A Blocked Channel Twixt Us and God — Duane Troyer

Opening Psalm and Prayer

Greetings in Jesus name. Thanks, I'm thankful to be here and be with you all. Let's. I'd like to start by reading Psalm a Psalm, why don't we all stand for that? It's Psalm 28 in the Septuagint 29 in the Masoretic text.

It says bring to the Lord. Oh you sons of God bring to the Lord. The sons of Rams bring to the Lord glory and honor. Bring to the Lord the glory do his name. Worship the Lord in his holy court. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters.

The God of glory thundered the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is strong. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord shatters cedars and the Lord shall grind to powder the cedars of Lebanon.

And he shall grind them fine like like the young bull and like Lebanon. But his beloved shall be like a son of unicorns. The voice of the Lord cuts through fiery flames. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert.

The voice of the Lord shakes the desert of Kedesh. The voice of the Lord causes deers to deer to calve and uncovers the thickets and In his temple everyone speaks of his glory. The Lord shall dwell in the deluge and the Lord shall sit as king forever.

The Lord will give strength to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. Let's pray. No father in heaven. We thank you for being this God and father your power and majesty and your voice that can cut through flames of fire.

Make the earth tremble and All the great things you can do we just Are at all that we can gather before you and that you want to call us your sons And daughters and your people and that you want to bless us and that you want to give us strength and so help us Lord To bring to you these things that that the psalmist says the glory and honor that is to your name help us as we look into your word here and I pray for your spirit to guide my thoughts and Give us all Ears to hear arms to understand In Jesus name Amen.

God's Covenant Relationship With His People

That song begins with a lot of Bring to the Lord. Give to the Lord bring to him Glory bring to him honor bring to him. That the things that are due his name and then it talks about many great things about God and then it ends by saying and the Lord will give strength to his people.

And he will bless his people with peace. We see this we see this relationship with God and his people. You know, God is God is love. Love is a is a relation betwixt the lover and the loved. That's that's what love is.

It's this relationship. It's it's something you can't You can't. It's not a single. It's it's not something you can do by yourself. God cannot just God cannot love without something to love. We cannot love without something to love and so love is this relationship between two people or two somethings?

We see this all through Scripture. God is saying I Will be their God and they will be my people. He says I will be to them a father and they will be to me sons and daughters. He wants that relationship the Prophet Zechariah says I Will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in my in my name.

In the 89th Psalm in verse 21 He says with whom? My hand shall with whom my hand shall be established mine arm Also shall strengthen him. I really like that. He says with whom my hand shall be established.

My arm also will strengthen him. It kind of leaves this picture as like The one who will take my hand the one who will will walk with me hand in hand that that man or that person. He'll he'll receive the strength from my arm.

I yeah, I sometimes when I hold my little children and I just I'll lay their little hand on my hand or their little arm against my arm and it's The striking difference in in the in the strength there this.

This little child's hand I could I could probably take it and snap it in two. Sometimes we'll for fun. We'll arm-wrestle arm-wrestle with the children, you know and and just allow them to take me way down here and then just.

Like just give them a little concept of the difference in the strength here and. And so there's there's like this this no comparison and and yet when when you're walking and and and the father's taking these long strides and the child is Just barely keeping up and guess what happens when he just grabs a hold of your hand.

He just he just comes right along. He gets he gets a little strength. He gets partly pulled along and he's right there. I Think I think something like that is what the psalmist is saying here with whom my hand shall be established.

Mine arm also shall strengthen him. If we take a hold of the Lord's hand the strength of his arm will flow into us. This is there there's kind of like this channel between us and God. He speaks and we listen and we speak and he listens.

We ask from we ask something from him and he gives and he asked something from us and we give there's this. There's this there's this channel between us. Jesus said it over and over he said ask and it shall be given.

He says if you being evil can give good gifts to your children. How much more. Will the Heavenly Father give good things unto you? He says if two of you are agree on earth. They shall ask and it'll be done if you abide in me he says and my word abides in you you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you and.

Sometimes we say well, that's it doesn't it just doesn't seem to be working that way. We ask and we don't receive we we don't. I have felt that way sometimes like I Just can't claim. I just can't quite always claim these things that Jesus says I don't I don't sense that that I always just ask and receive.

Hmm, I.

Think I think James helps us out some with that where he. Where he says in James, I think it's in chapter 4. In Chapter 4 verses 2 and 3 he says you lust and do not have you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have. Because you do not ask and then he says you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives. So that you may spend it on your pleasures. Be careful if if if you're asking. If You're asking from God for your own pleasures you're asking a miss.

He says that's why you ask and don't receive. That's one of the reasons you ask and don't receive in the new covenant. We've been taught a whole different set of values and blessings in the old covenant.

When you were blessed by God, it meant you had wealth. It meant your fields would produce bumper crops. It meant the wombs there would be wombs that never miscarried. You will lend and never borrow. You will rule over people and no one will rule over you.

Those were those were blessings promised in the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant. What does the Lord say. Can we can we just let this sink into our minds for a little bit. The Lord himself says Blessed are the poor.

Blessed are you when you're hungry? Blessed are you when you're weeping? Blessed are the meek and the humble and Blessed are those who are persecuted and falsely accused for my sake. Those are the blessings we we see in the New Covenant.

It takes a It takes a it takes a change of heart. It takes a change of of allegiance. It takes something a Whole change of mindset to accept those things as blessings. When we enter the New Covenant with the Lord Jesus we take his hand.

These words of his abide in us and we're always in this state where we recognize our Dependency upon him therefore We ask and therefore he gives he loves to give those. He loves to give to those who really from a true heart Recognize that they they depend on him giving.

That's why blessed are the poor in spirit and why the poor in spirit can ask and and God can give. God is very interested in communing with us in our lowest state. He is close to those who are of a broken heart and a humble spirit.

The channel of a loving relationship Is open and unobstructed. When when we when we Establish our hand into the Lord's hand when we when we when we understand what what his covenant is about. What this life is about?

The asking the giving the prayers the blessings the strength the honor the power the grace the favor the love and all these things flow back and forth Freely. It's it's like a canal that that allows ships to carry merchandise from one body of water to the other so I'm thinking most of you remember this back in March of this just this past year 2021.

The Suez Canal as a Picture of Hindered Prayer

The news headlines. Were all about this ship called the ever given that was stuck in the Seuss Canal. The Seuss Canal is 120 miles of canal that connects the Red Sea in the Mediterranean. It's it was built in the mid 1800s and it allows ships from the Arabian Sea to enter into the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic Without having to go way down underneath Africa to come up to come up into the North Atlantic and into the Mediterranean.

It is. It is one of the world's most used shipping lanes. Most of the world in some way is blessed by the merchandise that travels back and forth around 97 ships a day Go through the Seuss Canal and in March of this past year this 200 ,000 ton container ship called the ever given got stuck the flow of merchandise stopped and For six days worldwide shipping was jammed and around ten billion dollars of goods Were held up as ships were backed up for miles.

The high winds of a desert storm had ran the ship aground and it loomed helplessly stuck in the sand. So as I as I was recently reading a little bit about that again I thought about how. How this canal this channel between us and God sometimes gets clogged it gets jammed.

This this canal that Jesus built by reconciling us back to the Father. It it doesn't always flow like it should this this flowing back and forth why why is it not happening? Why is it not always happening?

Storms arise. There's persistent crosswinds over this channel between us and God by the adversary that are meant to send ships aground and. And this is not always like this all-out shipwreck. But it's at least not in the beginning, but it's this something it's this something that clogs this these promises that Jesus gives us of.

Of a of a relationship between us and God. The circulation and the distribution of giving and receiving of blessing and honor of all these things. Things that hinder our prayers from reaching the ears of God and Things that hinder his strength from reaching us.

So today I just like to look at eight things that clog this channel. Eight winds that blow across this channel, and this is far from exhaustive and and I suppose If we if I wanted to or we wanted to we can make a whole message out of each one of these.

But I just want us to think about. Think about these things. And how they affect this flow and and and perhaps. If if these if none of these eight things apply to us or to you, maybe it'll help you think deeper.

Hidden Sin and Corporate Consequences

Yet, what what are more things. Because because because we could go on and on I think of Of things that have this effect number one is hidden sins. Proverbs 28 13 says he that covers his sin shall not prosper.

But who so confesses and forsake us shall have mercy. Isaiah 59 1 2 2 says Is the Lord's hand unable to save is? His ear heavy so as not to hear is that the problem. He says no. But your sins stand between you and your God and he turned his face from you because of your sins.

So as not to have mercy. Hidden sins remember Achan in in the book of Joshua. After they had after they had destroyed Jericho and they were told to Not take anything out of Jericho. It was all accursed and they were supposed to all leave it and Achan secretly without people knowing it.

He took a few he saw a little piece of gold and a wedge of silver. I think it was in a few garments that were Were valuable looking to him and he just took him and he quickly took him home in his tent and he hit him.

As far as we know No one knew about it and. So a few days later they go up to take this little city of AI and this little city of AI Sends the Israelite army to flight and Joshua rent his clothes and said what what shall I do?

Why did you bring us out here? And and God said? You've got sin. The people have sinned. I want you to Know what? Why didn't why didn't God say a man among you sin? He says the people have sinned. He says there's an accursed thing among you and I will not be with you until you remove the accursed thing.

Don't think that hidden sin only affects you. The flow of God's power to Israel to his people was clogged by one man's sin. There was trouble in Corinth in the church of Corinth and Paul says examine yourself judge yourselves rightly.

And because you're not doing this guess what many among you are weak and sick and a number of you sleep. It's it's it's a leaven. It's a when when when leaven when you put a little leaven into a lump of dough.

It doesn't just affect that little spot the whole lump gets leavened. When you add a little bit of sour milk to a whole container of good sweet milk. What happens the whole container of milk turns sour?

Hidden sins will certainly clog. This canal the wisdom of Sirach says his his fear talking about such a man. He says his fear is in the eyes of men yet He does not know that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun.

Think about that the eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the Sun and Look upon all the ways of men and observe even the secret places. In Psalm 66 18 it says if I regard iniquity in my heart The Lord will not hear me.

Notice that he doesn't even just say if I if I commit iniquity. The Lord won't hear me. He says if I behold iniquity in my heart that word or he says if I regard that word regard means to like to approve or to enjoy or to behold like We would never quite do this wicked thing that we kind of like to enjoy or observe or think about.

Idolatry and Misguided Requests

We'd never do it. Well, he says here if we regard this thing in our heart He can't hear our prayer anymore, it's it's jamming the canal between us number two idolatry. Idolatry will certainly Obstruct this flow between us and God.

It in Ezekiel 14 the first five verses it says now come I'm gonna read this. At least read it first here in the in the King James it says. Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me and sat before me and the word of the Lord came unto me saying son of man these men have set up their idols in their heart and Put the stumbling block of their iniquities before their face.

Should I be inquired of them? But should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them and say unto them thus says the Lord God Every man of the house of Israel that set us up his idol in his heart and Put it the stumbling block of his iniquity before his faith face and cometh to the prophet I the Lord will answer him.

That cometh according to the multitude of his idols. That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart because they are all estranged from me through their idols. I Think we all know that Idolatry is not just this graven image that we make out of wood or stone or Some kind of metal and set it up and then bow down to it somehow think this metal or this this statue Did something for us?

Here he's talking about These these men that are coming here to inquire of the Lord. They've got idols set up in their hearts. So obviously he wasn't talking about Some some physical statue. What What are we devoted to?

What what are we invested in and. And idolatry is simply this thing that that Would take our devotion away from God into something else. What what treasures are we laying up. Because that is where our heart is remember that Jesus didn't say this thing like When you have a treasure somewhere be careful that you don't put your heart there.

He says where your treasure is There will your heart be also.

Hmm. Is it obvious?

That that that that God is what we're all about. Is it is it obvious to others? Can others see that we're pilgrims and strangers here seeking another country? Here's just some questions to ask and I'm not saying these are always the thing that will for sure judge but but ask yourself questions like What are the first things you think about when you get up in the morning?

What what's the thing that really makes you tick like what. What can you kind of be drowsy and half asleep about and then somebody brings up a subject and you're all awake. And you're all into it. What is it?

It's probably the thing that makes you tick. What's the thing you're most interested in? Okay. Is there anything earthly is there anything earthly that you've ever thought like oh. But if I get to heaven and that's not there, I'll miss that.

Take heed take heed. I think I've told you I I don't know who all was here. I don't think I've said this in a long time, but years and years ago. I was Maybe married maybe not. I'm not sure. But I I went to a livestock auction in in Ohio where I was growing up and I saw this.

I saw this Bumper sticker on the back of a livestock truck or trailer that said if there ain't no horses in heaven. I ain't going and when I when I saw that I just like I Did not appreciate it. And I wasn't I myself wasn't enough of a horse lover a horseman to even think like that.

I used horses I mean, I kind of liked them, but I just wasn't really into it. But that that bumper sticker just made me stop and think but is there for sure not something else and I thought? Over my life, and I thought you know what they're just they're just our things or I can't remember for sure.

Maybe maybe by that time I had already repented of some of these things, but I I just knew that there were hobbies there were. There were there were things That weren't bad things, you know things like Hunting things like things.

I just so much enjoyed doing that. I often thought like oh boy I'm gonna miss this if I can't have it someday. It's idolatry. It's just plain idolatry. Hmm. I want to read this. I want to that that that passage in Ezekiel.

Scripture, Tradition, and the Word of God

I want to read it now from the Septuagint. It doesn't use the word idols. And that's why I wanted to read it first in King James because I'm talking about idolatry. But it kind of has the same idea, but I I really like part of this reading at least.

It says now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me again, the word of the Lord came to me saying son of man these men devised inventions in their hearts and placed before their and Placed before their face the stumbling block of their wrongdoings shall I indeed answer them?

Therefore speak to them and say to them thus says the Lord any man of the house of Israel who devises inventions in his heart and Places before his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoings and then comes to the prophet I the Lord will answer him according to the things which his mind is entangled.

So as to lead astray the house of Israel according to their hearts. Which are completely alienated from me and their inventions that is really serious. He says I the Lord will answer them according to the things their mind is entangled in.

So as to lead him astray because their heart is just so far from me. How many times I don't know how many times I have heard people Tell me what they asked God for and how he answered them and it was contrary to what we have biblical command and teaching on.

Be careful. Be careful how many times I have I have heard people tell me how they they prayed to God and asked them to free them from a from a from a marriage they were coming a covenanted to bound to and And God answered that request.

I have heard numerous people tell me after they had divorced the wife of their youth. That they asked God if they should marry again and and who they should marry and God just miraculously Answered their prayer and gave him this person to marry this is this is.

This is what what this is talking about. You guys have your mind entangled in wrong things. The Word of God is not abiding in you and then you come ask from me. I'll answer you accordingly. Every time that I've met Mormons on the street or or just met them wherever and we started Exchanging and they tell me about their beliefs and I allow them to tell me all some of their beliefs and they want to tell me about Joseph Smith and the great prophet in the Book of Mormon and then I ask him like so if I want to figure out if the Book of Mormon is true and The and and Joseph Smith is a true prophet.

How should I determine that? How should I figure that out? And they'll always tell you this my experience is they'll always tell you the same thing pray and Ask God with a sincere heart to show you and he'll show you.

Brothers and sisters the scriptures have plainly declared Joseph Smith as a false prophet his deeds. But if by their fruits you shall know them He is a false prophet and then knowing that going and asking him to show us we we fling the door of deception wide open.

Undervaluing Scripture

This kind of this kind of idolatry this kind of setting things up in our hearts obstructs the passage to extol God number three. Undervaluing the scripture. Proverbs 28 9 says he that turns away his ear from hearing the law even his prayer shall be an abomination.

When the teachings the scriptures Don't have a consistent Place and a valuable place in our lives in our ears and in our minds even our prayer becomes an abomination not just not heard an Abomination.

I I feel like I struggled a little bit with this with this one. I feel like there's I Feel like on this one, there's there's two winds blowing across this canal one from one direction and one from the other one.

You've got you've got you've got this thinking that that. And this this this for sure could be a message in itself, but but you have this thinking that. Or you have this this kind of thinking that worship the Bible like this is you know this is it and and I Think a lot of us here have at least kind of come to this this concept, which is which is really kind of a Partial truth, but it's an important truth that there is a distinction between the Word of God and the scriptures.

There is some distinct some distinction. The Word of God is this Expression from God it is the message from God it is personified in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God did not become paper and ink it became flesh it dwelt among us.

It lived here. It has Transformational power it can it can do miraculous things. In that is like the capital W Word of God. Okay, the scripture isn't is an instrument of testimony. It is something that rationally describes what is happening when the miracle of God God's Word occurs now.

Though though having some concept of that precious truth helps us from idolizing the Bible. There's there's There's another wind. Coming from the other direction that just likes to say well, this is just scripture is just a dead letter.

We've got the Spirit God communicates to us just like he did to the Twelve Apostles and The scripture is on or that the scriptural has has has no authority or no more authority than many other writings.

Like like and and or oral traditions those winds are also from the adversary those winds are from the devil and they're made to shipwreck. Or to Drive our ship aground in John 10 34 and 35 Jesus refers to the scripture as the Word of God.

It's a lowercase W, but he refers to the scriptures as the Word of God. It's maybe one of the few places. But Jesus himself said this and and I think it's enough for us to recognize that. Though that other concept is a truth it's it's a partial truth that we have to balance out or complete with the recognition that Scripture the holy writings are not just Another document that we can lay beside Other men who were godly men.

I just I just think we have to recognize that and And to not recognize it is bound to clog our channel. Second second Timothy 3 15 to 17. I'm pretty sure you're all Fairly familiar with this passage, but let me just read it.

He's Paul is saying this to Timothy and he says that and that and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings Which are able to give you wisdom and to and that leads to salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus all scriptures is inspired by God and Profitable for teaching for reproof for correction for training and righteousness so that the man of God may be adequate equipped for every good work.

In the book of Jude he says He says um Contend something like this contend earnestly for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints that the faith Was once for all delivered to the saints in Jesus Christ and the apostles.

It has not been improved on since that. Okay. It's it's true that through history many many many christians have lived very very godly lives probably lives that put put us to shame. And they never had a bible.

They never Uh that many of them were maybe not even able to read so so. So so there's this there's this reality about the fact that Us being able to read this thing and memorize it forward and backward and have it all being able to come out of our mouth is not salvation and and yet Historically God's people have been people Who have had a book.

And and when they lost their way They found it by returning to the message in the book when when when when when israel, uh had had a long season of of of Sin and idolatry and and it was in the days of josiah.

I think when when um uh a certain priest hilkiah discovered the Discovered the the law the written law hidden in the temple. And he brought it out. This thing had been hidden for a long time. And and when josiah, he was just an eight-year-old king um.

And and when he went when hilkiah read this to to josiah he in his childlike uh, uh Faith or whatever he he just brought great reformation to israel. You know I like I say there's there's there's these two winds that want to blow people To either side of this channel or this canal and plug plug the power.

That god wants you got you got the bible thumpers on one side who don't have the spirit of god. They like to they just like to insist on well, this is what the bible said. This is what the bible said um.

And they don't have the spirit of god. They don't they don't have This this love this compassion this mercy this reasonableness and then and then on the other hand side, you've got people who who just esteem lightly.

The scriptures, uh. Did I ever tell you about that man? I I met in springfield While street preaching I think I did maybe but anyway, he We we would be pretty far apart on a lot of things but he when he saw us there was science.

He expected us to be these bible thumping. Republican conservative trump supporting, you know. Guys and and so after just a little bit of conversation, he's like, oh these guys are not like this um, and and so we had this very nice conversation, but he He said how he had this he I don't think he called it quite a vision.

But he had this picture of like what happens with bible thumpers, you know. They're thumping their bibles and pages start falling out and and then they don't have their whole bible but other people come along pick up these.

These drop pages and like oh, this is what the bible says. I just haven't quite forgot that I think it's pretty neat um. We need we need. If if we if we have the bible without the spirit, we'll get it all wrong.

Um, uh if if we think we have the spirit and we don't have the bible um the scriptures I should say to. To to test it. I'm pretty sure we'll get it wrong brother, michael oestringer would like to say that or i've heard him say multiple times like.

You need a map and a compass if you just have the map you'll study this map. But you don't know which way you're you're lost in a barren land and and you don't know which way to turn your map. You don't know which way to go and if you just have a compass you hate you don't have a map.

Uh, all you know is the directions and you have no no idea which way to go. You need you need you need this map and you need to be able to put this compass on here and turn it and you get. The you get the right perspective if we lightly esteem.

Or turn our ears from the scripture. It plugs the canal the blessings of god the blessings that god wants to bestow. Are backed up for miles. Waiting for you to turn your ear to him. Some of these won't take as long.

Obedience as a Condition for Effective Prayer

Number four disobedience. First john 3 Uh 22 to 24 says and whatever we ask we receive from him because we keep his commandments. And do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment that we believe in the name of his son jesus christ and love one another.

Just as he has commanded us. The one who keeps his commandment abides in him and he in him we know by this that the That he abides in us by the spirit whom he has given us. And so we see here. He's talking about asking And receiving.

And about us abiding in him and about us him giving us his spirit and it's directly connected to what. To us obeying him and what does it mean to obey him to believe in the name of the lord? Jesus christ and to love one another.

The obvious Antithesis to this is is that disobedience clogs this. This this asking receiving abiding receiving the spirit. This is this is already a a a even though the covenants have changed that the this.

This truth is already established in the old covenant in deuteronomy 28. He says it If you are careful to obey these things that i've commanded you Blessed you will be in the city. Blessed. You will be in the country.

Blessed shall be your field. Blessed shall be your flocks blessed blessed blessed blessed. And then he says and if you don't obey these things Cursed you will be in the city cursed. You will be in the country cursed will be your flocks and your fields.

In the new covenant Will be blessed. If we obey him we'll be blessed with what humility mourning compassion hunger for righteousness meekness peacemaking. Persecution will be blessed with all those things.

Unforgiveness and the Loss of Mercy

These are the kind of blessings that follow the people of whom the world is not worthy. Who declare plainly that they're seeking another country? Number five. Unforgiveness. Jesus said in matthew 5 15 if you don't forgive men their trespasses neither will your father in heaven forgive you.

I think it was george washington who once said you can't hold a man down without staying down with him. And that's what we do when we don't forgive somebody. We just we're just down there with him, right?

In fact jesus said in one of it when jesus gave that parable in matthew 18 about about the servant who was forgiven this uh this. Yeah, this huge debt and then he refused to give his fellow forgive his fellow servant this tiny debt.

And then the huge debt got piled right back on him. According to that even if we've been forgiven even if our ship has been uh, uh freed has been um Has been uh freed so that it can flow and if we then Don't forgive our fellow brother.

Doubt and Double-Mindedness

All that weight is going to be piled on it again, and it's going to run it aground again. And it will obstruct the flow of god's forgiveness. Number six. Doubt James talks about this. In his first chapter Verses five to eight he says.

But if any of you lacks wisdom Let him ask of god who gives to all generously and without reproach and it'll be given to him, but he must ask in faith without any doubting. For the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the lord being a double-minded man unstable in all his ways. Now I The the king james uses the word wavering. This translation uses the word doubt and I I did a little Short search on the word.