Prayer.13.murray.25...31.03.29.15

1 | © J o h n R . W i b l e , 2 0 1 5 . H o w e v e r , n o c l a i m i s m a d e t o
o r i g i n a l i t y o f c o n t e n t e x c e p t w h e r e n o t e d [ b r a c k e t s ] o r
o t h e r w i s e o b v i o u s f r o m t h e c o n t e x t .
Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer1
Lessons 25-31 (End)
John R. Wible, Editor
Lesson 25 The Holy Spirit and Prayer
Summary:
 Believers grow in stages physically: infancy, questioning adolescence and maturity'
Likewise spiritually but not automatically.
 Jesus takes his disciples through three stages of understanding of prayer.
 Sermon on the Mount is about trusting the Father for everything.
 Middle stage, the casting out of demons, adds earnestness and persistence.
 High Priestly prayer puts it all together, reveals all and tells how it will be.
 The "new" thing is the Church and the indwelling of Christ's Holy Spirit in it.
 There is a new spiritual order where Christ works through believers.
 Prayer is the connecting factor.
 Christ has the continuing occupation to pray for us. It occupies all His time.
 This causes us to gratefully accept the new responsibility to do the same.
Scripture:
In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the
Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24
Until now you have asked for nothing
in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.
25
“These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no
longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26
In that day
you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
27
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came
forth from the Father. John 16:23-27.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to
eternal life. Jude 20 and 21.
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s
sake. 13
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I
1
This is a summary of Murray’s work. No claim is made by the Editor to original work.

am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you,
children, because you know the Father. 14
I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him
who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and
the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:12-14.
To look at the Apostle John's order of command in 1 John, supra, is to see a progression
common to life: infancy, adolescence-middle age, and then maturity. The same holds true in the
spiritual life as well, though, unlike physical life, the stages do not come by act of nature but by
deliberate growth. Jesus addresses his followers in each of these three stages.
As we have seen, in the Sermon of the Mount, Christ speaks to baby followers. Likewise, his
teaching on prayer is limited as would our conversation be with babies. The teaching on prayer
can be summed up on the one word, "Father." They must first learn child-like trust.
In the middle stage, we see Jesus saying of the demons, "This kind does not come out except by
prayer and fasting." Mark 9:29. Likewise, "Now, will not God bring about justice for His elect
who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?" Luke 18:7.
Finally, in the High Priestly Prayer, comprising all of John 17, Jesus approaches his disciples as
friends. He tells them everything, hides nothing and tells them how the new order will be.
The contrast between stage 1 and state 3 is notable. He says a confusing statement in John 16:23,
He says, "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye
shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." What He says here is that up until "that
day," they asked Jesus directly. However, He is ascending to Heaven and in so doing, He is
sending the Holy Spirit who will now take on a new role, that of being the mechanism by which
the Risen Lord abides with each believer and each believer with Him.
As the Holy Spirit will take on a new role, "on that day," - the Day of Pentecost, the coming of
the Church age, Jesus takes on a new role. He was (and remains) Savior, but now, in addition, He
is the advocate and mediator for His Church with His father. He constantly prays to the Father on
their behalf. As the Holy Spirit lives in the believer, the prayers of the believer ascend to the
Father through the Holy Spirit, through Jesus and to the Father. As we have learned, as they
abide in Christ, the prayers will be answered.
We cannot overstress the changes that have taken place in the cosmic order. Heretofore, the
Spirit came only as directed by the Father "on assignment, but now, He abides 24/7 with the
believer. In the old economy, prayers went through the priest and were answered through the
prophets. In Jesus' passion, He becomes not only Savior, but also prophet and priest.
[It can be said that He is also King, but I was qualify this in the new economy, the "inaugurated
eschatology" [See note.] - The now and the time "not yet," referring to the end times, the time of
completion of human history.

Christ now maintains the "continuing occupation" of prayer to the Father for the Church. We can
and must avail ourselves of this office through our likewise life of prayer "In Jesus' Name." This
last statement draws up back to the command and privilege of living a life of prayer through the
Holy Spirit in Jesus' name. And again Murray reminds us when we have done this, God will
answer our prayer.
Murray gives us a postscript. He reminds us that the concepts of "breath" and of God as a triune
Being are intertwined. God the Father "breathed" creation into creation.
[Especially, He breathed the breath of life into Adam, Ecclesiastes 3:21 pointing out that at death
this "breath" ascends back to God. Psalm 33:6 says, "By the word of the Lord the heavens were
made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host." In referring to this "breath," Chris Eaton
penned the song, "Breath of Heaven," performed by Amy Grant and renamed, "Breath of Heaven
(Mary's Song.") It is a prayer uttered by Mary, the Mother of Jesus as she waits for His coming.
In a way, the song refers to the entirety of the Trinity. It is addressed to the Father, but it refers to
the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, she is carrying the Son, by whom the Apostle
John in Chapter 1 points out that the Jesus, the Son, was the actor in creation.]
Murray points out further on, that John likewise, in 20:22, of Jesus says that after His
resurrection, He "breathed" on the disciples telling them to "receive the Holy Spirit. Because,
according to God's plan and purpose, this Holy Spirit came to dwell in believers. Since He
dwells in us, when we pray, we "breathe" the prayer toward Heaven. It is carried by the Holy
Spirit to Jesus who prays it anew in our stead to the Father.
The response, "yes," is breathed back to us from the Father's lips through the Holy Spirit to us.
[Upon reflection, the concept that Jesus, God the Son, loves His Church so much that His
"current occupation" with the Father is the pray for His Church, is a sobering one. It should give
us pause. Do we love Him that much; do we love His Church that much; or do we love ourselves
that much? May God guide our prayers aright?]
*Note: "The Now and the Not Yet," have been extensively written on by many current
evangelical authors including John Piper, Is the Kingdom Present or Future?; George Eldon
Ladd, The Presence of the Future; Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future; and N.T.
Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the
Church.

Lesson 26 Christ the Intercessor
Summary:
 All growth in the spiritual life is connected with clearer insight into what Jesus is to us.
 Learning this, living the Christian life ceases to be a struggle of trying to "do right" and
becomes the process of resting in Jesus and claiming the victory we have in Him.
 The real goal of the process is that our relationship with Christ grows as our prayers and
God's answers to them bring glory to God.
 Christ's intercessory role began on Maundy Thursday as He first reveals all to the
disciples in John 16 and then prays the High Priestly Prayer of John 17.
 We believers likewise, begin a new role of sharing in Christ's divine intercession.
 This is a role of joy in working together with Christ.
 The role of intercessory priest was foreshadowed in Melchizedek and Aaron.
 Every sin forgiven and victory over Satan is because of Christ's "continued" intercession.
 Perhaps this is thought of as true, yet infinitely in a "spiritually metaphorical" sense.
 Prayer takes place in the "timelessness" of the spiritual realm; there is a "continually
contemporaneous" nature to Christ's role as He and we pray in ever enlarging circles.
 Praying chiefly for ourselves, we keep God's promises bound for us and others.
Scripture:
But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned
again, strengthen your brothers. Luke 22:32.
In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on
your behalf. John 16:26.
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He
always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25.
Murray's opening statement is profoundly affecting, "All growth in the spiritual life is connected
with clearer insight into what Jesus is to us." [The more I realize what Jesus did for me,] "The
more I realize that Christ must be everything to me, that everything is Christ is indeed for me, the
more I learn to live the real life of faith." When we learn this, trying to live the Christian life
ceases to be a struggle of trying to "do right" and becomes, [more and more] resting in Jesus and
claiming the victory we have in Him. [I add “more and more" because it is by very definition,
"sanctification" that God must work in us as a process.]
Nowhere is this spiritual fact seen more clearly than in prayer. [The key, of course, is "abiding in
Christ."] If we are so abiding, prayer ceases to be a struggle of "strain and anxious care" and
becomes an experience in what Christ can and is going to do for us.

[It becomes an excited anticipation" of the time when we get to see what Christ is doing about
the matter. Rather than a wondering if He will answer, in faith it is a foregone conclusion. In
what I have termed (for want of a better word) "spiritually metaphorical," we have only to
expectantly watch how it will unfold, if indeed it does so unfold in our lifetime. As we know,
time is irrelevant to God and thus it is that the timing of God's answer to prayer has nothing to do
with chronology and everything to do with "the fullness of [spiritual} time. See Galatians 4:4.
This last statement will become of more use below.]
We can have full faith and assurance that Christ remakes our Spirit-borne but sometimes
unworthy, prayers and breathes them to the Father. As we have learned, we can likewise be
assured, that those prayers so breathed will be answered. And all the while, our relationship with
Christ grows as our prayers and God's answers to them bring glory to God.
We see the beginnings of Christ's intercessory role on His last night, [Maundy Thursday,] as He
first reveals all to the disciples in John 16 and then prays the High Priestly Prayer of John 17. In
this Prayer, Murray tells us that Jesus shows us how and what He has to pray to the Father now
in this economy and what He will pray in His new role as the "Ascended Intercessor."
However, this spiritual truth is not only about Christ. Just as Jesus assumes a new role as
Intercessor, so we believers are called to begin a new role in intercession. Thus, we share with
Him in divine intercession.
[As we begin to understand this joint-intercessor relationship, we begin to see more clearly how
true is Murray's statement above that prayer ceases to be a duty and becomes both a joy.]
Murray points us the foreshadowing priests, Aaron and Melchizedek. As was Aaron's role as
priest, Jesus' earthly prayers are just the beginning. Since Jesus shed the last blood, the sacrificial
system was completed. Likewise, by that act Jesus earned the right to become the "Eternal
Aaron", ever standing in the sanctum sanctorum, the Holy of Holies to make intercession. Paul
says in Romans 8:34, "Who is the one who condemns [Satan]? [However,] Christ Jesus is He
who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for
us."
[In Genesis 14, Melchizedek is introduced as the king of Salem, and priest of El Elyon, the
"Most High God." In Psalm 110, a Chapter quoted by Jesus, Melchizedek is again mentioned.]
The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.” Psalm 110:4.
The writer of Hebrews makes the final mention of Melchizedek, quoting that Psalm.

5
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,
“YOU ARE MY SON,
TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”;
6
just as He says also in another passage,
“YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER
ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
[While the Aaronic priestly line had a beginning and an end, representing the temporal and
temporary nature of the priest-sacrifice system, it only pictures the priesthood of the Heavenly
Melchizedek who had no recorded beginning nor ending. (Hebrews 7:3.) Further, the priesthood
of Melchizedek pre-dates that of Aaron. Hebrews 7:1-2.]
Murray remarks that the intercession is intense and wholly necessary otherwise "the continued
application of redemption could not take place." He states that every sin that is forgiven and
every victory over Satan and the world that is won is so done because of Christ's continued
intercession. He bases these statements on Hebrews 7:25, "Therefore He is able also to save
forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for
them."
[The preceding paragraph is a bit difficult to understand. What does he mean when he discusses
the "continued application of redemption?" Perhaps, it is easier to understand if it is thought of as
totally true, yet infinitely more so in a "spiritually metaphorical" sense. Stedman in his Sermon
on Hebrews Seven, gives some help. Stedman says that the cross of Christ is an event that in a
spiritual sense is "timeless." Though it physically and quite literally, occurred on a particular
Friday, the day we celebrate as "Good Friday," in a spiritual sense, it is an ongoing event. The
plan for this event to unfold just as it did always was. Peter tells us that Christ was slain "before
the foundation of the world." 1 Peter 1:19-21. That does not mean past tense, it means continuity.
In that sense, then Jesus makes "continued application of redemption." I am reminded of the
lyrics of "Behold the Lamb" by David Phelps as such the group "Mercy Me."]
Behold the Lamb, Behold the Lamb,
Slain from the foundation of the world.
For sinners crucified, oh holy sacrifice,
Behold the Lamb of God, Behold the lamb.
[I would admit, however that there is what I would term a "continually contemporaneous" nature
to Christ's role as priest. While it is true that God spoke in the Old Testament to His people
through the prophets, He also spoke through the priests. The priest was the mediator. One who
mediates carries on conversation with more than one of the parties. That is what Christ, through
His Holy Spirit does for us.]

[Just as He carries our righteous prayers to the Father, He communicates the paternal "AMEN"
back to us through the Spirit. That is timeless in the spirit, but it is contemporaneous in the now
of this age in which we live.]
Murray now goes further, Just as Christ is called to a new mission in Heaven of intercession, we,
likewise are called to that same mission on Earth. Likewise, just as Jesus has his special circle of
friends for whom He makes intercession, we, too have a circle for whom we are responsible to
pray. It starts with our family then radiates outwards to those for whom we have responsibility.
Ultimately, it is all-encompassing.
As long as we pray chiefly for ourselves, we keep all the promises locked up that God has to
answer for us on behalf of our prayer circle. We deny Him the glory of granting them and we
deny ourselves the blessing of working in fellowship and love with Him.
Lesson 27 Christ the High Priest
Summary:
 In John 16, Christ gives only to the disciples understanding of what the new life will be.
 They are now to go into the field as martyrs and "joint intercessors" with Christ.
 In the Prayer, He teaches them how to intercede and asks that they have joy in it.
 The role, "joint intercessor" is humbling, exciting, exhausting, & intimidating on our
own.
 Christ teaches how we can pray in His Name entering into spiritual union with Him.
 Jesus prays in the enlarging circle for himself, his disciples and then the world, a model.
 Like any "good" thing, we can only enter into "joint intercessorship" as He empowers us.
 The first step is learning the relationship among us, Christ, and the Father; this teaches
the primary goal of prayer being to glorify God. There are secondary benefits to us.
 Christ's two prayers for us: that the Father keep set us apart and keep us from "the evil."
 The Holy Spirit supplies our inabilities in the prayer we earnestly pray.
 Intercessorship is in both words (prayer) and action (encouraging & aiding the object.)
 If we fail in either task, we neither show Christ's love nor or willingness to follow His
example. Thus, we betray our own selfishness.
 Christ's prayer for the Church is for unity in all things. The enemy of love is separation.
 The greatest thing is love.
Scripture:
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they
may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the
world. John 17:24.

As Murray points out earlier, in John 16, Christ gives to the disciples the full understanding of
what the new life will be since the Kingdom of God has indeed come. [See John 4:23. This is so
because Jesus has said in Matthew 13:11, ". . . “To you {the disciples,} it has been granted to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them {the rest of the world,} it has not been
granted.] Disciples are now to leave their role as "trainees" and find their life's "calling and their
blessedness in the Holy Spirit, in union with Christ . . . and in their witnessing and suffering for
Him."
In His High Priestly prayer, He prays, inter alia, that they will have the joy of knowing about His
intercession for them and of His carrying their prayers to the Father. He also alludes to their new
roles as "joint-intercessors" with Him. A secondary reason Jesus prays this prayer within their
hearing is to inform them what the role will be and to model the role as intercessor. In this final
teaching, we finally understand that the promises about the guarantee of prayer are, after all, not
for the disciples or for us but actually for the glory of God.
[I must confess that while I knew we were supposed to pray for people, this concept of our being
"joint-intercessors with Christ" is one I had never even suspected as such. The thought of it is
both humbling and exciting.]
Only from Christ can we learn how to truly pray "in His Name" and to enter into [spiritual] union
with Him. This He teaches in the Prayer. It is normally divided into three sections: for Himself
(vv. 1-5,) for His disciples (vv. 6-19,) and for "all believing people of all ages (vv. 21-26.)
For Himself, He prays that the Father would glorify Him as He has glorified the Father. He says
this to seal the covenant He and the Father made in eternity past that what was done would be
done. Christ is, in fact glorified, yet the greater glory is to the Father. In this, we, too see how we
can reflect glory on the Father.
[Like so many other parts of this meta-narrative, this is true in its own sense, but it is also a
picture, a model, of something else. That "something else" is the covenant He makes with His
believers. Since He has bought us, we are His. Since we are His, we do what He says. He desires
to fulfill His promise to the Father through us. Since we cannot do anything good on our own, we
must do it through Him. We do the good thing through Him when we enter into the office of
"joint-intercessor" with Him. In that entering, the object of our prayer is blessed and we are
blessed, but of supremely more importance, God the Father is glorified.]
In the Model, Jesus first establishes the relationship with the Father. We too, should do the same.
We should first plead that what we say and do only brings glory to Christ and to the Father. We
should then recognize our union with Christ, [what I have termed the role of "joint-confessor."]
Murray tells us that our understanding of this relationship is critical to our being able to glorify
God because clarity will cause us to understand why we pray. We pray not to obtain for
ourselves, not even to obtain for others, but to bring glory to God.

[True, the two former things occur but they are secondary to the main purpose of glorifying
God.] Only when we understand this principle will our prayers have power, but when we do
understand and act out of our understanding, miracles will take place.
After establishing the clarification of the relationships, Christ moves to the second circle, that of
His immediate disciples. To their great credit, they heard Christ's word and they understood it.
Further, they did it. Christ, knowing this, prays two things for them: that the Father would keep
them from the Evil One and sanctify them [set them apart] through His Word.
Our prayers of intercession should, like Christ's be personal for our inner circle. To the extent we
know what to pray, we do so. To the extent we don’t know, the Holy Spirit "fills in the blanks."
Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how
to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
. ."
But there is a second duty. Following the example, we not only must pray for them, we must
speak to them. Murray says that for our prayer to be effective, we must be able to report back to
the Father that we have given them His Word. Imagine if we told a person for whom we prayed,”
I am praying for you, Brother." What a wonderful word of encouragement this would be.
[Could it even be that our word of encouragement to that person is God's Word that will bring
about the object of the prayer? Could it be that in so giving them God's Word, we would
overcome our fears and ultimately, overcome ourselves? I leave to you, Reader, the answer. But
for me, it seems obvious!]
[Perhaps if we are afraid or too busy to speak to the one prayed for, we don't truly love them. If
we don't truly love them, we pray amiss. This new role of "joint-intercessor" is at first very
difficult. Like most things, we actually cannot even do it, but through Christ we can. "I can do all
things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. Since, through Christ we can, we
must. "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15.]
Next in following our "Blessed Exemplar," we expand to the third and infinitely larger circle.
When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He knew them intimately and had the closest of There is a
relationships with them. Not so, though with those believers who were to come. There is a
quality of sameness in Christ's relationship with this circle, yet though it is alike in kind, it is
different in number. The Earthly Jesus did not know personally know who these as of yet un-
conceived believers were, yet He prayed for them with the same love and fervor. Most
especially, He prays for their unity. He prays that they would be unified in their love for one
another and their love for Christ. In so doing, they will fulfill the ultimate goal of all prayer, the
glorifying of God.
Murray points out that the great enemy of love is separation. Should the Holy Spirit replace the
spirit of separation with a spirit of unity, love must follow. Likewise, a spirit of unity overcomes
a spirit of selfishness. Why is this so? It is so because Jesus came - and went - yet remains.

Murray reminds us why all of this is so. It is about two things, abiding and giving. Because the
Father and the Son [and the Spirit] are one, they abide in each other. The Father has promised to
the Son and thence to us that He would do all things we ask, if we so abide. What a blessing it is
to enter into the Holy Union that has always existed between the Godhead! Can there be a
greater thing in the world? All of these things are summed up in the word, "Love."
I'm just a singer of simple songs, I'm not a real political man.
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran.
But I know Jesus and I talk to God. And I remember this from when I was young.
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us.
And the greatest is love.
And the greatest is love.
"Where were you when the World Stopped Turning?" Alan Jackson. 2001.
Lesson 28 Christ The Sacrifice [The Most Important Moment in History]
Summary:
 Whereas in the High Priestly prayer, Jesus was in the Holy of Holies presiding over the
altar; In Gethsemane, Christ becomes the sacrifice upon the Altar and [He didn't like it.]
 Death on the Cross and all His Passion was a follow-up to this moment in Gethsemane.
 Here, pro primum, the Man, Jesus spiritually understood what was going to happen; It is
through this experience that the writer of Hebrews can say that He was tempted "like in
all things as we.”
 Likewise, pro primum, he questioned whether this was really the Father's will.
 To wonder and question is no sin; rather it glorifies God depending on the response.
 Jesus' "Thy will" pays for & secures His right to pray the High Priestly (and all) prayers.
 To enter into true prayer (not pseudo-prayer) is to enter into timeless eternal union.
 Your editor has likened the Gethsemane scenario to a contract negotiation.
 While it is true that if we abide in Christ, our prayers are answered, the Holy Spirit
carries the "true" prayer to the Father who grants it in "the fullness of time," God answers
in His time and in His way for His glory.
 The Father's silence to the "if" gives the Son the time to reformulate the proper prayer;
in the timelessness of eternal prayer, the Father does His work through the Holy Spirit.
Scripture:

And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for you; remove this cup from
me; yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36.
What a difference a few hours makes. Shortly before, Christ has intoned the beautiful High
Priestly Prayer of John 17, the great, "I will . . ." But not deeply into the heart of Gethsemane,
His prayer is, ". . . never the less, not as I will but as thou wilt." In the first instance, we see the
High Priest in the sanctum sanctorum making the sacrifice. In the latter, we see Him as The
Sacrifice lifted high upon the altar. [There is an eternal pause between "remove this cup. . . ."
and "nevertheless not my will but thine be done."
Even though Christ is the Eternal Sacrifice, He is still the High Priest. It is the prerogative of the
High Priest to ask and have it given to Him. On Good Friday, Jesus made Himself the sacrifice,
but on Maundy Thursday, he likewise made Himself the sacrifice. On Friday He gave up His
body and ultimately His Spirit. On Thursday, He gave up His will.
Murray says that to everyone who wants to study in the School of Prayer with Christ, is given to
learn the lesson of Gethsemane. He calls this lesson one of the "most sacred and the most
precious." It is in this hour, not so much the three hours on the cross that Jesus won the victory.
Why do we say that? Because it is here that Jesus, the man, struggles with the greatest cosmic
clash possible, a battle of wills of the Man, Jesus and God's Son, Jesus. Ultimately, in that clash,
the Man yields. Though the High Priestly prayer of earlier in the book precedes this Gethsemane
prayer temporally, it is in this prayer, that Jesus buys the right to utter that prayer and by
extension, the right for those of us who pray in His Name to make our petition.
[As the reader will remember, we have said that when we enter into true prayer, as opposed to
pricatium pseudo (play-like prayer,) we enter into union with God, a union that is not of this
world but is of the spiritual world. We have also said that the concept of time is created solely for
this world. It is irrelevant to the Spiritual world. Thus, every prayer ever uttered is, in one sense,
uttered at the same time. God the Father by His sovereignty, chooses the order in which to
address them. It is in that sense that Murray can make the statement above.]
[This scenario seems to raise an issue of the truth of what Murray has said all along, that all
prayer in Jesus' Name will be answered, because here we have the very Jesus, Himself praying
and being told that His prayer is not the will of the Father. Murray answers this deeply
theological issue by stating that the answer lies in the sacrifice that Jesus makes at this point - the
point where He says, "Not my will, but Thine be done." To further explain, we note what Murray
calls the "infinite difference" between the High Priestly Prayer and the Prayer of Gethsemane.
Note carefully Murray's choice of the word "infinite." That is a deliberate, reasoned and very
literal usage.]
Murray says that In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prays, "I will . . ." in His position as Royal
High Priest, [the Regnius Pontifix Magnus]. In Gethsemane, He prays as the Lamb upon the very
altar presided over by the Pontifix Magnus. There, He prayed to glorify the Father and to glorify

Himself, matters clearly within the will of the Father. Here, though He prays upon a matter of
which, in His mind for the first time since eternity past, He is not sure is within the Father's will.
Up until this point, He has been very clear in thought that His suffering and death would be in
the Father's will and He makes this abundantly clear to the disciples. Now, however, for the very
first time, the realization of what that would mean begins to dawn on Him and Jesus, the Man
becomes unsure.
[Murray characterizes the scene a little differently, but I would liken it to a contract negotiation.
The Father puts forth an offer - the cross. Note that I call it an "offer" because Jesus, being in the
nature of "very God" is perfectly and completely free to reject the offer. Had He done that, He
would have sinned and as we might say, "all bets would be off." In that case, it would not
be Him but us who would be undone and hopeless. This is, then the pivotal moment in eternal
history - past, present, future, or any other way to slice it. But - here is the "biggest "but" ever,
He does not reject the offer, He makes a counter-offer. Is this sin?]
No, it is not. In fact, it is exactly what the Father desires and what brings Him glory - His
pouring our fear, doubt, mistrust, and contrary wishes to the Father. Such is not sin. How many
Bible heroes have doubted and struggled with God? Abraham, Jacob, the patriarchs, David, the
prophets, John the Baptizer, Peter, Thomas and the rest of the apostles, even the venerable Saint
Paul. But - and here is that word again - but, in the end they yielded. So did the Man Jesus. Here
Jesus begins to taste not the agony, suffering, or even the dying, but the separation from the
Father.
[If it is so as we said above that true prayers are borne by God's Holy Spirit to leave this realm of
flesh and blood and enter into the realm of the Heavenly, being in nature timeless, may I submit
that Christ anticipates His prayer of Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, echoing Psalm 22:1,“Eli,
Eli, lema sabachthani? My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" He has never in is
eternal per-existence contemplated not being God. That is enough to give anyone pause. In the
meantime, the Father tacitly rejects the counter-offer and renews the principal - the cross.]
[That - that - oh that is what causes the Man Jesus to have a second thought. And yet, in that
thought, for that second, for that maxime nunc cruciatur, that supremely excruciating moment,
He turns His will back to that of the Father as He accepts the Father's offer and utters in
inexpressible agony, "Παρ 'όλα αυτά, δεν πρέπει να γίνει το δικό μου θέλημα αλλά το δικό σου",
"Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done." Mark 14:36b. Note here that your editor has
supplied original Aramaic, Latin and Greek in an effort to highlight the drama of this
instant in time. Its importance to us cannot be overstated in any language whether that of
men or of angels. 1 Corinthians 13:1.]
Murray notes that Jesus repeats this phrase three times. [In Hebrew numerology, three is the
number for God, referring to the three persons of the Trinity.] In so doing, He realizes that the
prayer for mercy for Himself could not be granted because the Father not only had a different
answer, but had a better idea.

[Could it be that the Father's silence to the merciful prayer was indeed a granting of mercy - but
not for Jesus - for us instead? Does this say to us that in those times when we are abiding in
Christ and utter a plea for mercy, and we receive what appears to be either no answer or a
negative one, that the Holy Spirit in those Pauline groans that cannot be uttered takes the proper
prayer to the Father who always hears and answers?]
Murray takes us back to his original statement. This moment [that I have termed the maxime
nunc cruciatur,] was necessary for Christ to be our true Savior and advocate. It is in this moment
that it comes to literal truth what the writer of Hebrews tells us in 4:15, "For we do not have a
high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all
things as we are, yet without sin." (Emphasis added.)
Now, Christ can truly and joyfully offer us unlimited answered prayer because He knows it not
only as part of the Godhead but by experience. Murray points out how much all the irony that
Heaven can muster is brought to bear in Christ.
His prayer went unanswered that our prayers would always be answered. He said, "Not as I will"
that we might abide in that will. He was cursed that we might be blessed. He was made captive
that we might be made free. He suffered that we could be relieved. He bore our stripes that we
might be healed. His body was mangled that ours might be made perfect. He was declared guilty
that we could be declared free. He became ultimate sin so that we could have sin forgiven. He
died that we might live. His rose to life again on the old Earth that we might rise to live on the
New Earth. Finally, He lives with the Father that we might live with Him.
There is a great lesson that Christ teaches us in Gethsemane; it is the restatement of the spiritual
fact that in God's economy, everything appears reversed to us because we do not see through His
eyes. In truth, it is we who see reversed, not Him. In this iteration of the great principle, we must
learn that we receive our true will by relinquishing our will to the Father. We receive eternal life
by laying down daily our Earthly life. We are ultimately blessed by our blessing others. By
giving glory to God only, He reflects it upon us.
Finally, because at Gethsemane, Christ's prayer was answered in an unexpected way, He
obtained the potestas defacto et de jure, the power by right and by personal overcoming, to say
to us with unquestioned assurance that if you abide in Me, ask what you will and it will be given.
The abiding in Him is the secret to answered prayer.
[I am reminded of the beautiful song, "Eternal Life" by Olive Dungan (1904-1997.) It is a
musical setting of the famous words of the poem known as the "Prayer of St. Francis (of
Assisi,)" the 13th Century Italian saint and founder of the Franciscan order.]
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pard’ning that we are pardoned;
There is in dying, we walk in light in eternal life.
Lesson 29 Our Boldness in Prayer
Summary:
 Hindrances to prayer: Our doubt that we can know God's will; or, we are too lazy to wait
for revelation.
 The remedy is to persevere in prayer. He will reveal His will.
 We will persevere only if we believe we will have an answer.
 The answer, though may take time.
 God's will is patent, revealed in the Bible and latent, revealed by the Spirit.
 First step: Apply the Word, its general principles. We cannot abide in Christ if we do not
abide in His Word.
 Importantly, we must follow up every prayer by our actions. Deeds follow words.
 Where the Word is silent, we have the duty to pray for the Spirit's revelation; Spiritual
wisdom is in balance.
 We err in blaming God for not answering when we have not followed protocol.
 Working in the process is the prime blessing, not the object sought, though that is a
secondary blessing.
 Learning to discern the Spirit is a daily task. We "play like we practice:" If we don't
practice in the Spirit daily, we will not be able to "make the play" when the game of need
comes.
Scripture:
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to
His will, He hears us. 15
And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know
that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. John 5:14-15.

This continues and explains more fully Lesson 28. In that Lesson, we observed Jesus' momentary
doubt that He knew the will of the Father. In the same way, one of our greatest hindrances to
prayer is our lack of confidence that know the will of the Father so that we can pray in it. As
long as we doubt that we know the Father's will, we cannot pray in the confidence that He has
promised us an answer. This is precisely the opposite of what the writer John intended. See v. 14
in which John opens the thought with the statement, "This is the confidence which we have . . ."
(Emphasis added.)
Let's examine this doubt and see if there is a remedy. We are operating under the erroneous
assumption that God has two wills. One will is clearly expressed in His word, both logos and
rhema. John has a presupposition here that before we pray, we knows God's will. While that may
have been John's situation, unfortunately it is too often not ours. To compound our misery, even
if our pray is within God's will, though He answer, the answer is frequently not instantly
delivered. At the outset, we can say that the delayed answer may be for the purpose of teaching
us the beauty of persevering in prayer. We can so persevere because we have the confidence of
an answer.
Nevertheless, in our post-modern society where we have come to expect everything to be
instantaneous. We reason that we do not or cannot know God's will on the subject, we lose this
intention, and we give up. The great mistake here is two-fold. Either we are under the
assumption that we cannot know God's will. Or we may in our heart of hearts believe that it is
possible to know God's will but we are too spiritually lazy to take the time to find it out.
What we must first understand is that prayer is a multifaceted process with wide-ranging results
affecting many people in addition to ourselves. If we back up and realized that God's Word
living in our lives and we abide in His desires to teach us His will, but more so, it desires to take
us through the process.
Let's consider His Word. Murray admits that there is an unrevealed, latent (Murray says,
"Secret,"} will that God has concerning the subject, but we don't need to worry about the "secret"
will. Rather, we need to focus our attention on the latent will but on the patent will, that which is
clearly revealed [as Henry Blackaby says, "by the Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstance
and the Church. As we know, misdirected aiming always leads to missing the true target and
here, the true target is this patent will.]
The first step in seeking God's will is always to apply His logos (written) Word. What does the
scripture say? The less we are practiced in reading or recalling the scripture, the more difficult
will be this first step; but the converse is equally true. In God's written Word, He has revealed
every general principle, and every plan for us and for the world needed in any age. We must find
it, read it or remember it and believe it in child-like trust. In many cases, the mere application of
the logos to our hearts will be our answer. [It was written before the foundation of the world.]

John gives us an example of this in the very next verse. "If anyone sees his brother committing a
sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not
leading to death." 1 John 5:16a.
[Thus we can say, first you've got to know and be able to remember and apply what God has said
in His Word. We cannot "abide in Christ" if we don't know where Christ is; But in the Word, He
has told us, "Where I am there you may be also. John 14:3. As we know, if we are not abiding in
Him, we are not promised an answer.]
[In the example of 1 John 5:16a, Murray does not tell us how God will give the offender life
based on our prayer. May I submit that if we do as we have been previously bidden by Murray to
followup on our prayers, IE, telling the offender that we have seen his sin and are not
condemning him but are praying for him, our followup may well be the completion to our prayer
for his life as he, recognizing his sin, repents and himself asks for forgiveness.]
Probably, the application of the logos to the situation answers many more prayers than we might
imagine, but there are those cases where it does not. Murray says that in such a situation, God's
rhema is required and will be freely and lovingly given. Generally speaking, the logos resides in
the realm of the soul - the mind and the reason. The rhema, on the other hand, resides within the
realm of the spirit. Not everyone is given the same gifts in discerning the spirit. [1 John 4:1.] But
everyone is given the same duty to seek it.
Murray tells us that the "wisdom of the saints" lies in "knowing the specific will of God
according to the measure of grace given us" and to ask what God has prepared as a suitable
answer. The personal application of the general logos in only done by the Spirit. When this
action takes place, we come into spiritual union with Christ through the teaching of His Word.
We saints may err in two opposite directions. Some seek the leading of the Spirit in an inner
"feeling" or "impression;" others seek it in the strict application of the logos. As with most things
in the Christian, the truth lies in the balance of the two poles. Only in the Word and in the Spirit
can we truly know the will of God and pray according to it.
Murray tells us that to those who are abiding in Christ, in such cases, there is a "quickening" of
our spirit; but it is only to those who so abide and who are willing to yield our dead spirit to the
quickening Holy Spirit as Christ did in Gethsemane. When we have done both, God will show us
how to pray in His will and in so doing have confidence that He will hear.
Murray goes on to chide us [rightfully so] for failing to pray because we don't know how God
would have us pray. This is tantamount to blaming God for our failure. God desperately wants us
to know His will so we can pray within it and have our answer; but more so, He wants us to
engage Him in the process of learning that will.

[Once more, we see that the process, not the object sought, is the blessing because when we
engage God's Word, will and ways, we engage Him. If I may once more be permitted a sports
analogy previously stated to the effect that "we play like we practice." If we consider the time of
the need of the Spirit's special guidance in a matter of prayer as the "game," we must view our
daily life as the time of practice. Just as a team practices poorly, it will play poorly, when we do
not abide in Christ and in His Spirit on a daily basis, we cannot expect His special filling in the
hour of need.]
Murray adds a note to the lesson in which he states as follows.
There is often confusion as to the will of God. People think that whatever God wills must
inevitably take place. This is by no means the case. God wills a great deal of blessing to his
people that never comes to them. He wills it most earnestly but they do not will it. Hence, it
cannot come to them. This is the great mystery of man's free will and the renewal of his will in
redemption. God has made the execution of His will dependent on the will of man. God's will in
His promises will be fulfilled as much as or faith allow. Prayer is the power by which something
comes to pass which otherwise would not have taken place. And faith the power which
determines how much of God's will is done in us. (Emphasis added.)
[I must confess that I thought I understood this, but now, not so much. We wrote upon this
extensively in an addendum to Lesson 11, q.v. In that comment, we said about all that needs to
be said about it. May I suggest that at this point in our study, we not "get wrapped around (the
theological) axle" with it, accept it for what it is, and move on to our final conclusion that, I
submit will be much more practically important than arguing theological niceties.]

Lesson 30 The Ministry of Intercession
Summary:
 We, like Christ, all called to be intercessory priests; we are privileged to be "joint
Intercessors" with Him.
 Priesthood ha three components: Work, Walk, and Way.
 Work: The Priest mediates between man and God. We are tasked to do this with Christ.
It's not optional.
 Murray: This is a full-time job and requires our full time devoted the God and to His
people.
 However, even the Temple priests were part-timers. Can we be?
 Walk: The priest is called to be set apart and not do or touch the unclean. So should we
be.
 The mark of a true priest is one who lives only for God and his fellow man.
 Way: Priests were born into the office by water and blood, but were consecrated for it
with blood.
 Likewise, we are born of water (baptism) and of blood (Christ's) but we must set
ourselves aside for it.
 The extent to which we do this determines our fitness for the priesthood.
Scripture:
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5.
But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
you will be spoken of as ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast. Isaiah 61:6.
Christ is the anointed High Priest. Since we are called to abide in Him, we likewise are called to
share in his life and vocation to which He is called. This makes us, as we pointed out in a
previous lesson, "Joint Intercessors." Like it or not, we believers are all, in effect called to be
priests under Christ, our High Priest. It is our great honor and privilege, but it is a duty of which
we too often neglect, to our shame and sorrow. As such, we will consider three aspects of this
vocation: the work of the priest, the walk of the priest, and the way of the priest.
As to work, the priest has work upward and downward. The Aaronic priest made intercession to
God for the sin and blessing of the people. Likewise, he had the distinct privilege of coming out
of the holy temple of the spirit life and announce the restoration of these to the people. In
Deuteronomy, Moses reported the Word of the Lord to Israel that they were to set aside the Tribe
of Levi as priests. Thus, Murray says, the priest did not live unto himself, but lived only to serve
God and to serve for God. It is the call of every believers to likewise serve as a priest ministering
to God for man and for God to man.

[I must point out here that the priests that ministered in the temple were not full time. During the
40 years of wandering in the wilderness and until the Temple was built in Jerusalem, the priests
performed their priestly service in the Tabernacle. See Numbers 1:47–54, Numbers 3:5–13,
Numbers 3:44–51, and Numbers 8:5–26. Their duties involved offering the daily and holiday
sacrifices, and blessing the people in a Priestly Blessing. Interestingly, we see this blessing also
dispensed by priests of Roman and Orthodox Catholic faiths.]
[When the First and Second Temples were built, the priests assumed these same roles. They were
divided into 24 groups, each group consisting of six priestly families. Each of the 24 served for
one complete week, with each of the six serving one day per week, on the Sabbath all six worked
in together. According to later rabbinical interpretation, these 24 groups changed every Sabbath.
On the biblical festivals, all 24 were present in the Temple for duty. Thus, the individual priest's
assignment was temporary. The rest of their time, they went back to their family to make a
living.]
Murray continues. As there was the work of the priest, there was the walk, the lifestyle. He gives
us examples of the degrees to which God set forth rules for the priest to be ceremonially clean in
his ministry. Were he to become unclean, he could not serve until the uncleanness was purged.
Murray tells us that we, likewise are to "forsake everything and, like Christ, have only need for
God. . . This marks the true priest, the man who lives only for God and for his fellow-man."
Lastly, there is the way of the priest. The priests were priests by birth as sons of Aaron. [Levites,
likewise were sons of Aaron's father, Levi, as was Moses, but not descendants directly of Aaron.
Hence, Levites and not priests.] They could not, however assume their priesthood until they were
consecrated first by being ceremonially washed in water and then by the sprinkling and touching
with the blood of the sacrifice made for them. Likewise, believers are washed in water at
baptism, the symbol that we are a new person in Christ; and we are sprinkled with the Blood of
the Lamb that was slain just for us. The more a believer is given over to the Holy Spirit, the more
will be his fitness and ability to carry out the new duties of a priest in the "now."
Lesson 31 The Life of Prayer
Summary:
 While the parable of the persistent widow teaches persistence in a single thing, the
Epistles teach persistence in prayer as a lifestyle.
 If we seek to do this on our own, we will fail.
 For prayer to be effective, we must be persistent in both aspects; we must believe in the
promise.
 Murray says: Sacrifice your life to God's Kingdom and glory; Start to believe that our
prayer is effective; Pray a lot and then work a little; and Pray without ceasing.
 Forget selfish pride and just say, "Lord, teach me to pray." Then be quiet.

Scripture:
Rejoice always; Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for
you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Murray tells us that the parable of the persistent widow and the unrighteous judge seem to teach
us that value of her persistence to receive a particular. However, [or better, "In addition,"] the
Epistles extend this persistence to a life of continual prayer. This, of course begs the question, so,
how does one do this?"
Murray states that undoubtedly the first thing is "an entire sacrifice of one's life to God's
Kingdom and His glory." He points out that if you try to pray without ceasing because you
merely wants to be "pious and good," you will not succeed.
We must believe that our prayers will be effective and we must be persistent in prayer. Most
importantly, realize that Jesus taught to pray. There is a tendency to pray a little and then proceed
with the work. This is backwards. Pray a lot and then work a little. The little we do will be
infinitely more effective. Pray without ceasing.
[Frankly, I was hoping for a "So here is what you do" from Murray. We don't get one - or do we?
In this summation lesson though, perhaps there is guidance.] Murray tells us the following:
 Sacrifice your life to God's Kingdom and glory.
 Start to believe that our prayer is effective.
 Pray a lot and then work a little.
 Pray without ceasing.
[At this point, I was going to launch into what X, Y, and Z had to say on the subject, all the while
hoping to find the deeply guarded secret. Perhaps that puts me in the position of the rich young
ruler (though I am none of these) who came to Jesus and asked rather confidently, "Good Master,
what must I do to be saved?" Let's set out the whole colloquy and see what the "Good Master"
teaches the brash young man.]
As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him,
“Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 18
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you
call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19
You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT
MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not
defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 20
And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all
these things from my youth up.” 21
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him,
“One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22
But at these words he was saddened, and he went away
grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
23
And Jesus, looking around, *said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are
wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”

24
The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and *said to them,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25
It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26
They were even more
astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27
Looking at them, Jesus *said, “With
people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:17-27.
[Let's nail ourselves to the crux of the matter - pride. The young man thought he could do some
noble deed to merit Heaven. His first thought was about himself. It was also his last thought. In
this, we see the very epitome of pride. Because of that, he "went away sorrowing." Jesus
reinforces the thought in His answer to the questions raised by the disciples. "With man it
impossible, but with God, all things are possible.]
[May I submit that my question of Murray was basically the same the young man asked, "What
must I do to . . ." WRONG QUESTION. In fact, the situation does not even call for a question,
it calls for a discharge of pride with the primacy of the "Lord."]
[Lastly, perhaps Murray gives us the answer the unasked question in the phrase he intones at the
conclusion of every lesson, "Lord, teach me to pray." That's it. Start there. Get alone and still,
bow your head, close your eyes, say, "Lord teach me to pray . . . and then be quiet and listen.]
[We've had 31 deeply theological lessons, some of which we barely can read let alone
understand. The Lord will apply them to our hearts as He sees fit, if He sees fit, when He sees
fit.]
"Be still and know that I AM God." Psalm 46:10.
"But seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness and all these other things will be
added unto you." Matthew 6:33.
AMEN.

Prayer.13.murray.25...31.03.29.15

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