Holy Hunger & Deeper Reigning With Christ — Wesley Duewel

I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's been my joy to be here at your church in the prayer conference, prayer seminar that began Friday night, two sessions Friday night, four sessions yesterday until about 3 .30 or 4 in the afternoon.

And now in some sense, this is an independent message, but in another sense, it is the final aspect of that prayer conference. I'm happy that a number of my books are here. My latest book, Revival Fire, the thrilling story of revival, primarily in the last three centuries in various parts of the world.

It will be available here in the country sometime within this coming month. It is off the press about a month ago. It's on the way someplace between the United States and New Zealand right now, and I hope you will all be able to take a copy of it.

The first book the Lord led me to write was Touch the World Through Prayer. Already in the aisle right over there, a brother said to me, in my life, this book has been next to the Bible. I have had hundreds and hundreds of testimonies of how God has used this.

I hope you, if you don't have a copy, you will get one over 300 ,000 copies around the world in 31 languages or nations, and it just keeps extending further and further. A manual on intercessory prayer.

The second book I wrote was because so many Christians seem to have a problem in understanding God's will in their life, and that I felt so many only thought of God's will in connection with the big events of life, marriage, life work, so on.

When God wants to bless us and guide us in everything, the Bible says the Lord will guide you always. That means daily. So I wrote this book. Let God guide you daily. The little decisions of life on which often great things hinge, let him guide you in your praying and your witnessing and your purchasing.

So you save money and your travel and all sorts of events of life. The next book I wrote was a blaze for God. Oh, that every one of us were really a blaze for God. As I was writing this, I was planning to call it a flame for God.

And one night as I was praying, I thought, well, a flame flickers up and down. That isn't what I want. I want a steady blazing fire for God. So I changed the title of blaze for God. How the Holy Spirit can use you in leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, leadership, any form of service for Lord.

In fact, many people who consider themselves, quote, only layman tell me this is the best book that I ever wrote. And then I realized there were those situations in life that do not easily yield to answers to prayer.

Perhaps there are some of you here who have been praying for three years or two months and you don't have an answer yet for a situation. What more can we do to get important answers to the prayers and the cries of our heart?

And so I wrote the book, Mighty Prevailing Prayer. And we've been talking about the last two days, how to get your prayer more mighty, more effective, more God glorifying, how you can get more answers to your prayer.

The last book that I wrote that I have here was this book, Measure Your Life. Do you know, I have been amazed. I am now 78 years of age. I don't think I've heard more than one sermon in my life on the time when Christians stand at the judgment throne of Christ.

A lot of reference to when the sinners stand there. But if we come to Christ with repentance, the sins we bring to the cross, we leave and they will never be mentioned against us again. We do not face our sins at the judgment throne of Christ if we belong to Christ.

That's been taken care of. But we will, every one of us stand before the judgment throne of Christ to be judged and then rewarded eternally for how we invested our life after we were born again. And do you know, millions of Christians are just living and don't think about investing themselves for God and his cause.

And God is planning such tremendous rewards throughout the ages of eternity. It's his great joy because we're his children. He wants to bestow on us. And heaven will not be the same for everybody. Oh, we will all share the joy and the glory and the light and the beauty and the music and all of that.

But there are going to be individual rewards. Your reward will be different from mine. Mine will be different from yours. That reward will be according to how we have prayed, how we have served, how we have loved.

Yes, I have mentioned here 17 ways to evaluate your life from God's perspective. It will reward you for what your thought life has been. Have you been thinking about Jesus? Have you been thinking about the suffering world?

Have you thinking about the prisoners for Christ's sake that are in prison today? Your thought life, your words, how much have your words glorified Jesus? Do you use your words every day to someone to glorify Jesus?

How God will reward you for your sacrifice, for the world dimension and so on and so on. These are all available at bargain prices, and I hope you get a copy of every one. And investment, I don't think you'll regret many people who first bought one or two and then they want all the rest of it.

And so I pray God will make them a blessing. I don't keep one dollar from the sale of my books. Everything about the actual cost goes to help print editions in third world countries. They're in Russia, 50 ,000 of them inside mainland China, been carried in there and others will be carried in.

You're buying the books, helps get other books out around the world in 31 different languages or nations. And now I hope that I will give what is God's most important message for you for today. I read from the book of Ephesians chapter one.

Paul's telling us the prayer he prays for the Ephesian church, beginning with verse 17. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe that power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in this present age, but also in the one to come.

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything. The next verse for the church. Do you understand why it's important that Jesus is head over all the world, sitting at the right hand of God, the father for the church?

We're going to look at that this morning, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way and drop down to verse six, and God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Some 30 years ago, when the British government was planning Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's official state visit to India, they began a year in advance and they decided she would have one Sunday in India and they decided they would have her spend that Sunday in Varanasi, the old Hindu Banaras, which was just about 90 miles from where we lived in Allahabad.

And there was only one Church of England church there, so she would be attending St. Mary's Church a year in advance. People came from Buckingham Palace, they looked the church over, they said, you're old failed, strip of carpet down the aisle is not fit for the queen to walk on.

You've got to put in new carpet this year. They said, look, your church looks too barren here on the outside, you've got to put some nice shrubs here on the outside, some flowers, beautify it up a little bit, so on and so on.

And they made all the other plans about her state visit. Well, we were thrilled because that Anglican church was pastored by a born again, spirit filled, Tesic background, dear brother in Christ, Bob Harlan, dear friend of mine and others.

And it just so happened that his associate pastor had been sent to us for training. He had been my student, had graduated from our OMS seminary. And it just so happened that almost every member of the choir was a member of a missionary society that was evangelical through and through staff members.

So we said, praise the Lord, the queen is going to be able to worship in that church. Now, the bishop thought, oh, what a privilege I'm going to have, I'll be preaching to her majesty, the queen, about one month before the arrival.

There came a letter from Buckingham Palace, the queen desires no special service, she wants to be a part of the regular congregational service of the church. So that meant the bishop was out and that meant the pastor, my dear brother, Bob Harlan, was going to be the one who was going to preach to the queen.

Oh, we began to pray, Lord, bless Bob, Lord, give Bob just the message. The bishop said to me, now, Wesley, I'm sorry, I can't give you a ticket for St. Mary's Church. Well, I said, look, I didn't ask for a ticket.

He said, I know. But he said, you see, that only seats 330 people. And every third person in the church has to be a secret police. And he said every British official in India and that, you see, was years ago when there were British officials there in greater number.

He said everyone wants to be present from the high commissioner on down. And he said Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Premier Nehru's sister, who used to be the president of the United Nations. She wants to be there.

Indira Gandhi wants to be there. The Maharaja of Benares, great Hindu officials all want to be in the church at that time. I wouldn't dare let an American in. I said, that's all right, I'll tell you what, I'm going to pitch a tent right out in front of the church.

And I'm going to give you a ticket, your family to sit in the tent. Well, I said, thank you, Bishop. That's very kind of you. Then one week before the royal arrival, there came one more note to the pastor, your sermon is to be 12 minutes in length.

Oh, we said, Lord help Bob Harlan, how is he going to give the kind of message you want him to give in 12 minutes time? The time came, we got there early in the morning. I brought my tripod, my movie camera, that was before we had automatic focusing cameras.

I wanted the secret police to know who I was so they wouldn't be disturbed by anything I did. So I brought out my tripod and set it down, put my camera on top, pulled out my exposure meter to measure the light one or two places so they would see the gestures I would be making.

And the bishop walked up in all his beautiful robes. Oh, it was nice to talk. Now, I said, Bishop, when the queen talks to me, what do I say? She looked at me. You don't speak to royalty until royalty speaks to you and you don't ask anything of royalty, you only answer royalty.

And besides, the first time she speaks, you have to say your majesty. About he got about that far, then he realized it was a joke, so he smiled and I smiled. Of course, I wasn't going to speak to the queen, but at least I learned something very important.

Here promptly at the right time, here came the procession of military vehicles and then Her Majesty's car and I was standing with my movie camera ready. So right in front of me, about 10 feet in front of me, the queen and Philip got out and the bishop was there and the pastor was there and my former student, the associate pastor were there greeting the royal party.

I got them in standing there and as they went into the church, my service went fast. I was praying the whole time, Oh, Lord, use this service, Lord, help Bob, anoint him, use him this morning. Philip read the scripture lesson, my former student led in the prayers, and then Bob began to speak.

He said there is a way to contact heaven. He said, you can talk to God. You see, I'm talking about prayer this morning, he said, but what does it mean to be a child of God? He said it doesn't mean to be the member of the Church of England or any other church that doesn't make you a child of God.

It doesn't mean to be baptized that doesn't make you a child of God. He said it doesn't mean to be faithful to the church and come every Sunday or to support the church. He said, you have to be born again.

He said, you must repent of your sins. Oh, I said, thank you, Lord. Thank you. Quietly, but in my heart, I was just, oh, Lord, help him. He was giving a regular Billy Graham message. He preached the gospel there like everything.

And I said, thank you, Lord. Thank you, help him, Lord, help him, bless him, use him, Lord, bless him. I was so absorbed in it, I hardly realized when I could hear they were singing the closing hymn of benediction.

And here came the royal party to the door of the church, you know, 50 feet in front of me where I was sitting. Oh, thank you, Lord. So I stood up right away to my camera, but I was still praising. Oh, Lord, don't let any of those people miss the message.

Lord, use it to all those Hindus and Mohammedans and the secret police. Lord bless. Oh, use it. Praise her name. Praise her name. I thought, my, she's getting big in the viewfinder. She had come and was standing right in front of me.

And I was so absorbed praying that I hadn't realized what was happening. She said, are you a missionary? I said, yes. She said, what society are you with? I told her, she said, what is your ministry? I told her I'm the principal of a theological school training Indian Christian young people to be pastors of Indian Christian churches.

So, your majesty, I said, it just suddenly dawned on me, I said, your majesty. She smiled with that little dimple, which is in her cheek, and you may not know it's there. It doesn't show up on the pictures.

And then they were going, I got them as they left. And as soon as the royal party was out the churchyard, just like that, in the meantime, everybody had emptied from the church and they were all standing there watching her talk to me.

And as soon as she was gone, the Britishers came from over. Why did she talk to you? Why did she talk to you? Why did you talk to you? I said, I don't know why she talked to me. I wasn't expecting her to speak to me.

But maybe I know why she talked to me to tell you. Did you hear what I said? You don't speak to royalty until royalty speaks to you and you don't ask anything from royalty. You only answer royalty. But did you know that the sovereign of this universe, the king of kings and lord of lords, said, and I preached on it yesterday, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you.

Do you realize that you and I, as children of the Lord, are the most privileged creatures on this earth? Any time, day or night, we don't have to wait for a word or anything. We can talk direct to God.

Are we making use of the privileges that God has given us to commune with God, to intercede with God? I'm going to speak to you this morning on reigning with Christ or another title, in other words, would be the Trinity of intercession.

Now, you and I all understand the Trinity of the Godhead, God, the Father, God, the Son and God, the Holy Spirit. But do you understand the Trinity of intercession? God, the Father, never intercedes. He is the God who hears all prayer, who constitute the Trinity of intercession.

First of all, is God the son, Jesus Christ, the son of God, our great high priest? Do you remember in the passage, it said that Jesus has been raised to heaven and seated at the right hand of God, the father.

Did you know that that is repeated over and over and over in God's work? When Jesus was on trial just before the cross. Pilate tried to get him to talk, Herod tried to get him to talk, the high priest tried to get Jesus to talk and Jesus stood there in silence and finally, in exasperation, the high priest used the legal form for court oaths.

And he said to Jesus, I quote from the King James Version, I adjure you by the living God that you tell us whether you be the son of God or no. Could Jesus remain silent then? No. On the most solemn moment of his life for an official answer to the whole Jewish nation through their high priest in Sanhedrin, who were all seated there, he was put on legal oath.

He must tell whether or not he was the son of God. And Jesus responded instantly, I am. He didn't say, I am the son of God. Did you hear what he said? I am. Do you remember when Moses met God at the burning bush and God commissioned him?

Well, he said, how will the people believe me? Who shall I tell him who sent me? And God said, I am. That is my name forever. And the high priest was aghast. This person standing before me dares to claim to be Jehovah.

I am. And there on oath, Jesus legally swore that to three things, his deity and the son of God, his sovereignty, you, Mr. High Priest, you members of the Sanhedrin, you people in Tauranga, you people who are sitting here today, you will all see me seated at the right hand of God, the father.

He will be the sovereign of the ages. And the third thing, and you will see me coming on the clouds of heaven. He on oath. Swore legally. I am the son of God. You will see me in my sovereign role and you will see me coming on the clouds of heaven.

Yes, every eye will see him. Did Jesus go to the right hand of the father? Did he take his seat? Oh, yes. Luke 22, 69. Jesus said, from now on, the son of man will be seated. That means until 1995. From now on, the son of man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.

Mark says it this way. He was taken up to heaven and he sat down at the right hand of God. Are you noticing what I'm repeating? These are the words of Scripture. Sat down, right hand, God, throne of God, the majesty, some similar word there.

Hebrews one, three, after he provided purification from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. Hebrews 12 to let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfected of our faith, who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning at shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Why does the Bible repeat 13 times almost identical words? Jesus sat down at the right hand of the majesty or the God, the father or the throne, some such word there. Something God doesn't want us to overlook, something God wants us to be firmly convinced of, something God wants us to understand.

Thirteen times in Hebrews eight, what the writer of Hebrews says, the point of what we're saying is this. If you haven't called us for the point of what we're saying is this. We do have such a high priest who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in heaven.

What is the point? The point is this. That Jesus is seated. First of all, do you know who seats who sits in the throne room? Only the emperor, the king, no one. There's no other seat in the throne room in the ancient empires.

The chief minister or maybe one other minister or two could be summoned into the king's presence. And when they came, they stood. Only the emperor sat to be seated in the throne room, was to be seated on the throne, was to be the sovereign yourself.

So Jesus is told to us 13 times that he is seated and that he is seated on the throne. And which stone, the throne beside God, the father on the right hand, the right hand is the place of honor of God, the father in heaven.

So this is something very, very important. What is he doing sitting on the throne? Very obvious. He's raining. But how is he raining? Did you notice the point of what we are saying is this? We do have such a high priest.

He is seated as in a dual capacity as high priest and as sovereign. Only one in history, sovereign high priest, high priest, sovereign. What is Jesus' priority today? Is it greeting saints when they reach heaven?

No. Oh, yes, Jesus stood up when Stephen the martyr came to heaven. Oh, yes, I'm sure Jesus greets every one of his children when they arrive in heaven. But that's not his. He's glad to do that. That's not his priority.

That's not his main concern. Well, what's he doing? Enjoying the heavenly concerts and the music of the angels. Oh, I'm sure he enjoys that. But that's not his priority. What does the Bible say? He ever lives to do what?

Intercede for us. What does that mean? That doesn't mean he's not trying to tell us that he's always alive. That's said elsewhere. Of course, he's alive. He is the way, the truth and the life. He cannot but be alive forevermore.

He is life itself. But the point is not that. The point is, he lives to intercede. Now, if you hear said about your pastor, that he lives for his church. You know what that means. You know that his big concern, he's always thinking about you, his congregation.

You know that he's loving you. You know every time he prays, he's praying for you. You know, his whole concern is he's living for you. When you hear that a mother lives for her family, you know what that means.

Oh, of course, she has to iron. She has to cook. But she is living for her family. That's her priority. That's her delight. That's her joy. That's her. She is living for her family. You've heard that so-and-so lives for their music.

But Jesus lives to intercede. The great delight of the Son of God today is to be our high priest. To intercede. He is living to intercede. Now, what does the high priest do? The Hebrew high priests were all typical, pointing to the real high priest, Jesus Christ.

The high priest did two things. He offered sacrifices, and he made intercession. Now, at the cross, Jesus offered the sacrifice that ended all sacrifice. He offered the sacrifice of himself on the cross.

That every sacrifice from the Garden of Eden on had pointed forward to. And on the cross, Jesus said, it is finished. And it's finished. Do you know any place in the world where a Jew offers sacrifices today?

It's finished. No need of any further sacrifices. Oh, we talk about spiritually, we talk about the sacrifice of joy, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, like that. But real sacrifice, in the biblical primary initial meaning of the term, was culminated and accomplished once and for all.

We have a finished work of Christ. But there is an unfinished work of Christ. And what is that? Intercession. He is our high priest. Do you remember the high priest in the Old Testament? He had to always wear his official garb.

And he didn't have a committee designed that garb. God prescribed exactly how the high priest was to be officially garbed. God told him that white long robe and over it something like a vest. And on the front of that, God said, there is to be four rows of three jewels each.

On every jewel, the name of one of the tribes of Israel. And that piece of cloth, nine inches wide, eighteen inches long, and then folded up. And on the front. And so the high priest was always to have on his heart the people.

The names of the people. Symbolizing he in love serves them as their high priest. God so loved the world. And to make it very clear, God told Moses exactly how it was to be fastened. He said, fasten it with gold chains around his body so that it not swing out.

The Bible clearly says that. Never is there to be one inch between the breastplate, as it was called, with the names of the people. Never one inch separating that from the heart. The high priest was always to have close to his heart the people for whom he was officially the high priest.

Oh, what a beautiful picture. That was but a simple point to Jesus. Jesus has you and me on his heart. He is the high priest on the right hand of God the Father today. And he has us on his heart. Praise God.

That wasn't all. On this shoulder there was to be a flat stone sewn into the cloth. And on that flat stone the names of six of the tribes of Israel. And on this shoulder another onyx stone with six names engraved.

Not only was he to keep us on his heart, but he shouldered the responsibility for his people. And Jesus takes the responsibility for your life and mine as our high priest. He is living to intercede for all of our needs.

Realize it. Rejoice in the fact. He is our great high priest. Praise God. So the unfinished work of Christ is his work as high priest. And he lives to intercede. And he has entered heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us.

And he is the great Amen. That is one of his names in the Bible you find in the book of Revelation. What does that mean? That means that every time you pray a prayer according to the will of God, Jesus says Amen.

We'll look at that again in just a moment or two. So the number one intercessor of the universe is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Well, who is number two? If there is a trinity of intercession, who is number two?

Praise God, that's the Holy Spirit. We read all about it in Romans chapter 8. Have you often said, I wish I knew how to pray about this. I just don't know quite what to ask God. Now God knew we were going to be that way.

And the Bible acknowledges the fact. In fact, let me read to you Romans 8, 26. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We are weak. What in? We do not know what we ought to pray for. So that's why the Holy Spirit is our counselor and our guide.

You remember Jesus said, I will send you another. The Greek word is perikletos. In the King James Version, it is translated comforter. In some versions, it is translated helper. In other versions, like the New International, it's translated counselor.

You see, the Greek word perikletos is so rich in meaning, so full of meaning, you can't describe it all in any one English word. So you have to choose, well, which word shall we use to express what's here?

Of course he comforts us. Of course he helps us. Of course he strengthens us. Of course he counsels us. But I remember that in the Old Testament, when it was prophesied about the coming of Jesus, and his name shall be what?

Wonderful counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace. So Jesus is our wonderful counselor. But Jesus was leaving to go back to heaven. He said, I will give you another. Yes, I have been your perikletos.

I have been your comforter. I have been your helper. I have been your counselor. But now I'm going to give you another one, and he will abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of Truth. So, the Holy Spirit is our counselor in residence in our heart.

To guide us and to help us. And when we don't know how we ought to pray, the Holy Spirit is with us to help us and to guide us in our prayer. Back to the time of Leviticus. Let God guide you daily. He wants to guide you in your praying.

As you pray for your family. As you pray for your pastor. As you pray for your church. As you pray for your nation. As you pray for your neighborhood. He wants to guide you. Did he remind you already this morning of someone or something to pray about?

That's his work. He does that if you are sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Now, praise God. I'll read that again. The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for.

You know, James and John didn't know. When Jesus was coming through Samaria on his way to Jerusalem. And the Samaritan people disdained him and they laid him on to stay overnight. Get up, get up, get up.

You can't stay here in our village. James and John became so angry. They said, Lord, shall we call down fire out of heaven like Elijah and burn him up? Jesus said, you don't know what kind of spirit you have.

Jesus didn't come to burn people up. He came to save people. James and John didn't know how they ought to pray. Even Paul didn't always know how he ought to pray. Remember, Paul had a thorn in his flesh.

Something very painful. There is speculation of what that thorn was. We can't guarantee. We know, but we've come pretty close to knowing. We know that there was serious oriental eye diseases rampant at that time.

We know what Paul said. We know that he did not write his own letters. A secretary wrote his letters, but he signed them. You remember he said on one occasion, you see what large letters I am using as I sign.

So he had to write the big letters. I guess that's the best he could do so he could see what he was doing. You know what, in another place he said to the Galatians, he said, I bear you record. You treat me like an angel of God.

If you could, you would have plucked your eyes out and given them to me. Yes, he had a painful eye problem. He had very poor eyesight. And so Paul said three times, I asked the Lord to take away that thorn in my flesh.

But what did God say? My grace is sufficient. Even Paul didn't know what was best. So it's not surprising if you and I don't always know. But praise the Lord, the Holy Spirit always knows. Not only does he guide us what to pray, but let me complete the verse.

The Bible says, we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us. So there's the second intercessor. The Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us. Now, how does he intercede?

Now, Lord, here's Brother Smith. He's going to have a busy week this week. Help him with his work. Help him with the family. May he have a good weekend. Here's little Nancy in the third grade at school.

She's going to have the arithmetic test. Help Nancy with the arithmetic test this week. And there's Sister Jones. You know how her hand is full with her family. All the washing she's got to do and the work.

Lord, help Sister Jones. Is that the way the Holy Spirit prays for us? No. The Bible tells us how he prays for us. I didn't finish the verse. The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

A lot of people think that the Holy Spirit is going to cause us to groan. What the Bible says is, he is praying with groans for us. Now, when he burdens us for things, sometimes we will groan within our hearts.

And we may even groan verbally as we're praying. But that's not the primary meaning here. What he is saying is, he prays for us with groans. His own heart yearns so infinitely that no human words would be adequate to express it.

Oh, Father, bless Pastor this week. Help him with those lovely people in the church. Oh, Father, give him wisdom. Father, anoint him in everything he does this week. Oh, Father, bless little Nancy. She loves you, Jim.

Oh, bless little Nancy. Help her with that arithmetic test. Help her to be a light for you in her school situation. Oh, Father, bless Brother Tom. And he is praying with groans for you and me. The great second intercessor of the Trinity.

He is praying for you and me with groans. And that isn't all. I've got more good news. What is the next verse? The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. So, he is praying the highest and best thing that could ever be prayed for.

He knows the will of God. And he is praying that you will find the will of God. Praise the Lord. Well, what does that mean? What does that mean? You know what the next verse says? A lot of people read the next verse and they don't see that this is one package.

We do not know what we ought to pray for. We're weak. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans. And words cannot express. And he intercedes in accordance with God's will. And the next verse?

We know. Romans 8 .28. You can quote the reference even to that place. How many times does it go, Praise God for Romans 8 .28? Well, that's tied in with the praying. That's what this is all about here.

It's one package. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit is groaning and praying for you, We know that all things will work together for good. Or in another translation, We know that in all things God will work for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose.

So, praise God. We can relax, can't we? God the Son is interceding for us. God the Holy Spirit is interceding for us. Isn't that enough? No. That's not enough. I said, Trinity of intercession. Well, where's the third?

We're sitting in church here this morning. You. You say, me? Yes, you. I cannot tell you why, but God in his sovereign wisdom shows that the Trinity of intercession would be incomplete until you join in prayer.

Why did he need us? He didn't. But he chose us. And he chose us for this role. Do you remember what 1 Peter tells us? For you are a chosen generation, a what? Royal priesthood. Well, what do we need priests for today?

Not to offer sacrifices. To intercede. You are to be God's special royal priest. How much of a priest have you been this week? Revelation chapter 1. He has washed us from our sins with his blood and made us to be, what does it say?

Kings and priests to God. Have you acted like a king this week? Have you acted like a priest this week? Have you acted like a royal priest? You see, now we say, oh, God is so good. He has raised us from our sins.

Of course he has. The Bible is clear. We can be crucified with Christ. We can be buried with Christ. We can be raised with Christ. Do you remember the verse I read? Back to verse 6. And he has raised us together with Christ and seated us with Christ in the heavenly realms.