The Need For Convicted, Confident, Steadfast Prayer Wrestlers

I want to talk to you this morning about the need for convicted, confident, steadfast prayer wrestlers.

Wrestlers. That's why I said wrestlers.

Need for convicted, confident, steadfast prayer wrestlers, right?

I'm going to start with a quote from E.M. Bounds.

He says, this is not a praying age.

It is an age of great activity, of great movements,

but one in which the tendency is very strong to stress the seen and the material

and to neglect and discount the unseen and the spiritual.

Okay?

I can't stress enough the importance of prayer in the role of a church plant.

Okay?

I can't stress enough the importance of prayer as a role in the church plant.

Luke 10, verse 2.

Luke 10:2

Jesus said to his disciples, he said,

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Okay?

A church plant, one of our goals is to win souls, is to go into an area, bring God's kingdom,

by seeing people converted to Jesus.

The Bible says the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

When you said yes to the church plant, you said, hey, I want to be one of those laborers.

I want to be a team of people that goes out into the harvest field.

But that statement that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, demands a specific action.

You think, well, it would demand that I be a laborer.

Yeah, it demands that you be a laborer.

But what is the response that he has?

He has a therefore there.

Whenever you see therefore, look what is before it to see what it's there for.

Okay?

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Therefore, pray earnestly.

Does the fact that there is a harvest that is plentiful and laborers that are not,

does that cause you to pray earnestly?

Are you praying earnestly for laborers, for us to be laborers who would go into the harvest field and reap a harvest?

Are you praying at all about it?

And if you are praying, are you praying earnestly?

Colossians 4.3, Paul says,

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.

As a church plant, we need to be praying into the work that God has us to do.

Praying that God would open doors for the word of God to be preached in such a way that people be saved.

Okay?

It's one thing to do the work of preaching the gospel.

That's just as important.

But we also need to realize this isn't just a physical act.

It's not just words being spoken.

There is a spiritual reality here.

And so we have to pray.

We have to pray that doors would be opened for the gospel.

In Acts 4.29-31, it says,

Now, Lord, look upon their threats.

This is the prayer they're praying.

Look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.

While you stretch out your hand to heal,

and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

This should be our prayer as well.

Are we any less needy than the church in Acts 4?

I don't think we are, are we?

Do we need also to be filled with boldness?

Do we also need to be filled with the Spirit?

Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.

This should be our prayer as a church.

Okay?

We don't have no slick marketing campaign.

There's no social media campaign.

There's no slick sign.

There's no Holy Trinity of church planting with a bunch of dynamic speakers

and a slick children's program and a, you know, full band worship team of hired musicians.

We just have a ragtag group of people who love Jesus and who can be filled with the Spirit.

And who have prayer.

One of the greatest powerful weapons on the face of the planet.

I'm not talking about a nuclear weapon.

I'm talking about prayer.

I'm talking about prayer.

Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.

Is that your prayer?

Lord, grant us to speak your word with boldness.

It says, and when they had prayed, how did God, it says,

and while you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders perform,

praying for power.

When they had prayed, it was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit

and they continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

What does it say?

It says, God is faithful to answer prayer.

When you ask to speak the word with boldness, guess what he gives you?

He gives you his Holy Spirit so that you can speak the word with boldness.

He gives you his Holy Spirit so you can speak the word with boldness.

Are we trying to do church without a dependence on the Holy Spirit

to speak the word of God with boldness?

We cannot.

We must not.

We can't, you know, pray sometimes and not other times.

It has to be sustained.

There are many aspects of the work of planting a church,

but one of the most important has to be, it's got to be prayer.

Okay?

Got four points today that I want to hit on prayer.

Number one, we must possess a conviction of the necessity of prayer.

We must possess a conviction of the necessity of prayer.

When I said before, the harvest is plentiful, but the labors are few.

Therefore, pray earnestly.

What does the word earnest mean?

Dictionary definition is resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction.

When you think of prayer,

are you possessing sincere and intense conviction about prayer?

Or is it just something you do in a crisis?

Is it just something you do because there's a prayer meeting?

Is it just something that you do out of guilt?

Or are you earnest in prayer?

The Bible tells us to be earnest in prayer.

Earnestness in prayer is having sincere and intense conviction.

Do you have this about prayer?

Prayer is absolutely necessary.

You might say, why do I need to pray?

Well, let me give you two good reasons for it.

Number one, prayer is necessary because God is necessary.

That's good enough right there, right?

Do you need God?

Is God necessary?

Well, how do you apprehend all He is and all He has for us?

Prayer.

Prayer is necessary because God is necessary.

In Acts chapter 12, verse 5,

Acts 12:5

it says Peter was kept in prison,

but earnest prayer for Him was made to God by the church.

To God by the church.

That's prayer.

We're saying, God, we need you.

The church comes together and says, we need you.

We have vision to say, hey, we want to see people saved

in this area of town.

We left our church.

We were sent out of our church for a specific purpose,

and see God's kingdom in all of life together.

And that means seeing people get saved.

And so we preach the gospel.

We get our mission to people.

But let us not forget earnest prayer.

Earnest prayer for Him was made to God by the church.

It's earnest prayer for souls made to God by Christ's church.

It needs to be.

It needs to be.

Number two, prayer is necessary because God says so.

People don't like it when parents say,

when they ask, why do I have to do this?

And they say, because I said so.

Well, guess what?

When God says so, that's good enough reason.

You don't need another reason.

If God says so, that's all the reason you need.

God is God.

God is the authority.

And so when God says to do something,

we say, yes, sir.

When God says to do something, we say, yes, Lord.

When God says to do something, we say, yes, my king.

Well, then you might say, well,

isn't God going to do whatever He wants to do

because He is king and He is Lord and He is sovereign?

Isn't He just going to do whatever He wants to do anyways?

Well, let's look at what the Bible says.

James 4, verse 2.

James 4:2

Ready?

This is, you don't get much more simpler than this.

You don't have because you don't ask.

Why don't you have?

Because you don't ask.

Is prayer necessary?

Yes.

The last thing I would want to be on my tombstone

would be, here lies Josh Christopherson.

He did not have.

Why?

Because he didn't ask.

That'll be the only reason.

If I didn't have, it's because I didn't ask.

I want to be someone who's convicted,

who's sincere and intense conviction,

that I have to ask.

Because that's the way God set it up.

Wasn't God going to do it anyways?

No, He set it up to not do it.

Except through the prayers of the saints.

Now, He'll still get His prayers.

If He doesn't get it through you,

He'll get it for someone else.

But I don't want Him to get it through someone else.

I want Him to get it through me.

I want to be the guy who's praying.

I want to be the church that's praying.

Do you want to be that church?

Are we that church?

You don't have because you don't ask.

1 Samuel 12, 23 takes it up a notch.

He says,

He says,

He says,

He says,

He says,

If I cease to pray for you,

that would be a sin.

Do we ever regard prayerlessness as sin?

Do we ever regard failing to watch,

failing to be faithful in prayer

as an actual sin that needs to be repented of?

When's the last time we went to the Lord and said,

God, forgive me.

I have sinned,

for I have ceased to pray.

I have not prayed.

Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord

by ceasing to pray for you.

Do you see the language He's using there?

Far be it from me.

Is this something that's far from you,

or is it a little too close?

It's a little too close that we cease to pray for people.

He says,

Far be it from me.

Like, I don't want this even in the vicinity of me.

And we, as a church,

say,

we don't even want prayerlessness

to be even in the vicinity of Christ's church.

Can we have that conviction?

We must.

Who's going to lead in that?

Who's going to be an example in that?

Who's going to be faithful in that?

Matthew 7, 11,

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 who?

Those who ask Him.

Those who ask Him.

Those who ask Him.

Okay?

I'm going to give you two examples of,

I'm going to drill down on this a little bit more,

because I think sometimes we say,

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, Josh, I know, I know.

I'm supposed to pray.

I get it.

I don't pray enough.

I get it.

I want to drill down a little bit more,

look at more scriptures.

I want to look at Elijah,

and I want to look at Daniel, okay?

On this first point of having a conviction

for the necessity of prayer.

Okay?

Elijah,

first example.

We're going to go to 1 Kings 18,

starting in verse 1.

This is the story of Elijah.

It says,

After a long time,

the word of the Lord

came to Elijah in the third year.

Go present yourself to Ahab.

I will send rain on the surface of the land.

Okay, did you hear that?

What did he say he was going to do?

He said,

I'm going to send rain

on the surface of the land.

So done deal, right?

I mean, God said it.

I don't need to do anything, right?

Didn't God say it?

Don't I just like sit back now

and watch the rain come?

Get out my umbrella,

sit outside,

start waiting for it?

Well, what does he do?

1 Kings 18,

later on,

41 to 45,

Elijah says to Ahab,

Go up and eat and drink,

for there is the sound of a rainstorm.

So Ahab went to eat and drink,

but Elijah went up to the summit of Carmel.

He bent down on the ground

and put his face between his knees.

Is that just the way he likes to sit?

What is he doing?

He's praying.

How do we know that?

James 5 tells us.

James 5 tells us.

So he goes,

I thought God said.

I thought it says he's going to send rain

on the surface of the earth.

Why doesn't he just sit and wait for it?

No, he bends down onto the ground

and puts his face between his knees.

Then he said to his servant,

Go up and look toward the sea.

So he went up,

looked and said,

There's nothing.

Seven times Elijah said,

Go back.

So they're just repeating this.

He's praying.

Go back, check.

Nope, not yet.

No rain yet.

Okay.

On the seventh time he reported,

There's a cloud as small as a man's hand

coming up from the sea.

Then Elijah said,

Go and tell Ahab,

Get your chariot ready and go down

so the rain doesn't stop you.

In a little while,

the sky grew dark with clouds and wind

and there was a downtour.

So Ahab got in his chariot

and went to Jezreel.

James 5, 16 to 18,

the CSB gives us a little more insight into this.

I love it when the New Testament

gives a commentary on the old.

It's fun because you get to see something.

God is giving commentary on his own word,

which is pretty awesome.

So you don't have to try and figure it out.

Just what does God have to say about his word?

It's one of the best ways to interpret the word

is with the word.

Okay.

So James 5, verse 16 says,

James 5:16

The prayer of a righteous person

is very powerful in its effect.

Elijah was a human being as we are

and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain

and for three years and six months

it did not rain in the land.

Then he prayed again

and the sky gave rain

and the land produced its fruit.

So which is it?

If God said to do it,

isn't that all we need to do?

Or do we need to pray as well?

Well, what did Elijah do?

He prayed.

He heard the word of the Lord.

He heard what?

The revealed will of the Lord.

And he said,

Oh, that's God's will.

Whenever a Christian hears God's will,

knows God's will,

he now has a responsibility

to pray God's will.

And 1 John 5, verse 14 says,

1 John 5:14

If we ask anything according to his will,

he hears us.

And if he hears us,

then we have what we asked.

So this is the confidence we have in prayer.

That's what it says.

1 John 5, 14.

So that's what Elijah did.

He didn't take the God's will

to see something happen

as,

Oh, it's time to,

it's Rancho Relaxo here.

I'm just going to wait for it to happen.

No, he took it as a call to prayer.

Do you?

You know that God led us to this church.

Are you just waiting for it to happen now?

Or do you take your involvement,

your call to this church

as a call to prayer?

God wants to raise up a church.

All right, I'm going to sit around

and wait for it to happen.

No!

Pray.

It's time to pray.

Just like Elijah.

Hey, it's going to rain.

Elijah prays seven times.

He keeps praying.

And then it downpours.

He was a man just like us,

says James 5.

Just like us.

But how did he pray?

He prayed earnestly.

What does it mean to be earnest?

To have sincere conviction.

Do you have sincere conviction in prayer?

Let's look at the second example with Daniel.

Okay?

Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

Starting in verse 1.

In the first year of Darius,

the son of,

oh boy,

the son of Ahasuerus.

Sounds like a dinosaur.

In the first year of Darius,

the son of Ahasuerus,

a Mede by birth,

who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom,

in the first year of his reign,

I, Daniel,

understood from the books,

according to the word of the Lord,

to the prophet Jeremiah.

Okay?

So he's reading Jeremiah.

And it says that the number of years

for the desolation of Jerusalem

would be 70.

So I turned my attention to the Lord God

to seek him by prayer and petitions

with fasting,

sackcloth,

and ashes.

Same thing, right?

He's reading.

He's reading in Jeremiah.

And it's saying how long

the time of desolation would be.

And he says,

oh, it's 70 years.

So does Daniel,

you know,

pop open a bottle of wine

and say,

hey,

the desolation's gonna end.

This is awesome.

And just chill out

and wait for it to come?

No.

Verse three says,

so I turned my attention

to the Lord God

to seek him by prayer,

petitions,

which is a specific kind of prayer

where we're asking him for things,

with fasting,

sackcloth,

and ashes.

This is intense prayer.

Again,

why didn't he just wait for it to happen?

Isn't God just gonna do it?

It says in Jeremiah

he's gonna do it.

What does he do?

He prays.

He doesn't just wait for it.

He's actively involved

in seeing the will of the Lord

done through prayer.

The will of the Lord

is revealed in the word of God

to Daniel.

He hears,

oh,

this is God's will

and then knows immediately

that my responsibility

as a Christian

when I hear that something

is God's will

is to now pray it into existence.

You might say,

well,

God doesn't need you to do that.

He doesn't,

but he chose to.

God doesn't need anything

from anybody.

He is totally

and fully

self-sufficient.

So what?

What does that have to do anything?

He can choose to involve people

because he loves them.

Don't let this weird,

hyper

view of God's sovereignty

keep you from doing

your work in prayer.

God has chosen

to execute his will

on the earth

through the prayers

of the saints.

He gives us his intent,

his will.

It's in his word.

We have a full book

of all the things

God wants to do

and it's our job then

to pray those things

and as a church

we need to be a praying church.

Okay?

Daniel chapter,

and if that wasn't enough,

we get a little picture

of what happened

when Daniel prayed, right?

Let's look at that.

Daniel 10,

the next chapter,

verse 10 to 14,

suddenly a hand touched me

and set me shaking

on my hands and knees.

Okay?

He was fasting

and praying for 21 days.

He said to me,

Daniel, you are a man

treasured by God.

An angel came to him.

You are a man

treasured by God.

Understand the words

I am saying to you.

Stand on your feet

for I have now been sent to you.

After he said this to me,

I stood trembling.

Don't be afraid, Daniel,

he said to me.

Listen to this.

For from the first day

that you purposed

to understand

and to humble yourself

before your God,

your prayers

were heard.

I have come because

of your prayers.

What a statement.

Isn't that amazing?

The angel came

because of his prayers.

But the prince

of the kingdom of Persia

opposed me

for 21 days.

Then Michael,

one of the chief princes,

came to help me

after I had been left there

with the kings of Persia.

Now I have come

to help you understand

what will happen

to your people

in the last days.

His prayers

were moving angels.

His prayers

were doing battle

in the supernatural.

Our battle is not

against flesh and blood,

but against powers

and principalities.

Here's an example

of that right there.

Daniel's prayers

were moving angels.

That should build

our faith.

The prayer

of a righteous man

is powerful

and effective,

it said in James 5.

Okay?

So that first point,

we must have

a conviction

of the need

for prayer.

Number two,

we must wrestle

in prayer.

Okay?

We see this example

of Epaphras

in Colossians 4.

In the CSB,

I love this language.

In the ESV,

it says struggled.

But in the CSB,

it says he's always

wrestling for you

in his prayers

so that you can

stand mature

and fully assured

in everything God wills.

He is always wrestling

for you in your prayers.

Have you ever wrestled

with God in prayer?

When you think

of the word wrestling,

this isn't,

oh God,

thank you for this day

and I pray

that it would go good

and we'd have fun.

Amen.

Right?

That's not wrestling.

Have you ever seen

a wrestling match?

Just watched

the college

NCAA championships

last week.

Man,

these guys are aggressive.

These guys are aggressive.

These are some of the best

wrestlers in the world.

Okay?

They don't just come up

in there and say,

oh, hey,

how's it going?

You know,

let's wrestle.

No,

they want to destroy

that other person.

They are there

to destroy them.

They are there

to conquer them,

to completely defeat them.

When you wrestle,

you are aggressive.

Epaphras was like this

in prayer.

He was wrestling

in prayer

for the church

in Colossae.

He was wrestling

for them.

Have you ever

wrestled in prayer

for Christ's church?

Now,

I know you've prayed.

I've heard you pray

and I love when you pray.

I love hearing us

all pray together.

I know that you guys

pray outside of our

prayer meetings,

but let me ask you

a question.

Have you ever

wrestled with God

together for

Christ's church?

You're saying,

these things must happen.

These things have to happen.

What does that look like?

Genesis 32,

Genesis 32:26

verse 26.

Jacob,

you know the story

where Jacob wrestled

with God?

He says,

let me go.

The angel of the Lord

was saying,

let me go

for the day is broken.

But Jacob said,

I will not let you go

unless you bless me.

And there he blessed him.

You know what

wrestling looks like?

Losea 12,

3 says,

Jacob wrestled

with God.

You know what

wrestling looks like?

Wrestling looks like,

I will not let you go

until you bless me.

That's wrestling.

Like,

I will not let you go.

God,

I will not let you go

until you bless

Christ's church.

God,

I want to apprehend you

and I'm not letting you go

until you bless

Christ's church

with souls.

Until you raise her up

on a sure foundation.

Until you bring

lost people

in the darkness

into the light.

Do you rescue them

from darkness

and set them

on a sure foundation?

You pray like that.

Hebrews 10,

19 to 23 says,

therefore brothers,

since we have confidence

to enter the holy place

by the blood of Jesus,

by the new and living way

that he opened up for us

through the curtain

that is through his flesh,

and since we have

a great priest

over the house of God,

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,

let us hold fast

the confession

of our hope

without wavering

for he who promised

is faithful.

Do you have full assurance

of faith when you pray?

Do you hold fast

the confession

of your hope

without wavering?

Why?

For he who promised

is faithful.

For he who promised

is faithful.

We can wrestle

with God in prayer

because we know

he's faithful.

We know he is faithful

to answer those prayers.

What does hold fast mean?

Holding fast

means I will not

let you go.

I will not let you go

is what wrestling

and prayer looks like.

Holding fast.

You're holding fast

to who God is.

You're holding fast

to God himself.

You're saying

the one who promised

is faithful.

God you said

you said

that the harvest

is plentiful

but the workers

are few

and that if we prayed

for workers

you'd bring them.

You said oh God

that if I draw near to you

you would draw near to me.

You said God

it's holding God

to his word.

Don't ever be afraid

to hold God

to his word.

Don't ever be afraid

to be bold in prayer

without wavering

and full assurance

of faith

because he who promised

is faithful.

But prayer

the way God

is described

in the scriptures

is prayer

that is wrestling

and it doesn't let go.

It doesn't let go.

Number three

we must be confident

in prayer.

James 1

5

through 8

says

if any of you

lacks wisdom

what should you do?

Let him ask God.

Okay

same concept again.

Who gives generously

to all without reproach

and it will be given to him.

Again

there's a promise.

When you see these promises

you say

alright

I can hold on to that one.

If any of you

lacks wisdom

where do you go?

Let him ask God.

And then what's going to happen?

He gives generously

to all without reproach

and it will be given him.

Not it might

not hopefully it will

it will be given him.

You lack wisdom?

You know what the Bible says

he who wins souls is wise?

Are you winning souls?

If you're not winning souls

you may lack wisdom.

If you lack wisdom

where do you go?

You go to God.

And if you go to God

and ask for wisdom

what does it say?

It will be given him.

You believe that.

You believe that.

God

you promised.

You said

if I asked

for wisdom

it would be given to me.

I need wisdom

to win souls.

I pray that often.

I say

God give me the wisdom

to win souls.

I want to see souls saved.

You promised.

But when you ask

let him ask in faith

without doubting

for the one who doubts

is like a wave of the sea

that is driven

and tossed by the wind.

That person

must not supposedly

receive anything

from the Lord.

He's a double-minded man

and unstable

in all his ways.

We can't be double-minded.

God's not pleased.

Without faith

it's impossible

to please God.

Hebrews 11.6

says you must believe

that he exists

and that he's a rewarder.

Do you know

that it does not

please God

to go to him

and not believe

that he's going to

give you a reward?

You know that's not pleasing?

But I prayed.

So what?

You didn't pray in faith

and without faith

it's impossible

to please God.

You can't just believe

he exists.

You have to believe

that he rewards you.

Otherwise it's not pleasing.

Romans 4.19-21

it says

this is about

what we just

we just read

with the kids

with Adam.

It says

he did not weaken

in faith

when he considered

his own body

which was as good

as dead

since he was

about a hundred years old

or when he considered

the barrenness

of Sarah's womb

no unbelief

made him waver

concerning the promise

of God

but he grew strong

in his faith

as he gave glory

to God

fully convinced

that God was able

to do what he had promised.

Oh my gosh

that's so good.

Right?

No unbelief

made him waver

concerning the promise

of God.

This is wrestling

this is saying

listen

I am going to be

confident in prayer.

No unbelief

is going to make

me waver.

He said it

it's going to come

to pass.

His promise

is faithful

I am not going

to waver

in unbelief

concerning the

promise of God.

Actually

I'm going to grow

strong in my faith.

How?

As he gave glory

to God.

Why do we worship

God in song

every week?

Well the main reason

is because he's worthy

but you know

what else it does?

When we give glory

to God

we grow strong

in our faith.

We grow strong

in our faith

and we declare

who he is

and what he's done

and we take

to the Lord's table

every week

and we declare

who he is

and what he's done.

We put our identity

in the person

and the work of Jesus.

We stand on it.

We declare it.

We boldly proclaim it.

We sing it.

We grow strong

in our faith

as we glorify God.

How convinced?

Fully convinced

that God

was able to do

what he had promised.

Are you fully convinced?

Are we fully convinced

as a church

that God

is able

to do

what he had promised?

Luke 7, 9-11

says,

Which one of you

if a son asks for bread

will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish

will give him a serpent?

If then you are evil

and 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?

Luke 11,

Luke,

he says,

How much more

will he give

the Holy Spirit

to those who ask him?

Do you ever have

a hard time believing

that God wants

to give you a spirit?

Do you ever have

a hard time believing

that when you ask God

if he's really going

to give you a spirit,

that he's going to

pour out his spirit,

that he's going to

fill you with his spirit?

He says,

If a good father

gives good gifts

to his kids,

how much more

will God give

the Holy Spirit

to those who ask?

Why are we doubting this?

This is a promise

that we can hold on to.

We should always be

depending and praying

for God to be filling

us with the spirit.

We need his power.

If we're going to

be God's church,

we need his power.

Which means we need

his spirit.

And we should be confident

that that's a prayer

that God always

wants to answer.

Why would we

waver in unbelief

thinking that God

doesn't want to

fill us with his spirit?

That's one of the most

ridiculous things

to not believe.

Because you,

even though you're

not a good father,

you would give that.

So how much more

a God who's

the perfect father

give the Holy Spirit

to those who ask?

Give good gifts

to those who ask?

Think how foolish

that is.

If we wouldn't

even withhold that,

how much more

would God not withhold that?

That's the confidence

we have.

Because Matthew 6,

8 says,

your father knows

what you need

before you ask him.

He knows.

He's a father.

That's why Romans 8

says,

if God is for us,

who can be against us?

If he did not

spare his own son

but gave him up

for us all,

how much more

will he not also

with him graciously

give us all things?

Think of the greatest

thing that God gave.

If he gave you

something that great,

you could be confident

that he'd be willing

to give you less things.

Like if someone said,

hey,

you know what?

I want to gift you

my car.

Okay?

You'd say,

wow,

that's a huge blessing.

You just gave me a car.

That's amazing.

And then you realized

that you brought

your diaper bag

but you forgot a diaper.

And do you think

it would be weird

to ask the person

who just gave you

their car for a diaper?

Do you think maybe,

I don't know if they're going

to,

they want to give it to me.

You think,

no,

of course they would.

But why do you think

that they would give you

a diaper?

Because they gave you

a car.

Do you understand

what I'm saying?

Like if God gave you

a son,

how much more will he give you

all the lesser things

than his son?

Is there anything

that's not lesser

than his son?

That's why he says,

how much more will he

graciously give you

all things?

Because all things

are less than the son.

If he was,

if that,

the great gift

that he gives

is a revealing

of his intent

to be generous.

If someone gives you

their car,

of course they're going

to give you a diaper.

If somebody gives you

his son,

of course he'll give you

all things.

Why do we doubt?

We need to be confident

in prayer.

Like 1 John 5,

14 says,

if he asks anything

according to his will,

he hears us,

and if he hears us,

we have what we ask.

This is the confidence

we have in prayer.

Which means we have

to understand

what the Lord's will is.

Like Ephesians 5,

17 says,

do you know

what his will is?

That's why

sometimes when we

read the word,

we should be reading

it as our prayer manual.

It's like,

this is what I need

to pray.

This is what

God's will is.

You understand

what the Lord's will is.

You pray what

the Lord's will is.

He hears you,

and if he hears you,

then you have

what you asked.

This is why Epaphras,

when he was wrestling

in prayer for them,

you know what he was

wrestling in prayer for?

That they would stand

mature and fully assured

in all the will of God.

He's actually praying

in confidence

that they would be

assured in the will of God.

Why?

Well,

obviously,

if the will of God

is what gives you

confidence in prayer,

and he's praying

that they would stand

fully assured

in the will of God,

he's also praying

that they would be

people who would pray.

Because when you know

the will of God

and you're assured

of the will of God,

then you pray

the will of God,

and if you pray

the will of God,

then he hears

the will of God

and you have a chance.

Last point,

number four.

You must be

steadfast in prayer.

Colossians 4,

Colossians 4:2

verse 2 says,

continue steadfastly

in prayer,

being watchful in it

with thanksgiving.

You know,

getting people to pray

in a prayer meeting,

that's one thing,

but you know

what's the hardest thing?

It's getting people

to pray continually

until they see the answer

for a long period of time.

It says,

continue in prayer.

Have you ever been guilty

of not continuing in prayer?

Maybe you started off great.

You know,

maybe we start off the year

and say,

oh man,

I'm praying for character,

I'm praying for order,

I'm praying for family.

The Spirit spoke this to us,

so we're praying

these things into existence.

But what are you doing

in November and December?

You still praying?

Are we still continuing?

Are we still steadfast in prayer?

Anyone can start,

but who can finish?

Who continues?

Hebrews 6, 11 to 12,

says,

we desire each one of you

to show the same earnestness

to have the full assurance

of hope until the end,

so that you may not be sluggish,

but imitators of those

who through faith and patience

inherit the promises.

Everybody wants to say,

oh, it's all about faith, man.

You know,

we have a,

I'm a faith preacher,

I'm in the faith movement.

Where's the patience movement?

Where's the patience preachers?

Hey man,

he's a faith preacher.

Oh yeah?

Is he a patience preacher?

I'm not impressed

by the people who have

a surge of faith

in the beginning.

Real faith continues.

Real faith perseveres.

Real faith keeps going.

Whoop-dee-doo.

You get hyped up emotionally

for a moment,

and you pray,

and you call that faith.

The Bible doesn't call that faith.

The Bible doesn't call that faith.

The faith that the Bible talks about

presses in and continues,

keeps believing.

Okay?

That's why Daniel said,

you know what it said

to Daniel in Daniel 6?

Three times a day,

he prayed and gave thanks

before his God.

And I love the verse,

and the statement right after it says,

as he had done previously.

This is what he did.

Three times a day.

Prayed.

As he had done previously.

This is what Daniel did.

He had a life of this.

Okay?

We don't need the flash of the pan.

Super charismatic.

Super emotional.

Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray.

We need the people

who are consistent

to keep praying,

and keep praying,

and keep praying.

This is what Jesus talks about

in his parable in Luke 11.

It says,

Jesus was praying

in a certain place.

When he had finished,

one of his disciples said to him,

Lord,

Lord,

teach us to pray.

As John taught his disciples.

And he said to them,

when you pray,

say,

Father,

hallowed be your name.

Kingdom come.

Give us each day

our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins.

We ourselves forgive everyone

who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.

And he said to them,

which of you

has a friend,

which of you

who has a friend

will go to him at midnight

and say to him,

friend,

lend me three loaves.

For a friend of mine

has arrived on a journey

and I have nothing

to set before him.

And he'll answer him

from within,

do not bother me.

The door is now shut

and my children

are with me in bed.

I cannot get up

and give you anything.

We can understand this, right?

If someone came over

at midnight

and said,

hey,

I got some guests coming.

I want to feed them.

Give me three loaves of bread.

He'd be like,

get out of here.

Go to bed, man.

It's midnight, right?

So we can relate to this story.

It's like,

of course.

Of course he would say that.

Jesus goes on in verse 8.

He says,

I tell you,

though he will not get up

and give him anything

because he is his friend,

yet because of his impudence,

he will rise

and give him

whatever he wants.

Okay,

we're going to look at that word

here in a second.

I tell you,

ask and it will be given to you,

seek and you will find,

knock and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks

receives

and the one who seeks finds

and the one who knocks

will be opened.

What father among you,

if his son asks for a fish,

will instead of a fish

give him a serpent?

How much,

you know,

we just went over this.

How much more will you give

the Holy Spirit to those that?

So he says,

he says,

he will not get up

and give him anything

because he is his friend,

but because of his impudence,

he will rise and give him

whatever he needs.

Let's look at what that,

what words are used

in different translations

for the word impudence.

NIV says,

shameless audacity.

The NLT says,

shameless persistence.

The New King James Version

says,

persistence.

The NASB says,

shamelessness.

The Amplified says,

persistence and boldness.

The CSB says,

shameless boldness.

You get in kind of a little picture

of what he means by impudence.

I know that's not a word

most of you use

in your vocabulary probably,

but these other words

give us a little insight.

Shameless audacity,

shameless persistence,

persistence,

shamelessness,

persistence and boldness,

shameless boldness.

Is this what your prayer life

looks like?

Is this what my prayer life

looks like?

Luke 11,

9 to 10,

the following verse

after he says,

uses this word.

In the Amplified,

he says,

so I say to you,

ask and keep on asking.

Then it shall be given to you.

Seek and keep on seeking

and you shall find.

Knock.

You guess what it's going to say?

Keep on knocking

and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks

and keeps on asking,

receives.

And everyone who seeks

and keeps on seeking,

finds.

And him who knocks

and keeps on knocking,

the door shall be opened.

It's bringing out

that this,

the verb that's being used here

is an active verb.

It's a continual verb.

It's not a one and done thing.

This is why Paul would say

in Colossians 1,

9,

I have not ceased

praying for you.

Or Ephesians 1,

16,

I do not cease

to give thanks for you,

remember you my prayers.

Or to pray unceasingly.

Okay?

A lot of people say,

well,

that means you have to pray

all the time.

Maybe.

That could be

maybe what that means.

I would maybe throw out to you

that maybe what it means

is that you have to pray

and keep on praying

and you don't stop.

You don't give up.

Like,

you keep going.

You keep asking

until you see an answer.

You persevere in prayer,

steadfast in prayer.

And I think this is one of the

major missing things

in a lot of Christians

is the persistence in prayer.

We're not talking about

good starts.

We're talking about

good finishes.

We're not talking about

when you're a young,

zealous man.

We're talking about

when you're still doing it

when you're an old man

and you're tired

and you want to go home.

We're talking about

not just when everyone's hyped up

and there's thousands of people

praying together

and fasting together.

We're talking about

when nobody's praying

and you're in your room

and there's crust in your eyes

and drool in your mouth

and you really wish

you could just sleep

a little bit longer.

I'm talking about

when you've seen

over and over again

that it seems like

everything that you see

with your natural eyes

seems to go in contrary

to what you're praying

and seeing

with your spiritual eyes

and you don't let

that which is seen

dictate what is unseen

but you walk by

what is unseen

not by what is seen.

You walk by faith.

I'm talking about

continual persistent prayer.

Do we have it

at Christ Church?

Do we have persistence

in prayer

where we keep praying

and say God

establish this church.

Establish this church.

You might say

well yeah

that's what we're doing.

We're doing the work.

We come here

we meet weekly

we're trying to reach out

to unbelievers.

Praise God

for all that stuff

and we'll talk more

about that next week.

But listen

what we're doing

the work of prayer.

Don't neglect

the most important work.

The work that's done

in the spirit

to say God

we need you.

We can do all kinds

of things

but if we don't have God

we don't have anything.

We have a church

but we don't have God

we have nothing.

If we need God

so we need prayer.

We need prayer.

Lord establish this church.

Lord give us the wisdom

to win souls.

God anoint us

with your spirit

to speak your word

with boldness.

Let a harvest come in.

Pray for laborers

to raise up

who will labor

in the gospel

who will labor

in prayer

who will labor

in the work of the Lord.

And we keep praying.

And when God doesn't answer

do we give up?

No!

We keep praying.

And when we knock

and the door doesn't open

do we stop knocking?

No!

We keep knocking.

And when we seek

and it doesn't seem

like we're finding

do we stop seeking?

No!

We keep seeking.

Can we be as a people

marked by this?

Okay!

If we're going to be

a church plant

this is what we have to do.

Again,

the props are pulled out.

Like,

I don't know,

if you haven't noticed

there's not like

flocks of people

coming to gather with us.

They're not banging

down the door.

If the door got banged

down this morning

it's because we farted

in the wrong spots.

Right?

I don't even think

they realize

that we're meeting

as a church.

Right?

Okay?

We gotta pray.

We gotta pray.

We need to pray.

We must pray.

As a church plant

we need to be convicted

of the necessity

of prayer.

We need to be

wrestling in prayer.

We need to be

confident in prayer.

We need to be

steadfast in prayer.

Amen?

Amen.

Amen.

Let's stand.