Struggling to Kneel - Romans 1:9-10

The apostle Paul lived and taught that our passion for God should impact every aspect of life. This is an expression that is deeply emotional, that the fact that Paul's word translated Sir, is the Greek word O which is translated in other passages worship combines the idea of working on surveying unloving so Paul is saying in this one brief phrase in effect my entire life. My entire being my whole heart is devoted to the honor and glory of God dedicated one of those specific ways. Paul did that was in his prayer life.

So the question today is this house your prayer life is prayer a struggle for you. Sometimes do you fit it in when it's convenient or are you devoted to prayer today on wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Davey takes us to Romans chapter 1 where we find Paul praying Stephen will help you understand the implications for your prayer life and is calling this lesson struggling to wait have uncovered some through this in Romans chapter 1 related to the affections of a godly man and I believe it's true for every believer.

This is truth that a woman can prayer.

Husband becomes, but this is also truth daughter can look for. She grows up. If it is indeed God's will for her to marry. This is truth every Sunday, can become when Paul wrote to the Christians living in Rome, Italy at about verse eight of chapter 1 were given some rather personal and upfront very close comments that reveal this man to us. This is the man by the way, who shocks us with his candor as he wrote to the Corinthians. Be imitators of me for scripting is 416 now the verses were about to look at a Romans chapter 1, you discover a little bit about why Paul could say that this is a passage that reveals to us what made the apostle Paul. If you wonder what he thought about what he longs for what he felt passionate about doing what drove his affections in life. You'll find them and we discover you're a model for every man, and by the way, it is a model from a man who is not behind the pulpit is not behind University lectern. He is not addressing some large audience with the carefully developed speech, but a model given to us by a man on his knees man in prayer. A man who wrote extensively about prayer in the last few generations is amending the imbalance. Many of you perhaps have a little paperback of his. He was a lawyer who served as a chaplain in the Civil War and then as a pastor.

He spent the last 17 years of his life and devotion to the Lord a lot of solitude in prayer and writing his writings were ignored for years after his death, and I think there are more powerful today and for our generation that even in his. He wrote these potent words. Listen, we are constantly on a strain to devise new methods new plans new organizations to advance the church. While the church is looking for better methods. God is looking for better men, but the church needs today is not more machinery, not new organizations are more in novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use men fighting in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, through men.

He does not come upon machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans. He anoints men.

Men of prayer.

With that in mind, I invite you to join me in the private prayer room of the apostle Paul and discover with me a fresh the affections of a truly godly man but three beginning in verse eight, first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world now pick it up where we left off for God, whom I served in my spirit in the gospel of his son, or the preaching of the gospel of his son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers. Making request if perhaps now a glass by the will of God. I may succeed in coming. You cannot help but observe as Paul leaps through his prayer list here several things about Paul the man. The first observation I want to make is Paul's godly piety. Piety is a long forgotten word. In fact, the word is used of someone who was cold and rather stuffy in hard faced, but it's a wonderful word piety means devoted or devotion it means sacred allegiance. It means reverence.

Holy reverence, a pious man is a man who is devoted to his holy God. Paul wrote in verse nine. For God, whom I serve in my spirit. I believe the Paul's use of the words in my spirit are intended to convey the deepest intensity of his devotion to God is in effect say I am serving God with my whole being was one translation renders it. I am serving God with my whole heart.

I think that's correct. This is an expression that is deeply emotional added that the fact that Paul's word translated.

Sir is the Greek word O which is translated in other passages worship combines the idea of devotion and action combines the idea of working on surveying unloving so Paul is saying in this one brief phrase in effect my entire life. My entire being my whole heart is devoted to the honor and glory of God phrase that has so much meaning is a well you know Paul supposed to say that is an apostle God would let them write this kind of stuff you did say that kind of thing. Apostles are supposed to live like that. Well I would love to agree with you, and if I did, we could all be off the hook. Except for the troubling verse, Paul said, be thou imitators of me verse I referenced earlier because I knew I need to get to it here so that we all didn't hide and say well that's just for Paul know we are to live and walk like how he lives and walks and we start by being devoted to God with an undivided entire part will be called godly living.

Godly living is not a sport. It's worked hard work. It isn't something you do if you sort of cotton to the idea of your naturally good at it. It isn't something they can try to do if you have a little spare time I think I'll try a little bit today to live a godly life. Note his words. It is life itself devoted entirely to God. Paul told Timothy in first Timothy 47 Timothy train yourself to be godly and interesting phrase, train yourself to be godly.

The word train is the word. Do not say, from which we get our word do not see you or gymnasium is in effect saying Timothy go into the gymnasium of the spiritual life and work out of the word workout in prayer and if you're not breaking out as it were, into a spiritual sweat, you're not trying hard, train yourself in order to be godly. I've heard people say what you not read the Bible. It is hard to understand, or I don't pray like I want to because I just never come easy to me or I'll memorize Scripture because it just takes forever. They have misunderstood the successful godly Christian living requires spiritual sweat. One man by the name of Jason Lowe Baxter pastored in the early 1900s. At one point while he was in the ministry took stock of his own life and they didn't pray struggled with that knee had the thought that came to his mind will maybe he just wasn't that sort of man, and that so convicted up because he knew the truth of Scripture that he began to develop in his own heart of life. This training in prayer. God would use them significantly in many lives, but he developed sort of this parable that he would share with people about how to train yourself in godliness is released.

Prayer we redo this. He writes as a sort of realize me back a little bit more by saying as he looked at his life. He knew there was a part of him that wanted to pray, that was his intellect and his will, and it was a part of in the didn't want to pray. That was his emotion. So here's what he developed he says as never before. My will and I stood face to face and I asked my will, straight question will are you ready for an hour prayer will answer here I am and I'm quite ready.

If you are so well and I linked arms and turned to go four times prayer at once all the emotions began pulling the other way and protesting. We are not coming.

My soul will stagger just a bit. So I ask can you stick it out and he replied yes if you can, so will went and we got down to prayer dragging those wriggling rambunctious emotions with us. It was a struggle all the way through. At one point, when will and I were in the middle of earnest intercession.

I suddenly found one of those traitorous emotions had snared my imagination and had run off to the golf course and it was all I could do to drag that wicked rascal back a bit later I found another of the emotions that sneaked away was some off guarded thoughts the end of my time. If you'd asked me to have a good time in prayer. I would've had to replied know it is been a wearying wrestle with contrary emotions and a truant imagination, from beginning to end the battle continued for some time. If you asked me if you had a good time in your daily praying. I would have confessed know at times it has seemed as though the heavens were brass and God too distant to hear in the Lord Jesus strangely aloof and prayer accomplishing nothing.

That something was happening. For one thing will and I were slowly teaching a motion that we were completely independent of, also one morning just when will and I were going for another time of prayer. I overheard one of the emotions whisper the other one. Come on you guys, it's no use wasting any more time resisting their going to go just to say that morning for the first time even though the emotions were still at times suddenly uncooperative. There were at least quiet sometime later what you think happened during one of our prayer times when will and I were no more thinking of emotions than that of the man in the moon. One of the most vigorous of the emotions unexpectedly sprang up and shouted you in which all the other motion said amen and for the first time my whole being, intellect, will and emotions was united in one coordinated prayer operation that good. It's good because you find yourself here as well.you he is speaking our language training labor work effort. Ladies and gentlemen a godly life is not a coincidence, godly man's affection for godly living compels him to persevere in life long devotion to wrestle with emotion to bring it under the subjection of the will driven by the word to intensely battle the flash to struggle against the philosophy of the world system to pursue purity in and through every fabric of his being until body and soul and spirit, mind, and elect and emotion are at sometimes in life wonderfully united in devotion to this true and living Christ and his church. In other words, a holy man just would you kneel struggle and begged God to make you a holy man.

If you would. You can be prepared times during the battle to say things to friends and others uncommon words like I am totally devoted to God with my whole heart. The second thing we observe about Paul in verse nine as is godly praying piety leads to prayer, godly living leads to godly praying and involves simultaneously got the grant I sent godly praying purposefully here because it's possible to pray in an ungodly way possible. Be on your knees and be absolutely totally selfish.

It's possible be on your knees and in rebellion to the spirit of God by James Ford tells us about people who prayed in ungodly ways. It those believers were asking God for things, but there were asking God for things that they might selfishly spend on their own lusts, he writes, you ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Notice how Paul prayed last part of verse nine for God is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of myself and do I ever have problems. Just recently I learned there was a plot to kill me. There was, I already have had enough trouble with the law. In fact, I still have bruises from my last beating. There is the day that goes by that I will get on my knees and ask God to help me and I want all of you in Rome to begin praying for me and would think normal, but I misread God is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers for this reason I get on my knees before the father. All Paul while you get on your knees before the father that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth in the know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ladies and gentlemen on what you would most the time when I get on my knees.

I pray that God will do this for me. Paul goes to his knees and prays that God will do this for somebody else wrote to the Philippians, for God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus, and this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God first phrase, and on reading it quickly. I long for you all with the affection of Christ, and I pray for you. In other words, the affection of a godly man for Jesus Christ produces in him a compelling longing a a a desire to engage in godly, selfless prayer, not for his little life in his little job in his little car and his little ounce for the world sees somebody other than himself the affections of a godly manner, revealing that he done just live for himself and I just think about himself going to spend money on himself feeling just talk about himself and I just pray for himself and just serve himself, so that's not me do that may be bold enough to add the words and his family godly man was affection for Christ is just live for himself and his family and just think about himself and his family and just talk about himself and his family into spend money on himself and his family and I just pray for himself and his family and I just serve himself and his family. Height of self-centeredness could be that kind of man James wrote that the purest and most unpolluted form of religion was doing something for people that aren't even related to you orphans and widows, people who, in effect, cannot repay you so giving and praying far and caring for somebody outside your natural inclination.

Your familial sphere of of the natural prayer and concern is at times best gauge of your true godliness as it occurred to you here the Paul in Romans one is concerned for and longing for and affectionate for and consistently praying for people is never met how unceasingly verse nine I make mention of you always in my prayers.

Making request. What is Paul requested if perhaps now, at last, by the will of God.

I may succeed in coming year we discovered is piety, and is praying now is godly planning love this transparency here.

This is a wonderful way to pray if perhaps now at last, by the will of God that is godly. And that is godly planning that is godly piety.

I couldn't help but think here as I study this to prayer the Lord taught his disciples to model after unnecessarily.

To repeat, but the model after thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In other words, were not asking that our will be done of their were asking that his will be done down here in any true praying has the thought and the context of thy will be done. Anything else is selfish and pride. Paul says I have been longing and praying.

I want so badly to come to Rome but mowing an account with is the will of my friends and I see this what is it about your life. The demands divine direction before you take the next to put it another way, what is it in your life that you're doing it God's pleasure would have you not do what is it that you should add to your life that would please God if he did. This is praying in the will of God because life was ordered by the will of God's plans were baby in prayer's life in effect was ruled with submission to his sovereign Lord, if perhaps now, at last, by the will of God. You get the idea that the Paul long to do this, but he waited in prayer until God would show the way, Martin Luther, the church reformer and spiritual mentor of many in the early 1500s often had students at his table during meals, and on one occasion, as they were eating. Luther had a little puppy and the puppy was sitting right next to his seat looking up at him, watching his every move as he ate in a how dogs do that pleading their eyes, not blinking, her mouth open, tongues hanging out Luther mentioned to the people sitting at his table. He commented that he said oh if I can only pray the way this dog is watching all his thoughts are concentrated on this piece of food he has no other thought. He has no other wish he has no other hope.

What a wonderful analogy of the godly man who waits upon is true and living God wheat we see Paul is that man O'Neill's and praise and wait hopefully longing for something if we would to God for something good and godly. If we pray we wait for a week or maybe two, and then assume we were to do it but he is longing and praying and waiting. He's resting his head on his pillow knees praying in his longing and is waiting and is waiting is walking through life and is longing and is praying in his waiting. Perhaps now, at last, by the will of God. I may succeed in coming to you what a wonderful mentor and model of piety of praying, planning, Paul was, I want to close by reading a few pages of this book that has been very fascinating to me. Men who have been mentored by their fathers and helped along spiritually. This is written by a man that I'm sure you're familiar with. He is Sen. John Ashcroft, Amanda.

I believe displayed great character withdrawing from the race a few weeks ago a committed believer listen as he writes the picture of my father, but I'm about to share with you was taken in the autumn of his life.

Late autumn.

The changing colors of autumn's leaves just before they fall or a highlight of the season. Much like a mighty tree. My dad's true colors were the most vivid at the end of his life was one experience I'll never forget the night before. I was sworn into the Senate in 1995 my father gathered a small group of close friends and family for dinner. Seeing a piano in the corner of the room. My father said John want to play the piano will sing okay dad, you name it applied.

Let's saying we are standing on holy ground with one of his favorites. After the song I eased away from the piano keys and thinking out loud. I said you were standing or having a good time but I really wish we were in a dedication service my lifelong friend Dick false bookable we can do something about that John. So, in his suggestion, we gathered the next morning at the house not far from the capital home maintained by group of friends, for the express purpose of bringing members of Congress together for spiritual enrichment. We began by chatting informally than sing a hymn or two at the time I didn't know just how weak my father was. He had been losing weight through the months of November and December and had told an acquaintance of his, I'm hanging on by a thread. But I'm going to see John sworn into the Senate. As we talked the earnestness of my father's voice suddenly commanded everyone's attention John. That said, please listen carefully. My children and I fixed her eyes on him. My brother moved to the edge of the sea. Dick false and the other friends leaned the spirit of Washington is arrogance. My dad said in the spirit of Christ is humility put on the spirit of Christ. Nothing of lasting value has ever been accomplished and arrogance. Suddenly the room was quiet there was no chitchat in a lighthearted banter and the whispering was a profound moment.

After a while I asked for prayer and I knelt in front of the sofa where my father was seated. Everyone gathered around me to place a hand on my head or shoulder. Everyone was standing when I noticed my father lunging and swinging his arms as he tried to lift out of that overstuffed sofa with a damaged heart operating at less than one third capacity he was expending every bit of energy he had wasn't making much progress. I felt terrible.

Knowing he didn't have the strength.

I said that you don't have to struggle to stand and pray over me with these friends John, my father answered I'm not struggling to stand I'm struggling to some statements are so profound they take a wild sink and others hit you with the force of an explosion.

Those words took me back to early mornings as a child when I joined them on my knees prayed that we would do noble thing. Now he was taking me there again on the night after my swearing in ceremony as a senator. My wife and I were awakened by my friend Dick false told me of my father's death and he told me this yesterday. Your father pulled me aside and said Dick I want you to assure me that when John gets to his assigned offices. You will have prayer with an inviting the presence of God in the I looked at your father, and said will do just that and as a matter of fact will call you up in Springfield put you on the speakerphone and you can join us for father grabbed me by the arm and said you don't understand. I will be seem to know what was coming. My dad had little energy left those last days of his life and he chose to spend passing on to me is deepest his heart had made one final in value, that he was going to buy debt.

Thanks for the lessons and things struggling. I am still struggling to learn very powerful illustration and it reflects the truth that probably all of us have experienced. We struggle to kneel before God in prayer and we act as if we can navigate life without God's help and guidance. I hope today's lesson from God's word has encouraged you today. If you joined us late.

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