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Sermons | FBC Boerne
Sunday Sermon | Prayer: Wrestling With God
Prayer is not a passive suggestion box where we drop our requests and walk away. It's a dynamic, personal interaction with God that requires perseverance and engagement. When we look at Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32, we see a powerful image of what prayer should be - a determined, passionate striving with God until He blesses us.
Why did God condescend to wrestle with Jacob? To teach us that He has given us agency and desires for us to strive with Him. Prayer is wrestling with God to see Him break through in our lives, to take hold of His promises, and to be changed by Him.
All right, good morning church family. Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke, chapter 18. Luke, chapter 18. If you're a guest with us this morning, we are really grateful and honored that you are here. Let me introduce myself. My name is Jason Smith. I'm the pastor here at First Baptist. Bernie, if you do not have a Bible, there is a Bible in the pew rack in front of you. Please take that as a gift from us to you. You can keep that. We stock those there purposely so that you can have that as a gift, so that you can have a copy of God's Word.
Speaker 1:This fall we've been walking through a sermon series on the topic of prayer, okay, and this is the third of kind of our step-by-step, just kind of walk-through. I've been unfolding just kind of layer by layer, pulling back some really important pieces on prayer. So I want to open with. Most of you are probably familiar with scripture in Genesis, chapter 32. Genesis 32, jacob is going to meet Esau, jacob. It's been almost 20 years since Jacob has last seen his brother Esau, since he last stole his birthright, and Jacob is returning back to the land of Canaan, back to his homeland. Jacob is traveling with his family and with all of his possessions and he gets word that Esau is coming out to meet him, accompanied by 400 men. Accompanied by 400 men. Understandably, given their last encounter. Jacob is terrified, he hits his knees and he begins to pray God, you said that if I went back to Canaan, to my homeland, that you would bless me, that you would be with me, please, god. Jacob takes all of his possessions and he begins to separate them into units and waves that will meet Esau. First he puts all the animals up front, and then the servants, and then his family, and then he's the last one. He did this for a couple reasons. One, so that the animals would be seen as a gift to Esau, but also because if Esau begins to attack, he can run away and escape. Notice all the fodder that he's put up front.
Speaker 1:The night before he meets his brother, esau. Jacob is alone. This becomes one of the most important scenes, really, in the whole of Scripture, because that night Jacob wrestles with a man, because that night Jacob wrestles with a man that later is described as Jacob wrestling with God himself. See, in that moment, in the wrestling, in the striving, all of his fear, all of the passion that he has for God to hear him and for God to respond to him is wrapped up in this image of wrestling with God, and Jacob will not let go until the Lord blesses him. In the end, god does bless Jacob, in fact. In fact, he changes his name to Israel, which means he who wrestles with God, and he touches Jacob on his hip socket so that forevermore he walks with a limp because he's been changed by that encounter.
Speaker 1:Now pause for a second. Why does God condescend to wrestle with Jacob? It is to teach us that he has given us agency and he desires for us to strive with him. Beloved, our next look at prayer this morning is for you and I to understand that prayer is wrestling with God, to see him break through in our lives, to take hold of the promises that he has given to us, and for us to be changed by him. Prayer is not a drop box of requests like a suggestion box. It's not passive, it is personal and it requires perseverance.
Speaker 1:Now, along the way in our prayer series, I've been giving us practical tips for prayer that we should put into place. The first one was that you should write your prayers down, because you don't remember them. The second one was for you. To that you can. I highly encourage you. Yes, get alone in your prayer closet, but I've incorporated walking and praying in one. You don't fall asleep and you need to walk, so it's great.
Speaker 1:The third one that I want us to add on a practical step this morning is to pray the promises of God. You may not know what to pray. Listen to me. Pray the promises of God, the promises that God has given you in his word. Okay, pray those back to him. Pray them back to him. Okay, god, you promised wisdom, you promised guidance, you promised protection. You promised me so many things. Now, obviously, this assumes that you know the promises of God in order to pray them back to him. You will see how that comes out in this week's sermon.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, listen as I read the first eight verses of Luke, chapter 18, as we think about persevering and wrestling with God in prayer. Luke 18, verse 1,. Now he this is Jesus was telling them, his disciples, a parable to show that at all times, they ought to pray and not to lose heart. You see that. Now, here's this parable.
Speaker 1:Jesus says in a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. Now there was a widow in that and she kept coming to him saying give me legal protection for my opponent. For a while he was unwilling, but afterwards he said to himself, even though I do not fear God nor respect man yet, because this widow bothers me, okay, she is persistent Because she bothers me. I, she is persistent because she bothers me. I will give her legal protection, otherwise she will continually just keep coming to me and she will wear me out. Right, she has gotten on my last nerve Now. Jesus said this. He said hear what the unrighteous judge said.
Speaker 1:Now, will not God, god, bring about justice for his elect, who cry to him day and night, and will he delay long over them? I tell you that he will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth? Will you pray with me, heavenly Father, as we come to your word this morning, as we come to your word this morning, as I've just recounted this incredible story of you coming and wrestling with Jacob and allowing that Father, may we, as your sons and daughters, may we be stirred up, may we have a flame kindled for us to realize that you are a God who draws near and you even welcome our striving with you. Who are we? That you would be mindful of us? And yet you have condescended, you have humbled yourself and you allow us. You even invite our wrestling and our participation. Father, I pray this morning that your people would be stirred with courage and might through your Spirit, to be greatly take hold of this incredible promise of prayer. Stir us up this morning. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Now, at the outset, church, I need to confess to you that I am so guilty of not persevering in prayer. Okay, I confess to you my limitations and if you are anything like me, then you are guilty of a shallow view of prayer that does not line up with Scripture. Let's call it the zap make it happen prayer, and it goes like this Well, I asked God once, and now it's in his hands and he can zap, make it happen if he wants to. I mean, he's sovereign, but I guess he's chosen not to. So you know, that's it. Friends, listen to me.
Speaker 1:While prayer is not twisting God's arm in order to get what you want to make God do something, it is also not a passive suggestion box, as we have seen and as we will see throughout the entire sermon. God wants to meet you in prayer. He wants to, he invites you and he wants to change you through prayer. When my children were little and they could not reason, I would tell them because daddy said so and that's it, and that's what they needed to hear. They needed so and that's it, and that's what they needed to hear. They needed to know. That's it. You can't reason with me, but as they age, right, you take that governor off and you invite them. I want you to reason with me, I want you to strive with me. That's good parenting. Listen to me. The Bible unfolds. God wants you to come and wrestle and persevere with him Now.
Speaker 1:So in meditating upon this, about the idea of perseverance and prayer, okay, this week I came up with three helpful categories that I want us to think about prayer, okay, and the different ways that we are called to wrestle with God in prayer. All right, the first category I've titled Wrestle with God to Believe, to believe, believe To believe. The first category I want you to think about is the fact that in the Bible, in salvation, that there are promises. Because you are saved, because you are in Christ, there are promises that God has given to you, like forgiveness, justification, your new identity, all the things that you received when Jesus became your Savior. In other words, what I'm trying to say to you is you do not need to wake up and to pray. Jesus, cover me again with your blood, jesus, make me your child this morning, or for the Spirit of God to permanently indwell you as a Christian. Those things are already certain. Okay, whether you feel them or not. Okay, I'm not asking if you woke up and you felt saved. The Bible says because you placed your faith in Jesus, you are saved. The Spirit indwells you. Those things are yours. Listen to Hebrews 10, 14. For by one offering, he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Okay, so you do not need to ask God for that which he has already given. What you need to do is to believe what he has said.
Speaker 1:So I want you to notice this category what I've said wrestle with God to believe. You're wrestling on the belief part, because I want you to understand. This is a type of prayer that God wants you to go and run to your father with, and it sounds a lot like the famous prayer in Mark 9, verse 24. In Mark 9, 24, jesus came across a father whose son was demon-possessed and the demons used to throw him into the fire and into convulsions and caused great harm. And in essence, the father is interacting with Jesus and Jesus looks at the guy and says in essence, do you believe that I can heal him? Do you know what the father says? He says I believe, help my unbelief. I believe, help my unbelief. In fact, beloved prayers for belief are all through the scripture.
Speaker 1:I think of Paul in Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 18. When Paul says I am praying for the church in Ephesus, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, that is a prayer for belief. Right, holy Spirit, allow me to see and to believe that, which is true. I know I believe in salvation up here, but God, I need to see it, and I need to see it in a whole different way. I need to move it from here to here and I need it to God. I need to believe.
Speaker 1:Okay, in fact, let me ask you why did Jesus pray three times in the Garden of Gethsemane? Why did Jesus pray three times in the Garden of Gethsemane? Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass, but not my will, but yours be done. He prayed that three times. Listen to me, that little statement let this cup pass, not my will, but your will be done. That is a summary of an hour's worth of praying. You hear me? Just that. That's a summary of an hour's worth of praying.
Speaker 1:And Jesus came back, he found his disciples asleep and he went back and prayed it again three times. That is a summary of three hours worth of praying. Okay, why did he pray the same thing for three hours? Is it because Jesus really thought that God's plans were going to change? Jesus really thought that God's plans were going to change? No, not, not, according to John uh 12 27, because there he says my hour has come. And should I say, father, save me from this hour. So it was not to change God's plans.
Speaker 1:So then why? Why does he three times, for an hour each pray? Let this cup pass, not my will, but your will be done? Because his soul is troubled and he is wrestling to believe and to have peace and to trust the Father's plan in that moment. So listen to me, if the perfect, sinless Son of God wrestled with faith, that means faith is not static and Jesus was fighting the fight of faith. And look where he goes To his father in prayer, as long as it takes, until he is settled. And what you see, from that moment forward, he is resolved, he does not waver because he has been strengthened and his faith has been encouraged and he has taken hold. So, friend, do you know what this means? You don't have to pretend like your faith is perfect, okay, and there aren't moments of battle. You don't have to pretend like, like you don't have doubts and fears and confusion. You don't have to pretend. And in those moments, the scripture calls you and I to run to the father and pray the truth until you believe it in your soul. Until you believe it.
Speaker 1:First type of prayer Wrestle with God to believe. Second category of prayer Wrestle in order to take hold of God's promises. Do you want to know one of the most powerful ways that the scripture teaches us to pray? It's for you believer to say God, you said, and then to pray God's promises back to him. Okay, god, you said In Genesis 32, just before meeting Esau, jacob prayed to God and he said God, you said, if I went back to Canaan, that you would bless me. In fact, you said that my offspring would outnumber the sand on the seashore.
Speaker 1:When Moses intercedes for Israel in Exodus, chapter 32, after the golden calf. When Moses intercedes, he stands before God and he says God, remember the promise that you have already given to Abraham, isaac and Jacob. Remember your promises. That's how he intercedes. Psalm 89, the psalmist reminds God of his promises to David of a forever kingdom. The entire psalm is God, you said Nehemiah. In Nehemiah, chapter one, says to God God, remember the word that you gave to Moses Even before we ever came into the land. You said that when we were disobedient, that you were going to scatter us amongst the nations. But, god, you also said that if we would turn back to you, you would gather us. That's exactly how Nehemiah prays in chapter one.
Speaker 1:Acts, chapter four. The early church has been. Peter and John were arrested, there was persecution, there were all sorts of threats from the Sanhedrin. And Acts, chapter 4, they gather in an upper room and they are scared. But you know what they do? They quote scripture, they read God's word, they quote it back to him and then they say God, see their threats, see their threats. And it says the whole place was shaken and they were filled with courage. And filled says the whole place was shaken and they were filled with courage and filled with the Holy Spirit of God. You see, time and time again, there are moments of conflict, of urgency and need, and the scripture teaches us to plead with God in that moment for his already revealed promises.
Speaker 1:God, you said in James 1.5 that if I lacked wisdom, you said that you would give it to me without reproach if I would simply humble myself and ask. God. You said that. So, in this situation, god, I have a huge decision to make. God, I need to hear from you. You promised me wisdom. I am humbling myself. I need wisdom from you, god. God, you said that you would give it. God, you said in Proverbs, chapter 3, 3 through 5, that you would lead me, that your word would be a lamp unto my feet. Okay, god, I am praying that, in this situation right, that I would sense your Holy Spirit, as your word has promised as I'm walking through, and that I would sense you and that you would guide me and that I would know that you are with me and you are illuminating my path forward. Because, god, you said that that's what you would do.
Speaker 1:Jesus, you said in Matthew, chapter 6, you reminded us that the Father knows of all of our needs. You told us to look to the sparrow and to look to the flower of the field. And then, jesus, you said, if I seek your kingdom first, that all of these things, all of my provision, all of my needs, would be added unto me. Jesus, I know I'm not perfect. By any means. You have forgiven me. I need your constant forgiveness, but I am seeking your kingdom, but I am seeking your kingdom. You promised to provide for me, for my financial needs. You promised to provide for me, god, you said. And because you are my father and because I trust you, I am, by faith, believing your word and holding your word back up to you.
Speaker 1:Beloved, do you pray the promises of God? In the moment of crisis, when life comes crashing down? Yes, we are called to cry out to God, to give to God our confusion, all of our emotions. The Psalms exemplify this. But listen to me, you need more than comfort from your Father. Okay, you need God to move. You need His promises. Now, of course, this presumes that again, that you know the promises of God, for in that moment of need, you need to know that God has promised you wisdom and guidance and provision and protection and strength to persevere God has promised you. Okay, you need to know those. And when you run to him, it is an expression of trust and reliance upon him. And again, friends, listen, this is not a zap, once and it's done sort of prayer.
Speaker 1:Take, for example, 1 Kings, chapter 18. One of the most famous instances in prayer in the whole Bible. In 1 Kings 18, previously, elijah had prayed that it would not rain and it didn't rain for three and a half years. And then God came to Elijah and says all right, pray that it rains. Okay. Now James 5 holds up this exact situation and says beloved, you understand that Elijah was a man just like you and me. Okay, he's just like you and me, and God used him to stop the rain and start the rain again. Now, when you pause and you think about this, first of all, what's so fascinating is why on earth does God even bother to use Elijah's prayers? Right, if God wants to make it rain or stop raining or any of that stuff. Right, he could have the prophet announce it. But why did he use his prayers? Well, because God wants to distinguish between those that actually know him and those that don't.
Speaker 1:So then, when it comes time for Elijah to pray. He's up on Mount Carmel, and this is chapter 18, 41 through 45. Elijah crouches down in the ground and he begins to pray. After he prays, he sends his servant to go look towards the Mediterranean Sea and he says can you see anything? And his servant comes back and says I see nothing. So Elijah crouches down again and begins to pray Again, sends his servant can you see anything? I see nothing. After two times, elijah doesn't quit. He doesn't say well, I guess my prayers are ineffective. God doesn't want it to rain. No, no, no. He perseveres. Now, mind you, god has already said to Elijah that it is going to rain. Okay, so Elijah is simply praying what God has already said. He's praying God's promises back to him. And he prays seven times before the servant comes back and says there is a cloud that is the size of my hand over there on the horizon. And Elijah gets up and he says a big storm is coming, let's get out of here. Listen to me, beloved, you must wrestle to take hold of the promises that God has already promised you in his word. Okay, you must persevere in taking hold of them.
Speaker 1:Third category we must wrestle for kingdom breakthrough. This last category certainly requires our perseverance when we pray for God's kingdom, to break through into our current sinful reality, into our culture, our community, our church, our families. And recall from last week. The truth is, you and I are in the midst of spiritual battle and if you do not believe me, the current events of this week should awaken you to that reality. Satan is the prince of this world and there are forces of evil that are always working. Now I will not lie to you. It is complex in terms of us being able to fully understand the reasons for the evil of the reality around us. Right, sinful people make sinful choices, hurt people, hurt other people. Spiritual forces of evil are at work. There is fallen nature and on and on and on. Listen to me, church.
Speaker 1:If we are going to see revival, if we are going to see justice in our land, if we are going to see strongholds broken, if we are going to see loved ones saved, if we're going to see marriages saved, mountain-moving sort of kingdom impact, then persistent prayer is what is called for and demanded. Recall again the scripture that I read at the very beginning in Luke, chapter 18, about the persistent widow. Jesus told this parable in order to encourage his people to not lose heart but always to persevere in prayer. Keep on praying. You see, the reality is is God is not like that judge. That judge is annoyed, is annoyed by the widow because she continually asks. Annoyed is annoyed by the widow because she continually asks. Jesus wants you to know and understand that that judge is sinful. That judge does not care about justice, he only cares about himself. And he gave in. And the purpose is the contrast, because your heavenly father is not like that. He loves you, he loves you, he loves you, he knows you, he wants you to come, he's not annoyed and then he ends so. So how much more is your heavenly father going to give you justice? Is your heavenly father going to break through? Okay, or if we look at the scripture passage we looked at last week from Daniel, chapter 10. Okay, the angel that was delayed for 21 days because a powerful demon popped up in the situation and blocked the angel from coming and giving a word to Daniel. But because Daniel kept fasting for 21 days, the text seems to indicate because Daniel persevered, michael came and gave reinforcements.
Speaker 1:Or take, for example, acts, chapter 12. Peter has been put in prison right after the apostle James had been put to death and the early church is terrified because the Jewish leaders want to kill Peter as well. So they stay up all night in an all-night prayer meeting for Peter's release. They do not pray for five minutes and then say I'm really tired, I need to get a good eight hours here. No, they stay up all night begging God to save Peter, to move, have kingdom breakthrough.
Speaker 1:Now here's what I love about the scripture. Scripture does not hide the warts of God's people. So when the angel comes and miraculously leads Peter out of the prison and Peter makes his way to the house, he knocks on the door and a servant girl answers the door, okay, and sees Peter there. She is so thrilled, she's so excited that in her excitement she shuts the door in Peter's face and runs back to the prayer meeting where they're praying for Peter's release and says Peter's at the door. And do you want to know how they respond? Girl, you crazy, what are you talking about? Peter's at the door. You probably just saw his ghost or something. There's no way. Peter's at the door. And they begin to argue and Peter has to pound on the door again, saying let me in, I'm here, okay, listen Now don't for a second think that just because we persist, that God always gives us what we want.
Speaker 1:Because the other complexity about that passage in Acts, chapter 12, is that the apostle James was just killed, right before Peter is miraculously saved. So you have to ask where was his miracle? The reality is is only God knows. Or in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12, paul pleaded three times for the thorn in his flesh to be removed. Paul endured, but God said no, I'm going to use that thorn to shape you and to make you dependent upon my grace. Paul persisted, but it did not mean he got what he wanted, but it did mean that he heard the voice of his father say trust me.
Speaker 1:You see, kingdom breakthrough doesn't always come in our timing, sometimes not even in our lifetime. But because we long for it, we persist, and because we've been given authority and invited into the fight from our Father, we persist. You see, we wrestle with God to believe that which he has already promised us, that's what he has already told us in our salvation. We wrestle with God to take hold of his promises in the middle of the crisis, in the middle of the moment that you need him, and we wrestle with God for kingdom breakthrough. So the question is church, are we gonna wrestle? Are we actually going to do it? Because he invites us into that conversation? What a privilege. And, if we're honest, how little we actually take advantage of that privilege.
Speaker 1:Will you pray with me now, heavenly Father? God, I pray right now, all across this room, that we would be stirred up and greatly encouraged to know that we come before your throne in the name of Jesus. And Father, I know that there are strongholds in our land and, father, right now we cry out in Jesus' name, god, for you to move and for you to break through. We pray for revival, we pray for the mighty name of Jesus to be high and lifted up. We pray for salvation and revival in our land, in our community. Father, I know across this room that there are strongholds and families. Father, that we need you to break through and, father, I pray that your people, that your people, would pray fervently. I pray that we would get prayer partners. I pray that we would wrestle with you for the ways that we need you to move. And, father, that you long to move if we would come and contend with you. Father, that you long to move if we would come and contend with you, father, change us. Change us as we wrestle with you. Make us more like you. Give us a passion for the things that you have a passion for. We love you and we pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Church family. The prayer team's gonna come and again, in this prayer series, lead us in two songs. Two songs, that is to give us extended time so that we can pray, so that we can respond and feel like we have the freedom to move as the Spirit leads us. So we'll have ministers down here at the front who would love to pray with you. Okay, if you need prayer, we would love to come alongside. If you want to use these steps as an altar to pour out your heart before the Lord, if you want to circle up in little groups, if you want to pray with your family, listen to me. Let us do what Scripture teaches us right. Let's step forward in obedience. However, the Spirit of God has prompted you this morning. Be obedient, would you stand?