KNEELING IN PRAYER

Dr. W. A. Criswell

Acts 20:36-38

01-14-79

 

.  .  .  Instrumentalists and singers in our choir and orchestra.  And with gladness unspeakable we welcome to this service the uncounted thousands of you who on cable television and in the broadcast of Channel 39 in the Metroplex and its area and on the two radio stations are carrying this service, the First Baptist Church in Dallas. 

This is the pastor bringing the message entitled Kneeling in Prayer.  In our preaching through the Book of Acts, we are in chapter 20 and now have come after several sermons to the concluding verses of the chapter. 

The Book of Acts, chapter 20, the concluding verses, “And when Paul had thus spoken”—addressing the pastors of the church in Ephesus—“when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. 

“And they all wept sore and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,

“Sorrowing most of all for the he words which he spake that they should see his face no more.  And they accompanied him unto the ship,” that took him down to Caesarea and by journey to Jerusalem—his last visit to that city in which he was arrested, imprisoned and taken to Rome in trial for his life. 

But the word that describes this last meeting with the people in Ephesus is most poignant and meaningful.  “And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.” 

There was a visitor to the Continental Congress of the American republic from Great Britain.  And as he stood in the chamber of that august assembly, he turned to the man standing next to him and said, “Which one is General George Washington.” 

And the man standing next to the visitor turned to him and said, “When Congress goes to prayer, the one who kneels, will be General George Washington.” 

Kneeling in prayer.  And he kneeled down and prayed with them all.  We’re going to look through the Word of God at these instances where men who knew the Lord have knelt in intercession and in prayer. 

In the eighteenth chapter of 1 Kings, Elijah said unto King Ahab, “Get thee up, for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 

“So Ahab went up and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel.  And he cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees

“And he said to his servant, ‘Go, look toward the sea.’  And he went up and said, ‘There is nothing.’”

And Elijah said, “Go,” the second time, the third, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh.  And it came it pass after Elijah had prayed down on his knees for the seventh time, “That the servant said, ‘Look, there is a little cloud out over the sea like a man’s hand.’

“And Elijah said unto Ahab, ‘Prepare thy chariot and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.’

“And it come to pass that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.” 

What an astonishing act of fact.  It had not rained for three years and six months.  Literally the heavens were brass and the earth was iron.  And yet the prophet of God stands up to declare saying, “Ahab, get thee up, for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” 

And God honored that marvelous faith.  So God honors the faith of any man, anywhere, who will trust in Him and believe in God for miracles.  The Lord confirms His Word with signs and wonders.  And we are to expect them. 

I tell our people and said so, so many times in recent days.  It seems to me when I walk in the midst of this vast First Baptist Church complex, it seems to me, that I am walking in the midst of miracles. 

On every hand, on every side, the great mighty arm of God is bared and not the least of all of the miracles is to see the Holy Spirit of God regenerating the souls and the lives of these men and woman and young people and children who come down these aisles, giving their hearts to the blessed Jesus and investing their lives in the fellowship of this wonderful church. 

That is God.  And when we believe God for the miracle, God answers from heaven.  Thus, Elijah down on his knees, asking God to confirm the word that he said.  So we bow on our knees, asking God to confirm and affirm the word of salvation delivered from this holy and sacred page. 

Kneeling in prayer.  I turn the pages of the Holy Scriptures and we stand now in the beautiful Solomonic temple, one of the wonders of the world.  And on this occasion of its dedication, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all of the congregation of Israel. 

And he kneeled down upon his knees “before all Israel and spread forth       his hands toward heaven. 

“And he said, ‘Would God indeed dwell with men on earth?  Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.  How much less this house which I have built! 

“’But, O God, have respect to the prayer of thy servant, to his supplication, O Lord my God, hearken unto the cry and the prayer

“’That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night. 

“’Hearken unto the supplications of thy servant.  Hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven, and when thou hearest, forgive.’”

And then follows God’s answer from glory, “If my people, called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  “

Great God in heaven, look upon Thy people here as we dedicate unto Thee all of this vast complex called the First Baptist Church in Dallas.  We now cover with these buildings five city blocks, and were still growing and expanding. 

And Lord God, we dedicate to Thee every brick and every wall.  Every assembly room, every classroom, every area and place of this church, Lord God, we dedicate it unto Thee. 

And now, Lord, bow down thine ear to hear thy children when they pray.  Answer from heaven.  Confirm the word.  Bless the congregation in its assembly and may the Lord pour out His Spirit upon us personally, upon our families and upon the work of our hands.  Kneeling in prayer. 

I turn the pages of this Holy Book again.  Psalm 95, “O come, let us sing unto the Lord.  Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 

“O come, let us worship and bow down.  Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 

“For he is our God.  And we are the sheep of his pasture and the people of his hand.” 

Do you notice the plural of that entire Psalm?  “Let us sing unto the Lord.”  “Let us make a joyful noise to the God of our salvation.  Let us worship and bow down.  Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 

“For he is our God.  And we are the sheep of his pasture and the people of his hand.” 

I would have thought that Coach Stallings had listened to the sermon that I delivered at the 8:15 o’clock hour in the word that he said.  We need each other.  We need the encouragement that we bring.  And when we gather in the house of the Lord, the Holy Spirit of God gathers with us. 

You bring the Holy Spirit in your hearts.  I pray my heart is filled with the Holy Spirit in my heart.  And when we come together, as a congregation, as a people in worship, the Holy Spirit moves in saving grace and in wondrous power. 

The author of Hebrews said, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is.” 

We need this service.  We need this hour.  We need to bow and to pray.  There is private prayer.  There is also public prayer.  There is private reading of the Holy Word.  There is also public proclamation of the Holy Word.  There is private devotion.  There is also public devotion.  There is private worship.  There is also public worship. 

And God meets with his people when we gather as a congregation in the house of the Lord.  “Let us sing unto the Lord. 

Let us worship and bow down.  Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

For he is our God and we are the sheep of his pasture and the people of his hand.” 

This is the way God has outlined and purposed that we be strengthened and encouraged in the faith and in the Lord, bowing down, kneeling in prayer. 

I turn the pages of the Bible again.  “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed”—namely, that if anyone called upon a god other than the name of the king, he would be thrown into the den of lions. 

“When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he” cringed before God and he renounced his faith and he refused to acknowledge that he prayed.  No! 

“When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house and his windows being opened in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime”—absolutely unashamed, full of the courage and spirit that comes from God. 

And the Spirit of the Lord makes a man like that.  I one time heard of a little fella in school, and he loved the Lord.  He was a fine Christian boy.  And he carried his Bible with him. 

And right next to him in his locker room was the big football player, who was an unbeliever and not a Christian.  So he made fun of that little fella carrying his Bible, “You shrimp.  You peanut.  You pantywaist.  You sissy, carrying a Bible look at you.” 

And the little fella turned to the big football player and said, “Here, you carry it for a while.” 

Real courage is always spiritual.  Always godly.  And so with Daniel.  When he knew that the writing was signed as he had always done, three times each day, with his window open toward Jerusalem, knelt down and prayed to God. 

What a marvelous thing.  It says he gave thanks to God.  Look, his country had been destroyed.  His city had been burned with fire.  The beautiful temple, the house of the Lord, this one, the Solomonic temple, was in heaps and in ruins.  He himself was a eunuch and a slave in the court of the king of Babylon. 

But he knelt down and three times a day he prayed on his knees and gave thanks to God.  That’s our life when we are in the will of our Heavenly Father.  We give thanks to the Lord, however the providences of life.  The Lord reigns.  He’s king of the earth.  He holds the whole nations of the world in His hands.  He’s sovereign. 

And however providences may be in our lives, He rules and He knows and He understands and He fits what is best for us.  And for our part we bow in His presence upon our knees and we thank God for whatever choice He makes for us.  “He always gives what is best to those who leave the choice to Him.”  And we shall thank Him. 

If I’m well, Lord, thank Thee that I am well.  If I am sick, Lord, be with me and fit for me the blessing that I need to learn in this illness.  If I am affluent and successful, Lord, thank Thee that I am able to support Thy work.  If I am poor and have nothing, Lord, help me in my want and poverty to glorify Thy name. 

“In everything give thanks unto God, for this is the will of the Lord concerning you.”  And Daniel kneeled down upon his knees three times every day and gave thanks to God as he did aforetime. 

I turn the pages of the Bible.  Luke 22, “And Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast. 

“And he kneeled down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it could be, remove this cup from me’—the awful execution of death on the cross—‘But not my will, thine be done.’

“And there appeared an angel from heaven strengthening him.”  In an agony He prayed for His strength.  Sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

At any hour of crisis they will come, inexorably, inevitably.  No one of us shall escape it.  In an hour of great crisis, kneel down and pray.  He kneeled down and prayed.  It was not the Father’s will that He escape crucifixion and death. 

And then He prayed, “Thy will be done. 

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven strengthening him.”  And God will send His angel from heaven to strengthen you when you kneel down and pray. 

I believe that guardian angels watch over each one of us.  The Bible says so.  There are 10,000 things that I can think of in the review of my life that could have been so terribly tragic had it not been for an intervention from heaven, a guardian angel watching over. 

And there are guardian angels that watch over you.  And when you kneel down, and pray, and ask God, an angel from heaven will strengthen you.  And whatever the choice and will of God is for you and your life, He will give you ableness for it.  Hell see you through.  Kneeling down to pray. 

I turn the pages of the Bible.  In this seventh chapter of the Book of Acts, “And they stoned Stephen as he called upon God and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’

“And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, ‘Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.  And when he had said this, he feel asleep.’”

What a beautiful way to describe the Christian’s death, “He fell asleep.”  That’s where you get the word cemetery, koimētērion, sleeping place, koimaomai, sleep, koimētērion, sleeping place.  When you spell it out in English, it is spelled out in our language: cemetery. 

What a beautiful way.  The Christian doesn’t die.  He just goes to sleep in the arms of Jesus.  And how magnificently did he die.  As they stoned him in bitterness and in hatred, he kneeled down and prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” 

Never any bitterness or hatred, can you conceive of that?  These men with vicious and violent vitriolic countenances and faces, throwing stones at him that destroyed his life.  Looking back at them, the Bible says, his face shone like the face of an angel.  Without malice.  Without bitterness.  Without hatred. 

“Lord Jesus, forgive them.  They don’t realize what they do.  Lay not this sin to their charge.” 

Bitterness and hatred are poisons.  They ruin your heart.  They destroy your spirit.  They literally plow up your life.  Ask God to deliver you from it.  All of us have cause for frustration and that are in like measure.  Returning evil for evil and hatred for hatred. 

Ask God to deliver you from it.  Bless them that curse you.  Do good to them that despitefully use you.  Then your life and the Father in heaven. 

He kneeled down and prayed for them.  No bitterness.  No hatred.  Just love, intercession, kneeling down in prayer.  And I turn the pages of the sacred Book.  In my passage and my text, “And when Paul had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.” 

Now, you look at those people.  “And they wept sore.  And they fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, they should see his face no more.” 

Can’t you sense and feel, in just reading the words, the love that bound that little Christian band together?  That’s what ought to be seen and to be found and felt in this congregation of the Lord. 

“Man, you don’t know how welcome you are.  You don’t know how much we have prayed that you might come.  Don’t know your name, this is my name.  God sent you here.  Welcome.” 

O Lord, how we need it.  When somebody is lonely, when they feel sad or down or oppressed, when they feel left out and discouraged, where do they go?  If they went to a bar would they find less personal condemnation?  Would they find a better welcome?  Would they find an invitation? 

And if they came to the church, would they feel the condemnation and the hostility?  Unwanted.  Unspoken to.  Uninvited.  O Lord, I have often wondered if in the midst of great sorrow or sin or falling, dear God, will the world be better to me than the church? 

What a castigation and a condemnation if the world were better to a fallen sinner than the people of God.  They brought that woman to the Lord Jesus and flung her down at the feet of the Lord.  “Look at this flotsam and jetsam.  Look at this thing.  We caught her in the very act of adultery and the law says she is to be stoned to death.  What do you say.” 

Of course, it was a temptation for Him to violate the conscience of the people.  The Lord said, “That’s fine.  Stone her to death.  But let the one without sin cast the first stone.” 

One by one, they turned away.  She was alone with the Master.  And He said, “Forgiven!  Rise, find a new life, a new hope, a new day, a new promise, a new golden tomorrow.  Go in this new, in this new forgiveness, this new life, go and sin no more.” 

Lord, Lord, would to God our church was like that.  I don’t care who you are, glad to have you.  Welcome.  Welcome.  This Sunday school class is just for you.  This whole department is just for you. 

We are holding these services just for you.  Welcome.  All of us sinners saved by grace.  One of us sinned one way.  One of us sinned another way.  One of us sin still another way, but all of us sinners alike, just saved by the grace of God. 

Welcome, sweet friend.  Welcome, neighbor.  Welcome, stranger, loved, cherished, glad to have you.  Lord, Lord, give us a people like that.  Kneeling in prayer. 

And then for the passage that you read.  In the third of Ephesians, “For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

“That you be strengthened with might, by the Spirit in the inner man,

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith,

“That you may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

I bow my knees unto the Lord, praying for the strength and the encouragement and the help and the love and the filling that only comes from His gracious nail-pierced hands. 

And how beautiful and how lovely just the thought, much less the saint!  You know, there are 10,000 big things in my childhood that are absolutely lost in my memory.  But I’ll tell you one that I can remember as though it had happened yesterday. 

We were living in a store building in a little tiny town, in an empty store building in order that I might go to school.  And there came into the home there that mother was making in that empty store building, there came a man.  And he introduced himself as the pastor of the Baptist Church in that little town. 

And he read the Bible to my mother and to me.  And then he knelt down on his knees and prayed for us.  I can just see as though it were yesterday that godly man, down on his knees, praying for my mother and for me. 

Isn’t that what it is all about?  This is the faith.  This is the religion.  This is Christ in us.  “For this cause, I bow my knees,

“That you might be strengthened by the Spirit. 

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts. 

“That you might know the love of Christ.” 

And the best way to ask is down on your knees.  Somehow it just fits that I am down on my face when I speak to the great God of heaven.  When I take upon myself to speak unto Him.  I who am but dust and ashes, I bow on my knees. 

I turn the page of the Bible and come at last to the great denouement of the age, to the Apocalypse.  There is not a dramatic word in all literature and not in the Bible, there is none more sweeping, more imaginative, more meaningful or moving than the fifth chapter of the Revelation. 

There in the right hand of Him Who sits upon the throne is the book of redemption.  And it is sealed.  And the names of all God’s children are in that book.  And they search heaven and earth to find someone who is worthy to open the book and to break the seals and to deliver and to make known the redeemed of God’s saints through the ages.  And they couldn’t find one in heaven, or one in earth or one under the earth who was worthy to open the book and to break the seals and to look thereon. 

And when John wept because there was none found worthy, the chapter says, “Lo, in the midst of the throne, in the midst of the four cherubim, in the midst of the four and twenty elders stood a Lamb as it had been slain. 

“And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat upon the throne.” 

And when He took it, the four cherubim and the four and twenty elders ...