WEBVTT 00:00:10.020 --> 00:00:12.679 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church 00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:15.279 Henley and thanks so much for tuning into our 00:00:15.279 --> 00:00:19.000 podcast. Our prayer is that through this podcast 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.820 you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:24.359 change your life. And now get ready for an inspiring 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:28.559 message from our preaching team. If we haven't 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.739 met, I'm Tim. I'm one of the pastors here. It's 00:00:30.739 --> 00:00:34.700 great to have you with us. Let's pray. Holy Spirit, 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:40.939 we ask that you would come today. God, we need 00:00:40.939 --> 00:00:44.759 your mercy, we need your forgiveness, and we 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:46.880 thank you, Jesus, that your grace is sufficient 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.780 for us. So I just pray, Lord, that you would 00:00:49.780 --> 00:00:54.320 speak now in Jesus' name. Amen. Who loves a good 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:58.399 whinge? Have you ever caught up with someone 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:02.259 just to have a good whinge? When I first became 00:01:02.259 --> 00:01:06.420 a pastor, not now but previously, I caught up 00:01:06.420 --> 00:01:08.280 with my supervisor and I caught up with him because 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.560 I wanted to have a good complaint. I'd taken 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:14.819 on this congregation in the country and one of 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:16.400 the things I'd done was I'd organized like a 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:19.239 family dinner, like let's all get together, let's 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:24.239 have something to eat, let's connect and eat. 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:26.700 And afterwards one of the church council members, 00:01:26.719 --> 00:01:29.370 no less, comes up to me and says, Tim, that was 00:01:29.370 --> 00:01:32.409 so good. I've been sitting next to so -and -so 00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:34.489 for 20 years in church, and that's the first 00:01:34.489 --> 00:01:37.290 time we've really talked. And I was like, huh? 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:41.890 How? How can you sit next to someone for 20 years 00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:45.329 and never have more than good morning? You're 00:01:45.329 --> 00:01:46.569 supposed to be the body of Jesus. You're supposed 00:01:46.569 --> 00:01:48.950 to be the family of God. And I was so frustrated 00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:51.109 by this that it was like the straw that broke 00:01:51.109 --> 00:01:53.840 the camel's back. Now, I was younger than Charlie 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:56.680 is right now, when I was... So I was a little 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:58.620 hot -headed, way more hot -headed than Charlie, 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:06.299 and quite a bit self -righteous, not as... They 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:10.219 came out wrong. Much more self -righteous than 00:02:10.219 --> 00:02:15.060 Charlie. So I poured out my frustration to Matt, 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:17.699 who was my supervisor. Like, what is wrong with 00:02:17.699 --> 00:02:20.120 these people? They were so focused on their own 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.780 preferences, how they liked things and what God 00:02:22.780 --> 00:02:25.400 was wanting to do. They were pleasant to each 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:26.960 other on Sunday, but if you scratch beneath the 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:28.520 surface, there was bitterness and resentments 00:02:28.520 --> 00:02:30.639 in their heart toward each other. They wanted 00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:32.840 change, but not really. They wanted me to lead, 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:35.919 but not really. On and on I went. I had just 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.900 a good solid winch. And he said something to 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:42.120 me that I'll never forget for the rest of my 00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:45.060 life. He said, Tim, people are never the enemy. 00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:49.680 People are never the enemy. And I'll never forget 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:52.180 that because in ministry, just like in life, 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:55.860 people disappoint you. Things don't go to plan, 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:59.800 expectations are left unmet. People can leave, 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:03.400 they can hurt, they can betray. Your plus one 00:03:03.400 --> 00:03:05.520 might not have said yes to coming to Alpha, or 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:08.719 your plus one said yes like mine and then bailed. 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:12.620 And it seems like our response to this is either 00:03:12.620 --> 00:03:17.930 to blame ourselves, if I had been better. then 00:03:17.930 --> 00:03:19.930 this wouldn't have happened or would blame the 00:03:19.930 --> 00:03:22.370 other person. Well if they hadn't done that, 00:03:22.530 --> 00:03:26.110 well then this wouldn't have happened. A normal 00:03:26.110 --> 00:03:29.009 reaction can be to make enemies of others or 00:03:29.009 --> 00:03:33.090 to beat ourselves up. But what if Matt was right, 00:03:33.129 --> 00:03:37.090 my supervisor, what if people are never the enemy? 00:03:38.469 --> 00:03:41.370 Well that's exactly what Paul's indicating in 00:03:41.370 --> 00:03:46.060 our Bible reading today. And how then Do we deal 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:50.300 with the hurt, the conflict, and the pain that 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:52.979 is part and parcel of life this side of heaven? 00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:57.860 If we don't make enemies of others or an enemy 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:02.080 of ourselves, who then do we blame? Who then 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:06.120 do we fight? Who then is the enemy? Friends, 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:09.560 we are in the middle of our core values series. 00:04:09.939 --> 00:04:12.699 We've got five new core values as in Counter 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:15.120 Church and they're... our statements of intent. 00:04:15.259 --> 00:04:17.560 They're the kind of church we want to be, as 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:19.420 in counter church, but more importantly, the 00:04:19.420 --> 00:04:24.339 kind of people we want to be. And our core values, 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.339 they're on the wall, so you should succeed at 00:04:27.339 --> 00:04:31.740 this, are, shout them out, what are they? Multiplying 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:37.920 resilient disciples. Yeah, hearts on fire for 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:44.810 Jesus. Monday invaders. Contending in prayer, 00:04:45.029 --> 00:04:47.009 which is what we're preaching on tonight, and 00:04:47.009 --> 00:04:50.529 Bible -fed and Spirit -led. These are our core 00:04:50.529 --> 00:04:54.589 values. We want to be a church and a people who 00:04:54.589 --> 00:04:58.250 contend in prayer. In our Bible reading today, 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:00.029 Paul's finishing his letter to the church in 00:05:00.029 --> 00:05:04.110 Ephesus by calling on them to understand the 00:05:04.110 --> 00:05:07.250 battle they are in, but also the power that they 00:05:07.250 --> 00:05:10.990 have. He says be strong in the Lord and in his 00:05:10.990 --> 00:05:14.629 mighty power put on all of God's armor So you'll 00:05:14.629 --> 00:05:16.410 be able to stand firm against the strategies 00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:18.870 of the devil for we are not fighting against 00:05:18.870 --> 00:05:20.589 flesh and blood enemies We're not fighting against 00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:23.209 people But against evil rulers and authorities 00:05:23.209 --> 00:05:25.250 of the unseen world against mighty powers in 00:05:25.250 --> 00:05:27.670 this dark world and against evil spirits in the 00:05:27.670 --> 00:05:31.050 heavenly places Welcome to church if people are 00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:36.029 not the enemy Who is the enemy not humans not 00:05:36.029 --> 00:05:38.839 human institutions? Paul says it's the devil 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:41.759 that's the enemy, the spiritual being who is 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:44.339 opposing God and other spiritual forces of darkness 00:05:44.339 --> 00:05:46.220 and evil that have set themselves up against 00:05:46.220 --> 00:05:48.920 God. Paul's calling the church in Ephesus to 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:52.560 understand that there is an enemy, but it's never 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.699 people. And this enemy's goal is strategically 00:05:56.699 --> 00:05:59.579 undermine the work of God in the world, to sow 00:05:59.579 --> 00:06:02.420 doubt, to undermine believers, to undermine the 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:04.680 spirit's work of bringing people to faith in 00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:09.240 Jesus. And Paul's saying that in the face of 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:11.519 these spiritual strategies against them, their 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:15.199 job is actually not to go on the offensive, but 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:19.100 to stand firm. Not in their own power, not in 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:21.379 their own goodness, but in the mighty power of 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:24.180 God. To put on not, it's not their own armor, 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:29.180 it's God's armor. Now we have a problem with 00:06:29.180 --> 00:06:31.879 this I think. Now some of you might be thinking, 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.670 really Tim? I come to church and we're talking 00:06:34.670 --> 00:06:37.389 about the devil and evil spirits. Isn't that 00:06:37.389 --> 00:06:39.970 a bit wacko and weird? Promises not like this 00:06:39.970 --> 00:06:42.790 every week. But I think that's a part of the 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:45.970 problem. One of the hallmark ideas of Western 00:06:45.970 --> 00:06:49.889 European culture is that all there is, all that's 00:06:49.889 --> 00:06:53.990 real, is only that you can touch and measure. 00:06:55.370 --> 00:06:57.910 That anything outside of the natural, anything 00:06:57.910 --> 00:07:01.769 supernatural, doesn't really happen. Or didn't 00:07:01.769 --> 00:07:04.529 really happen. And if they claim they do, it's 00:07:04.529 --> 00:07:07.350 nothing but myths that are believed by primitive, 00:07:07.709 --> 00:07:12.009 gullible people. And I think that is a very clever 00:07:12.009 --> 00:07:15.990 lie. And that that lie has bled into the Church 00:07:15.990 --> 00:07:19.509 of Jesus. You know, I have no idea why people 00:07:19.509 --> 00:07:22.550 enjoy horror movies. Does anyone enjoy horror 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:25.589 movies in the room? I don't get it. We can talk 00:07:25.589 --> 00:07:28.670 afterwards. Explain it to me. The presence of 00:07:28.670 --> 00:07:31.660 spiritual evil has become quite a popular and 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:38.579 profitable myth rather than what humanity has 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:41.699 known to be a reality across every culture and 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:44.139 every place across history across the world except 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:46.439 in in the west in europe for the last couple 00:07:46.439 --> 00:07:48.920 of hundred years humanity has known what paul 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:52.500 says that there are evil rulers and authorities 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:55.779 of the unseen world that there are mighty powers 00:07:55.779 --> 00:07:58.199 in this dark world that there are evil spirits 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:01.339 in the heavenly places that personal spiritual 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:05.680 evil exists. I wonder if you could take a moment 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:09.620 just to think about history. Do you know why 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:13.740 across history, cultures who the West looks down 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:16.699 upon as primitive and gullible in their beliefs 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:20.040 have been so quick to abandon their gods and 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:23.120 adopt Christianity? Because they know spiritual 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:26.079 evil. And when the good news is that Jesus comes 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:27.720 with the power of God to deal with spiritual 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:30.100 evil, the spiritual evil that's oppressing their 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:34.379 community, they believe. But the church, the 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:37.360 church in the West has a problem. We have at 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.700 times and in places divorced God and belief in 00:08:40.700 --> 00:08:44.720 God from the spiritual reality that is part and 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:49.419 parcel of life with God. God has become an abstract 00:08:49.419 --> 00:08:54.279 idea and not a person. This naturalism of the 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:57.259 Western world has infiltrated the church. So 00:08:57.259 --> 00:09:00.679 that we can easily believe this, that there are 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:05.120 neutral spaces in the universe. That the physical 00:09:05.120 --> 00:09:08.379 means more than the spiritual. That there is 00:09:08.379 --> 00:09:10.340 no enemy. That there is no spiritual battle. 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:12.820 That if there is a spiritual war, it is distant 00:09:12.820 --> 00:09:15.259 or it is not our problem. But this is what C 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:18.080 .S. Lewis has to say about this. There is no 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:21.379 neutral ground in the universe. Every split second 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:23.259 of time and every square centimeter of space 00:09:23.259 --> 00:09:27.129 is claimed by God and counterclaimed. by Satan. 00:09:27.250 --> 00:09:31.289 There is no Switzerland. Everywhere, every place 00:09:31.289 --> 00:09:33.789 is a war. Now there's a couple of things that 00:09:33.789 --> 00:09:36.250 we need to say about this. First of all, if you're 00:09:36.250 --> 00:09:38.529 skeptical about what Paul says here, remember 00:09:38.529 --> 00:09:41.309 that Paul is articulating the worldview of Jesus. 00:09:41.750 --> 00:09:43.769 If you remember the Gospels, Jesus begins his 00:09:43.769 --> 00:09:46.409 ministry and he is immediately targeted and tempted 00:09:46.409 --> 00:09:49.909 by the devil. And the evil rulers and authorities 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:51.769 of the unseed world, the mighty powers in this 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:53.690 dark world, and the evil spirits in the heavenly 00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:56.519 places, even at the sight of Jesus, they are 00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:59.759 quite literally shaking in their boots. They 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:02.460 are terrified of Jesus when he begins his ministry. 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:05.639 And secondly, I want to acknowledge that accepting 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:07.779 that there is a spiritual war going on across 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:11.379 the universe may and has created a lot of worry 00:10:11.379 --> 00:10:14.980 and anxiety in many, many people and can lead 00:10:14.980 --> 00:10:18.220 to the idea of having to go and look for demons 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:21.120 and spiritual evil everywhere. And I want to 00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:24.110 name that because It doesn't have to be a cause 00:10:24.110 --> 00:10:27.230 of worry for us. Paul says, put on God's armor 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:30.009 so that you can stand firm. Everything about 00:10:30.009 --> 00:10:32.649 the armor of God, even the parts of the armor 00:10:32.649 --> 00:10:35.389 that Paul lists in Ephesians 6, and that is a 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:39.529 whole other sermon, is about defense, not offense. 00:10:40.169 --> 00:10:42.570 It's about negating the enemy's strategies, not 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:46.690 going after the enemy to take ground. After all, 00:10:46.730 --> 00:10:49.490 on the cross, the enemy has already been defeated 00:10:49.490 --> 00:10:52.769 and his power has been broken. And if it's God's 00:10:52.769 --> 00:10:55.289 own armor, then you don't have to muster up the 00:10:55.289 --> 00:10:57.889 resources to defend yourself. You just have to 00:10:57.889 --> 00:11:01.090 stand in God's resources and God's strength. 00:11:01.970 --> 00:11:04.230 John Stott says this about the enemy strategies. 00:11:04.789 --> 00:11:07.669 It's actually quite funny. Now I claim no very 00:11:07.669 --> 00:11:09.870 close or intimate familiarity with the devil, 00:11:10.110 --> 00:11:12.429 but I'm persuaded that he exists and that he's 00:11:12.429 --> 00:11:16.230 utterly unscrupulous, morally corrupt. Something 00:11:16.230 --> 00:11:18.769 else I've learned about him is that he's particularly 00:11:18.769 --> 00:11:22.620 lacking in imagination. Over the years he has 00:11:22.620 --> 00:11:24.340 changed neither his strategy nor his tactics 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:26.899 nor his weapons. He is still in the same old 00:11:26.899 --> 00:11:29.399 rut. So a study of his campaign against the early 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:32.240 church should alert us to his probable strategy 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.100 today and if we are taken by surprise we have 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:39.899 no excuse. See after Pentecost in Acts 2 shows 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:43.259 us that if you're reading the New Testament in 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:46.500 a year along with us that the enemy goes on a 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:48.659 counter attack in which he attacks the church 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.559 on three fronts. First, he tries physical violence. 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:53.779 He tries to crush the church by persecution. 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:56.279 The apostles are flogged and thrown into prison 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:58.919 pretty much repeatedly at the beginning of Acts. 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:01.379 Secondly, he tries to assault the church through 00:12:01.379 --> 00:12:04.460 moral corruption and compromise, i .e. the whole 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.500 incident with Ananias and Sapphira. And finally, 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:13.360 and most subtly, was distraction. The apostles 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:15.659 were taken away from their mandate and calling 00:12:15.659 --> 00:12:18.240 to teach and preach Jesus Christ by the crushing 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:22.860 weight of admin. I always knew admin was evil, 00:12:23.179 --> 00:12:28.019 and now I know it's in the Bible. So violence, 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:32.419 moral corruption, and distraction. Physical violence 00:12:32.419 --> 00:12:34.580 is not really the enemy strategy in the West, 00:12:34.659 --> 00:12:36.799 although that's not true for the global Christian 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:40.639 church. But moral corruption? We all know the 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:44.200 church has earned a reputation for moral corruption 00:12:44.200 --> 00:12:47.639 and hypocrisy. Now it's tempting to get mad about 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:49.879 it, but then we have to go and take the log out 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:54.519 of our own eyes. And distraction? Well, all we 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:56.779 have to do is open up our phone and check the 00:12:56.779 --> 00:12:59.600 screen time for the week. I'm going to out myself, 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.139 I'm at like four and a half hours per day, screen 00:13:02.139 --> 00:13:03.840 time. Imagine what else I could do with that 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:07.620 time. The enemy might lack imagination, but his 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:10.460 strategies have been effective against the church. 00:13:11.519 --> 00:13:15.279 Now, one of... When one of our kids is overwhelmed 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:17.919 by something or can't really move past something 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:19.960 that has happened, we say to them, and I hate 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:23.059 it now, but it works, hey, don't let it sink 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:27.279 you. Don't let it sink you. Meaning, like, don't 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:29.980 let this thing, the fact that you have the wrong 00:13:29.980 --> 00:13:33.379 plate, get the better of you. It's just a plate, 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:36.000 it's just a wave, you can ride it, it's fine. 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.120 And that goes about as well as you think it does. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:42.340 Pause. encouraging the church in Ephesus that 00:13:42.340 --> 00:13:45.779 when the enemy tries to undermine them subtly 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:49.120 by intrusive thoughts that twist the truth, or 00:13:49.120 --> 00:13:52.500 temptation, distraction, discouragement, doubt, 00:13:53.580 --> 00:13:56.940 and overtly by disturbing dreams, by disunity, 00:13:57.580 --> 00:14:00.340 by external pressure on your faith through family, 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:04.220 friends, or workplaces, thoughts that aren't 00:14:04.220 --> 00:14:08.340 convicting but condemning you, flashing memories 00:14:08.340 --> 00:14:11.600 designed to shame you, and by everything going 00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:13.679 wrong the week that you are supposed to be preaching 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:18.460 on this. Paul's trying to help and remind the 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:21.000 church that God has given them the power and 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:25.519 the resources to not let this sink them. They 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:28.899 don't have to do anything but stand firm in God's 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:33.580 power. That it can be to them like water off 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:36.100 a duck's back, which is another good parenting 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:40.259 -ism that my children hate. You might be thinking, 00:14:40.379 --> 00:14:42.360 Tim, what does this have to do with contending 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:46.440 in prayer and our value of contending in prayer? 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:50.200 Well, I think it has everything to do. See, you 00:14:50.200 --> 00:14:53.059 will not understand the necessity of contending 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:55.679 in prayer until you realize that we're in a spiritual 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:59.340 war. You will not understand the necessity of 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:01.860 contending in prayer until you realize that prayer 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:05.860 is war. After calling the church in Ephesus to 00:15:05.860 --> 00:15:07.759 armor up and defend themselves against the strategy 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:10.320 of the enemy, what does Paul say? He says pray 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.559 in the spirit at all times and on every occasion. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:16.659 Stay alert and persistent in your prayers for 00:15:16.659 --> 00:15:20.000 all believers everywhere. If people aren't the 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.879 enemy, prayer is how you fight. And when people 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:25.899 do dumb things or when they leave or when they 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:27.840 hurt those you love and when they disappoint 00:15:27.840 --> 00:15:32.039 you and they won't change, what do you do? You 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:34.879 don't make them the enemy. You don't attack them. 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:37.460 You don't gossip or complain or grow bitter or 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:41.919 hold a grudge. You wage war on your knees. You 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.860 get in our 24 -7 prayer room available 24 -7. 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:49.659 You get in there and you make it your war room. 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:54.659 Great movie. You call on the Spirit and the authority 00:15:54.659 --> 00:15:57.399 Jesus won on the cross to go after them in prayer. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:15:59.919 That they would know Christ, that they would 00:15:59.919 --> 00:16:02.460 see sense. that they would be convicted of their 00:16:02.460 --> 00:16:04.259 sin, that they would know God's love for them, 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:07.519 and that they would come home. Prayer is war, 00:16:07.779 --> 00:16:10.039 friends. And we've got to get this into our head 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:12.620 if we're even going to start to think about contending 00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:15.679 in prayer. And I want you to know that this is 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.659 nothing new. They were writing handbooks for 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:22.279 combating demons in the early church. This is 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:24.600 basic biblical theology around the spiritual 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:27.940 reality that sits behind the universe. And most 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:30.299 Christians, if you push them, believe this is 00:16:30.299 --> 00:16:33.279 reality. So here's the question that I've been 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.019 racking my brain trying to think. Why do we still 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:39.940 struggle to pray so much? Why do we still struggle 00:16:39.940 --> 00:16:41.879 to pray? We're not going to contend in prayer 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:45.779 when we struggle to pray. Now I have a theory. 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:52.759 We don't just see prayer as a necessity. We feel 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:57.190 it's something that we feel we should do. in 00:16:57.190 --> 00:16:59.830 some misguided attempt to make God's happy with 00:16:59.830 --> 00:17:03.330 us, rather than something we can't live without. 00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:07.049 And we know this because we pray when we need, 00:17:07.970 --> 00:17:11.769 when we need something. I came across a fun new 00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:15.049 phrase this month. There are no atheists in foxholes. 00:17:16.009 --> 00:17:18.789 A foxhole was a small pit that was dug for a 00:17:18.789 --> 00:17:21.289 soldier to take cover and hold a defensive position 00:17:21.289 --> 00:17:24.460 against enemy fire. In a foxhole against enemy 00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:26.200 fire, you can't get out, there's no retreat, 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:28.680 there is no escape. All you've got is your weapons, 00:17:28.839 --> 00:17:33.180 the ammunition you've got and prayer. Even atheists 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:35.859 pray when they're in the pit. Everyone prays 00:17:35.859 --> 00:17:40.680 in a crisis. We pray a lot when life hits the 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:42.759 fan and we don't know what to do and all our 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:47.440 good ideas aren't helping. But we pray less in 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:50.599 mildly frustrating circumstances. and we pray 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:53.900 even less when life is good and we've got everything 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:58.099 that we want. I think we struggled to pray in 00:17:58.099 --> 00:18:00.180 the way the early church prayed because the need 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:05.539 for prayer isn't so obvious daily to us or we've 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:08.819 theologized our way out of the necessity of prayer. 00:18:09.819 --> 00:18:12.220 Now there are two extremes in how Christians 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:15.099 understand prayer theologically and I'm caricaturing 00:18:15.099 --> 00:18:17.640 them but I think it's helpful. One extreme says 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:20.119 that God is sovereign And therefore, because 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:21.799 he already knows or has already decided what 00:18:21.799 --> 00:18:24.380 has happened, what you pray or whether you pray 00:18:24.380 --> 00:18:26.559 doesn't matter so much because it won't change 00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:29.700 what God does. God will do what God does. Prayer, 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:32.779 which is relationship with God, is a big plus 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:36.200 anyway. The other extreme says because God handed 00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:38.720 dominion over earth to Adam in Genesis 2, that 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:41.119 God actually can't do anything to change anything 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:43.720 on earth unless humans agree with God's will 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:46.619 through prayer. So one extreme puts God's sovereignty 00:18:46.619 --> 00:18:49.400 over prayer and one puts prayer over sovereignty. 00:18:50.220 --> 00:18:52.660 In one extreme there is no necessity to pray 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:54.759 and in the other we better start agreeing with 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:56.799 God in prayer or nothing's going to change and 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:00.599 we're in big trouble. But in both is the truth. 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:04.880 John Wesley said this and I agree with him, God 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.079 does nothing but by prayer. God is sovereign, 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:11.900 He's above all and He's not limited by flaky, 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:15.319 unreliable humans like me and you. But prayer 00:19:15.319 --> 00:19:18.380 is also how God's chosen to work. He's chosen 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:21.819 to work by our agreement with His will by prayer. 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.240 And Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Gospels 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.799 could be boiled down to annoy God until you get 00:19:27.799 --> 00:19:31.819 what you want. God is not limited to our prayers, 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:36.119 but He chooses to work through them. Why? Because 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.359 God has chosen to work with us to put this universe 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:40.900 right and spread the message of the kingdom of 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.859 God throughout the world. It's like a group project 00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:46.380 at uni where God's the one doing all the work. 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:50.259 In prayer we work with God to bend the universe 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:53.759 to God's will. Now if we're going to become the 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.000 kind of person who does not see people as the 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:58.640 enemy but instead contends in prayer, if we're 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:00.160 going to become the kind of church that is a 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.619 praying church, we need to understand that there 00:20:02.619 --> 00:20:04.960 is a spiritual war and then there is an enemy 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.660 and the enemy has strategies, violence, compromise 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:10.700 and distraction. And we need to understand that 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:14.819 prayer is how we fight our battles. But understanding 00:20:14.819 --> 00:20:17.960 will only get us so far. To become this kind 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:20.000 of person, to become this kind of church, we 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:21.740 actually got to get in the trenches and wage 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:25.220 war on our knees in prayer. We won't actually 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.299 learn this without putting this into practice. 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:30.380 You won't know it until you step towards it. 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.039 We'll struggle to learn the necessity of prayer 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.619 unless we practice taking our needs, taking our 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:37.619 struggles, taking our worries to God in prayer. 00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:40.920 Until we pray for someone's health or pray for 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.259 someone's faith and until our knees are sore 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:48.119 and our tears are dry but once you do Once you 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:50.579 turn prayer the prayer room in into a war room 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:53.539 and you go after something in prayer and God 00:20:53.539 --> 00:20:56.460 comes through for you You will look at the world. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:58.400 You will look at people. You will look at the 00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:01.480 problems in your life differently Now look God's 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:03.539 gonna give you everything you want all the time. 00:21:03.539 --> 00:21:06.319 God's not a vending machine or a genie Things 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.299 will not work out in the most comfortable and 00:21:08.299 --> 00:21:10.940 optimal way for you. God will not work according 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:13.339 to your calendar. There will probably be times 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:15.460 when you don't have a clue what on earth God 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:18.180 is doing. But remember, what's Jesus teaching 00:21:18.180 --> 00:21:23.420 on prayer? Annoy God. Don't give up asking. Keep 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:26.259 asking. Keep knocking and it will be done for 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:29.380 you. A couple of years ago, I had four things 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:31.839 that I laid before God that I needed breakthrough 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:34.559 in, and I pleaded with God, I pleaded on my knees 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:37.680 to solve just one of them. There were four, and 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:39.279 they were in the way, and I needed one of them 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:41.640 out of the way. We needed some financial relief 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:44.240 for our family. I needed a breakthrough with 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.680 my ordination. We needed to find a house in the 00:21:46.680 --> 00:21:49.880 western suburbs, and I needed my wife to be well. 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:52.920 And within four months, three out of the four 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:55.700 God had answered, and I only asked for one. Out 00:21:55.700 --> 00:21:57.940 of the blue to me, the church just decided to 00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:01.000 ordain me. Unexpectedly, there was this change 00:22:01.000 --> 00:22:04.759 saving us about $1 ,000 a month. After eight 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:06.819 months of applying for houses and coming up empty, 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:09.200 not even getting anything anywhere with anything, 00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:12.259 we were offered three in 24 hours. We had to 00:22:12.259 --> 00:22:14.200 choose in the end. We would have been happy with 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:17.480 anything, but we got to choose. Three out of 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.400 four was a relief. It was so much better than 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:23.460 I had asked for. And you better believe that 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:26.019 this has taught me to contend in prayer. But 00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:29.500 prayer is not a recipe or a spell or a formula 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:31.960 that you can repeat. Prayer does not operate 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:36.059 on our time frame, but it works. It works because 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:40.420 it's collaboration with God. And God does nothing 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:44.240 but buy it. It works because God is for you, 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:47.559 my friends. Jesus says in Matthew 7, if even 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.579 you who are sinful people know how to give good 00:22:50.569 --> 00:22:53.690 gifts to your children how much more how much 00:22:53.690 --> 00:22:56.509 more will your heavenly father give good gifts 00:22:56.509 --> 00:23:00.089 to those who ask him how do we know that god 00:23:00.089 --> 00:23:03.490 is for us how do we know that he loves us when 00:23:03.490 --> 00:23:06.930 we're confronted by unimaginable heartache how 00:23:06.930 --> 00:23:09.650 do we know he cares when we struggle and we struggle 00:23:09.650 --> 00:23:12.650 without reprieve how do we know he's a good father 00:23:12.650 --> 00:23:15.970 when our hopes and dreams turn to dust we know 00:23:15.970 --> 00:23:18.170 because he's already given us the greatest gift 00:23:18.970 --> 00:23:22.809 the gift of His Son Jesus. We know He loves us, 00:23:22.849 --> 00:23:25.029 that He cares for us, that He's for us, that 00:23:25.029 --> 00:23:27.289 He's a good Father because He's given us His 00:23:27.289 --> 00:23:31.289 Son. John 3, 16, classic, it's on every mug you've 00:23:31.289 --> 00:23:36.730 ever seen. It says what? For God so loved the 00:23:36.730 --> 00:23:40.630 world that He gave His one and only Son so that 00:23:40.630 --> 00:23:42.210 everyone who believes in Him will not perish 00:23:42.210 --> 00:23:46.130 but have eternal life. His Son, He gave His Son. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:50.759 who freely gave Himself up for us. He let His 00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:53.460 blood be shed on the cross so that the enemy's 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:56.140 strategies to separate humanity from eternal 00:23:56.140 --> 00:23:59.140 relationship with God forever could be dismantled, 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:04.259 defeated, destroyed. We know He's for us because 00:24:04.259 --> 00:24:05.740 He's already given us more than we could ever 00:24:05.740 --> 00:24:09.700 hope to ask for. We know He loves us because 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:12.119 He's given us the Holy Spirit to lead us, to 00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:15.319 guide us, to protect us. And we know He's good 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:21.680 father because he gives children good gifts I've 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:23.779 always been struck by Elizabeth's comment to 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:30.220 Mary in Luke 1 verse 45 she says you're blessed 00:24:30.220 --> 00:24:34.519 because you believed that the Lord would do what 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:41.500 he said and friends so are you when you believe 00:24:41.500 --> 00:24:45.880 Jesus when you trust him When you bet it all 00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:48.700 on him when you stand in his power against the 00:24:48.700 --> 00:24:51.700 enemy When you don't make enemies of people, 00:24:51.700 --> 00:24:56.039 but you wage war on your knees When you don't 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.339 let the strategy of the enemy sink you But you 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:03.519 lean on Jesus When you live believing and taking 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:09.240 him out his word He says John 14 ask me for anything 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:13.920 in my name and I will do it Don't rationalize 00:25:13.920 --> 00:25:18.640 it away. Take Him at His Word. Contend in prayer, 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:24.640 friends. Ask. Taste and see that the Lord is 00:25:24.640 --> 00:25:30.099 good. Let's pray together. Father, I just pray 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:33.220 that Your Spirit would speak to us right now. 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.380 That You would just place on the hearts and minds 00:25:36.380 --> 00:25:38.200 of every person here, whether they believe or 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:43.190 not, a burden to pray for. Something that you 00:25:43.190 --> 00:25:46.309 want them to contend in prayer for. And I just 00:25:46.309 --> 00:25:49.390 pray, Lord, would you give it to them as a name? 00:25:52.230 --> 00:25:58.710 An injustice in this world? Something that breaks 00:25:58.710 --> 00:26:03.329 their heart and your heart, Jesus. I just pray, 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:05.910 Lord, that you would help embolden our faith 00:26:05.910 --> 00:26:09.390 here in this place. That your spirit would come 00:26:09.390 --> 00:26:13.670 and that we would be people who persevere in 00:26:13.670 --> 00:26:17.269 prayer until we see your kingdom come, until 00:26:17.269 --> 00:26:19.650 we see people come to faith, until we see this 00:26:19.650 --> 00:26:22.369 community radically transformed by your good 00:26:22.369 --> 00:26:26.329 news. We pray you would make us bold in life 00:26:26.329 --> 00:26:29.190 and in our prayers. Lord teach us how to pray 00:26:29.190 --> 00:26:33.869 big scary bold prayers. Prayers that you can 00:26:33.869 --> 00:26:36.519 answer, that you want to answer Lord Jesus. So 00:26:36.519 --> 00:26:38.700 we agree with you in this place when we say Holy 00:26:38.700 --> 00:26:41.119 Spirit come. We agree with you in this place 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:45.240 when we say we praise you Lord God for Jesus. 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:49.980 And we just pray Lord that more and more people 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:52.880 in this community will come to faith in you. 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:56.480 We think of all the parents in the schools, all 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:59.619 the elderly who are stuck at home, those in the 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:02.180 residential care units. We think about those 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:05.000 in the social housing. We think about those in 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:08.420 the beachfront properties. We pray, Lord Jesus, 00:27:08.440 --> 00:27:10.420 that Your Spirit would come over this community 00:27:10.420 --> 00:27:13.039 and that You would bring them to faith in You, 00:27:13.220 --> 00:27:16.180 Jesus, that You would awaken them to the life 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:18.579 that they can have in You, the calling that You 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:20.599 have upon their life, the purpose and peace that 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:22.779 You offer them, and that they would come home 00:27:22.779 --> 00:27:25.420 to You, Lord Jesus. And we pray, Lord God, for 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:28.039 more workers for the harvest because the harvest 00:27:28.039 --> 00:27:31.440 is plentiful and the workers are few. We pray 00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:37.059 this in your name, Jesus. Thanks so much for 00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:39.599 tuning into this week's message. If you felt 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:42.400 challenged or need prayer, we'd love to hear 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:45.440 from you on Instagram at encounterhenley. Or 00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:47.740 if you're interested in how you can support this 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:51.380 ministry, please go to our website encounteradelaide 00:27:51.380 --> 00:27:55.579 .com .au. Thanks again for listening. God bless 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:55.940 you.