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Sabbath, October 9, 2004Sabbath, November 20, 2004 Pastor Tom Hughes
Newark Seventh-Day Adventist Church

“THE PRAYER OF FAITH”


 

I want to ask you a few questions. Are you ready for the “time of trouble?”

Are you prepared for the time of the end?

Do you have a faith that will stand in the last days?

In the Spirit of Prophecy we’re told that, “None but those who have fortified their minds with the truths of the Bible will be able to stand in the last days.”

Do you have the kind of faith that could stand if put to the test?

Is it fair for me to ask as your pastor: Are you committed to this church and its mission?

How do you demonstrate commitment to the church and the mission of the church?

Is it fair for me to say as your pastor that I expect you to support the meetings of the church with your attendance and to support the church with your tithes and your offerings?

If you’re really committed, won’t you demonstrate your commitment by your attendance and by your offerings and by your ministry dedicating your time, your effort, your talents to this church?

If we’re really in the last days, and the church really matters, shouldn’t all of us be on deck because we’re going through a storm? And when you’re going through a storm don’t you need all hands on deck manning all the oars and manning all the ropes and the sails? Don’t you need every member to have a part in the mission of the church?

Is it fair for a pastor to say: If you’re supporting the church and you’re committed to the church,

Why aren’t you in Sabbath School?

Why aren’t you attending prayer meeting?

During the week of prayer, why won’t you clear your schedule and come and pray with your fellow church members?

Don’t tell me you’re committed to the church and then:

not come to any of the meetings,

not contribute anything in your tithes and
offerings,

not participate using your talents and gifts in ministry

and yet say you’re committed to the church! People, wake up! We’re in the last days! God is calling us to rise up like an army as terrible as an army with banners marching.

How can we say we’re committed if we don’t even do the minimum for Christ?

…if we can’t get out of bed on Sabbath morning and read our Bibles, and pray?

I don’t want you to just get up and barely make it to Sabbath School, I want you to get up and get your Bible out, and have your worship, and pray, and come to Sabbath School bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, and filled with the Holy Spirit; not asking, “What can I get out of it?”

I’ve had people say, “Pastor, I don’t get anything out of church,” or “I don’t get anything out of the sermon,” or “I don’t get anything out of Sabbath School.”

Who cares if you get anything out of it or not? I don’t care if you’re getting anything out of it! You’re supposed to be coming to church to give!

You’re supposed to come to Sabbath School to give to your brothers and sisters; to take what God has given you if you’ve prayed and, as you’ve read your Bible, and as you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit, you’re supposed to be coming to Sabbath School and share what God has done for you!

Why is it that we get this attitude, “Gimme, gimme, gimme,” “I want, I want;” “I don’t get anything out of it”? Where does that come from? That comes from a self-centered attitude that the devil loves to see in his people!

That’s not a godly attitude, that’s a self-centered, selfish attitude, “What am I going to get out of it?” If you don’t get anything out of it but somebody else gets a blessing, praise the Lord! It’s a good thing you were there!

I’ve had people say, “Well, so and so is preaching,” or “Who’s preaching?” Don’t ask who’s preaching. God is here every Sabbath, isn’t He? Who cares who’s preaching! I’m coming here to this church to hear Jesus! I’m coming here to get the Holy Spirit filling my heart. I’m coming here not only to get a blessing but to be a blessing! Is Jesus going to show up here every Sabbath? Well then what difference does it make who the human instrument is that stands up here to preach? I’ve got good Elders that know how to preach and every single one of them when they get up here they’ve got a message for you. They have got a powerful message and I want every single member to come to church every week no matter who is preaching whether it’s Billy Graham or Tom Hughes! You shouldn’t have more people coming out to hear Billy Graham than come here to hear me.

We should have the same people come every week. Why? Because we’re committed to Jesus! We come to church because we love Jesus. We come to church to pray together. Look, I need your prayers! We’ve been fighting a spiritual battle. You know, Mike and Wendy, and I have been down there at the hospital fighting a battle with the devil. He’s been breathin’ fire and trying to hurt us and trying to destroy and tear! And we’ve been battling by faith. Clyde and Leon, and all of you, Dave McManus, all of you who have gone down and visited. People from Reynoldsburg and other churches – we’re in a battle with a demon who’s trying to hurt and destroy. And what’s going to help? Prayer! We’re going to have a week of prayer.

Now when I go over the scripture, I know that you folks are hurting. You are hurting! But the devil wants us to not be committed to our mission here. Do you know why he attacks us? He wants to distract us from our mission. Well, he’s not going to distract me from my mission. And I’m not getting depressed and down because we’re having difficulty.

I want you to read the first part of verse 13: “Is anyone among you suffering?” I’d like to put it like this: “Is anyone among you not suffering?”

You have had a tough two weeks! My sheep are hurting. But I need to know, are you with me or not? Are you committed to this church? Are you committed to the Sabbath School? I was sad today because I came to Sabbath School and there weren’t more people here than are here for church. I think Sabbath School is more important than church. And I think we need to have more people at Sabbath School than were at church. And I was sad to see a lack of commitment in my people.

Uh, Oh! You don’t look happy that I said that. Uh, Oh! I wonder if I’m gonna get out of here alive today! J

Hey! Am I saying what’s right or not? Are you with me? I’m not playing “Church.” I’m not here to play “Church.” I want to get real with God. I can’t play. You think I can go in there and do battle with the devil face-to-face in hand-to-hand combat and be playing “Church?” Be some phony, some hypocrite going in there and praying for somebody’s safety, healing, and not be connected to the living God? And who do I have backing me up? My people! My church members! Are you with me? Are you committed? Let’s quit playing “Church.” Let’s get real with God. Let’s get serious about Jesus.

I might look goofy, have goofy hair, and play around with my beard and my hair, but I’m committed. I love the Lord! I love Jesus: He’s what matters to me. And I love Shannon. And I love all my members that have problems and that are hurting. And I love my whole congregation, all of Shannon’s family. I feel very, very bad for them.

“Is anyone among you suffering?” We’re all suffering as a congregation. This is a tragic thing that happened among us (!) and we have to deal with it.

Now my question to you is this: It says, “If anyone among you is suffering, let him pray.”

What’s the cure for our suffering? What do we just happen to be having this week? A week of prayer! How good is that! Now do you think that’s just a coincidence? No way! You think the pastor was smart enough to think about it -- in advance? No! This is God doing this!

We’re suffering…we need to come together, we need to pray for Shannon, we need to pray for courage, we need to pray for ourselves.

“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing songs.” We’re going to be singing at the week of prayer.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, let them pray over him anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.”

We did that. We went to her bedside and anointed her with oil.
“and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

So I have no doubt that God will raise up our dear sister. I have no doubt that God will save our dear sister. Her last words while she was conscious were “Mom, I’m not afraid, because I know the angels of God are in this room.”

Now that’s courage!

To my suffering church, I say this:

I want you to imagine in your mind in this particular instance total restoration, or God forbid a total loss took place, and then look at everything in between -- all the different things that could happen. And some of these possibilities are very real to me.

My father, by the way, had one leg! He raised me and did a good job – and nobody knew it but me. Okay? There are all sorts of possibilities in that continuum from losing a person to having a total restoration.

Now let me ask you a question: Where in that continuum do we praise God more? If you lose someone, if they’re totally healed, or if there is some combination somewhere along the way in the continuum? Where do you praise God more and where do you praise God less? There is no “less.”

So whether a person lives, whether a person dies, whether a person is disabled – no matter what the continuum is, our relationship to God should be the same regardless! Is that right, or wrong?

Now, are we human? Is it hard to do that?

When I say, “God is good…” and you say, (congregation) “…all the time” is it hard sometimes to believe that? But without a doubt, with every fiber of my being, I believe that God is good…(congregation) …all the time!

Is it true?

For someone to say, “Mom, I’m not afraid because I know the angels of God are in this room” demonstrates a courage that should inspire all of us to have faith. No matter what happens, no matter how tragic a situation may be God is still on His throne. God is still the ruler of the universe. God can still bring good out of anything no matter how bad it is.

It says in verse 15, “The prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

We have a promise that the prayer of faith will save the sick and availeth much. Do we believe in prayer? Are we praying? I’ve had a dozen people tell me when they get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom they’re praying, before they go to bed they’re praying, when they wake up they’re praying. God has driven the church to its knees for a purpose. God has allowed these things to happen for a purpose. We have to demonstrate at least as much courage as that young girl who’s fighting for her life even as I speak.

I want you to open your Bibles to Hebrews 11. I don’t know what the Lord has for you in this but He told me to read it to you. I think God is speaking to me, too. As human beings, we hurt when one among hurts. We suffer when a family among us suffers. And we love our family and we are with them in support emotionally and in every way. But we have to remind ourselves why we’re here as a church.

We have to demonstrate commitment to the Sabbath School, the prayer meeting, the Week of Prayer. We have to be committed to God if we’re going to pray and expect God to hear our prayers. We have to get real with God. We can’t be faking it; acting like we’re Christian on the Sabbath and the rest of the week ignoring Him and think that He’s going to move heaven and earth for us.

Are we committed and are our prayers really going to avail much because did you notice the qualifications? It says, “The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Are your sins forgiven?

Do you have a saving relationship with Jesus?

Have you asked God to wash your sins away in the blood of the Lamb?

If you have, then you are truly righteous in Christ and your prayer will avail much.

Hebrews 11:1…

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

I want you to pray for this girl. I want you to pray for her hands, and her feet, and her kidneys, and every part of her body. I want you to pray for a full restoration but all the while saying, “Thy will be done, O Lord, not my will.” God knows what’s best, but I want to ask.

Now, if God can take a leper who has lost all his fingers and put ‘em back on, he can surely take something that’s discolored and turn it white, and heal it. So this is not beyond God but I want you to know something. No matter what happens, I know God loves this girl far more than we do. And I don’t want to have that be a 600-pound gorilla sitting in the room and none of us talking about it.

We’re all concerned, we’re all hurting, we’re all suffering. We suffer with this family. And one of the reasons the devil loves to attack the church, he’s saying, “You’re getting all excited about salvation. People are coming to that church. People are getting saved. Wipe that grin off your face! Wipe that smile off your face! You have no reason to praise the Lord!”

Well, I beg to differ with the devil. And we’re going to look right here in Hebrews 11:1-6, and see what God has to say to us.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
5By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Do you want God to answer your prayers? Are you diligent? Are you committed? Are you seeking Him?

7By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place, which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand, which is by the seashore.
13These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.”

And I want you to go on. Verse 17…

17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…
18of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called, “accounting”

19…that God was able to raise him up…”

Abraham was willing to lose a child for God’s sake knowing all the while that God would resurrect that child. He wasn’t afraid.

22By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel…”
23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents…”
24By faith Moses…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter” and then it tells the story of how Moses would rather suffer reproach
25(choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to…” give up his faith (“…enjoy the passing pleasures of sin”
28 By faith he kept the Passover…” and they crossed the Red Sea (29By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land)
30By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31By faith the harlot Rahab…” found salvation in God (“…did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace”).

And it goes on and on, and on.

33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

34quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

35Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.”

People, in the church, killed rather than give up their faith because they wanted to be resurrected. They didn’t just want to have live on earth today. They were willing to give that up so they could have a better homeland in the future.

36 “Still others had trial of mocking and scourging, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.”

Church! What if today we had this same experience? What if we were in the time of trouble and there were people being persecuted on a daily basis? What if we were facing tragedies of this magnitude every single day? Are we going to allow a tragedy to rob us of our faith and courage, and our hope in the Lord? Or are we going to meet it with courage, and conviction, and faith, and strength in the Lord God? No more being sad about it! We are going to conquer by faith!
Now, sadness will never leave us. When you’re going through a trial like this; when there is tragedy, yes, you are sad; yes, you are sorrowful; yes, are hurting; yes, are suffering. What does the Bible say when you suffer? You need to pray and you need to trust God.

What if we were losing people every day? Look at verse 37…

37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—

38of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.

39And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,

40God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

Church, there will always be tragedy among us. There will be persecution and trial and we have to have courage when we’re faced with tragedy. We have to be willing to hope and trust in the Lord. And in Romans 8:28 (I want you to turn there), you cannot let the devil say to you, “Wipe that smile off your face! Take that joy out of your heart! Take that praise from your lips! You are suffering and going through a hard time, you can’t praise the Lord!

Paul was sitting in a prison in his own bodily waste and when they found him what was he doing? He was singing and praising the Lord in spite of his pain; in spite of his suffering; in spite of his sorrow! He was praising God. Even though Paul watched as Stephen was murdered and stoned to death, the church still praised the Lord; even though there was heartache and tragedy in its very midst.

We have to learn that even when we are going through difficult times, we must never lose our hope, our faith, and our trust in the God of Israel. And we have to be courageous even when we’re going through a difficult time like this. Because the Bible says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose.”

If you believe that’s true, would you say, “Amen”?

31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

33Who shall bring a charge against God's elect. It is God who justifies.

34Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36As it is written:
"For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."[c]

37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

“Why art thou disquieted, O my soul? Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name (Psalm 103:1). Thy will be done on earth, O Lord, as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10).”

Let us stand and we’re going to sing the first and last verse of “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and I want you to make a commitment with me to put this church first, your time, your talents, being a good steward of everything that God has blessed you with. I want to encourage you to be committed to this church to have a saving relationship with Christ.

If you are truly committed to the church and more importantly, committed to the Christ who died on the cross to redeem the church, and if you have a saving relationship with Jesus, if you’ve accepted Him as your Savior, then the prayer of faith will truly save the sick and God will raise them up.

“For the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Won’t you join with me in being committed to Christ and His church, and to prayer this week; not just for Shannon, but for our church and for all those that are wandering in darkness and that need this great lighthouse, the Newark Seventh-Day Adventist Church, to shine brightly and boldly to call men and women into this church to find salvation and eternal life?


Special Music: Virgil and Marie Wilkison “Love Lifted Me”

Closing Song: Hymn No. 483 – “I Need Thee Every Hour”

All Scriptural References: New King James Version

Ellen G. White References: www.whiteestate.org

Transcription: Wendy J. Riebel

This sermon is also available on cassette tape.

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