1 Thessalonians

[0:00] 983266 926 Roles 10.21 10.21 10.21 11.31 Now may that we say that Jesus is our Lord

[1:16] Come, let's go, say Come, let's go, say And we now will be right Let them hear зап jaar To dare start CHOIR SINGS

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[3:33] CHOIR SINGS CHOIR... SINGS Mersey & Hu "-I-" O fellow Jesus Christ, in soon- disputed and joyful in Christ.

[4:06] Amen. Hoping for divine help and blessing, let us venture in directing you, dear friends, to the first epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, the fifth chapter and verse 17.

[4:38] 1 Thessalonians 5, 17. Pray without ceasing.

[4:54] I have been much tossed in my mind concerning the scripture of truth to bring to you this evening, but feel that I cannot read any other verse but this.

[5:15] And if this is the message that the Lord is sending, and surely it is a message that we need always here below, there is some specific reason for it in this assembly.

[5:40] Well now, the Apostle Paul knew abundantly the value and blessedness of the sacred ordinance of prayer.

[6:00] And he knew it as essential to divine life, and as a function of spiritual life as before God.

[6:21] For prayer was the first vital breath that he drew. When you consider the assurance and the confirmation that God gave to Ananias concerning the work of the Holy Spirit in this foremost persecutor of the Church of God, for he could hardly credit that this man was a chosen vessel, but the Lord said, Behold, he prieth.

[7:15] Ananias, let this suffice. That man who has been so militant, so fierce, so lacking in clemency, so forward in the persecution of the Church, whose mouth was like a volcano emitting the lava of malice and enmity against the people of God.

[7:52] this man, this man, the Holy Spirit has descended upon, and has brooded upon. He has breathed into his soul the breath of life, and, behold, he prieth.

[8:11] He's alive. I seek to bring prayer, the holy ordinance of prayer before you, using this figure.

[8:32] Prayer to the new man of grace is like the lungs to the human body. You breathe in and you breathe out, and the new man of grace must breathe in.

[8:54] And what you desire to breathe in is the pure atmosphere of holiness created by the presence of the Lord, and you'll breathe this in.

[9:10] And that's when you live. That's when you feel lively. That's when your soul expands. That's when you feel happy, peaceful, contented, satisfied.

[9:24] You're breathing in the pure atmosphere of holiness. Wonderful, that is. And, you'll breathe out.

[9:37] You'll breathe out to God. Although, we come to recognize considerably prayer and think of it in vocal expressions in terminology.

[9:59] And this is needful for the means of grace in public and also for family worship. But, the breathing out, which is prayer under the influence of the spirit, often is just breath, living breath, may not be words, sighs, groans, breath.

[10:33] And in that, all your heart is poured out to God, and he knows, he understands. a sigh divine, the upward glancing of an eye, a tear falling, but it's the breathing out of the soul to God.

[10:59] Very wonderful is this function of life, divine prayer. prayer. And, dear friends, this is the first breath of life, and we believe that it is the will of God that we should live a prayer life, that we should do all things by prayer, prayer, that we should obtain his blessings by prayer, that we should obtain deliverances by prayer, that we should pray our way through life, through all the trials, difficulties, and sorrows, and exercises, and fears, and hopes, and he enters heaven with prayer.

[12:02] Very wonderful this is. What enhances this precious ordinance of prayer is this, that in the days of his humiliation, our Lord Jesus Christ, who condescended to become a servant, and was his father's servant, he prayed his way through.

[12:44] This was his strength, as our surety, he prayed his way through everything.

[12:54] even the son of God incarnate. This may seem incredible to you, you think of his deity, but in the days of his flesh, he prayed his way through.

[13:13] And we are truly thankful that the apostle Paul received a revelation of that holy intimacy between the son and the father, and gives us that perfect glimpse of Christ in prayer, strong crying and tears to him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.

[13:56] And you will remember that on so many occasions when he had been preaching through the day, performing miracles, going about doing good, and then when the people went to their rest, the dear Savior went to the top of the mountain and spent the night in prayer.

[14:26] Now how wonderful that is because you will hope that he prayed for you, for you.

[14:39] I pray for them, he said. before he suffered. He doesn't pray now. As a demandant, he intercedes and mediates.

[14:59] He is a demandant because of his victory, because of the merits of his victory, of his shed blood, of his obedience.

[15:10] intercedes. But we believe that his prayer as in the 17th of St. John is a pattern of his intercession and advocacy and mediation.

[15:25] I'm just going aside for a brief moment to say this to you. Over the years, I'm not thinking now so much about my own dear flock and cause because I thank God for liberty of spirit there.

[15:49] And that is one of the greatest encouragements to me. Almost unbroken liberty. But over the years I have come to meditate in my mind on this.

[16:11] There are some places that I love to go to and minister in. when I see the name there is a feeling of anticipation in my spirit and there are those places I do not wish to judge but one feels an added anxiety.

[16:41] Why? Because there's not the same liberty. not the same blessed feeling usually. Now I have come to feel this.

[16:55] What is it that creates this blessed atmosphere of liberty in a cause of truth? I believe two things are praying people and love.

[17:10] and those two are married. If you have love to a minister you'll pray for him.

[17:22] And if you pray for him you'll love him. Now that's a wonderful thing. And there one feels the sweetest liberty.

[17:38] And I have thought even this night and often do. I am 130 miles from my own place but there are those there praying for me tonight.

[17:52] Now what a strength and comfort this is to the Lord's servants and to his dear people. But this is the point. Whilst we value this and know the blessedness of it, our minds are led to that precious person at the right hand of the Father who is interceding we hope for us.

[18:23] That's the secret. See whatever you're in trouble, sorrow, trial, if he is interceding for you, think of the issue, the deliverance, the help, the peace, the comfort, the support.

[18:51] He's interceding for you. And you may have a blessing that you are pleading for.

[19:01] now if the Lord is interceding for you, the day comes when he bestows this blessing upon you. So, this enhances the sacred ordinance of prayer.

[19:21] prayer. Well, now, I want to go another step forward. Of course, this is an enormous subject.

[19:35] We should speak of the ground of pleading. There can be no access, no liberty, unless the Lord gives the exercise of faith upon the person and atonement and mediation of Christ, especially that rich atoning blood.

[20:02] But I want to deliver what is in my mind to you. This blessed exercise of prayer with the Lord's people, it is this that demonstrates the health of your soul and also your spiritual state as before God.

[20:36] It has been well said that prayer is the pulse of the church and it is. If you want to know really the state of a church, go to the prayer meeting.

[20:57] Now if you go to the prayer meeting and hear the men pray and discover the atmosphere, you'll know the health of a church at the prayer meeting.

[21:12] But more especially I have this in my mind. You see, it's how we are in secret.

[21:25] it is possible to stand in public and because people are there hearing and listening, you may speak well in prayer, but how are we before God in secret?

[21:44] This is where a discerning child of God will be able to tell in some measure the state of their soul.

[21:57] If there is a neglect of prayer in secret, if there is a lukewarm, slothful state in secret, the result of that is manifested right through the life of that child of God.

[22:18] But if the Lord favors us with this prayer without ceasing, access at the throne of grace, praying to him in secret as he said, shut thy door, pray to thy father who seeth in secret, and himself shall reward thee openly.

[22:46] This is where we would assess the condition of our soul. now there's one other thing and that is this are our prayers hindered?

[23:05] Does something prevent them passing through or do we know what it is to have the year of God blessed access?

[23:23] What is it that hinders prayer? If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me, and then an unforgiving spirit will hinder prayer.

[23:39] I believe I named that to the Lord just now in our petition. He says, confess your thoughts one to another and pray one for another that she may be healed.

[23:57] Why does he say, confess your thoughts one to another so that everything should be removed from that people, that church, that family, that hinders prayer.

[24:17] Do you see? He would have everything that is calculated to hinder prayer taken away.

[24:34] Now I'm not here really to preach the sermon on this, but you take for instance a harsh censorious spirit, an unforgiving spirit, where a child of God is holding something against another.

[24:59] They won't even speak to them perhaps. They turn away from them, have nothing to do with them. Well now, do you think that you can go on your knees and God listen to you?

[25:16] That would hinder your prayer, you see. God will hear you. This is very solemn, but it's true. If our eye is on an idol, you go on your knees, God doesn't listen to you, because you regard iniquity in your heart.

[25:41] God will go on God. If there's anything that's grieving to the Spirit, entertained in our breast, we go before God.

[25:55] He doesn't listen to us. Oh no. So, this is something that becomes so vital to a child of God, because it's felt in all the holy ordinances.

[26:13] You'll feel it under the ministry, you'll feel it in the Word of God, you'll feel it at the throne of grace, you'll feel it at the communion.

[26:26] You'll see if there's anything there that is displeasing to the Lord, this hinders everything. So, what we desire is this, honest hurts, conviction of sin, the sweet grace of repentance, so that all those hindrances should be removed, every separating wall, everything that is a barrier, taken away.

[27:05] Well, now I go from that, to the church of God. You see, what I read just now in our lesson is a most wonderful portion.

[27:23] Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him, now that they were united.

[27:34] the church of God as one without ceasing made prayer for him. Now, this is where there's prosperity.

[27:48] Wonderful that is, wonderful favor. I feel disposed to refer to an experience I had many years ago before I preached to demonstrate what I've been saying.

[28:08] I was a young man and an older child of God resented the fact that I made a few observations in the Sunday school where I was a teacher and he heard me saying one or two things to the children and he resented it.

[28:34] And he manifested such a harsh, unkind, bitter spirit to me so that I dreaded to go to chapel.

[28:49] He wouldn't speak to me and if he did it was in such a harsh, unkind way and it really made my life a misery.

[29:03] Well, now you may say what is there here? Well, I'm going to tell you what there is because I've never lost the blessedness of this lesson the Lord taught me. After a while, looking into my heart, I was shocked to see that I had the spirit of murder there.

[29:32] To that child of God, I found that I was base enough almost to hope for the day when he would be taken.

[29:44] But of course, this isn't the way to look at it at all. If you're in some trial, I hope you will follow this carefully. Well, one day the Lord taught me.

[30:00] He took me apart and spoke and spoke to me as a father to a son. And this was the substance of what he said. He said, my son, you know what you're suffering.

[30:17] I said, I will do. Because this was with me all the time. I can never, never forget it.

[30:28] it was with me day and night, the bitterness of it, in the house of God. Now he said just this, there the sword, the hand is mine, and I'm doing it for your good, to slay your cursed pride.

[30:48] well of course it opened in front of me in a moment, I could see. I could see this was God's hand, and I could see there was a blessing and a benefit in it, although I couldn't realize it before.

[31:08] Well, this is what happened. It was just as if that sword that I had in my hand against that child of God, it fell out of my hand, and I shall think this all took place in a few moments, and he gave me such a spirit of prayer for that man.

[31:38] See? And I prayed for him freely, although he had been so unkind to me, that I prayed for him, and this was the best of it.

[31:55] As I prayed for him, and that was a, that was liberty, my friend. As I prayed for him, the Lord showed me something, a prospect, respect.

[32:10] And it was this, that the day would come when we should be closely united together in love and union and in fellowship.

[32:29] And I lived to see the day. God's love and he couldn't understand himself.

[32:40] He said, I don't know why it is I love you as I do, because he said, I've got no time for you. We were just brought together and we lived in unbroken fellowship to the day of his death.

[32:55] Now you can see the power of prayer, or rather the power the Lord releases in answer to prayer. Now you will say, why name this?

[33:08] Because this is taking away the things that hinder. This separation of brethren, this harsh, unforgiving spirit, this hinders, hinders prayer, hinders a church, hinders a people.

[33:32] Now what a wonderful thing where there's this prayer, pray one for another, that she may be healed. Well now I want to go on and demonstrate a few things concerning prayer.

[33:50] And I feel that we would do well to look at this lesson that we have read in the Acts. You find then the extremity of the case and the trouble and sorrow and distress that the church of God was brought into.

[34:18] Peter put in prison, apprehended and shut up in prison. And look how they dealt with Peter to make sure that he would be retained in that condition.

[34:39] He was delivered to four quarternians of soldiers, sixteen soldiers, and when this night came he was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

[35:01] Well you would say impossible. Wrestling prayer my friend can wonders do. Bring relief in deepest straits.

[35:15] Prayer can force a passage through iron bars and brazen gates. Now the Lord blessed his church.

[35:29] They were united and he gave them this prayer without ceasing unto God for Peter. And this was for deliverance.

[35:45] Now is the Lord favoring us with this? It's a wonderful thing when the Lord gives this to a soul and especially when he gives it to the church to unite them together in prayer for a blessing.

[36:03] Now let us see how he answered. Often he does this prayer was answered almost at the eleventh hour.

[36:21] The same night. Now are you in some trial or difficulty or anxiety and the Lord has favored and helped you to pray but there is no deliverance yet.

[36:42] And in fact things may be worse, more trying and difficult. My friend he tarries off till men are faint, comes at evening light.

[37:00] That's what he did here. Well do I know what this is? You see this is a message of hope for you. Pray without ceasing.

[37:13] Your prayers will not prove vain. You'll have the answer presently. The same night the angel of the Lord came upon him.

[37:29] Now let us see the nature of the answer. The first thing was this, a light shined in the prison. A light. Oh this light of the sun of righteousness, of the bright and morning star shining in your prison, shining in your trouble.

[37:52] what a shining this is. Well there's hope there. There's hope of deliverance and hope of final deliverance when this light shines and his chains fell off from his hands.

[38:18] Have you been bound in affliction and iron? Bound perhaps in bondage of soul?

[38:29] His chains fell off. What a day to be brought into liberty. Now this is all answer to prayer my friends.

[38:42] His chains fell off. love. And then there is something here very significant. When they came past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city.

[39:03] What happened? Which opened to them of his own accord. God. Now this is something to be observed relative to prayer.

[39:14] Never try to open a door that's closed. Just observe the Lord doing it in answer to prayer.

[39:27] Never try to do it yourself. When they came there, a gate opened. now that's prayer.

[39:38] Do everything by prayer. Don't put your hand to it. If you're in prison, if you're in trouble, if you are perplexed, if you need the Lord to appear for you in providence or in the church, try to do everything by prayer and just watch.

[40:04] He'll open the door. this gate open of his own accord and have to touch it. This is it. How I have observed this in the church of God.

[40:23] If the Spirit of God is leading his people and any matter comes up, you find that the influence of the Spirit gives them such a unanimous feeling.

[40:41] Doors open. see it's the Spirit work. Just open the door. And you feel this is of the Lord.

[40:55] Just open the door like that. This is answer to prayer. prayer. Well, I commend this to you for your prayerful inspection.

[41:11] See the wonders accomplished by God in response to that united cry which no power can long withstand.

[41:25] He is delivered. of course the amazing thing about an answer to prayer is this. It seems almost incredible.

[41:38] They prayed for this. And yet when he is directed to the door of this house where many were gathered together praying and Rhoda knew his voice and went in and told them and they couldn't believe it.

[42:01] Couldn't believe it. She told them that Peter stood before the gate. They said unto her thou art mad.

[42:13] Yet they were praying for it. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they it is his angel. Ah when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like then the dream.

[42:31] You'll say well can this be true? This seems to be like a dream to me. No it's an answer to prayer my friend. It's so wonderful. This is how the Lord responds.

[42:47] May the Lord bless you as a people with this united prayer. Now I feel one or two other things before we come to the end.

[43:01] I have also noticed in my own experience the strength of the Lord coming and giving you a promise so that you have a promise to plead before him.

[43:16] and I do not want to speak of myself this evening but it comes freshly to my mind. Many years ago one of our beloved daughters I was in London preaching when I got home she was in hospital and appeared to be dying.

[43:42] all the shock of it. When I left for London you know a beautiful face and a lovely smile and a sweet kiss from that little girl when I got back in hospital when we saw her she looked just like a fading flower and in fact they said there's no hope.

[44:09] All the agony of it. talk about breaking your heart but this was the point as soon as ever I got home and the whole matter was laid in front of me the Lord spoke and this is what he said is thy God able that did it in fact he said it or he answered me before I spoke before I called because I was going to get down on my knees and before ever I could get on my knees he answered me that's what he said is thy God able he showed me two things in that one was that we should go into the depths with that dear child and that it would probably appear hopeless that man would perhaps feel that he could do no more but that he would hear prayer ere

[45:36] God would hear prayer is thy God able now if you got a promise to plead you see I pleaded that and there's something more too I plead that to this day if God has given you a promise my friend it not only relates to that occasion this covers your life that dear girl today is a mother of two children but you see that promise seems to be written right over her and also it covers everything every now and again the Lord brings that up in my soul if I'm in trouble he says is thy God able I go and plead it now this is strength for prayer my friend have you got a promise you plead and indeed we did go into the depths with that dear child

[46:49] I should think for three weeks they gave no hope everything possible seemed to happen to worsen the case that you see there was that word oh that word now if you have promised to plead and more than one you may have a promise for every one of your children and there's another thing whilst I'm on this you may have a desperate case you may have one where you feel that it's beyond prayer beyond it Satan said it's no good praying it's absolutely hopeless no good opening your mouth but the

[47:57] Lord can give you a word even with that and if he does you'll plead it for the most desperate case and the most apparently hopeless case and you'll plead it I cannot of course reveal to you the secrets in my breast I've got some deep things there that you all plead it now I want just a further word with you before we come to the amen that concerns the blessings or the gifts of God to his people and you'll notice in the scriptures that these gifts and great favors that he bestows in the earth that they are deprived of these things often for a season let me demonstrate from the case of

[49:10] Hannah now Penina had children Hannah had no children she was deprived the other woman had children but now the Lord had shut up her womb now what is the secret behind all this it's this God has blessings to give Christ has blessings to impart but he'll give it to you in answer to prayer and that there's going to be some crying there my friend and he'll give it to you as an answer to prayer now she was in agony of soul and pleaded with him and poured out her heart to him if he would look on the affliction of his handmaid and not forget her and give to her a man child and from the lips of

[50:27] Eli who at first misjudged her came that sentence from his lips that is from the Lord's lips go in peace the God of Israel grant thee the petition thou hast desired of him you see don't be surprised if things seem to be with hell from you for a while and the Lord puts this intense desire in your heart this living exercise you must have it now there'll be some pleading and crying here my friend and this is how God will answer you you shall receive the blessing through prayer according to the blessedness of the throne of grace you shall receive it from the

[51:29] Lord in answer to prayer and walking a path of trial the trial of faith and waiting will only increase the blessedness of the gift when God bestows it upon you now that's how the Lord works my friend he will have you pray for it he will show you something in his blessed hands and say I will be inquired of oh yes and how wonderful it is allow me this observation how wonderful it is in the church of God where you find perhaps one no one knows until it's revealed of course but you find one has something shown them it's a revelation a persuasion a promise is given and something is revealed and they keep it in their heart and the time comes when it's discovered that two of them on earth are agreed as touching anything that they shall ask and it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven there are two now what is so wonderful is this where you find

[53:13] God giving the same exercise the same spirit of prayer the same longing the same pleading for the same blessing and my friend where there is this he grants this blessing he'll never disappoint a praying soul or praying people pray for prayer a blessing will obtain amen the Lord will Mr.

[54:06] Peter Rell will picture on Tuesday and next week let us close to him number 1002 to 4-8 there is the soul sincere desire utter neurotic stress the motion of the hidden fire that dumbles in the breast in ....

[54:47] have status ... 4.8. 5.8.

[55:54] 6.8.

[56:24] 6.8. 7.8.

[56:56] 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8.

[57:08] 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8.

[57:20] 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8.

[57:32] 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8. 7.8.

[57:44] 8.8. 8.8. 8.8. 8.8. 8.8. 8.8.

[57:56] 8.8. 9.8. 8.8. 8.8. 8.8. 8.8.

[58:08] 9.8. 9.8. 9.8. 9.8. 9. rainforest 9.9.

[58:36] 10ID asta 5.8. 111 The eternal brother, just in the earth, just in the sea.

[58:59] The eternal brother, just in the sea.

[59:29] The eternal brother, just in the sea.

[59:59] The eternal brother, just in the sea. The eternal brother, just in the sea.

[60:33] The eternal brother, just in the sea.

[61:05] The eternal brother, just in the sea. And landed safely on that happy shore. Where winds and waves will molest us no more.

[61:19] Grant these blessings for thy sake, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

[61:40] Amen.