TEXT: I Corinthians 14:15

SUBJECT: Method of Prayer #5: Intercession

Tonight, with the Lord’s help, we’ll complete the study we began a few weeks ago. It’s called A Method of Prayer. The author is Matthew Henry. The goal is to help us pray more and to pray better.

Prayer—the old Puritan says—is made up of five parts: (1) adoration, (2) confession, (3) petitions, (4) thanksgiving, and (5) intercession. When I first read the book, I didn’t like the order, but the more I think about it, the better it seems to me. Prayer begins with worship—"Hallowed be Thy Name". After thinking about the greatness and goodness of God, what else can we do but confess our own smallness and wickedness? When that’s done, we’re in the mood to ask for the right things—not things to "consume upon our lusts"—but things we really need to glorify and enjoy the Lord. Then, to build our faith in God’s generosity, we think back on the millions of things He’s done for us already.

This is what we’ve studied so far. Now, we come to the last part of prayer, intercession—or praying for other people.

It is your duty to pray for other people. The Lord commands it in His Word and set the example for you to follow. Many commands could be cited, but here’s the one that occurred to me first,

As for His example? Where do you start? We have His High Priestly Prayer, His prayer for Peter, and, of course, His prayer for the men who crucified Him,

It is your duty to pray for others, but it’s more than your duty; it’s also your privilege. How blessed we—in this way—to share in the work of Christ for the salvation of His people. But that’s what we do when we pray for others. The Lord intercedes; we intercede; and somehow or other, our prayers are mixed up like the sacred incense, and please God to whom they’re offered.

We ought to pray for others. We ought to do it often and fervently. Even when we things are not going well with us, we need to find time to pray for others. Job did this, of course, and the Bible says,

Most of us are not good at memorizing Bible verses. But here’s one I think we can all manage, I Thessalonians 5:25,

Who ought you to pray for? The Bible says everyone—

But this not easy to do, so Henry breaks it down for us a little bit, under four categories. Here they are,

This is exactly what Ephesians 6:18 calls for,

Not just the ones who go to your church or agree with you on every point of doctrine or whom you’ve taken a liking to. No! All believers deserve your prayers—and depend on them more than you’re likely to think they do. How many blessings have you received because someone prayed for you! Maybe it was someone you didn’t know well—or even at all! Jonathan Edwards often prayed for Christians not yet born! Who’s to say you’re not saved because a man prayed for you 250 years ago?

Pray for brothers and sisters you go to church with, of course, but don’t stop there. Go on to pray for other churches, for other denominations, and for believers all over the world. Maybe they have not because you ask not.

Under this heading, Henry has a lot to say. Some of it is dated, but the principles are as relevant today as they were ever were.

Pray for the Suffering Church,

In general, all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But, at the moment, some believers are suffering more than others. Of the many who were suffering in his day, Henry singles out one group for special prayers,

In the 18^th Century, the Turks ruled over much of South-Eastern Europe—and threatened much more of it. This put the believers in that part of the world in hot water. Islam has been pretty much thrown out of Europe, but it remains as strong as ever in other places. And where it dominates, the Church is still under fire. Let me give just a few examples: (1) In Saudi Arabia, the penalty for converting a Muslim is death; (2) In the Sudan, the Northern Muslims are raiding the Southern Christians and selling them into slavery; (3) Indonesia is torn by Muslim unrest and Christians are the Number One Target.

The current war, it seems to me, can only make things worse for the people of God (who are, unfortunately, equated with Americans).

Have you been praying for your brothers and sisters in the Middle-East and other places where Islam is in power? You ought to! Hebrews 13:3 says,

But don’t leave it there. Think of the Christians in Chinese prisons, North Korean work camps, and expelled from their homes in India, and other places. These dear saints need your prayers. You’re remiss if you don’t pray for them.

Pray for the godliness of the church.

Is there nothing wrong with the Church today? Has every heretic been exposed and defrocked? Are the worship services reverent? Are the people dead to the world and alive to God? How many people are committed to evangelism? How many are committed to giving? How many are devoted to prayer and Bible reading? How many young people are preparing for missionary work or some other life of sacrifice? Where are the leaders to get us out of the mess we’re in?

The Church Universal is in dire need of Reformation and Revival. We need to get out doctrines and practices back to the Bible. And we need new life from God.

It’s easy to rest content with what we have. It’s easy to wring our hands, moan and groan about what we don’t have. But what’s not so easy to pray for Revival! And to do it—not once or twice when you hear a sermon about it—but to pray for it

Here’s another easy memory verse, Psalm 122:6,

Pray for the outreach of the Church.

"Preach the Gospel to every creature". That’s our prime directive. But that’s not easy work. It takes time and money and men. It takes wisdom and courage and patience. But, most of all, it takes prayer. It was when the leaders in Antioch were praying that the Holy Spirit told them to

Are you praying for the outreach of the Church--both near by and far off? You ought to be. The Lord tells you to,

Pray for all the missionary outreach you can think of, of course. But, especially, pray for the ones you know best. Pray for the men we support overseas. Pray for Bob Berkey, for Steve Montgomery, for David Sitton, for Arza Brown; pray for Grace to Russia. If the work is worth doing, it’s worth praying for!

Pray for the ministers of the Church

Two weeks ago, I preached a whole sermon on praying for pastors. I cannot repeat it at the moment, but just remember what the work is—God’s—and what it takes to do it. That a pastor has to be, first of all, a good man, that he has to study hard, pray much, and find ways to connect the Word of God to his people.

Pray for me and for every man who has to give an account to God for his ministry.

Pray against the enemies of the Church

Does the Church have enemies in the world? It does. Matthew Henry thought most of the Turk and the Papist, of course. But we can add to his list. Materialism, the New Age Movement, Psychology, the Cults, the Culture of Promiscuity and Divorce, on and on it goes!

Pray the Lord would break the hold these things have over the souls of men and even the Church!

Pray for the Lord’s People. That’s Number One.

The list pretty well covers most people you know. Most people you work with or live near or talk to in the market don’t believe in God at all, or, if they do, think He’s distant and unconcerned with the world, or reject Jesus Christ, or formally accept Him, but show by their lives that they are not His disciples.

You ought to pray for these people. They are lost and perishing. You cannot save them yourself. Some of them you can’t even witness to. But you can pray for them. And ought to. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for the lost—with tears—and we’re to follow His holy example.

Henry was an Englishman and prayed most for England. Today, that would be considered "nationalistic" or even "racist", but, in fact, it’s only normal. Every normal person cares more for his own country than he does for other countries.

And why shouldn’t he? After all, it’s his country. Good or bad, it’s still home. G.K. Chesterton once quipped,

I may not like my mother being drunk, but she’s still my mother! In the same way, I may not approve of who’s in the office or what direction the country is headed, but it’s still my country! And, therefore, I’m bound to pray for it.

What does it mean to pray for your country? Henry has a lot to say here. Here’s some of it,

Despite some disturbing trends, the United States is still a comparatively safe place to live, with a good economy, and wonderful agriculture. Pray that God would keep on blessing us! Thirty years ago, Lebanon was the safest, freest, and best-off nation in the Middle East. But not any more! The Lord could bring the same calamities down on us. Pray that He won’t.

Narrowly, this means pray for the men who make the laws and enforce them. But, more broadly, it means pray for the culture. If our leaders were the holiest men in the world, they could make little headway against the culture that rules America.

What law can make people stop taking the Lord’s Name in vain? What Governor can keep families together? Can the Supreme Court get people to stop watching so much bad TV? These are all cultural problems. And demand our prayers.

England’s system of government is different than ours. But, still we ought to pray for our president and his cabinet; pray for the Congress, for the Supreme Court and others who call the shots in DC. But don’t stop with the Federal Government. Pray for the Governor of California, the State Senate and Assembly, the courts, and others. Pray also for our county and city officials. And others who make, enforce, and interpret our laws.

It’s easy to gripe about the scoundrels, but their work is very difficult! They need our prayers. The worse they are, the more they need them. Pray for your country.

I wish I didn’t need to say this. But I do. We often become so busy or so occupied with our own needs and problems that we forget to pray for our families and friends. If I called out names of people in the church, I bet some of us would blush over how long it’s been since we prayed for him or her!

When a loved one is sick, of course, we pray for him. But what about when he’s well? When a friend loses his job, we get very serious in praying for him, but what about when he’s got work? The healthiest man with the best job, the happiest home life, and no bills to pay depends entirely on God’s Grace. And that is provided, partly, through the prayers of other people.

Spend time tonight praying for someone you love. Or someone who loves you.

That’s it. Matthew Henry’s Method of Prayer. May God use it to improve our prayer lives. For Christ’s sake. Amen.