Prayer

Christianity 101

The story goes that Charles H. Spurgeon, the famous London preacher of the 19^th century once overheard a young workman swearing and taking the Lord’s name in vain. Walking up to him, he touched the blasphemer’s arm and said, "Can you pray as well as you can swear?" The young man laughed and with a superior air declared that he never indulged in anything so useless as praying. Holding out a coin of considerable worth, Mr. Spurgeon said, "I will give you this if you will promise me never to pray." Irreverently the blasphemer pocketed the coin with a chuckle. As the day wore on, however, he began to feel uneasy. Never to pray? NEVER? Perhaps he had made a bad bargain, for he might want to call upon God someday if he should come to an extremity. The more he thought of it, the more he became convinced that he had sold something very precious. The Holy Spirit’s convicting power began softening his heart. When he arrived home that evening he told his wife of the transaction, and she was rightly horrified. "It is true we don’t pray," she said, "but someday we may want to." Talking it over a bit more, the worried couple decided to see if they could find the one who had given the coin and extracted such a promise. Mr. Spurgeon who had been hoping for just such a reaction was soon located. Seeing their deep conviction, he immediately began to deal with them in regard to salvation, and in a short time led both of them to Christ (from "Our Daily Bread" for 11/4/60).

What is prayer?

I. Prayer is an "entrance"

A. Based on an invitation from God.

Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Notice the words, "come" and "boldly." The expectation is that you need "mercy," and "grace," and the promise is that you will find them at the throne of GRACE — when you come. The mercy and grace are THERE, not anywhere else in the universe, but THERE. But they are available only to those who COME. This doesn’t mean that God provides no grace to anyone else, but that He specifically showers His grace upon those who respond to His invitation and COME.

B. To enter the very presence of God Himself. It’s the "throne of Grace;" it is the location of the presence of God Himself. What an unbelievable opportunity, to be able to enter the very presence of God Himself. In the Old Testament, the Israelites considered themselves fortunate to be near the presence of God by being near the tabernacle, and they could walk up to the tabernacle, and even into the eastern gate with a sacrifice. But they couldn’t go much further than the gate. Only the priests were allowed into the tent called the "holy place." And only the high priest was ever allowed into the inner tent, the holy of holies. And he could only enter once a year, on the day of Atonement.

An Israelite could see that Jehovah was in that inner tent, because they could see the Shekinah Glory, and smoke rising from the tent, but they couldn’t get near that tent. It was almost as if the tabernacle said to the people, "come unto Me, but don’t get too close." "The blood of an animal sacrifice will get you in, but not into My very presence."

What has changed now? A perfect sacrifice has been made for us. Jesus Christ died, and because of His death, we have access into the very Holy of Holies. Heb. 10:19 says, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

Do you see the location of the meeting place? It is the "Holiest," the "Holy of Holies," where no one entered in the Old Testament, except the High Priest, once a year. And we are encouraged to enter this Sanctuary "with boldness." Boldness not because we are anything or have anything to bank on, but boldness because an unusual sacrifice has been made, the sacrifice of the Son of God. And He has opened up a new and living way through the veil that separated that Holy place from the rest of the space in the tabernacle.

Thus we are encouraged to "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with boldness." What an invitation! With such an invitation, I would expect that many of us would spend all our days in the Holy of Holies. Can you imagine what it would be like for an Old Testament Israelite to suddenly have the privileges we enjoy? To be able to walk in with boldness into the holy of holies? He would be delirious with delight!

Why do we so sporadically employ the opportunity given us to enter the presence of God? Do you find that you spend all your days there? Do you find that you ignore your opportunity at times? How much time have you spent in the presence of God this past week? Do you notice that sometimes you don’t see it as much as an opportunity? It becomes a requirement, or a bother? Perhaps a "useless exercise," like the construction worker in Spurgeon’s day?

C. To enter the presence of God ALONE.

Human nature being what it is, we don’t like doing things that don’t seem to have a pay back, a clear return on our investment of time. And sometimes prayer doesn’t seem to pay. And it seems more profitable to save our prayer-time until there are people around who can give us a return on our efforts. Jesus pointed out this motive in Matthew six when He said, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 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."

The people to whom Jesus was speaking didn’t realize that prayer was PRIVATE. The primary examples of prayer that they had seen had been conducted by the Pharisees who made long and loud prayers in public, for the purpose of impressing listeners. Jesus is emphasizing that prayer is a personal matter, a private dialog with the King of kings. You don’t have a personal dialog with the head of state under the bridge at the intersection of 50 and 301. You go to a special room, you are ushered in, and the door closes behind you.

And usually you don’t rush into a place like that, slam the door and hurriedly say, "I’ve got 5 minutes to spend with you; give me a blessing, before I leave." "Love ya, see ya." Notice, "pray to your Father who is in the secret place." I wonder what that means? What is "the secret place?" Where is that place? How do you find that place? Why is it called secret? Does "secret" mean "special," or "hidden," or "alone?" It looks to me like it is saying, "you find a hidden, alone place, where you can spend un-interrupted time with God, and when you get there, you will find your Father there."

And then, the command of Jesus is, "when you have entered your secret place, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in the secret place." Notice the little phrase, "shut the door." What does that mean? It means that the secret place is a closed off place, and you have to close it off. You have to shut the door; you have to shut out the distractions; you have to eliminate the other things that are pressing into the room. I envision myself shutting the door like someone trying to close the hatch in a submarine when it is under water and all the water pressure is crowding in. It’s not a little flick of the wrist to close a well balanced and well oiled door that faces no opposition. The problem is getting the door closed — getting everything else out so that you can concentrate on the Father. It seems that the point Christ is making is that we don’t really ENTER the presence of God the Father until we actually CLOSE the door and get away from the traffic of our lives.

Have you entered in recently and closed the door? You can enter the presence of God right now. It’s not how glorious your conversation is, it’s not how well you say it, it is whether you go to God on the basis of the work of Christ, and close the door and talk to Him alone. More will be accomplished in your life in the presence of God than anywhere else in the world. There is nothing that you can do that is more important than praying.

II. Prayer is a "joining"

John 14:12 " Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 " If you love Me, keep My commandments.

A. It’s "in His name." What does this mean? We sometimes treat that phrase as a good luck charm, and end our prayers with a certain code that makes it official. "In the name of Jesus" is the evangelical way to end a prayer. And I used to be suspicious of prayers that ended any other way. When a person just said, "Amen," I wasn’t sure that prayer went anywhere. "In the name" means that the authority of your prayer comes from Jesus Christ. But I’ve come to learn that "in the name" is more than just a closing tag. It is the WAY you pray. It is the POSITION you take in prayer. You are praying "in His name" because you are living in His name and for His name. You have joined Him. You are on His team.

I can order things for Belcroft Bible church, and simply sign my name and they will come in the mail in a few days. Certain (few) companies see my signature and send the material, even without my paying a cent. Why? Not because of my signature. But because they see "Belcroft Bible Church" on the letter head. I am ordering in the name of BBC. When I order in the name of BBC, I can do it because I am a part of BBC; I am employed, I am working for the goals and according to the plans of BBC. Thus, I make my request and sign my name. When I pray, I pray because I have joined Jesus Christ in His work, I am one of His, and am coming to Him on the basis of what He is doing, to take an active part in His project.

Then Christ also says that the goal of our prayers is, "that the Father may be glorified in the Son." Prayer is to glorify the Father, whether it results in the one praying getting his needs met or not. It doesn’t matter if the problem gets solved, it doesn’t matter if your desires get met; it doesn’t matter if things remain in a turmoil. What matter is whether the Father is glorified in our prayers.

What glorifies the Father? What pleases Him? Have you thought about those questions when you pray? Do you remember how Jesus immediately went to this issue when He taught His disciples to pray. In Matthew 6:9 He instructs: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Christ begins His prayer with the Father — His name, His kingdom, His will. And that is to be the focus of our prayers, "that the Father may be glorified."

I would encourage you to spend time in prayer thinking about God’s interests. I would encourage you to sit down and write a letter to yourself from God. Think of your life from God’s perspective. Think of how He views who you are and what you are doing. And write down what He would say to you, whether it is encouragement or correction.

So prayer is joining God in His project. It is not just to get from God what I want, but to participate in what He wants, both in my life and in the world.

III. Prayer is an "effort"

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.

Two phrases here imply the work, "laboring fervently," and "great zeal." Paul describes Epaphras’ prayer as "labor," fervent labor. The word for "labor" is the word for the arena in which the Greek games were held. It was in the arena that real, life threatening competition took place, where the strong agonized, and labored against others who, like them, had trained all their lives to fight to the death. It was either kill or be killed; so the Greeks and Romans didn’t enter the arena casually or unprepared.

Several times in Scripture you have this "working" "laboring" picture of prayer. There is an intensity; there is a determination; there is a persistence. Remember James 5:16? "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

What is fervent prayer? Do you remember Christ’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? He sweat drops of blood in His earnestness. What was He praying over? The cross, the cup the Father had given Him to drink. And He went back after He prayed the first time, and then He went back again. Why? Perhaps He was waiting for Judas to show up with His band of men. And each time, as He came out and Judas had not arrived, He realized that the only way He was to face the situation was in the presence of His Father.

A. The labor in prayer is based on a realization of how important the situation is.

When you treat the issue very casually, when you can put it off to another time, when the Sunday newspaper is more important than taking the issue to God in prayer, then that issue is not important — or seeking God’s answer to that issue is not that important.

The seriousness of our prayer is shown in what we give up for it. What we are willing to trade for the privilege of meeting God and getting His answer to the situation. Epaphras is laboring intensely. He has a specific issue on his mind for the Colossians, Laodocians, and Herapolians. He was praying "in the name of Christ" "for the Father’s glory" by praying for the needs of God’s people. He couldn’t forget them, even though he was miles and hours away.

B. The labor in prayer is based on a goal.

What was he praying for? That they would stand — People were falling around them for the false doctrine that had swept through the area, called Gnosticism, or a form of Gnosticism, a proto-Gnosticism. When false doctrine comes into an area, it comes in like a hurricane, blowing people away, uprooting weak Christians, and bending out of their position, all but established believers. Epaphras was praying that the Colossians might stand against the winds of false doctrine. Gnosticism was a very deceptive philosophy. It imparted a false sense of spirituality. It encouraged you that you were better than other believers because you knew more than they; it was a philosophy, a logic that assured its adherents that because they had more insight than others in spiritual things, they were closer to God. It was a very seductive kind of thing, because it fostered a spiritual kind of pride that for most believers felt right. They understood the will of God; they knew what He was about, and they knew that they knew His will better than anyone else did. And they had a right to be proud of it.

Gnosticism was not a false doctrine that came from unbelievers, outside the church. It was not an anti-Christ theology. Rather it was an improved form of Christianity, brought in by "Christian" leaders. They were not against the gospel; they were improving it. They were not "denying" Christ, they were more into "dethroning" Christ; they were not refusing His death on the cross as much as undervaluing His death by seeking to grow in Christ not on the basis of the work of Christ, but by special things to do, by worshiping only on the Sabbath, eating only certain foods, paying attention to the new moon, rigid discipline of the body, paying special attention to visions and dreams (Eadie, xxxii) (Col 2:16-23). They were not contradicting Christianity, they were perfecting it. They were becoming super-spiritual — gospel gurus.

The problem, as the problem with every false doctrine, centered around Jesus Christ. This error did not understand Who Jesus Christ was, what He could do, what He had done, and the consequent effects of His work. Thus they placed a greater emphasis on their own work, their own accomplishments, their own special rituals, created from their deep insight. And they have forgotten Christ, the Head (2:19).

Epaphras is praying that the believers in Colossae might stand "perfect," which has the idea of standing fast, standing solidly, standing without being swayed at all by winds of false doctrine. Stand perfectly. It’s the stability that comes because one has been equipped to stand. It’s speaking of Christians who have grown up and developed into the kinds of people God has designed them for, so that He can use them on the face of the earth.

Gnosticism was pushing believers away from the Will of God for their lives by getting them wrapped up in their rules and programs, and rituals, and mystical insights, rather than serving God with gladness.

Epaphras could have written a book, "66 reasons why I am not a Gnostic," or started a Radio program, or debated Gnostics in the Universities in Colossae. But he saw a more valuable venue — praying and joining God in His work at Colossae.

Have you ever thought of the incredible power available to us through prayer? Have you ever thought of the opportunity you have to pray for people and things, and situations all around the world? What kinds of things would you like to see happen in the lives of your Christian friends? I would encourage you to write down your most impossible dream for them. And then pray for that at the Throne of GRACE. I would even pray for your ultimate goal for everyone in this church, as well as your ultimate goal for everyone in the world!

Last Sunday, we dedicated two infants to the Lord. What requests have you made on their behalf? How do you pray for toddlers? What do you pray for teenagers? How have you prayed for Jesse? Here’s our privilege — to bring all our requests to the headquarters of Grace and Mercy, in the presence of God Himself.

05/18/03, BBC am

06Prayer.MEF - 07/23/03

The story goes that Charles H. Spurgeon, the famous London preacher of the 19^th century once overheard a young workman swearing and taking the Lord’s name in vain. Walking up to him, he touched the blasphemer’s arm and said, "Can you pray as well as you can swear?" The young man laughed and with a superior air declared that he never indulged in anything so useless as praying. Holding out a coin of considerable worth, Mr. Spurgeon said, "I will give you this if you will promise me never to pray." Irreverently the blasphemer pocked the coin with a chuckle. As the day wore on, however, he began to feel uneasy. Never to pray? NEVER? Perhaps he had made a bad bargain, for he might want to call upon God someday if he should come to an extremity. The more he thought of it, the more he became convinced that he had sold something very precious. The Holy Spirit’s convicting power began softening his heart. When he arrived home that evening he told his wife of the transaction, and she was rightly horrified. "It is true we don’t pray," she said, "but someday we may want to." Talking it over a bit more, the worried couple decided to see if they could find the one who had given the coin and extracted such a promise. Mr. Spurgeon who had been hoping for just such a reaction was soon located. Seeing their deep conviction, he immediately began to deal with them in regard to salvation, and in a short time led both of them to Christ (from "Our Daily Bread" for 11/4/60).

What is prayer?

I. Prayer is an entrance

A. Based on an invitation from God.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Notice the words, "come" and "boldly." The expectation is that you need "mercy," and "grace," and the promise is that you will find them at the throne of GRACE — when you come. The mercy and grace are THERE, not anywhere else in the universe, but THERE. But they are available only to those who COME. This doesn’t mean that God provides no grace to anyone else, but that He specifically showers His grace upon those who respond to His invitation and COME.

C. To enter the presence of God ALONE.

II. Prayer is a "joining"

So prayer is joining God in His project. It is not just to get from God what I want, but to participate in what He wants, both in my life and in the world.

III. Prayer is work

A. The labor in prayer is based on a realization of how important the situation is.

B. The labor in prayer is based on a goal.

05/18/03, BBC am

06Prayer.MEF