(Launched sermon by showing the passage as portrayed in recently released "The Gospel of John" movie.)
Sensed Purpose -
To prepare us for our 40 Days of Prayer by looking at some possible thoughts of what we might want to remember about prayer and include in our prayers.
Last week -
Started with the message before the message.
Asked the question: Can issues & desires for comfort in prayer (physical and spiritual comfort) decrease our concentration and ability to hear from God in our prayers?
Preview coming topic - Discerning God’s will through prayer.
Asked you to consider joining me in a self-invoked challenge of committing to leave my comfort zone during 40 DOP -
- Fasting
- Prayer Teams/Praying with Others/Not Alone
- Daily Prayer Calendar
- The 1 Thessalonians challenge - Pray without ceasing
Lots of conversational text, but only three requests for us.
Sub lesson: ratio of conversation with God in prayer versus requests for God.
Each request/petition is repeated at least once.
Remember who the petitions/prayers are for?
Verse 9 - Those given to His care. (Notice repetition: "Those you have given me.")
And then for those who come to believe because of them.
Important prayer focus, those given to our care:
Names on ephod (Exodus 28:5-12).
- Sunday School Teachers: for your class
- Small Group Hosts and Leaders: for your members
- Pastor: for the congregation (Connection Cards, Three for God Cards, etc.)
Finally, we explored the primary duties for those in positions of spiritual leadership -
As described in Acts, ministering the Word of God and prayer.
Today we want to begin to answer the question:
What are the three petitions Jesus makes
& repeats in this prayer?
First Petition - KEEP/PROTECT (NIV)
v. 11, 12 ("guarded them"), 15
tayreho: to attend to carefully, to guard (11 & 12a): i.e. watching my daughter Allie at an Upward game
foolasso: to guard lest he suffer violence, or be snatched away (12b): i.e. watching my daughter Allie at a UK game.
Interesting twist to verses 14 & 15
World and Us, Us and the World. Logic would suggest prayer to protect us from the world. . .but Jesus prays protection from "the evil one."
Harm comes through the world, but it is from the enemy, the evil one, Satan. (Ephesians 6:10-12)
The problem - We don’t wrestle with flesh and blood, but what we do wrestle with often takes up residence in flesh and blood.
Prayer is spiritual warfare
Psalm 55
Prayer is spiritual warfare.
Prayer should not be equated with comfort because warfare is not comfortable. (Share Iraq war images.)
Do we think spiritual warfare is cleaner? More sterile?
Broad spectrum of belief in Spiritual Warfare - even at SWC.
I’m guilty of holding back my beliefs on this topic.
I have really bit my tongue on this one.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
A man who does not understand the nature of the problem he is confronting is a man who is already doomed to failure. Christian people are like first-year college students, they think at first that every subject is quite simple, there is no difficulty. Well, we know what is likely to happen to such when they face an examination! The first thing you have to do is to understand the nature and character of your problem. So we have to realize
that we are called, in the Christian life, to a battle, not to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle.
This heavenly warfare is a conflict that took all of 19 verses to unfold in Genesis.
Just 19 versus from a happy garden to all out war for the loyalty & obedience of man.
It is a conflict that can be found in every book of God’s Word. Some examples:
- Exodus 32:17-35
- 2 Timothy 2:1-4
- 1 Peter 2:11-12
It is a conflict that Jesus knows is about to overwhelm the disciples. (i.e. Peter’s denial, all the disciples fear, believers on the run).
In fact, it is a conflict that comes to the forefront in Jesus time, and seems to amp up to a new level at that point in history.
It is a conflict that is overwhelming the church today. Don’t believe it? Join me for a week, and sit in on some of the meetings I attend w/ pastors.
- Example this week of Wesleyan Pastor’s Family
Would logic dictate that this conflict would lessen
with the passing of time, or increase?
On the edge of Jesus own death,
it is a conflict that He is praying about.
Prayer is spiritual warfare - warfare is not comfortable
- It is bloody (Matthew 17:14-21)
- There are casualties (seminary grads out of the ministry. . .been there, done that)
- Not everyone survives (Ministerial suicide
& believer suicide)
- Rules of fairness are thrown out (Matthew 5:43-45)
- In warfare, the enemy, especially when defeated, plays dirty. (i.e. the insurgency in Iraq)
We need to learn to pray as in battle.
PERSONAL Views of what that DOESN’T mean:
- We don’t have to shout - God is not deaf (Neither is Satan. . .but direct your prayers to God, not Satan anyway.)
- We don’t have to formulate - God knows whose side you are on
("In Jesus name", vain repetitions, etc.)
"In Jesus name": it is the power of a Name (i.e. Jamie & Allie)
"In Jesus name": is not abracadabra
It is the "power" of the name that brings victory
- We don’t have to fully understand the battle
(no infantry promotions for "smarter" soldiers) -
God is the General
We do need to recognize the battle, and pray.
Reminded of the "warfare nature of prayer" via Greg’s question regarding Matt. 18:18.
One Last Point - Doing battle alone is not healthy.
(Plug prayer teams, and 5 day fast block)
I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct,
Faith, prayer and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
tried by adversity and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the rapture or die in this army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs me, I am there.
If He needs me in the Sunday school to teach the children, work with the youth,
help adults or just sit and learn I’ll be there.
He can use me because I am there! I am a soldier.
I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up,
picked up, or pepped up. I am a soldier.
No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier.
I am not a wimp. I am in place saluting my King, obeying His orders,
praising His name, and building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to. I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead. I will win.
My God has, and will continue, to supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me. I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
I am a soldier in the army and I’m marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up. I will not turn around.
I am a soldier, marching, heaven bound.
Let me leave you with this thought. This question -
If we are not at war. If we are not in danger.
If there is not an enemy trying to destroy us.
Then why would Jesus, in the last moments of His life on earth, pray for our protection?
(A full tape of this message may be obtained at no charge by contacting the contributor.)
