There is a story about Charles Spurgeon, who
before the Sunday service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle
was giving a young pastor a tour of
the church, and he asked the young visitor
if he'd like to see the engine of
the church.
The young man thought he meant the boiler
room.
Down some stairs they went, but Spurgeon opened
a double door to the basement, and there
on their knees were 300 of his choicest
deacons, bowed in prayer.
The whole time Spurgeon preached upstairs to his
congregation, those 300 deacons interceded with God downstairs.
That's why Charles Spurgeon had such power when
he preached.
If prayer is the engine of the church,
then a prayerless church has no power.
The modern church is not fit for the
work before it, and in the words of
Alan Redpath, we see the reason why.
Today, the Christian church is helpless, behind the
scenes and away from the public arena.
We are facing powers of darkness too strong
for us, because somewhere in our personal lives
we have forfeited our right to the Spirit's
anointing, His authority, and His power.
In His absence, all we can do is
substitute planning and organization, schemes and techniques.
Well, Redpath was right, friends, for our inability
to have power with God because of compromise
in our church or personal lives gives way
to an atmosphere of sinful praying.
My message today, friends, is entitled Sinful Praying,
and I fear many fall into this trap
through either ignorance or spiritual dullness.
There is very little effectual prayer that lays
hold of the horns of the altar in
glory and gains the ear of the Almighty,
but there is much sinful praying by the
people of God.
In James 4.3 we read, Ye ask
and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that
ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Sinful praying falls into the following categories.
If you are aware of a need of
a brother or sister in Christ and you
tell them you will pray for them when
you yourself have the means to alleviate that
need, it is selfish sinful praying.
Self-preservation and the love of money are
the banes of the American church, but the
early church had a spirit of brotherly love
as seen in Acts 2.44 and 45,
and all that believed were together and had
all things in common, and sold their possessions
and goods and parted them to all men
as every man had need.
Another example of sinful praying occurs when you
pray for the gospel to spread and have
the means to promote it, but you yourself
don't give financially for the spread of it
that is sinful, hypocritical praying.
You lay up treasures and investment portfolios to
leave to your heirs, who will squander it
upon themselves when hell fills by the hour
by those who did not come under the
sound of a gospel witness that you could
have provided had you not been a selfish
hoarder.
Sinful praying rises no higher than the ceiling,
and it mocks Almighty God.
The Pharisees were religious men who prayed to
be heard of men, and it was their
sinful praying that blinded them to God in
their midst.
Sinful praying was all they engaged in, and
when they crucified the Lord of glory, they
committed a grievous sin.
When you stand in a church to lead
in prayer, and you pray not to God,
but to impress the ears of men, it
is sinful praying that dishonors God.
Sinful praying is maintaining a high opinion of
yourself.
When you pray like a Pharisee, the Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee that I am not as other
men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican.
Sinful praying is praying casually without any thought
to follow up to see if God answered
that prayer.
Sinful praying is praying without faith.
Sinful praying is self-centered praying, Lord bless
me, mine, and all I have.
Sinful praying is self-centered praying, giving little
thought to the needs of others.
Sinful praying gives little thought to God and
his glory.
It's indifferent to the kingdom of God and
has no burden for the souls of men.
Sinful praying is mere empty words strung together
out of duty to pray that have no
power with God and are ineffectual for men.
The church is full of sinful praying that
fails to intercede on behalf of the sins
of a nation while the country grows more
wicked every day.
Lastly, sinful praying is to keep confessing a
pet sin you indulge in without any intention
of breaking off that sin by true repentance.
So you mock God as you sin all
you want to.
Sinful praying is an insult to the glory
of God.
May we repent immediately before it's too late.