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Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.
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Sermon Summary
Andrew Murray emphasizes the profound role of a father as an intercessor for his children, highlighting the deep concern a godly father has for his children's spiritual well-being. He illustrates this through the example of Job, whose faith and intercession were pivotal in safeguarding his family from sin. Murray asserts that a father's awareness of his spiritual authority and responsibility is crucial for the sanctification of his family, as he acts as a steward of God's grace. The sermon underscores that parental faith and intercession are vital for the spiritual protection and blessing of children.
The Father as Intercessor
What a beautiful picture of a man in whose heart the fear of God dwells! His greatest concern is that his children not sin against God or forsake Him in their hearts. He is so deeply conscious of the weakness of their nature that even when he does not know of a positive transgression, the very thought of their having been in circumstances of temptation makes him afraid for their souls. He so fully realizes his position and privilege as father that he calls for them to be sanctified and takes upon himself the continual offering of the needed sacrifice. Job is another example among Bible saints of a servant of God in whom faith makes its home and by whose intercession and fear of God his children are redeemed. God could hardly have said of him, ‘‘There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil’’ (1:8), if this element of true holiness had been lacking. The book might have been complete without it as far as the record of Job’s patience and faith is concerned, but we would have missed the much-needed lesson that a man’s entire consecration to God implies the consecration of his family life, too. Through the whole course of God’s dealings with parents, from Noah forward, He gives the parent the right and the power to appear and to act on behalf of his child. To grasp hold of the power of this is the very essence of parental faith; to act upon it is the secret of parental authority and blessing. All other influences a parent exerts depend on his being clear on this point: I am the steward of God’s grace to my child; I represent my child with God and am heard on his behalf. (Excerpted from The Andrew Murray Daily Reader in Today’s Language, pg. 373)
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Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.