Sermons - Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

Giants and Grasshoppers - Appendix 2

Aug 29, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: Giants and Grasshoppers

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Col 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us.....

We will take a final look at prayer in connection with the spiritual warfare as we bring this series to a close.

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Sunday August 29th 2021
Giants and Grasshoppers
Appendix 2

1). Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Col 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Eph 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

Col 1:3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

Although prayer is not specifically listed as part of the whole armor of God, we have come to see in our past weeks of study that our prayers form an integral part of our faith to the saving of the soul and therefore have an inseparable connection with our engagement in the spiritual warfare, which is directed towards that end. Particularly as we have seen prayers that we can pray taken directly from the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit.
	a). And as we looked at prayer in relation to having victory in the spiritual warfare, that we may rule with Christ in the 7th Day, we had seen it to include three interrelated and interdependent areas. The first of which we find from Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

And then from Colossians 4:2 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

And it is also found in other places - 1Th 5:17 pray without ceasing,

1Pe 4:7 ¶ But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

It is praying always, with all prayer and supplication for all the saints with regard to receiving the Word of truth, to grow to maturity, to have on the whole armor of God, to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
b). And the second part to this we find in Ephesians 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

And in Colossians 4:3-4 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

This is prayer that Paul asked for himself, which specifically requested that opportunity would be given to him to speak the mystery of Christ with boldness, both to those who already understood the mystery and those who would come to understand through his preaching. And this is a request that Paul had made many times – Ro 15:30 ¶ Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,

1Th 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.

And this is also the request of the writer of Hebrews - Heb 13:18 ¶ Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.

This then is prayer for those who preach and teach the Word of the Kingdom that they might not be overcome by the wiles of the devil, and that through their preaching of the Word of truth, faith to the saving of the soul would come to those who hear it.
	c). And the third area we find in Ephesians 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:

And in Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you

This is Paul praying for those God had entrusted to his care. And this again is common in his writings - 2Co 13:7 ¶ Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. 8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, that you may be made complete.

Php 1:9 ¶ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

2Th 1:11 ¶ Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ro 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Phm 1:4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers,

2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,

And so, to draw all these together, within the context of the spiritual warfare, we see that those engaged in the warfare are always to pray not only for themselves but also especially for those engaged in the warfare with them with a specified focus and intent. And as we have seen, the prayers that Paul prayed, recorded in Ephesians and Colossians, are the ideal way to go.
	d). And specifically, as we pray for one another, those who are the recipients of the Word of the Kingdom are to pray for those who preach and teach the Word. We will come back to this later.
	e). And the pastor/teachers are to pray for those whom God has entrusted to their care.
	f). And as we have seen that which is at the heart of all these prayers is the desire for each one to be continually filled with the Spirit, to come to a place of spiritual maturity, to be victorious in the spiritual warfare, to receive the salvation of their soul at the Judgment Seat – 
1 Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

What will happen in that Day when we appear there is of such indescribable significance that not only should it constantly occupy our thoughts and be the focus of our study and the motivation for our actions but also be the purpose for our prayers.

2). To understand the reason for, and the importance of, praying for those who preach and teach the Word of the Kingdom, we can go to – 
Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge [epignosis] of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The Lord has Himself given pastor/teachers to the church for specifically revealed purposes; to equip the saints for the work of ministry that the body of Christ might be edified. And what better way for the body of Christ to be built up than through the prayers of the saints; this is ministry to one another.
	a). We see that through the work of the pastor/teachers all are to come to the unity of the faith and of the [epignosis] knowledge of the Son of God. That each one is to grow up in all things, to grow to spiritual maturity so as not to be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. And the means by which this is to be accomplished is through the preaching and teaching of the Word of the Kingdom, that will allow the Holy Spirit to bring about the metamorphosis in those with ears to hear.
	b). To pray for the pastor/teachers in the way that Paul asked for prayer for himself ,as we saw in Ephesians Chapter 6 and Colossians Chapter 4, is to ask for the mystery of the gospel to be preached boldly, so that the ‘Theopneustos’ Word is continually available to those who are seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness – Ro 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

And to pray for pastor/teachers in this way is in complete alignment with God’s stated purpose for giving pastor/teachers to the Church in the first place. Not to do so would be to shoot ourselves in the foot. 
c). This then is prayer to ask the Lord to fulfill His purpose for His Church via the ‘gifts’ He has given to that end.

3). And I am sure we have realized, that these three aspects of prayer, all with their focus on the many sons being brought to glory in the 7th Day, provide an amplification of that which the Lord had told His disciples in what we have come to call ‘the Lord’s prayer’ – Lk 11:2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

And we might remember that the Lord had also given His own commentary on these verses through the account of the friend coming at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread, demonstrating the importance of always praying – Lk 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

From all of this it is very clear what the focus and the purpose and the consistency of our prayer needs to be.
	a). We have in this been focusing on prayer with respect to the household of faith, those presently engaged in the spiritual warfare, which of necessity would be Christians. But there is another aspect to our prayers that needs to be added, that is no less important, which is implicit in the Lord’s words recorded in Luke 11:2, that we find in – 
Ro 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

Ps 122:3 Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together, 4 Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the LORD, To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.”

Ru 4:14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! 15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

As we pray for ourselves and all who are in pursuit of the Kingdom with us, as we look to the coming of Christ’s Kingdom and the many sons to be brought to glory, we must keep ever before us what the coming of that Day will mean for God’s adopted firstborn son, Israel.
	b). In fact, given the inseparable connection between Israel and the completion of God’s purpose for the age to come, it would be remiss to say the least not to pray for the coming time of their deliverance and restoration.
	c). It was Paul’s prayer that Israel may be saved, which they will be in that future Day. David, in Psalm 122, prophetically described Israel in that future Day having returned to the land in repentance and restoration. And with the certainty of that end in view David says, ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem’. Pray for that Day when Jerusalem will be at peace with the Prince of Peace in their midst. And with the admonishment to pray comes the encouragement to those who will love the Jewish people enough to pray for their peace, ‘may they prosper who love you.’
	d). Ruth, a type of the faithful Christian, had certainly loved Naomi, a type of the nation of Israel, and because of this Ruth had ‘prospered’ through her marriage to Boaz. And we see that Ruth, who loved Naomi, was better to her than seven sons. In the coming Day of Christ’s Kingdom, His Bride will have the same love for Israel as her husband. This will be love for the Jewish people brought to its fulness.
	e). And although it remains imperfect in the present, our love for the Jewish people will be expressed through our prayers for them, and for the Day when peace will fill their city – Ge 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

And where has our understanding of, and appreciation for, the enormous debt we owe to the sons of Israel come from that we would be moved by compassion to pray for them? From the preaching and teaching of the Word of the Kingdom that has shown us the central, pivotal, role that Israel has in the fulfillment of God’s purpose for the 7th Day - De 32:9 For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. 10 “He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple [pupil] of His eye.

4). Our prayers for the saints, for the preaching and teaching of the Word of the Kingdom and for Israel’s deliverance and restoration all come together in the Book of the Revelation – Re 5:8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The context for this verse we will remember is the Lamb having been found worthy to take the 7 sealed scroll from His Father’s right hand, the event that is the prelude to the process of the redemption of the inheritance. A process that is brought to completion through the opening of the seals on the scroll. A process that will both redeem the inheritance and bring national Israel to repentance, and ultimately restoration.
a). And what we see in Revelation 5:8 will take place following the events of the Judgment Seat where the Bride of Christ will be revealed, those faithful Christians for whom the inheritance is to be redeemed. Those who will have been kept by the power of God through faith for this moment. Those who will have put on the whole armor of God and will have prayed, by faith, in accordance with the prayers we have been looking at.
b). All then has to do with bringing to fulfillment God’s plans and purposes for His three firstborn sons that have been set in place from ‘in beginning’ – Ge 1:26 ¶ Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion……………..

Re 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-- 27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' --as I also have received from My Father;

Isa 2:2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
	
And we see from Revelation 5:8, that once ‘the Lamb’ had taken the scroll that the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders fell down to worship the Lamb each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense which is said to be ‘the prayers of the saints.’ And the purpose of the incense would be to provide a pleasing aroma for God the Father.
	c). And the thing that should strike us as we look at this is that the prayers of the saints are brought to the forefront within a very specific context – the beginning of the process of the redemption of the inheritance.
	d). These same prayers, the prayers of the saints, then appear again in – Re 8:1 ¶ When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand.

On this occasion we see the prayers of the saints ascending before God the Father in connection with the opening of the 7th seal on the 7 sealed scroll. The last seal, which marks the final phase of the redemption of the inheritance which will be brought to pass through the trumpet and bowl judgments contained within the 7th seal, encompassing Israel being brought to repentance and the Lord’s return to the earth to overthrow Gentile world power for all time.
	e). And so, we see the prayers of the saints directly connected to the events that are a prelude to the redemption of the inheritance, the time of Jacob’s trouble, and then directly connected to the events that bring that redemption, that time of trouble, to its conclusion.
	f). And as we consider this, we will realize that these ‘prayers of the saints’ are not any random prayer that has ever been prayed by any Christian. These are prayers in relation to one thing, the redemption of the inheritance and those for whom it is to be redeemed. Prayers for the deliverance and restoration of Israel, to bring peace to Jerusalem. These are the very prayers then that we have been studying. The prayers we are to pray for one another, the prayers we are to pray for the pastor/teachers, the prayers the pastor/teachers pray for those entrusted to them, and the prayers we are all to pray for the Jewish people. The prayers prayed by the faithfully obedient within the context of the spiritual warfare, those who will have had on the whole armor of God, who will have had faith to the saving of the soul, and love for God’s chosen people, Israel.

4). Ru 3:11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.

Ruth Chapter 3 provides a type of the faithful Christian appearing at Christ’s Judgment Seat. And the very presence of faithful Christians there will make the request to the Lord to redeem the inheritance for them, ‘I will do for you all that you request.’
	a). But let’s also consider that the presence of faithful Christians will have been preceded by the prayers of the same. Prayers that have consistently asked for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom in the 7th Day. Prayers for the many sons to be brought to glory and prayers for the peace of Jerusalem. All having been collected in ‘golden bowls.’
	b). And as the faithful are revealed at the Judgment Seat so their previously prayed prayers remain a sweet-smelling aroma before the Lord, as the process to bring about the very thing, they have prayed for, is set in motion.
	c). And as that process is brought to its conclusion so the prayers of the saints come once more before the Lord and are honored by Him, ‘I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.

And in that Day when the prayers of the saints are fulfilled in their fullness so the rulers of the darkness of this age will be no more, and total, irreversible victory in the spiritual warfare will be complete.
	d). And not only will those who will have put on the whole armor of God stand up out from the rest at the Judgment Seat, but they will also stand with Him as a joint ruler in the age to come – 1 Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers;

If we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed – next week there will be more.

Giants and Grasshoppers - Appendix 2

Refresh A Recap from the Sermon

Giants and Grasshoppers - Appendix 2

Aug 29, 2021

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: Giants and Grasshoppers

Category: Sunday Morning

Refresh
A Recap from the Sermon