I Will Pray The Father

I Will Pray The Father Delighted to be here, Paula and I have been praying. I hope you have been too Not losing Church family, just gained some more members Office Hours 8-11 most days of the week, stop by and chat, you’re not bothering Today after service snacks downstairs Business meeting next week then singing/dinner the following Sunday Preaching trajectory-3 week Thanksgiving series followed by our look at the advent season. After that, Colossians then in March John. Pray over Operation Christmas Child Have you ever had anyone you look up to and admire pray for you? How did it feel? It's a humbling experience isn't it? There is nothing like a group of believers doing what the bible says and praying for one another. When I left Kentucky, I had a group of men that I respected and admired pray for me. Those men happened to be men I was speaking to at Green River Correctional Complex. You know, those men knew how to pray. There is something that happens when you strip the world away and all you have left is God that puts you in a position to pray with urgency. It was an emotional experience. A humbling experience. As great as it was for those men to pray over me and as humbling as it was I'm sure for your experience as well there is another who prays for you that should humble you to your knees. In John 14, Jesus began to clearly reveal to His disciples that He was about to leave them. They didn't fully understand what was happening. They had expected the Messiah to establish His kingdom on earth and free them from Roman oppression. That didn't happen and they had great uncertainty, great distress. Some of you are faced with similar feelings today. Lingering anxiety over this pandemic, a change in pastors, job market insecurity, the potential for war, 1 all of it brings worries and sometimes anxiety. Later in John Chapter 16 He reasoned with them, though, of how beneficial this would be for them that He went away. In John 16:7 Jesus says, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you but if I depart, I will send Him to you." The fact that He, after ascending into heaven, would become our intercessor before the Father would be for our profit. He promises this clearly in John 14:16. Jesus says, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever". That statement, friends, should make you excited. It should feel you with joy. It should encourage you. It should humble you to your knees. The word for “another” in the greek is interesting. There are actually two words that can be translated from the Greek into the word, “another”. The first word is Heteros. It means, “another of a different kind”. This is the word used, for instance when John the Baptist was in prison and sent word to Jesus asking Him if we was the one promised or should we look for “another”. This is not the word Christ used here. The word Christ used is “allos” and here it meant specifically "another of the same kind". Someone like Jesus Himself who will take His place and do His work. The Spirit of Christ is the third Person of the Trinity, having the same essence of deity as Jesus and as perfectly one with Him as He is with the Father. Jesus is here talking about the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, who is like Jesus in deity, in power, in love... What an incredible hope we have to know that when Christ said, "I will pray the father" He wasn't declaring what He would do for the apostles only but for His own. For you, for me. And He will do it continually. He was not saying that He would bring a couple of petitions, throw a few prayers the Father's way for us every now and then, but He would represent His people in the throne room of Heaven FOREVER! Hebrews 7:24 says, " But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." This describes the work of Christ on behalf of His believers even to this day. The words after He said, "I will pray the father" shows this continual provision as well. He said, "and He shall give you another comforter". "Comforter" is not as 2 good of a translation as it could be. You see, the modern version of this word tends to be one of soothing or coming alongside gently and making you feel better. You see, when this word was used in 1611 it had a different meaning, and one that better explains this word. It is a compound word from Cum (with) and Forte (power). The Holy Spirit does indeed comfort us in mourning, in adversity, in trials, but His main purpose is to come alongside us and give us power! Power to turn from sin and darkness, the power to speak boldly the gospel of Jesus Christ, the power to go against the tide of the culture and live a life for God! Isn't that good news? Isn't God good? He has in his sovereignty actually given us three ways of intercession: 1. Other people: The bible tells us so many times to pray for one another. The bible proclaims in James 5:16 that, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." There are SO many other passages admonishing us to pray for one another. Let me ask you.. How are you doing as your role of intercessor? When was the last time you prayed for someone other than your family outside of church? When was the last time you shed a tear for someone other than your own? When was the last time you got on your knees before God with a sense of urgency and a burden crying out to God for someone other than yourself? Oh, that we should repent of our apathy. Oh, that we should confess and repent of our negligence in this matter! I want Common Ground Church to be a praying church. I need them, my family nees them, you need them.... and I don't mean just a blanket lets pray for everyone during the service I mean let's call people by name out to God in our own prayer time. I'd love to see this church open its doors once or twice a month for a time of intercession for each other where we come together and pray. Bishop Julius Calvin Tremble is quoted as saying, "No prayer, no power, little prayer, little power, much prayer, much power." There's power in prayer! Don't know what or who to pray for? I belive also we need a whether its just online or a program, an actual prayer request list. As Pete said last week, let's all in a state of humility consider each other in prayer. 2. The Holy Spirit which resides in all believers. Romans 8:26-27 tells us, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings 3 which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God". 3. Christ. Romans 8:34 tells us, "Who is he that condems? it is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. So, we see externally we have our brothers and sisters interceding for us. Internally we have the Holy Spirit interceding for us, and in the Heavenly courts we have Jesus Christ that intercedes continuously for us. What an incredible thought! I will tell you that if it wasn't for the prayers of my savior on my behalf, I wouldn't be standing here speaking to you today. I so very much appreciate all of the prayers of Godly men and women that have shaped and formed my life but I am eternally grateful for the prayers of Jesus Christ to the Father on my behalf, and If Iyou don’t remember anything else from this message, remember this: CHRIST PRAYS FOR YOU! There is no comfort comparable, no gift as precious- in your own valleys, in your own despair, when the tears hit your pillows at night, when horror becomes reality, when adversity strikes, when you get that phone call from the Doctor, When you family is falling apart, when your church splits, when sin overcomes you and you find yourself far away from your relationship with the father, when your children seem to turn their back on God, When that coworker or former church member slanders your name, when temptation overcomes and you find yourself in a season of rebellion, when illness comes to a loved one- CHRIST PRAYS FOR YOU.. CHRIST HAS ALWAYS PRAYED FOR YOU AND CHRIST WILL NEVER STOP PRAYING FOR YOU UNTIL HE RECEIVES YOU INTO GLORY, CHRIST PRAYS FOR YOU! He prays for you in ways we cannot pray. Where we lack wisdom, he prays with perfect wisdom, where we lack love, He prays with perfect love. And when we lack prayers He still prays. His prayers have an atoning effect because it is based upon his position as our high priest. And just as the high priest would enter the holy of holies to make intercession for God's people Christ does the same. The priest would have the 12 tribes written on his sleeve to be their representation 4 before God. Christ has his people's name written on Him as well. Isaiah 49:16 prophetically says, "behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands"..... and just so you know, He did it with a rusty nail at Calvary. So, Christs appearance before the father is enough for all things: The Father's satisfaction, our justification, even our own sinful prayers cleaned up and received by the father, everything. Having the Son as your savior, you can have the confidence that, after his ascension Jesus Christ, the one by whom and for whom all things were created, the one that upholds all things by the word of His power, the one that created everything post nihilo, out of nothing, the one whom was given all authority in Heaven and on Earth is even at the right hand of the father making intercession for you. But know this, this precious truth is for those that have repented, turned away from sin and darkness and by grace through faith turned to the finished work of Christ and are now trusting in Christ alone for their eternity. So how about you? Does Christ pray for you? Have you placed your trust in the cross or are you still clinging to your own works? Have you acknowledged before the father your sins and asked for forgiveness? If so, be encouraged, Christ prays for you. If not, I beg you, come speak to me or one of the leaders here. Or go home and do business with God. Church, we're going to be OK. We have one that is praying for us. Amen. 5 6 7 8