Prayer Life - Personal

Would you please in your Bibles just now turn back to Matthew chapter 6 where we've read page 978 in our Bibles.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

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Well, let's just pray just for a moment before we study the Word together.

Heavenly Father, we come as always to the Bible with that sense, Lord, of expectation.

We want to hear your voice. We want to hear what you are saying to us out of Scripture.

And so we pray that today you would guide our thoughts and our hearts to be fed and nourished from these things.

That our faith may grow and deepen. That we may know our Lord and Saviour Jesus better because of what we discover.

That we would live our lives to his glory and to the praise of your name.

And so we ask today that these things will be done not through the effort of flesh and blood,

but through the work and power of the Holy Spirit.

So grant us that working in our hearts today. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen.

There is a wonderful phrase that I discovered. It chimes with maybe some ideas that you'd find in other writers as well like John Piper.

But certainly Derek Kidner writing a commentary on the book of Psalms has this wonderful phrase,

The greatest happiness is to be in close agreement with God.

The greatest happiness is to be in close agreement with God.

And that's a theme that runs through the psalm that we've read today, Psalm 32.

And I think looking together at Psalm 32 is perhaps an illustration of some of the points I'm going to make today.

And some of the teaching that we can draw out of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6.

I think it gives us an important insight into the prayer life of the Christian.

So I want this week and next Sunday as well, while Calamurto's away, I want to take a little time thinking about our prayer life.

Today, this morning, we're going to be thinking about it in terms of our private or personal prayer, our walk with God.

And next Sunday evening, if we're spared, God willing, we'll think about public prayer.

And immediately, as I say public prayer, people think, oh, you mean what happens in the prayer meeting?

No, I mean corporate prayer.

Because all Christians everywhere should and do pray with other Christians.

It is inconceivable, in fact, that you could be a Christian and never pray with another Christian.

And so we'll think about corporate prayer next Sunday.

The key, of course, to both of these is actually the idea of fellowship.

So as we go through our lives, we are, as Christians, we're in fellowship with God and also with one another in the church.

There's a fellowship within the circles of our families.

There's your fellowship within the circles that we have of the friendships that we have.

And there's your wider fellowship within the congregation.

And perhaps even wider still within the church at large in the world.

And the key to good fellowship is always to walk in harmony with the person you're walking with.

It's a proverb, a very simple one, that if two people are in disagreement, they cannot walk together.

And that's especially true in our lives spiritually.

If we're in disagreement with God over something, then we cannot walk together.

That's why Derek Kidner's phrase is so apt.

The greatest happiness is to be in close agreement with God.

So the greatest happiness that we can experience in life is to be found when we are walking in agreement with those we share in fellowship with.

With God in our private lives.

With God in our own personal headspace.

And with those around us, whether it's in your marriage or your family or even in the life of the church.

And so I want this morning to suggest four ways in which your prayer life will deepen that close agreement with God.

In which you will find the greatest happiness.

And I hope these will be helpful to you.

Now, as always, I just want to preface this with the three groups that I have in mind.

I think, as a rule, this is how I preach.

I always have three groups in mind when I'm preaching.

The first of these is those who have not yet entered in by the narrow gate.

The Bible speaks about following after God and being saved as entering by the narrow gate.

And there are those who have not yet done that here.

There are those who are still perhaps seeking.

They're interested.

They want to know what this salvation is.

You today might still be looking for someone who can take away your guilt and your shame.

Who will offer you a sure hope.

Maybe you're seeking salvation.

And I want to say to you that today, what I have today, I hope, is for you.

The relationship that you need to have with Jesus as a Savior is found through prayer.

And so if you are not yet already praying to God, and I would suggest that you do so urgently,

I hope that what I have today will help you and give you some guides on how you would go about that.

There's those today here who have entered by the narrow gate and who are on the road to salvation,

but have not long been on that road.

Perhaps you are new to walking together with God.

A young Christian.

Someone who has not yet taken many steps along that way.

And I hope that today, what I have for you will be a blessing to you today to help you and encourage you

as you think about how you pray, but more than just how you pray, just how you relate to God entirely.

Like just what it means to be a Christian living today.

And then there are many of you here today who, I suspect probably what I have to say today,

you will think this is familiar, well-trodden material.

You'll think, I've heard most of this before.

And I would urge you today not to switch off.

The reason I would say that is because when it comes to our relationships with people,

what is often the greatest danger to these relationships is complacency.

We become familiar with the beat and the rhythm of life.

And so perhaps we neglect to spend time conversing deeply with our spouses.

And that can lead to trouble in your marriage.

And it's the same with God.

Complacency can set in in our lives.

And we can become slow to fellowship with God.

And weary, perhaps, along the way.

And find that it's not God that has shifted, but it's us that have departed from a close walk with Him.

And so I hope today these will be reminders to you of the basics that we can get right,

so that we can discover the greatest happiness is found in a close walk with God.

First of all, then, we should note that Jesus, when He teaches the disciples to pray,

He teaches them firstly about the reputation of God.

When Jesus teaches the disciples to pray, He says, pray like this,

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

And just to very briefly unpackage the language there,

the word hallowed means to make something holy.

You know, we talk about hallowed ground.

It's ground, normally talking about a cemetery, in fact.

It's talking about ground that's been set apart for a special purpose.

The church today is hallowed ground.

Not because there's something intrinsically holy about the church,

but because the building has been set apart for the worship of God.

It's a place where we want to come to worship God.

And we've created this space for that purpose.

So if something's hallowed, it's simply set apart, kept special.

And when we talk about God's name being hallowed,

what we really mean is not simply the name of Jesus,

but the whole reputation that God has.

So if we were to think about Ali, who's presenting today,

and there are a lot of things you could say about Ali's reputation,

but a lot of the young people in the church know him by his alter ego of Captain Toothpaste.

That's his reputation, his name.

He's got a name for brushing your teeth.

And when we think about our God, he has a reputation, a name,

a reputation for salvation, for hope,

for granting relief to those who are lost and in darkness,

for bringing light into the world,

for bringing hope into the hopeless darkness of our lives.

And so when Jesus is teaching the disciples to pray,

he begins by teaching them to adore God,

simply to express adoration for God.

Now, in our generation, certainly, there is a rush, isn't there,

to meet our needs.

We would tend to want to prioritize our needs.

And it's very tempting to think of that as being a unique situation in our generation.

People today are very interested in near instant gratification.

If you want something, you just take it.

If you want to order something off the internet,

you can expect it to be delivered the next day,

so long as you order before 12,

and so long as the ferry goes.

But we want things instantly.

We want the immediate delivery of that need to be met.

But the truth is, actually,

in all of human history,

the desire to put our wants and our needs first,

even in prayer,

has always been there.

Because one of the fundamental problems

with sinful human hearts

is what I would call the idolatry of self.

For most people,

the idol is not something external

that you fall down and worship.

Rather, the idol is often something internal,

whether it's our own ego,

our own sense of self and worth.

But we primarily want to put ourselves

at the fore of all things.

And so even in prayer as Christians,

we can fall into that very easily.

We can make our own reputation,

our own glory,

our own comfort,

our own fame,

whatever it might be.

We can make these things,

the first things that we rush with,

into prayer.

And we can almost say,

well, God,

the most important thing today

is not my relationship with you.

It's not your glory.

The most important thing

is what I'm getting out of this.

My needs been met.

But Jesus teaches us to pray

firstly for God's reputation.

Indeed, the greatest happiness,

if this is truly the case,

if the greatest happiness

is to be found in close agreement

with God,

then the greatest happiness

is to be found

when we align our priorities

with God's priorities.

And what does God want?

And what is God's desire?

Well, we could say today,

well, it's to save people.

Yes, but to what end?

Why does God save people?

Why does God bless

and prosper his children?

Why does God give us

the promise of himself

as our everlasting reward?

And it is simply because

God is jealous

for his own reputation.

God being God

wants and deserves,

ultimately,

he's entirely right

in longing for this,

wants the praise

of the nations.

There is nothing

self-indulgent in that

if you are the creator

and sustainer

of all things.

If you are indeed

the highest,

then there is nothing wrong

or flawed

in God wanting

to be glorified.

and the way he is glorified

is in showing us

his salvation,

principally,

in rescuing

rebels and sinners

through the work

and person

of Jesus Christ,

his son.

And so,

God's greatest priority

is, in fact,

for his own reputation.

And so,

of course,

there are many things

that God has promised.

There are many things

that we can claim

and lay hold of

in prayer.

There are many things

that we can ask God for.

But above all of them

and first and foremostly

in all of them,

there needs to be

a desire

that our own hearts

will be aligned

to magnify

God himself.

That we will adore him.

And so,

in our prayer life,

that needs to be the case.

You see it in Psalm 32

where we've read

that the center of the Psalm,

in verse 7,

there's these wonderful words

that David uses.

He says,

you are my hiding place.

The place of ultimate safety

and security.

Last Sunday evening,

in fact,

if you want a great sermon

on this,

go and find it on YouTube,

Kenny I preaching

last Sunday night.

It's kind of

a great example of this.

Of the security

that David found

in the Lord

in times of distress.

Psalm 32,

it's in that same vein.

of that great security

that is to be found.

David then,

he goes on

and he says,

you are the one

who preserves me

in time of trouble.

You know,

the great troubles

that afflict the child

of God in the world,

there are many.

The New Testament

kind of itemizes them

almost quite helpfully

in this way.

It says,

we face enemies

in the world

and the flesh

and the devil.

So the world around us

that are going to be

people who despise

the Christian faith,

who despise

us for following Jesus,

they despise us

for Jesus' own sake.

And it wears us down.

And it's distressing

and it's troubling

to experience that

and the hatred

that comes our way.

And David says,

you are my preserver

in times of trouble.

when the world

despises me,

you're the one

who preserves me.

And the way he

adores the Lord

for this,

he says it's the same

internally.

Psalm 32,

it's really interesting.

The enemies,

the greatest enemies

that David actually faces,

he feels,

are not actually

outside and external,

but that his own heart

and the sinful desires

that rise up there

and that want to

overtake our lives

and want to blot out

and push out

our fellowship with God.

And these things

God preserves us from.

How many of us

can say that,

in fact,

as we think about our lives,

that God has preserved us

not from external threats,

maybe he has,

but more so,

in fact,

from the reckless

things that we would

do ourselves.

And from the ways

in which he has brought us

through troubled waters

and preserved us

from that chaos.

And also,

he says,

you have taken me,

and there's this wonderful

expression that he uses,

you surround me

with shouts of deliverance.

When I read that phrase

in Psalm 32,

actually,

I always think about

old kind of cowboy

and Indian westerns

or old war movies.

You know,

when the good guys,

you know,

defeat the enemy,

whether it's the Germans

coming and they're

beaten back in the fight

in a World War II movie,

or whether it's the Indians

that have come

and the cowboys

have beaten them back

and the sheriff

and all the rest

and they're beaten back.

And as they're running away,

you know,

the good guys are there

shouting for joy

because of the deliverance

that they've experienced.

There's a real cry

of happiness

that comes from

being victorious

and sharing in victory.

And David says,

you surround me

with these kind of shouts.

What David's actually doing there

is he's talking about

the character,

I think,

of a triune God.

Because when we think about it,

we can see the Father

operating in his love

towards us

as the ultimate safety

and shelter

and hiding place

for his people.

God the Father

is our solace.

He is the one

that we run to.

It's his love

that we shelter in.

That's where we find

our comfort

and our joy.

We're talking about

God the Son

and the grace

by which he delivers us

through his victory

at the cross,

offering himself

as one who will take away

our sin.

He is the one

who preserves us

in times of trouble,

the one who delivers us

from the evil one

who would attack us.

Or we think about

the Holy Spirit

who unites us to God

and to one another

and who literally

today

in this church

has surrounded you

with shouts of deliverance.

And that's one of the

most important things

really about corporate praise.

That's why we sing together.

We don't just participate

in watching someone

sing in worship.

We participate.

And often it's because

the people around us,

there's probably people

there sitting

who need to hear

the praise

of God's people.

And the Holy Spirit

has brought us here today

to participate in that.

And so when we pray,

let us pray

as people who know

God is jealous

for his own glory.

And let's remember

that our greatest happiness

lies

in being close

in agreement with that.

In aligning

our prayers

prayers

with God's

desire

for his own glory.

Now what does that

practically look like?

Just very briefly.

I think simply

it is that

this.

I would urge you

to spend time

sitting alone

reflecting

in adoration

on God's character

and expressing

that in his presence.

It's a challenging

discipline.

It's something

that I find

in fact

when it comes

we'll think about this

next week

God willing

but when it comes

to corporate prayer

this is something

that I find often

is lacking

because we don't

maybe do enough

of it in our

private prayer life.

It's just taking

the time

to express

adoration

for God

in his presence.

The second thing

I'm seeing the time

so we'll rattle

through the other points.

The second thing

is confession.

God

Jesus

teaching us

to pray

teaches us

to pray

forgive us

our debts

as we have

forgiven our debtors.

And

there's an awful lot

that we could say here

but it comes back

to

the primary

relationship

that we have

with God

just now

in this world.

We relate

to God

just now

in this world

as men

and women

who have

offended

a holy God

who have

affronted him

with our sin.

We haven't

lived as we should

we haven't

done what we should

we haven't

said the things

we should

we haven't

gone to the places

we should

we haven't

devoted ourselves

as we ought to

to a holy God

perhaps because

we don't adore him

enough.

We miss him.

we fall short

of the standard

that he has set

and

the great

challenge

for us

is to

recognize that

and to come

to God

to deal with it.

To come to God

and to acknowledge

our sin

so that we will be

continually fit

for his

presence.

I was trying

to think of a way

of illustrating

this and

what actually

you know my love

of movies

particularly science

fiction

I was thinking

about Star Trek

and sometimes

you see the

Enterprise

it's caught in the

grip of an

enormous force

maybe it's a

black hole

or something

but the ship

just can't

escape

and Kirk's

there on the

bridge

and he's

saying Scotty

you've got to

get us out of

here

you've got to

give us

everything we've

got

and Scotty

will come up

with some

completely

harebrained

ingenious plan

and he'll

say something

like I'll

eject the

warp core

and it'll

blow up

and so Scotty

ejects the

warp core

and it blows

up behind

the ship

and the

ship's set

free in an

instant

it just

like it

it hurtles

away from

the danger

and that's

what confession

is like in

the life of

the Christian

it's that we

have to

eject that

that sin

we have to

acknowledge that

sin

instead of

clinging on to

it

instead of

clinging on to

the crazy

idea that

our sin

isn't a

big deal

it needs to

get jettisoned

out the

back

and in

the great

grace of

God and

in the

love that

he shows

us and

in the

wonder of

the cross

and the

magnificence of

what Jesus

has done

that guilt

is taken

by Christ

and it's

replaced with

his righteousness

and we

are set

free

and we

can blast

off into

God's

service

and that

today is

why

confession

remains

so

important

in the

life of

the

Christian

we need

to keep

continually

divesting

ourselves

of all of

the stuff

that clings

to us

and slows

us down

we need

to lay

it all

before the

cross

of

Christ

and discover

that we

can be

set free

and

liberated

and

allowed

to go

on

so

there's

adoration

there's

confession

there's

also

thanksgiving

and

thanksgiving

in this

way of

thinking

about

our

life

and

prayer

you

almost

think

it's

strange

because

it's

not

explicitly

there

in the

Lord's

prayer

you

work

through

the

Lord's

prayer

you

can

read

through

it

you

don't

really

find

many

expressions

of

thankfulness

and

that's

a

good

and

important

question

for us

to maybe

ask

why

isn't

it

explicit

I

think

one of

the

reasons

is

because

Jesus

is

teaching

throughout

the

New

Testament

throughout

the

Gospels

there's

a

theme

emerges

and

the

theme

is

there

at

the

beginning

of

the

Lord's

prayer

our

Father

in

heaven

the

relationship

of

God's

people

of

Christians

to

God

the

Father

is

that

of

children

coming

to

a

Father

I

think

it's

really

important

to

understand

how

thankfulness

works

in that

context

and to

see that

in the

context

of a

relationship

with

God

as

Father

how

does

thankfulness

work

in your

family

does it

work

on the

basis

that

as

children

you

would

be

very

diligent

always

to

say

thanks

is

that

how

thankfulness

really

works

I

think

about

my

family

there's

times

where

the

kids

do

there's

times

where

they

don't

we

really

wish

when

they're

out

we

really

wish

that

they

would

always

say

thanks

to

people

who

give

them

something

so

there's

a

place

for

saying

thank

you

it's

really

important

but

actually

the

real

thankfulness

that

children

have

I

think

for

their

parents

for

their

for

the

provision

that's

made

for

them

in

their

homes

it

really

gets

expressed

in the

boldness

in which

they

come

they

appreciate

the

provision

that's

been

made

for

them

they

rely

willingly

joyfully

on

their

parents

breakfast

is going

to be

there

for

them

dinner

is going

to be

there

for

them

lifts

are going

to be

there

for

them

when

they

want

to

see

their

pals

and

it's

not

that

they

come

with

it's

not

that

they

come

with

a

greediness

about

that

but

it's

rather

that

they

don't

come

to

parents

who

are

going

to

be

begrudging

in

what

they

do

they

joyfully

ask

and

I think

that's

why

when

Paul

talks

about

prayer

with

thanksgiving

it's

that

sense

of

asking

boldly

for

things

and

asking

for

big

things

of

God

because

we

have

that

boldness

to

come

to

him

because

we

are

so

thankful

for how

he has

always

answered

us

that we

learn

that God

is a

worthy

loving

parent

the perfect

example of

what a

parent would

be

and so

therefore we

can come to

him with that

sense of

boldness

and you see it

in Psalm 32

where David

talks there about

the blessing of the

one whose

transgression is

forgiven

the great

happiness

happiness

that that

person

has

because

his

life

is so

closely

aligned

to

God's

priorities

sin

is dealt

with

the glory

of God

is advanced

and David

what he's

really saying

that is

he's

discovered

that God

in his

great provision

is someone

that he can

rest on

and joyfully

trust

in

and therefore

thankfulness

becomes

just an

automatic

overflow

in the

continual

expression

of his

life

and so

when we

want to

think about

our

prayer

life

that's

where

thankfulness

has to

come into

it

isn't it

that we're

continually

expressing

our thanks

to God

directly

yes

but that

actually

more so

our prayer

life

and our

dependence

on God

is informed

by that

experience

of his

faithfulness

that God

has always

been there

for us

that God

has always

secured us

that God

has always

made it

safe for us

has always

made it

possible for

us to go

forward

even when we

are surrounded

by distress

where grief

comes in

like a flood

he's still

there

and he

still gives

himself

as our

highest

reward

until we

come to

him

continually

with

thankfulness

which

ultimately

feeds into

all of

our

requests

the S

in this

word

is

supplication

so we

have

adoration

confession

thanksgiving

supplication

I hinted

at it at the

beginning

it's a very

familiar

structure

those of

you who

have been

Christians

a long

time

have heard

and used

the

acts

way of

thinking

about

prayer

but we

come to

God

with all

of our

requests

whether

they are

big

things

or small

things

it's

illustrated

in the

Lord's

prayer

with the

expressions

give us

this day

our daily

bread

on the

face of

it

that's

such a

simple

prayer

isn't

it

give us

bread

for today

but you

know when

you

burrow

into it

and you

start to

see

what

does

daily

bread

actually

involve

it's

not just

that there's

an entire

food chain

behind that

that has

to deliver

for you

it's

that there's

an entire

emotional

chain

behind that

that has

to be

there

and supportive

of you

as well

it's not

enough

simply to

have

bread

you need

to have

love

and affection

and family

and care

around you

so Lord

give us

this day

that

give us

this day

the means

to have

the bread

so it's

a prayer

for employment

and the

structures

for employment

to be in

place

they're

vast

it needs

society

to be

at peace

for society

to function

for trade

to operate

all of these

things have

to be in

place

for us

to have

jobs

there has

to be

someone

levying

taxes

to pay

for you

as a

teacher

or as

a fireman

or whatever

else it

might be

I mean the

prayer

give us

this day

our daily

bread

is not

a small

thing

at all

it's an

enormous

vast

prayer

for daily

provision

to be

made

in our

lives

and for

God

to bless

us

and to

keep

us

and then

on the

other end

of the

scale

you almost

think

well

they

deliver us

from evil

and you're

thinking

well

evil

that's such

a little

thing

but it's

not

the words

in the

prayer

are actually

used

to speak

of delivering

us

from

the evil

one

from Satan

himself

the great

enemy

of the

church

who is

going about

like a

roaring

lion

seeking

whom he

may

devour

that's

the

battlefield

that we

are in

the conflict

that we

are involved

in as

Christians

it is a

conflict

against

cosmic

powers

far

beyond

the

things

that we

see

in this

world

and be

no doubt

Satan

that great

evil

one

is out

to get

you

that's

why the

Christian

armor

in

Ephesians

6

ends

with a

point

of

prayer

that having

done all

we will

stand

and pray

and so

today

as we

think about

this

and as

we

wonder

how

is it

that we

can

experience

the

greatest

happiness

let us

remember

it is to

be found

in close

agreement

with God

in praying

according to

God's will

and the

things that

God has

willed for

us to

pray

the things

that God

has shown

us

the things

that he

teaches

us to

pray

for

they are

these

four

things

adoration

of him

of his

character

they are

confession

of our

sins

there is

a spirit

of

thanksgiving

that has

to

underline

all of

this

and then

a coming

with an

expectation

for the

greatest

and most

profound

of help

in our

lives

and that

is not

I want to

finish by

saying this

that is not

merely

a formula

for how

you pray

that's not

merely a

formula for

the sort

of things

that you

would go

through as

a checklist

and say

well my

prayer tonight

when I go

to bed

I want to

pray in

adoration

of God

I want

to confess

my sins

I want

to give

thanks for

all of his

goodness to

me today

and I want

to ask

him for

his help

and everything

that lies

ahead of me

tomorrow

I mean

that's fine

but actually

that same

template

in a way

is a

pattern

for Christian

living

it's a

pattern

for what

characterizes

the whole

of your

Christian

life

day by

day

and that

if you

seek to

walk

in close

harmony

with God

and to

know his

friendship

and his

fellowship

then these

are the

things

that you

would

prioritize

and make

much of

let's pray

to him

just now

heavenly

father you

are good

and we

rejoice in

that love

that you

have towards

your people

we rejoice

today that

you are a

god who

wants to

save

sinners

you are a

god today

who wants

to bring

us

as the

finished

article

of that

salvation

to be a

worthy

bride of

christ

in the

new heavens

and the

new earth

and so

all that

you are

doing

is designed

towards

growing our

character

and shaping

us

and so

we pray

today that

we would

learn to

adore you

for who

you are

that we

would come

speedily to

confess our

sin

that we

wouldn't hide

these things

from you

that we

would discover

the liberty

that belongs

to people

who walk

closely with

their god

and may we

know therefore

the greatest

happiness

the greatest

blessing

in our

lives

in knowing

you

and following

after you

help us in

this we pray

and we ask

it all in

jesus name

amen

we are going

to sing in

conclusion in

the scottish

psalter the

second half

of the blue

book

psalm 116

singing at the

beginning

this is page

395

and we're going

to sing

four stanzas

verses one

to six

in conclusion

today

i love the

lord because

my voice

and prayers

heeded here

while i live

will call on

him

who bowed

to me

his ear

the great

truth of the

bible that

god who

sits in

heaven

has bowed

down his

ear to hear

what his

people are

saying on

earth

and he

hears us

and he

answers us

and he is

full of

grace in

what he

does

so let's

stand and

sing to

his praise

these verses

from one to

five

one to six

or to god's

praise

i love

the lord

because my

voice and

prayers

heeded

here

i love

the lord

because my

voice and

prayers

heeded

here

i

i

i

!

i

will fall

on

him

who

will

to

me

!

is

near

!

of death

the

hearts

and

sorrows

did

about

me

come

thus

right

the

things

of

heaven

to

ward

on

me

cry

my soul, O Lord, I do thee hungry pray.

O merciful and righteous is, yea, gracious is our Lord.

O sister me, I was brought to, he did me help her for.

Now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit be with each one of you now and always. Amen.

Amen.