Well, friends, it's a pleasure to be with you all and to gather around God's Word together this evening. Please turn with me in your Bibles to the gospel according to Luke chapter 6. Luke chapter 6. We're reading from verse 12. I believe that's page 1096 of the Pew Bible. Luke chapter 6. We're just gonna be reading from verse 12 through to verse 16. And here we'll read of Christ choosing 12 of his disciples to be apostles. We're gonna pay a particular attention to what Christ did in preparation for that decision. So from Luke chapter six, verse 12, hear now the living word of the living God. In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray. And all night, he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them 12, whom he named apostles. Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew, his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew and Thomas, and James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas, the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Have you ever taken a moment just to think about the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ prayed. On this night during Christ's earthly ministry, he knew that the following morning, he would make the important decision of choosing 12 of his disciples to be apostles, whom he would ultimately send out to proclaim his gospel, the gospel of his death and resurrection, which would soon take place. And with all this before him, We see here in our passage that Christ prayed. Later in Luke's gospel in chapter nine, Christ would tell these apostles, as he tells you and me, to deny yourself, to take up your cross and follow him. The question is, friends, as you do so, as you deny yourself and live for Christ, What place are you giving to prayer? As you face the big decisions and the challenges you will inevitably face in following Christ, are you facing them prayerfully? Well, as we consider Christ's example this evening, may it move you as you take up your cross and follow him. to get on your knees and pray like Him. As you take up your cross and follow Him, get on your knees and pray like Him. The first reason we're gonna consider for this call to prayer is the fact that Christ prayed. Christ prayed. Verse 12 begins, in these days, And it's fair to say that in these days, the Lord Jesus had a lot on his plate. We can see that in the verses either side of our passage. In the verses before the passage we read, we can see the opposition he was facing. He just healed a man with a withered hand. And in verse 11, we see what the scribes and how the scribes and Pharisees responded. It says they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. So he was facing great opposition. And after our passage, we see that he was also facing much busyness in his ministry. In verse 17, after choosing his apostles, we're told that he came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people who came to hear his teaching and to be healed. Thrown to the mix, this decision that was looming regarding his apostles, and also all that Christ knew was before him. It's fair to say that he was under enormous strain in these days. So what did he do in these days? Well, as we've seen, he prayed. In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray. As the sun set on another faithful day of ministry, Christ withdrew from his disciples, and he went out to a mountain to pray. This was not a one-off occasion. This was something our Savior did often. We see that in the surrounding chapters. If you just look back to Luke chapter 4 and verse 42, We're told that when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. Mark's account of that event tells us that he went to that desolate place to pray. If you look forward in Luke chapter five, in verse 16, we're told that after cleansing a leper, he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Christ was set apart to do his father's will. But for all that involved in public life, he ensured that he made time for prayer to the father in private. He was about his father's business, but all the while he made time for communion with his father in prayer. And in this we see that the Lord Jesus practiced what he preached. In the Sermon on the Mount, he taught us that the truly prayerful person will not just pray in public, but they will go into the secret place, they will shut the door behind them, and they will pray in secret to the Father who sees in secret. See friends, it's in the secret place where the true colors of our hearts are most clearly seen. You may say, you know, it's hard for me to find time to be in the secret place. Just remember that Christ had to go to a mountain to find a secret place. And he was willing to do so often. despite all the busyness he was facing. See this narrative and others like it, which speak of him going and setting himself apart to pray. So serves like a window into the spiritual discernment of our savior. Our word discern actually comes from the Latin word discernery. And it means literally to separate apart. And friends, I really don't know of anything more wise or discerning than regularly setting yourself apart to prayer. You see, by praying and praying often, we don't only give glory to God as we express our reliance upon him, but these times of prayer can be a great means of strengthening to us as we have fellowship with our Lord. I'll be honest, I don't understand every aspect of the prayer life of Christ as the God-man. But I do fully believe that he was strengthened through these times of prayer. He gave so much in his ministry. We see that even in verse 19, that all the crowd sought to touch him for power came out from him and he healed them all. But for all that Christ gave much, he surely received much from these sweet times of fellowship with the Father. And so will you, so will you as you call upon our Father who is in heaven. Now surely an issue in the church today is that we're so ready to talk about the mountains that are before us, the needs in the church and the society, the difficulties. And what we need to do first and foremost is go to the mountain of our secret place to pray. Because when we pray, we call upon the one who is able to move mountains. You know, we talk so often about what we need. Well, surely one thing we need is more men and women, boys and girls who pray. In other words, more men and women, boys and girls who are like Christ. Christ prayed. A second reason you with me should get on your knees and pray. It's not just that Christ prayed, but he persevered in prayer. He persevered in prayer. If something's worth doing, it's worth sticking at. And here in this passage, we see that Christ stuck at prayer. As the night drew in, as the light faded, we see that his prayers did not fade. He went out to this mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. He didn't just pray one hour. He didn't just pray two hours. He continued in prayer all night to God. It's important for us to remember that Christ was not just fully God. He was also fully man. He knew tiredness as you and me know tiredness. I'm sure you've known those times. when you're close to going to your bed and you think about picking up the Bible and reading it, or going onto your knees and praying, but you just feel so tired that instead you choose sleep. Well, here Christ did not choose sleep. He chose prayer. We're not told what he said in this prayer, and we're not told how he prayed, whether on his knees or whatever. But the fact that he persevered in prayer all night tells us that he was praying on his knees in his heart. By that, I mean that he was not just going through the motions. He was engaged. His heart was engaged in prayer. Friends, make no mistake. Prayer is hard. Prayer is hard. But it's important for us to remember that often the things that are hard in life are the things that are the most valuable. Persevering in prayer particularly can be very hard. We must remember that the biggest obstacle to persevering in prayer is not the hardness of prayer, it's hardness of heart. Christ's heart was not hard. It was not cold. He was not distracted. He was not disengaged. He was surely mindful of all that was before him and all that was before these apostles whom he was about to choose. And these things inflamed his heart to the point that he continued in prayer all night to the father. It's important for us to note that Christ didn't just persevere in prayer all throughout this night, but all throughout his earthly ministry. It's a sense in which we could say that he prayed all the way to Calvary's cross. Just think of those great prayers that are recorded in scripture in the final days before his crucifixion. The great high priestly prayer in John 17 before he crossed the brook Kidron. There's prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, which Luke records in chapter 22. Not my will, but yours be done, he prayed. In chapter 23, we see that Christ even prayed on the cross. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Christ persevered in prayer throughout his ministry, throughout this night. And he calls you with me to do the same. In chapter 18 of this gospel, he spoke the parable of the persistent widow who knocked and knocked on the door of the judge until he opened that door. And Christ tells us exactly why he spoke that parable. He said, you ought always to pray. and not lose heart. You see friends, persevering in prayer is not really about or not really a matter of how long you pray for. It's a matter of whether it is with your heart that you pray. It's whether it's with your heart that you pray. If you're struggling to persevere in prayer, First, look at your heart and pray the Lord would be at work in your heart, that He would strengthen your heart, that He would strengthen your faith and your trust, that He does in fact hear your prayers, that He would strengthen your love for Christ in whom we offer our prayers. We must remember that we do indeed offer our prayers through Christ. We've spoken about how He persevered in prayer. You must always remember how he persevered in suffering, even to the point of death, such that the temple veil was torn in two, so that we, his people, might now come boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. See, friends, as you go to prayer, think about these things. Think about these wonderful truths. Because when we think about these truths, we see that prayer is not just a duty, it's a privilege. It's a privilege, a beautiful means of grace secured for us in Christ. Christ prayed, he persevered in prayer. But finally, we can note that Christ also taught prayer. After this night of prayer, morning came. As the sun rose, he rose from prayer. We're told in verse 13 that when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them 12, whom he named apostles. Mark's account of this narrative tells us that Christ chose these men to be with him. The word apostle means sent one, and ultimately he would send them out to proclaim his gospel, to cast out demons and so on. But before that, he would use the time that he had with them to prepare them for what was before them. And I think that often when we think about that time of preparation, We spend most of our time thinking about him teaching them the truths of the gospel. We must remember that during that time, he also taught them how to pray. He taught them how to pray. We've noted the Sermon on the Mount, how he taught in prayer. We've noted the parable that he taught and others too. In Luke 11, the apostles, the disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray. In answer, he gave the Lord's prayer. And as every good teacher does, Christ didn't just teach by word, but he taught by example as well. For all there were times where he withdrew by himself to pray, there were also many times when he withdrew with his apostles to pray. You see this fact that Christ taught prayer, It should be an encouragement to you if you're struggling in prayer. Because prayer is a discipline that's to be worked at. And the Lord is pleased to grant grace to grow. He grants grace to grow in the Christian life in general, but also in our prayer lives specifically. We surely see that in the lives of these apostles who are listed for us in this passage. These were ordinary men. Yes, the Lord used them to do extraordinary things, but they were ordinary men. They were sinners like you and me, and they struggled with prayer like you and me. I mentioned the Garden of Gethsemane earlier, seen in Luke chapter two. I mentioned how Christ did not choose sleep. He chose prayer. as he prayed that night. Peter, James, and John, who were with him, they chose sleep. He rebuked them, will you not watch and pray with me one hour? No mention of all night, but even one hour. They struggled with prayer, but they learned. By God's grace, they learned. And we see the wonderful fruit of that in Acts chapter six. after Christ had been crucified and raised from the grave and ascended into heaven, was seated at the right hand of the Father and poured out his spirit at Pentecost. We're told in Acts chapter 6 that the apostles appointed seven men to serve tables, to serve as deacons. Why? so that the apostles could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Not just the ministry of the word, but prayer and the ministry of the word. We are not called to be apostles, but we are called to be men and women of God. Those who are holy as the Lord is holy. And if we are to be holy, if we are to be set apart from the world, we surely must often be set apart in prayer. We must seek to grow in prayer. And by God's grace, season all our gospel service with prayer. Christ taught prayer. He teaches prayer through his example and his word. But sadly, at the end of our passage, were reminded of one who did not take heed to his teaching. Judas Iscariot is mentioned. He who became a traitor. Rather than listening to the true teachings of Christ, he listened to the false teachings of the devil. Friends, don't listen to the voice of the evil one. Listen to the voice of Christ. Don't betray him. Obey him. Don't go to your own place. By the help of his spirit, go to the secret place and also the corporate place of prayer. As individuals and as churches, may we pray through him and to him who joys to hear our prayers. Just as a final word of encouragement, I asked you at the beginning, have you ever taken a moment to stop and think about the fact that Christ prayed? Let me ask you, do you ever take a moment to stop and think about the fact that Christ prays? Now ascended and seated at the right hand of the Father, The Scriptures teach us that there Christ makes continual intercession for we who are his people. Even as we pray, he presents our petitions to the Father. And by his outpoured spirit, he's able to help us grow in prayer. I think Thomas Watson put it well when he said that the arrow of a saint's prayer may be weak, but when it is placed into the bow of Christ's intercession, it pierces the throne of grace. The arrow of the saint's prayer may be weak, but when it is placed into the bow of Christ's intercession, it pierces the throne of grace. You know, we've all been through the pandemic of the last year. And serious though it has been, one can't help but wonder whether the most serious pandemic we're facing today is a pandemic of prayerlessness. Having considered Christ's example this evening, May it be as you take up your cross and follow him, that you get on your knees and pray like him. Through him who was pierced for us, let us pierce the throne of grace. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we do praise you that you are a God who encourages your people to pray. And not only that, you are a God who hears our prayers. You are abundantly gracious in your dealings with us as sinful men, women, boys and girls. But we are thankful for your grace, which has been shown forth in the Lord Jesus Christ, who laid down his life so that we as people might be saved as we place our trust in him and repent of our sin. The blessings that we enjoy in him include the fact that we can come boldly to your throne of grace. So help us as we go forward to come boldly as individuals and as a congregation that we might call upon your name, trusting that you will indeed hear us. And that rather than a pandemic of prayerlessness, there might be an abundance of worship in this land and in other lands, and an abundance of people coming to call upon the name of the Lord. Help us to do so as we go forth and walk on the narrow path that leads to life. We pray this all in the name of Christ, amen.