The Power Of Praying Parents Part 1

Run with endurance the race of warriors looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter of our displays, our best efforts. Sometimes kids go astray, even Christian anguished parents cry out to God for a solution and that's exactly what God wants us to do in those situations today. Coming to grips with prodigal children stay with us from the Moody Church in this one looks or teaching make it across the finish line vasculature as you take part nine in your series on fighting for your family. I know a lot of parents wonder if their prayers are doing any good will date the answer to your question is yes, of course, the prayer is that parents make a difference. As a matter fact the illustration that I use in this sermon is a great encouragement of a single mother interceding for her child and you and I know how important it is that we do indeed intercede for our children and I'm so gratified to be able to tell you that the ministry of running to win is in 20 different countries and recently we've begun to broadcast in the Arabic speaking world. As a result of your prayers and your gifts, it's possible for us to touch the lives of many people. Thousands of people that we will never meet here on earth would you consider becoming an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts in order to find out more. Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 now we go to the pulpit of Moody church where we will be encouraged by a woman who would not take no for an answer today is my privilege to preach message number nine in a series entitled fighting for your family.

Specifically, how to pray for your children and we shall concentrate eventually on praying for product holes.

I don't need to tell you, do I that there are plenty of prodigal children all for ghost stories, but this past week, speaking at a Bible conference, a man sits next to me. His son married this woman have children she's run off to find another lover so the children now go through the difficulty of divorce. He's a grandparent and has to watch all this happen story told thousand times by way of introduction.

A couple of questions. Number one is it always the parents fault.

If a child rebels and becomes a prodigal answer is sometimes yes parents contribute to the rebellion of their children, but many times the answer is no to think in the famous prodigal son story that the real fault for the younger son wanting his inheritance and then going into a far country you think it was because he didn't have a good father. Of course not. The father represents God. Sin is irrational, young people and older people to do stupid, hurtful, crazy things they follow their desires wherever they lead. Even with good parenting. So somewhere along the line in this message.

I'm going to try to help you as parents to live guilt free, no matter the past. The second question that might be asked very logically is when kids rebel.

The child was brought up in Sunday school and went to camp and memorized all the verses and serve the Lord during high school and then left the faith during college where they saved are they saved or are in a well.

The good scriptural answer is we don't know that's the answer I do believe this that many kids lose their faith in college, not because of the intellectual arguments but because of the moral issues and the environment they fall into immorality and after that they're looking for justification and so because they don't know how to handle the guilt and to handle their conscience and yet they don't see any way out. They ride home and say mom and dad I'd left Christianity and I become an atheist. Some instances they may be Christians whom God will bring back. In other instances. Indeed, they may never have actually saving believed on Jesus, but only God knows what I'm going ask you to do today is to turn to a passage of Scripture where we see a mother pleading for her child, a mother pleading for her child. It's the 15th chapter. It's the 15th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Matthew chapter 15 a remarkable story. It's a story over which some people have stumbled, they said, Jesus here seems roof. He seems so out of character what's happening here will that's our text today I'm in Matthew chapter 15 and I'm in verse 21 and Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon, and behold a Canaanite woman from the region came out and was crying.

Have mercy upon me. Oh Lord, son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon. He did not answer her word, his disciples came and begged him, saying, send her away because she's crying out after us. He answered I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but she came in she knelt.

Lord help me and he answered is not right. It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs and she agrees. Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table. Jesus answered her old woman, great is your faith be it done for you as you desire. And her daughter was healed instantly. What I'd like us to do is to look at the barriers that this woman overcame in soliciting the help of Jesus or her demonized daughter. What a prayer. What a woman.

What a mother. Now we may begin and ask the question will why was this child demonized what you have to go to bail back as I have been in Lebanon to understand the religion of the Canaanites.

It was a very pagan religion filled with sexuality and filled with occultism those to always go together in the Bible talks about the sins of the father being visited upon the next generation.

And so what you find is that demonic spirits actually move in family line and so apparently this child was demonized as a result of that, I can't believe that the child did something to deserve this or to let these demons in, but thankfully even today when that happens. This power may be broken and the gospel breaks the cycle but there it is. This woman's comes and she is a Canaanite and Jesus is going to the northern part where Lebanon is today Tyre and Sidon where I was back in 1968 and Jesus is there in the area, and she hears about Jesus that he's able to deliver from demons and that the demons obey his very word somehow news about Jesus travels that far.

There is no way that she could leave and visit Jesus and try to find out where he is, but the good news is, Jesus comes into her area to make grace available even for her. What I'd like to do is to give you five or six barriers that she overcame in getting help for her child and interceding for her child. Obviously her child was not a prodigal her child was in desperate need of a word from Jesus that baby girl that small girl would be delivered. Are you ready for the barriers barrier number one is.

She overcame the barrier of her religion.

She could've said there's no way I'm going to go to a Jew to get help for my child. After all, we Canaanites have our own religion.

Can't you just imagine it. There are people today who hide behind their religion for not receiving Christ as a they say because of their culture because of their religion. I be betraying my parents if I were to believe in so she could have said to herself not only religiously but culturally. The Canaanites were despised by many of the Jewish people. They were outcasts and she could've said I'd rather see my child suffering demon than to go to a Jew to try to find out would be something like a Palestinian in the Gaza Strip, reaching out to a Jew for help. You just didn't do it with those deep cultural group so she overcame her religion, her culture and then a divided family, a divided family and I can't say too much about this because we don't know exactly why her husband wasn't there. It's possible that he was just out in the fields. Maybe he had died.

Whatever point was she was here as a single mother soliciting the help of and some of you single mothers you are in that predicament. Aren't you, your husband may no longer be in the family. Maybe there's been a divorce.

Maybe he's died. Maybe he's alive but very disinterested and it's up to you got less you can you imagine in a day when the role of a woman so diminished in a male dominated culture. This woman goes to third teen men who are in the area is Jesus and the 12 disciples and she doesn't care her child needs deliverance. Her child needs a word from Jesus. And so that's what's happening here in the text she overcomes her religion. She overcomes her divided home and then the silence of Jesus.

We just read the text. Your Bibles are open she comes and it's amazing to me that she knows who Jesus is. She got some good theology along the line, have mercy on male Lord, son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon, but he didn't answer her word would you been put off by that those of you who are praying for your children.

Are you put off by the silence of God. The seemingly indifference of God. When your child is out there needing help needing a word from the Almighty and that word doesn't come she knows that the silence of God and yada write this down to the silence of God is never a sign of the indifference of God and even here when Jesus is silent. He is secretly plotting mercy for this child. I happen to think that that's why Jesus went into Tyre and Sidon is because he knew that there was a woman there who needed him a child that needed deliverance. People think that Jesus was rude. He seems to be so out of character with the way he reacts and other places. The only answer is that we have to find within the text itself.

What Jesus was asked and so she overcomes the silence of Jesus she overcomes the rejection of the disciples. Notice it says and his disciples said send her away. Send her away for she is crying out after us. She's crying out after us. She's a nuisance. She keeps crying out after us. Get rid of her now. At that point if you had been this woman would you have backed off and said enough already.

If that's the way these Jews are going to treat me after all.

The fact that I came in I sought their help and that's the kind of cold shoulder that I get send her away.

I'm outta here. That doesn't deter her. She doesn't stop.

And then you'll notice that the text goes on to say. Not only that, but the words of Jesus, he says, for example, in verse 24 I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. I was sent only to the laws the house of the lost sheep of Israel. She hears that the disciples here it and it's very clear to them that that's why they say send her away. In this context. Now what Jesus was saying was true to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.

Of course eventually Jesus is going to become the Messiah to the world. To be sure, but for now I am sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, that is my agenda. That's why came when he sent out the 70th was go only to the houses of the lost tribes were the lost sheep, I should say of Israel.

So Jesus said that's my mission and he speaks correctly but again what she hears is prejudice. I'm a Canaanite and you Jews get all the blessing. This does not stop her notice verse 25 she came and knelt before him, saying, the Lord help me and it still isn't over. Jesus then says it is not right to take the children's bread and to throw it to the dogs. You know the Gentiles, that is to say, the Canaanites were called dogs by the Jews. That's the New Testament expression as it reflects the culture of the days he sees Jesus is saying, you know, Jews are the children and and they get fed, but we can't take food from them and then give it to the Canaanites to the dogs.

Now, if at this point you are really struggling with Jesus. They were saying that Jesus seems to be harsh and uncaring. It might help you little to know that in Greek. There are two different words for dogs. One is those ferocious scavengers are used to run across the country and that's not the word that Jesus uses.

Jesus uses the word for household pets.

We could almost say it's not right to take the food that belongs to the children and give it to the puppies that are around the table, give it to the little dogs and he may have even said that with a twinkle in his eye.

But notice her response. She doesn't disagree.

She doesn't say how prejudice can you get she agrees. She said absolutely, absolutely.

She said I don't want anything that belongs to the children. Whatever it is that you give me. May it not diminish what the children get but she said verse 27 yes Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table. You know the dogs the puppies they get to lick up the crumbs. Don't give me anything that diminishes the food of the kids. I'm not asking for a full meal. I'm just asking for a few crumbs. I am asking for a little spillover of your blessing to me, who is in this desperate situation. Lord, those crumbs are just going to be swept away anyway and arrogantly thrown away. Can't you give me a crown of oh wow, I read this yesterday and tears came to my eyes. Can you imagine this woman. This mother and Jesus finally says all woman great is your faith pause only twice did Jesus ever say you have great faith. He said it to this woman who was a Gentile and he said it to a centurion who was adjourned when Peter was about to go under the water. After Peter began to walk on the water and go to Jesus. I Jesus said oh you of little faith.

Here was one of the children.

Here was one of the Jewish disciples he had a little faith to this woman. Jesus said oh you have great faith, he said, let it be to you as you wish and her daughter was healed instant way can I ask you what point would you have stopped in your intercession. Would you have stopped at the silence of God. God's not answering years of gone by. Why should I continue to pray, would you have stopped because of the influence of other people in the church like these disciples who say send her away because sometimes God's people can be very difficult to live with. They can be judgmental. They can be like the older brother in the product: they can be very obnoxious with that of Scott Junior said I'm not going to intercede for my child anymore.

Someone is said that she scaled the walls of heaven and touch the heart of deity. Luther said that she used the master's own words against him and won his heart by the time she came through all of those barriers, some of which were erected by Jesus and the disciples. Jesus could say old woman, great is thy faith. I think there's another reason why Jesus answered her prayer. It's because of her desperation. She was absolutely desperate. There was no way that her child was going to be healed.

She couldn't have gone there herself and asked the demon to leave.

Demons don't obey us, except as we rely on Jesus. They ultimately obey Jesus and at his word. They must leave. But if you don't have the word from God or we that we can stand against evil powers. Desperation God loves desperate people know what I'd like to do is to transition just a little bit and what I've done. This is almost like two sermons in one, but it is still on payments on target.

I'd like to give some advice for five steps or principles in praying for product calls for praying for prodigal's some of which grow out of the passage of Scripture we just looked at together, some of which grow out of the parable of the prodigal son, here's some practical suggestions as you pray for prodigal's right them down you say I don't need them. You may, you may fear apparent. You may number one per number one Lord change me, Lord, change me. I've no doubt that when there's a prodigal son. God wants to do work in the heart of the parents just like he wants to do a work in the heart of their prodigal and by the way, from here on out. Always talk about him. The product will him but of course you know that there are prodigal daughters. Just like there are prodigal sons. In fact, there is probably about 5050 percentage but I've never done a poll on it but I can't always be referring to both genders, but Lord, change me. I asked the question at the beginning of this message is it always the fault of the parent when a child rebels and the answer is no.

Is that sometimes they contribute to it. Yes, through harshness of discipline through self righteousness through a judgmental spirit that turns a child off and numbs their spirit through favoritism.

Favoritism often times is the thing that turns a child off you know you're a favorite yesterday I was in what was called bug house square quite an event that we had over there.

Those of you who were there will know it, but there's a very famous skeptic whose name I will not mention here who's become a friend of mine and when you listen to his story. It's because of this you know your elder brother is achieved.

Look at who he is. You've done nothing so they don't like me. God doesn't like me. I'm going to be a skeptic parents what you need to do is to say to God, is there anything that we need to ask forgiveness for that has been part of the reason why our child is rebelling.

This is has to loser you know sometimes we as parents have had to ask forgiveness of our children. I know that that's been true of Rebecca and me. Sometimes one of the ways in which we can touch their hearts is when we humble ourselves and let them know that we also have struggles you know Rebecca and I've had the privilege of being married for 50 years and we told our story. It's titled the story of our marriage.

50 years of God's faithfulness and in this interview we share some of our struggles. Some of the issues that we've had in terms of raising our children, and we've done that in order to give encouragement to other couples for you to know that oftentimes in marriage there are disagreements and that happens to every single marriage that I've ever heard about. Would you like to know more about how God is. Let us oftentimes without us knowing it. Ask for the story of our marriage.

50 years of God's faithfulness for a gift of any amount.

It can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. It'll give you a window into the looser home 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your grace of only God can count the tears of parents whose kids have gone to the far country like the prodigal son in the Bible. Their kids chose a path destined for failure. Next time I'm going to win more of the power of persistent prayer and God answers prayer. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin looser, this is Dave Callister running to win is sponsored by the teacher