Session 5 The Battle For Prayer

I think after this conference we ought to just put fellowship of independent Reformed Evangelicals, put fellowship all in caps, all right? Well, we're in the home stretch here, and I've just been really, really, really encouraged in this conference, and I hope you have too. So let's open the day in prayer and then we'll begin, all right? Father, we are so thankful for you meeting with us and you ministering to us.

And we want to thank you for that. We thank you for your servant who has brought us to the word of God and the word of God to us. And so we would ask that you would, again, bless this time that we have together with insight, not only into the text of Scripture, but insight into our own hearts. And we will thank you in Jesus' name. Well, good morning. It was hard waking up today, I have to tell you. but this is so wonderful I thank you for the fellowship and the time we've had together here it's been an absolute joy in my heart to have been asked to be here and to have fellowship with you in the word of God especially on this important theme of prayer it's something we're called to do it's something that we're faithfully by God's grace able to do but if we're possibly honest it's the least thing that we do do.

It's a difficult task but certainly the Lord has given us an exemplary way to pray and the example that He arose a great while before the day even began and retreated into a solemn place and then He prayed. And if He did an incarnation, and how much more we. For our strength and for our encouragement in Him and our growth in the Lord So what a joy to have this final session with you on the battle for prayer The battle for prayer This is a battle that we have and it something that as pastors especially that we are needing to rely on.

If the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, and if we are to give ourselves over as pastors to the prayer and to the ministry of the Word, the two really go hand in hand, don't they, together. And so the church marches on its knees. It's something that we must instill also in our congregants to be a praying people. It was such a joy last night to get several messages from some of our church folk back home in Florida. you could probably hear my phone buzzing a lot last night and I texted them back after as I said I was ministering the word while you were trying to call me thank you for that and I meant that seriously but I love the fact that God's people are praying for you, for myself in this time here together if you're ever in Palm City, Florida please drop in and see us we would love to have you visit our church and hopefully treat you with a measure of hospitality that you have so wonderfully extended to myself here as we're looking at the battle for prayer this morning I was reminded of an interesting quote by a church father John Chrysostom.

And it's interesting, in his example or desire to be praying, a praying man, a praying one, he brought it to the place that this was the most highly esteemed privilege that any one of us could have in the body of Christ to do so. And he brought up an interesting point when going through that it only that God people can be heard in prayer I get this quite a bit maybe you do too that does God hear the prayers of all people if we have a national tragedy, if there's the saddening event of a 9-11 kind of event or a natural disaster, how is it that we are to view this? I was watching a bit of news this morning before coming over while getting packed up.

And you know the phrase, our thoughts and prayers are with you. Now, liberals are poo-pooing that in the media. Those that are sincere, it means something. But I think many of those in broadcasting are maybe from a Romanist background. They may not be truly saved believing in a semi-Pelagian works righteousness. You know, where Mary has to intercede for them, where they upon death go to purgatory and borrowing from the treasury of merit a measure of righteousness by papal edict that would apply righteousness by a friend, a loved one, by the apostles or whoever to be imputed into their account because the sufficiency of Christ's righteousness is just not enough.

I mean, it goes on and on. And the fifth Marian dogma that Mary's the one who intercedes. She's the one who prays. She's also co-redemptrix in the work of Christ. Well, this is just blatant heresy, isn't it? As much as I love my Catholic friends, this is just blatant heresy.

So the question we have to ask ourselves, does God hear the prayers of all people? I'd like to just give you by way of introduction a couple of verses here in this battle for prayer. Proverbs 15.8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him. Proverbs 15.29 That same chapter, the Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 28.9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination. Not only does the Lord not hear it but it an abomination to Him And then this amazing section in Proverbs 1 verses 24 I love to use this with local politicians back home, or those that maybe are doing humanitarian work, but absent of God, especially in the idea of national calamity or tragedy. listen to what Solomon says here in regards to God's reaction to those that have refused to hear Him and then when a tragedy comes what's his response? I think this is the perfect text against the sloppy theology that there's such a thing as a hurts renegade.

That you want one when you're hurting but when life is okay and problem free, you simply move on to your own devices. Listen to what Solomon says here. Proverbs 1, 24-29 Because I have called and you refuse to listen, I have stretched out my hand and no one is heeded. Because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity.

Strong words. I will mock when terror strikes you. When terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon Me and I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but will not find me, because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. What a passage, isn't it?

So timely. We have to be faithful not only to give careful words of instruction, but also to give the word of a careful warning in this battle for prayer. It is only true that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have access to the throne of grace to find help in time of need. To sum up, we must pray with contrition because brokenness before the Lord is never unfruitful.

We must pray with confession, for if we cherish iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not even hear our prayer. We must pray with commendation, for the Lord is worthy to be praised. We must pray by commandment, for when we pray with an open Bible, we are delighting in the very things that the Lord has sovereignly designed for us to pray for. and we must also pray with communion for He is our God, our Lord, our Savior and the Holy One of all is not ashamed to call us His brethren.

Is that a miracle? I don't know about you, I've given the Lord plenty enough causes for shame. I have not always called Him my Lord. As especially a young Christian at the age of 17, I felt myself on the outskirts with friends. I felt myself embarrassed sometimes to bear the name of Christ. Shortly after that, the Lord healed me of that cowardice.

But He is never ashamed to call me His brother even though I've given Him plenty enough reason not to. That word brethren is only used after the resurrection when the Lord met Mary at the open tomb. He said, Mary, go tell my brethren. Before the resurrection, we're called disciples, we're called sheep, we're called branches, all kinds of things. But it's only after the resurrection that He uses that rich word, brethren.

It's a term of intimacy, a term of relationship because of His perfect work in our lives in regeneration. So what a great hope we have in Him in this aspect of prayer. So this morning, I've listed for you, I don't want you to be overwhelmed in that introduction to say, brother, you've got quite a few verses there. Are we going to read them all? Don't tempt me.

I think it's important that we do so, but we're not going to do that this morning. However, I did want to direct your attention just to a couple of those prayers. And could we go to the book of Ephesians for them I just wanted to direct your hearts and minds here is the Apostle Paul in prayer And he gives tremendous insight into his walk with the Lord by how he prayed And there are two sections here in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1, 16-29 and then Ephesians 3, 14-19. Ephesians 1 oh that's a typo isn't it 16 my apologies 16 to 22 and then Ephesians 3 14 to 19 so we'll begin reading here at verse 15 for this reason because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints I do not cease to give thanks for you remembering you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened. There's illumination.

That you may know what is the hope which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints. If I may pause there, if you go back to verse 6 of chapter 1 here of Ephesians, He describes how we are chosen by God in Christ before the world was made, he says. And why? To the praise of His glorious grace which He has blessed us in the Beloved.

And then he describes not only election, but redemption in Christ. And he sums that section up in verse 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ Jesus might be to the praise of His glory. And then not only are we chosen by God, redeemed by the Son, but we are sealed with the Spirit. And he concludes that in verse 14, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire a possession of it to the praise of His glory.

So Trinitarian salvation, whether it's divine election, divine redemption, divine regeneration, and the guarantee of our inheritance, it's always to the praise of the glory of the riches of His grace. So when he says here in verse 18, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints? This is what he's referring to. And what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly places As you know, that right hand in Scripture is the place of rule, authority, intercession, and sovereignty.

And he says, Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. That's the preeminence of Christ. His lordship.

His headship of the church. Years ago, I had a chance to do a concert for the royal family with a few other Christian artists for Princess Anne's Save the Children Fund. It's like a World Vision or a Compassion International or Food for the Hungry kind of program there that she heads up. It was a wonderful privilege to be asked to come. We were at the coveted Albert Hall.

This is where the Beatles played. This is where the Stones played. This is where Eric Clapton played. This is where Elvis Costello played. All these amazing singers, songwriters, and artists. So I was backstage most of the time just looking at the dressing rooms and the signatures on the wall.

That was an amazing time. But here they had a court jester meet us ahead of time to explain protocol to us when meeting the royal family. Afterwards, we were brought into a ballroom, and the queen and her court were there to greet us. They said, here's the protocol on how it was to be. Two other artists that I was with was Steve Green and Russ Taft. Two amazing singers.

And so here we were in the line, and the Queen Mother first came, and you are to bow, but you cannot utter one word lest they invite you to speak to them. You cannot talk to them. You would be ushered out of their presence if you take the liberty to say, Hello. You know, how are you? Lovely to be here. And this was frustrating for me, I have to tell you.

And so we were in the line and one after another they were coming through and I leaned over to Russ and I said Brother this is so frustrating No one is saying hello He says Please don say anything We almost out of here Everything is good. Just go with the flow, my brother. And I said, Okay. Well, right then, Princess Anne came up. I have a photograph of this.

And she said, Mr. Camp, nice to meet you, and thank you for coming tonight. I said, I bowed and greeted her, and I said, well ma'am thank you and I said may I say that you're the first one to speak to me in this long line and I said so thank you for engaging me in the lively art of conversation and she says yes we tend to be a bit of a quiet bunch we we talked for a moment and then I think she was trying to say something religious to relate and she says I'm not sure if you realize this but in England the royal family is head of the church.

What do you think about this? Exactly. I looked over and here's Russ and Steve literally with their head in their hands going, we almost made it out of here. And I said, well, ma'am, Paul says in Colossians 1.18 that Christ is the head of the church. May I ask you what you think about this? And she looked at me and she goes, Oh, it has been so lovely to have been with you.

And then walks away. Okay. Never was invited back, but it was a thrill. But we just read the supremacy of Christ over His church. He's the Lord of it. Let's go to Ephesians 3, 14 and 19 again on two great little moments of prayer here.

He says, for this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. And according to the riches of His glory, He may grant you, and here's His prayer, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth to know the love of Christ. that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. And then I love this doxology.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen. Great hope. This is the Apostle Paul. I've listed several Scriptures here. I hope you'll take time to look at them.

In fact, if we could just go to Hebrews 13. I wasn't lying a moment ago when I said let's just look at these two in Ephesians. But this benediction is so rich, we can't avoid it. We say this at our church many Sunday mornings as a benediction. It's a great one. Hebrews 13, 20 and 21.

Maybe you use this too. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Oh, I love that.

What a great way to discharge the church after a wonderful morning of worship to send them out into community to be his missionaries, to share Christ and his truth. So this morning, three things. Three things we're just going to look at. Here's the Apostle Paul. And I wanted to pull just a few principles out of the pastoral epistles. So we'll begin here this morning with 1 Timothy 2, a very familiar passage, one that I'm sure you've incorporated with your own ministry in your churches as well as in private life.

And this is something that's good as a refreshment to be reminded of. This is prayer for those in authority. Prayer for those in authority. This is so good. First of all then, Paul says, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people All people That is without distinction and without exception For kings and all who are in high positions that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly, notice the two words here, godly and dignified in every way.

Let's just stop there for a moment. Godly and dignified. Godly and dignified in every way. This is the good conduct we are to have. They must go together. We are not truly dignified if we are not truly godly.

We do not render to God His due. We are not truly godly if not dignified. What is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, we should abound in. There is one mediator, and that mediator gave himself as a ransom for us all. And the appointment has been made for the benefit of Jew and Gentile of every nation, so that if we are willing, we may come in this way to the mercy seat of a pardoning God to seek reconciliation with Him.

So here as Paul continues, he said, this is good, being godly, being dignified. Have reverential respect, in other words, as Peter would say, to give a reason for the hope that is in us. This is good. It is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This is not a call to universalism.

This is the gathering of His people from the four corners of the world, as it were, from all ages and all times. For there is one God, there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I'm telling you the truth, I am not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and in truth.

So here we are. We have prayers for all those in authority. A dear brother in the Lord, served in the armed forces, became a pilot for American Airlines for many years He is a wonderful dear friend in our church He and his precious wife are faithful servants there and attend faithfully. And he was really troubled when I read this during worship one Sunday morning.

He said, Pastor, I don't know. He goes, just give me clarification here. This was a few years back. He says, does this apply to President Obama? And I said, yes, it does. He goes, oh, I feel so bad.

He goes, I'm struggling with this. How can I pray for that man? I said, well, because God has told you to. He goes, is it all right if I pray just the imprecatory psalms? And I said, well, that's good. but you also might want to pray for his salvation and pray that God gives him wisdom and leadership. I said, if Daniel can pray for Darius, if Daniel can pray for Nebuchadnezzar, I said, you can pray for our president.

Even if you didn't vote for him, that's not the case. You cast your vote, but the results are up to God and he raises those in power, Romans 13, as he wills for his divine purposes. and he says well okay you got to pray for me as I try to pray because this is really pushing my sanctification brother but you see that's the truth of it isn't it listen the issue isn't whether we're republican democrat or independent the issue is are we honoring those in authority over us that's part of the work of being godly and dignified as his people honoring the mediator of our lives. There's a wonderful little verse on this.

If you'll go with me please to 1 Peter 4. There's a wonderful little verse that really I think gives clarity. Here Peter is writing to the elect exiles. He's writing to those who are dispersed in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, and so forth. And they were refugees. This is like the two million refugees separated from their families, dispersed out of the Congo these last many years.

They are sojourners. They do not have a home and Peter giving great comfort to those that are suffering here And he says in 1 Peter 4 verse 12 Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial Some think that was Nero burning followers of Christ as they were tied by rope against a pole and they were covered with pitch and tar then set aflame to eat his evening meal by so he would have light on the palace roof. This is how sick that leader was.

He says, don't be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you as though something strange were happening to you. The inference here, it's strange if it's not happening. There's never been a time where true born-again believers in Jesus Christ living lives honoring to the Lord biblically could be at home at this world. and it's going to rub the system the wrong way at some point.

But he says, but rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. This is wonderful. but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer. And then this interesting phrase, or a meddler.

A meddler. This is one that is classically, in the use of this word, one that would pry an interloper in the affairs of another without being invited to do so. Politically, though, it has a different connotation. It means meddling in the affairs of those in authority over you to oust them, to overthrow them, to defy their leadership in government. Boy, that's weighty for our time.

If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. Let him glorify God in that name. so here we are to suffer we are to give great preference to those in authority over us lastly if you go back to 1 Peter 2 just a few chapters earlier in verse 13 here is Peter's encouragement again to these Suffering exiles. He's not calling them to insurrection.

He says, be subject, again, hupotasso, under their authority for the Lord's sake, to every human institution. Whether it be to the emperor as supreme. Now that's nero. That's tough stuff. To the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. This is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor. And again, this is Nero. As you know, Nero came into power as a teenager. He died of suicide in his early 30s. his first year in power, he spent what was equivalent in our day of about $20 million for parties.

Nothing's changed with politicians, have they? He was an unregenerate maniac. He was an outward homosexual. He even murdered his own mother. And Peter is saying, honor the emperor? Yes.

Not the man. Not the sinful choices, but the office. We are to honor those in authority over us. So this is how Paul encourages us to pray. To pray with this kind of hope, with this kind of purpose, for those in authority over us. Number two here this morning, 1 Timothy 4, verses 4 and 5. here we're to pray with an assurance and this is dealing with something a little more practical for us.

In 1 Timothy chapter 4, the Apostle Paul is again writing to a young Timothy. By the way, Timothy was considered about 35 years of age when he was considered young. That kind of gives me a little hope here. 1 Timothy 4, he's not a teenager. and he says here in verses 1 he says Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons That's what unsound doctrine is.

It's the teaching of demons. Through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared. What does that mean? I think this is what Paul is saying in Romans 1.28 where he says, God gave them over, as you know, 24 and 25 to the excess of natural sexual desire. 26 and 27 to the excess of unnatural desire. A sin against nature, a deviling passion.

And then he says he gives them over to a reprobate mind, adakamas. A mind that is tested and tried and found useless. You know, it was used of the minting process of a coin. And when that coin was being minted, if the one doing that silversmith or whatever was doing the minting, if he processed the minting of the coin and the batch of coins looked flawless, and he thought it was a pure alloy that he was working with, but discovered after the fact that maybe an associate or a co-worker had dropped in that bat of melting metal a foreign element that corrupted the actual purity of the metal.

The whole batch of the coins was dismissed. Why? It was no longer pure. It could not be tested and found to be helpful. It was all disregarded. This is what Paul says in Romans 1.28.

A reprobate mind. A mind tested and tried and found useless. That's what concerns me about our politicians today. Reprobate minds. Minds. Seared consciences.

No right. No wrong. They make it up in the time. It's the same tragedy that's happening with dear people that are so confused even about gender identity. There's a young man I share with from time to time at a Starbucks back home. and I had a chance to talk with him a few years ago when he was starting to convert his gender identity from being a man to being a woman and he saw me reading the bible one day and and so he came over and he goes I just have a few minutes but what do you think about this What do you think about my transgender beliefs Do you think I mentally ill And I said, well listen, I don't think you're mentally ill, but I do think that there is some distortion in your thinking.

And I said, you need to be right with your creator, that's the problem. But I told him, I said, you think that lopping off body parts or getting implants and taking you know, hormones to lower your voice or to raise the pitch of your voice, growing your hair out, not having a beard, whatever, is somehow altering your identity. But I said, if we took a blood sample of you and have it tested, it'll say every time you are a male.

You cannot alter that. And I said, if it's such a good thing, why is it that the suicide rate goes up 10 times over the normal population? But I told him, I said, brother, let me be honest with you. I said, you're not a handsome man. And I said, you're even an uglier woman. Why are you doing this?

It's okay to be honest, isn't it, about that? He knew that I was praying for him. And so I said, listen, I have to tell you that I'll be here for you. I'm happy to talk to you, but don't confuse me with hanging me up on certain pronouns that you want to be called. I refuse to call you a woman. I have to refer you to how God made you.

He goes, no, I understand. And so here, this was a situation that he just needed help. I said, your problem is a reprobate mind. You've lost the ability to discern, to determine right or wrong. Even to the point, I said, what if I showed up one day and I told you that I'm a black, gay, lesbian woman? I said, would you think I'm normal?

He goes, well, no, you're a white man. And I said, exactly. I said, just because you feel a certain way, you cannot alter your DNA. You cannot alter how God had created you. Your hope, get aligned with your Creator. How do I do that?

By grace through faith and salvation in Jesus Christ. You'll take off the dress. You'll cut the hair. You'll stop the estrogen. You'll take out the implants and you'll live the rest of your life in how God has created you as a sign of your regeneration You can pray for him Pray that he comes to know the Lord So you see here now we dealing with some practical issues of what makes a man clean or unclean.

And the apostle is dealing with it here, these seducing doctrines of demons, liars that have a conscience that's seared and here's what they forbid they forbid marriage that's a problem they require abstinence from foods that god created to be received and thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth man these are outward legalistic that they think that somehow will make one acceptable to deity or to some superpower in their lives or higher power. And they're outlawing marriage and they're putting a prohibition on certain foods. I love this verse in Romans 14, verse 2.

One person believes he may eat anything while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let that sink in. Are there any vegans here this morning? That's for Greg the hog man. That's a good verse for you, brother. So here they forbid these things that God created to be received with thanksgiving for those who believe and know the truth.

For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy, look at this, by the Word of God in prayer. My kids always growing up, we'd be out at McDonald's or some other place and I'd be getting them some Happy Meals or at a pizza place or something like that, some hot dogs at a ball game. They would say, Dad, do we have to pray every time for the food?

I said, yes. We have to. We want to sanctify it. By the Word of God and prayer, it brings God delight and glory to thank Him for the meal. But here, this has to do with what we put into our system and what makes it good and what makes it acceptable. Would you go with me just to Matthew 15?

Just one cross-reference here. Matthew 15, the disciples were struggling with this issue. Here the Lord had told them a parable about some hypocrites. As Isaiah's prophecy said in verse 8, these people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. That's legalism.

Do not touch, do not taste, do not, do not, do not. They add to the Word of God, but they teach as doctrine the commandments of men. Length of hair. Style of clothes. Drums in the sanctuary. Can you have an electric guitar in worship?

Yes. Let it be used for the glory of God. The louder the better. Have at it. Enjoy it. And so here he says, And He called the people to Him and said to Him, Hear and understand, it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person.

Unlike these men in 1 Timothy that have seared consciences and are teaching the doctrines of demons, forbidding marriage, forbidding certain foods. But what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person? Translation, what's in the well comes up in the bucket. It's the heart that defiles. The disciples came and said to Him, And do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?

He answered, Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone. They are blind guides, and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. But Peter said to him, Explain this to us. We just love Peter, don't we? And he said, Are you also still without understanding?

Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone. certain foods, marriage here the issue of eating with unwashed hands they were teaching and adding to the law they were teaching doctrines as the commandments of men We have to be careful with this You know I have to say early on in my years as a Christian music artist, I remember going to Moody Bible Institute that I loved dearly.

In fact, one of my closest friends, a gentleman by the name of Doug, his father was head of Old Testament theology there for years. We went to the same church together. I had many, many good friends there and professors and students and so forth. Just a great, great school. But it was very interesting to me that when I was on Moody Bible Institute Radio, they said, Steve, we're not allowed to play your music here because it has drums.

It's too rockin', you know, fuzz guitars, electric guitars. You're screaming on some of the songs. And I said, well, I have to get it out. somehow, you know. They said some people called one day when we were playing one of your songs and wanted to know if you were okay, if you were feeling well. And I said, why is that? They said, well, you sing with a rasp and they thought that maybe you had a throat condition or you were sick and you had a major cold and they were like, it's too painful to listen to it.

Can you play something that sounds clear and good? And I said, well, that's how I sing. I'm so sorry. And the interviewer was like, oh, you're kidding. This isn't a temporary condition? I said, no, it's just I make a joyful noise to the Lord.

It's like my mom said when I had a band in high school. She said, take away from me the noise of those songs. You know, misquoting Amos again. But it was really good. But he said, we cannot play your music because the people think it's not honoring to the Lord. In fact, some think it's satanic because of the instrumentation you're using. the driving drum beats and whatever else they think that's of the devil.

Do you know what that does to a young man trying to make music to the Lord? I sang one night in church when I surveyed the wondrous cross with a classical guitar as an 18 year old very respectful and the pastor called me and said we had another three families leave because of you. They thought it was absolutely irreverent and of the devil is the phrase they used because I had a guitar in the sanctuary. you know we have to be careful with this don't we and this can impact people for generations I been in therapy ever since It been incredible No but in all seriousness here he says, do you not know that these are the things?

We get so hung up with legalistic standards. There was a young man that had come to know the Lord. And he used to smoke, back home, he used to smoke five packs of camels without the filter a day. Strong. Strong stuff. Brilliant mechanic.

Raced motocross. Just a wonderful guy. Tender hearted. Came to the Lord. And he went, stopped the drugs, stopped the alcohol. He was towering about 6'3", 6'4".

Just every cell where it should be. Muscle bound. But just a gentle giant. I used to tell him, I said, Bob, man, you've got my glorified body. When I get to heaven, that's what I'm going to look like. And he came off all that immediately.

He came down to five cigarettes a day, just five. So I met him over at the church, and we were walking in the back of the church, and the deacon stepped in front of him and said, you can't come in here. And he goes, why is that? He goes, I saw you around the corner, rolling up a few cigs in your shirt, doing the Fonzie thing. and he said until you can quit that you are not worthy to come into this place and I couldn't believe it my mouth dropped and I said is Pastor Chris around? this is before service starts I said he will not appreciate this he begrudgingly let us in that young man was my brother and here the Lord took him home just two months later.

A motorcycle accident. That deacon came to the funeral. A gentleman by the name of Paul Robbins who was COO of Christianity Today for many years after my dad died and my brother died, he discipled me. We called him Robbie for short. He saw that deacon walk in and he said, Brother Kemp, may I see you outside for a little bit? I said, not yet.

I've got to go minister to this guy. he goes that's precisely why I want to see you outside you don't need to say a word this man under conviction he here because he repenting of what he said I think that why I hate legalism to this day I had a pastor friend of mine visiting in Florida and he said man I don think I can come to church tomorrow. All I brought with me is Bermudas and sandals. And he goes, I'm just not dressed for church.

I said, no, brother, please come. You and your family, we love you please come on so he came and I saw him walk up and he had his Izod shirt on and a pair of Bermudas so I went back to the parsonage on the campus where our home is and I changed and I put on Bermudas and I put on an Izod shirt and I walked in and Miss Joyce my secretary at that time now with the Lord she was 79, 80 years old at that time she came over and she He says, what are you doing? You get back there and you, you know.

And I said, Joyce, it has a purpose. Please trust me in this. You're our pastor. And I said, I know, but please trust me. So I went over to my pastor friend and he looked at me and started grinning. He goes, did you just go change?

I said, yeah. I said, I want to show you it doesn't mean anything. If they'd let me preach in Under Armour and in Bermuda's every week, I would do it. Because it's warm down there. But I said, you know, it doesn't matter. I just think ties are a product of the fall.

You know, why have them? But we shouldn't be given over to legalism. We shouldn't be given over to legalism. We had a young man come to the church. I think he had 50 or 60 piercings all over his face and so forth. He was outside smoking a cigarette, and he lit up apparently in the hallway. then they asked him to come outside and he says, man, I'm so sorry.

I didn't realize I couldn't smoke in here. And I said, well, there's no smoking usually in most buildings. But he goes, man, I'm going to hell because I'm smoking, aren't I? I said, nope, not going to hell for that. He goes, all my piercings, am I going to hell for that? I said, nope, you're not going to hell for that.

He says, I've done drugs. I said, nope, not going to hell for that. He says, then why am I going to hell? I said, because you've rejected Christ. in his gospel you come to the Lord you'll stop the drinking you stop the drugs you pull out the piercings and you won't have a need to smoke as much I like what Arthur says, if you like putting dry leaves in your mouth and setting them on fire, that's your business.

I don't know if it's a sin. And that's from John, so it's the Lord speaking. But that's the thing that we all have to be careful of, right? we all have to be careful of equating those things in a legalistic way with what God commands us. So here we have to pray. Everything through prayer and sanctification, it's what comes out of the heart of man that defiles him, not what he puts into his system.

Lastly this morning, we have the prayers for those in authority. We have the prayer for assurance in what we eat and practice in our lives measured by the truth of Scripture. And then we have this prayer of appreciation in 2 Timothy 1. And here Paul again, his last will and testament to his true son in the faith. And he's mindful of Timothy. Timothy's timid.

Timothy's fearful. Timothy is about self-preservation. Timothy wrestled with youthful lust. Timothy was getting blown out of the saddle by the professionals in the church and other places. He was not Paul. He was not the Apostle.

But what a joy this must have been for him to hear this in 2 Timothy 1.3 I thank God whom I serve as did my ancestors with a clear conscience as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Jerry Bridges sent me this verse shortly before he died I'll always treasure that just what a dear man of God he was quiet but just so rich in the Lord rich in the word Jerry was one of the most humble men I've ever met he would even say at conferences He would plead with the conference director. He would say, listen, I'm not a preacher.

I really am not. I didn't do well in a pulpit. He goes I put people to sleep within five or ten minutes He says where I come alive is in the classroom Get me with an overhead projector in front of 20 men in a classroom That's where I live. Use me there, please. Just so humble. I'd rather listen to him unprepared than most guys prepared to the hilt.

And so he says, I remember your tears. I long to see you. That I may be filled with joy. I'm reminded of your sincere faith a faith that means an unhypocritical faith a faith that dwells first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now I am sure dwells in you as well ladies, you have all the influence in the home never take it for granted never take it for granted but for this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and of love and self-control. Literally a well-ordered mind. That's how we can pray for each other. You know, it's so good to show appreciation for each other in the body of Christ, isn't it? Nothing wrong with encouragement. We don't have to go over any big falderal with each other, but we can encourage others in the Lord.

I've got two men for deacon training right now and two men for elder training. They've been discipling for a few months. And it's just a thrill. These brothers have such a desire to serve the Lord. And I try to get one of them up every Lord's Day now to pray, to read the Word, to give the benediction, something I was talking to Pastor Greg about this. He does the same thing as well.

It's important that in the mentoring and discipleship of future leaders, they're incorporated. And I always tell them, I want people to see you, not just as part of the flock now, but in leadership training. So they'll come to you, that you can go to them. And here, two of them texted me last night. They went to the hospital yesterday. They visited a brother that just had surgery, some back surgery and so forth. and one of the gals in the church, her husband who's not a believer, was taken to the hospital impromptu for an emergency situation.

He's okay. But here one of those men showed up there and was just ministering to her She didn call anyone A friend of a friend called my wife And so I called the men and they got there right away Man, what a joy to serve with men like that. Servants. Servants. That's what we're called to be. I love it when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, if you want to regard me as anything, and he's dealing with this sectarianism of what she calls carnality.

I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. That's sectarian kind of thing. He said, one of us watered, one of us plants, but only God grows the seed. The one who waters and plants is absolutely nothing.

Only God who does this is everything. And so when he comes to 1 Corinthians 4.1, he says, if you want to regard me as anything, regard me as a huperetas, a servant of the Lord. You know, the third level rower in a Roman galley ship that put me in the hull of the ship, Paul says. Let my oar hit the most deep part of the water away from the applause of men.

And man, I'll row there for the Lord. I'll do the work there. You know, low visibility, high impact. Most people want an audience. He just wanted to be faithful. And he says, if you regard me as anything, regard me as a servant and he said I want to be a steward of the mysteries and we must be found faithful.

Boy what an epitaph that would be to put on any of our gravestones one day. So this is how we're to pray for each other. For those in authority to have assurance on what we do in our practical lives but also to have a sincere faith that exemplifies itself in appreciation for each other. Now listen, we're free to disagree with each other. I told Mac, MacArthur, John, Dr.

MacArthur, Pastor John, Pastor J. Mac, all of the above are acceptable. Can I tell you a funny story about John? Would this be alright to do? Is this being recorded? Okay.

Well, it's not bad. It's good. This is John. This is a quintessential John story, okay? We used to go to a lot of sporting events together. We'd hang out.

Before I went on staff with Grace Community Church for a little over a year a year and a half John and I friends for 10 years so we did things And a friend of mine had box seats at the LA Coliseum there to see the Lakers I'm a Bulls fan, so that didn't go over well. But anyway, the Kings, and we went to see a hockey game one night. And you know, the hockey audiences there are really revved up.

They're 10 times more exuberant in what they say to the referee. and then the you know the Kings games of Bia here the LA Lakers is avocado here you know it's a whole different thing it's a whole different mentality of a person and what was interesting was we were sitting and there's this gal behind us who had way one too many drinks to have and she kept using the F word to describe her feelings against the referees and how they were officiating the hockey game. And, you know, I said to John, I said, Mac, we can go other places. Do you want to leave?

And he said no, and then she used the F-bomb with the L-I-N-G at the end, F-ing Lee. And John looked at me and he goes, you know what, I've never heard that used as an adverb before. Just so gracious, so wonderful, and yet got his point across, you know. I hope that ministered to you all. I have no idea why. But it's one of those treasured things.

That's John. He's easy going. He's a pit bull in the pulpit, but he's easy going that way with things. And it's a wonderful thing. I'll give you the Greek afterwards, okay? So listen, as we close here, I just want to encourage you.

I want to encourage you here. How should we pray? How should we pray? How should we carry on? I wrote down a few notes here. Pray on, though devils attack you.

Pray on, though trials overwhelm you and flood your soul. pray on when the heavens seem as brass to you pray on when you think your prayers go unanswered and have been miscarried continue to draw near to God and trust Him pray on though others who you love may wound you, hurt you, gossip about you, and abandon you. Pray on, though your heart be cold against spiritual things. Pray until the Spirit of God warms it and softens it again.

Pray on when the philosopher tells you that all in life is a matter of chance and natural law. Do not be discouraged if this infiltrates into your church. Pray on, for God has given you a wonderful opportunity to show grace to the one through prayer. Pray on when you are on the mountaintop of blessing, the valley of suffering, or the ease of worldly graces.

Pray on when all is taken from you and you are stripped of this earth's possessions and comforts. Pray on that you only see a cloud in the shape of a hand, a tiny hand in the distance. Pray until the clouds are full, black and pregnant, ready to burst with showers upon you. Pray on when you think you are too busy to pray. for this too is a great mistake for prayer is a saving of time remember the words of Luther when he said I have so much to do today I shall never get it all done unless I spend my first three hours of the day in prayer and lastly pray on for no other reason that it brings glory and honor to God for us to be dependent on Him and bow the knee and worship to Him in all things.

Pray on. Father God, thank You for our time together these last few days. What a joy to open up the Word together in simple and profound ways, Lord, and to have an opportunity to look at this real ministry of prayer. Oh Lord, as we long to have this covered in our time of being men of prayer, witnesses to the truth of the Gospel. We know that prayer will conform our will to Yours, not the other way around.

We want to delight in You so that You will grant to us, literally give us the right desires in our hearts so we can delight in those things. When we encounter difficult times Lord may we delight in You commit our way to You trust You I love what the psalmist says in Psalm 37 the law of God is in His heart and His foot shall not slip. Brother Spurgeon, Lord, used to say the best thing, the truth of God's Word, is in the best place, in the heart of His saints, doing the best work, encouraging us, strengthening us not to fall.

Oh Lord, may we pray for each other. And Father, I pray for each of our individual congregations. May they realize that the men of God that you have called to serve in these various churches, the pastors, the servant leaders, the elders and the deacons of these churches, we need their prayers desperately to do the work of the ministry because we are frail.

We are sinful creatures. even though we're regenerate. We cannot do this on our own. It is a work of grace. No wonder Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.1, Timothy, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. To be the faithful soldier, the disciplined athlete, the hardworking farmer, the workman unashamed, a vessel honorable for use, to be the servant of God.

Lord all of those faces of the pastor relationship we need our congregation to pray for us and may we be humble enough to let them know that that apart from your prayers I cannot minister in my own strength for we know it's only the Spirit of God that illumines the Scriptures and opens up the heart of any of us so that we can behold its truth and value and be shaped and conformed and sanctified by its truth. We know that the same for Lydia in Acts chapter 16 that you had to open her heart so she could understand what Paul was even preaching even for salvation. We know that it's your sovereignty that draws the veil back, the curtain that lingers on our hearts and our minds and gives us the ability to know and to grow and to honor you Lord in all things and to keep us faithful until the very end so Lord I thank You for these brothers Bless their churches Bless the other leaders And Lord the one group we very rarely get to talk about but need prayer immensely are the pastor's wives.

They carry so much weight. They don't have anyone really they can unload their hearts with within the church because usually it comes out in the form of gossip in some way. They walk the loneliest walk. We treasure our wives. Helpmates truly in ministry. Lord, what a joy it is to get calls from my wife.

While here even. Honey, I just prayed for you. What are you teaching on next? Remember this text. Are you doing this? be broken before the Lord. Trust that He'll minister to the hearts.

What wonderful joy to have a co-laborer in Christ as a helpmate as my wife. So Lord, we pray for our spouses right now, our kids, that they would be protected from the gossip and the slander and the undertow of chatter that can just go on and on in churches that can just tear the heart out of our families. May we go extra time to guard them, to protect them, to love them, to serve them, to encourage them, to treasure them.

Thank you for godly women that are strong in the Word and that can do the work of the ministry and biblically how you've equipped women to serve in so many ways. Though they cannot carry the office of pastor due to the creative order, Adam was formed first, then the woman. And because Eve was deceived and not the man, think of it, that one singular event thousands of years earlier now prohibits any woman from serving as a pastor.

Not because of their intellect or their oratory skill or their lack of knowledge or lack of obedience or any of this Not at all We are equal in many many ways in Christ Jesus a common salvation But yet because of Eve deceitfulness of how she was vulnerable to the serpent's ploy, women are now forbidden from serving in pastoral leadership and from instructing men out of the Word of God. And so, Lord, thank you for the faithful women that realize that prohibitation, but yet are not stifled by that. That they get to minister in so many ways to other women, to their husbands, to their families, to the kids, even within the church.

So Lord, thank You for our wives. Encourage them, bless them as we've been here. And even may this Lord's Day, Lord, we give them wonderful encouragement in front of others so that they know that they're just not absent from our thoughts in anything, Lord, but they are primary in our service to You. Father God, we love You greatly. We love You so much.

And we just thank You for our time together. Oh Lord, this wonderful hymn, I couldn't think of a better hymn to close with. The church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord. oh father thank you that you allow us to be servants to other Christians we are under shepherds of Christ may we do it to your glory may we do it faithfully may we do it not under compulsion Lord or with a heavy hand but with tears and a broken heart may we always seek for someone's reconciliation restoration and repentance never revenge never retaliation never retribution may we take any hits that we would get Lord in and out of the church for your glory for if men and women knew our hearts as we knew them ourselves they would not shower us even with the strongest of criticism because it would seem praise compared to the depth of our own wickedness so Father we commit the rest of this conference into your hands the time allotted and the few minutes remaining we love you in Jesus name we pray Amen