If you have your Bible or Testament, I wonder would you open it with me at the 15th chapter of Romans. Romans chapter 15. I want to speak upon the subject, interceding for intercession. Interceding for intercession. the plea that Paul makes to the believers in the church at Rome. Verse 30, Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints, that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. The Apostle Paul had a hard path to walk. You know when he was down yonder in Damascus and he was blind, after his remarkable conversion on the way, to the city. The Lord spoke to Ananias and he said this, he said, for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. I will show him how great things he must suffer for my namesake. And now Paul, after his missionary journeys, is going back to Jerusalem. And he's going to face stiff opposition. His enemies, the party of Jewry, are opposed violently to Paul. You see, he was the coming leader of the Jewish party. He was looked upon as the rising star of the party. He was looked upon as the most bitter and bigoted persecutor of the Christian. And then suddenly and wonderfully he was converted and he became a great leader and preacher and visionary apostle of the Christian Church. And the Jewish party never forgave him. And now he's going back to the home base. And he's going to face all the antagonism and diabolical opposition of those that do not believe at Jerusalem. And then he's in trouble with his brethren. Because in the church at Jerusalem, there were those whom I would call exclusives. They didn't like the Gentiles coming into the church. And they didn't like Paul's great emphasis on the gospel of grace. They wanted to add on to the gospel the traditions of the Mosaic economy. They wanted still to retain the temple worship. And these believers were bitterly opposed to Paul because of his strong preaching of justification by people alone. So he was going to meet opposition from the enemy, and he was going to meet opposition from the brethren in the church. And what does Paul say? He says to the people in the church at Rome, I'm in a sorry way. I'm going back to Jerusalem and it's going to be a battle. And I'm going to face persecution and I'm going to face the doubts and the jealousies of my brethren. And he makes a plea. He says, as I stand here surveying all that I've got to face, I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. He said, brethren, remember me in your prayers. You will notice in chapter 16, he lists quite a number of people. These people are unknown to us, except perhaps Priscilla and Aquila, whom we have read of in the book of the Acts. But he calls upon these people, unknown people, people that are not known in the annals of the church. people that are not prominent in this service of the church, but he makes an appeal to the unknown believers, to the commonplace believers, to the people that are not in the forefront of the battle, he appeals to them to pray for him. Now if you look with me at these verses, you will find there are two things. There is prayer requested. Verses 30 to 32. And then there's prayer rewarded in verse 33. Prayer requested. The first thing I want you to notice, that Paul's request had the greatest possible exhortation. When He exalted the people to pray, I want you to notice that He says that ye strive together with Me, mark that word, with Me in your prayer. The man that asks for prayer himself but doesn't pray himself is a hypocrite. The minister that calls his congregation to pray but he himself doesn't pray is a hypocrite. Paul himself was mighty upon his knees. He was a giant on his feet because he was a colossus on his knees. He won his battles for God in prayer. And he exhorts the people with the greatest possible exhortation that he himself is indeed in this great battle of prayer. And my friend, this is a battle that we all need to engage in. If we're going to deliver this land in this tragic and dread hour, if we're going to turn the tides that are running against truth and righteousness and purity and the gospel, If we're going to see a mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God, then every man and woman in this church that claims to be a member of this house has got to join with the preacher to gather at the throne of grace in prayer. And I'm making a plea to every saint of God to start praying this morning. There is one thing that I need personally as I carry on this battle for God, and it's the prayers of the saints of God. Thank God for the thousands of people that I have never seen by faith who pray for me. I was talking to Pastor Mullen this week, and he said he was over in Cornwall, and there was an old man of God came forward to him. He said, do you know Paisley? Pastor Mullins said, yes, I do. He says, I pray for him every day. And if you see him, tell him I'm on my knees for him. He says, I'm praying for him. Now, that's encouraging, isn't it? And I received a letter from Canada from a dear old saint of God. And she said, I'm gathering people every day into my home and we're having a little prayer meeting to pray for your brother in the battle. Let me tell your friend that here Paul makes the greatest possible exposition, exhortation. He says, I'm praying, pray with me. And I'm giving you, my friend, an invitation to pray as you never prayed before. And if this church really starts praying, God will give us ten times more the blessing that He's pouring out upon us. The trouble with the churches of the land is that they are in a large measure prayerless. And the prayerlessness leads to carelessness, and the carelessness to williness, and the williness to apostasy. Paul says, I'm on my knees, join me. I'm praying, mingle your prayers with my prayers. Bow down with the burden, carry the burden with you. The second thing I want you to notice about Paul's request, it not only had the greatest possible exhortation, but it had the highest possible motivation. Why are we to pray? Look at it. for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit. You couldn't get a greater motive than that, could you? And I'm calling on your people to pray for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. As though God did beseech you by me. And there stands amongst us this morning the risen Christ. And he points to his Neo-Pierce hands, and he points to his thorn-crowned brow, and he points to his ribbon side, and his Neo-Pierce feet, and he says, for my sake, will you pray? Can you resist the pleading of the blessed Savior? Can you turn a deaf ear this morning to the pleading of Christ? I want to ask you, Jesus Christ, this morning is pleading that you might pray. Are you saying, well, if God's going to work, He'll work without my prayers? Let me tell you, friend, that the means of blessing are ordained as well as the blessing itself. And the divine order means of blessing is prayer. You say, why, preacher? Because prayer humbles man. That's why. You see, if revival came through preaching and Christian servicemen would take the glory. But prayer is an act of humiliation. When I'm upon my face, I'm acknowledging I'm beaten and baffled and I can do nothing. And when this church comes to the place where it realizes it can only call on God, and God is its only hope and its only help, Hallelujah, what a blessing that! But if you're depending, my friend, on the preacher, or depending on the beautiful building, or depending on the crowds, you're depending on a broken reed. My friend, we need to pray for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. Jesus is here this morning. He's coming into that pew where you're sitting, believer. He's taking His place beside you and He's saying, My child, you haven't prayed. My child, you haven't stood in the gap. My child, you've left the home and the family and the business and the pleasures. and the complacency of a sin-cursed age get in upon you. My child, I am calling upon you. For my sake, join the army of intercession and start praying. There is something more in this verse, isn't there? There is a unique expression for the love of the Spirit, loving the Holy Ghost. That's a unique expression, isn't it? It was the Holy Ghost that sought you out when you were in sin. Jesus Christ came down and filled a pure body, begotten of the Virgin, a sinless, spotless, crimeless, flawless, peerless body. But the Holy Spirit came into the very mass of our iniquities. And He sought you out yonder in the pit of sin. And He followed hard after you. And when you were stubborn and bitter and antagonistic, He kept on your track. And praise God, one day He triumphed over you. And you were born again. And your rebellion gave place to reconciliation. And your hard heart gave place to a new heart. and unbelief gave place to faith, and you were born again for your love of the Spirit. Do you love the blessed Holy Ghost that resides within your breast, that tender, blessed personality that makes Jesus real to you? Do you love Him? Well, if you do, you should pray. You know, Paul's request to the greatest possible exhortation, it had the highest possible motivation for the Lord Jesus Christ and for the love of the Spirit. But it had the strongest possible invitation. I want you to look at it. Look at verse 30. That ye strive, get the hold of that word, Here we have the strongest possible invitation. This word strive means literally to agonize. It's the same word that's used that ye should earnestly contend for the faith. Ah, but I'll take you back to the New Testament gospel. I'll take you back to Luke's Gospel where it says, And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and sweat as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground. That's the word, being in an agony. Here we have the strongest possible invitation. Paul says, Agonize in prayer. Don't come to the prayer meeting. as if it was just to pass a few minutes, but come to agonize. My, when Zion travails, she brings forth her children. My, we need travail of soul, my brethren and sisters in Christ. When the saints of God in this house start to weep for sinners, it will not be long before sinners will weep over their sins. When God's people start running to the prayer meeting, sinners will start running to Jesus. Agonize! Strive! Fight! Battle! Contend in prayer! The powers of darkness are closing in. The hordes of hell are attacking us. The conspiracies of the devil are being unfolded. In God's name, my brother, sister, agonize in prayer! That's what Paul said. Get down to this business of intercession. Leave aside your work. Leave aside your pleasures. Leave aside entertaining your friends. Leave aside every mundane thing. And in God's name, bow the knee to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus and pray! Don't you see old Paul? His back bears the scars of the lash. His wrists bear the scars of the chains. His ankles bear the scars of the stocks. And he's standing there, a man branded and scarred and persecuted. stained with the dust and heat of the battle, and he says, agonize, agonize. Oh, that this church would get into soul agony for the situation. If God's people fail at this time, no one can tell what will happen to this province. The salvation of this province is in the hands of God's people. And don't you think, friend, that carnal methods and carnal ways will deliver. You know, old Moses went out to deliver Israel, and he met an Egyptian, and he slew him and hid him in the sand. In the next two or three days, he ran away. He tried the carnal means in the field. Carnal methods will never deliver us. But brethren, let's agonize in prayer. This is the strongest possible invitation. Do you know Paul's request of the widest possible supplication? There are three things he prayed for, and that includes everything. He prayed that he would be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaism. Deliverance. That's what we need to pray. We need to pray that God will deliver us from the conspiracy that's on at the moment under the government of this country and under the Wilson regime to try and discredit this church and silence its testimony. I'm the witness of this preacher. Brethren, pray that I might be delivered from them that don't believe. Paul said, I'm going back to face the Sanhedrin. I'm going back to face Gamaliel, my old teacher. I'm going back to face the man that put Christ on the cross. Oh, pray that I'll be delivered. May the Lord help us to pray for a mighty deliverance in this land. God is able to deliver thee. But this deliverance will not come until the people agonize in prayer. And then he prays something else. Look at it. That my service may be accepted. And we need to pray that God will make our service acceptable. God wants the service of His servants to be acceptable with the saints. God wants the ministry to be profitable. You know, some people think that a ministry is profitable when it rends the sins. God never told us to rend the sins. God tells us to mend the sins. Not to be rended, but to be mended. God's ministry should have a healing effect upon the people of God. There should be something blessed listening to the Word. It's only God that can make my ministry accepted. The seal of blessing of heaven is needed, Paul says. Pray that I will have an acceptable ministry. That God will so bless me as I preach the Word. That the sins of God will be blessed. My ministry shall be accepted. And then last of all, Paul prays, and this is a tremendous prayer. Look at it in verse 32. He prays that he might do the will of God. That's the best thing you could pray, you know, do the will of God. Listen, let me tell you, friend, that the will of God is the only thing that matters in this life, just to do the will of God. And he says, I want to do it with joy. I like that, don't you? Some people come to God's house, and my, they're doing the will of God, but they're as miserable looking as they can be. Sunday morning, I have to go to church. I must go. And my, everything goes wrong, doesn't it? And when you eat your breakfast, you eat it so fast, you have indigestion and you feel miserable. And when you come in, you don't like the look of the elders at the church door. And when you come in, Mrs. So-and-so is in your pew, and you don't like that either. And then the preacher gives out a psalm, and you don't like to sing that psalm. And you're just absolutely miserable. But I want to tell you, when you do the will of God with joy, it's a great thing. The will of God with joy! I joyed when to the house of God Go up, they said to me. My friend, when you start doing the will of God with joy, you'll get the blessing. You'll be refreshed. Ma, there's nothing like the refreshment of heaven. To come to God's house, how many times we've come tired and weary, and we've gone away refreshed. Yes. There's refreshing Jew like Jew upon the tender herb. We were singing it today. God wants to refresh us. And you know you get the reward of prayer, you not only have the prayer requested, and Paul requested the great, had the greatest, Paul's request of the greatest possible exhortation, the highest possible motivation, the strongest possible invitation, and the widest possible supplication, but it all was rewarded. Now the God of peace be with you. And when you pray, you know what happens? You get three things. You get God's presence. And that's a great thing. He doesn't say, may you have peace. He says, the God of peace. The presence of the Lord is the greatest thing this side of heaven. For it's heaven anticipated and enjoyed. What you're going to have in heaven, God's presence. Praise God, I have the presence of God. Many a night as I'm coming in in the early hours of the morning after preaching at a campaign and I come along the road and it's a dark, dirty, wet night perhaps, I can sit at the wheel of the car and I can say I've got God's presence. God is with me. That's a great thing. Tell you something else, you have God's peace, for God brings His peace with you. And it's a great thing when the battle's on, and the storm's on, and the winds howl, and the waves roll, to say, I have peace, perfect peace. In this dark world of sin, the blood of Jesus whispers peace within, hallelujah. Tell you something else, you have God's power. The God of peace be with you all. My, when a church gets that, that deals with that old grumpy, grumbling brother that sits there and is unhappy. But the God of peace is with the whole lot. Takes the grumbler and deals with him. And that woman that's not happy about Mrs. So-and-so and doesn't like her, my, when she gets the God of peace, that cures her alright. She's not worrying about Mrs. So-and-so. She's worrying about the Lord. The God of peace be with you all! And when the God of peace is with the whole lot of us, and there's not one excluded, and we're all in blessing, my, we'll be having revival in the church, won't we? Nobody lasts long! That brother that never comes to the prayer meet, man, he'll be the first at the prayer meet. when the God of peace comes down with power? Will you start agonizing? Only God knows the future of this church. And only God knows the future of my ministry. And only God knows the pathway that's ahead for me and for you. But brethren, if we pray, God will deliver us from the unbelievers. God will make our ministry acceptable. and prays God will do the will of God with joy and will be refreshed and the God of peace will be with us all. May it be so for Jesus' sake.