Turn with me, if you would, to
Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. Our message here last Wednesday
night was from James 4 verse 8, draw nigh to God and he will
draw nigh to you. Draw nigh to God and he'll draw
nigh to you. In light of that and in personally having a desire
to do that, I want to draw nigh to God and I want him to draw
nigh to me. And in light of thinking about
that, I've been dwelling on the subject of prayer throughout
the rest of this week, the subject of prayer. We draw not a God
through reading his word. We draw not a God through hearing
his gospel preached. We draw an eye to God through
gathering with his people. He said, where two or three are
gathered together in my name, I'm in the midst of you. And
we draw nigh to God through gathering with his people. We also draw
nigh to God through prayer. Prayer to him. And I want us
to consider our own personal prayer this morning. That's what
I want us to look at. Our Lord has said a lot to us
about prayer. He told us to do it without ceasing. He said, pray without ceasing.
Pray, pray, pray. It's so vital to a believer. It is the connection of life
to a believer and the Lord. Prayer, prayer. He said, do it
without ceasing. And I believe this will be a
real help to us. A real help. Because this right
here is the absolute truth regarding our prayer. All right, Romans
8 verse 26 says, likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. And isn't that wonderful? Aren't
you so glad to know? Look at the end. It says that
the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. Don't you love knowing that?
The Spirit itself makes intercession to God for us with groanings
that we can't utter. It's not possible for a man's
mouth to utter. And that's wonderful because verse 26 says, Likewise,
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities For we know not what we should
pray for as we ought. We know not what we should pray
for as we ought. Do you ever struggle with what
to pray for? Or how we should pray for something?
We naturally, we really don't know what we should pray for. or how we should pray for different
situations as we ought. And that's the key. As we ought. Look with me at Philippians chapter
4. Philippians 4 verse 6, it says,
be careful for nothing, don't be full of care over anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let your request be made known unto God. He said we can let
our request, we request things, we just did. And he said we can
let our request Be made known to God, but turn with me over
to James chapter 4 where we were last Wednesday night. James chapter 4, the end of verse
2 says, You have not because you ask not. That's the first
thing we must remember to ask. But then he says in verse three,
you ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume
it upon your lust. Sometimes we say, well, I'm praying
about it. People say that all the time,
don't they? I'm praying about it. I just keep praying and praying
and praying. But I don't feel like I'm getting any response
from him. He said, yeah, you ask. You are asking, but you're
asking the wrong thing. And this is key. You're asking
the wrong thing in the wrong spirit with the wrong motive. And you know what? He's right. He's right. That's what we do
by nature. Do our prayers not usually sound like this? Lord,
this is what I want. And I'm asking you to do it for
me. And I'm really hoping that this
is your will. I would really like for this
to be your will because this is what I want. Isn't that how
our prayers go usually? Our Lord gave us the model prayer,
didn't he? He said, after this manner, pray
ye. And he gave us that because his
disciples wisely said, Lord, teach us. Teach us. I want us to do the same thing
this morning. I want us to do the exact same thing. I want
us to say the same thing. Lord, teach me. You know, our Lord said, if you
ask, you'll receive. He said, you're asking, but you're
not receiving because you're asking a miss. You're asking
the wrong thing. In the wrong spirit with the
wrong motive. But if you ask the right thing in the right
spirit with the right motive, you'll receive Lord. Here's our
prayer this morning. Teach us. Teach me. We're going to close this by
looking at that wonderful prayer our Lord gave. First, though,
here's what I want us to do. I want us to do a word study.
I want us to go through this scripture and see the verses
that say, teach me. And I'm telling you as sincerely
as I can, pray this. From the heart, pray this. This
is a prayer that is not a mess. Pray this. All right. If we draw nigh to God with these
things, I believe with all my heart we'll be praying as we
ought. I really do. First one is in Job 6. Look with
me over at Job chapter 6, just before Psalms. Job chapter 6, look with me at verse 24. It says, teach me and I will
hold my tongue and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. Now, does that convict anybody
like it convicts me? He said, if you teach me I'll
hold my tongue. Two things are important in that.
The first one is very important. The second one is infinitely,
infinitely, infinitely more important. Lord, you teach me to hold my
tongue so I won't hurt my brethren with it. Teach me to hold my
tongue. I don't want to hurt my brethren.
I don't want to hurt anybody. Teach me not to hurt with anybody. James said, this tongue is a
little member, but it's a fire. And he said, behold, how great
a matter a little fire kindleth. Lord, teach me to hold my tongue
so I don't hurt anybody with it. But more importantly than
that, more importantly than that, Samuel said, speak, Lord, for
thy servant heareth." Man is so ready to spout off, isn't
he? Man is so ready to speak. He's
so ready to tell God everything about him. So ready to tell God
what he's going to do for God. He's so ready to speak, speak,
speak. Samuel wisely said, and this
was his communication, this was his prayer, he said, speak to
me, Lord. Thy servant heareth. Lord, would
you teach me to hold my tongue, the tongue of my heart? Would
you teach me to hold that so I can hear you when you speak
to me? Teach me to listen to you. Teach
me to listen to you. Again, James said, let's be swift
to hear. Slow to speak, slow to wrath. Slow to wrath. Peace comes. Could you imagine, physically
speaking, the peace that comes, the peace that would be in the
home, the peace that would be in the family, the peace that
would be in the congregation, where the wisdom is there for
everyone to hold their tongue and listen to Christ. There is
a home and a family and a congregation where everybody there has the
wisdom to hold their tongue and just listen to Christ. Lord will,
and we'll be there soon. But until that time, teach us. Lord, teach us. All right, here's
the next one. Psalm 25. Go with me over to
Psalm chapter 25. Psalm 25 verse 4, it says, Show
me thy ways, O Lord. Teach me thy pads. Teach me your pads. Teach me your pads. Right here on my same page is
Psalm 23 verse 3. It says, He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake. His righteousness. Everybody
on this earth is trying to earn a righteousness before God. Everybody
is. Everybody wants to go to heaven. Everybody wants God to say, well
done, good path. Come on in. Lord, teach me your
path. Teach me your paths of righteousness. Teach me to follow Christ. Teach
me to follow Christ. What a thing to pray. Let's all
enter into that. Teach me to follow Christ. Teach me to follow Christ. While I'm consumed with my place
and my world and everything around me, Lord, would you teach me
to follow Christ? Lead us not into temptation,
deliver us from evil. Every path we take will lead
us into temptation, evil. Teach us to follow Christ. That's
something worth praying. That's time well spent in prayer.
Lord, teach me to follow Christ. Teach me to follow him. Back
in Psalm 25, look at verse 5. Lead me in thy truth and teach
me. Teach me your truth. Teach me your truth. Don't you
want to know the truth? Would you rather go meet God with the
truth or a lie? Teach me your truth. What is
God's truth? What is the truth? Our Lord said,
I am the truth. I'm the truth. Teach me Christ. Teach me to follow Christ and
teach me Christ. Teach me Christ. Don't let me
learn something about doctrine. I don't want to teach you anything
about doctrine. I don't want the Lord to teach us anything
about doctrine. Doctrine does not lead men and
women to Christ. It does not. Christ will lead
men and women to correct doctrine. But teach me you. Don't let me
just learn something about religion. Don't let me just get religion.
Don't let me just learn something about the tradition of the denomination
that I'm in. Lord, teach me Christ. Teach
me you. Teach me who he is. Teach me
what he is. Teach me how he is. Oh, that
I might know him. Can we enter into that? Oh, that
I might know him. Not even just how he saves sinners. Oh, that I might know him and
be a saved sinner of his. I pray our children might know
him. Isn't that life eternal? He said that's life eternal,
that we might know him. Psalm 27 verse 11 says, teach
me thy way, O Lord. Teach me to hear you. Teach me
to follow you. Teach me to know you. Teach me
to know your way. That's the way of the cross. There's one way. There is one
way. There's one way. There's a man
who TV evangelist was asked. Do you believe there's one way
to God? And here's this was his answer. Yes, I believe there's
one way to God and that's Jesus. But he said there are many ways
to Jesus. All right, that's a lie. Start to finish. Center to Savior. There's one way. The way of the
cross. The way of the cross. Teach me
to know the fellowship of your suffering. Teach me to know not
that he died on the cross. Who does not know that Jesus
Christ died on the cross? Who doesn't know that? That's
not what it means to know your way. Teach me to know that my
suffering took place in your suffering on that cross. Teach
me to know that I hung there in you on that cross. Teach me
to know that when all of that wrath was being poured out on
you because God, justice was being served. Teach me to know
that it was being poured out on my sin. My sin. Teach me to know why the perfect
Son of God was slain. It's because that was my way.
My way was his way. Teach me to know the fellowship
of your suffering. Teach me to know that I was made
conformable unto your death and that I've attained your resurrection.
Teach me to know, Lord, that when you died, I died in you. It's appointed unto man once
to die. God is going to punish all sin. God is going to punish
all sin. He does not choose some people
to say, I tell you what, we'll forget yours here. Sweep it right
up under there and we'll forget it. He doesn't do that. He punishes
all sin. If I have committed sin and I
have. I must be punished. Where was I punished? On that
cross. In my Savior. In my substitute. That's the only way. In the way is salvation. Out
of the way, no way. No salvation. Teach me your way. Teach me your way. The one and
only way. Go with me to Psalm 119. Psalm 119 verse 12. Blessed art thou, O Lord. Teach me thy statutes. Would
you teach me your word? Teach me your word. I knew a man many years ago. And he he thought he was religious. His family was religious. He
did not attend anywhere. He didn't go anywhere. But he
thought he was religious and he was arguing with a man over
something and he said, well, I know what the Bible says. And
the man he was arguing with said, well, tell me, what does the
Bible say? And he said, well, it says something about whatever
it is he was arguing about. He said, it's in there somewhere.
It was not in there. He thought it was, it was not
in there. The horror of not knowing this word is something I don't
want to know. The horror. Someone told my wife
one time, he asked her what, you know, version of the Bible
did we use? And she said, well, we use King James. He said, you
mean New King James? She said, no, just regular King
James version. He said, no, you mean New King
James? She said, no, it's the regular King James version. He
said, no. Nobody understands that. And
he's right, unless God reveals the truth of this word to a sinner. You know, when God saves a sinner,
this word is no longer a mystery. Before that, this word is such
a mystery. I don't understand it. I read
it and I don't understand what it's saying. I'll give you the
answer right now. Christ is the answer. You look for Christ,
you'll understand every word in this book. Now am I saying
that I physically do understand every word in this book? No.
But I understand what every word's about. Jesus Christ crucified. The way of the cross. Every single word. Every picture. Every story. These are wonderful
stories. Lord, teach me to hold my tongue.
That's good advice. But there's a bigger meaning
than that. Teach me not to come spout off
to you about anything. Let my words be few, let them
be none, none. Teach us your word, Lord. Pray
this, okay? Pray this. Lord, please, teach
me to listen to you. Teach me to follow you. Teach
me to know you. I mean, really know you. Teach
me to know your way. Teach me what it means to know
Christ crucified personally. Teach me your word. Teach me
your word. This is the mind and the heart
and the will of God. You want to know the actual mind
and heart and will of God? Teach me your word. Paul told Timothy, from a child
thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. This
is God's word. These are not the words of Paul
and Peter and Elijah and Moses. This is God's word. This is your
word. Teach it to us, please. Psalm
119, verse 66. We're here in Psalm 119. Look
at verse 66. Teach me good judgment and knowledge
for I have believed thy commandments. You know what the word judgment
right there means? It means taste. That's what it
translates. Taste. Give me a knowledge of
that good taste. Let me know something of that
good taste. You are a holy God. We're about
to hear about how holy and just God really is. But Lord, would
you teach me something of that good taste? Turn with me over. Hold your place right here. We're
going to come right back. But go to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter 2 verse 1 says, Wherefore,
laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies
and all evil speaking, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk
of the word that you may grow thereby, if so be you have tasted
that the Lord is gracious. If you've tasted that, Is anybody else in this room
a sinner like I am? Taste and see that the Lord is
good and gracious. Lord, let me taste that. Let
me taste mercy. Where is mercy? In the way. Let
me taste it. Go back to Psalm 119 and look
at verse 102. He said, I have not departed from thy
judgments, for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. I'm telling you,
if a sinner ever gets a hold of the fact that he or she is
a sinner, horror will strike that person. And then if that
person ever gets a hold of the fact that the Lord is gracious
and merciful and long-suffering and patient through the suffering
of his son, those words, all of these words will be the sweetest
taste a sinner's ever tasted. Sweetest words I've ever heard. Teach me, Lord, to hear you.
Teach me to follow you. Teach me to know you. Teach me
to know your one and only way. Teach me your word, and teach
me to taste and see how good and gracious you are. One more.
Psalm 143. Psalm 143, verse 10. Teach me to do thy will. For thou art my God, thy spirit
is good. Lead me into the land of uprightness. Teach me not only to know these
things, but to do these things. Teach me to actually hear you,
not just say it with lip service. Teach me to actually hear you.
Teach me to actually follow you. Teach me not only to know your
word, but to do your word. James again said, be doers of
the word and not hearers only. Why should I do that? Is that
so I can earn my salvation? No, that's the way. Teach me
again the way. But teach me, Lord, to do your
will. Verse 10 says, because you're
my God. That's the reason. Because you're
my God. And because he said your spirit
is good and because you're going to lead me into the land of uprightness.
All of these requests are things we ought to ask for. I sincerely
encourage every person here, ask for these things. Ask for
them truly with a heart of sincerity. This is the spirit and the motive
and the words that will not be amiss. This will not be amiss. He said, you ask these things
and you'll receive. Now let's close with this. Go
with me over to Matthew 6. This is where the apostles said,
teach us to pray. Matthew 6. Verse 9. Our Lord said, after this manner,
therefore pray ye. He didn't say repeat this word
for word, because it would just become lip service. It would
just become, He said, after this manner, with this heart, with
this mind, Pray ye. Verse nine. Our Father, which
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Holy is your name. Holy. You're holy. We won't ever
come before you, Lord, without recognizing how holy you are.
Thy kingdom come. In that last day, we say come
quickly, but you know what we pray right now? Would you enter
this place where two or three are gathered in my name? I'm
in the midst of you. Lord, let two or three people be gathered
here this morning truly in your name. And if so, would you please
send your spirit into this place and meet with us and bless us.
Thy kingdom come, verse 10 says, thy will be done. in earth as it is in heaven.
Lord, your will be done. Give us this day our daily bread. Speak to this heart, Lord. This
heart needs to be fed so desperately. And forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors. Lord, we know that you have forgiven
our debts. We're carrying them out every
day. Lord, forgive us again. for everything we do every day,
and teach us to forgive others because you have forgiven us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For
thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,
amen. At the end of this chapter, he's
talking about all the things that we think we need. You know,
we need food and clothing, and we ask for all these things.
He said, your heavenly father knows you have need of all those
things. Seek ye first, and let's remember
this in our prayer. Seek ye first, and I'm talking
to myself. I need to learn this. Seek ye
first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness, and all these
things will be added to you. He said you can make your request
known, but seek first Christ, Christ, Christ, and everything
else will be taken care of. Thy will be done, Lord, your
will and your way be done. Teach us how we ought to pray. All right, you're dismissed.