Romans 12:12c

Again this week. We're not we're not going back through like we did in in nine

But I Wanted to spend a little time a little bit of time here because I know For some folks, maybe not the people here.

But for some folks it is They have questions about prayer

How effective is it? How do I do it? How do I do it? Is there a certain way you can do it in a certain way?

You shouldn't do it. The answer that is yes But I wanted to spend some time here

I'm not exactly being topical Here we are sticking with The theme of the text, but I did want to spend some time on these four words as we normally do.

We'll start in verse 1 This Paul says I Appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice

Holy and acceptable to God Which is your spiritual worship?

Do not be conformed to this world But be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern

What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect?

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you

Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

But to think with sober judgment Each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned

For as in one body we have many members and the members do not all have the same function

So we though many are one body in Christ and individually members one of another

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. Let us use them if prophecy in proportion to our faith if service in our serving

The one who teaches in his teaching the one who exhorts in his exhortation the one who contributes in generosity the one who leads with zeal the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness

Let love be genuine Abhor what is evil?

Hold fast to what is good love one another with brotherly affection Outdo one another in showing honor

Do not be slothful in zeal be fervent in spirit serve the

Lord Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation Be constant in prayer.

So the section that I want to focus on today is that Last clause in verse 12 be constant in prayer

What does Paul mean by this? Exactly. It's easy to look at the text and say well, he means pray all the time constantly

But if you think about it a little bit hard, that is what he means But I want to dig into that what does it mean to constantly be in prayer

So I want to just take a moment and hang out there for a little bit the word that is translated as constant here is also translated as instant or Continually now if our view of prayer is that we have to be on our knees and we have to have our hands together and we

Have to be pointed in a certain direction Obviously you can't do that all day

That's not what Paul is talking about. That is not the way that a Christian prays according to Strong's the

Greek word proskuterio Conveys a sense of steadfast dedication.

It implies a continuous and persistent effort towards a particular activity or purpose Something else that may come to mind is the working of a muscle for training or a particular goal that you have that you work toward till it's end perhaps when some of us think of praying we consider it as a thing that we do as I said before at a certain time of the day or In the morning when we get up perhaps when we go to sleep or both when we eat

When we've done things we ought not Have done Perhaps some of us only participate in corporate prayer as I said last week

Certainly there are those of us Saints who in our ignorance only pray in tribulation when we're hurting or only pray

When we're being blessed But in this constant pursuit that Paul means and when he's talking about prayer this constant pursuit and perfecting the act of prayer being always an

Open Dialogue between you and your father Now that may have been the first time that you've heard it phrased that way

But I'll get to that here in a second but talking to your heavenly father every moment of every day

It's keeping a running dialogue open He speaks to us in his word He doesn't speak to us in our heads he doesn't answer back when we pray

He answers us in his word everything that he has to say to his

Saints. He has said already There's no more he needs say That's where we go to hear him

He hears us when we pray. So when we wake up in the morning and we thank him for the day

When we have work to go do and we thank him for his provision When we have a meal

When we are tempted in sin When the

Holy Spirit moves us from that temptation or when we pray to get out of that temptation Every moment of every day is an opportunity for prayer that is provided to us an open line straight to God the

Father No one else can make such a boast No one in this way as I said before talking about protection prayer being a method of protection from the temptation of sin when when when you were at a stage where you can see us in and You want to sin in the flesh and you know, you shouldn't pray

Thwart the temptation with prayer John Bunyan deals with this in the pilgrims progress

Which we've been going through and in our little group, I'm gonna say small group because that's not what it is, but On Saturday mornings when we when we meet and have breakfast

But in the pilgrims progress after Christians fight and victory over Apollyon Who's the devil by the way?

That's it's a name for the devil He must travel through what is called the shadow of the valley of death

This is what it says in that section Now in about the middle of the valley,

I observed the mouth of hell It stood hard against the narrow way when

Christian saw it he wondered what he should do because of his because of the flames and Sparks that poured out from it.

I'm sorry because of the flames and And smoke that poured out from it not to mention the sparks and hideous noises

These things had no respect for Christians sword such as Apollyon had shown

Now to give you some reference biblical reference there the sword of the Spirit Which is the

Word of God. This is Ephesians 6 17 The cookers progress is nothing but an allegory of the

Christian life if you didn't know and I'm lucky enough to have a copy that has every reference possible in it

But this is the sword that he's speaking of so when he comes into contact with the devil the devil has a certain reverence even for the

Word of God but these things do not and it says he was forced to put up his sword and To take another weapon called all prayer

This comes from a verse In Ephesians that says praying at all times in the

Spirit with all prayer and supplication This continues to protect

Christian as he walks through the valley It protects him and it protects his mind from the whispers from the things

That are in the mist in the valley Tempting him with all sorts of sin and blasphemies

But to go to where those reference were those references were

Ephesians 6 13 through 18 It says this Paul says therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand firm stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and Having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shoes

For your feet, I'm sorry and as shoes for your feet having put on the readiness

Given by the gospel of peace in all circumstances Take up the shield of faith with with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the

Spirit which is the Word of God praying at all times in the Spirit with all or every kind of prayer and supplication

Now Paul doesn't mean you've got to go and find these items. That's not what

Paul is referencing Paul is taking prayer and faith and the Word of God and these things and applying them metaphorically to What a

Roman soldier would wear fitting himself for battle Because it's

Saints. That's what we do. We fit ourselves for battle Our fight isn't a physical one.

It's one of truth versus lies and Our primary truth being that of the gospel, but I thought it poignant that when the word didn't work

Anymore when these things Didn't have a reverence for the word what he turned to His prayer not necessarily just as a weapon though.

It did fend them off and in the allegory But to protect his mind

Much in the same way that it is better for us to consume healthy food

It is better for us spiritually to consume Healthy literature or entertainment education it is also vastly healthy for us

Spiritually when we pray not for some psychological reason You hear all these people talk today.

Well, yeah, you should pray meditate and do all these things It's really good for your brain and relieving stress. That's not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking I'm saying it is good for you to pray to your Heavenly Father Because God is always there always

It didn't matter that Christian was alone in this valley Because he wasn't alone

David Thanking God in Psalm 30 in his tribulations When it was just him in the wilderness and the whole kingdom of Israel is looking to kill him

It wasn't alone there's not a single reason in our lives

For a single season that we should not be in prayer

Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7 say this do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God and The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and make your mind think

Will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus One thing prayer will most certainly do

Is keep Christ at the center of your mind? One of the last things

I want to mention here Though At page left is that we have this privilege of prayer as I mentioned before Then no one else has

No one in Hebrews 4 14 and 16

The writer says since then we have a great high priest

Who has passed through the heavens Jesus the Son of God Let's let whole let us hold fast our confession

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to send sympathize with our weaknesses

But one who in every risk respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin

Let us then with confidence Draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need

Also if you remember earlier from Romans in Romans 8 verse 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear

But you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry

Abba Father There are no creatures on the face of the earth.

They can make such bold acclaim as Saints can We're as children and some people may say yeah, but we're adopted

You don't understand adoption If that's the thought that you have our

Heavenly Father loves us Through Christ Jesus, which means he loves us all the same not because of us but because of him

There's no separation there in that love and while others in the world

May say Oh Lord God Or Oh God of the heavens or God of Israel Or God of this or that God of Abraham We stand by and can boldly claim

Father one thing that we have in our culture, which

I Absolutely detest because it's permeated Christian culture. So well is this idea and this is the phrase

The American version for the European version of God helps those who help themselves

Do you know want to know what the original phrase is? comes from ancient Greece and the original phrase is

God's Help those who help themselves, which makes a whole lot more sense in a polytheistic religion, doesn't it?

The idea that God would only help someone if they're already doing the work

Is absolutely antithetical to everything that scripture says You can't do the work.

That's the whole point. It says it throughout the entire book So this idea that you may have of being independent and having to do independently

From God certain things is utter nonsense stop The whole point of our sanctification has become more and more and more dependent on him

Not that we stand by in slothfulness Waiting for him to do something

But that we understand that all the good that we do Is done because of him because of what he's done

And because we have the Holy Spirit urging us and our sanctification to purify us for the day of glory

No Christian ever should seek any sort of independence from God in any activity whatsoever so after Blathering on as I have how do we pray?

How do we pray Hopefully none of us have this question, but if some of us do certainly there are people out there that don't know how

Or think that they're doing it wrong we're given an a absolute perfect Example scripture, we know it is the

Lord's Prayer The Apostles they say teach us how to pray speaking to Christ and crisis.

Okay, and This is what he says in Matthew 6. He says our father in heaven.

This is the ESV version I know all of us remember it King James Version But I'm I made a decision to stick with the

ESV our father in heaven describing our relationship with God How bold of a statement do you think that is in first century

Jewish society? that he's standing around with these 12 men these these 12

Jewish men and Instead of going Oh Holy God Oh God of Abraham Like the fella at the inauguration of our president the the

Jewish fellow the rabbi who got up there and do his hands in the Air and he said Oh God and you know,

Oh God and then he started praying all these prayers No, Jesus Told his

Apostles. This is how you start our Father who art in heaven not my father who is in heaven our father

It's a complete redefinition of the relationship From what it was

Because what did the Pharisees say? We're sons of Abraham Jesus reply that was no your sons of the devil because you do his will but it's a complete redefinition of that relationship with God hallowed be your name a reverence to the holy name of God Now not specifically the name of God that people keep looking for that is lost to history that the

Jews used and then Stopped using because they didn't want to mess it up but in reference to him

His name his character his person your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven a recognition of his sovereignty and a recognition of his will

That it be done before all else That his will a recognition that his will is more important than what

I want Give us this day our daily bread a prayer or provision of the day or the week

Recognition of his sovereignty even over our daily needs if you remember

Christ points out to his Apostles who are worried that he feeds the birds, doesn't he?

But if he takes care of the birds, do you not think that he'll take care of you He'll give you what you need

It may not be what you want Most of the time as a saint, it's not going to be what you want.

It's going to be exactly what you need Because you're being sanctified

Forgive us our debts or sins as we also forgive our

Debtors or those who have sinned against us prayers of forgiveness the ability to forgive others

Something that certainly every saint every human being needs to work on.

I Know it certainly needs to be got a lot more room to grow in that area But deliver us or lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Number one of a prayer against temptation and also a recognition of the power and authority and glory that belongs to him alone

In that matter and also this idea that you see in Psalms where you simply are asking

God to continue his promise he's promised the thing and You're saying

I recognize that promise and I'm looking forward to you keeping it because I know that you can every part of this prayer and encompasses

Every type of prayer that you could possibly pray except in Precatory What you find in the

Psalms? Where David asked God to smite his enemies, but even in that Deliver us from evil

Right because even as Saints we can recognize that our enemies aren't even the people that want to kill us it's their sin that urges them and And the ideas that they have that's the battle that we fight right

What we expect we should feel towards the people is sympathy

Because their minds are Corrupted which is why

Every time that you see one of the Apostles in Acts or spoken about in an epistle when they're in jail

What are they doing? They're in the gospel With the people who've imprisoned them and praying

And singing so Take this in mind as you go forward through the week how you structure your prayer

You can pray for things If you are looking for a new job

Or if you're looking for a new place to live or if you're wanting to pass a test or you're wanting to do this or that Take it to him take

Everything to him his answer may be no But there's nothing that you can't take to him and just because I heard it the other day

I'm gonna bring it up this idea that is permeated Christian culture in the United States in the

West of I ain't got to pray because I can declare it. I can think it hard enough

Is paganism That's what that is You can't think hard enough to make anything come into existence

If you could I'd be a magician Right.

Also the world would be super gloomy. It would just be terrible if everybody got what they wanted Thank you by his grace

That we don't all get what we want. Anyway, take absolutely everything to him doesn't matter how big doesn't matter how small