Last week, Debbie took us in the passage of the Garden of Gethsemane on prayer,
and Jesus was a little cross at his disciples for sleeping while he prayed.
If you're at the working bee yesterday and you happen to sleep while I preach on prayer,
I'm prepared to forgive that.
It was a pretty big day.
Don't forgive me, however, if I happen to sleep while I preach.
I'm feeling pretty smashed today.
It was a huge day.
It was very hot.
A lot was achieved.
And I just want to add my thanks to that of Lindy's for everyone who participated.
It was great.
It was a real encouragement for me to see people from every congregation doing a whole range of things across the church.
And it was wonderful to see all that.
There was people cleaning, which was fantastic to see that happening.
And it's wonderful to be able to go out there this morning and not have a building site as much as what it was.
Painting preparation, as Lindy said.
There was people doing a whole range of things yesterday, and I just appreciate all that.
And Lindy herself, who put in a big day but also provided everyone with a fantastic morning tea.
When I first came to this church, someone said about working bees, they're worth going to for the morning tea itself.
And that hasn't changed.
And so thank you, Lindy, for that and for everyone else who's involved.
Let me pray.
Gracious Father, I pray that you would help us to pray, that you would teach us more about your priorities in prayer.
And I pray, Father, that this year would be a year of prayer for us as a church.
And so, Lord, for that to happen, we need to be humbled.
And so, Father, humble us.
Help us to see our weakness and our dependency upon you.
And we ask it for your glory.
Amen.
It is the will of the Lord Jesus that St. Paul's be a church of prayer.
He wills that you and I be given to daily prevailing prayer for the filling of the Holy Spirit,
for the progress of the gospel, for personal needs, and for the glory of God's name.
A couple of weeks ago, when I preached on the Lord's Prayer,
I reminded us of the incredible privilege of prayer to be able to go to the creator and sustainer of this world,
who's got control of everything in your life and everything in this world,
and to be able to call him Father.
To be able to go to the God of this universe and call him Father.
And yet, with all the privileges that prayer affords us, I think that the hard truth is that for many of us,
we don't pray very much.
You know, we pray at mealtime and we whisper a prayer, you know, before a tough meeting.
We say something brief as we crawl into bed before we close our eyes and sleep.
I suspect that very few of us set aside a time to pray,
and few of us still think it's worth to meet with others to pray.
I would suggest that's one of the reasons why often, not just for us as a church,
but for us in the Western world, our faith is weak, our hope is feeble,
and our passion for Christ is small.
Intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-centered, God-glorifying, joyful prayer
is not just a privilege, but it is in fact the duty of the Christian.
It's a duty in the way that it's the duty of a scuba diver to put his tanks and his mask on
before he goes diving.
It's the duty of a pilot to listen to air traffic control.
Prayer for the Christian is a duty in the same way it's a duty for a soldier in combat
to clean and to make sure that his weapon is loaded.
It's a duty in the way that hungry people need to eat food.
It's a duty in the way that thirsty people need to drink.
It's a duty of, in the same way that I as a diabetic need to inject my insulin.
It's that kind of duty.
It's a necessity duty.
It's a lifeblood duty.
And as we spend the first five weeks of this year on prayer,
my hope is that it will contribute to us seeing that,
not just the privilege of prayer, but the duty of prayer,
and also for our prayer as a church to become more and more effective
as we move into 2015.
And so what I want to do today is I want to turn our attention to Jesus.
We have him praying at the beginning of Luke 11.
So get your Bibles, turn to Luke 11.
It's our text for us this morning.
And there are at least four things that Jesus teaches us here about prayer
and that I want us to turn our attention to.
The first two I'm going to look at very briefly.
The last two I'm going to slow down a bit.
The first two look at briefly because we saw them a couple of weeks ago
when I preached on the Lord's Prayer.
And I want to slow it down a little bit on the last two,
especially because I think these last two things
ought to be the heartbeat of our prayer in 2015.
In fact, not just 2015, but in fact every year.
Firstly, Jesus teaches us to make our praying God center.
That's the first thing.
We saw it a couple of weeks ago.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray in verse 1,
he says to them in verse 2,
when you pray, say,
Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
As I said a couple of weeks ago,
the Lord's Prayer is a prayer that Jesus gave for us as a model of prayer
rather than a prayer that we are to pray with repetition in and of itself
because both the Matthew version and the Luke version
are actually different from one another.
They're not exactly the same.
On a particular note is what Jesus says,
is that our first desire,
our first request in prayer
should be that God's name be hallowed or glorified
and that his kingdom advance and he's come.
That is, the first thing is God.
That is, that's what I mean by God-centered prayer.
The glory of God's name,
the advancement of God's kingdom
are the primary concerns of prayer.
And if that is foreign to you,
if you never plead for the name of God
to be seen as holy in the way that you live
or the kingdom of God to come in such a way
that you want to totally surrender to him,
don't be content to just be stuck there in prayer.
Make the glory of God the center of your prayers.
Pray again and again
with as many different words as you can think and muster,
Father, let your name be seen as holy in my life.
May your will be done
and in the process of your will be done in my life,
crucify my will and let your kingdom come.
That my life be surrendered,
that this world be surrendered to you.
Secondly, Jesus teaches us to pray
with a sense of security in the Father's love.
You see, Jesus doesn't want us to feel precarious
or insecure in our prayers.
And he shows this mainly by teaching us
to call God Father when we pray to him.
The prayer in verse two begins simply with Father.
And then in verses 11 to 13,
he unpacks for us some of the security
which is implied in that title, Father.
This is the great promise to encourage us in our praying.
Which of you fathers,
if your son asks for a fish,
will give him a snake instead?
Or if he asks for an egg,
will give him a scorpion?
If you then, though you are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
You see, the words there,
how much more,
means something utterly crucial for us.
They mean that God is more inclined
to hear me and help me when I pray
than I am willing to hear
or to help my daughters
when they call out for my help.
And that astounds me.
I find that utterly astounding.
Why does Jesus mention this?
I think he wants us to feel
totally, totally secure
in the Father's love
when we come to hear him in prayer.
He doesn't want us to feel insecure.
He doesn't want us to feel precarious
or unsure of our acceptance.
He doesn't want us to feel fearful
that we will find the Father
out of sorts with us
or even that he will be unconcerned for us.
And this sense of security
is utterly crucial
for a life of prayer.
You cannot sustain a life of prayer
if you believe that God is stonewalling you
or that you believe that he's angry with you
or that you believe that he is neutral to you.
Prayer is sustained by the confidence
that God is our Father
and that he is concerned
and that his disposition
towards the disciple of the Lord Jesus
is exactly what he says it is.
He is more inclined to give you
what you need
than the best human fathers.
That's his disposition.
Thirdly, Jesus therefore teaches us
to prevail in prayer
without doubting the Father's love.
I mean here,
hanging in there,
persevering,
persisting,
not giving up in prayer.
Keep on asking and seeking and knocking
until the answer comes
or until God says stop praying.
And to me,
this instruction from Jesus
to prevail in prayer
on the surface
feels inconsistent
with the teaching
to feel secure
in the Father's love.
Feels inconsistent.
I mean,
if God is more caring
than the best earthly father,
then why would he sometimes
be so slow
to respond
to me?
It seems strange
that Jesus put both of these
two things beside each other.
On the surface,
it seems strange.
In verses 5 to 8,
Jesus tells the story
of a man who goes
to his friend's house
in the middle of the night
to say that a guest
has just arrived,
he hasn't got enough food
in his fridge
and he needs some food
to feed him.
And so he asks his friend
for three loaves of bread,
but his friend says,
go away,
the door's locked,
I put the cat out
for the night,
the children are asleep
and frankly,
I can't be bothered
coming downstairs.
Go to the 7-Eleven store
and find something there.
And yet this friend
keeps knocking,
he keeps asking
until his friend
in frustration
gets up.
Notice that he doesn't
get up because he wants
to help his friend,
but because his friend
keeps revailing,
keeps persisting,
keeps knocking
and think,
oh my goodness,
I'm going to have to
open the door
and give him his food
so I can go back
to bed for the night.
It doesn't feel
very attractive.
It's not a very
attractive vision
of prayer
in my mind.
God only answers
because I annoy him
enough to give him
what he wants,
to give us what we want.
I mean,
I'll be frank with you,
when my kids
badger me
for an answer
to a request
of theirs,
it's never attractive.
More often than not,
it's because
the reason why
they badger me
is because
I don't want
to go out of my way
to fulfill the request.
Can we go to the park?
Really?
I mean,
that involves
me packing it,
well,
that involves
not packing everything
in the car.
It means food,
it means water bottles,
it means sunscreen,
it means hat,
it means,
and then when we get there,
it's not like
I'm going to sit back
on the bench
and read the paper
and have a drink.
It means I've got
to do all the pushing,
I've got to,
can we go to the park?
Maybe tomorrow.
See,
it's never attractive
and that's the sort of vision
that we have here
of prayer
or a vision of God,
in fact,
but immediately
Jesus says
that there's a lesson.
So I say to you,
ask
and it will be given to you.
Seek
and you will find,
knock
and the door will be opened to you.
Three things here
stress the importance
of not giving up
in prayer.
One is the present tense
of the verbs
that what they say
is continuous action.
Keep asking,
keep seeking,
keep knocking.
The second is
that Jesus commands it.
He commands
the continuous actions
and repeats it again
in verse 10.
And the third thing
that stress is prevailing
is that the three words
used get increasingly
closer to the answer
as we press upon God.
asking
is the simplest
thing
and requires
no movement.
Seeking
turns asking
into an activity
of pursuit.
Knocking on and on
on the door
again and again
signifies
an utter earnestness
and perhaps
even a sense
of desperation
and a sense
of weakness
that I'm totally
dependent
that God,
you need to
answer this.
And so Jesus,
he clearly wants us
to be like this friend
who kept knocking.
He wants us to prevail
in prayer
and prevailing
in God-centered prayer
particularly.
The point of these verses
is to show us
that prevailing prayer
that is persisting
and persevering in prayer
is utterly
crucial
for us.
Jesus stamps
this truth
on our memories
with this
terrible image
of this friend
who won't help
unless he's being
bothered to help.
But notice
he makes this
sudden turn
in verse 11
and he shifts
from the image
of the grumpy friend
to the image
of the caring
father again.
He qualifies
his point
in verses 11
to 13
and saying
that God
is not like
that friend.
He's not like
the owner
of the house
who can't be bothered.
God is
the caring,
loving,
approachable father
and so yes,
sometimes
he gives us
what we need
only after
a long
season
of prevailing
and persisting
in prayer
but no,
it's not
because he's
like the grumpy
friend.
There's another
reason.
What makes
it
difficult
for us
is that
Jesus
doesn't
directly
tell us
the other
reason
but he
does
indirectly.
He says
in verse 11
that a good
father
will not
give his
son a
serpent
if he
asks for
a fish.
In other
words,
a good
father
will only
give his
children
what is
good
for them.
That is
the only
answer
that Jesus
gives us
as to
why
he wants
us to
prevail
in prayer.
When the
father in
heaven gives
us a slow
answer,
when he
wills that
we persevere
for a
season in
prayer without
an apparent
answer,
it's because
he's giving
us a fish
and not a
snake.
That's the
only reason.
He is
giving us
what is
good for
us.
There is
something in
the persevering,
the asking,
the seeking,
and knocking
that we
need and
that he's
giving to
us.
The prevailing
prayer is
part of his
gift to
us.
It is
good for
us.
The power
of prayer
never means
that God
stops being
God.
We do
not have
the wisdom
or the
grace to
run the
universe.
God is
God.
He will
continue to
decide how
to run
the universe
his way.
The
Christian is
to live
by faith
in his
goodness and
in his
sovereignty and
we'll talk
more about
that next
week.
And the
promise that
will encourage
us in
prevailing in
prayer is
simply verse
10,
everyone who
asks receives,
he who
seeks finds,
and to him
who knocks the
door be
opened.
God is
not
unresponsive to
our prevailing
prayer.
We do
not pray
in vain.
He is
our father
and when
he hears
his children
he responds.
He is
not deaf
or indifferent
or powerless.
He hears
and he
acts.
And
specifically
what does
he hear
and what
does he
act for?
And so
the final
thing that
Jesus,
final direction
if you like,
that Jesus
gives us
in prayer
is in
a sense
of circling
back to
the very
first point
of God
centredness.
And if I
understand Jesus
here correctly,
he means
for it to
be the
prevailing
heartbeat
of our
prayer life
here at
St. Paul's
this year.
And in fact,
I want to
suggest every
year,
but let's
just focus
on 2015.
The prevailing
heartbeat
of our
prayer life
for 2015.
Jesus
teaches
in verse
13
that our
prevailing
in prayer,
our pleading
and knocking
and seeking
and asking
should be
prevailing
upon God
for the
filling of
the Holy
Spirit.
If you
then,
though you
are evil,
know how
to give
good gifts
to your
children,
how much
more
will your
Father in
heaven
give you
a fish?
What's the
fish?
The good
thing that
we need?
The Holy
Spirit to
those who
ask him.
That's the
fish that
he delights
to give
us.
Luke tells
us in
chapter 3
that while
Jesus was
praying,
the Holy
Spirit descended
on him
like a
dove.
The
outspouring
of the
Spirit at
Pentecost
came at
the climax
of a
10-day
prayer vigil.
And in
Acts 4
verse 31,
when the
church had
prayed the
place they
were gathered
were shaken
and they
were filled
with the
Holy Spirit,
prevailing
prayer is
the pathway
to the
outpouring
of the
Holy Spirit.
This is a
constant need
for the
church,
ongoing and
continual
spiritual
renewal.
It's
interesting that
as you go
through the
New Testament
that even
under the
leadership of
the apostles,
it is
evident that
there is
still a
need for
continual
renewal in
the church.
Just as
Israel's
election as
God's people
was demonstrated
at Mount
Sinai, so
the church
is constituted
by the
descending and
the filling
of the
Holy Spirit
in Acts
2.
But just
as Israel
is continually
called upon
to Sinai-like
covenant
renewals,
so the
church,
even when
it doesn't
seem to
be in
any form
of major
decline,
receives
fresh and
ongoing
fillings of
the Holy
Spirit
throughout the
New Testament.
Many
Pentecosts
happen right
throughout Acts,
chapter 4,
chapter 7,
chapter 8,
chapter 10,
chapter 13.
There is a
continual need
to renew
the fullness
of the Spirit
amongst the
church.
And we see
in the Old
Testament that
the fullness
of the Spirit
in general
is connected
to the
prevailing
prayers of
the church,
especially
in the face
of challenge.
And I
don't know
about you,
but I can
see a
significant
number of
challenges
before us
as a
church
right now.
Why would
we want to
prevail in
prayer for
the filling
of the
Holy Spirit
in us
as a
church?
I can
think it's
because of
our mission
statement that's
written on our
walls that we
as a church
exist to know
Jesus, treasure
Jesus, and
represent Jesus.
Why do we
want to do
that?
For God's
glory and
the joy of
all people.
St. Paul's
wants to see
God's name
hallowed
amongst us.
God's name
is a
God's name
and
when it is,
we and
all people
connected with
that will
experience
maximum joy.
And so
we ought to
prevail in
prayer for the
Holy Spirit
to come,
that our
mission statement
might be
fulfilled.
As Tim
Keller has
written,
spiritual
renewal is
a work of
God in
which the
church is
beautified and
empowered because
the normal
operations of
the Holy
Spirit are
intensified.
He goes on
to suggest
that historically
there is an
outpouring,
where there is
an outpouring of
the Spirit on
and within the
congregation,
the presence
of God
amongst
people,
amongst God's
people,
becomes evident
and palpable.
He said,
when that
happens,
when spiritual
renewal happens,
sleepy or
stagnant Christians
wake up.
He said,
there is a
new and
deeper conviction
of sin and
repentance,
not for major
behavioural sins
but for
attitudes of
the heart.
But with
that they
experience at
the same time
a far more
powerful assurance
and the
nearness of
the love of
God with
the end result
is that Christians
become both
humbler and
bolder at the
same time.
The more
deeply one
feels our
sin,
our debt,
the more
intensely we
will feel the
wonder of the
payment of that
debt for us
by the Lord
Jesus.
Nominal
Christians or
Christians by
name only
begin to
realise that
they don't
actually have a
living relationship
with the Lord
Jesus by grace,
they get
converted.
And when this
begins to
happen, it
electrifies people.
this is
spiritual renewal
in the church.
It electrifies
people.
Long-time
members start
getting up and
talking about
being converted
and speaking of
Christ in
radiant terms and
expressing repentance
in new ways.
And the early
stages of renewal
shake up everyone
else in the church
as nominals,
other sleepers
start to get
renewed by the
Spirit as well.
Corporately,
there's a sense
of more passion
and freedom
and presence
of God
in corporate
worship.
And as a result
of his outpouring
of the Spirit,
new people are
brought in the
church and
begins to
grow.
On the one
hand, the
renewed believers
create a far
more attractive
community as
they share and
care and they
love for one
another and
corporate worship
becomes something
that they aspire
to be part of
and desire to be
part of week by
week.
There is a
beautifying of
the community
of the King
that attracts
people from
the outside.
And on the
other hand,
Christians who
begin to
experience God's
beauty and his
power and his
love, put their
relationship with
Christ and the
church first in
their lives.
They become
radiant and
attractive witnesses,
more willing and
confident in fact to
speak about the
Lord Jesus, their
faith in him.
They become more
winsome in the way
they speak and less
judgmental when they
do so and more
confident in their
own church and so
they start bringing
people along.
That's renewal of
the Spirit.
people get
converted, potentially
even in significant
numbers.
And so there is an
impact of the
community surrounding
the church and even
the broader
culture.
So spiritual
renewal produces
people who become
involved in works of
social concern and
social justice.
The reason for this
is that real,
genuine relationship
with Jesus results in
real, genuine
holiness and it
changes not just
your private life but
your public life as
well.
That's spiritual
renewal.
True religion is not
merely a private
matter providing some
sort of internal
peace and
fulfillment.
It transforms our
behavior and our
relationships and that
is public.
life.
Let me make one point of
clarification.
I'm not saying that
spiritual renewal equals
church growth.
That's not what I'm
saying.
The fact is that many
churches do grow
rapidly but there are
telltale symptoms of
lifelessness.
Much growth can be
transferred growth rather
than conversion growth.
life.
There is no, not
necessarily a deep
conviction of sin and
repentance and
therefore few people
attest to any sort of
dramatic change in
lives.
When this sort of
growth happens in a
church, the church
makes no impact on the
local social order
whatsoever because
people do not carry the
Christian faith out
into the use of their
wealth and into their
work and into their
public lives.
With our deep renewal of
the gospel in our
hearts, our external
lives will be sealed
off from what we
believe and our
beliefs will never
result in concrete
change in our lives.
So when I talk about
spiritual renewal, I
mean deep renewal of
the gospel in our
hearts, which is the
work of the Holy
Spirit through the
word of God and it's
often throughout the
New Testament and
throughout history
connected to the
prevailing prayers of
God's people for an
outpouring of the
Spirit upon his
people.
Now there is much
that can be said
about spiritual renewal
of the church, but we
will concentrate on just
that last point.
Biblically and
historically, the
non-negotiable universal
ingredient in times of
spiritual renewal is
corporate, prevailing,
intensive, kingdom
centred prayer.
Not whether the
prayer is local or
global.
Let me make that
point.
Not whether prayer is
local or global.
Kingdom centred prayer.
Kingdom centred prayer is
focused on God's
presence and his
kingdom.
It's a sort of prayer
that is modelled for us
in the Lord's prayer.
It is a prayer for
grace, for us, the
people of God, to
confess sins, to
humble ourselves, a
compassion and zeal for
the flourishing of the
church, a yearning to
want to know God, to
see his face, to see his
glory.
Such prayer need not, in
fact, usually does not
begin as an organised
church program.
It most often begins with
people who spend time in
personal, prayerful,
self-examination.
With confidence in the
gospel of grace, they
examine themselves for
idols and they set those
idols aside.
Kingdom centred prayer is
prevailing prayer.
By this I simply mean that
prayer should be
constant, not sporadic,
and not brief.
Not because, as I've
already said, that Jesus
wants us to grovel or
that he doesn't care, but
sporadic, brief prayer
shows a lack of
dependence on God and
unhealthy self-sufficiency.
And so we must pray
without ceasing to pray
long and to pray hard for
spiritual renewal.
When we do, we will find
that the very process in
praying itself is
bringing about that which
we are asking for.
Get that?
The very process of
prevailing in prayer is
bringing about the thing
that we're actually asking
for.
To have our hard hearts
melted, to tear down
barriers, and to have the
glory of God break
through.
And so as we begin
another year together, I
want to urge you to take
time to pray for
yourselves.
That you would enter a
season of self-examination.
That we would enter a
season of self-examination.
And that you, that I,
may be with full gospel
assurance hard on
ourselves.
ask that God would show
you ways in which you don't
represent Christ as you
should, in your
relationships, in your
work, in your family life,
in your habits, in your
attitudes, in your
relationships within your
church.
Take time to pray for
yourselves that God will
make things you know about
the gospel so real in your
head and in your heart that
it will change everything in
your life.
love.
So I'm going to lead us in
prayer now.
I'm going to pray,
starting off with confession,
and then having prayed with
confession, I'm going to move us
into a time of the assurance of
our relationship with God in the
Lord's Supper together.
Father.
So if you'd like to bow your
heads, we'll pray.
O Lord God of heaven,
the great and awesome God,
you have most
magnificently revealed your
power and goodness to us in the
person and work of your Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you that in him, by
grace and mercy, you have
brought us to know and to love
you and to delight in your
commands.
And yet, our gracious Father,
we confess that our love for you
is flawed.
We love ourselves and our
concerns ahead of you and your
people and your kingdom.
We think little about some sins.
We think big about some sins, but
little about others.
We think often of sins in terms
of
issues, mistakes, flaws, rather
than attitudes of independence
from you.
Father, we gossip and we malign and
we harm our relationships.
We are greedy for gain.
We'll be dishonest if we think we're
not seen and we can get away with
it.
We are drawn to the works of
darkness.
And yet, even times we delight in
hidden wickedness.
Turn our hearts from such wickedness
and help us to delight in your
goodness.
Please forgive us, Lord Jesus.
Help us to live knowing your eyes,
see everything, and wanting to
please you, our King.
We ask that you would pour out upon
us your Holy Spirit.
Give us the patience and the
endurance to keep prevailing for
that request.
Revive us with a passion for you and
your purposes.
May we be a true light to your
goodness in this dark world.
Keep us from hypocrisy and pretense.
Please bless your church family at
St. Paul's.
May our work and our witness be
blessed because your name is
great.
May our unity be testimony to love
that we have for one another in
Christ.
Grant us your favour as we minister
in your name to the communities in
which we live and we work and carry
the name of the Lord Jesus.
Revive us, Lord Jesus, we pray.
Our magnificent King.
We thank you, our Father, that in
your love and mercy you gave your
Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the
cross for our salvation.
By this offering of himself once and
for all time, the Lord Jesus made a
full and perfect, total, sufficient
sacrifice for the sins of the whole
world.
And he commanded us to continue
remembrance of his precious death
until he's coming again.
And so hear us, merciful Father, and
grant that we who receive these
gifts of your creation, this bread and
this wine, according to our Saviour's
command, in remembrance of his
suffering and his death, may be
partakers of his body and blood.
Amen.