Intercessory Prayer – Appealing to God on Behalf of Others

Christ Restoration Church Sermons

Psalm 85
August 25, 2024
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“Then comes intercession, the hardest work in the world–the giving of one’s self, time, strength, energy, and attention to the needs of others in a way that no one but God sees, no one but God will do anything about, and no one but God will ever reward you for.”

~ Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015), Missionary, author, and speaker

“Intercessory prayer is an act of communion with Christ, for Jesus pleads for the sons of men.”

“I do not believe you can hate a man for whom you habitually pray. If you dislike any brother Christian, pray for him doubly, not only for his sake, but for your own, that you may be cured of prejudice and saved from all unkind feeling.”

~ C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), English pastor and writer

“There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from an immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself.”

~ Eugene Peterson (1932-2018), American pastor, scholar, writer

“I feel strongly that the God we meet in solitude is always the God who calls us to community.”

~ Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), Dutch priest, professor and writer

“We usually recoil from the cost of love, thinking it is an alien substance, but it is the essence of love. This is strangely encouraging because when the pressure of love builds, we think that somehow we showed up for the wrong life. This isn’t what we signed up for. But no, this is the divine path called love.”

~ Paul E. Miller, contemporary author

“We don’t come to church, to be a church. We come to Christ, and then we are built up as a church. If we come to church just to be with one another, one another is all we’ll get. And it isn’t enough. Inevitably, our hearts will grow empty, and then angry. If we put community first, we will destroy community. But if we come to Christ first and submit ourselves to Him and draw life from Him, community gets traction.”

~ C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British writer and Christian apologist

Sermon Passage

Psalm 85 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

¹ LORD, you were favorable to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
² You forgave the iniquity of your people;
you covered all their sin. Selah
³ You withdrew all your wrath;
you turned from your hot anger.

⁴ Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
⁵ Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
⁶ Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
⁷ Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.

⁸ Let me hear what God the LORD will speak,
for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly.
⁹ Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰ Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
¹¹ Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
and righteousness looks down from the sky.
¹² Yes, the LORD will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
¹³ Righteousness will go before him
and make his footsteps a way.