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problems to prayer overcome Daniel Patz, Lead Pastor Grace Church, Sunday Worship James 4:2b-3 January 9th, 2011
INTRODUCTION I usually preach the first sermon of the year on prayer. I would like to do that again this morning. In doing this I want to address three problems to prayer. They are under two categories that are seen in the text just read. First: We don’t pray. Or we don’t ask. Secondly: We Pray or ask wrongfully – here is where the second two problems will fall. Before we address these three problems or hindrances to true powerful prayer, I would like to ponder the definition of prayer. What is prayer? Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies. (Q 98 for Westminster Shorter Catechism) Prayer is a fundamental of the Christian life…but not so much like dribbling is to basketball or soccer, or throwing and catching is to baseball. Prayer is a fundamental to the soul like breathing is to living. It is God’s way in which we are spiritually sustained, enlivened, and led…and yet so many neglect this necessary fundamental to our life. Ponder the following commands in Scripture: Romans 12:12 (ESV) Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Philip. 4:6 (ESV) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 1 Thes. 5:17 (ESV) pray without ceasing, 1 Thes. 5:25 (ESV) Brothers, pray for us. 2 Thes. 3:1 (ESV) Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 1 Tim. 2:8 (ESV) I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; Jude 1:20 (ESV) But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; In addition, Jesus said to the disciples: “When you pray…” and in so doing, He is assuming that they will pray. Do you pray? How do you pray? By addressing these 3 problems this morning, I pray that it will help you think biblically about prayer and for many, change the way you actually pray.
MAIN POINTS The three problems of prayer that I want to share this morning are problems that are overcome in Christ. In Christ’s work in our lives and in the Spirit that He has given. Here they are: 1) We have Blind Eyes and Dead Hearts, 2) Dirty Hands, and 3) Foolish Tongues. Lets take them in turn, for there is an important progression: 3 Problems apart from Christ
What I mean in this first point is this – WE DON’T PRAY. WE DON’T ASK LIKE WE SHOULD. We Don’t Desire to Pray. Why? Because our eyes (hearts) are blind to the glory and power of God. Faith is the sight to see with a Godward perspective. This is something Jesus addressed: John 4:10 ESV Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." James 4:2 – “You have not because you ask not” This far more than an information or ignorance problem – it is a heart problem – a sin problem. We do not truly see God as we ought and we do not believe. We live much of our lives as functioning atheists until we are in a jam and then we ask for rescue. The reality is this: apart from God, we don’t truly understand our need nor the help available. If we did, our prayer lives would be much more radical. We don’t know how much help we need. We often don’t want God’s help at his terms. Because we truly don’t love like we ought. The Bible describes our condition before coming to Christ as a spiritual deadness. We are dead to God and our true need. This is our first big problem. We don’t pray because we have dead hearts or blind eyes. And here is where Jesus comes in…He reveals God to us. He opens our eyes to see our need as it real is and the true Source of our Help and He gives us His Spirit to cry Abba Father. Some of you pray but it is ineffectual because your eyes are blinded to this God. Turn to Him today by means of His Son. He is the door to the Father. Ok, say that God opens your eyes to your need, you want to pray to God and you even trust that God offers magnificent promises in prayer – “Ask and it shall be given to you…” There is another problem.
It is not good enough to know you need to pray and desire to pray. If we truly understand who God is – we should be overwhelmed by the unworthiness of our approach to Him. If the first problem relates to our failure to pray, the second problem relates to our unworthiness or presumption in prayer. We are sinners and God is holy. In the OT a person could not just approach the throne room of God in the Temple – they would be consumed by God’s wrath. We need to appreciate this tension. Maybe you have felt it – I know I need to pray, but I have been such a sinner. I have ignored God so long… There is an answer to this, but it is not presumption. It is right to feel the holiness of God. We dare not approach God in prayer without having this problem overcome…and it is overcome in Jesus. Jesus is our mediator. He is the one who holds our hand and approaches God with us and makes a way for us to be acceptable in God’s sight. Jesus’ work on the cross and resurrection is the grounds of our new righteousness…We have been clothed in robes of Christ’s righteousness and He goes before us so that we can pray to God with boldness and not be destroyed. This is why we must always pray in Jesus name – and actually mean it. His blood has sprinkled us clean so we can actually approach God and He greets us with Fatherly arms and not a Judges pointing finger. Hebrews 10:12-22 ESV But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, (13) waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. (14) For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (15) And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, (16) "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," (17) then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." (18) Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. (19) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, (20) by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, (21) and since we have a great priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. So the first problem is solved by Christ’s work in our hearts. He reveals to us our need and God. He gives us faith to come to the Father for the true help we need in our lives. And then we have the nerve to approach the Father because we have Jesus going before us and around us. We go to Him in Jesus’ name and we are confident. But here is the third and final problem – “What do we actually say.”
Far too often our prayer lives are fully of foolish muttering…which includes selfish, greedy requests. We pray for help, deliverance, relief, provision, etc…but we have, like James exhorts us – ask wrongly to spend on our passions. Ok, we get past the first two hurdles we are given a hearing by the Sovereign God who tells us to ask and we will receive…and we mutter foolishness. What should we pray? Should we pray for our favorite sports team? Should we pray for healing? Should we pray for financial relief? Should we pray that the kids would start behaving? Should we pray that our spouse would start loving us? Probably…but like the other two points, we truly need God’s help hear because our tongues are full of foolishness. We don’t know what to say or ask left to ourselves. Romans 8 says that He gives us His Spirit to help us pray when we don’t know how to Pray. Often where they should start to lead us is to pray His will according to the Word. He has also has given us His Word with prayers and they should instruct us, especially the Lord’s prayer. “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. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen” Matthew 6:9-13
CONCLUSION John 15:7 ESV If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:16 ESV You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 14:12-14 ESV "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (13) Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Let these verses call you to a fresh awakening to prayer and a dependence on God in prayer. Examples: Finances, Parenting, Hard Relationship |
