Pre-Introduction 

Last week we looked at the roles of the husband and wife as described in Ephesians 5:22-33. Wives are to submit to their husbands as the church does to Christ, and husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, giving himself up for her.

These are commands to be obeyed, friends. But the Christian might still wonder, how exactly am I to fulfill these roles and responsibilities consistently and well? What exactly does it look like for a wife to lovingly submit and for a husband to lovingly lead? (more…)

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady
Comments Off on Sermon: The “Secret” of Marriage: Ephesians 4:1-5:21 Posted by Joe

New Testament Reading: Ephesians 5:22–33

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:22–33, ESV)

Introduction

Church, my objectives in this brief sermon series are simple.

One, I’m desiring that you would see the marriage relationship as one of the most important relationships on earth. Healthy marriages are good for society, good for the family, good for the church, and good for the man and the woman who enter into the covenant bond. Ultimately, the Christian marriage is to the glory of the Triune God – Father, Word, and Spirit. My desire is that you would see marriage as important to the degree that you would be willing to invest a great deal into the health of yours. My hope is that you would labor to build a truly healthy marriage, no longer being content with the mere fact that you are still married. That you are still married is wonderful – it’s good that you meant what you said when you vowed, “till death do us part”. But what about the health of the marriage? What about the intimacy, the honor, the love, the Christlikeness? God’s desire is that the marriage would thrive, and not merely survive. Friends, it is possible with Christ’s help. You need to hear that early and often. A healthy marriage is possible with Christ’s help, especially when both the husband and wife profess faith and are willing to work towards a healthy marriage.

Two, I’m desiring that you come to see that marriage is of God. He is the originator of it. He is the designer of it. Marriage did not emerge spontaneously of out of some primordial ooze only to evolve as societies progressed. Instead, God created marriage. And he designed it to function in a particular way, and for a particular purpose.

These things were considered in the previous sermon as we looked primarily at Genesis 1 and 2. Marriage is so important on so many levels that it is worth investing a great deal of effort into it. And God is the originator of it. He instituted marriage. He designed it to function in a particular way.

With these foundational truths established I wish now to turn our attention to the question, how does this thing we call marriage work? Who is to enter into the marriage bond, and what must they do in order for the marriage to thrive rather than merely survive?

Concerning the question, who is to enter in to the marriage bond? the answer is clear: one man and one women are to wed. It was this way from the beginning. Adam was not given multiple wives, nor was given another man to correspond to him as helper fit for him. He was given a women to take as wife, and the two of them were to become one flesh. Anything besides this is a distortion of God’s design and should not be smiled upon by Christians who love God and his law as revealed in nature and in the scriptures.

Notice that whenever the scriptures describe a polygamous relationship, the relationship is described in negative terms. Polygamy is indeed described in the Bible, but never is it prescribed. The results of it are always jealousy, strife, and the complication of the purposes of God in the narrative of scripture.

And the scriptures consistently speak against homosexual acts as sin. Homosexuality, along with many others sins, is consistently described as an abomination before God. This does not mean that we, as Christians living in the New Covenant age, are to seek civil punishment for homosexuals. We are not living under the Old Covenant. We are not Old Covenant Israel. Those civil laws given to Israel under Moses are not binding on any nation now that the Christ has come. Not even modern Israel is governed by the civil laws of Moses, nor should they be. And the fact that the scriptures call homosexuality a sin also does not mean that we are treat homosexuals badly. We do not treat drunkards badly. We do not treat liars badly. Do not the scriptures call Christians to show love even to their enemies? But there is vast difference between treating someone badly and calling sin sin. This a Christian must do. But we are to do it with gentleness and respect out of a heart of love for the one sinning. So just as we call stealing sin while calling the thief to repentance and faith in Christ – and just as we call drunkenness sin while lovingly calling the drunkard to repentance and faith in Christ – so too we must call homosexuality sin and the one practicing homosexuality to repentance and faith in Christ. For “do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11, ESV)

So who is to marry? The Christian believes, being constrained by the law of God revealed in nature and in the scriptures, that it is one man and one woman who are to marry, and that for life. The man and the woman were made by God to correspond to one another – the two become one flesh in marriage. What God has joined let not man separate (Matthew 19:6).

Furthermore, Christians are to marry in the Lord. Young people, please hear this? Singles, please hear this? The scriptures call Christians to marry Christians. Black and white are free to marry. Rich and pour are free to marry. Introverts and extroverts may marry. But Christians are to marry a Christians.

Sometimes people come to faith after they are married and, therefore, find themselves married to a non-Christian. In that case the Christian should remain married. Paul speaks to this in 1 Corinthians 7:13. But when a Christian is seeking a spouse the number one non-negotiable should be, is he or she a Christian? And notice I did not say, does he or she claim to be a Christian. It is easy to claim to be a Christian, friends. And there are many who do claim to be Christians. But you must do everything in your power to be sure that they are a Christian as they say. This is especially important in our day and age where people can present themselves anyway they please online. We are to marry in the Lord, friends. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, ESV) When Paul gave permission for widows (and widowers) to remarry he said, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:39, ESV)

So who are Christians to marry? According the scriptures one man should marry one woman for life, and we are to marry in the Lord.

But how are these two who marry to relate to each other? That is the question I would like to devote the remainder of this sermon to answering.

Before we move to the answer I want to be sure that you understand just how foundational the things that have been said up to this point are to answering this question. The foundational principle up to this point is that God is the originator and designer of marriage. If we believe this to be true then why would be not go to him for answers, not only in regard to the question of who should marry, but also in regard to the question of how the marriage is to work? He has designed it to fulfill a particular purpose. And he has given us instructions as to how the husband and the wife are to relate to one another.

Awhile ago my wife and I bought an SUV. It wasn’t new when we bought it, only new to us. It’s been a great car. We can fit all of the kids in it along with luggage. Recently I noticed that there was a kind of rubbing noise coming from the front left. The ride has been a bit more bouncy than it was at first (maybe it’s my imagination). A friend of mine noticed some grease on the front left shock. I think at least one of the shocks is bad. I started to look for replacement shocks only to find out that they are not normal shocks, but computer controlled air shocks. The rear shocks are supposed to automatically adjust ride hight when towing. Pretty cool, right? Also rather expensive to replace. I’ll refrain from telling you all about my vehicle and simply get to the point. You can look up parts, and you can read blog posts, and the comments on blog posts all day long, but if you want to know how your car works – what components are there, and how they are designed to work – what must you eventually read? At some point it would be wise to go to the owners manual. It is the official manual produced and distributed by those who designed the thing. It was amazing how clear and simple things became after I found the owners manual and read it. It was only a few short pages long. And described in plain language exactly what components were on my car and how they were designed to work. And do want to know something? I knew that I was reading something authoritative. What I was reading was from the manufacture.

Friends, when our marriages are squeaking – when they seem to breaking down – why do we neglect the scriptures? Why do we neglect God’s word on the subject? We run everywhere else, it seems, looking for a solution. But the solution is right before us. And it is simple. Notice, I did not say that it is easy. We make it difficult because of our sinfulness. But God’s instructions concerning the marriage relationship are really simple, to the point, and plain.

It is important to notice that when a man and woman marry, the two become one flesh. They are united as one. There is a spiritual and relational fusing of the two persons in the covenant bond of marriage. I don’t know if there is human relationship is more intimate than this.

And it is the physical coming together of the man and women which serves to consummate this covenant bond. It completes it, or seals it, through the physical act. The physical act consummates the covenant bond initially, and it also serves as a kind of covenant renewal throughout the marriage relationship. In this way it is similar to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These physical, visual, rites serve to as a kind of seal to the invisible faith that is in us. They are a sign of the spiritual union that we have with Christ by faith. Friends, it is empty to partake of baptism and the Supper if there is no faith. In fact the scriptures warn us that it is harmful to do so. A person ought never to partake of baptism or the Supper if there is no faith in the heart – no real spiritual union with Christ. That is to use the sacrament sinfully. That would be to treat the sacrament as if it were the substance instead of the sign. It is the sign. Our faith in Christ is the substance that the sign symbolizes. Are you following me? Do you see the relationship between the physical and the spiritual in the sacraments of baptism and the Supper? Do you see how empty it is – indeed, how dangerous it is – for a person to partake of the sign of the faith where there is no substance of faith? It is merely carnal. It’s empty. Hollow.

And this way why sex outside of the marriage covenant is such an empty, hollow, and ultimately destructive thing. When a man and woman come together physically, but not within the context of the covenant of marriage, they partake of that which is meant to serve as a sign and seal of the one flesh union, but without the substance of actually being one flesh. It’s a misuse of the gift. It’s no wonder then that it leaves those who partake outside of marriage feeling empty and hollow. And Maybe they would respond saying, I don’t feel empty and hollow! But I can’t help but wonder if they do not perceive it as empty only because they are unaware and unexperienced in regard to the true design and full enjoyment of the physical union. They have experienced the physical, but never in the context of the spiritual, relational, and covenantal bond. And they assume that this is all there is. It’s what they know, and so they know no difference. They have gone through the motions. They’ve experienced physical pleasure, but never the depth of intimacy that only a the covenant of marriage can bring. I can think of no better illustration than the one I have already given. The one who partakes of the physical union apart from the spiritual, relational, and covenantal union can be compared to the unregenerate religious person who goes to church every Sunday to eat of the bread and drink of the cup, but who knows nothing of Christ. There is no real substance to their faith – no vital relationship – no real union with Christ – only externals. Their religion is only carnal. They know not the real joys of union with Christ. So it is for the one who partakes of the physical union apart from the marriage bond. It’s no wonder, then, that these acts of fornication bring about all kinds of difficulty, even death, disease, and destruction, given that they are a distortion and misuse of the gifts of God.

The point is this: To the unmarried I say, save the gift of sex for marriage. Do that for your own good and to the glory of God. And to the married person I say approach the physical union properly. Do not make it the main thing. Do not approach it as if it were merely a physical act. But see it for what it is – a consummation and ongoing renewal of the spiritual, relational, and covenantal bond that you enjoy with your spouse. I think there is a great deal to ponder here, but we must move on.

Why I have devoted so much time to the concept of one flesh union in a sermon that is supposed to be about the roles and responsibilities of husband and wives as communicated in Ephesians 5? It is because this concept of one flesh union is at the core of the text and yet, sadly, it is often overlooked. Often the thing focused on is the simple fact that husbands and wives are given roles. Wives are to submit and husbands are to love. That is true. But notice how the theme of one flesh union runs through the whole passage. And notice also how it is this theme of one flesh union which annihilates any notion that husband is here called to rule as dictator over his wife, and that wife is to dutifully submit to his rule. That is how the world reads this text, but it couldn’t be more poorly understood.

That the husband and wife are given roles here is undeniable – and we will come to those. But first notice that the husband and wife are viewed as a unity. Are there distinctions? Indeed there are! But there is also unity (much like within the Godhead – one God, eternally existing in three subsistences).

So foundational is this unity between husband and wife that when Paul comes to the husband to exhort him to fulfill his role he reasons with him in verse 28 saying, listen, man! Love your wife! Love your wife just as you love your own body. For, to love your wife, is really to love yourself, given that you are one flesh with her. And just as people tend to love their own flesh – that is, just as human beings tend to do good for themselves – feeding themselves, grooming themselves, protecting themselves, and so on – so too a husband should love his wife, nourishing and cherishing her. After all, to love your wife is really to love yourself, given that you are one with her.  That is his reasoning.

The centrality of the one flesh union principle is also contained within Paul’s continual comparison to the union that exists between the husband and wife with the union that exists between Christ and his bride, the church. This comparison between the husband and wife and Christ and the church is everywhere in this text.

Wives are to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, “for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” (Ephesians 5:23, ESV) “Husbands [are to] love [their] wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” (Ephesians 5:25–28, ESV)

And so we have this continual comparison between the relationship of the husband and wife and the relationship of Christ and the church. And at the core of these relationships is the fact that the two entities are in reality one. The husband and the wife are one. And Christ and his church are one. A spiritual union exists between the two entities so much so that both parties can’t help but live for the good of the other. The husband is to live for the good of his wife just as Christ lives for the good of his church, even to the point of laying his life down for her.

So much for the stupid idea that the scriptures promote a kind of dictatorial domination of the husband over the wife. Instead we begin with the idea that the marriage relationship is, first of all, a joining together of two persons as one. The marriage is to be intimate at its core. The disposition of the husband to the wife and the wife to the husband is to be selfless. Each are to live for the good of the other. Whatever is said about the specific roles of the man and woman is to be understood in this context.

Wives, Submit to Your Own Husbands

So what about the roles? Paul addresses the wives first saying, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22, ESV)

I know this is offensive to modern ears. Some object saying, this principle is demeaning to women suggesting that the woman is inferior to the man. 

My reply is, where does this passage suggest that women are inferior to men? Where does it suggest that women are less capable, less intelligent, of less value, or any such thing? It seems to me that you have read something into this text!

The text does not speak to the issue of value or intelligence or capability. But it does call the woman, as capable as she may be, to take a posture of submission before her husband. In other words, she is to place herself under him, subordinating herself to him, just as she does to the Lord.

It is interesting that in the greek the word “submit” does not even appear in verse 22. Literally the texts reads, “the wives to your own husbands as to the Lord.” Where then does the word “submit” come from? It comes from verse 21 where Paul exhorts all Christians to, “[submit] to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21, ESV) That is how all Christians are to live toward one another! We are to submit to one another. We are to walk humbly, considering ourselves less important than the other, serving one another, dying to self daily, living for the good of the other. In short, we are to love one another in Christ.

Verse 22 continues that thought as Paul begins to apply the general principle of mutual submission to specific relationships within the church. Wives are to submit to their husbands; husband are to love their wives; children are to obey their parents; bondservants are to obey their masters. In general, we are all to submit to one another, humbly living for the good the other. Specifically, this principle is to be applied in certain ways in the church, in the home, and in the workplace.

If it is true that the principle of submission is demeaning to the woman than we must also say that all have been equally demeaned, for the principle of submission that is applied to the woman in verse 22 is borrowed from verse 21 where it is applied, not to the women, but to every Christian.

It needs to be recognized that people submit all the time to others with whom the are equal in regard to value. In fact, it is not uncommon for a person of greater capability to be asked to submit to someone of less capability. This is probably not uncommon in the workplace. Submission does not imply inferiority in regard to worth or capability. But it is required for the sake of order.

We might even look at God himself. Within the Triune God there are three persons or subsistences –  Father, Word, and Spirit. And these three are of “one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence”, as the confession says. In others words, through somehow distinct, the three are one, and the three are equal. The Word, or Son, is no less God than the Father. And the Spirit is no less God than the Son. And yet the Son has willing submitted himself to the Father, and the Spirit to the Father and Son. The Son, being truly and full God, submitted to the Father agreeing to accomplish redemption, so much so that the Christ cried out to the Father saying, not my will, but your will be done. And the Father and Son sent the Spirit to do his work. So we see willing submission within the Godhead for the accomplishment of redemption – Father, Son and Spirit. And yet these three are equal in power and glory.

So the wife, being in no way inferior to her husband, is called by God to submit to him.

And what is this submission to look like?

I would imagine that the relationship between husband and wife differs greatly from culture to culture and from time to time in regard to the daily implementation of this principle of submission. For example the wives in one country might be expected to take care of certain responsibilities within the home where as wives in another country be expected to do other things. I heard a missionary share a story about going to the mission field with his wife and children, and one day he decided to sweep off the porch. Little did he know that all of the women in the community began to look upon his wife with distain thinking that she was a lazy and negligent wife. These expectations differ from culture to culture, and there is freedom in Christ to work the things out within your home concerning who does what. Notice that this is not a chore list. It is a principle. And it is an issue of the heart.

The wife is to submit to her husband. And how should it look? Paul is brilliant in his presentation of this. He simply says, that the wife is to submit to her husband “as to the Lord.” In other words, just as a Christian submits to  Christ, so too the wife is to submit to her husband. That is how it should look. Paul elaborates saying, “for the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” (Ephesians 5:23, ESV)

Sister in Christ, God is calling you to submit to your husband in the same way that you submit to Christ.

Is that not what verse 24 says? “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:24, ESV)

This is a high calling, isn’t it? And do you notice the lack of exceptions? Paul does not say, wives submit to your husbands as long as they are doing a great job. No, he simply calls you to submit. Actually, Peter, in a similar passage, does address the problem of a knuckle head husband. He says “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” (1 Peter 3:1–2, ESV) So it is not, submit so long as he is doing his part, but rather, submit to and show honor to your husband.

Just to be clear, there are instances when it would be permissible for a wife to separate from her husband, and conversely, for a husband to separate from his wife. In the case of adultery, divorce is permitted, but not demanded. In the case of abuse, it would be wise to pursue separation. And in the case where husband (or wife) is causing the other to break God’s law (or the laws of the land) I would also encourage separation.

Here I have in view the excuse, well my husband is not very tender so I can’t honor him nor submit to his lead. Or, my husband does not lead us in devotions so I cannot submit to him. Sister, if this is your attitude towards your husband, you are not obeying the will of Christ for your marriage. The way that he will be won (if it is the will of God that he be won) will be through your obedience, not through your rebellion.

Husbands, Love Your Wives

Let’s turn our attention to the husbands for a moment. Paul addresses them saying, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25, ESV)

Notice that Paul does not say, husbands lead your wives. The leadership of the husband is implied in the command to the wife to submit. And leadership is also implied when Paul says that the husband is the “head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church.” Indeed the husband is to lead. He is to lead in regard to providing the necessities of life – food, clothing, shelter. He is to protect the wife. He is to be sure that she is nurtured emotionally and spiritually. He is to be sure that the family is instructed in the Lord. He is indeed to lead. The husband is the head. That implies that he is the one responsible for the family before God. That is implied throughout. But Paul specifically commands the men saying, “Husbands, love your wives.”

And how is this to look?

Again, Paul points us to Christ and his relationship to the church as the model. Husbands are to “love [their] wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Do you see that just as the wife is to give herself up for the husband in submission, so too the husband is to give himself up for the wife as he leads.

Please do not romanticize this, saying, indeed I would take a bullet for you, babe. I hope you would! But this is more about dying daily for your wife. This is about dying to yourself, setting aside your own desires, your own ambitions, your own appetites, for the good of your wife.

The husband is to “love [his wife] , [just as] Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Did Christ lead the church? Indeed! Was he the one responsible for the health of the church? Without out a doubt. Is Christ the head of the church? Yes he is! But how did he lead? He loved. He gave himself up. He died for the church. He also clothed himself as a servant and washed the feet of the church, did he not? This is how the husband is to lead. What woman would not be happy to submit to that?

Conclusion 

Friends, I must conclude, though so much more could be said. We’ll spend at least one more week on the topic of marriage.

Three remarks:

One, we have a counseling ministry at Emmaus. Maybe a better way to say it would be that we think one of the responsibilities the pastor is to counsel. Pastoral counseling is essentially this: it is personal interaction between a pastor and a congregant where the principles of God’s Word are able to be applied to the various problems we face. If you having trouble in your marriage, Russell or I would be happy to meet with you for biblical counsel.

Two, know that the most common hurdles we face in marriage counseling situations are these: One, when an individual or couple has bought into the worldly idea that a husband or wife must feel love for one another if the marriage is to work. This is a wholly unbiblical view of love. Christians are commanded to love even their enemies. Husbands are commanded to love their wives, and that involves giving himself up for her. Biblical love is first of all an action, not an emotion. Our affections often follow our actions, friends. Considered in this way, it is impossible to “fall out of love”. It is possible to fall out of lust, if that is what you mean. It is even possible for affections to come and go. But biblical love is not something that you fall into or out of. It is something you choose to do. The second most common hurdle we face is this: when a spouse refuses to their part until the other does theirs. It only takes one to jump start the change.

Three, I want you to know that there is hope in Christ Jesus. It is the Spirit of Christ who is able to transform us. It is the gospel of Christ that enables to forgive from the heart those who have wronged us, even our spouses. And it is the word of Christ that is powerful to direct our steps in every arena of life, even our marriages. Let’s look to him, brothers and sisters.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Ephesians 5:22-33
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Old Testament Reading: Genesis 1:26–31; 2:20–25

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.’ (Genesis 1:26–31, ESV)

“The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:20–25, ESV)

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, I’d like to take a few weeks to address the topic of marriage.

Marriage is a very important thing. I don’t think I need to spend much time convincing you of that.

You would agree that marriage, and the family that is produced and made stable by it, is important to society. I think it is right to say that marriage and the family serve as the building blocks of society.  We are more than a collection of individual citizens. We, as individuals come into this world when two persons – a male and a female – come together. And it is the responsibility of the two who come together to help the newly formed person grow up. Parents are to nurture, discipline, and instruct their children. They are to protect and provide for them. This is what we call a family. It’s hard to think of concept more basic than this, and yet it seems far from obvious today. Healthy societies consist of healthy families. And healthy families are made possible by healthy marriages. Marriage is important to society.

You would also agree that marriage, and the family that is produced and made stable by it, is important to the church. Keep in mind that the church is more than just a collection of families. We make much of the family here at Emmaus. And it is right that we do so. But there is a danger in it. Some churches who make much of the family begin to function as if the church is nothing more that a gathering together of families. They seem to miss the fact that there are married people and single people within the church. There are young and old. The church is not made up of families, but of officers and members – that is to say, elders and deacons along with the saints who appoint them, who are then served by them. And the saints are diverse, as I’ve already said. There are young and old, male and female, rich and poor, black and white, married and unmarried. And is the task of ministers to minister to them all. And so the church is more than just a coming together of families. And yet we must also admit that the family plays a vital role within the church. Husbands and wives have a special obligation to love one another in Christ. Children are to be raised by parents in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Therefore, healthy marriages and healthy families are vital to the building up of heathy churches.

And you would also agree that marriage is important to the individuals who enter into it. Some of you are married now. Some hope to marry in the future. Some have no desire to marry, which may be gift from the Lord (we’ll talk about that another time). Whatever your current status, and whatever your plans for the future may be, I think you would agree that the marriage relationship is the most intimate of all human relationships. There are other significant relationships, of course. The relationship between a parent and child is significant. Friendships are significant. Our relationship to one another in Christ is significant (it is eternal!). But the marriage bond is the most intimate of all human relationships. It is in marriage that two individual persons become one. That happens nowhere else except in marriage.

Marriage is immensely important. But sadly the institution of marriage has been dragged through the mud by godless people. It’s been twisted and distorted. It’s true significance is largely unknown.

Friends, please understand that this is nothing new. It may seem new to us. We have in our day witnessed a rapid and dramatic transformation in regard to the way that our society defines marriage. The change has been very significant. The changes have been jarring, especially to those who love God and his word – who love neighbor and country, knowing that God’s ways are best for the society in which we live. But really the degradation of God’s design for marriage is nothing new.

For example, in Genesis 4:19, which describes to us days not long after the fall, we read that, “Lamech took two wives.” This was clearly an act of rebellion against God’s design for marriage. God said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, ESV) Two are to become one; but Lemech joined himself, not to one, but to two. And by the days of Noah, when godlessness had greatly increased on the earth, we see that powerful men were taking as many wives as they pleased. Genesis 6:1 says, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” (Genesis 6:1–2, ESV) These “sons of God” were powerful kings. These were tyrants who, instead of honoring God, disregarded him, and began to oppress their fellow man, taking as many women as they pleased.

Friends, the distortion of God design for marriage is nothing new. I, for one, am not surprised by it when I see it. But I am surprised that Christians are surprised. Why would we expect anything different from the world? The world is hostile to the things of God. The world hates the commandments of God. The world takes what God has said and turns it on its head. I’m sad for our society. I pray for our society, that God would show mercy. And I seek to influence our society as a citizen of this land by proclaiming truth, conversing with others, and voting. But I am not surprised by what I see. I would actually be surprised if I saw the godless love God and his ways. That would be an unusual sight indeed.

Friends, there is a time and a place to engage the culture in which we live concerning sin. I’m not opposed to that. But as a pastor I’m much more concerned to engage the church – those who name the name of Christ – concerning our lack of conformity to God’s word.

If anyone in the world be expected to live according to God’s design for marriage, it is the Christian! I’m not surprised when I see the godless rebel against God’s law as it is reveled in the scriptures and in nature. But I am surprised, and deeply saddened, when I see the Christian – the one who has received the word, and who has the Spirit to make him able and willing to obey it – neglect God’s design.

My objective in this brief series is to set before you God’s design for marriage. Today we will consider it’s origin and design. In two weeks we will consider roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife. And after that we will look at the “secret” for a healthy marriage, which is really no secret at all.

But first we must consider the origin of marriage and it’s design. When we talk about the origin of marriage we are asking, where did this institution come from? And when we talk about the design of marriage we are asking, what is it for? What is it’s purpose.

Do you want to know the real difference between the worlds view of marriage and the Christians? It is found here! It is not, first of all, a difference of opinion concerning who should be allowed to marry – a male and a female, a male with a male, a female with a female, or one to many – but it is first of all a difference of opinion concerning origin and design. 

The Christian believes that God is the originator of marriage. He is the one who instituted it. And because he is the originator, he is also the designer. To say it another way, God created marriage for a definite purpose. These things are fixed, in our view. They are unchanging, being rooted in the historical event of creation, and in the purposes of God.

But our culture is growing more and more atheistic – more godless. And the evolutionary theory of Darwin has permeated our culture, being applied, not just to organisms and animals, but to morality and culture, politics and religion. And so this is the opinion that prevails: there is no God who is the source of all things, who has designed the universe purposefully, directing all things to his desired end. Rather everything has come about randomly and spontaneously. And everything evolves from a lesser to a higher state of being. Animals evolve. Morality evolves. Religion evolves. It is no wonder, then, that they expect marriage to evolve too. It all evolves from a primitive, “cavemanish” state of being into something better, more advanced, modern, and refined. So there is no purposeful design in the beginning, and everything evolves – it must evolve – it must progress.

This is the way that the modern godless man thinks. And this is why they look at us as if we were from another planet (or at least from another time) when we say, “no, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He has designed things to function in a particular way. He is the originator and the designer of all things, and we are to live according to his law, revealed in nature, but much more clearly in his holy word.”

The disagreements that we have in our culture concerning marriage stem from something much deeper than the issues themselves. The views we hold concerning marriage bubble up from our view of the world. This is why Christians will never approve of gay marriage. We view the world in this way – God created all things seen and unseen. He is the originator and designer of all things. He has established a fixed order of things. We are governed by laws – the laws of nature, and the laws revealed in his word. This applies to marriage. He designed it to fulfill a purpose – to function in a particular way. This is what the scriptures teach, and it is what we believe.

So how should we handle this difference of opinion that we have with the surrounding culture concerning marriage? One, we should pray for the culture in which we live. Two, we should dialogue with people concerning these things, seeking to persuade them from God’s law found in nature and in the Holy Scriptures. Three, we should vote according to our beliefs. We have the right to do so. We should not neglect that great privilege. But above all, we ought to order our own lives according to God’s revealed will concerning marriage and the family.

It is this last thing that is so often neglected. It is easy to voice disapproval of the way the culture is heading. It is easy to vote. It is even easy to pray that God would turn the hearts of others to himself and to his ways. But is much more difficult to actually fulfill God’s design for marriage in our own lives. This is what is needed. As our culture runs away from God design is it imprint that we live according to it more and more so that we might shine forth as lights in the darkness.

But here is my concern: I wonder how many Christians really understand God’s design for marriage. We agree that marriage is between a man and a woman. We agree that we ought to be faithful to our spouse – we ought not to divorce. And these things are true and right! But let’s not break our arms patting ourselves on the back because we hold to a proper view and have managed to stay married! We are far to easily satisfied, I think.

Friends, we must work on our marriages so that, more than survive, they thrive. We must ask, what is God design for marriage. Why did he institute it? Was is the marriage relationship to like if it is to fulfill its God given purpose. This is the question I will seek to answer of the next few weeks.

The question, where did marriage come from? is easy for the Christian to answer. We believe that God instituted it. This was Jesus’ view. When asked about the issue of divorce, Christ replied,

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4–6, ESV)

Christ appealed to Genesis, didn’t he? He appealed to creation, and to the design of God. He insisted that God was the originator of the institution of marriage. In other words, marriage is not the product of man. Marriage did not randomly and spontaneously emerge of out of some ancient cultural ooze and evolve from there. No, marriage was instituted by God. It was designed by him to accomplish a particular purpose. Marriage, in Christ’s eyes, is a thing purposefully created by God. It is, therefore, fixed in it design and purpose. We are not to progress away from God’s design, but we are to conserve it.

 

But what is marriage for, exactly? Why marriage? And why marriage like this, and not in some other form? This is the question that we have a more difficult time answering. Friends, I do not think it is because the scriptures are unclear on this point. Instead, I think it because of our sinfulness that we are more prone to answer this question incorrectly. God’s purpose for marriage is clearly stated in the scriptures, but we do not always want to listen. We rather make it into what we want it to be. And sometimes we just simply forget to ask these important questions. How many of you took the time to really ask, what is God’s design for marriage? before you said I do? I doubt very many. Instead we are often driven by emotion and desire and we find ourselves getting married because this is what people in culture do.

We assume that marriage is going to make us happy. But is that what marriage is ultimately for? Is it about your happiness? Is that the supreme goal? Is that the aim? Disney says so. “Happily ever after”, right? That’s how the story goes. But we should remember, and never forget, that while Disney was great at making kids movies, he was a terrible theologian.

Friends, personal happiness is not the supreme goal of the marriage relationship. In fact, if you want to be sure never to find personal happiness in this life, aim for it all the time and in everything you do. Make everything about you. Make it all about your desires, your needs, your goals and ambitions. Pursue personal happiness, and you’ll be sure never to find it.

Happiness, friends, is the byproduct of a life lived well. Happiness comes to the soul when we live, not for self, but for the glory of God – not for self, but for the good of others. This is true in every relationship, but especially the marriage relationship?

Brothers and sisters, it is vital that we aim at the right thing in the marriage relationship. We must have the right goal in mind from the start.

So what did God design the marriage relationship for? Let us briefly notice three things from Genesis 1 and 2. As usual, more could be said than what will be said, but it’s a start.

For The Generation Of A Holy Seed 

First of all, notice that marriage was instituted for the generation of a holy seed.

Adam and Eve were to come together as one flesh and they were to populate the earth.  “God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28, ESV)

The man and the woman, as husband and wife, were to reproduce. They were to raise their children to honor God, to keep his commands, and to fulfill his calling upon their life.

Adam and Eve fell before accomplishing this in the garden, but they did accomplish it afterwards. They bore children. And this childbearing took on an added dimension after the fall. It would be through the process of reproduction that the Messiah would eventually come. And so when Adam and Eve reproduced they urged their children to trust in the promise of God concerning the coming savior. They taught their children to honor God and to keep his commandments. Some did, some did not. It was from the line of those who did honor God that the Messiah would eventually come.

Friends, the Messiah has come! He is Christ Jesus our Lord. And when Christians marry and have children today one of their prime responsibilities is to point the kids to Jesus. Are children are not born into the Abrahamic, Mosaic, or New Covenant. They are not kingdom children by birth. But they are sanctified. They are sanctified – which means to be set apart – in that they have been born to parents, or to a parent, who believes upon Christ. Think of the privilege this is. Think of the benefit. They will be raised hearing the gospel. They well be raised according to God’s word. They will be raised being taught the things of God. They are sanctified, or made holy, in this respect, as is the nonbeliever who is married to a Christian (1 Corinthians 7:14).

One of the purposes of marriage is the generation of a holy seed. Christians should know this before they marry. One of the reasons that Christians are to marry Christians is so that this purpose can be fulfilled most effectively. It is not impossible, but its more difficult to raise children in the Lord if your spouse is not a believer. if you are not yet married, but hope to marry in the future, then marry in the Lord. And marry with the intent of raising your children in the Lord.

We joke here at Emmaus that our method for church growth seems to involve childbearing. We have lots of little ones here. But seriously, we should make much effort to raise our children in the Lord. It is a form of kingdom work. It makes little sense to pour yourself into “ministry” and to neglect your own children.

I should probably say a word about singleness and childlessness before I move on. Please understand that ’m speaking in very general terms here about God’s design for marriage. By no means should we think that those who do not marry, or those who do not have kids, are any less valuable in Christ’s kingdom. Paul, who in other places speaks to beauty of marriage, also speaks of the single life as a gift to be used for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 7). His rationale obviously applied to those who do not have children. Jesus himself neither was married nor did he have children. Think about that.

The point is this: one of the general purposes of marriage is for the generation of a holy seed. We ought to pour ourselves into the children God has entrusted to us. We are to provide for them, protect them, nurture, discipling and train them. This is to be done, not by neglecting the marriage, but by giving priority to it, so that the children might thrive under the glory of the husband’s love for his wife, and the wive’s love for her husband.

For The Glory Of God

Secondly, recognize that marriage was instituted by God to bring glory to God.

Here is what I mean by this: marriage was designed in such a way that when it is functioning as it should something of the mystery of the Triune God is revealed through it.

Consider the Genesis narrative.  When God came to the creation man he said, “‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27, ESV)

We will not take the time to say all that could be said here, but notice how God uses the plural “us” and “our” to refer to himself. It is a strange way to speak. Cleary he is referring to himself – man is made in the image of God, and not God and some other entity. And clearly God is one – there is only one God who created the heavens and the earth. And yet God refers to himself in the plural. The rest of the scriptures help us to understand why this would be. Though there is only one God, he exists eternal in three persons (or subsistences) – Father, Word, and Holy Spirit. He is perfectly one, and yet he is many. It is a great mystery.

And notice what is said about the creation of man. Man is made in the image of God, and yet when man is created, he made to be, not one but many. “In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, ESV)

I cannot at this time deal with all that is meant by man being created in the image of God. For now I would like you to consider that there is something about the intimacy that exists between and man and his wife that is a picture, or reflection, of the intimacy that exists between the persons of the Triune God. In Genesis 2 we are told “a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24, ESV) There is something deeply spiritual about this union. There is something mysterious and profound about it. And I am saying that it referred originally to the Triune God, who is the covenant making and covent keeping God.

I didn’t not manage my time well in this sermon, so I cannot say much more. I make my point by asking a question. Is the goal of a Christian marriage merely to stay together, that is, to make it to the end as husband and wife? Or is the goal more profound than that? I believe it is more profound. I believe that the goal of the Christian marriage is to remain faithful to the covenant made, as God is faithful in his covenants with us, and to display something of the relational intimacy that exists within the Triune God – Father, Word, and Holy Spirit. We ought to experience a oneness with our spouse that reflects the oneness of the Triune God. I’m well aware of the fact that Paul says that the mystery of marriage refers to Christ and the church. We will come that. Here in Genesis it seems to refer to the mystery of the Triune God.

Husband, are you one with your wife? Wife, are you one with your husband? Is there an intimacy between the two of you – physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally (all of these things are connected, of course) – that brings glory to God? We are fallen people living in a fallen world. These things do not come automatically, but they can be cultivated, friends.

For The Good Of The Man And Woman

Lastly, consider that marriage was instituted by God for the good of the man and the woman.

This was so from the beginning.  Notice that while everything in God’s creation was said to be good, “God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone…” (Genesis 2:18, ESV) This verse does not mean that it is never good for any man to be alone (for him to not marry) – that would contradict Paul. It means, rather, that man, in general, is not complete without the woman. The two together make up man, or humanity.

And so God made him “a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18, ESV) The woman was made to be compatible to man, and man, therefore, is comparable to women. The creation of the woman moved the man from the state of being “not good” to “good”.

Friends, may I suggest to you that God has given you your husband or wife to make you good – to help you to fulfill God’s calling, and to sanctify you. I realize that I am playing a little loose with the text of Genesis 2 to make this point, but I think the idea is there, and it is an idea greatly magnified in the rest of scripture. God has given you your spouse for your good, so that God may sanctify you through him or her.

Think of it. You’ve entered into a covenant with someone. You’ve said, “till death to us part.” And yes, you were probably naive and foolish when you said those words. You were disciples of Walt Disney. You believed the Cinderella myth. You thought it was all about your happiness. But friends, its better than that. God has given you your spouse for your good. He’s using them to refine you. What an amazing idea this is! God says (even after the fall), lets take two sinful, self-centered, emotionally unstable people and bind them together with a covenant bond, making them to be one flesh, and let’s see what happens. Friends, it’s either a dirty trick, or it’s a beautiful plan leading to our sanctification in Christ. I see it as the later, and not the former.  

Conclusion

If this were all I were going to say about marriage I’d be the first to admit that it is inadequate. My objective was to say some foundational things. More than anything I want for you to look at marriage as something instituted purposefully by God. If we are to do well in it we must know something about God’s purposes for it. He instituted marriage for the generation of a holy seed, for his own glory, and for the good of the man and the women. With Christ’s help, we will be able to make progress in living with one another according to God’s design. We’ll build on that in the weeks to come.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Genesis 1:26–31; 2:20–25
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New Testament Reading: Philippians 4:4–7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7, ESV)

Introduction

I had a conversation with a brother this past week which made me realize that I need to address something with you all. It’s something that I’ve addressed in the past, but perhaps I haven’t been direct enough.

Emmaus Christian Fellowship is an ordinary means of grace church. What this means is that we believe God works powerfully through ordinary things, and particularly through the, so called, means of grace which he has prescribed in his word.

And what are the means of grace? The early church devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching (the word), the fellowship (the church bound together in Christ and by love), the breaking of the bread (the sacraments), and prayer. These are the things that we are to devote ourselves to as the church. These are the things that we are to be faithful in. And it is through these things that we expect God to work most powerfully.

We tend to make things very complicated, though. We (at least in our culture) tend to think that the more complex something is, the better. But God’s will for the church seems rather simple. Christians are to read and hear God’s word, and obey it. Christians are to fellowship together. They are to gather to worship in Christ’s name. They are to love one another, using the spiritual gifts and resources they have to encourage, edify, and care for one another. They are to partake in the sacraments that Christ has ordained – baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And they are to be people of prayer. Simple, right? Very uncomplicated.

Ironically, Christians today often overlook and neglect these ordinary means of grace.

They neglect the word of God. They do not listen to it intently when it is read and preached on the Lord’s Day. They do not listen to it taught by the shepherds and teachers that Christ has given to the church (Ephesians 4:11-14). They do not read it themselves, nor do they seek to thoughtfully apply it to their lives. They neglect the fellowship, too. They may be present on the Lord’s Day, but the fellowship they neglect. Friends, true fellowship involves more than being here on a Sunday morning. It involves loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, developing relationships with them, and using your spiritual gifts and resources to build them up. And they neglect the Supper. Some are absent from the church altogether, therefore they do not partake. Others partake but remain unaware of the significance of it. And many are negligent in regard to prayer. They are not faithful in it personally nor with the church.

And ironically, it tends to be these folks – the ones who overlook and neglect the ordinary means of grace – who are most vocal, insisting that the church do more! What we need are more programs, more ministries, more events, more conferences, more vision – more, more, more.

May I suggest to you that God has given us all we need for health within the church itself as she devotes herself to the ordinary means?

Let me illustrate the principle using the family. There are some parents who believe that the key to raising healthy children is to have them involved in everything under the sun. And so the family is constantly busy, running this way and that. There they go, off to gymnastics, baseball, art, karate, football, and piano. They’re gone most weekends, and rarely at church. They’re out of the house most nights. Rarely is the family home all at once. Rarely do they share a meal together. Rarely do they talk about meaningful things.

You see, the parents have erred in that they have put their hope in the wrong things, while neglecting those things which really bring life, depth, and maturity to the family. Are they busy? Yes! Are they exhausted at the end of the day? Yup! Are the parents trying hard, investing greatly into their children because they love them? Sure! But they have set their hope in the wrong things, while neglecting the essential things which bring life.

Friends, churches can make the same mistake. There are some who assume that a church is healthy when the calendar is full, the people are busy, everyone with a job, a task, a “ministry”. A church is healthy, they think, when everyone is pouring themselves out to the max. And so there they go with the complex program, another conference, another crusade, another event, some new sophisticated plan that will fill the calendar and busy the people.

Why, friends? Why the busyness? Why not do what Christ has called us to do? Why not do a few things well, authentically, and from the heart?

Do you want a vision for the church? This is our vision – to slow down – to devote ourselves to these ordinary means of grace – to structure the church as Christ has structured it – and to call each member and each officer to do their part according the scriptures – nothing more, and nothing less.

The scriptures are clear concerning these things. The scriptures are clear as to what the nature of the church is, how she is to be organized, what her mission is, are what she is to devote herself to in the accomplishment of that mission.

This brief sermon series on prayer has been an attempt to call you back to one of these essential, ordinary means of grace. I got a little fiery a couple of weeks ago. No one would talk to me after the sermon. You were thinking, “he’s mad…” But then I heard a number of people say, “I liked it!” Don’t expect it all the time, friends. I’ve always been put off by preachers who are constantly yelling and red in the face. It seems very disingenuous when it happens all the time. But do expect it from me when I sense some apathy within you, or when I believe that you are in some danger. I’ll raise my voice then.

And I do sense apathy when it comes to prayer. I see that some are a fearful. But I wonder if you are not running to other things to alleviate your fears rather than to God in prayer. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7, ESV) I see that some are anxious. But I wonder if you’re surrendering to the the anxiety, rather than fighting against it in prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, ESV) I see discontentment in some. But we are to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4, ESV).

Friends, busyness is not what we need. We need to pray. And busy people don’t  pray. I hope that you are a hard working people – a diligent people – people who make the most out of every day – but never so busy that these ordinary means of grace become neglected.

In this sermon series we have considered the essence of prayer: Prayer is at it’s core communion with the living God. It is “communication between God and us whereby we expound to him our desires, our joys, our sighs, in a word, all thoughts of our hearts” (Calvin, Instruction in Faith, 57).

We have also considered the effectiveness of prayer: It is the means through which God accomplishes his purposes. Prayer works, therefore, we are to labor in it.

We’ve also briefly considered different types of prayers: There are prayers of adoration in which we worship God. There are prayers in which we make vows to God. There are prayers in which we confess our sins to God. There are prayers in which we give thanks to God. And there are also prayers in which we make supplication, or requests, to God. Intercession is when we make requests to God on behalf of others.

We’ve also considered the substance of prayer: What should our prayers be about? The Lord’s Prayer answers this question. In it the Lord provides categories for us. He takes our unfocused and often self centered minds and focuses them so that we might pray according to the will of God.

But what about the accidentals of prayer (accidentals being those things that have to do with prayer, but are not connected to the essence of prayer itself)? The questions I have in mind here are, when should we pray? Where should we pray? What should our posture be when we pray? With what attitude should we pray? And on what basis are we able to pray?

The answer I give is this: Christians are to pray at all times, in all places, on bended knee, with hearts washed pure, full of faith, giving thanks, in Jesus’ name.

At All Times

So when is a Christian to pray? The answer is, at all times.

It is important that we set aside time for focused and thorough prayer. If we are to labor in prayer, making supplications for ourselves and interceding on behalf of others, we need to devote time to it. Perhaps we should carve out time for prayer in the morning before we face the day or at night before we go to bed? Perhaps we could do both? The more time we invest, the more specific our prayers can be. It is here, during this time, that we should pray though the categories provided for us in Lord’s Prayer.

That said, we should also pray continuously. We should offer up spontaneous prayers to God throughout the day. Prayer may be offered to up while driving, while in the market, while we are conversing with others, while working, while playing. We are to pray without ceasing. We are ri “rejoice in the Lord always”.

Friends, we live in God’s world. God is not confined to the church, nor is he confined to your home. He is with you in the world. All things are from him and for his glory. Nothing in life is insignificant. Nothing in life is outside of his purview. We should continually commune with him, then – not just in the church, and not just in the quite place, but always. We should giving thanks always, rejoicing in his goodness. We should forever plead for his help. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV)

In All Places

Where, then, should the Christian pray? In all places, of course!

It is important that we learn to pray alone in a private place. Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV)

When we pray in a private place we pray, not to be seen by men, but to commune with God. We pray knowing that he hears us and that he rewards those who seek him. When we pray in a private place, it is then that we are most free to bring our honest desires before God, and to make thorough supplication for ourselves and others. Our public prayers are typically guarded. But we are free to express the concerns and desires of our hearts to God when we have a personal appointment with him.

Of course we are to also pray with others. We should pray with our families. Husbands and wives should pray together. Parents ought to pray with their children. We should pray with friends and with extended family, if they are in Christ. And we ought to pray with the church. The church is to pray during corporate worship, in prayer meetings, and as Christians gather throughout the week. The early church devoted themselves to prayer.

On Bended Knee

What is the proper posture in prayer? Here I say we are to pray on bended knee.

I speak metaphorically, of course. I do no think that our bodily posture matters to God.  The scriptures contain a variety of examples of posture in prayer. It would be difficult to make a case for one posture to be preferred over another. Are we to pray with eyes closed, eyes open, or lifted to heaven? Are we to pray with hands folded, held out, or lifted up? Are we to lay prostrate, kneel, sit or stand? Should we pray facing east?

Friends, what matters is the posture of the heart. We are to come to God humbly. Our hearts should be bowed low.

Should we pray out loud, or in the quiet of our hearts? It matters little. God hears our verbal and non verbal prayers. I write mine. It helps me to focus.

Also, should our prayers be spontaneous or prepared? I would say that normally our prayers should be spontaneous. But there are times when prepared prayers are appropriate. You probably notice that Mike prepares the prayer that he prays before the sermon. I like that. I prepare prayers for weddings and funerals. It seems appropriate to me. Some might complain, saying, shouldn’t we be led by the Spirit in our prayers? My response: who’s to say that the Spirit cannot lead us in our time of preparation?

Friends, we ought to prepare our hearts for prayer.

With Hearts Washed Pure

It’s particularly important that we come with hearts washed pure.  Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:8, ESV) James said that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16, ESV) And Peter reminds us that husbands who fail to show honor to their wives have their prayers hindered (1 Peter 3:7). There is a connection, then, between our holiness and the effectiveness of our prayers.

Just as we would prefer to drink pure water from a clean cup, so to God is please to receive clean prayers from those who are pure. It is not that we are forbidden to come to God if we have sinned, but that when we come, we should come repentant. To sin, and to go on sinning in an unrepentant state, turns our prayers from a sweet smelling aroma in the nose of God to a stench.

Have you ever had a conflict with someone you love? Of course you have. What must happen before you get on with your relationship? There must be reconciliation! So it is with God. Do not sin against him and then go on as if there were no problem. That is an offense to God. Repent, brothers and sisters, and then pray.  We ought to come to God with hearts washed pure.

Full Of Faith

Also, there is a connection between our faith and the effectiveness of our prayers. James says,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV)

Do you remember the story from Mark 9 concerning the boy with an unclean spirit. The boy’s Father cried out to Jesus saying, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22, ESV) Jesus replied,

“‘If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’” (Mark 9:23–25, ESV)

It is not that praying in faith guarantees that we will have what we ask for. And it is not necessarily the case that a person who does not receive what he asks for be lacking in faith. What is clear is that we must pray in faith, believing that God is ready and able to help us.

Giving Thanks

Friends, our prayers should also be filled with thanksgiving. There really are two kinds of prayers – prayers of thanksgiving and supplications. We should set aside time in our prayers, not only for making requests, but also to give thanks for all that God has has provided. This is very good for the soul.

But really even our supplications should be peppered with thanksgiving. Paul says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Let us give thanks to God in our prayers, and so guard against covetousness.

In Jesus’ Name

Lastly, we are to pray in Jesus’ name. This means that we are to pray through him and by virtue of all he has accomplished for us. We come to the Father in his name, by his power, and through his righteousness earned for us. Our prayers are Trinitarian, then. We pray to the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit. Jesus says, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13, ESV)

Conclusion

Friends, these are basic things, I know. But there is power in them. Prayer is an ordinary means of grace. It should not be overlooked nor neglected. And it should be engaged in properly. I trust that the Lord will build his church strong and true and pure as we are faithful in those things that he has called us to.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Philippians 4:4–7
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New Testament Reading: Matthew 6:5-15

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:5–13, ESV)

Introduction

One of the challenges that I have brought to you over the past couple of weeks is the thought that as Christians we must discipline ourselves to pray.

It would be wonderful if we naturally went to prayer. It would be wonderful if we automatically and always desired to pray. But the truth of the matter is that we don’t naturally go where we should go, nor do we always desire what we should desire. Obedience in prayer, along with obedience in every other aspect of the Christian life, is something that must be cultivated within us.

It’s called sanctification, friends. The old sinful flesh must be, more and more, put to death, and we must learn to walk by the Spirit. The old man must be put off, and the new, regenerated man, must be put on. Sanctification – here I have in mind progressive sanctification, which is the process whereby we are made more and more holy and into the image of Christ – is not automatic. Regeneration is automatic. Justification is automatic. Adoption is automatic. These things come upon those who belong to Christ fully and at once at the beginning of the Christian life. But progressive sanctification is a process involving work. True, ultimately it is the work of God. God is the one who sanctifies us. But we are a part of this process of sanctification. It takes effort. We must learn to obey. We must put off the old and put on the new, with the strength that God provides.

A disciplined prayer life falls under this category.

Brothers and sisters, do not wait for the desire to pray – you may never make it to prayer. And if you do make it – if God does bless you with the desire to pray – remember that the desire may soon flee from you. Feelings are a terrible motivator for righteous living because they are unreliable. Nowhere do the scriptures command us to feel like obeying, or feel like praying. What is required is that you do obey. Friends, it is far better to build your life upon the solid foundation of Christ and his word, being obedient to it, rather than the shifting sands of your ever changing emotions.

So pick a time, brothers and sisters. And pick a place. And begin to faithfully labor in prayer. And see if over time, as, by the grace of God, you discipline yourself to pray, your appetites and affections do not begin to change. You’ll find that through discipline your prayer life will grow consistent. And as it grows consistent, your appetite for prayer – your affections for God in prayer – will grow.

One time I decided I should start to run. So I went on a run. I remember that I didn’t like it very much. It was hard. It didn’t feel good. But I had decided to run. So I ran the next day, and the day after that. Those days were not easier than the first, but more difficult because the muscles were sore. But over time I started to, strangely enough, enjoy running. I looked forward it. It began to feel good to run. I felt good. I had developed, through discipline, an affection for running.

And then life got busy, and I stopped running. A day or two passed, and then a week. And do you know what happened when grew undisciplined? That precious desire to run that I had acquired also slowly faded away. I was back to square one. I knew I should run. I remembered how good it felt to run. But the desire was no longer there. What’s a man to do, then? Wait for the desire? Wait for the appetite to reappear? Friends, it may not come. And if it does, it might not remain, at least not consistently.

Friends, it is better to do what we know we should do because we know we should do it rather than doing only that which we feel like doing. If our hearts were perfectly pure, we might be able to follow our feelings. But because our hearts are crooked, we must choose to obey. Our hearts have a way of deceiving us, sending us off in the wrong direction. Our affections are sometimes misdirected. We desire what we should not desire, and we have no desire for that which we should desire. Our hearts must be straightened out by God. And, Lord willing, he will straighten them out through the process of sanctification, leading us to, more and more, love what is good and hate what is evil. But until then – indeed, until the very end – Spirit empowered obedience to God’s word is the road upon which we are to walk.

Why do I belabor this point? Why the redundancy? It is because this principle is so important to every aspect of the Christian life, and yet it is often missed. Obey God, friends! To heck with what you feel like doing! God says, “Husband, love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.” You say, “But God, I do not feel love for her.” God says, “when did I ever ask you to feel anything? I told you to love! Obey, son. Show love to your wife, and see if the affection for her does not return. And if it does not return, then show her love anyways. Give yourself for her as Christ gave himself for the church.” God says, “children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” The child says, “but I do not feel like obeying my parents.” God’s reply: “When did I ever ask you to do something based upon feeling? I know you do not feel like it, that is one reason why I commanded it. Obey, and see if over time the desire to honor your parents does not grow.”

Friends, do not misunderstand. Affections, feelings and emotions are indeed a vital part of the Christian life. We are emotional beings, and our emotions matter. Our desire is to obey Christ from a transformed heart. Our prayer is that God would cultivate godly affections within us. But the question is, how does the human heart get to be transformed? How do these godly affections grow? It is by the word and Spirit, of course. But it is also through the long and arduous process of renewing the mind and disciplining one’s self to put off the old and to put on the new, which is ours in Christ Jesus. To put it another way, and to borrow from a friend who shared this illustration with me this past week, obedience is the engine, and feelings are the caboose in the discipleship train.

We must discipline ourselves to pray – pick a time, pick a place, and pray – but once there, we must also develop discipline in prayer. In other words, it is one thing to make it to prayer – but it is another thing to pray well.

You say, “well how hard is it to pray? Don’t we naturally know how to pray? Shouldn’t we just poor out our hearts before God?” 

Friend, I wonder if you have you been paying attention at all? Why would you assume that our hearts would automatically lead us to pray well? Just as our hearts cannot be trusted to drive us to prayer, neither should they be trusted to guide us in prayer.

Again, I do not deny that the Lord can and will transform our hearts. I do not deny that we are invited as God’s children to poor our desires before him, speaking to him from the heart, as it were. What I am questioning is if our hearts can be trusted to finally and infallibly direct us in our prayers.

It is not that prayer is complicated. It’s actually quite simple. The problem again is that our hearts are bent out of shape. We do not naturally pray well. We tend to be lethargic in our prayers – unfocused. Have you ever struggled in prayer because your mind runs this way and that? Sometimes we pray pridefully to be seen by others. Sometimes we pray as if the purpose of prayer were to inform God of things he did not already know. Sometimes we ramble and babble in prayer, spinning around in circles, sputtering out meaningless and repetitious words and phases thinking that God will respond to us because of our many words. Sometimes we pray for things so that we might spend them on our pleasures. I could go on. The point is that it is wrong to assume that we are naturally good at prayer.

If we were, then why did Jesus find it necessary to teach us how to pray? Why did his disciples come to him, saying, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1, ESV) If prayer were so natural to us, then why this request? And if it is natural to us, then why did Jesus not say, “just do your thing. Let your heart guide you. If you pray from the heart, you can’t go wrong.”

No, instead Christ taught us how to pray. He warned us and instructed us. He’s given us tracks to run on so that we fly to him efficiently and with precession.

Notice that in Matthew 6:5 Jesus first offers words of warning.  “You must not be like the hypocrites”, he says. And a little bit later he warns us, saying, “Do not [be like] the Gentiles…”

Hypocrites will pray, but only in public. They want to be seen by others to appear righteous. For them, that is the purpose of prayer. They’ll rarely be found in the closet praying to God because they do not care to commune with God. They only want to appear righteous! Do not be a hypocrite!

These words of Jesus do not forbid public prayer, by the way. That would contradict many other passages of scripture. In fact, Jesus himself would be in violation of this principle if what he meant to say was, never pray in public, but only in private. His point, rather, is to warn us against pray in order to be seen by others. Also, he is reminding us that the purpose of prayer is communion with the living God, not showmanship. So go and commune with the God who sees all, even the secret intentions of the heart. We really have no business praying in pubic if we do not first labor in prayer in private. Do not be hypocritical in prayer, desiring people to see you as one thing, when really you are another.

Also, we are not to be like the Gentiles when we pray. Jesus characterizes the prayers of Gentiles (here we are to think, not of non-Jews, but of heathens – Godless people) as a heaping up empty phrases. We are to imagine heathens crying out to their gods as if they could manipulate the gods through their loud babblings and repetitions.

The scene that comes to my mind is the one from1Kings 18 where the prophet Elijah found himself in a contest of sorts with the 450 prophets of Baal. Do you remember the scene? Wood was piled up, an offering was laid upon it, and each side was to call upon God. The true God would answer by sending fire to consume the alter and the sacrifice. I will not tell the story in full here. I only wish to point out the way that the two sides prayed.

The prophets of Baal spent all day hopping around the alter, franticly crying out to their god, who is no god at all, even cutting themselves thinking that this would compel Baal to act. Nothing happened.

But how did the prophet of the one true God pray? After having water poured over the alter three times,

“Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.’” (1 Kings 18:36–39, ESV)

Notice how the way of Elijah’s prayer was different from the way of the prophets of Baal. He was direct, composed, and collected – rather dispassionate. Why? Because he was the prophet of the one true God who sees and hears and act according to his will. There’s no need for hysteria with our God. There’s no sense in trying to manipulate him, for he is the unchanging God, the same yesterday, today, and forever. Notice also how similar Elijah’s prayer was to the beginning of the Lord’s prayer, which we will come to in a moment.

Unfortunately the prayers of many Christians today resemble the prayers of the prophets of Baal more than the prayers of Elijah. Many think that if their are to be heard they must pray with, so called, passion – with intense emotion, much repetition, and even tears. Some think that if they are really to be heard by God they must speak in an unknown tongue. But Elijah’s prayer was plain. And the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray was plain too.

Friends, we do not naturally pray well. We must learn to pray.

Pray Then Like This

And where should we go to learn to pray?

Well, “the whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule of direction is that prayer, which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord’s Prayer.” (Baptist Catechism 106).

The whole word of God directs our prayers in that the whole word of God informs us about who God is, who we are, how we are to relate to God, and what his plans and purposes are for this world. Your prayers will be misdirected unless you know these basic truths from the whole of scripture. In that sense, the whole of the Bible informs and directs our prayers.

But more specifically, Christ taught his disciples to pray the Lord’s Prayer, which is,

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’”
And the traditional ending is, “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.”
(Matthew 6:5–14, ESV)

It is good to memorize this prayer, friends. Not so that we might mindlessly repeat it. And not so that we might only repeat it. No, we should memorize the Lord’s prayer so that when we recite it, we can recite it thoughtfully. And more than that, so that we might use it as a guide to our prayers.

What Christ has given us are categories for prayer. He has given us direction. He has provided us with tracks to run on so that we might pray in a way that is focused, for things pleasing to the Father, and for things good for us and for others.

Friends, prayer is such a fundamental part of the Christian life. And how important it is to learn the fundamentals well! When you learn to read and write you begin by learning the alphabet. When you learn to play golf you start by learning to hold the club. Things are wooden and robotic at first. But over time they become more natural to us so that we read and write and play without thinking much about the fundamentals. So it is with prayer. We must learn the fundamentals of this fundamental thing called prayer.

Our catechism concludes was a section on the Lord’s Prayer. Questions 105 – 114 walk us through it. Why? Because prayer is fundamental to the Christian religion. We must learn to pray well. And we must teach our children and those new in the Lord to pray well. Do you want to learn how to pray? Go to the Lord’s prayer. And do you want some good teaching on the Lord’s prayer? I would highly recommend that you go to our catechism.

The Lord’s prayer consists of seven parts and a conclusion, which is probably traditional, and not a part of the original scripture text, being based upon 1 Chronicles 29:11-13. Let’s walk through the parts together.

Our Father In Heaven

The first part of the Lord’s Prayer is the preface, or introduction.

And “what [does] the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father in heaven,’ [teaches] us to draw near to God, with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us, and that we should pray with and for others.’” (Baptist Catechism 107)

When we pray, “Our Father in heaven”, we ought to be reminded of these precious truths:

You, through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the only begotten Son of God, have been invited to draw near to God in prayer. We are to come to him, therefore, in Jesus’ name, not in our own. We do not come to God by our own merits, but by the merits of Christ alone. He has made sons and daughters so that we can draw near.

When we do come , we should come “with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father.” Confidence? Yes! But also reverence. Reverence? Yes! But also confidence. This is how we approach our earthly Fathers (or should). And this is how we are to approach our heavenly Father.

We should also remember that that God is “able and ready to help us”. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11, ESV) That is the idea.

We are also reminded by the preface that “we should pray with and for others.” How so? Notice the use of the plural in the Lord’s prayer. It is to “our Father” that we are to pray; And little later, “give us this day…”; and after that “forgive us our debts…”; and finally, “lead us not into temptation”. Learn to pray using the plural pronoun, friends, so that when you pray, you pray, not only for yourselves, but for others to.

Here is what I am proposing, brothers and sisters. When you sit down to pray, do not simply say, “our Father in heaven”, but spend time praying from the heart (now that it has been directed by the Word and Spirit) according to the category introduced by the summery words of Christ, “our Father in heaven.”

Perhaps we would pray something like this, then: “Father in heaven, you are immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute. You work all things according to the counsel of your immutable and most righteous will for your own glory. Who am I to come before you? I come to you, not because I am worthy in and of myself, but by the merits of Christ alone. It is by his obedience that I come. It is by his shed blood that I approach. By nature I am no son of yours, but through Christ – through faith him – you have made us to be sons and daughters. Oh, how amazing is the grace that you have shown to us! Truly you are most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth. You forgive iniquity, transgression, and sin. Thank you, Father, for the adoption as sons. Thank you for all of the privileges and benefits associate with that. Thank you for Jesus Christ. I come in his name. Help me to pray well, Father. Guide me by your Word and Spirit that I might pray well, for myself and others.

Or, maybe we could pray like this: Daddy in heaven. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for making us your children. Help me to pray for myself and others, Lord.

Would not both prayers be precious in the sight of God, provided they be prayed by faith and with pure motives?

The point is this: The Lord’s Prayer provides categories for us. It gives us direction. It sets our minds on a particular track. And once on that track we are free to pray, being informed by the whole of God’s word and led by the Spirit, for things dear to us.

This is true of every petition. Let’s very quickly walk through each petition. I will not take time to elaborate on them as I have with the preface. One, we do not have the time. Two, I hope that you learn from the Pray Guide that we provide each week on The City. And three, I hope that you come to our monthly prayer service where we will labor in prayer together, and also learn to pray.

Hallowed Be Your Name

After the preface there are six petitions.

And “what do we pray for in the first petition? In the first petition, which is ‘Hallowed be [your] name,’ we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all [things], and that He would [us] all things [for] His own glory.” (Baptist Catechism 108)

Notice that this is the first petition.

Your Kingdom Come

And “what do we pray for in the second petition? In the second petition, which is ‘[Your] kingdom come,’ we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced; ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.” (Baptist Catechism 109)

Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven

“What do we pray for in the third petition? In the third petition, which is, ‘[Your] will be done in earth as it is in heaven,’ we pray that God by His grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.” (Baptist Catechism 110)

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

“What do we pray for in the fourth petition? In the fourth petition, which is, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ we pray that of God’s free gift, we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life and enjoy His blessing with them.” (Baptist Catechism 111)

And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Also Have Forgiven Our Debtors

“What do we pray for in the fifth petition? In the fifth petition, which is, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask, because by His grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.” (Baptist Catechism 112)

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

“What do we pray for in the sixth petition? In the sixth petition, which is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.” (Baptist Catechism 113)

For Yours Is The Kingdom, And The Power, And The Glory, Forever, Amen

“What [does] the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? The conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘For [yours] is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen,’ [teaches] us to take our encouragement in prayer from God only, and in our prayers to praise Him, ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to Him; and in testimony of our desire, and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen.”

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Matthew 6:5-15
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New Testament Reading: Colossians 4

“Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here. Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, ‘See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.’ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.” (Colossians 4, ESV)

Introduction

There was a time when I would read a chapter like Colossians 4 and think, well, there isn’t much here in terms of useful material. Paul and Timothy are simply wrapping things up with the Colossians, giving shoutouts to a few people before saying their final goodbyes. How mistaken I was to think in this way.

Indeed this is the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians (the letter is actually from Paul and Timothy (see 1:1)). In it he extends greetings on his behalf and on behalf of others who are with him to those living in Colossae (Paul wrote this letter in around 62 A.D. while imprisoned in Rome). But notice that there is a good deal for us to glean from the conclusion to his letter.

Notice three general things by way of introduction:

First of all, see how this chapter gives us a glimpse into the life of the early church. It demonstrates  what I have been laboring to say over the past couple of weeks, namely, that the work of Christ continued in this world in and through Christ’s church, which is his body. Paul was an apostle of Christ. He was an eyewitness to Christ in his resurrection. He was commissioned by Christ to advance the kingdom. In this conclusion he refers to himself and those laboring with him as “workers for the kingdom of God”. And what were these workers doing to build God’s kingdom? They were proclaiming the gospel of the Jesus Christ. They were planting churches. And they were laboring for the health of the church. So, where is Christ at work in the world today? Where is the kingdom of Christ advancing? It is advancing in and through Christ’s church. The gospel is preached by the church. Sinners are brought to repentance and into the church. Disciples are made by the church. And it is the church who sends men to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to those who have not heard, leading to the planting of new churches. The kingdom of God advances in this way. This is, in part, what we have in mind when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”- that Christ’s church would be built strong and true.

Secondly, notice the emphasis upon the local church in this passage. It is true, we may speak of the church in universal terms, thinking of all of the true believers who live around the globe. We might also speak of the invisible church, thinking of all believers who have ever lived in all times and places. But here Paul was writing to a particular local church. He wrote to the saints in Colossae. Paul was not writing to saints in general, but to particular saints living in a particular place who gathered together for the worship of God. These saints were devoted to one another – they belonged to one another. In verse 9 Paul mentions a certain man named “Onesimus”. He referred to him as a “faithful and beloved brother”, and wrote to the Colossians, saying, “[he] is one of you.” Though Onesimus was traveling with Paul, he belonged to – was “one of” – the Colossians. The same can be said of a fellow named Epaphras. These men were with Paul in Rome, but they were  “one of” the Colossians. It ought to be said of everyone who professes faith in Christ that they be “one of” a particular local church. Biblical Christianity knows nothing of a disciple of Christ who does not belong to a local church, even if they be traveling with the apostle Paul himself.

Thirdly, notice the investment that these local churches made into the proclamation of the gospel and the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom. Paul and Barnabas, we know, were sent out from the local church in Antioch. That local church made an investment into the expansion of Christ’s kingdom when they sent these men. Evidently Colossae sent Onesimus and Epaphras. They made an investment when they sent these men to do kingdom work with Paul. In fact, the whole of the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Colossians screams investment into kingdom work. Notice all of the names mentioned. Notice the references, not only to the church in Colossae, but also to the brothers in Laodicea, and to the church the met in Nympha’s home. You get the sense that, though there were many local churches scattered in many places, having been planted by Paul and others, these local congregations were all connected to and invested in the advancement of Christ’s kingdom through the church planting efforts of Paul and others.

So, yes, this is Paul’s conclusion to the letter he wrote to the Colossians. Yes, it is filled with names that are hard to pronounce which represent people we know little about. But it gives us a glimpse into the life of the early church, especially as it pertains to the missionary efforts of those early Christians who lived in the days of the apostles.

But here is what I would really like for you to see: Notice the role that prayer played in the life of the early church. Notice the multiple references to prayer in this passage. You get the impression that prayer permeated all that the early church did. It’s as if prayer was the engine that propelled all of the advancements made by those first Christians. To pray was to do work. To pray was to get something accomplished. Prayer was not some tangential thing – it was a central thing. It was not a last resort, but the first impulse of the Christian community. You get the impression that the apostles of Christ and the first Christians who were with them really prayed – and they prayed knowing that something was accomplished through their prayers.

It’s no wonder, then, that our brothers and sisters in Christ who lived long ago continued steadfastly in prayer, were watchful in prayer, laboring in it, for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom, and to the glory of God.

Let Us Continue Steadfastly In Prayer

Friends, we also should continue steadfastly in prayer.

Notice the command of 4:2. Paul wrote to the Christians of Colossae commanding them to “continue steadfastly in prayer”.

The words “continue steadfastly”, come from one greek word which means “to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in.’”

Many will offer up prayers from time to time. Many will offer up prayers when it is easy – that is, when they feel like it. Perhaps they find themselves overjoyed about something and so they feel compelled to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving up to God. Or perhaps they find themselves in some difficult situation that finally drives them to prayer. These are occasional prayers offered up according to feelings.

But here Paul is urging the Christian to persist in prayer. It is to be regular, even continuous.

Here is how Paul put it to the Thessalonians. He commanded them, saying, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV) Do you want to know God’s will for your life? Well here is one aspect of it – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances”. To pray without ceasing does not mean that we do noting but pray. What it means is that, one, prayer is to be regular, and not sporadic; and two, we are to pray even while doing other things – prayers can be offered up to God from a quite place in your home or in church, but also while driving in the car or while pulling weeds. Our prayers to God should be regular and continuous.

Brothers and sisters, it requires effort to pray in this disciplined way.

It is common for Christians today to assume that prayer, or even other aspects of the Christian walk, should be effortless if they are to be genuine and pleasing before God. The thought is, “I should want to pray to God. And I will not pray until I feel the desire to pray, for to pray without the desire would be disingenuous.” Or to put it another way, “I will not pray until I can pray ‘from the heart’. God forbid that I pray out of mere religious duty.”

Friends, there are certain things that God calls us to do even if we don’t feel like doing them.

I wonder how often you would be at church on the Lord’s Day if you came only when you felt like it? Or I wonder how frequently you would open your Bibles to read if you waited for a positive feeling to drive you there? Or how often would you abstain from sin of any kind if you applied that way of thinking to your battle against it.

The truth of the matter is that our flesh wars against the Spirit. We often desire things that we should not desire. And we often lack desire for that which we should desire. What should we do? We ought to obey God despite the fact that our affections are often crooked and distorted, bent away from God and towards evil.

There is something to be said for good old fashioned religious devotion, effort, and discipline.

Of course even in this we are to rely upon God for strength. We ought to pray to God, requesting that he would make us to be diligent. We should pray that he would renew our hearts and minds – that he would transform us – that he would reorder our appetites, and bend our affections towards him. We should pray that God would make us able and willing to obey his will, not merely out of sense of duty and obligation, but in joy, and out of a heart of love for him.

The point I am making is that we should not look down upon discipline. We should not despise the thought of religious devotion. Discipline and devotion are good things. They are pleasing to God. And they are often used by God to work within the heart of the Christian a true and lively love for God, so that in due time we go to him running, instead of dragging our feet.

Discipline and devotion are often used by God to transform our appetites.

Have you ever gone on a diet before? You decide that you should eat healthy. You decide to avoid certain foods and to consume others. Tell me, does your appetite change in the moment you declare “I’m going on a diet?” Far from it! If anything, the opposite is true! Your appetite for the wrong things increases, and you have little to no desire for those things you have deemed to be good. If you are driven by appetite, you will not make it far. But if you are devoted – if you are disciplined to do what you know you should do – you will succeed. The first few days are the hardest. The cravings are strong. But what starts to happen after a few days, and especially after a few weeks? Amazingly, your appetite begins to change! The bad foods don’t seem so appealing. The good foods grow more desirable.

This is how the human soul works. It is possible, with God’s help, to put to death the flesh and walk according to the Spirit. The way to do it is, with the help God, to starve the one and feed the other.

Friends, we are called by God to continue steadfastly in prayer. We will never do it if we assume that we must first desire to pray before we begin to pray. No, we must discipline ourselves to pray. We must cultivate the desire for prayer.  We are to continue in it with intense effort, despite difficulty.

It’s interesting that this same word, which is here translated as, “continue steadfastly” is used throughout the New Testament, in either it’s verb or noun form, with reference to prayer.

In Acts 1:14 we read that the apostles of Christ were, “with one accord… devoting themselves to [or continuing steadfastly in] prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:14, ESV)

In Acts 2:42 we read that “they devoted themselves to [or continued steadfastly in] the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV)

In Acts 6:4 we read of the decision of the apostles to delegate service responsibilities to those first deacons so that they could “devote [themselves] to [or continue steadfastly in] prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4, ESV)

Paul commanded the Roman church in much the same way that he commanded the Colossians, saying, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant [or steadfast] in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, ESV)

And to the Ephesians he gave this command: “[Pray] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance [which is the noun form of the same word], making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,” (Ephesians 6:18–19, ESV)

Friends, my hope is that we would display this kind of diligence in our prayers.

Let Us Be Watchful In Prayer With Thanksgiving

Notice, secondly, that we are to be watchful in prayer with thanksgiving.

What does Paul mean when he commands us to be watchful in prayer? The word itself means to stay awake or alert. The image is that of a wide-eyed watchmen in a watchtower.

Jesus rebuked his disciples who were sleeping in the garden of Gethsemane with this word, saying, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40–41, ESV)

Here in Colossians Paul in not only warning against falling asleep in prayer, but is urging alertness. He is urging us to pray with our spiritual eyes wide open. He’s urging us pray being fully aware of the battle that rages around us, the schemes of the evil one, the threats to the church and to those we love. We are to be aware of our needs, and the needs of those around us when we pray.

To put it another way, it is possible to be physically awake while we pray, and yet for our prayers to be spiritually sleepy – spiritually lethargic. I’m thinking of prayers that are mentally disengaged, uninformed, and careless. There are sleepy prayers; and there are watchful prayers. Sleepy prayers are routine, robotic, unspecific. Sleepy prayers fail to engage with the reality of things. They fail to engage with the real needs of people. Sleepy prayers fail to engage engage in battle. Prayers that are watchful are thoughtful and specific. The one offering the prayer is engaged with the reality of things – the needs of those around him, the significance of the moment in which he lives, and the seriousness of the spiritual battles that rage around us as the kingdom of Christ advances and the kingdom of Satan is pushed back.

Why are we sometimes sleepy in our prayers? Is it not because we remain unconvinced concerning the seriousness of the battle? A watchmen who is convinced that there is no threat – no battle – no enemy – will inevitably allow his eyes to droop in the night watch. But a watchmen who is convinced that the threat is real, that the battle is seriousness, and the enemy near – he will remain bright-eyed and alert.

We are slack and sleepy in our prayers, in part, because we have grown complacent concerning the severity of the battle that rages around us. But friends, the battle is real. And prayer is truly a weapon of war. Ephesians 6:10-20 says,

“… be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:10–20, ESV)

Friends, we are to be watchful in prayer. And we are also to be thankful. How important it is for us to give thanks in prayer. Yes, we have been invited by God bring the desires of our heart before him. But we should first give thanks. Otherwise we might grow into ungrateful, discontented, whinny children. Let us give thanks in our prayers. But let us also be watchful in them, making real requests to the Father – requests pertaining to battle at hand.

Let Us Labor In Prayer

Lastly, let learn to labor in prayer.

Here I wish only to emphasizes this point: Prayer is work.

I am not saying that prayer must feel like work – it does not have to feel like drudgery. But it is work. It is through prayer that we get stuff done.

I wonder how many Christians really believe this? I wonder if this isn’t another reason for our sleepy prayers? First of all, we are often blind to the battle that rages around us. But secondly, I wonder if we really believe that prayer gets stuff done? We busy ourselves with so many other things – things we believe to be worthwhile and productive – but we pass over prayer. The truth is that we pass it over because we do not believe that it accomplishes much.

That is not the Bible’s perspective on prayer. That was not Paul’s opinion. Look how he speaks of prayer in this passage. Notice how he commends Epaphras, one of his fellow workers in the kingdom of God. In verse 12 he calls Epaphras “a servant of Christ Jesus” and it is said of him that he is “always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12, ESV)

Epaphras was commended by Paul because he struggled in prayer. The word translated “struggling” is ἀγωνίζομαι, meaning “to strive to do something with great intensity and effort—‘to make every effort to, to do everything possible to, to strain oneself to.’” You can hear the english word agonize in it. Oh, that we would, like Epaphras, learn to strive in prayer. Oh, that we would make every effort, do everything possible, and strain ourselves in prayer.

A bit later Paul commends Epaphras again saying,  “For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.” (Colossians 4:13, ESV) This is Paul’s perspective on prayer. Prayer is work. It is through prayer that we get stuff done. When Paul thought of all of the time and energy that Epaphras invested into prayer, he did not think, “Oh, what a fool. Oh, what a waste! I wish he get busy with the actual work of ministry.” No, he saw the man as a faithful worker in the kingdom – one who had worked very hard, who was worthy of commendation.

And notice the content of Epaphras’ prayers. He prayed for his brothers and sisters in Christ that they would (verse 12), “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12, ESV) Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? “Pray then like this”, Jesus said: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9–10, ESV) And what are we praying for when we cry out to the Father saying, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”? We are praying for ourselves, and for one another, “that God by His grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven” (Baptist Catechism, 110). That was the prayer of Epaphras for his friends in Colossae – that they would know and be willing and able to keep God’s revealed will.

There are many kinds of prayers. There are prayers of adoration in which we worship God. There are prayers in which we make vows to God. There are prayers in which we confess our sins to God. And there are prayers in which we give thanks to God. This kind of prayer is called a supplication. A supplication is a pray in which we ask God for something. More specifically, this is an intercession. And intercession is a supplication on behalf of someone else. That is what Epaphras worked hard in. He labored in intercession. He prayed hard for others, that God would bless them and work mightily in their lives, making them able to know and willing to keep the will of God – that they would be mature in Christ, and have assurance through the keeping of God’s word.

Conclusion

Friends, let us learn to labor in prayer. Let us learn to be watchful in it – alert, and aware. And let us know what it is to work hard in prayer. If we do not believe that God works through our prayers, may he change our minds and strengthen our faith. Oh, that we would be people of prayer, that God might move amongst us, and get every last drop of the glory. Amen.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Colossians 4
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Old Testament Reading: 1 Samuel 1:1–20

“There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah… [Verse 2] He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, ‘Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’ After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.’ As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, ‘How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.’ But Hannah answered, ‘No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.’ Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.’ And she said, ‘Let your servant find favor in your eyes.’ Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.’” (1 Samuel 1:1–20, ESV)

Introduction

Friends, I’ll admit that the sermon last week was an unusual one. I attempted to build a bridge from our study of the Gospel of John to the topic of prayer. The journey across the logical bridge went something like this: John’s Gospel told us about the work of Christ in his earthly ministry. Jesus accomplished redemption for those given to him by the Father in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. He accomplished redemption for the elect at his first coming, but his work is not over. He is at work in the world today applying the redemption he has earned to sinners by the Holy Spirit and through his church, as the gospel is proclaimed to the world. If the church is to be used by Christ for the furtherance of the kingdom then she ought to devote herself the things that God has called her to. Act 2:42 reveals four things that the church is to be devoted to – the apostles teaching (which is the word of God), the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. A church devoted to these ordinary means will be a healthy church, provided that she engage in them truly and authentically. From there I moved to the fourth of the four things mentioned, which is prayer. And I suggested that we need to grow in this respect.

Brothers and sisters, we are called by God to pray. It is our duty to pray. More than being our duty it is also a great privilege and joy. But it is, first of all, our duty. We are commanded to pray. Paul wrote, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.” (1 Timothy 2:8, ESV) To the Philippians he gave this command: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6, ESV) These are not suggestions, but commands. Prayer is not an option for the Christian. We are to pray even if we don’t feel like praying in obedience to the command of scripture. It is our duty to pray.

It’s hard to imagine a Christian praying forever only out of sense of duty. It may be that we pray with this as our motivation for a while. Sadly, due to our sinfulness, our hearts are sometimes hard and dull to the things of God. But eventually we will be drawn to prayer instead of driven to it; eventually we will be drawn to prayer, not by a sense of duty alone, but by the joyous thought of communing with the living God.

We should pray for this kind of prayer life, shouldn’t we? We should pray that God would give us the desire to pray. We should pray that our prayers be lively and joyous. We should pray that we would experience the presence of God in our prayers. Far from being dead, lifeless, and routine, our prayers ought to be alive – intimate, dynamic, conversational.

There is indeed a sense in which prayer is like work. We are to labor in it. We are to devote ourselves to it. It is our duty. But today I’m urging you to see prayer, not only as work, but but as communication between a child and father

Notice four things offered to us in prayer:

In Prayer We Are Invited To Commune With The Living God

First of all, in prayer we are invited to commune with the living God.

Remember, when Jesus taught his disciples to pray he said, “Pray then like this:

‘Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:5). What an extraordinary thing it is to approach God and to call him Father.

We do not naturally have this right. We are by nature “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). We do not naturally have God as Father, but are children of the devil (John 8:44). We are born into this world alienated from God and hostile in mind towards him (Colossians 1:21). This is our natural relationship to God ever since the fall.

But through Christ we come to God as Father. “He has now reconciled [us] in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present [us] holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” (Colossians 1:22, ESV)

In Christ we have been adopted by God as sons and daughters.

“He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5–6, ESV)

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15, ESV)

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4–7, ESV)

Friends, Christ came to unite us to the Father. He came that we might have communion with the God who made us. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, brings those who have faith in him to God and says, “Father, behold your child, and child, behold your Father.” That is the purpose for which Christ came – to reconcile us to the Father, to the praise of his glorious grace. He died and rose again so that we might have fellowship with the Father.

What a shame, then, when God’s children choose only to talk about him, but never with him.

I am not saying that we ought not to talk about God. Certainly we are to study the Word so that we might know more and more about the God who made us. We must learn about God; we must learn about ourselves; and we must learn about how it is that we come to him through faith in Christ. But all of this learning – all of this God talk – is to culminate in the knowledge of God. What a waste to devote oneself to knowing about God, but to never commune with him.

Likewise, what a shame it is when God’s children choose only to serve him, but never to sit with him.

It is good to serve God. But we are also to sit with him. It is indeed the better of the two things, as Mary knew and Martha learned.

To talk about God, but never with him, and to serve God, but never sit before him is indeed a peculiar thing.

What can we compare it to? It is a like studying to play the guitar – reading books on the subject, memorizing cords, learning theory – but never picking up the instrument to play. Or it is like preparing a delicious meal, but never eating the food. The one who studies God, or serves God, but never communes with God in prayer is like this. Though there be a great deal of activity – though much effort be made – the person has stopped short of the goal and has neglected the pleasurable thing, namely communion with the living God, who is our heavenly Father, through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Friends, it is good to study God. But it is for the purpose of enjoying communion with him. It is good to serve God. But it is better to sit before him and to enjoy his presence. Christ Jesus died to make this possible. Why would we stop short of it?

In the moment we speak of prayer as communion with God we should also remind ourselves of who it is we are approaching. We are approaching our Father who is in heaven. The title “Father” invites us to come. The qualifier “who is in heaven” reminds us to come with a heartfelt sense of reverence.

We see this in Hannah’s prayer, don’t we? She was not ashamed to come to God, but she came with reverence.

In Prayer We Are Invited To Pour Out Our Holy Desires Before God

Notice, secondly, that in prayer we are invited to pour out our holy desires before God.

This is precisely what Hannah did. She was in distress. Her heart was sad. Evidently being Elkanah’s wife was not enough to ease the pain of going childless! She was distressed to the point of not eating. But she did the right thing with her sorrow. She came boldly before the throne of grace and made here requests known to God, saying, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11, ESV)

What a surprising gift is is! Not only are we invited to commune with God, but we are invited to express our desires to him. Have you thought of how precious this gift is?

Wouldn’t it be enough for our communion with God to consist of our listening to him? Wouldn’t it be enough for us to remain passive and he active? “God, you are God! You speak and I will listen.” This would be a most reasonable arrangement given the circumstances. But God invites us to speak to him, pouring out our desires before him.

“Do not be anxious about anything [Paul says], but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6, ESV) Who are we that we should make requests to God? Should not God require things of us? Who are we to request things from him? And yet this is what he invites us to do – to pour out our holy desires before him.

Of course God knows our desires already. And of course he has already decreed from all eternity all things that will come to pass. But he has determined to bring about his plans and purposes by involving the heartfelt prayers of his children in the process. God is sovereign, it is true. All things are the result of his decree. But this is also true: “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16, ESV) God really hears the prayers of his people and he works in and through them. He has invited us to pray – to pour out our holy desires before him – and this is more than an exercise in futility. Our prayers really work. God works in and through them, they being an authentic means of grace for the people of God.

It can be hard for our minds to comprehend how the sovereignty of God and the effectiveness of man’s prayer can both be true, but they are. The way to understand it is to see that God has decreed both the end and the means.

For example, God’s decree was that Samuel would be born. The means he used to bring it about were, among other things, the prayers of the barren woman, Hannah, so that God would receive the glory. God’s decree was that in the days of Elijah it would not rain for three years and six months. The means he used to bring it about were the prayers of that righteous man, so that God would receive the glory. God’s decree may be that your loved one will be healed, that you get the job, that you have the baby, that your marriage be restored – we do not know what God’s hidden will is – we will know it only after it happened. But this we know, one of the means that God has determined to use to bring it about are the prayers of his people.

Brothers and sisters, do you want God to work? Then you had better pray. Prayer is a means of grace. It works. God has determined to use it to bring about his eternal purposes. So go to God and pour out your holy desires before him. He hears your prayers, and he will use them according to his will.

Notice that we are invited to pour out our holy desires before God. The people of God should take care to pray according to the will of God. We should ask the Spirit to help us in this. Never should we pray for what is unholy. And never should we pray things to spend them on our passions (James 4:3). Instead we should examine our hearts before we come to God in prayer. We should examine our motives to be sure they are pure. Our prime objective in prayer should be to see God’s name glorified – his kingdom advanced – and not our own.

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9–10, ESV)

When we come to God with our holy desires we should come with a heartfelt sense of our need and in repentance. We are to come to God, not because we are strong, but because we are needy. And we are to come having repented of all jealousy and selfish ambition. With our hearts prepared in this way we are then ready to come to God and to make our requests known to him.

In Prayer We Are Invited To Take Comfort In God

Notice, thirdly, that in prayer we are invited to take comfort in God.

After we have prayed we do not know what God will do with our prayers, but we do know that he has heard us. We do not know immediately if the answer will be “yes” or “no”, but the sure thing is that our request has reached God’s ear.  And this should be more than enough to bring comfort to our troubled souls.

The prideful and faithless person will not be comforted unless he be guaranteed that God will indeed do what he has asked him to do. But the child of God is comforted by the simple fact that God has heard him. God has heard the prayer. He is able to act. He knows what is best. And he will indeed do what is best. These truths bring comfort to the child of God no matter if the answer be “yes” or “no”. So our comfort is not in the thought that God will do as I have said, but that God has heard and will do as he wills.

We are to trust God in prayer. We are to believe in him. We are to have faith in him. This means that we are to trust in his plans and purposes, that they are indeed best.

It is interesting how people have distorted this truth. To pray in faith, they think, is to pray believing that God will indeed do exactly as we say. Where in the scriptures are we called to pray like this? Where are we called to approach God insisting on our own way. That we are to be persistent in prayer is true. That we are to pray knowing that God is able to do what we ask of him is true. That we are to pray knowing that God hears our prayers and has determined to work through our prayers is also true. But to pray assuming that God is bound to do as we say seems to me a most presumptuous thought. Ironically, this is really to trust in ourselves and not in God, assuming that our plans and purposes are best.

No, to pray in faith is to pray knowing that God hears us, is able to to act, will do as he sees best, and to take comfort in this.

It is so important, friends, that we come humbly before the throne of grace. It is important that we set our true desires before God, but in humility, saying, as Christ did, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42, ESV) We should pour out our holy desires before God, not demands.

In Prayer We Are Invited To Hope In God

Notice, fourthly, that in prayer we are invited to hope in God. Prayer should bring us a genuine sense of hope and expectation.

The reasons for this have already been mentioned. God hears the prayers of his children. His love for them is faithful and true. He is knows what is best for them. And he able to do what is best.

But here I wish to say more: that we should walk away from prayer with a sense of hope and expectation that we will receive what we have asked for.

I understand this seems to contradict what I said before, but there is no real contradiction. Before I was emphasizing humility in prayer. We are to make requests, not demands. We are to pray, not my will, but thy will be done. But once we have examined our hearts, and once we have labored to pray according to the will of God, being led by the Spirit to do so, we should arise from prayer with a sense of expectation, and not doubt.

This is what Jesus means when he says, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:21–22, ESV)

James also encourages us to pray with a sense of expectation saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5–8, ESV)

You see, it is possible to pray with both humility and expectation. In fact the scriptures demand that we do both.

To put it another way, to pray, “nevertheless not my will but thy will be done” does not destroy faith, but sweetly complies with it.

Some, when they hear the words, “Lord willing” attached to prayer equate it with doubt. The thought is the prayer is using the phrase, “Lord willing” as a cop out of sorts, thinking, “I am praying for this, but I doubt you will do it, so I’ll say, ‘Lord willing’, to explain the lack of response.” Not so. To say, “Lord willing”, or “Nevertheless, not my will but thy will be done”, is the proper way to pray. It has nothing to do with doubt, and everything to do with humility. It is an acknowledgment that God is God, and we are not. It is an act of submission to God’s will. We bring our desires to God, not demands.

But if we pray to God with hearts that are pure and according his will, why would we arise from prayer hopeless. We are to pray believing that God will act. The Father loves to give good gifts to his children. He has invited us to bring our desires to him. He has assured us that prayer is effective. Why would we ever walk away from prayer assuming that God will not act? We should pray with hopeful expectation.

Notice how Hannah arose from prayer with a sense of confident hope. She came to the Lord “deeply distressed” and “weeping bitterly”. When she walked away she “ate, and her face was no longer sad.” (1 Samuel 1:18, ESV)

Conclusion 

Friends, prayer is a kind of coalescence of the Christian life. All that we believe to be true about God – all of our religious devotion – comes together and manifests itself in our prayer life, or lack thereof.

Our prayer life says a lot about our relationship with God. Are your prays frequent or infrequent? Are they dry and wooden, or are they lively? Are you routine in your prayers, or are you nimble? Are your prayers big or small? Are you expressing desires or demands? Are you expectant or un-expectant? These things reveal much concerning your faith and your communion with the living God.

Do you need to grow in this area? Then let us pray that God would bring growth, to the glory of his name.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady 1 Samuel 1:1-20
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New Testament Reading: Acts 2

“When the day of Pentecost arrived [Pentecost was the second of the annual harvest festivals, coming 50 days after Passover] they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting [“they” being the apostles along with other disciples who were eye witnesses to the life of Christ] . And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.’ And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.’ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:1–47, ESV)

Introduction

Friends, I’ve read this scripture to you thinking that it would help us to transition from our study of the Gospel of John to a brief series in which we will give attention to the topic of prayer. 77 Sermons were devoted to John, only 5 will be devoted to the topic of prayer, but I wanted to make a connection between the two. Acts 2 helps us to bridge the gap, think.

Notice that the book Acts tells us all about the continuation of the work of Christ in the world. His earthly ministry was concluded when he ascended to the Father – Acts chapter 1 tells us about that. But it would be wrong to assume that his work was completely done.

Christ’s work in the world continues to this present day. It continues by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2 tells us of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit was poured out in fulfillment to the word of the prophets, particularly Joel, who wrote, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…” (Joel 2:28, ESV) The Spirit was also given in fulfillment to the word of Christ, who made a promise to his disciples, saying, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18, ESV), and, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16–17, ESV) This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2 tells us about that. The work of Christ continues through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not have another mission. His mission is connected to and flows from the mission of Christ, which is the mission of the Father. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all perfectly agree.

Notice also that the book of Acts demonstrates how the apostles of Christ continued the work of Christ. They were among those upon whom the promised Spirit was originally poured out. They were the ones to first proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. They were the ones to bring in the first harvest – when Peter preached, 3,000 souls were added to their number on that first day. They were the ones through whom “many wonders and signs were being done (Acts 2:43). The apostles of Christ continued Jesus’ work in the world.

See also how Peter was the one to lead in the earliest days of the church. Remember how we saw him stumble in John’s Gospel. And remember also how he was restored. And see how, once the Spirit was given, his ministry was made fruitful. Peter cast out his net on the day of Pentecost and he pulled it in full with converts from all over the world.

And notice how, in Acts 2, everything comes to focus upon the church. The New Covenant church was born on the day of Pentecost. First, the apostles and other original disciples of Christ were filled with the Spirit, and then, through their preaching, many others were added to their number. People from all over the world were ushered into the kingdom of Christ on that day. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV) It was the church that would continue the work of Christ in the world. The apostles are the foundation of the church. Christ himself is the cornerstone. A church is not a true church – a Christian is not a true Christian – unless they align with Christ. Nor are they true unless they be built upon the fountain of the word of the apostles. But it is the true church – the church filled with the Spirit, built upon the foundation of Christ and the apostles – that continues the work of Christ in the world.

The question might be asked, where is Christ at work in the world today? 

In one sense we might say, ‘Christ is at work everywhere and through everything.’ This is indeed true if we consider the work of Christ from the vantage point of his providence. Indeed, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3, ESV) And truly, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [him].” (Matthew 28:18, ESV) If viewed from this angle we must confess that Christ is at work everywhere, and in everything.

But in another sense we must acknowledge that Christ is especially working in this world in and through his church. It is through the church that Christ’s redemptive kingdom is advancing. Christ spoke to Simon, saying,  “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, ESV) It was to the church that Christ gave the Great Commission. He spoke to the apostles, saying, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV) This commission is our commission because we, the church, are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). The church is Christ’s body. The church is the house of God. The church is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

So, if you want to answer the question, where is Christ at work in the world today?, the answer is, in and through his church! The kingdom of Christ advances when the church advances. The gates of hell are pushed back when the church faithfully proclaims the gospel of the kingdom to the world, when the Spirit regenerates sinners, bringing them to repentance and faith in Christ, and into the church. It is then that men and women are “delivered… from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of [the] beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13, ESV)

When we pray to the Father, saying, ‘your kingdom come’, we are praying “that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced; ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened” (Baptist Catechism, 109).

Christ accomplished redemption for all of those given to him by the Father in his earthly ministry. But his work continues in the world as he applies the redemption he has earned to his elect by the Spirit, and through the church, as she is faithful to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the world.

That is what the book of Acts is all about. In it we see the church militant. When I use the word militant by no means am I suggesting that the church should ever advance by force or by violence. Instead I wish to emphasize the forward moving, offensive (as opposed to defensive), missional nature of the church. The church is called by God to advance the kingdom of Christ. Hell has gates, and the church is to push them back. There is indeed a war, and the church is to engage in warfare. But “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4, ESV)

But what does a forward moving, offensive, missional church look like? What are we to do? What are we to devote ourselves to?

Our minds naturally go to Christians doing evangelism, don’t they? We think of Christians preaching the gospel to the non-believing world. We think of Christian witness. We think of the sending of missionaries. These things are indeed aspects of a forward moving, offensive, missional church. And the book of Acts is filled with accounts of the early church being faithful in their witness to the world. In fact, the bulk of Acts 2 is a record of Peter’s preaching of the gospel on the day of Pentecost.

The day is coming when we will give special attention to the topic of evangelism. A class will be offered on the subject this fall. I hope you attend. We must evangelize. We must reach out. But today I’d like to give attention, not to the outreach of the church, but to the habit of the church itself. What did the Christians devote themselves to when they gathered together as the church in those early days? That is the question.

Brothers and sisters, it is important for us to see that there exists an organic connection between the outreach efforts of a church and the church itself. The two cannot be separated. The church must gather before it can scatter. And the health of the church gathered will dictate the effectiveness of the church scattered.

To say it another way, if we hope to do evangelism well in this community we must first give attention to the health of the church itself. Just as a seed sends forth a shoot, so too the church sends forth its members to witness in the world. Just as a heathy seed will produce a healthy shoot, so too a healthy church will send forth healthy ambassadors. The two things are organically connected and cannot be separated.

For an evangelist or missionary to be operating disconnected from the local church is unbiblical. It is the local church that sends men to proclaim the gospel. Just as a shoot cannot exist apart from the seed, neither should an evangelist or missionary exist apart from the local church.

Listen to the way that Paul expresses this concept in Romans 10:13-15. He works backwards from the thought of a sinner coming to believe upon Christ after hearing the gospel preached. He says,

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:13–15, ESV)

How then will sinners come to call upon the name of the Lord? They must first believe in Christ! And how will they come to believe in Christ? They must hear about him! And how will they hear about him? Someone must preach to them! And how will men preach the good news of Jesus Christ to sinners? They must be sent. The local church must send men – commission them – to preach the gospel locally, and to the ends of the earth.

Is this not what we see in the book of Acts? Were not Paul and Barnabas, for example, sent out from the church in Antioch. Antioch was the seed, Paul and Barnabas were the shoot that sprung from them.

So what is the point I am making?

My hope for us is that we would indeed grow into a dynamic sending church. My prayer is that the gospel would spring forth from us. Of course every member is to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, with gentleness and respect. But more than that, I hope to see men commissioned to proclaim the gospel locally and to the ends of the earth. We hope to plant churches. We hope to support and send missionaries. We hope to be a proactive, forward moving, missional church – a church that advances the kingdom of Christ and pushes back the kingdom of darkness.

But if the Lord is to use us in that capacity we must also labor to be a fully formed and healthy local church. It is a healthy local church that is able to do missions well.

So what are the habits of a healthy local church?

Acts 2 tells us what our habits should be. The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV)

Four things are mentioned in this passage. The habit of the early church was to give itself, one, to the apostles teaching, which is the word of God. Two, they were devoted to the fellowship. This involved more than superficial relationships. To have fellowship is to share Christ in common. To have fellowship is to love one another in from the heart and in practical ways. Three, the early church broke the bread together. This is a reference to the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Baptism has already been mentioned in Acts 2. Here it is the Lord’s Supper that is in view. The early church devoted itself to the observance of the sacraments. And four, the church devoted itself to the prayers. This is a reference, not only to the individual prayer habits of the Christian, but to the congregational, corporate, communal prayers of the church gathered.

If you were to critique Emmaus Christian Fellowship concerning our devotion to these four means of grace, where would you say that we are lacking? I am desirous that we would strengthen our devotion to the prayers.

Much effort and progress has been made in the past five years as it pertains to our devotion to the apostles teaching, the fellowship, and the breaking of the bread. My desire is that we would be strengthened in the area of prayer – that we would devote ourself to it as a church – that we would learn to labor in prayer together, and to call upon the name of the Lord.

I trust that we are praying as individuals. I trust that we are praying as families. I trust that we are praying in small groups. And I trust that we are praying during our corporate time of worship on Sunday mornings. But my hope is that we would learn to labor – to truly work in prayer – as a body.

As you know, we will be starting a prayer service on the third Sunday of every month at 4:00pm here at Diamond Valley Middle School. The first service will be held on July17th. I hope you can come. I hope you bring the children so that they can learn to pray. It will last about an hour with a little singing, a little scripture reading and teaching, but mainly prayer. The prayer time will be structured. My hope is that we will labor together as we come before the throne of grace.

As I said earlier, five sermons will be devoted to the topic of prayer – this one and four more. The last one will be preached on July 17th, and then we will gather for our first prayer service that evening.

Today I would like to do three things with the brief time that we have remaining. First of all, I want for you to recognize this simple principle: God’s people have always been people who pray. Secondly, I would like to define prayer. And thirdly, I would like to address a common objection to prayer.

God’s People Have Always Been People Who Pray

First of all, see that God’s people have always been people who pray. It is one of the defining characteristics of a child of God. To believe in God is to pray to him. Those who have faith in God   are those who call upon the name of the LORD.

Notice that the Old Testament saints prayed.

It was in the days of Seth and Enosh that people began to call upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 4:26). Job consistently prayed to God on behalf of his family. Abraham called upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:8). Samuel prayed. Moses was a man of prayer. So was David. To know God is to pray to God.

The Old Testament tabernacle and temple symbolized this. God commanded that an alter of incense be positioned just outside of the Most Holy Place. The Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, symbolized the throne room of God. Sweet smelling incense was to be burned on the alter continuously. When it was burned it would fill, not only the Holy Place, but the Most Holy Place too. The smoke symbolized the prayers of the people. It was a reminder to the saints of old that their prayers, though they were spoken on earth, did, in fact, come into the presence of God.

Notice also that Jesus prayed. He prayed, not according to his divinity, but according to his humanity.   He was devout in his prayer, and he taught his disciples to pray, saying,

“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9–13, ESV)

Brothers and sisters, the apostles prayed. And the early church prayed. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling…” (1 Timothy 2:8, ESV)

Christians throughout the centuries have prayed. It is said of Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer, for example, that he, even in the busiest days of the Reformation, would devote three hours a day to prayer.

Brothers and sisters, we are to pray. We are to pray as individuals, in families, and in small groups. But we are also to pray as a church, laboring together in it. The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV) So should we.

What Is Prayer?

Let us now define prayer.

Calvin defined prayer as “a communion of men with God by which, having entered the heavenly sanctuary, they appeal to him in person concerning his promises in order to experience… that what they believed was not in vain (Institutes, 3.20.5). In another place he wrote that prayer is “a communication between God and us whereby we expound to him our desires, our joys, our sighs, in a word, all the thoughts of our hearts” (Instruction in Faith, 57).

He is right to notice that prayer, in essence, is “communion of men with God”. It is “communication between God and us”. We approach God in prayer. We are invited into the Most Holy Place. And we are invited to “appeal to him concerning his promises”, and expound to him our desires, our joys, our sighs, in a word, all thoughts of our hearts.”

Brothers and sisters, what a gift prayer is! Is there anything more intimate in our communion with God than prayer? Is there anything more precious than to be invited to approach the throne of grace? “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

Of course we can only approach the Father in this way through the Son and by the Spirit.

Prayer is a Trinitarian thing. We approach God the Father through the Son and by the Spirit. This is why we pray in Jesus’ name. We approach the Father, not based upon our own merit, but based upon the merit of Christ. We come in his name. And it is the Spirit who helps us in our weakness, showing us how to pray, and even interceding for us when we are to weak to know how to pray.

The Baptist Catechism number105 asks, “What is Prayer?” The answer: “Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, believing, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.”

Addressing A Common Objection To Prayer

Lastly, I would like to briefly address a common objection to prayer. Some say, ‘if God knows the future – if he has ordered all things according to his will – then why bother praying?’

The answer is not complicated. The simple truth is that, though it is true “God [has] decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass”, it also true that God brings about his plans and purposes through means. He uses us in the process. Our actions matter. Our words matter. Our obedience and disobedience matter. Our prayers matter. God uses them to bring about his purposes. The end result is this, God works through our prayers. He works when his people pray, and if his people do not pray, we ought not to expect him to work. God has decreed the end and also the means.

This is true of many things, and not just prayer. If God has determined to bring so and so to salvation, how will it happen? It will happen through (and that is the key word – through, or by the means of) the proclamation of the gospel. For someone to come to salvation they must believe upon Christ. But they cannot believe upon Christ unless they hear about him. And they will not hear about him unless someone preaches to them. And no one will preach to them unless they are sent. So yes, God has predestined some to salvation, but they will be brought to salvation through the means of preachers preaching who have being sent.

Prayer is no different. God answers our prayers because he has determined to do so. Do you want God to act in this way or that? Then we had better pray, because God has determined to work through the means of prayer.

Concussion

Brothers and sisters, would you ask yourself this question: how can I grow in the area of prayer? How can we labor more faithfully as individuals, families, and as a church. Do you want to see God move in this valley and to the ends of the earth? Do you want to see “Satan’s kingdom… destroyed, and… the kingdom of grace… advance (Baptist Catechism 109)?” Then we should begin here.We should learn to labor more faithfully together in prayer, calling upon the name of the Lord.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Acts 2
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