Series: Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gift
#18: The Gifts of Spiritual Expressions – Intercession.
James 5:13-16 (NRSV) (and Matthew 8:5-13 to be read by pastor within the sermon)
By John Gill ~ October 8, 2023

Don't you hate it when a song gets in your head and you can't get rid of it? Especially when it's an obnoxious song that you loathe! I have that experience all the time! With Halloween right around the corner, I am reminded that a number of years ago there was a hit song which was the theme of a popular movie about three guys who would come to your home or place of business and, like paranormal exterminators, get rid of the ghoulish intruders. As the song so catchingly put it, “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!”

This week for some reason, that awful song returned to haunt my mind. As I tried to exorcise it from my brain, I began to think about that question the song poses:

Who are you going to call when life gets rough? What do you do when you have a special need? To whom do you turn when you face a crisis in your life and need help sorting it all out? Where can you go to get answers, find relief, and receive direction?

“Who you gonna call” when you need someone to come to your rescue? From time to time we all have situations in our lives which we can't handle alone, when we need to rely on others to see us through. Sadly, too many people in America today have no one to call on, nowhere to turn. And if they do seek answers they turn to psychics, cults, self-help books, and pop culture. When crises come, when relationships disintegrate, when health fails, when death invades our homes - who do you call? What do you do? Where do you turn?

As most of you know, there have been times in my life when I faced crises, and needed someone to call on to give me strength and see me through. Twice I have battled cancer and thank God, I am now healthy and whole. In those times of crisis, I knew where I could turn, I knew who I could call, and it wasn't Ghostbusters!

When I face times of trial, I call on two sources of help:

First, I call upon the Lord. Psalm 46 is one of my anchor scriptures. It says: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear… Be still, and know that I am God.” Yes, when crises come, I try my best to remember that God is always there, “a very present help in trouble.” But, I don’t stop there:

I also called upon my Christian friends. Many of you who were members here in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and had to undergo surgery. You were there for me. You will never know the encouragement and strength you gave me as you showed your concern for me in so many ways, - most especially, through your fervent prayers.

If you’re like me, you have a mental list of Christian friends that you would immediately call if you faced a crisis – not just any friends – you would reach out to those you know are “prayer warriors.” Who is on your short list of those you would ask to keep you in their prayers?

Those on that list are people who have been gifted by God as intercessors. They are persons of tremendous faith, who believe in prayer, and are diligent and effective in praying for others. I hope you have Christian friends like that. When crisis comes, as it inevitably will, who are you gonna call?

Those on your list certainly have “the spiritual gift of intercession.” Up until today in our sermon series, we have looked at the gifts of spiritual qualities and the gifts of Spiritual roles in the church. Today we shift gears and turn our attention to the gifts of spiritual expressions. We begin with the gift of intercession.

The definition of this gift is this: “The gift to pray for the needs of others for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their prayers too a degree much greater than that expected of the average Christian.” They are the ones you would be sure to call, and they are vital to the body of Christ. Without their ministry of prayer, the church would cease to exist.

How can we understand intercession? How is it different from prayer in general? That dictionary definition gives us a clue: While “prayer” is simply conversation with God, “to intercede” means: 1) to plead on another's behalf, or 2) to act as a mediator between parties. It literally means “to come between.”

As I thought about this gift, it occurred to me that, as with all the gifts, Jesus is our role model and best example. He fits the dictionary definition perfectly! Jesus is the ultimate intercessor, who pleads with His Father on our behalf, and mediates the conflict between

God's divine purity and our sin. As John wrote in his first letter (2:1-2), “If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” By his cross, he has literally “come between” heaven and earth, and he continues to make intercession for us in heaven.

Yes, Jesus is the divine intercessor, the advocate in First John, the great high priest mentioned in Hebrews, and the atoning Lamb of God in Revelation through whom we have access to the mercy and grace of God. It is only through the intercession of Christ pleading with his Father on our behalf that we can have salvation and eternal life! Yes, when crises come, the very first one you should call on is Jesus, who is your advocate with God.

Jesus is the ultimate intercessor, and he calls us to a ministry of intercession, as well. He asks us to plead on behalf of others, to act as the mediator between those for whom we pray and God, to place ourselves as the connecting link between God and those in need. Yes, the Lord has gifted many of us with the ministry of intercession.

As I was developing this sermon this week, I struggled with which scripture text to use. There are so many wonderful texts that are on the subject of prayer. Any number of them would be excellent.

But instead of going with the obvious texts I was drawn to a story in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 8:5-13). Listen as I read this familiar story:

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to [Jesus], appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And [Jesus] said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.” And the servant was healed in that hour.

At first glance, the story doesn't seem to be about prayer at all! It is really a healing story but quite different than most. In the majority of the stories of healing in the gospels, the person needing healing is brought into the presence of Jesus and their faith plays a part in their healing.

Not so here! Not only is the sick man not present, he isn't even aware that his master has gone to Jesus. This is a story about a third-party healing, based on a petition brought on behalf of another person. In other words, it is a prayer of intercession!

In considering this passage, we don't have time to go into details. I just want to lift up several points from the story which apply to those with the gift of intercession in order to help you determine if this might be your spiritual gift. As I mention these points, give yourself a little self-quiz and ask yourself whether these points might apply to you:

1) Intercessors take notice of needs.

It's amazing that this Roman officer even noticed that one of his servants was ill! One of the key characteristics of those with the gift of intercession is that they are constantly noticing those in need. They don't have to be asked to pray, they take the initiative. In Ephesians 6:18, Paul writes, “Pray in the spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”

Question: Do you take notice of the people around you in need of prayer? And do you instinctively go to God in prayer on their behalf?

2) Intercessors appeal to God on behalf of others, not on their own behalf.

This Roman went to Jesus out of concern for his servant! He was not anxious about his own reputation, instead he was motivated out of his caring for others, not for himself. In Galatians 6:2 Paul says this, “Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Question: How many of your prayers are selfish, focusing on your own wants and needs? Or are your prayers focused on the needs of others?

3) Intercessors are bold to approach God.

The Roman official sought-out Jesus. Scripture reminds us over-and-over that we should be bold in making our requests to God. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) And John, in his first letter, writes this: “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

Most of the time, our prayers are too timid. We pray apologetically and hesitantly. But God has made us his children through the blood of Christ, therefore we can be bold in what we ask - in Jesus’ name.

Question: Do you pray boldly? Or are your prayers wimpy?

4) Intercessors are humble, pure of heart and righteous.

This Roman recognized his unworthiness to be in the presence of Jesus. Intercessors must have humility and purity of heart when approaching the throne of grace. In Psalm 51:17, we read, “A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” And in Psalm 24:3-4, it is written, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts.”

Question: When you approach God's throne, how clean are your hands and heart? Do you have a humble spirit?

5) Intercessors do not try to tell God what to do.

Notice that the Roman soldier doesn't ever ask Jesus for anything! He simply tells Jesus the situation, and leaves it to Jesus to do what is best. Yet when we pray, we usually are eager to give Jesus advice! But, even Jesus, when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, left the answer to his prayers up to his Father’s will. Although Jesus implored God that he be spared the suffering of the cross, yet he prayed, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Question: Do you trust Jesus enough to leave it to Him how He will choose to intervene in answering your prayers?

6) Intercessors have confidence in the goodness of God.

This grows out of the point I just made. Intercessors are able to trust Jesus to do what is best because they have confidence that God is a good God. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who question the essential goodness of God, blaming God for situations that are not God’s fault. The Roman centurion never once considered accusing Jesus of having made his servants sick. Yet many times, when troubles come into our lives, we are quick to blame God. God never does us harm, only good. That is his nature. And in the Gospel of Matthew (7:11) we read, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

Question: When you pray, do you assume that God is on your side... that God is good, no matter what?

7) Intercessors have faith in the authority of Jesus Christ.

This is the most notable thing in this story. When Jesus offers to go to the man's house to heal the servant, the centurion says, “just say the word, and it will be done!” No wonder Jesus is so impressed. Prayer in the name of Jesus is powerful because Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Intercessors believe this with all their heart! In the Gospel of John (16:23-24), Jesus says to us, “Very truly I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you... Ask, and you will receive.” To pray in Jesus name means to claim the authority and power of Jesus - that if our prayers are in accord with God's will, it will be done.

Question: When we pray for others, do we really believe that God can and will act? Or, do we question the authority and power of Jesus?

8) Finally, intercessors see their prayers answered.

Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go, let it be done for you according to your faith.” Those with the gift of intercession frequently have their prayers answered.

Question: When you pray for others, are your prayers answered?

If your prayers aren't answered, there are a number of possible reasons why. It could simply be that we fail to ask. Or, that we don't ask in Jesus’ name. It could be that we are asking for the wrong things – things not in accord with God’s good will. Or, we are asking in an unworthy manner. Perhaps, we are sporadic in our prayers, and fail to pray continually. And of course, if we don’t actually believe that God will answer, it’s no surprise when God doesn’t.

But true Intercessors – those with the gift of Intercession – seem to have the ear of God, and God responds to their requests. It's as James wrote in his letter (5:16), “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”

Let me share with you a true story about the power of intercession.

Jim Cymbala is the founder and Lead Pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle, in Brooklyn, NY. One of their main ministries at that church is prayer – especially, intercessory prayer. Brooklyn Tabernacle has what they call "prayer bands", people who meet for one hour prayer times and lift up the various needs of the church and specific requests that come in from around the world. For twelve hours a day, these prayer warriors form these bands and pray.

In one of his books, Pastor Cymbala shares how, one Sunday morning before the worship service, he overheard someone in these bands praying and asking God, "Please protect our pastor." The person praying was very much pleading with God in earnest.

Later that morning during the worship service, as pastor Cymbala was ending his sermon, he closed his eyes in prayer, urging people to come forward to receive Christ. He didn't see a 25 year old despondent man stand, and walk down the aisle toward the front of the church, brandishing a 38 caliber revolver. The man pointed the revolver at the pastor, but the pastor didn't see because his eyes were closed in prayer.

The congregation froze as Pastor Cymbala implored people to come to the altar. Jim didn't know anything until his wife cried out. At that moment, the man threw his gun on the pulpit and ran back down the aisle. Pasto Jim called out, “No, don't go. It's OK!” The ushers surrounded the man, who was obviously very upset. They were able to convince the man to sit down, and they began to pray with him. Because of their loving compassion and their prayers, the man's heart was softened, and he broke down.

“Look what the love of God can make a man ‘give-up,’” the pastor said, pointing to the gun resting on his pulpit. Needless to say, there were floods of people who responded to the altar-call that morning! Intercessory prayer is powerful! It has the power to protect, convict, and change lives!

So, do you think you have the gift? Are you an intercessor?

If so, God needs you! And so does our church. There are several ways you can utilize your gift at Tomoka: You can join our prayer chain or our Wednesday Zoom prayer group. You can become one of our prayer ministers at the back of the sanctuary to pray with folks one-on-one during Communion. Or you can join our prayer time before worship in the Prayer Room, beginning Oct. 22. And of course, all of us can make intercessory prayer a part of our daily devotions.

In Ezekiel chapter 22:30, we find one of the most poignant passages in all of scripture. God is passing judgment on the city of Jerusalem for all their sins. And in that passage, God laments that there was no one willing to intercede in prayer on behalf of the people, to save them from destruction. God says, “I searched for one [person] among them, [someone] who could build the wall and stand in the gap before Me and advocate for the land, [anyone] who could convince Me not to destroy it; but I found no one.” (The Voice, modified for inclusive language)

God is looking for people like you and me to “stand in the gap” and advocate before God with prayers of intercession. It is just as we read in our scripture, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”

© 2023 by John B. Gill, III