival is sovereign. No man can create revival. But revival cannot happen without the church seeking it. There is so much hunger in this country. I believe this is the time when the church must wake up, and seize the time. For I believe God has created all this hunger. Man no longer has an answer. This is a time to turn to God, and that’s when revival comes.
Once a month up to 600 members of his congregation at Trinity Baptist Church (South Norwood) meet on a Friday night and pray and worship together for six, seven hours through until Saturday morning.
I have been struck afresh about the importance of intercessory prayer. I used to rationalise that since most of us are praying individually or in pairs, during the evening service or in housegroups that the prayer meeting was a useful meeting but not something I would appeal to people to attend as a matter of priority. I have now changed my mind on that. The prayer meeting is the only meeting specifically given over to that purpose and the main opportunity by which we can come together and make intercession for one another, for our land, for mission and for those lost without Christ. So from now on I would urge you to make it a priority whether you are a member or not because as we have seen this is how the power of God is realised for our own lives and for those for whom we pray. Never been before do come along this Wednesday 2.00pm, for an hour.
The Lord showed forbearance in agreeing to Abraham’s requests. In fact he did more than Abraham hoped for. There weren’t even 10 righteous people in the city but God still spared Lot and 3 of his family.
God’s Forbearance towards us has been ultimately shown in Christ. Though all manner of sin lay behind his crucifixion and rejection by men, indeed he bore all our sins, still He prayed and interceded for a lost world “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.
The issue is not when we die in this life; that is immaterial. The important thing is the promise of Christ. For those who believe on Him; we shall be raised to new life, no longer under God’s wrath but forgiven and accepted counted as God’s very own sons and daughters. Indeed the Bible tells us Christ continues to intercede for us through this life so His promises towards us will be fully realised in eternity (Hebrews 7:25) Such is God’s mercy on us. In the same way it is God’s will that we show mercy towards a lost world, and we do that most effectively when we intercede for them in prayer:
Spurgeon said “if they (lost sinners) will not hear you speak, they cannot prevent your praying. Do they jest at your exhortations? They cannot disturb you at your prayers. Are they far away so that you cannot reach them. Have they declared that they will never listen to you again, nor see your face? Never mind, God has a voice which they must hear. Speak to Him, and He will make them feel. Though they now treat you despitefully, rendering evil for your good, follow them with your prayers. Never let them perish for lack of your supplications.”
Hymn
‘Amazing Grace’ MP 31
John Newton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kOU6Unq068&list=PLG1SeRMrOCqKJRWDbiKDK2xZQlyYh0K0F&index=1 (Version by Cliff Richard)
Prayer
‘O Lord let us not live to be useless, for Christ’s sake. Amen’ John Wesley
Blessing
May the God of peace provide you with every good thing you need in order to do his will and may He, through Jesus Christ, do in us what please Him. And to Christ be glory for ever and ever. Amen
David Barnes 28/2/22