Sermon Outline

ME

Have you ever broken down on the side of the road?

Not just, I’ve got a flat tire and I’ll fix it, but it really broke down to the point a tow truck had to get involved.

It’s a pretty helpless feeling as you sit there on a highway, especially a busy one, and you see everybody zipping by you going to exactly where they want to go, but not you. You’re immobilized. You’re stuck. You’re at the mercy of hoping the tow truck driver makes it.

This past February, two of my friends from Nebraska came down for a weekend to run a race with me.

At the Walton exit, they ran over a piece of firewood that must have fallen out of someone's truck.

The firewood cracked both of the driver-side rims.

There was absolutely no way they were going to drive away from that.

This is a less-than-ideal situation, but the truth is if you drive long enough, you will eventually find yourself in exactly that position.

If someone doesn’t stop to help, you can’t move forward.

Transition

Life is like that too.

WE

There are moments in our life, despite our best efforts, where life takes us down.

What do we want most in those moments aside from just wishing it had never happened? We want help.

Today we’re taking time to talk about a foundation of faith that can move mountains: the laying on of hands.

Specifically, the laying on of hands for prayer.

Not the kind of laying on of hands you did to your brother or sister growing up, but the kind that shows not only what you say you believe but what you truly depend upon.

For weeks now, this being the fourth, we have been evaluating and establishing the foundations of faith that build a mature relationship with Jesus Christ.

“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” Hebrews 6:1–2 NLT

We’ve seen how there are three areas we build upon:

  • Internal: repentance and faith.
  • External: baptism and prayer.
  • Eternal: resurrection and judgment.

This week and last week, we’ve looked at the external foundations of faith.

These are aspects of our faith that are not private and they are not meant to be private. They’re meant to be shared, at a minimum, within a body of believers.

Baptism is a public statement of identity in Christ, showing that we willingly accept Jesus as the model of our life.

The laying on of hands is a completely different topic, though. Baptism is still about you, though it is a public declaration, while the laying on of hands is exclusively about others.

In fact, have you ever wondered why Christians touch one another when they pray? Why does a pastor invite you to put a hand on a shoulder? Or, in youth group, maybe you had this experience where you all held hands to pray?

From the outside looking in, it’s kind of weird if you don’t know the reason behind it.

Today I want to invite you to find out why we pray for one another and why we do it through the means of physical touch.

Let’s pray.

GOD

What we’re doing today is building what is called a systematic theology of a topic.

We know the laying on of hands is a biblical idea, so what does the Bible say about it, and what examples and results are given?

The Laying on of Hands is a

A Prayer of Presence

“Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” Mark 10:16 NLT

One of the first things we see in the laying on of hands is the ministry of presence. There is something about physical touch that communicates what words sometimes cannot. It says:

  • I see you.
  • I am here with you.
  • You are not alone in this moment.

Look at what happens when people bring their children to Jesus. Jesus could have simply spoken a blessing over them from a distance. Instead, Mark tells us that Jesus:

  • Took them in his arms.
  • Placed his hands on them.
  • Blessed them.

The blessing was accompanied by presence.

Think back to somebody broken down on the side of the road. You can drive past and hope somebody helps them. You could even pray for them while you keep driving. But something changes when somebody pulls over. Presence says, “Your problem matters enough for me to stop.” That is part of what happens when believers pray for one another. We are not claiming we can fix the problem; we are simply refusing to leave somebody alone in it.

Sometimes people do not need:

  • An explanation.
  • A solution.
  • A theological answer for why something happened.

Sometimes they need someone willing to come close enough to put a hand on their shoulder and pray.

Transition

The laying on of hands is a prayer of presence and it is also…

A Prayer of Partnership

The laying on of hands also communicates partnership. Life is a path that each of us has to walk. Nobody can follow Jesus for you. But God never intended for you to walk that path alone.

Acts 13 gives us a picture of this: “So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.” Acts 13:3 NLT.

The Holy Spirit calls Barnabas and Saul to a specific work.

Notice what the church does not do:

  • They do not create the calling.
  • They do not give Barnabas and Saul their gifts.
  • They do not manufacture the purpose of God for their lives.

God had already done that. The laying on of hands becomes a visible way for the church to say:

  • We recognize what God is doing in you.
  • We agree with what God is doing in you.
  • We are standing with you as you walk it out.

That is partnership.

I think about this when I remember the Appalachian Trail. One of the things that made the experience unique was how much time was spent around other people going through the same difficulty. Everybody was walking their own trail. Everybody carried their own pack and smelled like they needed a shower. Nobody could walk the miles for you, but everybody dealt with:

  • The same mountains.
  • The same rain.
  • The same exhaustion.
  • The same sore feet.

Shared adversity creates relationships in a way ordinary circumstances often do not. Difficult things have a way of forging relationships in a fire. When you go through something together, you become connected differently. That is what the church is supposed to look like. We’re called the body of Christ because our lives are connected. When somebody hurts, we hurt with them. When somebody rejoices, we rejoice with them. When somebody steps into their calling, we stand behind them.

That is why there are times when we gather around somebody to pray. God does not hear us better because twenty people have their hands on someone instead of one. The hands communicate agreement. They communicate partnership. The laying on of hands says:

  • Your battle is not just your battle.
  • We will stand with you.

Transition

The laying on of hands is a prayer of presence, partnership, and…

A Prayer of Power

“So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight.” Acts 9:17–18 NLT.

Ultimately, the laying on of hands is a prayer of power. Not because there is power in our hands, but because there is power in the God to whom we are praying.

If laying hands on somebody was only a way of saying, “I care about you,” it would still be a beautiful gesture. But biblical prayer is more than a gesture; we believe God acts.

Acts 9 and the experience of Saul gives us one of the clearest examples. He has encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. He has been left blind. He has gone three days without eating or drinking. Then God speaks to a believer named Ananias.

God could have healed Saul without Ananias. Jesus had already appeared directly to Saul. He did not need another person involved. Yet God deliberately sends Ananias into Saul’s situation. The power did not belong to Ananias. The hand was simply the visible expression of faith in the power of God.

The laying on of hands said:

  • I believe God sent me here.
  • I believe God is working in your life.
  • I believe God can do what neither of us can do.

We see this throughout the New Testament with various instances:

  • Healing: Paul lays hands on the sick father of Publius and he is healed. Acts 28:8.
  • Receiving the Holy Spirit: Peter and John lay hands on believers in Samaria and they receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17.
  • Commissioning for ministry: The church lays hands on Barnabas and Saul before sending them. Acts 13:3.

Different needs. Different circumstances. Different people. The same dependency upon God. The hand does not provide the power; it identifies us with the person receiving prayer. It says, “I am standing here believing with you.”

Jesus gives us authority to pray, and we should take that authority and use it for its highest purpose!

When somebody reaches one of those moments where life has left them sitting on the side of the road, the church should not simply drive past. We stop. We come close. We put a hand on their shoulder. We pray.

Because the laying on of hands is:

  • A prayer of presence: I am here with you.
  • A prayer of partnership: I am standing with you.
  • A prayer of power: Together we are trusting God to do what only God can do.

Transition

What do we do with this? How can you and I live this out this week?

YOU

Three words: Pray With Them.

This week, when someone tells you what they’re going through, pray with them there and then. It’s easy to say, “I’ll be praying for you.” or “I’ll keep you in my prayers.” Hopefully, we actually do. But what if prayer is a dish best served hot?

Somebody tells you they’re struggling. Pray with them. Somebody tells you they’re up for a promotion or their business is growing. Pray with them. Somebody tells you they have a decision to make. Pray with them.

It doesn’t have to be dramatic, and short prayers reach the throne room quicker. You don’t have to gather a crowd, or preach a sermon, or even pray in King James English.

Read what the Word of God says about this: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16B NLT.

It’s as simple as saying, “Could I pray for you before we leave?” Hear this: the purpose of the prayer isn’t to impress them with Scripture. The point is you cared enough to stop. You cared enough to be present. You cared enough to partner with them. You cared enough to depend on the power of God through whom all things are possible.

Remember the opening illustration of being broken down. In closing, the laying on of hands is what happens when the church decides to pull over instead of driving on by.