Slaves or Friends which is it?

Preached at the Abernethy Trust
Barcaple on
Wednesday 10th May 2009-06-10

Turn to John 15:15

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

• A relationship change is about to take place for some of you tonight
• You are going to move from slavery to friendship
• In that new friendship Jesus is going to reveal to you
• All the things which he has heard from His Father.

I would like three people to stand up where they are and pray for us.

Stand up, look around, and pray for us.

Who’s first?

You see we are servants in action and friends in relationship.

We serve one another as servants.

But in relationship we are friends.

Let’s read at 1 Kings 17

1Ki 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the sojourners of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word.
2 And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
3 Go away from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, before Jordan.
4 And it shall be, you shall drink of the brook. And I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. For he went and lived by the torrent Cherith, before Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the torrent.
7 And it happened after a while, the torrent dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8 And the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
9 Arise, go to Zarephath which belongs to Sidon, and live there. Behold, I have commanded a widow to keep you there.
10 And he arose and went to Zarephath, and came in to the entrance of the city, and, behold, the widow was gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, Please, bring me a little water in a vessel so that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, Please, bring me a piece of bread in your hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD your God lives, I do not have a cake, but only a handful of meal in a pitcher and a little oil in a jar. And behold, I am gathering two sticks, so that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, so that we may eat it and die.
13 And Elijah said to her, Do not fear, go. Do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it, and bring it to me. And then make for you and for your son.
14 For so says the LORD God of Israel, The pitcher of meal shall not be emptied, nor shall the jar of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah. And she and he and her house ate many days;
16 the pitcher of meal was not consumed, and the jar of oil did not fail, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
17 And it happened after these things the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick. And his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said to Elijah, What do I have to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to call my sin to remembrance and to kill my son?
19 And he said to her, Give me your son. And he took him out of her bosom and carried him up into a loft, where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed.
20 And he cried to the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, have You also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by slaying her son?
21 And he stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, please let this child's soul come to him again.
22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he lived.
23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the room into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, See! Your son lives!
24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know this, that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.

Look at verse 1

1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the sojourners of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word.

• As The LORD God of Israel lives
• Before whom I stand
• There shall not be dew nor rain these years
• Except according to my word

What a great place to be standing before the LORD God of Israel, the one who is the living God.

There shall not be dew nor rain according to the word of Elijah.

Here is a marvellous thing!
When Elijah the Tishbite stands before the living God he proclaims that there will be neither dew nor rain according to Elijah!

He does not say that it is according to God’s word! But according to the word of Elijah!

Let’s look at James 5:

Jas 5:1 Come now, rich ones, weep and howl for your hardships coming on.
2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their poison will be a witness against you, and will eat your flesh as fire. You heaped treasure in the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the laborers reaping your fields cry out, being kept back by you. And the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth, and lived wantonly. You have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and murdered the just; he does not resist you.
7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and the latter rain.
8 You also be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of your Lord draws near.
9 Do not grudge against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge stands before the door.
10 My brothers, take the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering ill, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count blessed those who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is full of pity and of tender mercy.
12 But before all things, my brothers, do not swear; neither by the heaven nor by the earth, nor any other oath. But let your yes be yes, and your no, no, lest you fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.
16 Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.
17 Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout.
19 Brothers, if anyone among you err from the truth, and if anyone turns him back,
20 know that he who turns back the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Look at verse 16

16 Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.
17 Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout.

• The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.
• Elijah was a man of like passion as we are.
• He prayed earnestly
• That it might not rain
• It did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months
• And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain.
• And the earth caused its fruit to sprout

Praying effectually, fervently, and earnestly!

Elijah was a man of like passion!

What does it mean to be effective, fervent, and earnest in your prayers?

Let’s read from Luke 11:1-13

Lu 11:1 And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples.
2 And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
5 And He said to them, which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,
6 for a friend of mine has come from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he answering from inside may say, Do not trouble me. The door is now shut and my children are in bed with me. I cannot rise and give to you.
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needs.
9 And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives. And he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks it shall be opened.
11 For what father of you, if the son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake for a fish?
12 Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

Look at verse 1

Lu 11:1 And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples.

• Jesus is praying in a certain place
• When he ceased praying
• One of his disciples said unto Him
• Lord, teach us to pray.
• As John also taught His disciples

An unknown disciple observes Jesus praying and asks to be taught to pray.

The meaning of the words ‘teach us to pray’, come across like this, ‘lord teach us to pray more earnestly’.

This disciple lived in a land where they learned to pray from birth, it was part of the culture of Israel.

But this unknown disciple sees in Jesus prayers intensity which he desires, and asks Jesus to teach him how to ‘pray more earnestly’.

Let’s read Luke 3:21

Luke is telling accurately, the events surrounding John the Baptist’s, baptising of the people in the Jordan River.

21 And it happened in the baptizing of all the people, Jesus also being baptized, and praying, and the heaven was opened.
22 And the Holy Spirit came down in a bodily shape, like a dove on Him. And a voice came from Heaven, which said, You are My Son, the Beloved; I am delighted in You

• Jesus is standing in the water being baptized
• Jesus is praying,
• The heavens open!
• The Holy Spirit comes down in a bodily shape
• Like a Dove upon Him
• A voice comes from Heaven
• You are My son
• You are my Beloved
• I am delighted in You

Here again the understanding of the phrase ‘Jesus is praying’, suggests ‘Jesus is praying earnestly’.

Look at the results of earnest prayer! Wow

Let’s go back to Luke 11

Look at verse five through eight.

5 And He said to them, which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,
6 for a friend of mine has come from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he answering from inside may say, Do not trouble me. The door is now shut and my children are in bed with me. I cannot rise and give to you.
8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needs.

Look at verse eight

• I say unto you
• Though he will not rise and give to him
• Because he is his friend
• Yet because of his importunity
• He will arise and give him as many as he needs

The word importunity has to do with impudence!

You are so impudent!

You are so cheeky!

You are impertinent boy!

You are too mouthy, you!

In the context of the passage the friend is going against the position that his friend has taken up!

Look at verse nine

9 And I say to you, Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives. And he who seeks finds. And to him who knocks it shall be opened.
11 For what father of you, if the son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake for a fish?
12 Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

• Jesus, one who prays with importunity, himself
• Says, Ask and it shall be given
• Seek and you shall find
• Knock and it shall be opened to you.
• Those who ask
• Receive
• Those who seek
• Find
• Those who knock
• Find it open

Look at verse 13

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

• Look at the willingness of your own father to give to you good gifts
• How much more willing is your Heavenly Father, to give his greatest gift, the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Let’s turn to Luke 18;1-8

Lu 18:1 And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not to faint,
2 saying, A certain judge was in a certain city, not fearing God, nor respecting man.
3 And a widow was in that city. And she came to Him, saying, Avenge me of my adversary.
4 And he would not do so for a time. But afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man,
5 yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, that she not wear me down in the end.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says.
7 And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been long-suffering over them?
8 I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?

Look at verse six

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge says.

• Though I do not fear God
• Though I do not regard man
• Yet because this widow troubles me,
• I will avenge her, that she not wear me down in the end

This is a great illustration of importunity, of what it means to be effective, fervent, and earnest in your prayers.

The woman with the issue of blood would be another example.
Mt 9:20 And behold, a woman, who had a flow of blood for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment.
21 For she said within herself, If only I shall touch His robe, I will be whole.
22 But turning and seeing her, Jesus said, Daughter, be comforted; your faith has saved you. And the woman was saved from that hour.

• Jesus said to her power has gone out from me
• Many others in the crowd were touching Jesus
• Only this woman touched the hem of his garment.
• The meaning of her touching is ‘she earnestly desired to touch the hem of his garment.

She is another example of what it means to be effective, fervent and earnest in your prayers.

When Jesus said Power has gone out of him.

You could put it this way

Dynamic power has gone out of me towards you

Dynamite has gone off in me towards you

A dynamo has started up and its power is working on your need right now.

Elijah is an example of all these things and worthy of reading, and more so, of practicing them!

1 John 5:13-16

1Jo 5:13 I have written these things to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have everlasting life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
16 If anyone sees his brother sin a sin not to death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for those that do not sin to death. There is a sin to death, I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Look at verse 14

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

If people are set free to pray is there not a danger that they will pray for all sorts of things?

Don’t we give people a licence to pray anything?

If God’s people are encouraged and released to pray with effective, fervent and earnest prayer, they might pray for the wrong thing!

Well, religious leaders will say that!

They said it in Jesus’ day.

Paul taught that where sin abounds grace does much more abound. The Pharisees and scribes said you can’t preach that Paul; that gives a licence to sin. Paul’s reply was will you stop the preaching of the fullness of God’s grace because, some hypothetically, will sin more in order that grace may abound? Of course not, God’s wisdom is to preach the fullness of Grace in order that the fullness of What Jesus can do may be manifest among us.

Here is a marvellous thing that when you pray effectively, fervently, and earnestly in your prayers you, like Elijah, standing before God, in the righteousness of Jesus, touch Him in such a way that the dynamic, dynamite of his power is released through you.

Released to pray you become a servant in the hands of a creative God, friends who love one another and effectively, fervently and earnestly desire the best for your community here at Barcaple. Your leaders become Godly, wise and faithful servants among you because you pray for them. Your families are transformed because Jesus has taught you to pray more earnestly, to knock, to ask, to seek, more effectively.

Right!
Now that you know how it’s done, I would like three of you to stand, with open eyes, look around and pray for us.

Jesus gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit the day you were saved, but you may need hands laid on you to release the power of the spirit You may need a friend to lay hands on you for that release.

There is a release of the Holy Spirit, which some of you may not have experienced, and if you need that release. There are those here who will lay hands on you and see you released, a friend, a brother, a sister, whatever.

God bless you