Sermon Tone Analysis

*A Most Awesome Transaction!*

[Numbers 14:1-21]

*Intro: *Been on my heart for some time to speak on prayer – doing the Minor Prophets and so have put it off – also reticent to speak on prayer because I am well aware that I am no authority – my own prayer life is not what it used to be – don't have the time and undistracted space to pray as I used to.

Prayer comes from relationship with יהוה and I am aware that I am as not as close as I used to be.

I can look back to a time of great intimacy and intensity in prayer, great fellowship in prayer in my days in the Elim church – a big church but a core of a dozen or so who prayed – early mornings, revival prayer meeting, all nights of prayer, prayer in tongues where you *heard from God! *The prayer meeting was truly the most exciting meeting the church had – pray together in the Spirit for maybe half an hour then some one would pray in English the exact prayer that you had been praying!

The pastor would preach, it was an anticlimax because that was exactly what had been revealed in the prayer meeting.

I'm not talking one off occasions – it was every time.

We were hearing from God, we knew it and it was thrilling!

My prayer life is not like that now – I am the one who needs to learn to pray, not the one who should preach about it.

Nonetheless I believe God wants me to speak on prayer, so as we look into prayer I am very much looking to learn myself – let's have a look at prayer in God's Word and learn together, let's ask the LORD to teach us to pray, just as the disciples asked Him – *[pray; read Num 14:1-20] *"Numbers 14:19,20 /Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your loving-kindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”//

//So /יהוה/ said, “I have pardoned them according to your word;/"!

Did you read that?! יהוה said: /"I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they."

/Then Moses interceded and changed God's mind, turned Him around from His intention.

Moses asked יהוה to pardon the people and יהוה Himself said, "*/I will pardon them according to your word!/*"

What an amazing verse - just four words!

("כִּדְבָרֶךָ סָלַחְתִּי יְהוָה וַיּׄאמֶר ").

Four words!

יהוה spoke!

But what words!

יהוה heard the selfless desperate intercessory cry of His servant - and He responded!

Hallelujah! יהוה did what Moses said!

That is awesome!

That is the power of prayer!

Prayer is a most awesome transaction!

יהוה hears!

This is a truly astounding verse!

Note firstly that יהוה heard!

A few weeks ago Danny led the meeting and the precious thought came through that "יהוה hears those that call upon Him".

This is truly wonderful!

He is the God of the entire universe – the Creator!

He has all of the universe to look after – yet He hears when I pray!

If I have a problem at work, I tell my boss and he listens – but the manager over him doesn't even know my name, her boss doesn't know who I am, nor does his boss, then there is yet another manager over the whole hospital – is he concerned with my problem – he has a hospital to run!

Over him is the minister of health, then the prime minister – do they hear me? - they have more important matters to take care of.

But God  ....

He hears when I pray, He listens!

יהוה doing what man says! - Secondly God actually did what Moses said!

Does Helen do what I say?! I used to write letters to M.P.'s concerning how they should treat Israel – you get a nice reply (not written by them of course) but are they going to do as I say?!

But יהוה did what Moses said!

Moses had spoken to יהוה in earnest prayer (Num 14:13-19) - now יהוה responds to Moses’ prayer: "I have pardoned them according to your word"!

Hallelujah! יהוהּ spoke!

Praise His Name!

And what words!

He had done according to Moses’ words!

Awesome indeed!!! יהוה heeded a man!!! Moses asked for forgiveness and exactly what he requested is what יהוה did: "I have forgiven".

Almighty God did what a mere man asked of Him! What an awesome thing is prayer!

"According to your word" - as Moses said, so יהוה did!

The LORD of glory acted according to the words of Moses who was a mere breath!

Prayer is a great mystery, a holy and fearful thing!

Who can know the deep things accomplished by it?!

It should inspire great reverence, for in response to it יהוה Himself is prompted to act!

The sovereign Lord of the universe, Creator, Sustainer, Controller and Perfecter of all things changes His intent and acts in line with the words of man!! (cf.

*James 5:16** */The// effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit/.).

There is awesome power in prayer!

Why don't we do it more?

The prayer meeting should be the most exciting, most well attended meeting.

Leonard Ravenhill from “Why Revival Tarries: "/The Cinderella of the church of today is the prayer meeting.

This handmaid of the Lord is unloved and unwooed because she is not dripping with the pearls of intellectualism, nor glamorous with the silks of philosophy; neither is she enchanting with the tiara of psychology She wears the homespuns of sincerity and humility and so is not afraid to kneel!/” God doing what man says!

Incredible!

Why are we reluctant to pray and find it a chore?

What more effective and powerful activity can man engage in?

We have to ask our selves: is our "prayer" really prayer at all?

Does it reach God? or is it our own thoughts cycling through our mind?

Does it bring forth a response from God? Does it cause Him to act?

(cf.

*John 15:7,8,16*/ If you abi//de in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you./).

If you didn't believe it the first time He repeats it.

יהוה turned from His intention.

Thirdly God changed His course of action on the basis of Moses' prayer.

He was going to destroy this people and make a nation out of Moses – but Moses, by prayer, changed יהוה 's intention, turned God Himself from what He had decided to do! Are you beginning to see just how awesome prayer is?! Moses was the meekest man on earth – God promised to make a nation from him but he refused – there was no selfishness in his motive, not what he wanted, his sole concern was יהוה's reputation, His glory, the honour of His Name.

He prayed according to יהוה's character that had been revealed to him, in accordance with His Word.

God cannot resist such a prayer.

Not that we must think of Him as deflected from an original purpose of judgement.

Certainly He is never deflected from His eternal purpose.

Rather we must think of prayer as means used by God to set forward His purpose.

It is part of the work of God and is involved in the carrying out of His purpose.

Effective prayer is inspired by God in the one who prays, and God uses it for the furtherance of His will.

God is still sovereign.

יהוה  forgave.

Fourthly יהוה  forgave – He said that He would forgive the people.

They deserved to be wiped out – that is what He fully intended to do.

Had the people repented?

Had they confessed their sin?

No, they did not even acknowledge it, they were still in full fledged rebellion.

Why did יהוה forgive?

Simply because Moses asked Him!

There is power in prayer!

It is a truly awesome transaction between man and God who has all power.

This is an astounding verse, awesome words!

יהוה pardoned this great iniquity!

Praise His Name! יהוה spoke and said that He had done exactly as Moses had requested!

Israel would not be wiped out, He would be true to His promise and they would inherit the land.

Moses prayed, יהוה heard.

Hallelujah! יהוה spared the people and announced eventual kingdom blessing.

יהוה forgives!

Praise His Name! (cf.

*Micah 7:18** */Who// is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?

He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love./).