THE PLACE OF PRAYER
as we move forward
Among J.W. Alexander’s maxims about preaching, there are these
words: Give ten thoughts to the question, “What would God think of it,
before giving one to What would men think of it.
In preparing this message, that is what I have had to do. To
forewarn you, we will be bouncing between Matt 26 and Acts 1 after the
introduction.
I want to consider:
1. Two Kinds of Prayer
2. The Disciples at Prayer
A. In the garden
B. In great need
3. Jesus at Prayer
4. Paul at Prayer
5. Our need for Prayer
There are two main parts to pastoral ministry! The rest is filler,
if and when there is time. With that, we only work half days--the problem is we
don’t know which twelve hours its going to be.
Fundamentally, Pastors speak. The ministry is all about what is
said. But, what is important might not be what you think about when you first
hear the question, “What does a minister do?”
The two basic things are these: First, there is speaking to man on
behalf of God. Secondly, there is speaking to God on behalf of man. In the
shorter form, there is preaching and praying.
When the Apostles were too busy with mundane material matters, and
those tasks got in the way of fulfilling their ministry, they asked the Church
to appoint deacons. Their desire was to do the spiritual work in the Church. We
read, Acts 6:4 “but we will give
ourselves continually to prayer and
to the ministry of the word.”
Insomuch as the apostolate has gone out of existence and the spiritual ministry
is given to elders, bishops or pastors, these two elements are what pastors
should give themselves to throughout this age. This is the biblical view of the
ministry throughout the New Testament. Pastors primarily preach and pray: they
speak to man for God and to God for man.
My friend Tom Lyon says, “The best place for a pastor to be is in
his study.” He uses Jonathan Edwards as his example. A pastor spends his time
laboring in word and in prayer for your spiritual well-being. Pastors work in
seclusion. A pastor’s study can be one of the most lonely places in all of the
universe. But, it is where they labor for the good of those under their care.
It is where they prepare to preach publicly, where they teach privately, and
where they pray privately for the souls of men and women.
But, in like manner, the best place for you to be, is in your
closet for prayer, for me, for others, for the glory of God. For the growth of
Christ’s kingdom, and if time allows, for you and your’s.
That said, My assigned topic today, is not preaching, nor is it
the pastoral ministry. It is the place of prayer in the life of the Church as
we move forward.
So, I have been asked to speak to you about speaking to God. To
preach about the other means, prayer. We will look at this means of grace God
has given to his people personally and corporately.
There are two kinds of prayer: Public and Private
There are two kinds of Public Prayer: directed or federated and
corporate intercessory prayer. Federated prayer is where one stands as a
representative of the congregation to pray. This is found in our worship as the
public prayer of invocation--asking God to come among his people in a special
way; when we have the pastoral prayer for general and particular needs in the
life of the Church; for the offering; and at the end of the preaching before we
are dismissed.
The other kind of public prayer is where the body of Christ
gathers to pray for legitimate needs within the congregation and for the
kingdom of Christ more broadly. Sunday PM.
In the book of Acts, we find two of the early prayer meetings. One
is in Chapter 1, after listing the disciples and stating the presence of some
women, we find the disciples continuing in prayer.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication,
with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Jesus has just ascended. The disciples are alone. The first thing
reported about them is that they continued in prayer.
This was not a short ejaculatory prayer offered to give a
spiritual tone to a meeting. They continued in prayer--they made prayer their
labor, the whole body assembled together to draw near to the throne of grace.
They spent time in prayer. The incarnate Christ had gone. They turned to God
the Father in order to enjoy his presence and to ask for something they truly
needed.
Remember, a few short days before this prayer meeting there was
another, these same disciples went with Jesus to pray in Gethsemene. Jesus told
them to sit as he went to pray. The text says, “Matt. 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemene,
and said to the disciples, “Sit here
while I go and pray over there.”
What did Jesus do? 26:37
And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be
sorrowful and deeply distressed. He went a little bit further into the garden.
Jesus took his three favorites, Peter, James and John, and he
began to sense that baptism under which he had to go. The perfect emotional
life of our Lord was found experiencing profound sorrow and deep distress. He
was touched in all ways as we are, yet without sin.
Then what did Jesus do? To the three, “38 Then He said to them, “My
soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.””
Jesus was full of sorrow, so he left the three to stay where they
were and to watch as an action with him, that is, entering into what Jesus was
doing, after telling them of his deep inner sorrow, even unto death.
Then what did Jesus do? 39 He went a little farther and fell on
His face, and prayed, saying, “O My
Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I
will, but as You will.”
Jesus was with the 12, he left them wait as he went on with the
three, he told them to wait and enter into this activity of watching with him
as he prayed. In this dark hour, knowing what was approaching, the King of
Kings and Lord of Lord, the Son of God, Son of Man, Son of Abraham, Son of
David, Messiah, savior and Lord, needed to pray. In his perfection, including a
perfect humanity, Jesus needed to pray.
Even his hypostatic union with the Father and the Spirit, that is
Jesus’ essential Godhood and simple unity with God as God, in perfect harmony
with the Father and Spirit at all times, did not preclude the need in his perfect
humanity to Pray and to pray deeply, longingly and urgently.
This is Jesus’ posture in prayer, He fell on his face, and prayed.
He lay prostrate, humbled before the one who sent him to do a difficult
work—The work of laying down his life for His people. Jesus knew what that
meant. He was committed to do it. But, this prayer shows us something of the
humanity of Jesus and how this knowledge worked upon him--“O My Father, if it
is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You
will.”
Jesus was resolved in prayer to do the Fathers’ will. He prays the
cup might pass, but as he taught his disciples, “Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.”
Jesus prayed many more than those words. In Verse 40 we discover
that Jesus, the perfect Lord Jesus had prayed for an hour to his heavenly
father. What happened next?
Look at the text: Matt
26:40 Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to
Peter, “What? Could you not watch with
Me one hour?
The three disciples in the inner circle had fallen asleep. Jesus
addresses Peter with an interrogative, a word packed with implied questions,
What's’ going on? Then getting particular, Could you not watch with me one
hour?
Jesus wasn’t too far from them. After all, Matthew and John heard
what he prayed. Jesus had told them to watch and wait and they did not do what
they were told to do and all the time it was, was only one hour. Do any of you
see yourself in that narrative, at all? If we were there, we would have done
the same.
Bless God, the disciples learned the importance of prayer. As we
go back to Acts 1:14, we see the effects of what they learned. Jesus has
suffered at the hands of man and had the wrath of God placed upon him. He
ascended to heaven and commissioned the disciples with their marching orders.
But now, it is not slumber for their bodies that they seek, they know the
importance of seeking the presence of God in prayer. So, they continue in one
accord in prayer and supplication.Isn’t that great?
Two vastly different motivations and actions, aren’t they? Which
of these groups best illustrates your motivation to pray? Are you more like the
disciples in Gethsemene who don’t take their responsibility to watch and enter
into Jesus’s prayer seriously to the point of neglecting the command? Or, do
you long to continue with one accord in prayer because their are real needs
that must be met? You might be somewhere in between....
In Acts 1, they were resolved to pray. Look again at the text: Acts 1:14 These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with His brothers....
They were agreed on some things in order to be of one accord in
prayer and asking God to supply some need. All we know so far is that they were
agreed on the importance of prayer. Corporate prayer. This is what they did,
Peter, the one who was strongly rebuked in Gethsemene, now takes the position
of leadership to give the about 120 disciples some context, in order to pay for
the need manifest in their lives that day.
Starting in Vs 15 Peter gives
context to the need and then they went on to pray.
In his hour of need, Jesus prayed in a public forum in the
presence of his disciples. In their hour of need, 40+ days later, the disciples
prayed publicly among themselves in the presence of God. Does this not
demonstrate to us — our need to pray? This indicates how seriously they took
the command of Jesus to pray.
Consider, if you will, If Jesus, let alone the disciples for
now;.. If Jesus had the need to pray to his heavenly father to face the burdens
he had to undergo, we who are so less than Jesus had better pray all the more.
Its interesting to note how this description from Matthew is the
sort of general impression an observer might have from a little distance.
However, one of the inner circle gives us a fuller description of Jesus public
prayer in June 17. I say public, because Jesus was there just a little ways
beyond Peter, James and John. They were a little distance from the others.
What do we find in John 17 and the prayer Jesus prayed?
The Introduction: John 17:1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and
said: “Father, the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 “as You have given Him authority over all
flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 “I have glorified You on the earth. I have
finished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
And, that is just the introduction. Jesus does not whine that he
is about to become a victim of circumstances, he boldly goes where no man has
gone before--to a Roman Cross as a perfect man to be tortured that he might
bear the sins of many. He prays that “they” may know you. Who are the ‘they”?
They are the disciples who may have been sleeping a few feet away. Those who
went with him to pray, but got lax in their commitment to Him.
Jesus prayed for the glory of God in the most difficult of
circumstances. That he would glorify the Father, and that the Father would
glorify the Son in the final acts in his work of salvation. Jesus prays for
those who would rather sleep. Jesus prays a thoroughly spiritual prayer. In
6-19 Jesus prays for his little band of disciples, from 20-26 he prays for us,
for those who will believe in Him.
Jesus teaches us what is mort important in prayer.
Consider Paul:
Paul wrote out the items for which he prayed as regards the
churches. They are wonderful and spiritual full of instructional elements to
guide our public prayers.
That most of our requests have to do with our bodies and physical
things may show how tied we are to the material portions of our lives. Public
prayer is an overflow of private prayer.
Let’s consider one of these public prayers of Paul, a window into
his private prayers for the saints:
Col. 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His
will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 that you may walk worthy
of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with
joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Physical needs are important, I am glad many of you pray for me.
It would do us all good to pray, however, for these sort of spiritual realities
to be manifest among us as a Church and in us as individuals.
I have to be careful when I pray in prayer meeting. I am cautious
so that I do not lapse into the way I pray for many of you as I pray privately
in my study.
We’ve moved on to that second type of prayer--private and personal
prayer. Listen to the words of Jesus to his disciples as part of the first
principles he gave them:
Matt. 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut
your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who
sees in secret will reward you openly.
There are times and places when it is right to talk to our
heavenly father where nobody else can hear. Where we give our attention to him
to pray. Believers ought to do this regularly. Many don’t. They would rather
talk to other sinners who can’t do for them what they need.
The symptoms of praylessness manifest themselves in identifiable
ways. Its easy to see. Preaching and praying are the two main weapons in
spiritual warfare. Preaching and praying are the public and private works to be
done by ministers.
People are looking for formulas for success. But, in reality,
Prayer is the answer to many, if not most, questions pastors are asked about
the Christian life. The amount of times we have to remind people to talk to or
cry out to God is evidence of how little it is done and how little pray has
worked its way into the lives of believers or even their understanding of what
to do.
The real, vital, biblically -informed discipline of private prayer
is the foundation for the Christian life. It is like the heart breathing out
its longings to God and taking from him sweet consolation. The overflow of this
means of grace will be seen in the life. That can’t be helped.
Consider the following:
What do you do if you are being persecuted for righteousness sake?
What to you do if men are despitefully using you?
What do you do if you are anxious?
What do you do if you are angry at your unconverted spouse,
co-workers, children, etc.?
What do you do if you are downcast and feeling sad?
The answer is one unified act--it is to pray.
Matt. 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you, and pray
for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
Luke 6:28 “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
God sees all from heaven. If someone has wronged you, and it is a
real wrong, cry out to him to avenge you. Vengeance is His. Tell him about it.
Don’t take matters into your own hands.
Remember what Jesus and Stephen prayed when they were being put to
death: Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing. How often are
these words on your lips towards others that affect you? They ought to be there
often. We should pity the ignorant sinners who do only what they can do--sin,
rather than act pompously in a self-righteous tizzy.
Phil. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
People want peace. What brings about lasting peace? What is the
means by which we give those things that are out of our control to God? In
part, prayer.
How are we to cast all of cares upon him knowing he cares for us?
Through regular habitual secret prayer as we go into his presence.
How do you pray? Do you real honest soul-searching prayers that
God might reveal your sin, if there is really anything untainted by it, and
give you the grace to deal with it?
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another,
that you may be made whole. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much.
Note the context: it is when Christians pray for others that the
blessings of God are known.
The Question: Why is this important for HBC as we move forward?
Jesus summarized it this way?
Luke 18:1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that
men always ought to pray and not lose heart....
What is the remedy to loosing heart?
What is the God’s remedy for feeling sad, downcast, forsaken by
family, struggling in the world? It is to pray.
But, notice, it is that they ought to pray. It is one thing that
they should do together and apart. People like Bible Studies and small groups.
You know what God likes? Saints gathered for prayer and saints in their closets
for prayer. It is the one thing they should do and continue to do. We should
always pray, be given to prayer.
When you feel as though you are loosing heart, God’s way is to
pray! Its not to talk to some other human being about it. It is not to vent
your feelings. If you are losing heart, pray. Ask others to pray. Its your
responsibility to enlist the assistance of other spiritual Christians to pray
for you.
I hope you see how utilitarian prayer really is. So when I answer
your questions of “what should I do...?,” with CRY OUT TO GOD, you will know
what I mean and why it is my constant reply.
Prayer is the desire and habitual act of those who are godly:
Psa. 34:17 The righteous cry out,
and the LORD hears, And delivers
them out of all their troubles.
Troubled? Why does God deliver from trouble? You have the answer.
We need patience and faith to follow in God’s way. Christians make
things harder on themselves by not availing themselves of this particular
grace. There are many times when you should talk to God, not even me!
Pray in private informed by godly prayers. Pink Gleanings in Paul
and Carson A Call to Spiritual Reformation.
And, tarry with us that one hour on the Lord’s day that we might
give ourselves to steadfast prayer. Go home, then, to your closets to pray
again.
As we move forward let’s be like the disciples of old who
continued steadfastly in prayer, in one accord, for the glory of God and the
good of his people.
Give to others a good spiritual prayer request:
Look at the Col 1:9-12 passage:
Do you need to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all
wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Is there any among us who can answer that, “NO!” in honesty? NO!
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him,
Do you care to walk worthy of the Lord? Do you want to fully
please Him? Ask others to pray this for you as you pray it for yourself, but
more importantly for others.
Do you desire to be fruitful in every good work? Do you desire
this for others?
Do you want to increase in the knowledge of God? Be there when the
Word of God is taught and pray to prepare your heart for what God has provided.
Do you want to ne or need to
be 11 strengthened with all might,
according to His glorious power,
Do you long for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
Are you regularly 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in the light. How do we thank God? We pray!
May the Lord help us in these basic things to get them right--that
we might know his blessing as others see his glory!
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