The Secret Power in Prayer! - Charles Spurgeon Sermons

the secret power and prayer this sermon was originally preached on January the 8th in the year 1888 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon our text for this morning comes from the book of John John chapter 15 verse 7 jesus said if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you beloved the gifts of grace are not immediately enjoyed by new believers coming to Christ we are saved by a true union with him but it is by remaining in that union that we further receive the purity the joy the power and the blessedness which are stored up in him for his people notice how our Lord states this when he speaks to the believing Jews in the eighth chapter of this gospel at the 31st and 32nd verses to the Jews who had believed him jesus said if you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free we do not know all the truth at once we learn it by remaining in Jesus perseverance and grace is an educational process by which we fully learn the truth the emancipating power of that truth is also gradually perceived and enjoyed the truth will set you free one chain after another breaks we are truly set free you that are new to the Christian life may be encouraged to know that there is still something better for you you have not yet received the full reward for your faith you will have joyful views of heavenly things as you climb the hill of spiritual experience as you remain in Christ you will have a firmer confidence a richer joy a greater stability more communing with Jesus and greater delight in the Lord your God infancy is troubled with many evils and problems from which manhood is exempt it is the same in the spiritual as in the natural world there are these degrees of attainment among believers and the Savior here motivates us to reach a high position by mentioning a certain privilege which is not for everyone who says that they are in Christ but only for those who remain in him every believer must remain in Christ but many have hardly earned the name yet Jesus says if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given you you have to live with Christ to know him and the longer you live with him the more you will admire and adore him and the more you will receive from him grace for grace truly for the person who was only a month old and grace Christ his most blessed but these babes can hardly tell what a precious Jesus he is to those who have known him for nearly half a century to them Jesus grows sweeter and dear fair and lovely our day by day not that he improves in himself for he is perfect but that as we increase in our knowledge of him we appreciate more thoroughly his unparalleled majesty and excellence vividly to his old acquaintances exclaim he is altogether lovely oh that we may continue to grow in knowledge of him in all things who is our master so that we may treasure him more and more I ask for your serious attention to our text begging you to consider with me three questions first what is this special blessing ask whatever you wish and it will be given you secondly how is this special blessing obtained if you remain in me and my words remain in you then thirdly why is it that by remaining in Christ and having his words remain in us that we get this Liberty and power in prayer oh that the anointing of the Holy Spirit which remains on us may now make this subject very profitable to us first what is this special blessing what is this special blessing let us read the verse again Jesus says if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given you observe that our Lord has been warning us that without him we can do nothing and therefore we might naturally have expected that he would now show us how we can do all spiritual acts but the text does not run as we would have expected it to run the Lord Jesus does not say without me you can do nothing but if you remain in me and my words remain in you you will do all spiritual and gracious things he doesn't speak of what they themselves would be unable to do but of what would be given to them it will be given you he does not say sufficient strength will be given to you for all those holy deeds of which you are incapable without me that would have been true and it is the truth which we expected here but our most wise Lord goes well beyond what our hearts might have expected and says something even better he does not say if you remain in me and my words remain in you you will do spiritual things but rather ask whatever you wish by prayer you will be enabled to do spiritual acts but before all attempts to do them ask whatever you wish the choice privilege given here is a promise of powerful and successful prayers power in prayer is very much the gauge of our spiritual condition and when that is highly evident in our lives then we are blessed in every area of our lives one of the first results then of our remaining in Christ will be that we will pray to him asking him whatever we wish if others neither seek nor knock nor ask yet we will those who stay away from Jesus do not pray those who neglect to have communion with Christ feel as if they are unable to pray but Jesus says if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish prayer is spontaneous to those who remain in Jesus prayer is the natural outflow of a soul income Union with Christ just as the leaf in the fruit will come out of the branch without any conscious effort on the part of the branch but simply because of its living union with the stem so prayer buds and blossoms and proofs come out of souls remaining in Jesus just like stars shined so do those who remain in Christ pray it is their purpose and their second nature they do not say to themselves now it is the time for us to do our duty and pray no they pray just like Minnie namely when the desire comes upon them they don't cry out like those in bondage and say I should be in prayer right now but I don't feel like it what a burden it is rather they are happy and rejoice to go to the mercy seat hearts that remain in Christ send forth supplications just like fires send out flames and sparks souls that remain in Jesus begin the day with prayer prayer surrounds them like an atmosphere all day long at night they fall asleep praying I have known them to even dream a prayer and at any rate they are joyfully able to say when I awake I am still with you habitual asking comes from remaining in Christ you will not need to be urged to prayer when you remain in Jesus he says to us ask whatever you wish and depend on it you will another result of our remaining in Christ will be that we will most powerfully feel the necessity of where our great need of prayer will be clearly seen another result of our remaining in Christ will be that we will most powerfully feel the necessity of Prayer our great need of prayer will be clearly seen do I hear you say I thought we have attained everything when we remain in Christ and his word remains enough our from being satisfied with ourselves it is then that we feel more than ever that we must ask for more grace he that knows Christ best knows his own needs veteran he that his most conscious of life in Christ is also most convinced of his own death apart from Christ he who most clearly discerns the perfect character of Jesus will be most urgent in prayer for grace to grow like him the more I seek to remain in my lord the more I desire to obtain from him since I know that all that is in him is put there for the purpose that I may receive it the Bible says from the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another it is in direct proportion as we are linked to Christ's fullness that we feel the necessity of drawing from it by constant prayer nobody needs to prove the doctrine of prayer to someone who remains in Christ for we enjoy the personal experience of prayer itself prayer is now as much a necessity to our spiritual life as breath is to our natural life we cannot live without asking favors from the Lord if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and you will not want to stop asking he has said seek my face and your heart will answer Lord I will seek your face we note next that the fruit of our remaining in Christ is not only the exercise of prayer and a sense of the necessity of prayer but it also includes Liberty in prayer ask whatever you wish the fruit of our remaining in Christ is not only the exercise of prayer and a sense of the necessity of prayer but it also includes Liberty in prayer ask whatever you wish haven't you been on your knees at times without any power to pray haven't you felt that you could not plead with God as you desired you wanted to pray but the waters were frozen and would not flow sadly you said I can't pray the will was present but not the freedom to present that will in prayer dear friends do you desire freedom in prayer so that you may speak with God as a man speak for this friend then here is the way to do it if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish I don't mean that you will gain freedom as to the mere eloquence of speech but that is a very inferior gift eloquence in prayer is a questionable endowment especially when it does not include the weight of thought and depth of feeling some Christians pray long prayers but true prayer is measured by weight and not by length a single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than to find this course of great length whoever dwells with God in Christ Jesus they are the ones most active in prayer they come boldly because they remain at the throne they see the golden scepter stretched out and they hear the king saying ask whatever you wish and it will be given you it is the person who remains in conscious union with their Lord who has the greatest freedom in prayer it is easy for them to often come to Christ for they are in Christ and remain in him don't attempt to exercise this holy freedom by excitement or presumption there is only one way of really obtaining it and here it is if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish only by this way will you be enabled to open your mouth wide so that God may fill it thus you will have power with God this is not all those that remain in Christ have the privilege of successful prayer ask whatever you wish and it will be given you those that remain in Christ have the privilege of successful prayer ask whatever you wish and it will be given you you can't get it on your own but it will be given to you you long to bear fruit ask and it will be given you look at the vine branch it simply remains in the vine and by remaining in the vine the fruit comes from it it is given to it brothers and sisters in Christ the purpose of your life it's one object and aim is to bear fruit to the glory of the Father to gain this end you must remain in Christ as the branch remains in the vine this is the method by which your prayer for fruitfulness will become successful it will be given you you will have wonderful power with God in prayer in so much that before you pray he will answer and while you are still speaking he will hear the desire of the righteous will be granted delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart there is great latitude in our text ask whatever you wish and it will be given you the Lord gives carte blanche to those who remain in him he puts into their hand a sign check and permits them to fill in any amount they wish does the text really mean what it says I never knew my lord to say anything he did not mean I am sure that he may sometimes mean more than we understand him to say but he never means less mind you he does not say to all men and women I will give you whatever you ask oh no that would be a cruel kindness but he speaks to his disciples and says if you remain in me and my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given you it is to a certain class of men and women who have already received abundant grace at his hand it is to them that he gives this marvelous power of prayer oh my dear friends if I may earnestly desire one thing above every other it is this that I may be able to ask what I wish of the Lord and have it given to me the minister who is diligent in prayer is the man that will find success in his preaching for he should be able to prevail with man for God when he has already prevailed with God for men this is also true for the man facing difficulties in any line of business for what can baffle him when he can take everything to God in prayer this kind of man or woman in a church is worth ten thousand of us common people in these we find the nobility of the sky in these are the men and women and whom is fulfilled God's purpose concerning mankind whom he made to have dominion over his creation the stamp of sovereignty is on the foreheads of these men and women they shaped the history of the nations they guide the current of events through their power in prayer with the Almighty God we see Jesus with all things put under him by the divine purpose and as we rise into that image we too are clothes with Dominion and are made kings and priests unto God look at Elijah with the keys of the reins swinging at his side he shuts or opens the windows of heaven there are such men and women still alive today aspire to be such a man or such a woman I beg you that in you the text may be fulfilled ask whatever you wish and it will be given you in addition the text seems to imply that if we reach this point of freedom and prayer this gift will be continual tasks you will always ask you will never stop asking but you will ask successfully for ask whatever you wish and it will be given you here we have the gift of continual prayer if we reach this point of freedom and prayer this gift will be continuing this prevailing power in prayer is not just for a week of prayer nor for a month of prayer nor for just a few special occasions but you will possess this power with God as long as you remain in Christ and his words remain in you read the Bible memorize scripture love the word love Christ with all your heart soul mind and strength God will put his omnipotent at your disposal the entire Trinity the Godhead will be available to fulfill the desires which the Holy Spirit has planted in you I wish I could make this jewel glitter before the eyes of All Saints so they cried out oh that we had such power and prayer this power in prayer is like the sword of Goliath may every David say there is none like it give it to me this weapon of prevailing prayer defeats the enemy and at the same time enriches its possessor with all the wealth of God how can anyone laugh anything to whom the Lord has said ask whatever you wish and it will be given you Oh let us seek this blessing listen and learn the way follow me while by the light of the text I point out the path may the Lord lead us by His Holy Spirit now secondly for this morning how does one obtain the privilege of having powerful prayers the answer if you remain in me and my words remain in you here are the two feet by which we climb to power with God in prayer how does one obtain the privilege of having powerful prayers the answer if you remain in me and my words remain in you beloved the first part of our text tells us that we are to remain in Christ Jesus our Lord it is taken for granted that we are already in him can it be taken for granted in your case - dear listener if so you are to remain where you are as believers we are to remain tenaciously clinging to Jesus lovingly knit to Jesus we are to remain in him by always trusting him and him only with the same simple faith which joined us to him in the beginning we are to remain in Christ by always trusting Christ and Christ only with the same simple faith which joined us to Christ in the beginning we must never allow any other thing or person into our hearts confidence as our hope of salvation but rest alone in Jesus as we received him at the first his divinity his manhood his life his death his resurrection his glory at the right hand of the Father in a word Jesus himself must be our hearts soul reliance this is absolutely essential a temporary faith will not save a continuing faith is needed but remaining in the Lord Jesus does not only mean trusting in him it includes our yielding ourselves up to him to receive his life and to let that life work out its results in us remaining in the Lord Jesus does not only mean trusting in him but it includes our yielding ourselves up to him to receive his life and to let that life work out its results in a we remain in him when we live by him for him and to him we feel that all our separate life is gone where we have died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God we are nothing if we do not remain in Jesus we would be withered branches and fit only to be thrown into the fire we have no reason for existence except that which we find in Christ and what a marvelous reason that is the vine means the branch as truly as the branch needs divine no vine ever bought any fruit except on its branches truly it produces all the branches and so produces all the fruit but yet it is by the branch that the vine displays its fruitfulness thus believers that remain in Christ are necessary to the fulfilment of their lord's designed what a wonderful statement that the Saints are essential to their Savior that churches his body his fullness fills everyone I want you to recognize this so that you may see your blessed responsibility your practical obligation to produce fruit that the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you remain in him never cease from being dedicated to his honor and glory never dream of being your own master don't be the servant of men but remain in Christ let Jesus be the object as well as the source of your existence or if you can so dedicate and consecrate yourselves that you achieve for petrol communion with your Lord then you will soon realize a joy a delight of power and prayer such as you never knew before there are times and we are conscious that we are in Christ and we know and since our fellowship with him and all the joy and the peace which we drink from this cup let us remain there remain in me says Jesus you are not to come and go but to remain let that blessed thinking of yourself into his life the spending of all your powers for Jesus and the firm faith of your union with him continually remain in you oh that we might attain to this by the Holy Spirit as if to help us to understand this our gracious Lord has given us a delightful parable let us look through this discourse of the vine in its branches Jesus says every branch in me that bears fruit I will prune so that it will be even more fruitful be careful that you remain in Christ when you are being pruned Oh someone says I thought I was a Christian but sadly I now have more troubles than ever before men ridicule me the devil tempts me and my business affairs go wrong if you are to have power in prayer you must be careful that you remain in Christ when the sharp pruning knife is cutting everything away endure the trial and never dream of giving up your faith because of it say this though he slay me yet will I hope in him your Lord warned you when you first came into the volume that you would be pruned and cut closely and if you are now feeling the pruning process you must not think of some strange thing has happened to you cling to Jesus all the more closely say to Jesus cut Lord cut to the quick if you wish for I will still cling to you to whom shall I go you and you alone have the words of eternal life yes cling to Jesus when the putti knife is in his hand and then ask whatever you wish and it will be given you also be careful that when the pruning operation has been carried out that you still cling to your Lord be careful that when the pruning operation has been carried out and is over that you still cleave to your Lord notice the third and fourth verse you are already clean because of the word I was pokin to you remain in me and I will remain in you remain after the cleansing where you were before the cleansing when you are sanctified remain where you were when you were first justified when you see the work of the Spirit increasing in you don't let the devil tempt you to boast shows that you are now somebody and don't need to come to Jesus as a poor sinner and don't need to rest alone in his Precious Blood for salvation still remain in Jesus as you stayed in him when the knife cut you staying here now that the tender grapes begin to form don't say to yourself oh what a fruitful branch I am how greatly I adorn the vine dear friends you are nothing and nobody only as you remain in Christ are you one bit better than the scrap wood which is burned in the fire but don't we make progress yes we grow but we remain we never go an inch further we remain in him or if not we will be cut off or will become withered our only hope lies in Jesus during our best times as well as during our worst jesus said you are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you remain in me as I have remained in you we must remain in Christ in order to bear fruit we must remain in Christ in order to bear fruit no grants can bear fruit by itself it must remain in the vine we cannot bear fruit unless we remain in Christ someone cries out great then I have something to do certainly you have but not apart from Jesus the branch has to bear fruit but if the branch thinks that is going to produce a cluster or even a single grape all by itself it is utterly mistaken the fruit of the branch must come out of the stand one your work for Christ must be Christ's work in you or else it will be good for nothing I pray that you see to this your Sunday school teaching your preaching or whatever you do must be done in Christ Jesus you cannot win souls by your natural talent nor can you save men and women by your own plans beware of homemade schemes do for Jesus what Jesus commands you to do remember that our work for Christ as we call it must be Christ's work first if it is to be accepted by him remain in him if you ever wish to bear fruit yes remain in him as to your very life remain in him as to your very life don't say to yourself I have been a Christian man now for twenty or thirty years I can do without continual dependence upon Christ no you cannot do anything without him even if you were as old as Methuselah your very being as a Christian depends on you're still clinging still trusting still depending and this he must give you for it all comes from him in him alone to sum it all up if you want that splendid power and prayer of which I just now spoke you must remain in a loving living lasting conscious practical remaining union with the Lord Jesus Christ and if you attain that by divine grace then and then only you may ask whatever you wish and it will be given you but there is a second qualification mentioned in the text and you must not forget it and my words remain in you there is a second qualification mentioned in the text and you must not forget it and my words remain in you how important then are Christ's words he said in the fourth verse remain in me and I will remain in you and now as a parallel to this it is if you remain in me and my words remain in you what are Christ's words and his person identical one in the same yes practically speaking some people talk about Christ being their master but they don't care what his word declares about doctrines so long as their hearts are right towards his person they claim freedom of thought yes but this is a mere ploy we cannot separate Christ from his word for in the first place he is the word and in the next place how dare we call him master and Lord and yet do not obey his commands and reject the truth which he teaches we must obey his commands or he will not accept us as his disciples especially that command of love which is the essence of all his words we must love God in our brothers and sisters yes we must take pleasure in loving everyone and seeking their good anger and hatred must not be a part of us we must walk even as he walked if Christ's words don't remain in you though that's the belief and practice then you are not in Christ Christ and His gospel and his commands are one if you will not have Christ and his words neither will he have you nor your words and you will ask in vain you will in time give up asking you will become like a withered branch beloved I am persuaded of better things in your case and things that accompany salvation that is why I speak as I do all for the grace to pass through these two gates these two golden doors if you remain in me and my words remain in you push through the two doors and enter into this spacious room ask whatever you wish and it will be given you now lastly this morning a question why is it that by remaining in Christ and having his words remain in us that we get this Liberty and power and prayer why is it why is it that by remaining in Christ and having his words remain in us that we get this Liberty and power in prayer why is this extraordinary power of prayer given to those who remain in Christ I pray that what I had to say may encourage you to make the glorious attempt to win this pearl of great price first we get this Liberty and power in prayer because of the fullness of Christ we get this Liberty and power in prayer because of the fullness in Christ you can ask whatever you wish when you remain in Christ because whatever you may require already resides in him do you desire the grace of the Spirit go to your Lords anointing by the Holy Spirit at his baptism do you seek holiness go to his example do you desire pardon of sin look to his blood do you need mortification of sin look to his crucifixion do you need to be buried to the world go to his tomb do you want to feel the fullness of a heavenly life behold his resurrection would you rise above the world note his ascension would you contemplate heavenly things remember he sits at the right hand of God and know that God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms it is very clear why the branch gets all that it wishes while it abides in the stem since all I could ever wish is already in the stem and is placed there for the sake of the branch what does the branch want more than the stem can give it if it did want more it could not get it for it has no other means of living but by sucking its life out of the stem one oh my precious Lord if I want anything which is not in you then I will always desire to be without it I desire to be denied a wish which wanders outside of you but if everything I need in wish for is already in you waiting to be given to me why should I go elsewhere you are my everything where else should I look beloved God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Christ and the good pleasure of the Father is our good pleasure also we are glad to draw everything from Jesus we feel sure that we can ask whatever we wish and it will be given to us because he has it ready for us the next reason why we get this Liberty and power in prayer is because of the richness of the Word of God the next reason why we get this Liberty and power in prayer is because of the richness of the Word of God catch this thought if my words remain in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given you the best praying Christian is the one who knows and believes in the promises of God after all prayer is nothing but taking God's promises to him and saying to him my lord do as you have said that you would do prayer is the promise utilized a prayer which is not based on a promise has no true foundation you that have Christ's words remaining in you are equipped with those things which the Lord pays close attention to if the word of God remains in you you are the person that can pray because you commune with a great god of the universe using his own words and thus overcome omnipotence with omnipotence you put your finger down on the very lines and saying father do as you have said that you would this is the best praying in all the world Oh beloved be filled with God's Word study what Jesus has said what the Holy Spirit has had recorded in this divinely inspired book and in proportion as you feed on the word and are filled with the word and retained the word in your faith and obey the word in your life in that same proportion you will be a master in the art of prayer let me say that again in proportion as you feed on the word and are filled with the word and retain the word in your faith and obey the word in your life in that same proportion you will be a master in the art of prayer you have acquired skill as a wrestler with the covenant angel in proportion as you can plead the promises of your faithful God be well instructed in the doctrines of grace and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly that you may know how to prevail the throne of grace remaining in Christ and his words remaining in you are like the right hand and the left hand of Moses which were held up in prayer so that the Amalekites were destroyed his reel was delivered and God was glorified but let us go on a little further you still may say you do not quite see why a person who remains in Christ and in whom Christ's words remain should be allowed to ask whatever they wish and have it given to them I answer you again we get this Liberty and power and prayer because in such a man as that there is an abundance of grace which causes him to have a renewed will which is according to the will of God we get this Liberty and power in prayer because in such a man as that there is an abundance of grace which causes him to have a renewed will which is according to the will of God suppose a man of God is in prayer and he desires a certain thing yet he remembers that he is nothing but a babe in the presence of an all-wise father and so he submits his will and asked the Father what he should ask for even though God commands him to ask whatever he wishes even so he shrinks back and cries out my lord here is a request which I am not quite sure about as far as I can tell it is a desirable thing and I wish to have it but Lord I am not fit to judge for myself and therefore I pray that you do not give me what I wish but what you will dear friends don't you see that and we are in such a condition as this our will is God's will deep down in our hearts we wish for only that which the Lord Himself wills and what is this that all we have to do is to ask whatever we wish and it will be given to us it is safe for God to say to the Holy Christian ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you the heavenly instincts of that man leads him in the right direction the grace that is within his soul suppresses all greedy lust and evil desires and his will is the actual shadow of God's will the spiritual life is the master within him and so his aspirations are holy heavenly and godlike he has been made a partaker of the divine nature and as the son is like his father so now in desire and will he is one with his God as the echo answers to the voice so does the renewed heart echoes a mind of the Lord our desires our reflections of the divine will ask whatever you wish and it will be given you we can clearly see that the holy God cannot say he cannot say to an unbeliever I will give you whatever you wish for what would the unbeliever asked for he might ask for another drink or permission to enjoy himself an evil lust it would be very unsafe to trust the wishes of most unsaved men in women but when the Lord has taken a person and has made them into a new creation and has formed them into the image of his dear son then he can trust them behold our Father in Heaven treats us as he treats his first-born jesus could say I know that you always hear me and the Lord is teaching us the very same assurance we can say with confidence my God will hear me don't your mouths water for this privilege of prevailing prayer don't your hearts long to get at this it is through holiness it is through union with Christ it is by permanently remaining in him and obediently holding firm to his truth that you are to come to this privilege it is the only safe and true way once we truly walk in that way we will then find that it is a most sure and effectual way of gaining substantial power in prayer a man or woman will get this Liberty and power in prayer when their faith is strong and this is the case with those who remain in Jesus a man or woman will get this Liberty and power in prayer when their faith is strong and this is the case with those who remain in Jesus in his faith that prevails in prayer the real eloquence of prayer is a believing desire everything is possible for him who believes a man remaining in Christ with Christ words remaining in him is eminently a believer and consequently eminently successful in prayer he surely has strong faith for his faith has brought him into vital contact with Christ and he is therefore at the source of every blessing and may drink as much as he wants at the well itself such a person once more will also possess the indwelling of the Spirit of God such a person will also possess the indwelling of the Spirit of God if we remain in Christ and his words remain in us then the Holy Spirit has come and taken up his residence in us and what better help in prayer can we have isn't it a wonderful thing that the Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession for the Saints in accordance with the will of God he himself intercedes for us with groanings that words cannot express who among men know the thoughts of a man except a man's spirit within him in the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God the spirit of God knows the mind of God and he works in us to will what God wills so that a believing man's prayer is God's purpose reflected in the soul just like in a mirror the eternal decrees of God project their shadows over the hearts of godly men and women in the form of Prayer what God intends to do he tells to his servants by inclining them to ask him to do what he himself is resolved to do God says I the LORD have spoken and I will do it but then he adds I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them beloved how clear it is that if we remain in Christ and his words remain in us we may ask whatever we wish for we only ask what the Spirit of God moves us to ask we only ask what the Spirit of God moves us to ask and it would be impossible that God the Holy Spirit and God the Father would ever be in opposition to one another what the one prompts us to ask the other has assuredly determined to bestow beloved don't you know that when we remain in Christ and his words remain in us the father looks upon us with the same eye with which he looks upon his dear son Christ is the vine and the vine includes the brain the branches are a part of the volume God therefore looks on us as part of Christ members of his body of his flesh and of his bones such as the Father's love to Jesus that he denies him nothing he was obedient to death even to the death of the cross therefore his father loves him as the god man mediator and he will grant him all his petitions and it is true that when you and I are in real union with Christ the Lord God looks on us in the same way as he looks on Jesus and says to us I will deny you nothing you will ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you I call your attention to the fact that in the fifteenth chapter the ninth verse which I did not read this morning it says as the father has loved me so I have loved you the same love which God gives to his son the son gives to us and therefore we dwell in the love of the father and of the son how can our prayers be rejected will not infinite love have respect for our petitions hold dear brothers and sisters in Christ if your prayers are not quickly answered at the throne suspect that there is some sin that hinders them your father's love sees a necessity for disciplining you in this way if you don't remain in Christ how can you hope to pray successfully if you pick and choose his words to believe and doubt this or that verse how can you hope to be successful at the throne if you are willfully disobedient to any one of his words won't this account for failure in prayer but remain in Christ and hold on firmly to his words and be a totally committed disciple then he will hear your prayers sitting at Jesus feet hearing his words you may lift up your eyes to his dear face and say my lord hear me now and he will graciously answer you he will say to you in the time of my favour I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you ask whatever you wish and it will be given you hold for power at the mercy seat of God beloved friends don't listen to this sermon and then go away and forget it try to reach this place of unlimited influence with God what a church we would be if you were all mighty in prayer these children of God do you want to be half-starved beloved brothers and sisters do you desire to be poor and little puny babbling children who will never grow up into men and women and I pray that you aspire to be strong in the Lord and to enjoy this exceptional privilege what an army we would be if we all had this power with God and prayer it is within your reach you children of God only remain in Christ and let his words remain in you and then this special privilege will be yours these are not tiresome duties but they are in themselves a joy do them with your whole heart and then you will get this added to you that you will ask whatever you wish and it will be given you sadly for some in this congregation my text says nothing at all for some of you are not even in Christ and therefore you cannot remain in him o people what shall I say to you you seem to me to be missing the very opportunity for heaven even if there were no he'll to come after this life it is hailing up now not to know Christ not to know what it is to prevail with God in prayer not to know the choice privilege of remaining in him and his words remaining in you your first priority right now is that you believe in Jesus Christ in order to save your souls yielding your souls to his cleansing your lives through his commands and authority God has sent Jesus into the world as a saviour accept him receive Christ as your teacher yield yourself up to Christ as your master may his gracious spirit come and do this work do this work upon you now and then after this but not before you may aspire to this honor first of all you must be born again I cannot say to you as you are now grow because you will only grow into a bigger sinner no matter how much you may grow and develop you will only grow and develop what is in you and that is you will become more a child of the devil and thereby receive more and more of the wrath of God you must become a new creation in Christ there must be an absolute change a reversal of all that you are thus making you a new creature in Christ Jesus and then and then you may aspire to remain in Christ and let his words remain in you and the resulting power with God in prayer will be yours gracious lord help us this morning poor creatures that we are we can only lie at your feet please come and lift us up to yourself for your mercy sake amen

Channel: Christian Sermons and Audio Books

Views: 1,270,050

Rating: 4.8262792 out of 5

Keywords: the secret of prayer, the secret power in prayer, prayer charles spurgeon, charles spurgeon power of prayer, prayer spurgeon, charles spurgeon prayer, the power of prayer sermon, spurgeon prayer, power of prayer sermon, power of prayer, spurgeon sermons, sermon on prayer, sermons on prayer, the power of prayer, charles spurgeon sermons, charles spurgeon, the power in prayer, charles spurgeon (author), spurgeon, prayer (quotation subject), reformed baptists (religion), prayer

Id: uMje1vYLjQM

Length: 61min 30sec (3690 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 18 2017