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Losing the Right of Prayer

There was an old hymn which carried the words, the world has lost the right of prayer and saints have failed to pray.  In every stage of man’s existence upon the earth, communication with a higher power has been prevalent in the hearts of men.  There is only one God and His name is not Allah.  In the course of the development of human history man rejected the idea of the knowledge of the one true God and began to create gods from their own mind.  Whether the stars, planets, sun, moon, animals, fish or some force of nature, history is filled with men affirming something beyond man for help.

Those who have come to know God from what is revealed, have maintained a communication with God called prayer.  It is man affirming that it is not in man to direct his own steps (Jeremiah 10:23).  Those who follow God and are therefore seen as righteous men bow their spirits, hearts and even sometimes their knees to speak with God about the contents of their heart.  It may be a David declaring that God has heard his supplications and prayers (Psalm 116:1).  It is Jesus on the ground in Gethsemane, saying to the Father, “…thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

The righteous man always comes to know that there can be no acceptable prayer that is not offered in faith (James 1:6).  Faith as defined by God is a belief in the existence of God and the knowledge that God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  The person who chooses to live a sinful life should never be deceived to believe that God will respond to his prayers (John 9:31).  All spiritual blessings are in the Lord and none outside of Him and His body, which is the church (Ephesians 1:3; 22,23). The one who lives a sinful life has no connection to God because of the abandonment of faith.  At one time Paul spoke about the Gentiles before they found Christ.  He said they were living in sin (Colossians 3:7).

We cannot live in sin and think such conduct increases the grace of God because it  does not (Romans 6:1,2).  Grace reigns in the heart of the Christian through righteousness (Romans 5:21).  Righteousness is faith being acted on in one’s daily life before the world and his family (James 2:24).  This is what God said and this is what I will do.  Righteousness will not accuse a holy God of acting out of our best interest.  God wants us to talk with Him so that our hearts stay focused on Who He is.  If one ceases the practice of prayer, he begins to distance himself from God.  God calls upon us all, to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).

Back to the old hymn why do people cease to pray and hence lose the right of prayer?  Many reasons no doubt could be given.  I choose this simple answer which will not be complete in the minds of everyone.  My thinking is that people do not believe in the power of prayer.  On one hand you have the “fake faith healers” trying to convince audiences that God still works today like He did in the first century.  You have liberal brethren who have give up on the Word of God and believe they must have some kind of emotional demonstration to prove God is still working today.

God still works in our world today and the scriptures so affirm.  It is not a case of God not working but rather “how” does He work.  If God tells us He will never leave us or forsake us, then He must still be active (Hebrews 13:5).  If God affirms that He is able to keep us from falling then God must still be active (Jude 24).  If God gives us all that pertains to our life and godliness, then He must still be active (II Peter 1:3).  If God supplies all our needs, He is still very active in our world (Philippians 4:19).

The problem people often run into is they want God to do something which goes beyond what God has revealed (II John 9).  This passage in II John 9 speaks about individuals who keep going beyond what has been revealed, that is the doctrine of Christ.  If they persist in that journey, John says, they do not have God.  If one does not have God neither do they possess the right of prayer.

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Why didn’t the Lord tell Paul what was about to happen?

The prophet Joel spoke about the events of the last days of human history.  It was called the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4).  God sent forth His only begotten Son  in order to redeem man (John 1:14; John 3:16).  Jesus when He came was approved by the Father with miracles, wonders and signs (Acts 2:22).  These events were recorded by the Holy Spirit to generate faith in those who believed the record (John 20:30,31).  Since the days of the first century the number of God’s children would be like number of the sands of the sea.  Until such time as the Word could be written to generate faith, it was necessary for miracles, wonders and signs until it was finished (I Corinthians 13:10).

Joel in his work pointed to one phase of the work of God in this area.  God would use prophecy, dreams and visions to communicate what God wanted done (Joel 2:28).  If a man claimed he had a dream or a vision from God, he would need to back up that claim by some sign. As the will of Christ came into effect after His death, the Lord worked with those going out to teach with signs following (Mark 16:20).  The Word spoken was being confirmed by the signs.  The gospel through this means went into all the known world in the first century (Colossians 1:23).

God also used dreams and or visions to direct the lives of certain individuals.  By way example an angel came to Joseph, the husband of Mary in a dream (Matthew 2:13).  He was warned to take the baby Jesus and go to Egypt and wait there.  We all have dreams as a natural part of sleep.  However, in these cases, it is something very different.  This was an angel who came in a dream and Joseph accepted it as direction from God.  Still further Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia (Acts 16:9).  After the vision he made a journey into Macedonia.  This vision was for the purpose of direction.

The Spirit of God shows us two occasions back to back where Paul was making a defense of his faith in Jesus Christ the Lord (Acts 22 and 23).  The one in Acts 22, Paul was beaten by a mob of angry Jews.  In the account in Acts 23, the soldiers went down and rescued Paul once more.  The next night the Lord stood by Paul.  He told Paul that as he had spoken in Jerusalem, he would also bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11).  How would Paul get to Rome seeing he was a prisoner in Jerusalem.  Now note, God did not tell Paul how but that he would be in Rome.  Herein lies a great sublime truth about God and how He deals with us.

There would come a time when direct revelation from God would cease (I Corinthians 13:8).  No more visions, dreams or conversation with the Godhead.  It was by declaration of God a “…more excellent way” (I Corinthians 12:31).  The ceasing of messages from God did not mean God ceased to love us or ceased to work in our lives.  God chose the means of the written Word to convey to man how God wanted man to live (II Peter 1:3).  Through the power of that Word men who believe and act on it can be saved (Romans 1:16; James 1:21).

Take just a moment to contemplate how God would get Paul to Rome.  His life would be threaten by over 40 men.  He would be moved by guard under cover of night to Caesarea.  He would spend over two years in prison there.  He would be placed on a ship to take him to Rome as a prisoner.  During the course of that trip he would suffer shipwreck, wind up on an island, cold and be bitten by a viper.  Once he was in Rome, he would be under house arrest for over two years.

What effect would this information have had on Paul back in Acts 23:11?  In the manifold wisdom of God, God has chosen to not reveal to us what will happen tomorrow.  Our Lord said take no thought for the morrow (Matthew 6:34).  There is no “crystal ball” or “hidden codes” or “words” in the Bible to reveal what will happen in our future.  Revelation is finished, God’s love is confirmed and now we trust Him for our daily bread.

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Important Observations From Zacchaeus

The Bible is from God (II Timothy 3:16). Each event which is recorded has importance attached to it because it is from God.  We read from the Old Testament to learn about God and to establish with power the truthfulness of the New Testament (Romans 15:4; Acts 17:11).  We do injustice at times by referring to some events as stories as if they are not true.  Zacchaeus is a case in point.  It was an actual event which occurred in the life of Jesus.  It is not some story or allegory, but rather a factual event which took place in human history.

We learn from Luke 19:2, that this man Zacchaeus was rich.  How did he reach this level of financial security?  One might argue that the ones who collected taxes for Rome were dishonest and always took more than they should have.  This is the same kind of false reasoning people use regarding Pharisees. Some today use the word “Pharisee” to mean anyone today who does not give in to liberal thinking.  It is prejudice of the highest order to read the New Testament and assert that all Pharisees were self centered, self righteous people who judged others.  Once you make such an assertion, you run in to a Nicodemus (John 3).

Contrast this, which is speculation on our part, with what we can know about this man.  Based on verse 3, he was little of stature and hence could not see over the crowd. What if I told you he was like Saul, the first king of Israel who was a tall man by the standard of the day?  You would rightly conclude such would be false because the evidence does not back up such a statement.  Zacchaeus was a man of small stature because that is what the Bible states.

Zacchaeus knew which way Jesus was coming.  How do I assert such?  The Bible states through Luke that Jesus “…was to pass that way”. What if I said, Zacchaeus went home and Jesus happened by?  Oh, that would be incorrect?  Why is that the case?  Because the Bible shows us that Zacchaeus knew which way Jesus was going and ran ahead to position himself to see the Lord.

This rich man went ahead of the crowd and climbed up in a sycamore tree (verse 3).  Whatever logic one uses, if you have Zacchaeus up in some kind of tree other than a sycamore tree you would prove that you are not reading your Bible.  What possible difference could it make?  This is an actual event in history and, therefore, because it is in the Bible, which is from God, the statement must be accurate.  Luke had to write which tree it was and if I teach from God’s Word, I must tell anyone who will listen that Zacchaeus climbed up in a sycamore tree.  By the way, what kind of wood did Noah use to build the ark?

The religious world wants to point to the book of Genesis wherein God declares that Abraham believed and it was imputed to him for righteousness.  Likewise they go to the book of Romans for the same purpose.  Zacchaeus was a “child of Abraham”.  Did he believe in God?  The evidence shows that yes, he believed in God.  Was he therefore a righteous man?

Surely if this man was a child of Abraham, he must have been righteous just like Abraham?  We come then to a very strange statement on the part of Jesus.  Jesus said, this day is salvation come to this house (verse 9).  If salvation comes then it was not already there.  What this case of Zacchaeus teaches us is that being declared righteous by God is not without conditions.  Who is a wise man?  Jesus says it is the man who hears and keeps the sayings of Jesus.  This will no doubt offend some today but keeping what Jesus says means doing what Jesus said (Matthew 7:24).

Men today are declared to be righteous if they obey the Son of God (Hebrews 2:9). They are obligated to so live that Jesus could be in their homes.

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Out of Sight

The twenty third chapter of Genesis relates the death of Sarah.  She reached the age of 127 (Genesis 23:1).  She spent the majority of those years with Abraham.  She indeed had a full and good life.  As Abraham prepared to leave behind his wife of all those years, he went to purchase a field from the sons of Heth. The land he found which he desired belonged to one Ephron, who was a Hittite.  Abraham made a distinction between himself and the sons of Heth.  Abraham said, I am a stranger.  Earlier in the book of Genesis when he went to rescue Lot, he was called “Abram, the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13).  There was therefore a difference between the Hittites and Abraham’s people called Hebrews.

Ephron offers to give the land with the cave on it in which Abraham wanted to bury Sarah.  Abraham would not settle for that kind of deal.  He wanted to buy the land with the cave on it.  Both men agreed the value of the land was 400 shekels of silver. In front of witnesses, the transaction was made and Abraham bought the land with the cave of the field Machpelah. The chapter closes by showing the deal was sealed, and it properly belonged to Abraham.

Throughout the chapter the issue is, of course, a burying place for Sarah.  Moses writes this about what Abraham said.  Abraham said he wanted a place to bury my dead out of sight (Genesis 23:4). Realizing how many years they had together, death could not have been easy for such a righteous man.  Whether death comes suddenly or over a period of time, there is no way to fully prepare the heart for such an exodus of those we love. Jesus spoke of His coming death and the apostles were greatly concerned.  His solution for them and thereby for us was to teach them to not allow their heart to be troubled (John 14:1).  They could not have understood then the full implications of His coming death. The great truth is that each of us as we follow the Lord must control our own hearts.

A discussion of the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5, concerns what the Spirit of God achieves in the heart of the Christian.  I have met (and I know you have) people who were loving or caring for others.  The passage in Galatians, however, deals with the Christian and the power of God’s Word in their hearts (Galatians 5:22,23).  The one listed in verse 23 is temperance. Temperance in that setting means “self control”.  The Christian learns through study of and application of the Word of God to control his life for Jesus the Christ.  When Jesus taught the apostles to not let their heart be trouble it is in view of the fact that we learn over life’s journey to control how we think and, therefore, how we act (II Corinthians 10:5).

Abraham burying Sarah out of sight was not a derogatory statement.  Instead it leaves us with a great truth about facing the reality of losing those we love. What is that truth?  We grieve, we mourn and then we go on.  Hence the bodily remains of Sarah would be out of the sight of Abraham.  The memories of their lives together would not be buried with her.  The truth is that Abraham could not remain at the cave for the rest of his life.  He had to move on and so do we.

No one can declare how long our mourning should take nor what we do to deal with our grief.  The wisdom from God by such a chapter in Genesis is that we mourn, pay honor and then go on.  Death is never easy, nor is it necessarily someone going to a better place.  We do not sorrow as those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13).  Even those who leave with no hope, we still must place them out of sight and go on.