Introduction
In today’s missive let’s talk about how prayer is evidence of faith in the Gospel. However, before we talk about how prayer is evidence of faith, let’s define the Gospel in its entirety. What do we say the Gospel is? To begin, it is the Incarnation, perfect Life, Death, bodily Resurrection, and bodily Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven. It includes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit by the Father and Son as the blessing of the New Covenant. Finally it is Christ’s bodily return or Second Coming to judge the world in righteousness.
Jesus put death under His feet in the Resurrection and ascended into Heaven. Soon He will put death under our feet too. At His Second Coming He will usher us, glorified, into the immediate Presence of God. “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. He will destroy death, our last enemy when He returns. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet (1 Cor 15:26-27).” “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever (Rev 22:4-5).”
Our present is the ability to enter into His Presence by the Spirit in this mortal body. Our future is entering into His immediate Presence in a glorified body forever. That is what theologians mean when they say that the benefits of the Gospel are both “already” and “not yet.”
The End Of The Gospel Is Prayer
Where is Jesus now? What has he done? What is the Living Christ currently doing? Jesus is ascended into the heavens and has passed through the True Veil, not the veil in the Old Testament–the one around the Holy of Holies–that veil was a type. You see, Moses received the pattern for the Temple in the Old Testament from God, and according to the author of Hebrews, it was based on the True Heavenly Tabernacle. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12).” Jesus is a Forerunner (Hebrew 6:19-20) for us into the Heavens and He is seated there as our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2). He bids us now come. That is where the Gospel takes us–into the Presence of God.
Therefore We Can Pray Confidently
In Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus died on the Cross the figurative veil, the type, in Jerusalem was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 26:45-46). God signifying to us that the way into the Holy of Holies is open and the welcome mat is out. We then, as the saints, “Since then we have a great high priest that has passed through the heavens… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14, 16). Most people focus on praying confidently, but I want you to see that the result of the Gospel was to open Heaven for you. Jesus makes our worship of the Triune God in Spirit and Truth (John 4:23-24) acceptable in this age, and in the one to come.
How Prayer Is Evidence of Faith in the Gospel
Confessing the Gospel is one thing and believing on Him is another. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).” So, there is what we say or confess with our mouths, and there is what we believe or live based on, which proceeds from our heart. They are not always the same thing either. James says that dead faith has no works or fruit with it. He dares those that base their confidence in their confession to “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works(James 2:18b).
What is James saying? Well, let’s listen to Jesus say it in a slightly different way. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Bearing fruit is a theme of Paul’s writing. He harmonizes well with Jesus and James when he explains that the work or the fruit of the Holy Spirit is discernible. He provides an incomplete list of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).” Why did I say the list is incomplete? Because he adds against such there is no Law. Every good thing we do is inspired by the Holy Spirit
Prayer Is Faith In Action
If someone truly believes, then they will act on the Gospel. And acting on the Gospel means entering into the Tabernacle not made with hands. It means going behind the veil where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Why? Because Jesus has cleansed conscience from dead works we no longer fear being cast out by Him. Why? Because Christ has reconciled us to God, removing ALL His wrath for ALL our sin, taking away ALL our fear of Him because of judgment. We are now perfectly and permanently accepted in Christ. We are not enemies of God we are His friends, his children, the Saints Lights who have had His marvelous grace “lavished upon us (Ephesians 1:8).”
The glorious truth that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” grows the fruit of prayer. The love of God without fear draws us into the Presence of God. If we fear Him and do not enter into His Presence then we may still have “hostility” in our hearts toward Him? “For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 John 4:18).” Therefore, perfect love casts out fear produces Saints that draw near. That is how prayer is evidence of faith in the Gospel.
You may also like last weeks missive on prayer, Consistent Prayer
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Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Pastor Jeremy
“Joy and thanksgiving expressed in prayer and praise according to the Word of God are the heart of the Church’s worship.” – John Calvin
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