PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT
(JUDE 20)
When good weather returns some men will be shave off their beards.
When this is done we might re-read Job 15:4 in the KJV.
The word “restrainest” in Job 15:4 means, “to shave off.”
This “shaving” applied to things like facial hair.
One of Job’s friends applied the image of shaving off something to prayer.
As a man cuts off a beard Job was accused of shaving off God and prayer from his life.
One of Job’s friends said,
“You have all kinds of trouble because you have shaved away (removed) your religious faith.”
Imagine that a friend has just had the most serious kind of surgery.
You go to the hospital and say to your friend, “God finally caught up with you.”
You had a near death experience because you stopped praying.
Your life and death operation is due to your leaving the Lord.
If we were lying in the hospital bed and suffering we would probably evict such a visitor.
Not many in this assembly would respond very well to this kind of attack.
Yet, this is what one of Job’s so-called friends said to him.
IF WE ARE A CHRISTIAN WE DO NOT WANT TO SHAVE OFF PRAYER FROM OUR LIVES. THIS IS WHAT JUDE TELLS US IN JUDE 20.
1) According to the end of Jude 20 Christians are to pray in the Holy Spirit.
a) What does this mean?
b) Some in the religious world are quick to offer an answer.
c) There are many who believe that praying in the spirit is a mystical experience.
d) That is, something happens but whatever occurs cannot be defined or explained.
e) Strange sensations are felt but they cannot be described.
f) Odd sounds come from the mouth but these cannot be understood by the human ear.
g) Some may suggest that praying in the Spirit is too intense to be remembered.
h) Or, praying in the Holy Spirit is described as praying in tongues.
i) Some think that a special heavenly language is used when people “pray in the spirit.”
j) Paul had something to say about the Spirit and praying in 1 Cor. 14:15.
k) To the Corinthians Paul spoke of praying “with” the Spirit.
l) Jude spoke of praying “in” the Spirit. Jude and Paul used different prepositions.
m) Nevertheless, 1 Cor. 14:15 teaches us something about praying in the Spirit..
n)
Let’s read together 1
Cor.
i) When Paul sang with the Spirit there was understanding.
ii) In other words, Paul was familiar with the words that he used.
iii) He was in control of himself as he sang.
iv) He did not have a mystical experience while singing.
v) This verse teaches an identical point concerning prayer.
vi) When Paul prayed with the Spirit he prayed with understanding.
vii) Paul knew what he was saying and doing when he prayed.
2)
If we are “with the Spirit” in prayer (1 Cor.
3)
Since praying with the Spirit includes understanding
(1 Cor.
4) Praying in the Spirit also means and requires that we understand what is being said/done.
a) This truth tells us that many have erred in their understanding of prayer.
b) If someone does not understand the words that they use in prayer;
c) If they feel strange sensations that cannot be understood or explained,
d) If the one praying believes that the experience cannot be described…
e) This is not praying with and in the Spirit because there is no “understanding.”
5) IF WE CAN DETERMINED WHAT PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT DOES NOT MEAN, WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
a) I want to propose an answer that consists of three different parts.
b) While more might be added, at least these three points are a good start.
c) The first observation about praying in the Spirit comes from Eph. 4:30 and Eph. 6:18.
d) Towards the end of Eph. 4 Paul described many sins.
e) Anger is mentioned in verse 26; giving the devil room in our lives is in verse 27.
f) Theft is in verse 28 and the 29th verse deals with foul speech.
g) Verse 30 says, READ.
h) The word “grieve” may also be translated “offend.” We are to avoid offending the HS.
i) One source (EDNT 2:363) says the word “grieve” means, “heavy blows are inflicted.”
i) Before applying these definitions let’s concentrate on the words “in the Holy Spirit.”
ii) If we are “in the Spirit” what does that mean?
iii) Some might say, “An experience that cannot be described.”
iv) “Those in the Spirit are overwhelmed by the presence of God.”
v) “When we are in the Spirit we leave behind the world and its troubles.”
vi) These allegations are interesting but they are untrue.
vii) Skip over to Eph. 6:18 for a moment.
viii) Here is another reference to “in the Spirit.”
ix) The in the Spirit prayer (which is what Jude 20 describes) is for “all seasons.”
x) Praying in the Spirit is to be a regular and on-going part of the Christian life.
xi) Furthermore, the “in the spirit” activity includes “watching”, Eph. 6:18.
xii) In addition to praying in the Spirit we are to “watch in the Spirit.”
xiii) Praying in the Spirit is joined to watching by the conjunction “and.”
xiv) If doing something in the Spirit means the loss of control or understanding,
xv) The command to watch cannot be fulfilled.
xvi) If people are overwhelmed by the Spirit and God blocks out everything,
xvii) The watching in Eph. 6:18 cannot be done.
6) Once again this tells us what praying in the Spirit does not mean.
a) What this expression does mean is hinted at in Eph. 4:30.
b) If we are “in the Spirit” we are living in the way that God wants.
c) Instead of living in “trespasses and sins” and the course of the world (Eph. 2:1-2),
d) Christians have been made alive to live with Christ (Eph. 2:5).
e) If we are praying and watching in the Spirit we are living as a Christian.
f) We are obeying the Lord’s will.
g) We do not habitually engage in sin and “offend” (grieve) the Holy Spirit, Eph. 4:30.
h)
By avoiding sin (Eph.
i) This explanation fits in very nicely with the entire book of Jude.
j) False teachers were trying to lead Jude’s readers away from the truth.
k) Jude said, verse 3, contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.
l) Jude 20 says to “pray in the Spirit.”
m) Both Jude 3 and 20 describe staying with the truth and avoiding sin and false teachers.
7)
ANOTHER PASSAGE WHICH HELPS US WITH PRAYING IN THE
SPIRIT ALSO COMES FROM THE BOOK OF EPHESIANS.
THIS PASSAGE IS EPH.
a) Earlier we learned that praying with the Spirit and praying in the Spirit are related.
b) Now we come to a passage which expands this subject even more.
c) According to Paul we can be filled with the Spirit. What does this mean?
d) Look at the contrast in verse 18.
e)
Instead of being filled with the ways of the
world (and drinking alcohol, especially
in excess is one of these ways), we are to be filled with the Spirit. That is,
f) Instead of a life after the flesh we increase our spiritual knowledge & apply it to life.
g) In fact, Col. 1:9 is an excellent cross-reference – READ.
h) We are to be “filled” with a knowledge of God’s word instead of sin which is in the world.
i)
If we are praying in the Spirit we are trying to
live as a Christian (Eph.
j) We are following a way of life which is consistent with God’s word.
k)
We also “pray in the Spirit” (Eph.
l) In fact, if you were here last week, you may connect last week’s material with today’s.
m) Jude said in 20A, “build on your most holy faith.”
n) How is our faith to be built? It is to be done by “praying in the spirit”, 20B.
o) By becoming more and more like Christ and by learning more and more we are “builders.”
8) Praying in the Holy Spirit may be related to another thought in the New Testament.
a) This information comes from Rom. 8:26-27.
b) In this chapter the main subjects are the Holy Spirit, living for or against God, & suffering.
c) In verse 23 the apostle spoke of “groaning.”
d) Verse 21 uses the word “bondage”; verse 18 uses the term “sufferings”.
e) All of this is related to verses 26-27.
f) Some have made a sad visit to a hospital.
i) A person was in a hospital bed and every choice facing the patient was bad.
ii) If the person died, they would be unsaved.
iii) If they lived, they would face some type of horrible consequence.
iv) Perhaps a few here have been asked to pray on an occasion such as this.
v) There are times in life when we pray but we do not know what is best.
vi) Though we are trying to live as a Christian and increase our Bible knowledge,
vii) Some situations present us with choices that are beyond human wisdom.
viii) In times like this, especially when suffering is involved, the Spirit helps.
ix) The Spirit somehow takes our prayers during the worst of times and makes them work.
9) I therefore include this as part of “praying in the Spirit.”
10) While this is not something that we do, this is something that is done by the Holy Spirit.
11) If we are living and growing as a Christian we are in the Spirit.
12) When we pray we are praying in the Holy Spirit.
13) If our prayers in the Spirit need help, Rom. 8 says that we receive divine assistance.
14) We should not afraid of the phrase “in the Spirit”.
15) If we are doing what is right in God’s sight we are “in the Spirit.”
16) Thus, we ask each one who has gathered here, are you “in the Spirit?”
a) Do we pray in the way that the Bible describes?
b) Have we become a Christian by the plan found in God’s word?
c)
Is our worship “in the spirit” (governed by Jn.
d) Is our Christian life “in the spirit” (according to God’s will)?
e) If not and we can help you correct that we invite you to do that now as we stand and sing.