Hear the word of God as you find it in the 18th chapter of Genesis Beginning at verse 16, and I do remind you that this is God's word It is for you his people Because it comes from him you may trust it You may trust it implicitly because when God speaks he speaks the truth Verse 16 then the men rose from there and looked towards Sodom And Abram went with them to send them on the way And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing Since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him Where I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him That they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice That the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him And the Lord said because the outcry against Sodom and Gamora is great and Because their sin is very grave. I will go down now and see Whether they have done altogether According to the outcry against it that has come to me and if not I will know Then the men turned away from there and went forward to Sodom that Abram still stood before the Lord and Abram came near and said Would you also destroy the right suppose there were 50 righteous within the city Would you also destroy the place and not spare it for the 50 righteous that were in it Far be it from you to do such a thing as this to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous Should be as the wicked far be it from you Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? So the Lord said if I find in Sodom 50 righteous within the city then I will spare all the place for their sakes Then Abram answered and said indeed now I am but dust and ashes and have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord Suppose there were five less than the 50 righteous would you destroy all of the city for lack of five? So he said if I find there 45 I will not destroy it He spoke to him yet again and said suppose there should be 40 found there so he said I will not do it for the sake of the 40 Then he said let not the Lord be angry and I will speak Suppose 30 should be found there so he said I will not do it if I find 30 there And he said indeed now I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord suppose 20 should be found there So he said I will not destroy it for the sake of 20 And then he said let not the Lord be angry and I will speak but once more suppose 10 should be found there And he said I will not destroy it for the sake of 10 So the Lord went his way as soon as he had finished speaking with Abraham and Abraham returned to his place The word of the Lord Let us pray together Lord Jesus you are Exalted at the right hand of your father and you together with the father Have given the promised Holy Spirit to dwell in the midst of the church and you have given your spirit to do this special work of Enabling us of helping us both to understand and then to receive and then also to do your word Without this work of your spirit None of that will happen so Lord Jesus By your spirit come and be in our midst and Enable us to understand your word and receive your word and Then Lord Jesus by the same spirit stir us up to do What is in your word here for us to do? You ask this for the sake of your name. We ask it for the sake of the church. We ask it for our own good We pray in your name amen You may be seated Every Saturday morning if you turn on your radio to the local public radio station
Every Saturday morning at 10 o'clock you'll be treated To a program I see some of you smiling Of an exceptionally delightful kind You'll be treated to click and clack the Tappet brothers the World's auto repairman From Cambridge, Massachusetts where they live and where they own an auto repair shop These guys know more about automobiles than two human beings should know about automobiles If you call them and you have a question you have a problem from their vast reservoir of knowledge They can call those things needed in order to in order to address your particular problem I mean, I have heard you guys talk about the craziest things. It's it's about 20% auto repair About 40% pop psychology and about 40% rivaled humor It's a great program and What they do is diagnose They diagnose automobile illnesses And you call these guys and you tell them what your trouble is and they will diagnose the problem and they will give you a solution to your problem Now click and clack the Tappet brothers don't have all that much in common with the scriptures But they do have that one thing in common with the scriptures Because the scriptures when you come to the scriptures do the very same thing The scriptures are diagnostic When you stand before the scriptures and you read the scriptures and you seek By the spirit of God by the grace of God through his spirit when you seek to understand the scriptures and then seek to apply them to your life They have this first work this sort of diagnostic work where they expose What is wrong and then offer solutions so that what is wrong might be put right? And you come to this portion of the 18th chapter of the book of Genesis you come to this episode in the life of Abram You're coming into the presence of a portion of scripture which does this diagnostic work It takes a close close look at prayer and Then it offers some very specific instruction about what a growing and maturing prayer life will look like It offers some Contours if you will some features of what a growing and maturing prayer life does look like that's what the scriptures do They're like a mirror and we look at ourselves in that mirror and we see the points of weakness and defect we see where the problems are But we are also given as we look in the mirror as we look into that Standard of the scriptures. We're also given some helpful suggestions some solutions So that these problems Can be corrected that's what you have when you come to this portion of scripture There's a lot that could be said about this passage a lot of different angles that could be taken on it But when I've come to this passage, I've always been struck I what it teaches me and I trust teaches us about prayer and While there may be more things that could be said about it I want to suggest to you that there are five features of Abraham's prayer life Which are the contours of what you can call a growing and maturing Life of prayer five features and the first of them is this The first of these features is that prayer is grace Born Prayer is grace born that is to say that a growing and maturing life of prayer Is conceived and nourished and brought to maturity brought to birth if you well and then beyond birth brought to maturity and fruitfulness in the womb in the environment of the grace of God a growing maturing prayer life Is a seed Sown in the soil of the grace of God nourished by that same grace brought to fruitfulness by that same grace Abram's maturing prayer life grows out of his understanding of who he is in covenant Relationship to the living God. Do you know that about yourself? You know that about yourself Look at what God says of Abraham in verses 17 and follow him the Lord said shall I hide from Abram what I'm doing since Abram Shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him verse 19 This first phrase is the key phrase for I have known him I've known him a few weeks ago a couple three weeks ago We picked about the covenant of circumcision and I suggested that there were different Strands woven together to form this cord which is the covenant of circumcision one of those strands was that the covenant of circumcision is relational It is essentially Relational in nature and that's what shows up here again It being a covenant relationship with God is relational And this phrase is important when God says that he has known Abram when he has says that he has known Abram He's not saying that he has just known about Abraham known him from a distance But this is language of familiarity Language if you will this is an overworked word. I know it's one of those words We hear so much it probably loses its force and its impact But it is language of intimacy
God doesn't just know about Abraham, but he knows Abraham and that is language of intimacy Adam knew his wife knew his wife There's a great deal more going on in the union between Adam and Eve a great deal more going on than physiology and anatomy plumbing When the man knows his wife, there is something of great intimacy involved in that and that's the kind of language that is used here Can you say that about yourself? Can I say I understand that I'm a son that I'm a daughter of Abram? I stand in this great stream of those who across the centuries have Understood that being a Christian is not about what I know And it's not about what I do It involves those things, but it doesn't stop there The highest the greatest the most remarkable thing about being a Christian is that I a finite and sinful person By the grace of God have been married To the God of heaven and earth I have become his bride I am the object of his desire his affection his longing He knows me And invites me to know him do you know that in your heart of hearts Do you know that about yourself and do you understand as Abram clearly has begun to understand that when God invites us into that Kind of relationship with himself invites us into that fellowship with himself He invites us into partnership with himself shall I the God who has called Abram into this covenant relationship with myself Shall I hide from him what I'm about to do?
It would be a violence against that covenant It would be to act contrary to that covenant if God did not disclose his heart Disclose his intentions reveal his plans to Abram No, he is brought into the council of God and he is invited into partnership To engage with God in God's purposes for the nations
People have said I've read this in places. I've heard others refer to it people who said that Winston Churchill was a bear The work for but people who work for him during the Second World War counted it the greatest privilege of their lives to have been in this service
Do we know that about ourselves as Christians do we understand this thing that God has done? Is there anything greater is it surprising that the church across the centuries continues to love the him amazing grace Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like the I once was lost but now I'm found I was blind now I can see
The church loves to sing that song because the church has understood what God has done When God has said I know you You are mine and you are in partnership with me and so God discloses what it is that he is to do
The first of the features of a growing and maturing prayer life is we understand who we are We understand that prayer is grace Born it is born in the soil of the grace of God
The second thing Second thing that you see the second feature of prayer is that prayer On the part of the one praying is self Facing and self denying repeatedly in this passage Abram asks permission to speak yet again Verse 27 Abram answered and said indeed now I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord verse 30 Then he said let not the Lord be angry and I will speak verse 31 indeed now I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord Verse 32 let not the Lord be angry and I will speak but once more The one who is praying understands who he is Abraham understands he he understands
That he is in no position to constrain God to do anything for him respond to him He understands that he is the creature before the creator and he understands that he is the sinful creature The for the creator and a little bit we're going to see that there is great boldness in Abraham's praying But at this point you see in Abram a recognition of who he is there is this self effacing self denying Aspect to prayer we understand when we pray as Bob said that we do come into the presence of the king of the kings and the Lord of the lords And he beloved is not to be tripled with He is not common. He is not ordinary He is the God of covenant and he invites people into covenant fellowship with him But he is not to be treated as an equal think I am as familiar as a person can be You know I love hugs however imperfectly I give expression to this I want to know people I want them to know me But you understand when you come to God You don't come to God in the way that you come to each other He is the king of glory. He is the holy one of Israel. He is seated upon his throne exalted above the heavens The angels surround him. They sing his praises day and night without end and they cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts heaven and earth they're full of his glory And when Isaiah is brought into that throne room where God is seated He is immediately a base. He falls on his face. He's crushed by what he sees God is not your equal You are partners by his grace Do you understand when we come into the presence of God That there is to be this proper self-effacing and self-denying Feature or characteristic. It's a striking sort of a paradox Do you see it throughout the scriptures on the one hand as we'll see as I've said this boldness This perseverance in Abram and yet this self-effacing quality you see it In the Beatitudes another example of this kind of paradox What is the first word of the Beatitudes? The first word is blessed Blessed happy deeply content deeply satisfied when you see that word blessed let it sink in let it address you let it speak to you again Do I know something about this? Do I know what it used to be the blessed one, but who is the blessed one? Not the one who has this sort of light and superficial and episodic view of happiness with the blessed one the happy one the profoundly content and secure and satisfied one is one who knows his or her Spiritual bankruptcy and poverty blessed are the poor in spirit and going beyond that poverty they grieve over it They grieve over it because it's an offense to God Is that spiritual poverty and it's even a violent being profoundly happy and blessed and yet knowing your utter spiritual destitution that's what you see in Abram. He knows who he is and he doesn't forget it He is the creature before the creator No confusion in Abraham's mind about who is who God is God and Abraham as Bob said is not now there's a third feature to this prayer emerges from the soil of the grace of God it is grace born it is self-effacing and then thirdly it is God affirming growing maturing prayer is God affirming where is this challenging Boy does this confront me it is God affirming the point is this that mature prayer growing maturing prayer reflects a deepening acquaintance with the character of God the character of God what is the basis in this passage of Abraham's appeal to God for Sodom and Gomorrah What is the basis of his appeal it's in verse 25 Look at it again. This is the basis For the appeal which Abraham makes before God in behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah Far be it from you to do such a thing what thing to destroy the righteous with the wicked He is convinced that there are righteous in the city and he is convinced based upon what he has seen of God what he has known of God what he has grown to understand about the character of God he now understands that it would be wrong it would be an injustice it would be a violence against the very character of God if God were not to discriminate between the righteous and the wicked if God were to treat them as the same not differentiating the one from the other and what is it's stake in this it's not the righteous it's not the wicked it's not Abraham it's not Sodom and Gomorrah what is it stake in this is the name and the integrity of God far be it from you to do such a thing to treat the wicked and the righteous in the same way as though there were no difference his appeal is to the name of God himself you see the same thing in the 32nd chapter of Exodus those of you who are doing your burien rings if you're on the one your cycle and your and your current I'm not quite current but I'm pretty close if you're fairly current you've just read this recently Exodus 32 what happens of course is that Moses has been on the top of the mountain God has brought his people out of Egypt he's brought them to the mountain Moses has gone up and he has gone up to receive from the Lord the law of God this law as someone prayed during our time of prayer this law this word that would order and shape their lives and give life to their lives but while he's up there on the mountain the people have become impatient where is this Moses we don't know what's become of him so Aaron take our gold earrings take our nose rings take our rings all of our take our gold cast it and create a molded calf that we might bow down before it and worship it as the God who brought us up out of the land of Egypt and God knows this and in verse seven he speaks to Moses go get down for your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them they have made themselves a molded calf they have worshiped and sacrificed it they have said this is your God oh Israel who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and the Lord said to Moses I have seen this people they are a stiff neck people let me alone let my wrath burn hot against them so that I may consume them and Moses I will make you a great nation I'm gonna I'm gonna start over I'm gonna destroy this stubborn and stiff neck people and I'm gonna begin again with you Moses and your name will be regarded in all the earth you will be the most respected and honored and remembered name in all of the earth the nations will come from you the nations will be blessed through you through you will come the seed that will be a blessing to the nations I'm gonna start all over Moses I'm gonna begin with what a huge temptation can you imagine such a thing to be the most honored regarded respected revered person in the whole of human history and look at how Moses responds look at his response to God and Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said Lord why does your wrath burn hot against your people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand why should the Egyptians speak and say he brought them out to harm them to kill them in the mountains to consume them from the face of the earth Lord God turn away from your fierce wrath will lent from this harm to your people remember Abraham Isaac and Israel your servants to whom you swore by your own self and said to them I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven you see what Moses is appealing to the very same thing that Abraham appealed to the character of God the promise of God and Moses understands that the people were to be obliterated God would be breaking his promise and the Egyptians would laugh and scorn the God of heaven and earth it's the name of God that is at stake here it is the honor of the name that is at stake and Moses appeals to God's own zeal for his own name and pleads with him to turn away his wrath can I connect some dots here for you can I apply this at a point we've been talking about recently as you walk through your neighborhoods as you walk through your neighborhoods and you see those closed doors and you wonder what's going on behind those closed doors and as you know that behind those closed doors there are people who are apart from Christ who are dying without Christ who have no hope of eternal life people whom you know are exposed to the very kind of judgment that is described in this passage as you walk through your neighborhoods and you see those doors and you wonder what it is that's going on behind those doors in those homes do you connect the dots in your mind and do you say God you are the one you are the one who said that you would gather to yourself of people from every nation every race every people every tribe every tongue on the face of the earth you are the one who has said you are the Lord of salvation you are the one who has said by my strong arm I have gained it you are the one who must come to my neighborhood and manifest that glory and save my neighbors you must do it for the sake of your name for the honor of your name in the midst of the world do you pray like that
do you pray in a holy demanding way that God would save your neighbors that his name might be praise that's how Moses prays that's how Abraham prays because the name of God is at stake in this beloved it isn't about me it isn't about them it is about the glory of God being manifests in the midst of the nations by the salvation of the nations through Jesus Christ the pray that way
and so there is this feature it is self denying to be sure it is God affirming and the appeal is made upon the basis of the character of God just two more things very quickly very obviously given what we've just said there's a fourth feature to this and that is that Abrams prayer is not self-centered but it is other centered it reflects a concern for those who would be spared this holocaust it reflects a concern for those who would be spared this holocaust you walk through your neighborhood as you live in your neighborhood and I want you folks to understand I feel the way to this myself this isn't just about you this is about me and this is about how I walk through my neighborhood and whether or not I will pray in this way for my neighbors trusting that by the grace of God he will manifest his glory he will bismar and he will gather my neighbors into this glorious church of Jesus Christ and enter into covenant with them this fourth feature is that it is other centered and not self-centered Abraham is concerned for those in Sodom and Gomorrah who would be spared who we feel that in our souls do we feel the weight of that in our souls and then there is last a fifth feature of prayer and that is this holy boldness that we've mentioned this relentlessness that we've mentioned six different times Abrams speaks not because he has right not because he can constrain the God of Hefifith to do anything but because he knows that God's name is at stake and because he knows there are people who would be spared that holocaust in that city six different times he comes and he speaks he speaks he speaks he speaks he speaks he speaks he speaks there is that parable in the New Testament the parable of the unjust judge Luke 18 1 through 8 it's a very challenging piece of scripture where Jesus to encourage his disciples that they persevere in prayer and not lose hope not give up for Jesus offers this image of an unjust judge a judge who is disinclined to hear the plea in the petition of this woman who depends solely upon him if her grievance is to be redressed in a just manner she comes and he won't hear she comes and he won't hear she comes again and again and again and again and again and finally because of her relentlessness he relents and grants her her request and Jesus at the end of that parable in effect says God will do his part but when the son of man comes will he find faith on the earth that is to say when the son of man comes understanding that God will do his part that no purpose of his will fail when the son of man comes will he find faith in all the earth will he find this relentless boldness in his people
and I trust we understand that when we come to the God of heaven and earth we come as sons and daughters of Abram we don't come to an unjust judge we come to a father we come to one who has loved us we come to one who has enlisted us in his cause we come as those privileged citizens of the kingdom of heaven a kingdom that will no no end we come not to constrain God to do something for us that he's reluctant to do we come to one who has enlisted us and who has appointed our prayers as a means by which he accomplishes his purposes in the earth and folks if we don't pray he'll raise up somebody who will because he's appointed it as a means and you know what and this is true and it may sound corny and hackney to you but you know what if we don't pray we'll miss the blessings we'll miss we'll miss the good things that God is pleased to accomplish when his people humble themselves and pray and our relentless in this as Abram was relentless God will do his part will we do out what I want for myself and I said you a minute ago this and about you it's about me periodically I mean this happens periodically the Lord will just need me up short about my prayerlessness I don't do bad okay I'm probably better than most of you but I'm not where I want to be I'm not where I need to be and I'm certainly not where Abraham was and I want to be and I want for us to be so let me ask you what are you doing tonight 615 what are you doing tonight at 615 now I know that there isn't anything magical about this place I know there isn't anything special about this great place and as I said to the folks at the early service if I could be assured that you in your homes would be praying from 615 to 715 then I would say fine but honestly folks I have my doubts please don't feel spank
so what are you doing tonight will you gather will you come will you be here so that we together might engage in this work which is the ministry prayer is not supplemental it is fundamental we don't pray for the work prayer is the work and it's our work together may I plead with you that we come and gather together tonight and come before God and plead with him for one another for this church for the churches in this region for those missionaries we support around the world for the proclamation of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth so that those people who might be spared this holocaust might be gathered in will you pray will you come let's pray together Lord Jesus Lord Jesus you know better than we do that while we may go from this assembly this morning resolved to be here at 615 resolved perhaps to develop a new habit resolved perhaps to be engaged in a way we haven't before you know better than we do that sometime between 530 and 6 o'clock all hell will break loose and so we ask you that you would keep it bay those forces that would stand between us and uniting our hearts as we gather this evening to implore you for the work of the gospel and for those engaged in it around the world and O Lord whether it is tonight at 615 or tomorrow morning at 615 or 515 or 715 or whatever the time would you do the same would you stand between us and those forces that would derail us so that we might learn to be engaged in this work of prayer in a more faithful believing persist the bold manner Lord Jesus make us a praying church we ask you for the sake of your name and for our good we ask in your name