Well, I've started more than
one sermon in the past with this point. One of the old catechisms
asks, what is the chief end of man? What's the purpose of man?
What are you for? What am I for? And the answer
it gives is this. Man's chief end, the purpose
of man, is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Glorify God
and enjoy Him forever. But if you don't believe in God,
if you're like the fool of the Psalms who says in his heart,
there is no God or no God for me, you say regarding God, what
Job records, the unbeliever to say, Job 21, 14 and 15, they
say to God, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of
thy ways. What is the almighty that we
should serve him? And what profit should we have
if we pray unto him? Disbelief is as old as mankind. That was the oldest book in the
Bible. Disbelief is as old as mankind. And we live in a world
surrounded by unbelief. Unbelief of the truth. They don't
believe God. And they think that they're intellectually
superior. They think people that believe
in God, oh, they're silly, silly small-minded people who haven't
really thought about anything properly. No, unbelievers are
not intellectually superior in their rationalism. You can explain
everything, everything, life, conscience, everything, you can
explain it just by the stuff that we feel and touch. This
is the way they talk. Mindless evolution. No design,
no God. It accounts for everything. Well,
I tell you, you're not intellectually superior in your unbelief, if
that's the way you think. I'll tell you what you are. You
are blind to true spiritual light. You're like a blind man arguing
with me that he cannot see a beautiful scene. This is what you are.
You're blind to spiritual light. But those that know God, if you
know God this morning, this is your testimony, Psalm 16 verse
11. that God will show me the path of life. God will show me
the path of life. In God's presence is fullness
of joy. At thy right hand, God's right
hand, there are pleasures forevermore. That's the experience of those
who believe the truth. Now then, if you're an unbeliever,
don't you owe it to your immortal soul to stop a while and to think
about this? But how do you think about it?
Do you go off and consult all sorts of philosophers and read
all sorts of books? No, I'll tell you what you do.
I'll tell you what you do. Listen to preaching. Listen to
faithful preaching. Because there's an awful lot
of preaching out there that isn't faithful. It's the lie of the
devil. But listen to faithful preaching. How do I know when
I'm listening to faithful preaching? It lifts up the Lord Jesus Christ.
as the only mediator between God and man. It has nothing to
say. I determine, said Paul, to know
nothing else among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's faithful preaching, lifting
him up as the way, the truth, and the life. It is preaching
that is faithful to the Bible and the message of the Bible.
And it's that which God is pleased to use. It says in 1 Corinthians
1, it pleased God by what everybody around regards as foolishness,
that of preaching, not only the method but the message. It pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Whosoever shall call, we read
in the scriptures, whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved. Not might, shall be saved. No, not a possibility, a certainty,
shall be saved. But how will you call except
you believe? And how will you hear unless
somebody preaches it to you? Let me just use an illustration.
Let's say it's late at night and you need a taxi. And somebody's
told you that there's this thing called Uber. And you hear it. And then you believe, yes, from
what they've told me, I believe that this is a reliable taxi
service. And so believing that Uber is a reliable taxi service,
you call on the name of Uber. And guess what? Before too long,
a taxi turns up. Do you see what I'm saying? It's
exactly the same with the preaching of the gospel. You call on the
name of the Lord because you believe that that Lord is worthy
of calling on. And the way you know he's worthy
is because somebody has preached the truth of it to you. And you've
told you it, and you've believed it, and so you call. Christ is
the message of faithful preaching. Now my title this morning is
simple. Knowing God. Knowing God. What is it to know God? What
is it? If it's the most important thing,
that in our entire life, if it's the most, you know, go and get
a degree, go and get riches, go and be a success, go and do
whatever you want to do. But above all, this is the thing
that puts everything else into the shade, know God. What is
it to know God? What must happen for me to know
him? And how does that knowledge work
itself out? What is it to know God then,
first of all? To know God is to know Christ. That's what it is. To know God
is to know Christ. As Paul wrote to the Philippians,
speaking of Christ, he said, that I might know him. This is
my aspiration for eternity. That I might know him now and
then through death into eternity. That I might know him. Not just
that I might know about him, but that I might know him. And
not only that I might know him, but that I might know my need
of him. Why do I need him? Look back
in chapter 2 of 1 Peter, chapter 2, and the last verse, for ye
were a sheep going astray. You're sheep going astray. Look
at verse 24, who his own self bear, our sins in his own body
on the tree. that we being dead to sins should
live to righteousness. Our sins, chapter 3 and verse
18 which we read before, Christ also has suffered once for sins,
the just for the unjust. We're sinful and we're unjust. We're in debt to God's righteousness. This is what we are by nature
and this is why we need the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why we
need him. It is a most blessed thing of
God's Holy Spirit that he brings a sinner to know that he is a
sinner. A sinner is a sacred thing. The
Holy Ghost has made him so. To know something, we'll never
plumb the depths of it, but to know something, that the God
who has created and upholds all things is infinitely pure. He dwells, the scriptures say,
in unapproachable light. Get that? Unapproachable light. He's of purer eyes than to behold
iniquity and cannot look upon sin. He is angry with the wicked
every day. The wicked? Anybody that is not
as perfect and righteous and holy as he is. For if we sin
in one point, says James, we sin in all. By nature, we're
at enmity with God. We're his enemies. We're his
enemies. Those people who in times of
trouble, they ignore God through their life and trouble comes
along, oh pray for me, pray for me, oh please pray for me. You
didn't want God when things were going well, did you? Why should
he turn his ear to you now? We just read a passage this morning
in Ezekiel. where the elders of Israel come
to Ezekiel and say inquire of the Lord for us and God says
you tell them I'm not listening to them because they've ignored
me down all these years they've turned their back on me they've
lived as if I didn't exist they've ignored my precepts so no I will
not speak to them I will not tell them anything enmity that's
what we are by nature We're under the justice of God, which condemns
us. And it has a penalty. God cannot
overlook sin. He can in no wise, it says, clear
the guilty. There is a penalty, and that
penalty is hell. And what is hell? I don't know
a fraction of what it is, but I do know this. It's an eternity
of separation. from all that is good, from all
that is God. It is described, whether this
is a metaphor or literal, I do not know, but it is described
in the Scriptures as a lake of fire. That's how the Scriptures
describe it. My friends, do not be complacent
about this. We need to know Christ as our
substitute because he came to stand for his people and to be
a sacrifice and to satisfy the offended justice of God to bear
the sins of his people as we read he bear our sins in his
own body on the tree. Let's say you have a debt at
the bank of many thousands of pounds and you've got no possibility
of paying it and the bank keep writing to you and they say you
owe us fifty thousand pounds when are you going to pay we
need this money we'll give you till the end of next month to
start making payments and you think I can't I just do not have
the means and some kind person who has the means goes to the
bank without consulting you and says I believe that that Michael
owes £50,000 to the bank and they say yes that's absolutely
right he does well I would like to clear that debt for Michael
and they get their checkbook out and they write £50,000 and
the bank says well that's very kind thank you very much and
the debt is cleared because the bank now has the money and the
bank writes to you and says your debt is cleared and you say but
I didn't do anything and they say no somebody else did it for
you Somebody else paid it for you. That's what substitution
is about. Your debt is cancelled. In chapter
2, verse 24, he bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we being dead to sins should live, should live. He that believes
in me has eternal life. But it's only for us who believe. He said he is the good shepherd. Our Lord Jesus Christ said he
is the good shepherd. He has his people whom he calls
his sheep, a flock of sheep. They're his sheep. They're a
multitude which no man can number, but they're his. He gives his
life for his sheep. He says that in John chapter
10, the good shepherd and the sheep. The good shepherd gives
his life for his sheep. He gives his life, why? Because
otherwise his sheep would have to go to hell. And he gives his
life for his sheep. If by grace, if by the sovereign
grace, the sovereign electing grace of God, you are among his
sheep, you will believe him. Not the other way around. If
by sovereign grace, you are among his sheep, you will believe him.
Do you know how I know that? What is our standard for all
of our doctrine? Is it the Westminster Confession
or anything like that? Not in the slightest. Not at
all. Quite honestly, I wouldn't waste a minute reading it, even
if it's got good stuff in it. This book is the standard and
this book says this, Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus didn't
say in John 10, 26, oh you unbelieving Pharisees, if only you would
believe then you would become my sheep and I'd take care of
you. He didn't say that, did he? Shall I tell you what he
did say? He said to them, you don't believe, and this is the
reason you don't believe, you're not of my sheep. You are not
my sheep from eternity. But his sheep, the multitude
that God the Father gave to God the Son before time began in
sovereign grace, that flock of God's sheep, they feel the weight
of their sin by the Holy Spirit coming to them, and they feel
it separating them from God, and they have a deep sense of
being unjust and vile. Job said, I am vile. Job, what
man would count the holiest man that had ever lived, and Job
said when he saw himself in the light of God's holiness, he said,
I am vile and I repent in sackcloth and ashes. if you've got a sense
of being unjust in the court of divine justice, of deserving
eternal banishment from God's presence, of deserving, of deserving
hell. Do you know when it comes to
the judgment, everybody, we all must stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. And those found guilty of their
sins outside of Christ and bearing the punishment themselves will
say, God is just. They will vindicate God. You
may not believe this now, but it is absolutely true. This is
what the scriptures say. They will all confess that he
is Lord to the glory of God the Father. But then, to see God
in Christ as the God-man, the God-man, God who became man to
bear the sin of his sheep. You know, we remember him in
communion, and what we remember is that God in the person of
his son, the unknowable God, manifested himself, made himself
plain. God revealed himself to us. No
man's seen him at any time, but the only begotten Son who is
in the bosom of the Father. he has made him known, he has
manifested him, he has declared him, and he came. Why did he
come? We inhabit flesh and blood, and as sinners we must die, and
our blood must be shed, because without the shedding of blood
there is no remission of sin. Even if we were to shed all our
blood there would be no remission of our sin, because it isn't
enough, it doesn't make satisfaction. But he came, with his infinite,
divine nature, in that human body, and he committed no sin
whatsoever but for his people at Calvary. He was made the sin
of his people that he might bear the full wrath and condemnation
of the nature of God for that sin and having paid it, it is
cleared. He did it. as the representative. He stood guilty of his people's
sin. He, on the cross, felt the force
of divine justice. He is just, for he always does. He must punish sin, and he did
in Christ, so that he might justify those like us who by nature are
sinners. He is indeed a just God and a
saviour. He died in the flesh for his
people, his broken body and his shed blood, which is the very
basis of our acceptance with God. We remember when we break
bread and we share wine in the communion. and it satisfies divine
justice. The only qualification we need
for taking communion is that in our souls we discern the body
of the Lord. We discern that it was his broken
body and his shed blood that has made peace with God for us.
And in the light of his making peace, look what God said before
he ever came to do it. Jeremiah 50 verse 20, before
he ever came to do it in history. Hundreds of years before he came
to do it in history. Why? Because in eternity he's
the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And in Jeremiah
50 verse 20 it talks of the day of judgment when the books are
opened and sin of every type that isn't paid for is laid bare
before the justice and gaze of God and receives its full penalty.
And it says the iniquity of Israel. Whenever you read in Phrases,
in terms, in passages like this in the Old Testament of Israel
and of Judah and of Jacob, you can substitute the Church of
the Living God, the Church of Christ, His people, the Bride
of Christ. The iniquity of Israel, the iniquity
of God's believing people shall be sought for on that day, and
there shall be none They shall be none, the sins of Judah, and
they shall not be found, for I will pardon them whom I reserve. He will pardon the sheep that
he's chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,
so that all of us who believe him can sing with that hymn writer,
my sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not
in part, but the whole is nailed to his cross, and I bear it no
more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul. Have you
heard the gospel preached? Have you believed it? Have you
called upon Christ to save you? Then you are saved from sin. And being saved from sin, this
is the key component of knowing God. You know that your sins
are taken away. You know that you are reconciled
to God. Where you were children of wrath,
even as others, you know that you're reconciled to him. So
then, what must happen for me to know that? What must happen?
John records the encounter between Nicodemus who came to Jesus by
night in John chapter 3. and Nicodemus one of the Pharisees
came because Nicodemus was slightly troubled by the aggressive opposition
of the other Pharisees and he thought I'm going to go and do
some secret negotiating and just find out this guy's really alright
I think and we just need to find a way of compromising with him
so Nicodemus went to Jesus and he said we know you're a teacher
come from God for the things that you do no ordinary man can
do and Jesus stops him there dead in his tracks and he says
except a man be born again, he cannot see the things of the
kingdom of God. Nicodemus, you're talking to
me about the kingdom of God. You're blind. You cannot see
it. Except you're born again, you
cannot see it. Don't debate the things of the
kingdom of God with somebody who is not born again, because
they cannot see it. Preach the gospel, declare the
gospel to them, but don't debate. Don't debate. you declare it. This is what God says, you must
be born again. Look in verse 4 of 1 Peter chapter
3, and this is why I'm basing this message on this chapter.
He says about behaviour that's becoming the person that has
believed the gospel of grace, and he says the attitude ought
to be that of The hidden man of the heart. The hidden man
of the heart. That's the person that is born
of the Spirit of God in the new birth. When the gospel is preached,
when the Holy Spirit comes, when the Holy Spirit opens eyes to
see the things of God and opens ears to hear the gospel of grace. Then, a new man is born inside. This is conversion, this is the
new birth, this is being born again. I know it's a phrase that
he's poured scorn on, because there are all sorts of people
who claim to be born again and they don't know the meaning of
the word. This is being born of the Spirit of God, that hidden
man of the heart that wasn't there before conversion, but
is. It's new life from God, planted
within the sinner. It's the hidden man which discerns
the things of God. For you know, as 1 Corinthians
2.14 tells us, the natural man cannot discern the things of
the Spirit of God. They're foolishness to him, neither
can he know them. They're spiritually discerned. How do you get spiritual
discernment? The Holy Spirit comes and gives
it to you. And that hidden man of the heart
subdues the sinful desires of the flesh. Why? Because in Christ
dying for the sins of his people in Christ making his people the
righteousness of God in him. Not only does he do it in a strict,
objective, legal sense, but he puts a new nature which is towards
the things of God. I know we're a complete mixture,
I know we sin in the flesh all the time, I know there is a constant
battle. But for sure, there's a new man,
the hidden man of the heart that's there, in each one who believes,
who loves the things of truth, that seeks the righteousness
of God. The new man to whom the apostles, in all of the epistles,
you read them, there's doctrine there, there's salvation doctrine
there, but they plead with believers to live according to gospel precepts. If Christ has saved you, then
live like this. If Christ has saved you, don't
lie to one another. If Christ has saved you, don't
deceive one another. If Christ has saved you, don't
set your heart on things of this world and getting what you can
here, but on things above. You see, here in this passage,
if you read this in chapter three, as we did in chapter two, but
we're not going to go through it in detail, but it's about
uh... husbands and wives in the first few verses and then about
general relationships in society roundabout and with our brethren.
The basic principle that is called for is selflessness. Not me first,
the very opposite of me first. I'll take a back seat. I'll put
the interests of others before mine. I'll esteem others more
highly than myself. and it's the key to marriage
as he says in these first few verses you know the the wife
not getting on a soapbox to berate her unbelieving husband but living
graciously because of that new hidden man that is inside wives
and husbands living like that i can tell you i could give you
our testimony christine and i was seventeen years old when we met
seventeen we were married at nineteen we had our first child
when we were 21 going on 22. That's when we had our first
child. And this year is the 48th anniversary of our wedding. And
we've not always been in perfect harmony. I mean, like anybody
else, but in general, these principles, these gospel principles, these
gospel precepts, this consideration, the one for the other, God honors
it and keeps us together. It talks about compassion, and
being courteous, and being those that are more inclined to bless
than to curse others, that have a controlled tongue, that seek
to avoid evil. Read these verses again, look
at verse 9, not rendering evil for evil, not paying back, not
railing, not rowing with others, but contrary-wise, blessing them,
knowing that ye are there unto called, that ye should inherit
a blessing. Being courteous, being pitiful,
this is the theme of it. Looking at Christ's example,
God's word lighting my path through life. This hidden man, there
must be a hidden man inside. This is conversion, this is new
life, this is new principles. Do you claim, let me ask you,
let me ask myself, do you claim to know God? Do you claim that
you've believed his gospel, and that you trust Christ has paid
your sin debt, and that you have a good hope of heaven, and that
you know comfort in the fact that by his death he's reconciled
you to God? Okay, that's a claim. Do you
habitually, in a settled way, live at ease in the world, comfortable
with its standards, unperturbed by its sin and its corruption,
A life lived in happy conformance to the unbelieving world is not
one that knows God. And I tell you that on the authority
of this book, you can read it again and again for yourselves.
When the epistles are talking about gospel precepts by which
we should live, it says, look, nobody's claiming any legal obedience
to these things because we know our standing is not changed by
our legal obedience. But those that habitually live
quite happily in this state of lack of conformance to the precepts
of the gospel then they're people who don't know God the hidden
man within Christ's believing sheep constantly strives to put
off the characteristic behavior of the natural man of sinful
flesh this is the cry of every born-again child of God in Psalm
139 we read this this is the believer Search me, O God. I don't know
myself. You search me, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts,
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting. This is the desire of the true
child of God. If I know him, there is a hidden
man inside that has believed the gospel of his grace that
has saved me from my sins, that has shown me what Christ has
accomplished in his death and his resurrection for my eternal
soul. And then in verse seven of this
chapter, it talks about husbands dwelling with wives, according
to knowledge, giving honor to the wife as unto the weaker vessel
and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your
prayers be not hindered. that your prayers be not hindered.
Verse 12, the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his
ears are open unto their prayers. What is it to know God? It's
to know the gospel of grace. It's to have the hidden man of
God inside, but it's also a life of prayer. That verse seven talks
of prayers being hindered. Prayer is communing with God. If we know God, we want to commune
with him. If you say, I know that person
as my friend, I'm telling you, if you never speak to them, they're
not your friend. Simple as that. You speak with your friends,
your friends speak with you. Prayer is communing with God. It's the requests of the soul
made to God. It's speaking with God. It's
seeking wisdom from heaven as we walk through this life in
these bodies of flesh. It's what it says in the Old
Testament again and again in the history books about enquiring
of the Lord. That's prayer. Enquiring of the
Lord. Give me wisdom. Show me what
I should do. Knowing that He orders all things
according to His own purposes for our eternal good, it's praying
to Him about these things. Prayer is the hidden man of the
heart. The new man of the Spirit of
God. It's that man breathing. breathing,
spiritually breathing. It's the sign of spiritual life.
When Saul of Tarsus was confronted by the risen Lord Jesus Christ
on the road to Damascus, and he was struck blind, and what
would you have me do, Lord? And they led him blind into the
city of Damascus. And then God's spirit told Ananias
to go and minister to him. And Ananias said, I'm very frightened
of him, Lord. We've heard terrible things about
him. He's coming to bind true believers and lock them up and
to persecute them. And God said to him, Don't be
afraid of him, go to him, for he's a chosen vessel of mine,
and he's praying. The prayers of Paul, not Saul
of Tarsus anymore, Paul, the believer, with now the hidden
man of the heart inside, that hidden man is praying. He's a
living soul in the kingdom of God. Believers are encouraged
again and again throughout the scriptures to pray without ceasing. How do we do that? To know God.
How do we do it? Set appointments. You know, if
you're going to cultivate a friendship with somebody else, what do you
do? You set appointments, don't you? Shall we meet up for such
and such a thing? That would be good, wouldn't it? Isn't that
what you do? Of course it is. In everyday
life, in friendships, you make appointments with people. we
should set time aside in our routine. I know routines are
busy, but try and set time aside regularly for prayer. Oh yes,
of course, live your life with a constant consciousness of the
presence of God, and firing prayers up to heaven all the time in
each situation. But if you have spiritual life
from God, you'll need to plead with God. In Matthew chapter
six, look what he says. In Matthew chapter six and verse
six in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said to them, but when
you pray, enter into your closet. That doesn't mean go and sit
in your wardrobe necessarily, but what it means is in a quiet,
private place. Go and find a quiet, private
place. And when you have shut the door,
pray to your father which is in secret and your father which
sees in secret shall reward you openly and when you pray don't
use vain repetitions you're not heard for your much speaking
as the heathen think they will be no don't be like them your
father knows what you need but come to him and pray and then
he gives the lord's prayer what we call the lord's prayer as
the example when it comes to families. I know how busy and
how difficult it is, but Charles Spurgeon said this, I found this
yesterday, he said, the house in which there is no family altar
can scarcely expect a divine blessing. By an altar I don't
mean a box sitting in a corner with lots of little icons on
it, I mean a time, a set time, a place, an opportunity for worship. Prayer life is a good barometer
of spiritual health, of the nature of our relationship with God,
of knowing God. Jesus pointed to the Pharisee
and the Publican praying at the Temple Wall, and he said, look
at that Pharisee over there, this is how he's praying. He's
praying, I thank thee God that I am not like other men, not
like this lowly Publican here, because I do all of these good
religious things in your name and therefore I'm such a good
man. But the Publican stood there and beat his breast. and said,
God be merciful to me, the sinner. The sinner, he said, as if he
was the only one. God be merciful to me. Jesus
said that publican went away justified. That's an indication
of spiritual life. But here Peter warns about prayers
being hindered. If we would know God, we must
pray to him. Are your prayers hindered? Are
my prayers hindered? I'm sure they are. But what can
hinder? Firstly, Peter implies that contravening
gospel precepts of living will hinder prayer. You know, he says
if the marriage relationship isn't right, your prayers will
be hindered. If you're of a If you're of an angry disposition
with your fellow men, your prayers will be hindered. Animosity in
human relationships. Jesus said about bringing a gift
to the altar, he said, yes, you know, you all want to be seen
bringing your gift to the altar, but he said, if you're in a dispute
with your neighbor, he said, God doesn't want you to bring
your gift to the altar. Go and settle the dispute with
your neighbor. Then when that's settled, bring
your gift to the altar. But there's more implied here.
worldly busyness. I know we live in such busy worlds,
don't we? And we fill every empty space
with noise and entertainment. Worldly busyness hinders prayers. I'm talking about knowing God.
If you know God, you pray to him. You're in prayer with him. You know his gospel, you know
his truth, but you pray to him, you commune with him. But worldly
busyness hinders prayer. You know, worldly schemes that
we have, rather than time for prayer all in balance is what
I'm talking about so we need to be ordered maybe it's a good
time of year I know I'm not greatly a fan of New Year's resolutions
but here we go we're on the start of a new year maybe we ought
to plan for prayer and private and family worship and don't
choose an unfit time that will hinder prayer when we might be
interrupted by other things around about us. Don't let worldliness
interfere. Don't let anger, don't let grudges
interfere with our prayers. Do you believe? Do you? Do we pray? Do we pray effectively? You know, if we claim to know
God, we should pray. We want to pray effectively,
don't we? We don't want that to be hindered. you know when
you go to some authority you have to muster your arguments
carefully we're just in a dispute about whether a local bus company
should be able to build a great big obscene looking shed down
at the end of our gardens in which to maintain their buses
and the other evening us and some of the other neighbors went
to the local council planning meeting and we had a slot in
which we were able to present our arguments to the council
to try to persuade them to refuse this application but you know
something we have to think long and hard about effective arguments
if you're going to come to some authority you want your arguments
to be effective james says this about prayer james five sixteen
he says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much what is a prayer when it's effectual and fervent what is
it then how is it then Jesus said, in John 15 verse 7, he
said, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Ah, right,
right. Hold on then. The key is abiding in Christ,
and his words abiding in me. And then I'll ask what I will.
I'll ask for that nice shiny new car or whatever it is. No,
no you won't. No you won't. No. Because if
his words abide in you, and he is abiding in you, you'll have
your thoughts set on things above, and it shall be done unto you.
You'll ask effectively. James says again, James 4 verse
3, ye ask and receive not. Why? Because ye ask amiss. You ask wrongly. You ask for
the wrong things, that you may consume it upon your lusts. Don't worry, I'm not saying that
things are wrong, I've got plenty of things myself, they're things
that we need for this life, I'm not saying that at all. I'm talking
about where the heart is, and where the hidden man of the heart
is, and what the hidden man of the heart desires. No, not praying
in accordance with God's will is ineffectual in praying. We
must pray in accordance with God's will. Spurgeon put it like
this, and I like this, I think this is very good. He said, shoot
to heaven only arrows that come from heaven. Think about it,
say it again. Your prayers are like shooting
arrows to heaven. You know, you draw the bow and
you shoot. Shoot to heaven only arrows that have come down from
heaven. How do they come down from heaven?
Through the word. what more can he say than to
you he has said you unto Jesus for refuge have fled his word
and well lots of people read his word don't they yes but not
with the spirits understanding not with the mind of Christ my
friends if we abide in him and his words abide in us he will
show us the principles of the will of God he will show us the
principles of his truth he will give us arrows of prayer from
heaven and then we fire those prayers back to him or another
analogy is like homing pigeons you know the pigeons know where
they live and they put them in cages and they put little messages
on them and they take them to the other end of the country
and let them go and guess what you know like we'd be completely
lost all those pigeons find their way exactly back home Make your
prayers like homing pigeons. They've come down from heaven
with the truth of God, by his word, by his spirit. Fire them
back to heaven. This is praying in accordance
with God's will. So knowing God, knowing God,
to glorify him and enjoy him forever, we need to know Christ
and his salvation and nothing else. Christ and his salvation.
and to sense that hidden man within that is born of God's
spirit, that desires the things of God's spirit, and that prays,
communes with God. The prayers of God's people.
What are the prayers of God's people, above all? Be very conscious
of this. Thy kingdom come. Is that not
what our desire should be? Yes, we have this life to live
and this world to get through and all the things that we must
do in raising families and doing everything else that we've done.
But above all, thy kingdom come, that God's kingdom will come.
That's the testimony of those who have the assurance that it
is well with their soul, that they know God, that they know
God in Christ. Amen.