Please rise for the reading of Holy Scripture. Our New Testament lesson comes from Revelation chapter eight. We will read the first six verses. When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended before God from the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. This is the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We'll turn now to our Old Testament lesson and sermon text, Psalm 21. As I said in the announcements, our focus this morning will be on verses one to seven, but for the sake of context, we'll read the entirety of Psalm 21. To the chief musician, Psalm of David. The king shall have joy in your strength, O Lord, and in your salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice. You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. For you meet him with the blessings of goodness. You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. He asked life from you, and you gave it to him. Length of days, forever and ever. His glory is great in your salvation. Honor and majesty you have placed upon him, for you have made him most blessed forever. You have made him exceedingly glad with your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not be moved. Your hand will find all your enemies. Your right hand will find those who hate you. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the Lord shall devour them. Their offspring you shall destroy from the earth, and their descendants from among the sons of men, for they intended evil against you. They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore you shall make them turn their back. You shall make ready your arrows on your string toward their faces. Be exalted, O Lord, in your own strength. We will sing and praise your power. Grass withers, flower fades, the word of God stands forever. Amen. You may be seated. I wanna talk about prayer this morning. Typically when you think about prayer, you often have your own prayers in mind. Christian prayers, the prayers of God's people. But that's not what I plan to talk about today. No, I want to talk about someone else's prayers, someone else's petitions. Not the prayers of Christians, but the prayers of Christ. Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus prayed? that Jesus poured out his soul while he was on this earth. And not only that, but Jesus continues to pray. Jesus prays in heaven. It is an important, though I believe often neglected truth, that your Savior prays. What does he pray for? What is on Jesus' prayer list? What does he bring to the Father? Among other passages such as Psalm 2 or John 17, Psalm 21, the passage we just read, gives us a kind of window into the prayer life of our Lord. a glimpse of the kinds of things Jesus prays for. And really, this is the far side of prayer, because in Psalm 20 that we looked at last week, we have the king crying out to God, and here in Psalm 21, we see the fulfillment of those cries. We get a list of the various things that Jesus prayed for and the ways in which God answered them. This morning, we're gonna consider Jesus' prayer life from two perspectives, which correspond to two locations. First, Christ's humiliation on earth, and then his exaltation in heaven. And along the way, I want you to see how Jesus' prayers should provide a model and an empowerment for your own prayers. First, During his humiliation, Jesus prayed on the earth. During his humiliation, Jesus prayed on the earth. And before we jump into the passage, you might reasonably wonder, if Jesus is God, and he is, John 1,1, amongst so many other passages, how is it appropriate for him to pray? You might say, does God pray to himself? Does that make sense? Well, a couple of factors to keep in mind as we consider the prayers of the king. First, the son, although of the same substance as the father, is personally distinct from the father. There are three persons in the Godhead, and because that is true, one member of the Godhead may speak to another. The son may address the father. We see this, for example, in the eternal covenant of redemption, where the Father, representing the Godhead, made a covenant with the Son in prospect of His incarnation. There is a kind of covenant conversation between the two. We also see this in the Old Testament, in the figure of the angel of the Lord, who comes on behalf of the Father and who addresses and speaks of the Father. Personal distinction opens up the door for interpersonal conversation. The son may speak to the father. Second factor, which is perhaps even more vital to understand for this psalm, is that Jesus, although truly, fully God, is also truly and fully man, since his incarnation 2,000 years ago. As a true man, it is eminently appropriate for Jesus to pray to his Father in heaven. As we consider his prayers on the earth, we're gonna ask a series of questions about them. First of all, a question we already asked, but coming back to it, what did Jesus pray for? What was on his prayer list on the earth? We're just gonna walk through the psalm. According to verse one, Jesus prayed for strength and salvation. The king shall have joy in your strength, O Lord, and in your salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice. According to verse two, he prayed for the granting of his heart's desire. Look at verse two. You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. According to verse three, he prayed for the blessings of goodness, especially for a kingdom. Look at verse three. For you meet him with the blessings of goodness, you set a crown of pure gold upon his head. According to verse four, he prayed for everlasting life. Again, Jesus prays for this. He's praying according to his humanity to have everlasting life. He asked life from you and you gave it to him, length of days, forever and ever. He prayed not simply for life, but for length of days. And not just long life, but everlasting life, forever and ever. According to verse five, he prayed for great glory. His glory is great in your salvation, honor and majesty you have placed upon him. According to verse six, he prayed for unique and unending blessing, namely God's presence. For you have made him most blessed forever. You have made him exceedingly glad with your presence. According to verse seven, he prayed for merciful immovability. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High, he shall not be moved. Sounds like Psalm 16. Sounds like Psalm 15. He shall not be moved. According to verses eight to 12, he prayed for victory over his enemies. And next time, we're gonna look at these verses in detail, how to think about our enemies, because we have them. But just for now, let's look at verse eight. Your hand will find all your enemies. Your right hand will find those who hate you. That's what Jesus prayed for. This is quite a prayer list. Strength, salvation, his heart's desire, the blessings of goodness, a crown of pure gold, everlasting life, great glory, unique and unending blessing, divine presence, merciful immovability, victory, and the Father's glory. It might remind you of what Jesus prayed for in John 17, the upper room discourse, when he said, and now, Father, glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was. That's what Jesus prayed for. Whom did he pray for? Whom did he pray for? We know from the psalm that he prayed for himself. He prayed for his own blessing and glory. But we also know from the Gospels that he prayed for Peter. Luke 22, verses 31 to 32 say this, and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, indeed, Satan has asked for you. that he may sift you as wheats, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. The reason that Peter could be restored on the other side of failure and then go on to be a great apostle who preached at the day of Pentecost was directly tied to the prayers of Jesus on his behalf. I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail, that you may not be another Judas, that you may be a repentant sinner. Not just for Peter, but he prayed for the other disciples. Again, in John 17, he says, I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. He prayed for this apostolic band, for their unity, for their joy, their preservation, and their sanctification. Sanctify them in thy truth, thy word is truth. Congregation, I want to encourage you. His prayers did not terminate on himself. They did not terminate on Peter. They did not terminate on those original disciples. Jesus also prayed for each one of you. Each one of you who claims the name of Christ. In every generation, he says, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. While he was on earth, the incarnate Son of God He prayed for you. He prayed for me. He prayed for us. He prayed for our unity, that we would be one, even as he and his father are one. He prayed for our evangelistic success, that all the world might know that Jesus is king. He prayed for our perfection. We might be like our father in heaven. He prayed for heavenly glory, that we might receive that glory in him. We've seen what and whom he prayed for, but how did he pray? How did Jesus pray? Look again at verse seven. It says, for the king trusts in the Lord. The king trusts in the Lord. That's why the Spirit reveals the king's prayers were answered. For he trusts in the Lord. Touching his deity, Christ is equal to the Father. Yet touching his humanity, Jesus prayed independence upon his father. As a true man, he had constant recourse to the throne of grace, crying out to heaven. And just think about this for a moment. If Jesus, as a true man, the only perfect man, if he felt the need to pray in faith to his heavenly Father, how much more should you, imperfect, sinful, wretched men, women, and children, feel our need to pray in faith? If Jesus felt the need to pray independence, far be it from us to not sense our own sense of desperate need to pray, to pray independence, to pray in reliance, to pray in trust in our heavenly father. That's what he prayed for, that's whom he prayed for, that's how he prayed, he prayed in faith. Another question, upon what basis did he pray? Now this goes beyond the scope of Psalm 21, but the whole counsel of God speaks and suggests an eternal counsel of peace, a covenant of redemption between the father representing the Godhead and the son in prospect of his incarnation. And in this eternal pact, this eternal agreement, the father made specific promises to his son, upon his fulfilling certain conditions. For example, according to Psalm 2, God promised his anointed that if his anointed did the task laid before him, he would grant him the nations as his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. When he prayed, Jesus was not creating what we would call a kind of Amazon wish list of whim. And Caprice, no, what Jesus did when he prayed, he was claiming the explicit promises of the covenant of redemption. He was saying, behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given unto me, God, you have given me these people that none of them would be lost. Lord, preserve them all the way to the end. Lord, you've told me that if I kept the conditions of this covenant, you would give me the nations as my inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth as my possession. He prayed on the basis of this eternal covenant. When did he pray? When do you pray? When did our Savior pray? Well, He prayed all the time. He prayed continually. He prayed early in the morning. He prayed late into the night. He fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. He was constantly in communication with His Father. Where did He pray? He prayed everywhere. He prayed in the boat. He prayed beside the shore. He prayed atop the mountain. He prayed in the garden. As a second Adam, going back to the garden, he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane these words. Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. When you think about the work of Christ for us men and for our salvation, don't just think about the cross. And don't just think about the empty tomb. And don't just think about the miracles. And don't just think about the casting out of demons. Think about the prayers of Jesus as he's on the cusp of crucifixion, crying out to his father, Lord, if it is possible, take away this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. And an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly than his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Jesus prayed in the garden. He prayed on the cross. Jesus, as he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, did not stop praying. On the cross, he said, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He took upon his lips Psalm 22.1, and he prayed them as the true and final Davidic king. He prayed on the cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He's praying for forgiveness for his enemies. On the cross, when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. With his last breath, he is petitioning his Father, entrusting himself into the hands of his Father, saying, it is finished. I tell you, Jesus prayed, and he prayed on earth. He prayed. And Psalm 21 is a window into the prayer life of our Lord. It is the far side of all those prayers, those prayers for a kingdom, for a crown, prayers for a people, prayers for strength, prayers for salvation, prayers for blessing, prayers for merciful immovability, prayers for victory over the powers of this age. Psalm 21 is the far side of all those prayers. It's the answer to Psalm 20. And we get a little bit of a glimpse of that because of the emphasis on joy. Look at verse one. It says, the king shall have joy in your strength. And in your salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice. Or verse six. you have made him exceedingly glad with your presence. The theme of joy is like a pulse beat through this psalm. It's electrifying. There is something about the joy of Christ. And what does that remind us of? It reminds us of the writer to the Hebrews who says, for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. All these prayers he prayed in anticipation of joy on the other side of Calvary. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death and was heard because of his godly fear, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Jesus prayed on earth with cries, with vehement shouts, with tears, with petitions, with supplications, and the Bible says that God heard him. And we know that, we have authentication of that because of Psalm 21. Psalm 21 is a prophetic record of the fulfillment of the prayers of Christ on earth. And truly, this is the case. Even in his shout, it is finished, that was a victory cry over the powers of this age, over the devil, over demons, over hell itself, over death itself. And when he descended into hell, into Hades, into Sheol, the place and state of the dead, he did not go there to suffer further, rather he went to proclaim his victory over the spirits in prison. And on that great resurrection morning on the third day when he rose and was declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, this was God giving him life, long life, everlasting life, length of days forever and ever because now he lives in the power of an endless life. And then after 40 days of teaching on the kingdom of God, he ascended into heaven, a kind of victory parade, extending his arms of blessing to his disciples. He was caught up in a cloud, and then he appeared as a son of man before the ancient of days, and was given to him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth. And all of heaven shouted, all of heaven cried, so to speak, long live the king. God saved the king. The greatest coronation in the history of the cosmos happened that day when Jesus ascended into the heavenly courtroom and was given to him a kingdom, a crown of pure gold. And then he sat down. You don't think about this very much, but then he sat down, an image of victory, an image of royal rest. He sat down in the throne, and there he shall sit until he makes his enemies his footstool. Occasionally we know he stands as he stood when Stephen cried out to him as he responded to the voice of the martyr, but he primarily, we are told, sits as the enthroned Davidic king. and there he presently rules and he reigns. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. During his humiliation, Jesus prayed on earth, and Psalm 21 tells us his prayers were answered. Now you might wonder, did his prayers end? After he rose again from the dead, After he ascended into heaven, after he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, did Jesus' prayers end? Psalm 72, verse 20 says, the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. Well, does the Bible in Revelation 22 say the prayers of Jesus, the son of God, are ended? Well, congregation, I have good news for you. His prayers have not ended. That brings us to a second perspective, a second location, that since his exaltation, Jesus continues to pray in heaven. Not only did Jesus pray, but he continues to pray. And this, again, is part and parcel of his high priestly ministry. He's been ordained a priest king according to the order of Melchizedek. And I love how our short catechism captures this component of his ministry. It says, Christ executed at the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God and in making continual intercession for us. When you think of Jesus as the great high priest, sometimes you stop with the image of the altar and the sacrifice and the sword and the blood and the fire and the ascension of smoke, but you forget We forget that Jesus' high priestly ministry does not terminate with the cross. It continues in heaven because in heaven, as the Lamb of God, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus continues to intercede as a priest on your behalf. Romans 8, 34, it is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Not made intercession, merely, but makes intercession. Hebrews 7, verses 24 to 25, but he, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood, therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, Why? Since he always lives to make intercession for us. He always lives to make intercession for us. He has an unceasing, ongoing, continual ministry of intercessory prayer. Now how can we apply this important, though often neglected truth that Jesus prayed, and for our purposes even more important, that he continues to pray? Well, three uses before we close, three applications. First, I wanna encourage each of you to meditate on and marvel at the priestly intercession of Christ. I'll say that again. Meditate on and marvel at the priestly intercession of Christ. Don't stop at the cross. Go to the cross, but don't stop at the cross. Don't stop at the empty tomb. A lot of Christians, if they go beyond the empty tomb, they skip ahead in the story of the second coming, and that's a glorious truth. But don't skip ahead. Yes, look ahead, but remember that there is a present ministry of Jesus in heaven right now for you of prayer. I call each of you to lift up your hearts, to look up to heaven where Christ is. Consider not only who he is, and what he has done, but where he is and what he is doing. Jesus is not in the grave. Jesus is in heaven, and he is active. He is not only ruling, but he is interceding on behalf of his covenant people. This is what he's doing right now, and this should revolutionize your view of worship. that what happens in worship from call to benediction is the priestly, kingly ministry of Christ in heaven. I'm just a human minister who speaks as a representative, who speaks in the name of Christ, but ultimately all the power comes from the word of Christ and the spirit of Christ. In public worship, what is happening is that Jesus is leading us in worship. Jesus is speaking to us through his word. Jesus is even leading us in prayer. When we cry for mercy, when we make petitions, we are entering into the intercessory ministry of Christ. He's catching up our petitions and then laying them before the Father's throne. If there's any weeds in that heavenly bouquet, they are discarded, and Jesus presents a beautiful bouquet of flowers before his Father, a pleasing incense, a sweet-smelling aroma, and God is pleased with our prayers through the prayers of Christ. Meditate on this and marvel at it. Second use, second application, take comfort and consolation from the priestly intercession of Christ. This is one of the sweetest, most encouraging realities you could ever consider. Are you struggling with guilt this morning over sins that you've already confessed and already forsaken? Do you have sins of your youth that revisit you in your mind, and you seem to not be able to shake them? They have a way of clinging to you. It's like a serpent whose head has been severed from the body, but it still snaps its jaws at you from time to time. You sense guilt over sins you've already confessed, you've already forsaken, you've left behind. Well, let me encourage you. There is one in heaven who prays for you. There is one in heaven who prays for you. Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary. They pour effectual prayers. They strongly plead for me. Forgive him, oh forgive, they cry. Forgive him, oh forgive, they cry, nor let that ransom sinner die. You are held close in the nail-pierced hands of Christ because he prays for you in heaven. Are you struggling with indwelling sin? As a Christian, is there that fight between the spirit and the flesh, and there are certain besetting sins, perhaps even what we might be tempted to call dominating sins, that have gotten you a chokehold on your life? Are you struggling in the trenches of mortification and vivification, sanctification? Well, let me encourage you. There is one in heaven who prays for you. There is one in heaven who has poured out the Holy Spirit upon you. There is one in heaven who was raised by the same power that is resident inside you. Take encouragement in the fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh, that Jesus prays for you, that your faith may not fail. Jesus prays for you and encourages you in the fight. Are you lonely and discouraged? Are you lonely? There's one in heaven who prays for you. He said in his upper room discourse, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever, the spirit of truth. There's one in heaven who prays for you and has sent the Holy Spirit as another helper, a comforter, an intercessor, an advocate, an encourager. You're not alone. Jesus, by the Spirit, has baptized you into this body. And you have brothers and sisters in Christ who love you and care about you. You're not alone. Are you struggling with unbelief? Are you crying out, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. You're on the ropes. You're falling off the guardrail. Well, there is one in heaven who prays for you, who says, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. You can claim the language addressed to Peter for yourself, for we have like precious faith with Peter. Jesus prays for you that your faith would not fail, that though you fall, you shall arise. Though you stumble, Jesus will pick you up, and he'll bring you back on the straight and narrow road, and he will lead you all the way home. Are you at odds with your brother or sister in Christ? Are there problems? An estranged parent, an estranged brother in Christ. Disunity in the home, there is one in heaven who prays for you. And what does Jesus pray? Jesus prays that they may all be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. Jesus prays knowing that it is good and it is pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity. take comfort and consolation from the priestly intercession of Christ. Yes, Jesus loved me, and he gave himself for me, but he still loves me, and he continues to pray for me. He's loved me with an everlasting love that never began, and he loves me with an everlasting love that will never end. Final exhortation, and that is Pray according to the pattern through the mediation for the glory of Christ. Pray according to the pattern. We have the Lord's Prayer. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. If you're not sure how to pray, start there. Go to the Psalms that are inspired by the Spirit of Christ. Jesus has modeled for us what prayer looks like. If you don't know what to pray for, pray Psalm 21. Pray for salvation, pray for strength, pray for joy, pray for the blessings of goodness, pray for life, pray for eternal life, pray for honor and majesty. Pray as Jesus prayed. but also pray through His mediation. This is very important. Jesus, by His crosswork, has opened up a new and living way. He's passed through the veil into the heavenly sanctuary where He prays for us now, and that means when you pray, you pray in Jesus' name. You pray through His mediation. You come to God through Christ. And finally, pray for Jesus' sake. Pray for Jesus' glory. Don't just pray these things for yourself in Psalm 21. Pray them for Jesus. Say, God, give him strength. Give him the kingdom. In other words, give him the kingdom, extend his kingdom, expand his kingdom, thy kingdom come. Pray for honor and majesty to be placed upon him. Pray that God would give Jesus the nations. We prayed for Zimbabwe. We can pray for Canada, we can pray for the United Kingdom, we can pray for America. Pray that God would give Christ the nations, that civil rulers would bow before him and kiss the sun, lest they perish when he is angry in the way. Pray for the glory of Christ, that the lamb that was slain would receive the reward of his sufferings. God save the king, glorify the king. And I tell you, the father is pleased. And we pray, not just as Jesus prayed, or for things that Jesus prayed, or in the name of Jesus and his mediation, but he is imminently pleased, and we pray for the glory of his Son. Because what did the Father say? He said, this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased. What a well-pleasing prayer when we cry for the glory of Christ. Be exalted, O Jehovah, in your own strength. We will sing and praise your power. Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.