WE have stated some things on the subject of asking in Christ’s name.
1. As the appointment of the Father.
“Him hath God the Father sealed.”—(John vi. 27.) He was sealed by the Holy Ghost and by signs and wonders for the very purpose of giving the meat that perisheth not, but which endureth to everlasting life. As sure as ever He got the voice from heaven, as sure as the miracles which He wrought, so sure was Christ’s appointment to give living water to them who ask Him. The Father has sealed none else. He has not by voice or unction or miracles given such a testimony for this end to any other, and therefore, ask not of any minister, angel, parent, saint, but go directly to Christ. Be baptised in the name of Jesus and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. No creature can put hands to that sacred treasury but He who was sealed by the Father. As we are authorised by voice, miracles, resurrection, and Sabbath, to rest on the Father’s appointment, so we are authorised to rest on the name of the Son for what is in Him.
2. The Son’s own intrinsic worth.
(1) He is God. He is the only begotten of the Father. And He is so for us, in our room, to represent our persons by taking our nature and place. Hence, the Apostle Paul writes, “Who loved me and gave himself for me,” and also, “Christ liveth in me.” The oneness of the union is wonderful. (2) What he did. He made a complete sacrifice for all the sin of His people. There was no defect in the Lamb of God. So then guilt is not to keep us back. He fulfilled all righteousness so that no want of works may keep us back. What had Manasseh? (3) What He is doing. He died and is risen again; He also maketh intercession for us. And He knows how to take up a poor case, though it is not well ordered. We must come not in our own name; we must come to His advocacy. He has authority to plead, skill to plead, power to plead, eloquence to plead. His blood pleads and overcomes. He has righteousness also to plead. Oh, were we brought to pleading!
Now, as it is in Christ’s name the plea is made, so there are some directions given for the manner of pleading.
1. In humility.
“Everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” The poor publican succeeded well, and the reason is given. Our Pharisaical prayers! The Pharisee to the very life is the very death blow to prayer. (1) Our nature is but vile. “I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.”—(Gen. xviii. 27.) As the work of his hand, it is great and valuable; but, as to value in itself, it is dust. Hence, “Have respect to the work of thine own hands.” They were wont to put on sackcloth and ashes. And it is to give beauty for ashes Christ comes.—(Is. lxi. 3.) For this He is sealed and anointed. (2) The sinfulness of this vile nature. “Shapen in iniquity.” There is not one faculty of the soul but is a monster in His sight. All are out of shape. Every faculty is misapplied. A devil in nature and of far less original value. Bent on the eternal destruction of everything, God Himself not excepted, but wished first out of being. Oh for humility! We are self-destroyed, and friend-destroyers. “No God” is our creed and desire. (3) No righteousness to cover this monster. All our righteousness are filthy rags. (These words we have repeated till tired.) Not one right act with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind. Suppose you saw a person never doing anything but sinning. Now, so He sees, and says there is not one doing good, no, not one. This is needful for us to learn, so as to divorce us from the law by which many are under the curse. (4) Unable to do anything towards amendment in the true sense. “Without strength.” But we are able to sin while we have any being. For every sin there are a fold of guilt and a fold of pollution; a curse, an eternal curse. And there is no deliverance by our own power. (5) To accept the punishment of our iniquities.—(Levit. xxvi. 41, 43.) To acknowledge Him righteous in all they may have suffered or can suffer. He passed by angels, other nations, other families, and members of family in which they are. Thus lie at the door of free mercy, sending yourself to hell. “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
Eighteenth Outline
—In speaking on the subject of asking, we mentioned. 1. Humility. “Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble.”—(Ps. x. 17.) It is promised that “he will prepare their heart and then cause his ear to hear.” This we see in the case of the publican. He was justified and exalted. Job also was heard when he abhorred himself. Many a painful cry he had before, but it was then he was heard. The Lord prepares their heart. The heart has much need of this. “The preparation of the heart is from the Lord.” He causes His ear to hear the humble, when He prepares their heart. He will dwell with them.—(Is. lvii. 15.) He does so “to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” He dwells to keep the heart in order. He gives grace to them.—(James iv. 6; 1 Peter v. 5.) He gives to them who have nothing. He is very high, yet has respect to the lowly. He “resists the proud,” and “knows them afar off.”—(Ps. cxxxviii. 6.) He keeps a shut door to such, but where He dwells, He gives grace. (1) Now, this humility embraces a sense of unworthiness. “Dust and ashes;” “a worm;” “less than the least.” The creature shrinks into a nothing before the Lord. It is not merely a knowledge, but a feeling of worthlessness. (2) Guilt, and nothing but guilt. “God be merciful to me a sinner.” This is a part of humility which He will exalt. (3) Without righteousness. “Not for our righteousness.”—(Dan. ix. 15.) Guilt, and nothing to cover, to wash, to blot out. (4) Helpless. “No might;” “without strength.” Although he lie till the day of judgment in the case, he feels there is no help from any other hand but the Lord’s own. (5) Deserving no help. “Not worthy thou shouldest come under my roof.” So that the freest grace is needed; not only greatest, but freest grace. Now, this is the case with all in themselves; and as we cannot of ourselves exercise humility, apply for it. Humble thyself—yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.—(James iv. 10; 1 Peter v. 6.) Meditate often on your own case, and see need of humility. Consider what you were, are, and shall be, unless delivered. Pray for it. “Shew me mine end and measure of my days that I may know how frail I am.” Be clothed with humility.—(1 Peter v. 5.) The word signifies to be buttoned up and down, or laced about with it. Be clothed with it wherever you go, for otherwise God will resist you, and this is dreadful.
2. Ask in faith.
Believe that ye receive them.—(Mark xi. 24.) Faith is the hand of the soul, that which takes hold; and without it there is no receiving. Believe that He is holding out and giving. “Without faith it is impossible to please him ;” and “all things are possible to him that believeth.”—(Mark ix. 23.) (1) See that it be according to His revealed will. “If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”—(1 John v. 14.) We do not repeat what we have already said. Only observe, He is pledged for the promise what He has said. See to have the plea, “Do as thou hast said.” “And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.”—(ver. 50.) (2) Let it be for His glory. David against Goliath, Hezekiah against Sennacherib, Elijah against Baal. The pardon of sin ; to conceal a thing ; not to cut off ; to hear prayer ; to fulfil promises ; everything a sinner needs. Let all be sought for with a view to the Lord’s glory. (3) Ground of faith. God the Father, the offended party, makes the offer. “This is my beloved Son.” “I am God, and there is none else.” The voice came from the excellent glory, and this at the very time of His baptism with the Holy Ghost, the living water. Hence, the Spirit is called “the promise of the Father,” as if the only one.—(Luke xxiv. 49.) Here, then, all the attributes of the Godhead are engaged in Christ ; the fulness of the Godhead is in Him. Nay, the offer of His very self is made ; “I will be their God.” (4) The Son is the ground of the offer. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself.” He is full of grace and truth. And on the ground of all that is in Him the Father offers ; and so on the ground of all that is in Him, the sinner is warranted and commanded to plead. And the Holy Ghost is His promise. There is not one for whom He purchased salvation but for whom He has received the gift of the Spirit, even for the rebellious. And the Spirit is very ready to come to glorify Christ, and not to speak of Himself ; but what He hears, that He will speak, and will show things to come. Here observe the ground of faith in each person of the Godhead revealed as suited to the case of lost humbled sinners.
3. Ask in fervency.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”—(James v. 16.) This fervency is called breathing, crying, shouting, burning. Now the promise is to this.—(Isaiah xxx. 18, 19.) There is much weight laid upon this, called desire ; not merely the exercise of the natural affections, but “the groanings of the Spirit.” And what is kindled from heaven rises thither again. 1. Ask with the whole heart. “With all thy heart and with all thy soul.”—(Deut. iv. 29.) This implies three things. (1) The bent of the heart on the object alone at the time, as here. (2) Observing all the commandments with heart and soul.—(Deut. xx. 2.) Some seem to get the one without the other, but both should be together. (3) Leaving all other things to the Lord. Forsaking father, mother, wife, children, &c.—(See Luke xiv. 26, 33.) A sitting light to all other things, and leaving them to the Lord to take or give as He chooses. 2. Ask with earnestness. Christ prayed in earnest. If a mendicant turns away immediately, no one thinks he is in earnest. So it is when we rise and have nothing for the rest of the day. We are not praying “without ceasing;” this is not in earnest. “The one thing needful” would need to lie on the mind and heart always, without ceasing. 3. Ask with fixedness of heart. “My heart is fixed.”—(Ps. lvii. 7.) This is so, when no other object can remove the heart from that which is wanted. Saul was armed in the mouth of the cave, yet David’s heart was fixed to praise the Lord. The soul will have many intruders. Drive away these fowls. In this case (1) endeavour to get a sense of God’s presence. This will be weightier one day than rocks and mountains. (2) Endeavour to get a sense of the weight of eternity. (3) Seek habitual fixedness. There is need of a staid frame. So some expound the command, “Pray without ceasing.” (4) Ask with perseverance and importunity. There is indeed a waiting for the Lord’s time, but see how often these words are used in the Psalms, “How long?” “Come speedily,” “Make haste.” Yet continue asking. In Kilsyth they waited seven years. David waited patiently upon the Lord. He did not go to any other: he did not make haste to other gods. Saul did so: he went to the devil. There is much promised to the waiting soul.
4. Ask, renouncing all sin.
“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”—(Isaiah lv. 6, 7.) 1. One sin regarded may destroy all our prayers. “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”—(Ps. lxvi. 18.) It is a coming with a dagger against God, and at the same time seeking His grace. It is a seeking Christ to crucify Him as sure as ever the Jews were. 2. They provoke Him to answer in judgment their prayers according to the number of them.—(Ezek. xiv. 4, 8.) This is very awful for a poor man to think he has so many prayers in God’s book, when nothing but so many sins. 3. Let not this discourage any person who is in earnest. Paul found evil present with him when he would do good, but he was mourning over the wretched man. Abraham had fowls to drive away.—(Gen. xv. 11.) 4. Attack the sins regarded first wherever they come. These lie in ambush ready to spring up; but while you do not lose sight of others, see to these first. 5. Know them and mark them at all times, and make a complete breach from them. 6. Seek to close with Christ in all His offices and relations for all you need. He is a prophet to instruct, a priest to atone, and to present all petitions, and a king to rule, defend, and subdue enemies. Desire to be taking Him for all in all on His offer. The end and sum of all is to have the Son and life.
II. If the Spirit would come, what would He do to us, if we get this living water?
1. He would convince of sin.
—(John xvi. 8.) O, if He were to come to this congregation to convince of sin, to arraign at the bar of conscience, to prove us guilty, to condemn one for one sin, another for another, and all unrenewed persons of unbelief, to make them cry out in the great congregation! Now, we need not be afraid of asking for this. For if we are not convinced of our sins on earth, the Saviour without the Spirit will yet convince us of them when there will be no remedy. “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”—(Jude 14, 15.) (1) He will convince all that are ungodly before the whole creation, when all are gathered. The three persons of the Godhead will be there. All angels and devils will be there. The shame of the sins of the ungodly will never be wiped away. They will be tormented in the presence of the angels, and all the shame will rest upon them of every sin committed against themselves, friends, neighbours, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. (2) There will then be none to flee to for help. No ordinance, Bible, sermon, or Saviour. They will be not only lost in themselves, “but lost from all help.” They will be certain they shall have no remedy, but be for ever under conviction of all the ungodly deeds which they have committed, not one omitted. (3) There will be no Saviour to go to. He who is now waiting with open arms to receive sinners will then be armed with the sword of state to execute vengeance, even He that embraced all who came to Him, and wept over them who would not. (4) There will be no ability to play the rebel any longer. No deliverance for ever and ever. They will be ever grieved, ever sorrowing; never hating sin with sweet repentance, but with doleful malice; clothed with shame for ever. Never any sin broken in the love of it, and yet never any gratified. No pleasure, all pain. Then, is it not better to be convinced of sin now, while help is at hand?
2. If the Spirit would come, He would guide us into all truth.
—(John xvi. 13.) He would tell how things stand between God and the soul. (1) He would guide to the truth of our present state. He would tell us what it is by the covenant of works. People hear but do not believe the truth. (2) He would guide to the truth of salvation. He would guide us to Him who is “the way, the truth, and the life.” He would guide us to Him who is the power of God unto salvation. Not one whom the Spirit guides but will find the right way to heaven from the way to hell.
(The end.)