Anybody recognize this man?
When he speaks the world listens.
Fortunes are made and lost on the basis of his words. People speculate for weeks, wondering where he will be moving things.
His name is Allan Greenspan - head of the American Federal Reserve... most powerful banking official in the world.

Mr. Greenspan has the authority to set and direct American monetary policy. When he speaks, people obey. Direction is set. Financial markets respond. If he were to say, "I think that interest rates need to move higher by a couple of points in the next six months" stock markets would reel.

On the other hand......
        If I were to say, "I think that interest rates need to move higher by a couple of points in the next six months" the person with whom I’m chatting may nod, or disagree. After which we’d move on to the really important matters of the day....order a chocolate sour cream glazed donut and medium decaf coffee.
        Nobody really cares what I think about interest rates.
        Nobody is going to change their investment strategy based on mywords.
                Unlike Allan Greenspan, I have no financial authority.
                I’m not in the position to call any shots.
                        My words on interest rates are just that – words.
                        Empty words – no power in them.
                                I may speak them. I may not. Ultimately it makes no difference. Things go on just the same as always.

Words - that make or don’t make a difference.
In our worship service today we’ve used words - lots of them.
        Including prayer words.
                Do those words make a difference?

We baptised little Ryan Edward.
We prayed for Ryan.
        Do those words make a difference?
        Or will everything carry on pretty much the same for this young child’s life, irregardless of whether we’ve spoken or not?

Do the prayers of a Christian matter?
        And if so,
                how come?

Let me say, right up front, that I most certainly believe they DO make a difference.
        Your prayers DO matter.
        There is something that happens when you pray.

Question for today is – Why do your prayers matter?
        And – What happens when you pray?

We’ll put "Why" on first this morning.... not who.
"What" is on second.

Join me in finding some direction from the Bible:
 

What’s the big difference between Ken Gehrels and Allan Greenspan when it comes to making pronouncements on financial matters? How come the markets respond to Greenspan’s words, but not to mine?
The answer lies in who we are.
He speaks as head of the Federal Reserve.
He has authority. I don’t.

This past week the governments of Canada, Manitoba and Saskatchewan jointly announced an extra $400 million in aid to prairie farmers. There were words spoken by these three men, the leaders of the governments involved - Romanow, Chretien, and Doer. They had the authority to cut a deal and set the terms. They did.

Watching the press conference where this aid package was announced was this woman, Lillian Kurtz. She, along with other farmers, had been involved in protests at the Saskatchewan legislature, and recently here on the Hill. Ms. Kurtz was even involved in a hunger strike. She fasted and spoke many words about the sort of deal she wanted to see. But it didn’t happen. She has no authority in the matter.
 
 

When you pray, are you like Greenspan and Romanow?
        Or like Gehrels and Kurtz?
        Do you have authority?

Answer – yes, you do.
If you believe the words of the Bible to be true, if you consider it’s message to be trustworthy and dependable for your life
        then you may believe, consider and trust that -
                you have real authority
                        authority that makes your prayers matter
                        authority that gives power to your words.

Not everybody has that authority.
You didn’t always have it. Ephesians 2 says so. There was a time, the BC chapter in our lives, the chapter Before Christ, the time when we were not active believers in Jesus, when we had not yet deliberately surrendered the control of our lives and hearts to Him.
        In that time we were, says v.12, "separate from Christ.... without hope and without God in the world."
                On our own – Powerless.

However,
        the moment a person – you, me, anyone – surrenders to Jesus, becomes a Christian, a disciple of Christ, there is a very real change in our life situation.

Like we said here last week, we’re not on our own. We are then living in the hands of God, under His holy control and care.
        Instead of being the living dead – walking around, but as good as dead in the eternal scheme of things – we are raised to a new way, standard and position of life. God, says v.5, "made us alive with Christ.... and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..."

Perhaps that language seems a little abstract and remote.
How about this?
"...You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members God’s household." (v.19)
        In the home of God, you belong.
        In His family, you have a place.
                Your presence matters!
                Your voice will be heard!
                You have all the rights of a citizen of heaven.
                You have all the authority of a son or daughter of God.
John Calvin puts it this way - "we are lifted from the deepest hell to heaven itself."

Heaven is home base; it’s our operational headquarters.
Did you catch the language that is throughout Ephesians 2?
        We were far away. We’ve been brought near.
        We were out. We’ve been taken in.
        We were foreigners. We’ve been made citizens.

Someone walked into a home in our neighborhood recently. He was arrested.
Another person walked into that same home, and received a hug & kiss.
        The first person had no right to be there. He was breaking in.
        The second person was a member of the household. She belonged.

We are members of the household of God; brought into that household through Jesus Christ. Not something we earned or deserved. It’s all gift. All grace.
        Given – All to us who believe.
                Members of God’s family.
                Members with a mission.
        Have a look at verse 7. God has an objective in mind. He wants to "show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
        This to happen "in the coming ages." In other words, in the whole period of history that unfolds between the first coming of Jesus and His return.

And who does God want to show His greatness to? Ephesians 3.10 tells us. It talks about God using believers to show spiritual forces and powers in the Cosmos just Who is boss, and Who is wise and Who is in control.
        Do you believe that?
        Do you believe that there really are spiritual powers, beings, entities?
        You believe in God. I trust that you believe in angels who function as His holy servants.
        Do you believe that a devil exists? And do you believe that there are legions of spirit forces that exist to serve and aid him?

If you believe the Bible then, my friends, please understand that this is part of the package.
        There is a heaven..... and there is a hell.
        There are angels..... and there are demons.
        There is Jesus..... and there is the devil.
                These are forces utterly opposed to each other.
                They battle each other.

The greatest battle happened on the cross - Satan tries to crush Jesus.
        Jesus dies. Satan thinks he won.
        Jesus is buried. Satan thinks it’s over.
        Jesus rises from the dead. Satan is doomed!

The ultimate outcome of world history is guaranteed, my friends.
Jesus is the winning side. He is ultimate authority. There is coming a day when everyone, physical or spiritual beings, will be forced to bow before Jesus and acknowledge Him as supreme ruler (Philippians 2).
        Everything after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is helping to move world history towards that moment.

And WE, children of God, citizens of heaven, members of the holy family, have a role to play in that movement. We’re part of God’s strategy. Part of His plan.
        "We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph 2.10)

Some of you here have been Christians for decades.
Others of you are brand new to the faith.
        You belong to Him, and are part of God’s plan.
        He’s got work for you to do.
        And He’s granted you the authority and equipment to do that work.

Others of you are here today, and perhaps just checking out the Christian faith.
You’re not sure about it.
Let me extend this invitation – there’s a place for you.
        In the family.
        In the mission.
        There’s room on God’s side for you. Just say a prayer and invite Jesus into the control room of your life. Put Him at the centre.
        That’s what being a Christian is. It’s that simple.
                But the results are far from simple. The advantages and riches are HUGE - absolutely huge.
                There is no downside. Why wait? What’s holding you back?

NOW -

Bring all of this back to the question of the day - when we pray, is it all just words or does what we say truly have an impact?
Based on who we are, the spiritual authority that we carry as citizens of heaven, members of God’s family, let me say to you with absolute confidence that
        your words matter.

Your words of prayer are more than empty sound vibrations that bounce off the wall, dissipate and fade into nothing.
        You speak in the name of Jesus.
        You pray with the power of a child of God.
                The angels listen.
                God responds.
                Things happen........
                        .......Things DO happen.

Which explains what Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 9. He’s healing, teaching and caring for them. So many in need. And not enough hands to help; sort of like a proverbial harvest that is ripe, without enough workers present to take it in. Jesus turns to His disciples. What He doesn’t say is, "Get out there and start taking in the harvest." Instead, what He says is, "PRAY the Lord of Harvest to send out workers."
        Prayer is the first order of the day.
        Believers with heavenly rights and authority speaking and making things happen.

This truth also explains Ephesians 6, the last chapter of the book we’ve been working with this morning. There’s a lot of teaching between chapter 2 and 6 about how to live as a Christian. Then the writer, Paul, gets ready to give his parting words. What will he say that absolutely needs to be said before he signs off?
        He begins to talk about spiritual combat. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...."
                Let me say it again - I hope, I trust, that you really believe this.

Then Paul talks about being spiritually protected for living a life of combat against the dark spiritual forces that swirl around us and desire our destruction.
        He speaks of a spiritual helmet, breastplate, footwear, and shield.
        And then — when the soldier for Jesus is all dressed — he gives the final words of what that soldier is to do.

Armour on.
Spiritual sword in hand.
        Now do.......... Can you guess what?

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me....." (Eph 6.18-19)

If the prayer words of a believer were only air and sound vibrations, God would not call us to that task. He is a God of effective work, of power in warfare, of movement forward. He’s not one to waste energy or time. He’s not one to play cheap games or have people recite mantras for the mantra’s sake.

God calls us to action through prayer.
He does it because He – God – has infused prayer with power.
He has infused it with the power of Jesus, the power that raised Him from the dead, the power that overcomes Satan, the power of eternal life.

        You have authority to use that power.
        You are called to use that power.
        Don’t wait.