The Prayers of the Saints

What is most important to your life's happiness? What is the most important thing to your life's happiness? Now, come on. We're all humans, right? We all have human passions and ideals and wants and the needs that we have and the ambitions that we have. What is it that you really feel would make you happy?

A few years ago, the U.S. News & World Report ran an article entitled, The Happy Index, and they did a poll of Americans and asked them, tell us the three things in your life that would help contribute to your happiness, your fulfillment.

Number one was career. 32% said career was the number one thing that would rank in their happiness index. The next one in line, ringing in at 28%, was family life. Below that, at 18%, was income, the amount of money you get from your career. So the first two out of three are about money and work. The next was health, and that came in at 12% of respondents said, number four of importance and happiness is health. The last two were spiritual life and relationship with spouse was below that. 11% and 10%. So you see at the top, there's really a pursuit of things, material things, and ambitions, goals, and objectives that a person would pursue, and a certain amount of people around to enjoy it with, the family life. But when it came down to relationships, spiritual life and an actual relationship with a spouse, those were dead last. Only one in ten people mentioned those. Well, where does happiness come from? Jesus tells us something that you and I wouldn't know by ourselves over in Luke 12, verses 15-24. Luke 12, verse 15, He said, take heed. In other words, think about this. Take heed of what I'm going to say. This is important. And beware of covetousness. For one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Now, obviously, Jesus Christ didn't know a whole lot about happiness because if you go out here on the interstate on Fridays and see people heading out of town to get happy, you know, it's a convoy of RVs, of quads, every conceivable kind of jet ski and boat and trailer and sand buggy. It's just piled as high as you can get. I remember back when we used to live in the Midwest, it's allowable in some states to not only have a trailer, but to have two trailers. So you have your big motorhome, and then you have your big trailer with all the quads and all the toys on that, and behind that you get your boat, your ski boat. And very commonly, those rigs would have the sticker on the last one that says, the one with the most toys wins. And so, you know, what is it that Christ is missing here? Obviously, it's about things, and life does consist of things, right? Well, we as humans tend to sense that and know that somehow, and yet somehow the reality doesn't work out very well. I was visiting one of you, or a couple of you, this week, and coming into the house, there were some boxes stacked around. A nice large house, but there's boxes, and I said, oh, you're moving in or moving out, you know? Well, we're not moving at all. We've sort of inherited a lot of things from relatives who have died, I guess. And at least no longer need this stuff, and here it is, in boxes. And as the discussion went on, you know, the things in the boxes aren't really worth so much today as they were when they were bought. They don't have enough, as much meaning, or usefulness, or purpose.

You know, if you go into a box and you pull out a Franklin computer, you know, or the old Atari computer, you know, some of that stuff you think, well, it's a good deal in its day. You get some memory. Oh, that memory, that's really expensive stuff when it's brand new. But a few years later, those memory sticks, you know, you can get them for a buck each on eBay. And before, you're paying a hundred bucks each. So the value of things go down. A car may be a great deal, but, you know, after 20 years, it's hard maybe even get somebody to take it off your hands. And so it is with these things that we acquire, and I don't know, my wife and I are good at this. We have some of those things in boxes, and when we move, we unpack them, and we think, does this still have a useful purpose in our life? And if not, maybe it's time for the garage sale. And sometimes they linger a while till your kids laugh at them. You know, we hauled the metal sculpture around and really enjoyed it for a couple of three decades until finally the kids said no. So I guess it's good to have kids. They kind of warn you about things. But I know that there are relatives that are older than us that are saving some special prized possessions, and someday they want to transfer these on to their grandkids. And I'm thinking, huh, I know what the grandkids are going to do with them. They're going to the Goodwill. And that's sort of the way things are in life, you know? My wife and I are big fans of camping, and camp gear tends to be something that we really appreciate. And we really see some people go all out, like these big old posh motorhomes. They'll spend a quarter of a million dollars for them. You think, wow, that's so much money. I buy their fancy rigs, and when they come into the campground and unfold, you know, they're just really stuff, something.

Well, now, ten years later, you know, those quarter of a million dollar rigs are for sale around here for $35,000, $40,000. You talk about something that devalues fast, and the new ones go for up to a million and a half dollars for a motorhome. And of course, I saw a guy who bought one for a million and a half. He had to turn around and sell it, and he was offering it for about $700,000 in a year. He took a bath of about, what's that, a million dollars or three-quarters of a million dollars? You know, the physical things here on Earth rust. They corrupt. Moths eat them. The sun gets at them.

Time comes and erodes the usefulness and the value of them, including our own body. And so, guess what? Christ says one's life...you can use the word soul there, because soul just means the life, the real life, both physical now and spiritual or eternal, I should say, forever. That life really doesn't consist of the abundance of things he possesses. But what does it consist of, then? What is the big ingredient that's important to our happiness? In verse 16, he said, the ground of a certain rich man yielded plenifully, and he thought within himself, what shall I do?

I have no room to store my crops and my toys and other things, you know? So he said, I'll do this. I'll pull down my barns and I'll make greater ones. And there I will store all my crops and goods. And you see this from time to time, where people will get more and more things, and they'll need more and more room to store those things.

Some of the movie stars will get car collections going, and pretty soon they run out of places to store the cars, and they get bigger places with more garages and maybe multi-levels of garages to store those things. And, you know, it just keeps going and going. But he says, I will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods laid up for many years.

And that's what we all want. We know that's happiness right there. Having everything paid off, lots of money in the bank, lots of toys to use, and retirement. So lots of time to use it. Now that, that has got to be it. Just it. So he says, so take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

Happiness has arrived at last. And we all know how happy people are who win the lottery and get to do all of this, and how wonderfully they live happily ever after, right? Well, God said in verse 20, fool! Fool! In other words, there's folly in your mind. There's something here that is not reality. It's not true.

This night, your life will be required of you, and then those, then whose will those things be which you have provided? And, you know, what about all that you put into all of that, and then poof! It really doesn't contribute to anything long-lasting. You can't take it with you, as they say. Some people try. They get buried in their special RVs or Cadillacs or whatever it is. And, you know, they pile in the stuff.

People, when they bury them, they'll stick in some of their favorite things called grave goods. And they try to take it with you, but, you know, it doesn't go. So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Now, what does that phrase mean?

Not rich towards God. The same thing applies to this human happiness index. It's the same thing that's being discussed here that U.S. News found. Jesus Christ said, Things do not bring happiness, nor are they of long-term value. Rather, it's relationships. Relationships bring value. So what he's saying here, if you're not rich towards God in your relationship, you don't have anything.

And yet, if you are rich towards God in your relationship, Christ said, You don't have to worry about those physical things. Seek first the kingdom of God, and those things will be added unto you. In other words, you're going to be fine in this life. You'll have a certain amount of things in happiness. As we approach the Passover, the criterion involved in observing the Passover properly is having a relationship with God. You know, when it comes down to, don't take the Passover unworthily or in an unworthy manner to your own damnation, things like that, what's he talking about?

He's saying, you better have a relationship with me, otherwise it's just an empty facade, and you'll take it to your own damnation. So as we approach the Passover, we need a strong relationship with God in order to observe that ceremony properly. Otherwise, it's kind of hollow. If you go, I know Christ died for me, but I'm really not talking to him, I don't really have a relationship with God. But, you know, I kind of feel awkward, but I have to take this.

What's the purpose? What's going to be the value of that service? Now, we know that at this time of year, Satan the Devil just hates it when we come up to the forgiveness, when we come up to the spring festivals about forgiveness, repentance, and the reward of eternal life, of reigning with Christ, supplanting him as the ruler of this world. And things can come up that can be discouraging, that can break our relationship with each other and with God if we're not careful.

And it's very conceivable that a person may not be in a strong relationship with God as we come up to the Passover. So I think today is a good time to stop and talk about our relationship with God. And one of the primary factors in strengthening and renewing that relationship on a daily basis. Today the title of the sermon is, The Prayers of the Saints. The prayers of the saints.

And today I'd like to show you why we need to pray, how we need to pray. Seven points about prayer. To begin with, do you realize that most people who have ever lived on this earth have never prayed to God and been heard by him? I think we assume certain things that God is a certain God that we have in our mind and he loves all people and everybody has equal access. God is fair, it's all about equality, Jesus died for everybody, etc., etc. And therefore everybody prays and God hears everybody.

Not so. In fact, most people who have ever lived on this earth have never prayed to God. Period. Never been allowed to. Didn't know that that was even available because it wasn't available.

What we're going to look at here is how special the opportunity is for you and I to even pray to God and be heard by him. Something that we might just take for granted. Oh, I should have prayed more, etc., etc. But do we even realize how precious an opportunity prayer is?

When you go back to Adam and Eve, they didn't pray to God. They only spoke to God when he appeared. When they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, they were cut off from God unless he came and appeared to them. The first recorded person who prayed to God in the Bible was Abraham. And that should begin to show us that prayer in the Bible is between God and those he has called, those he is working with, and those that are part of what we call the New Covenant. Because Abraham and the prophets, and those written in Hebrews 11 specifically, were actually part of the New Covenant in the Old Covenant time.

They were representatives in advance. They worked for Christ before he came to the earth. David had forgiveness. Abraham had forgiveness, even though Christ had not died yet. It was a special circumstance where they were the preachers of righteousness, and holy men and women who were called at that time were given God's Holy Spirit, and their sins were forgiven. The rest of the Israelites and the rest of the world were not. The second person said to have prayed in Scripture was Jacob. The third was Moses. Moses did so frequently.

Moses had God's Holy Spirit. Hannah was a woman who prayed to God. Hannah, I would assume, had God's Holy Spirit. Hannah had a son named Samuel who became the greatest priest in the Old Covenant period. Samuel, of course, prayed often as high priest. David prayed regularly every day. The temple worship and the tabernacle worship was not people coming and praying. They didn't have access to God. If you think about the way the temple and the tabernacle were set up, God lived inside, at least symbolically, He lived in the Holy of Holies.

The Holy of Holies was surrounded and no one ever saw it and nobody ever went in there except once a year on the Day of Atonement when the high priest cleansed himself with a sacrificial type of Jesus Christ's offering and then he was able to go in and offer a sacrifice. The Holy of Holies was surrounded by the Holy Place and the Israelites never went into the Holy Place. What the Israelites could do was they could bring their animal to the altar and they could give it to the priest and the priests could pray and the priests could sacrifice those animals, which were symbolic of the need for an atoning Savior.

But it was the high priest that had direct access to God in that symbolic manner in the tabernacle. Nobody else did. I'd like to raise seven points about prayer. The first one is, what is prayer? This term prayer, what does it mean? Well, the Greek verbs and nouns are translated this way in the Bible to pray, to ask, to make requests, to desire, and to beseech. Prayer is man's attempt to communicate across a dimension to the spirit world, to the great God who created and is the founder of everything.

That's what prayer is. It's communication from the physical world to the supreme God of heaven, who is a spirit being. That in itself is a miracle. And that opportunity is out of this world, shall we say. The second point is, who can pray? Who can pray? I might surprise you a little bit if I say that only certain people can pray to God, and only God will hear the prayers of certain people. We like to sometimes, as humans, reinvent our own type of God. We like to think that, as I said, God is fair, and God has equality.

And we like to think of a fair God, and certainly God wouldn't do this, and He wouldn't exclude those, or He wouldn't bless certain people and not others. God must be a fair God, because we're all about fairness and equality, and we know it's good. Well, let me tell you something. God is not fair. God is not fair. Don't think of God as fair. He is not fair. If you want just one example of the unfairness of the way God works, why would Jesus Christ, who never sinned, who made you and me and went to the ends of this universe to create the world for us, come here and be accused of everything that every human who ever lived has done wrong, and be guilty of it, and say, yes, that's me, and die for it?

And the Father, who does not touch sin or sinners, backs off from Him and leaves Him alone as He finishes His life and says, Father, Father, why have You forsaken Me? Because He really did have all of our sins on Him. Is that fair? And all the millions of little unfair things like, why are you called now? Why am I called now? Why aren't our neighbors or people in the world who are so much more religious and so much more careful and trying so hard to do what they think God wants than you and I?

Why do we end up being given the opportunity to reign with Christ? Why is there a small firstfruits that gets to have the first resurrection and be kings and priests with Christ? Is that fair? No, it's not, is it? It's not fair. Why does Abraham get to be over all the nations reigning under Christ? Why does David, who had such an open sin, a murderous heart, an adulterous relationship that was just over the top, why does he get to reign over twelve tribes of Israel and not some of the good people, the good people, who never did things like that?

So when we ask the question, who can pray, God has in his mind a certain plan and everybody will ultimately get an opportunity to pray, to be chosen, to have his Holy Spirit and to be saved.

But he has developed a situation where some come early and some come later, and some come after that, and some come after that.

Who can pray? Let's go to 1 Peter 3 and verse 12. 1 Peter 3 and verse 12. I say these things not to put down anybody, but so that we can have an understanding, a grasp of the special opportunity that is available to those being called now, just like that opportunity was available to those patriarchs and those people whom God called at a certain time in the past, just as it will be available to those in the Millennial period and those in the Second Resurrection in their own time.

Our time is now. In 1 Peter 3 and verse 12, it says, For the eyes of the Lord are on all the inhabitants on the earth, and he listens to everybody. Did I read that correctly? I didn't, did I? For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers.

That's who God is listening to. That is who is able to be heard on high. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. In 1 Corinthians 7, verses 13 and 14, we see a statement here about divorce and remarriage and concerning converted and unconverted mates and their children. He says, And the woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.

Verse 14, For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife. Now there is a special relationship. For some reason, God has made it that within a household, people living within a household in a nuclear family, all have the opportunity to pray and be heard by God, if they want to. And they all have the opportunity to respond to a calling if they want to. It's not that God has reached out and said, I'm calling you now, this is your time for calling, but the door is open.

They're sanctified. And so it says here, The unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. The unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife. Otherwise, your children would be unclean. They don't have God's Holy Spirit. But now they are holy. So the juvenile children living at home are also holy in God's eyes. They can approach the throne of God. If they choose to, they can walk into the throne room and speak directly to God. Why? Because there's a converted mate in that household that for some reason God allows that.

That's a wonderful opportunity if the person wants to choose it. Now, if the person wants to leave the household, grow up and leave, then that no longer applies. So if we go on to Hebrews 2 and verse 11, For both he, this is Christ, who sanctifies, and those who are being sanctified, are all of one. We now begin to see there is something special about this group in the eyes of God. There's a unity, there's a oneness. What we're going to see is there's a family growing here.

And God is building a family, and therefore He wants communication, He wants to help, He wants to participate in the development of these particular individuals. If you're not worried about the rest of humanity at this time, that will come in their own time.

Right now He's working with this group of people. So the one here that does chapter 2 and verse 11, The one who does the sanctification, and those who are being sanctified, are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Brothers, sisters, family. Saying, I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you.

And again, I will put my trust in Him, and again, Here am I, and the children whom God has given me. Those are the ones who are sanctified, and those are the righteous, those who are pursuing righteousness whom God is listening to. In 1 Timothy 2, verse 8 and 9, here we see Paul talking to Timothy, the evangelist, 1 Timothy 2 and verse 8.

I desire therefore that the men, he's talking about men and women in the church, this is the topic, the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. So what this group of family is to do is to be involved in prayer, lifting up the holy hands. Now, does that mean when you pray you should lift up your hands? Absolutely not. That's not what is being spoken of here. What is being spoken of is, remember, when people used to come with their animal to sacrifice it, the blood was going to represent atonement for their sins so that they could have a relationship, at least with the priest who could pray to God.

They took the animal and they held the sacrificial animal humbly up to the priest to kill it. Now what he's saying, you come with that mentality, the holy hands this time. You come with the mind of, I am coming in sacrifice, I'm coming to the one who sacrificed for me. I am coming in repentance, in humility. As it were, I am looking for that sacrifice, I'm accepting that sacrifice. And pray in that mind, pray with that mentality. In verse 9, the first verse, 8, is about men, and that word actually means males. Verse 9, In like manner also that the women, okay? In like manner that the women also.

Now he's going to talk about things of humility, he's going to talk about things of a personal sacrifice, but also the women would pray. Does it mean only that men pray and not the women? No, not at all. Let's take a look at that. In 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 13. 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 15. Well, verse 13.

1 Corinthians 11, 13 and 15. Judge among yourselves, is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? So women are to pray just like men. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? No, it's not. A woman should have her head covered. In verse 15. But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.

So that's it. A woman should have hair the length of a woman. And not, you know, a buzz job like some marine that, you know, just got out of boot camp. She ought to be a woman with women hair, a woman type hair. And so here we see then, who can pray, really? Everybody can try to pray. And I'm not saying that people shouldn't try to pray and want to pray, etc., etc. But the Bible reveals that God has allowed the world to be blinded.

So seeing they cannot see, hearing they cannot hear, that the world has been blinded and they cannot understand. God is simply not working with the world at this time. But God's ear is on the righteous and He hears their prayers. Why? Because they're better? No. The first fruits are those who God is working at, at this particular time. Now, that's not fair. But God is not fair. Now, when we look at the next question, which is, or the next part of this question, who can pray?

We see then that men can pray, women can pray, and children can pray. As we saw there in 1 Corinthians 7, the children are holy as well. Whoever is serious about God and trusting God, has faith, trusts Him, is trying to obey Him and needs help, and wishes to praise and thank Him, giving thanks. These are all types of prayers and aspects of prayers. And certainly, this is for anybody that has those feelings and appreciations. And it's up to God who He hears.

But I'm just pointing out to you, between you and me, we have a very, very special opportunity that did not exist before the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and does not exist to humanity at large at this time. What are we doing with that opportunity? That's the opportunity to develop a relationship with God by speaking to Him.

It's interesting to see the desire of little children who want to pray. Our granddaughter, Cadence, was here recently. She said, I want to pray, I want to pray, I want to give the prayer. And she would put her head down and she would think, and she would talk to God, and she would have some things on her mind to say. And I think she's three years old.

And it's interesting to observe the children as they pray. Remember Joshua Cox. You know, you get the family has activities over at the Cox's household sometime. And you know, you've got the important ministers are there, and the deacons are there, and the family's there, and the food's all getting cooked, and it's special food. And, okay, now it's time for the dinner. And, Josh, I'll say the prayer. Oh, do you want to say the prayer, Josh? Yeah, I want to say the prayer. I want to talk to God and thank God. Joshua put his head down. He's about eight now, I think.

And he'll put his head down, and he'll have a meaningful discussion with God about the things, the Sabbath, the food, the people, the church. I remember, Kaverin Hoyer in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago, visited with their family. And, you know, it comes time for the meal, and here we are at a restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant in an old part of town where the ceiling panels literally are kind of falling in, and there weren't too many people there, and not many people spoke English anyway.

And Kaverin wanted to say the prayer, and his dad says, okay. And, you know, it's just awesome to hear a child want to explain and express themselves in that way. Nikki Knudsen, you know, if you haven't heard Nikki, think about, and then want to talk and express himself to God. As he works through the prayer, it's very serious.

In fact, Zarek, our middle grandson, Zarek is especially, just captures my heart to see him because he's five now, and he'll furrow his brow and think really hard about everything he's saying, and he'll talk about the things that are going on in the family and outside. He remembers all of you, and he talks about the brethren and the challenges that you face, and then he'll pause for a second, and then he'll go on and then begin to thank God for the things that he's made, specific things, and then he'll pause for a little bit, and then thank God for the food and the various aspects of the food, and he'll wrap that prayer up.

You know, these are people, little people, big people, whoever, that want to talk to God. They want to communicate with God. And 1 Corinthians 7 says that God hears the prayers of those whom he is working with and the families of those who he is working with. That's a wonderful opportunity. Now, why can we pray? Why can we pray? I've touched on this a little bit, but let's go back to Hebrews 2, verses 9 through 18.

Hebrews 2, verses 9 through 18. It's not that you somehow inherited the right to pray when you became aware of God. There is a reason why we can pray to God, and it's all wrapped up in the Passover.

Hebrews 2, verse 9. But we see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him, from whom all things are, and by whom all things are, in bringing many sons to glory.

We see here what's going on. He's bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. Then again, for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren.

Verse 14. Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. That's the bondage of slavery to death. For indeed, he does not give aid to angels, listen to the next phrase, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham. And who is the seed of Abraham? He is the father of the faithful. And God aids those who are faithful, who are pursuing him, who he has called at this time.

Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are being tempted. So now we see the set up here for the relationship and the assistance and the aid. Let's go to the next step.

Why we can pray? Matthew 27 and 51. We find at his death something unique happens. And this is why you and I can pray. Matthew 27 and 51.

Then behold, after he cried out with a loud voice and yielded up the Spirit, then behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked and the rocks were split and the graves were open. But the veil in the temple that sealed off people from God was torn. Not from down below where somebody could grab it, but from the very top it was torn. And that represented the flesh of Jesus Christ being torn in his blood shed so that you and I could be cleansed of our sin. And because God the Father does not touch sinners, He doesn't have relationships with sin, we have access because we are sinless. We are considered holy and sinless by God because of the death of Jesus Christ. And so it was when Jesus Christ died, the access to God through prayer was made available. So Passover is all about us and developing a relationship between us and God the Father and Jesus Christ.

He became our new high priest in Hebrews 4 and verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession, our professing of faith and truth and our covenant with God to obey Him.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore, because He has done this, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace. He didn't say, now you can sort of get there, you know, on a technicality you can sneak in after dark if no one's watching. You can drop in for a few seconds, but you don't really belong. He said, therefore come boldly to the Holy of Holies, the throne of God, to the throne of grace, God's graciousness, that we may obtain mercy and find the graciousness of God to help in time of need. God wants to be there with us, for us, guiding us, helping us as we grow into being His children. And it's all about a relationship with God. And that relationship is possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In chapter 10 of Hebrews, beginning in verse 19, Hebrews 10, 19-25, He says, Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. See what that term means very clearly? You enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus. You and I can't go there on our own. Humans could never go there. Humans can't pray to God. God the Father does not hear sinners. He doesn't. He never has. You can't find an instance in the Bible where God the Father ever heard anybody who was a sinner. Jesus Christ is the intermediary. He's the go-between. He's the one that touches sinners, lives among sinners, dies for sinners, takes on all the sins of sinners. But in that state, God the Father, again, wouldn't touch him, wouldn't listen to him, was disconnected from him because God the Father, there's no evidence in the Bible that God the Father has anything whatsoever to do with sin. So, where He says here, now you have the boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Christ. It's Christ's Passover sacrifice that makes it possible for us to pray to God, to go directly to Him and pray because our sins are forgiven. And if you don't think it's important to pray, Father, forgive me of my sins when you're praying, think again because God's not going to hear the prayers of a sinner.

And if your sins are not forgiven, then God the Father, I don't see how He could possibly hear my prayers.

So we have to be praying, we have to be repenting, we have to ask for forgiveness.

And if we're not forgiving others, God's not forgiving us. Therefore, we cannot have access to Him, we cannot pray to Him.

So He says here, we have boldness entered the holiness by the blood of Christ by a new and living way which He consecrated for us. Prayer was never available before and it's not available through any other method, but this new living way which Christ made.

Let us draw near, verse 22, with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience with the blood of Christ and washed with pure water.

We've got to be clean to maintain a relationship with God the Father. We have to be clean.

And Jesus Christ didn't make the relationship about Him. Notice He never says, now pray to me, anything you need, ask me.

I'm there for you. I'll help you get in the kingdom. No, He says, you pray to the Father.

These are very important concepts for us to appreciate why we can pray, who can pray.

Now the next question is, to whom do we pray? To whom do we pray?

In John 16, verse 23, Jesus, who came not to do His own will, not to get in the way, not to seek the limelight, tells us who to pray to.

John 16, verse 23, He says that He is going to die, and then in that day you will ask Me nothing.

You won't pray to Me, you will ask Me nothing.

Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask, the Father in My name, He will give it to you. See, there's no back door for sinners into the kingdom.

You have to go to the Father. The Father will only hear righteous individuals, and you can only be righteous if you have the blood of Christ cleansing you from sin.

There's no back door through Jesus as a sinner kind of working your way. Well, I'm not forgiven and I'm not righteous, but I'll get back through Jesus Christ somehow, and I'll get in that way.

Other people try it, they think, through Mary, or through some other dead saints, or things like that.

Everybody wants to try it some other way. There's only one way, and that's through, directly through God, the Father. Ephesians chapter 1, verses 16 and 17.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, so the Father he's talking about, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit, wisdom, and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

See, this all points to God the Father. Jesus Christ came to reveal to us the Father, and to provide a way in which we can have access to the Father.

And now He points us to pray to the Father. Now, occasionally, you can also reference Jesus Christ. It's not that you cannot thank Jesus Christ for what He did when you're praying, or praying to God the Father.

We see in Acts chapter 7 and verse 58, for instance, that Stephen, as he's being stoned, actually before he was being stoned, was inspired by God's Holy Spirit to say the words that he did to the Council. And then, as he's being stoned, let's notice what he says. Acts 7 verse 58 and 59.

And they cast him out of the city, and they stoned him.

And the witnesses laid down their claws at the feet of a young man named Saul.

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God, saying, Lord, Jesus received my Spirit.

Jesus had prayed to God the Father to receive His Spirit.

And we also find in this time that the vision of heaven came to Stephen.

The very throne of God with God the Father and Christ sitting in His right hands was shown to Stephen as he was being martyred.

So it was a very well-set-up thing by God. But primarily, we pray to God.

Now, I will mention that you never pray to the Holy Spirit.

In fact, even the Protestant book, Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, states this on page 481.

In no instance in the New Testament is prayer addressed to the Holy Spirit.

For whereas the Father is in heaven, Matthew 6, 9, and the Son is at His right hand, Romans 8, 34, the Holy Spirit is in the believers.

And even that worldly book recognizes that you don't pray to the Holy Spirit, but we realize what the Holy Spirit is.

The Holy Spirit is actually just God the Father and Jesus Christ.

And that's how they live in us. That is their power. That is the essence of them that dwells in us.

They dwell in us, and the medium by which they do that is the Spirit that is holy.

It is not an entity of and by itself. So that is to whom we pray. We pray to the Father primarily.

Point 5. Where and in what position should one pray?

Where should you pray and in what position?

Well, prayer can be offered any place, any time.

Prayer, again, the purpose is to communicate with God.

Communication should be two ways. I'd like to point this out.

Some people, you get around, they like to just talk. They like to do all the talking.

You know how it is. Sometimes it will be the man, sometimes it will be the woman. But some people just like to do all the talking. And they say, I can't even get in a word edgewise, you know.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. And the person just does all the talking.

Nobody else can talk, just does all the talking.

Well, would you consider that communication? Can you see the other person saying, He or she never listens to me? Sometimes the person says, they never listen to me, is making a valid point.

If all you do is pray to God, you're the one doing all the talking. When do you let Him talk?

Okay? Here's God, He's talking. Do you also read your Bible? Or do you just do all the talking?

I need this, I want that, I feel this way, here's what's on my mind, I need blah blah blah, you know, da da da da.

But I don't want to hear what you say, God. I just do all the talking. You know, we need to listen, don't we? We all need to talk, but also we all need to listen.

Now, where should we pray and what position should we pray? Well, prayer can be offered any time, any place.

It's good to pray and also to study so you can listen. But let's talk about where people pray. In Scripture, some prayed in prison, in ships being tossed around in storms, on house tops, in the mountains, in gardens, and at various times in the day or night.

You can pray upside down in a well. Some prayed on their beds. Some prayed reclining. Sometimes people pray walking.

It's good to show reverence to God in prayer. Some are able to kneel and pray. Sometimes kneeling and praying is a good place to start.

And when the eyes grow heavy, it might be good to go to some other place, you know, a garden or a short walk or things like that that are not too distracting.

People can pray driving, though you can't really have great prayers if you don't have a place that is quiet, that is peaceful, that gives you focus, and also really the time of day where your mind isn't scrambled by the events of the day.

But prayer can also be offered in about any position. In Scripture, some prayed standing. Some prayed lying prostrate. Some kneeling. Some sitting. Some near death. Some lying in bed.

But reverence is what is important, combined with a circumstance, with the positions of prayers that are being used.

In Matthew 6, verses 5 and 6, we can see some encouragement from Jesus Christ regarding this.

It says, When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets.

Now, is standing here the problem? No, it's where you're standing. It's standing in public to be seen and heard.

It says, That they may be seen by men. But you, when you pray, go into your room. And when you have shut your door, pray to your Father, who is in a secret place.

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

In other words, this communication should not be about anything except communicating with God.

And you can do that best when you're secluded in private. Does that mean you can only pray in private? What if you're at the beach? What if you're at a picnic? And you just really want to give God thanks for the beauty of the environment where you are.

Maybe it's a church social, and there's a ballgame going on over yonder. Is there anything wrong with somebody asking a prayer over the meal?

You know, you have to examine the circumstances, and it may be very fitting. Maybe very fitting. The other thing that gets a little bit distracting is when people are in a different setting, maybe like a nice restaurant.

And then you have some show-off people who want to appear holy, and the whole table now bows their hands, and they all hold heads, and they put their hands in the air, and start praising, and everything. Come on. That's not what Christ wants us to do.

Point 6. Why should we pray? Why should we pray? Let's go to Romans chapter 10 verses 12-13 and see some of the things that surround the concept of prayer.

Romans chapter 10 verses 12-13. Take a look at a few scriptures here that look at the context. So what's going on in relationship to prayer?

Romans 10-12.

Well, that's not the one I was looking for. Ephesians 6-17. It's all right. Let's go to Ephesians 6-17. He says, in context of taking on the whole armor of God. What's the armor of God all about? Fighting the devil, becoming a strong Christian, becoming prepared to endure to the end as a servant, a child in the family of God.

And he's concluding here in verse 17, taking up the helmet of salvation. It's all about salvation, the sword of God's Holy Spirit.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

So we're praying in the context of fulfilling God's will in our life for becoming in his family. Children, literal children someday in his family.

And we're praying for one another, as he says. Supplication for all the saints who are also in this same situation, the same battle.

Matthew 22, verses 37-38. Matthew 22, verse 37.

Jesus said, you will love the Lord with all your heart and soul and with all your mind. You're going to love God.

And you're going to... this is the first and great commandment. How are you going to love God?

Loving God is a relationship, and a relationship comes through communication.

I can tell my wife, you know what? I love you. And then not talk to her for a month.

And, well, I told you I loved you. You know, I can say I love God with all my heart, soul and mind, but never talk to him.

And never hear from him. Is that loving him with all your heart, soul and mind? No, it's not.

In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6, Philippians chapter 4, verse 6, it says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

There's several things going on here.

Thanksgiving and requests. You're asking according to the will of God. The will of God is that you become part of his family, so you're asking for help, for forgiveness, for strength to overcome, to see your sins. Whatever you're asking, in that regard, Jesus Christ said, the Father will give you. They are there to help. And finally, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 16, rejoice always, pray without ceasing.

In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

He is talking here in the context above and below about being a Christian in all ways.

And to pray without ceasing doesn't mean start praying and don't quit praying. It means don't stop being a person of prayer. Don't let that relationship get interrupted. Don't let things stop you. Don't cease from talking to God. And don't cease from hearing him either. Make that a regular part of your life and of your day.

And finally, the seventh point is what should we pray about? What should we pray about?

Jesus Christ gave us an outline in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 9 through 13.

And that outline is sort of the subject headings of things you can pray about and should pray about on a daily basis.

About our Father in heaven, thinking about God, how holy he is, his name is, everything associated with him, how perfect he is.

About his kingdom, thinking about the kingdom, that kingdom coming today in your life, reigning, ruling over you. Him being your Lord and your Master, you being part of the government that God is establishing now and also in the future. Praying for that kingdom to come in the literal form. Talking about repentance, talking about overcoming sin, giving God the credit, those are the primary headings of a prayer. Now, how you fill those headings, Paul gives us an example of some things over in 1 Timothy chapter 2 and the first six verses.

1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 1-6. Just as an example.

He says, therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercession, and giving thanks be made for all men.

Part of the prayers and the thanks would go for kings, those in authority. Why? That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. Not that we can lead a nice happy life, but that we can pursue the will of God. That we can become godly people. Pursue godliness.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of our God and Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. That's the will of God right there. He wants all to come ultimately to the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. There we can see how this prayer is brought to us by the blood of Jesus Christ, which is reminded to us annually by the Passover service. It's a wonderful opportunity to have communion with God through conversation, through pouring our hearts out, and then to listen to Him as He speaks back to us through His Word.

In closing, I'd like to read James 5 and the last part of verse 16. James 5 and the end of verse 16.

It says in the New King James version, The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The effective fervent, genuine, heartful prayer of a righteous person avails much with God. A new international version says, The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. And now we can see why. Because God the Father hears the prayers of those who are without sin. And those who are without sin are those who Jesus Christ's blood continually washes clean as they repent and God forgives them over and over of the sins that they're trying to repent of.

The New Living Translation says, The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. It's up to you and me, brethren, to pursue righteousness. That's what the spring feasts are all about. Christ's righteousness, forgiveness, repentance, and overcoming our human nature and building God's righteousness into us.

Why can we pray? Because Jesus Christ died for us. So that we can be cleansed and then have a special communication with the Father and with Him. So as you approach the Passover, be sure and be close to God through Bible study and prayer.