Series: Psalms
Title: The Church’s Prayer for Christ
Text: Psalm 20: 1-9
Date:
November 2, 2014
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Have
you ever thought of praying for Christ? Believers pray. Prayer is the heartbeat
of a believer. Prayer is faith in God, dependence
upon God, glorying in God. We pray for
many things. But have you ever thought of praying for Christ? Our subject is “The
Church’s Prayer for Christ.”
The
heading says, “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.” The Holy Spirit gave this to David but it shows
us the prayer that Christ our true David and King taught his church to pray. While on this earth, Christ continually
prayed to the Father. Christ taught his disciple to pray and what to pray. He
taught us to pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” His
name is hallowed in Christ. Christ taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come.” God’s
kingdom is established by Christ. He
taught us to pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” God’s will
is accomplished by Christ. (Mt 6: 9-10) Then,
in the garden of Gethsemane,
Matthew 26: 38: Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39: And
he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but
as thou wilt. 40: And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep,
and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41: Watch and
pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
We know
what Christ prayed but what did the disciples pray as they wrestled against
sleep? Psalm 20 is a prophecy of the
prayer of the church for Christ in his day of trouble. The assurance a believer
has that God will hear us is that God hears Christ. W
THE
LORD HEAR THEE
First,
the church prayed for Christ to be heard, “The LORD hear thee in the day of
trouble.” (Ps 20: 1) All the days of Christ on this earth were days of trouble.
He was the man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. But the garden of Gethsemane
marked the day of trouble.
What
was taking place in the garden of Gethsemane? It was in a garden that the first
Adam was tested and failed, plunging his house into spiritual death—including
us. It was in a garden that the last
Adam began facing the ultimate test. But he succeeded, and continued to the
cross, where he saved his house from spiritual death.
Also, remember
the picture in the ceremony. The lamb for atonement was first observed to make
sure he was without spot or blemish. Then the spotless lamb was presented to
the High Priest. The whole of Christ’s
life was his examination: he was made of a woman, made under the law. Christ was
proven to be without sin. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ the Spotless Lamb
of God willingly presented himself to God, without sin, so that he who knew no
sin, could be made sin for us. So the
day of trouble began in the garden. Christ is described as being heavy and sore
amazed, being in an agony, his sweat was as it were drops of blood falling on
the ground, his soul exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.
In the
garden, Christ told his disciple to pray and he went a little further and
prayed to the Father. We are told what Christ prayed but what did the church
pray? Our text says the church prayed for God to hear Christ as he prayed. The church prayed, “The LORD hear thee in the
day of trouble.”
Catch
this: Christ is the Advocate with God for his people. Our prayer must come to God through Christ
the Mediator. So, even as the church prayed FOR Christ, the church prayed
THROUGH Christ, “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble.”
THE NAME OF THE GOD OF JACOB DEFEND THEE
The church
prayed for Christ’s defense, “The name of the God of Jacob defend thee.” (Ps
20:1) Christ is God. But while on this earth our Savior took the form of a
servant. As the faithful servant of God, representing all his people, Christ
looked to God alone for help and strength. So the church prayed “the name of
the God of Jacob defend thee.”
“The name
of God” includes “the honor, authority, character of God.” His name is who God
is and what God does. God’s name is Holiness, Goodness, Mercy, Truth, Power,
Wisdom, Justice, Faithfulness and on and on. We can put any of those words in
the place of the word “name”: “The Holiness of the God of Jacob defend thee”;
“The Goodness of the God of Jacob defend thee.”; “The Mercy of the God of Jacob
defend thee.”; “The Power of the God of Jacob defend thee.” But praying “the NAME of God defend thee”
everything God is, is included. We are praying, “the God of Jacob defend thee.”
Why is
God addressed as “the God of Jacob?” It is because by God’s own honor, his own
authority, his own character, God made an everlasting covenant to Jacob,
ordered in all things and sure. So for his name’s sake, God defended Jacob in
all his trouble and saved him. Also,
God’s whole church is represented by Jacob. We are the children of Israel, the
children of Jacob. So this is a prayer
for God to defend Christ for the sake of all his people whom God covenanted to
save.
HELP FROM THE SANCTUARY, STRENGTH OUT OF ZION
The
church prayed for God to send help from his presence in heaven, “Send thee help
from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” (Ps 20: 2)
“The
sanctuary” is the holiest of holies, God’s very presence. Remember in the
tabernacle, behind the second veil was the Holiest of holies—the Sanctuary of
all sanctuaries. It typified God’s presence. “Christ is not entered into the
holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:” (Heb 9: 24) So the church
prayed, God “Send [Christ] help [from your presence] from the sanctuary.”
“Zion”
is the same place. We are told in Hebrews 12: 22, “But ye are come unto mount
Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,…So the
church prayed for God to “strengthen [Christ] out of Zion”
Did God
hear Christ? Did God hear his church through Christ? Indeed, God heard. “And there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven, strengthening him.” (Lu 22: 43) Believer, we need not pray for Christ’s
defense. But we do pray for God to hear
Christ, to glorify his name in Christ and to send his people help for Christ’s
sake. And this is assurance to us, that
God will hear us as we pray through Christ our Intercessor. In the garden, God
heard the prayer of the church, by hearing the prayer of Christ our
Intercessor. We will talk more about this assurance in a moment.
REMEMBER
Next,
we something the church prayed for which is of utmost importance. The church prayed, “Remember all thy
offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.” (Ps 20: 3) The cross was the day, of all days, of trouble
for our Savior. Christ willingly gave himself to be made sin for us, to made a
curse for us and to suffer all the fury of divine justice for all those given
him of the Father.
The
church prays, “Remember all thy offerings” Christ’s humiliation from heaven to
the womb of a virgin was an offering. His doing good and bearing evil was his offering.
Christ’s miracles and sermons was his offering.
When Christ endured the rejection of men while continually depending
upon his Father was Christ’s offering. All the deeds of his righteous life was
an offering to God. His prayer and praise
and glorifying of the Father was his offering. And the sum of all was His
offering on the cross.
The
cross was Christ’s “burnt sacrifice.’ Under the law, every part of the
sacrifice was consumed in the burnt sacrifice. Every part of Christ suffered the
fire of justice on that cross. He endured the fire of shame at bearing the sins
of his people. Christ endured the fire of God’s judgment in his soul. The fire
of thorns burned on his brow, the fire of nails in his hands and feet, the fire
of his visage marred more than any man as his body was tortured. Christ bore the
fire of reproaches filling his ears, the fire of vinegar and gall on his tongue,
and the fire of stench of that hill of death filled his nostrils. Finally,
Christ bore the fire in his soul as he endured being forsaken of the Father he
loved. Job was a type of Christ. Job’s words are prophetic of Christ,
Job 6:2: Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my
calamity laid in the balances together! 3: For now it would be heavier than the
sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. 4: For the arrows of the
Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors
of God do set themselves in array against me. 5
Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his
fodder? 6: Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any
taste in the white of an egg? 7: The things that my soul refused to touch are
as my sorrowful meat. 8: Oh that I might have my request; and that God would
grant me the thing that I long for! 9: Even that it would please God to destroy
me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
SELAH
The
word, “Selah” means “pause, meditate, amen! We are too much in a hurry. Haste
hinders. It would greatly help us to pause at the cross of Christ and linger
there all our days. Before any profession of faith, before any trial, before any
work, before any suffering, and through all, we would do well to pause and view
Christ on the cross in our hearts. It will settle our heart if our heart is
settled by God’s grace on Christ and him crucified. He is the believer’s
offerings and burnt sacrifice of acceptance.
GRANT THEE
The
church prayed that the desire of Christ’s heart be granted, “Grant thee
according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.” (Ps 20: 4) Christ
suffered because the desire of his heart is his seed. His children are “the
travail of his soul.” Christ’s desire was to fulfill the eternal counsel of
God, to have “the pleasure of the LORD prosper in his hand.” Christ’s heart
desire was to declare God just and the Justifier of his people while having all
his people redeemed, called, preserved, and glorified. His desire was to
fulfill everything that was agreed upon in the council and covenant of peace
between him and his Father, relating to his own glory, and the salvation of his
people.
THY SALVATION
Here is
why the church prayed for Christ, “We will rejoice in thy salvation.” (Ps 20:
5) Why was it so important to the church that God accept Christ offerings and
burnt sacrifice? Christ is the Representative Head of his people. God’s acceptance of Christ is our acceptance;
God saving Christ is our salvation; Christ justifying God and God justifying
Christ is our justification.
Here is
our assurance that God hears our prayer through Christ our Intecessor. Indeed,
God granted Christ the strength to fulfill the whole counsel of God. Instead of the fire consuming the sacrifice,
Christ consumed the fire. By the finished work of our Redeemer on the cross justice
is satisfied for his people. Righteousness is obtained for his people.
Reconciliation is accomplished for his people. The purchase has been made. We
are the redeemed possession of Christ Jesus and Christ will lose none.
OUR BANNERS
Here is
why the church prayed for Christ, “In the name of our God we will set up our
banners.” (Ps 20: 5) Moses called
Christ, “the LORD our Banner.” When
Moses held up the rod Joshua defeated Amaleke.
It is a picture of the gospel of Christ declared as Christ goes forth to
regenerate and defeat his enemies in his people.
The
resurrection of Christ from the dead to God’s right hand and Christ’s
intercession for us is the victory of our faith. Therefore, in our God we rejoice
and set up our banners—serving under his flag!
We go to battle putting all our trust in the Lord. Every true believer fights
the fight of faith relying on his strength, not on our own. We do battle with
all his and our enemies—sin, Satan, and the world—as good soldiers of Christ. We
do all under the banner (the flag) of the Lord of hosts, in whose service we
are enlisted, Christ being the great Captain of our salvation.
FULFILL THY PETITIONS
Since
our petition for Christ is Christ’s petition for us, the church asks God to
fulfill Christ’s petitions, “The LORD fulfil all thy petitions.” (Ps 20: 5) Did
God do so?
Isaiah 49:8: Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time
[when all was fulfilled, when justice was satisfied so that God could be just
to show us mercy] have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped
thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to
establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
Believer,
Christ is our Covenant! In our resurrected Redeemer we are assured that our
salvation is accomplished. We are assured that all God’s promises to do us good
is yes and Amen! By Christ’s resurrection, we know God hears us for he heard
him.
NOW KNOW I
This is
why there comes a change in voice in the sixth verse. Before the church prayed for Christ to be
heard, now she sees Christ has been heard.
God has raised Christ from the dead to his right hand. By the resurrection, the church prays, “Now
know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven
with the saving strength of his right hand.” (Ps 20: 6)
Christ
is the LORD’s anointed. The word
“Christ” means “anointed.” This took place for our learning. By the help God
gave Christ all his days, especially in the garden, and by the resurrection of
our Savior from the grave, we now know that the LORD saves his anointed. And
those God has regenerated are also his anointed, anointed with the oil of
gladness, the Holy Spirit.
God
heard Christ from his holy heaven so we know God will continue to hear Christ
now that he is seated in his holy heaven.
God raised Christ with the saving strength of his right hand so we know,
for Christ’s sake, God will save us “with the strength of his right hand”, that
is, by Christ his Strength, seated at his right hand.
By God
answering the intercession of Christ, we know God hears the prayer of his
people in Christ and for Christ’s sake.
Psalm 102:17: He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and not despise their prayer.
Psalm 145:18: The LORD is nigh unto all them that call
upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Psalm 145:19: He will fulfil the desire of them that fear
him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
So as we
go forth preaching the gospel of Christ, as the world opposes us as it did our
Master, we confidently pray to God, through Christ Jesus our Lord, asking God
to hear Christ because we trust that by the intercession of Christ our
Advocate, God shall grant us his promised aid.
WE WILL REMEMBER
God has
made his people to have a different confidence and strength than men of this
world, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the
name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen,
and stand upright.” (Ps 20: 7-8) Brought up in Christ and standing righteous in
his righteousness.
All
earthly weapons and earthly strength—free-will, works of self-righteousness and
fleshly self-sanctifying works, all man’s vain idols, along with all or any
other fleshly or worldly strength—are represented here by chariots and horses.
They cannot and will not save. “They are brought down and fallen.” They are not
the way of life and salvation; Christ is All!
Psalm 33:17: An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither
shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Proverbs 21:31: The horse is prepared against the day of
battle: but safety is of the LORD.
Psalm 115:8: They that make them are like unto them; so
is every one that trusteth in them.
But we
will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Christ Jesus in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily is his
Name. Remembering how our Savior
triumphed over his enemies through the constant strength of the LORD our God:
we remember the salvation we have in our Messiah for his sake. Remembering that though his troubles were
many and great, God delivered him out of them all; we remember God will do the
same for us for Christ’s sake. Remembering
that in all his trouble Christ was heard; we remember that God will hear us in
all our trouble through Christ our Advocate and for his sake. Remembering Christ
our Substitute was freed from the sorrows of death and hell, raised from the
dead; we remember that he raised Christ to his right hand and we are risen with
Christ—
Ephesians 2: 6: And hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7: That in the ages to come
he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us
through Christ Jesus.
Remember
that God has given our Savior all power in heaven and earth; we remember we shall
be saved by him. Christ is our Salvation himself. In Christ we stand upright—righteous and
holy—before our righteous and holy God. So the sum of our constant prayer and
rejoicing is, “Save, LORD: let the King Jesus hear us when we call.” (Ps 20: 9)
Amen!