WATCH AND PRAY

Matt. 26:41: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”.

Jesus Christ came into the world for a purpose - he revealed God the father to us and through Jesus, God reconciled mankind to Himself. Although Jesus Christ fulfilled this purpose to the end, He did not have it easy in fulfilling the task. Satan, that old serpent who deceived man in the Garden of Eden, wanted to destroy this wonderful reconciliation plan of God through all means possible to destroy Jesus. This same Satan has not left Christians alone to worship our God. Revelation 12 shows that the Christian is in constant spiritual battle with Satan since day one, that he became a Christian.

This evening we want to talk about a strategy that Jesus taught the disciples to overcome Satan and his demons. Bible says that the devil is moving to & fro like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But the bible also says that “for we are not unaware of his schemes”. Jesus taught his disciples to “watch & pray” so they can overcome satan.

Every Christian is an instrument of God. The Christian is delivered to also continue with the wonderful work that Jesus Christ left for us i.e. to continue spreading the good news of salvation and hope. This means that our person, our life, our family and everything that we do as Christians, should portray Christ to others. That is why we need to “watch & pray” so that Satan will not deceive us or afflict us to deny Christ (as Judas and Peter went through).    Read Matt. 26:41

Background

Matt. 26 talks about the final hours of Jesus life to crucifixion. Jesus loved watching and praying throughout His life on earth because he knew the wicked plans of Satan - who is only good at stealing, killing and destroying. Bible says that Jesus left the disciples in a part of the Garden of Gethsemane to pray alone. Bible says for 3x, each time he came to the disciples, they have abandonment the prayer and sleeping. And this caused Jesus to advise Peter - “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”.

Though Judas was a disciple of Jesus, he became a tool of Satan. At that point, Satan was also after  Peter and the other disciples to turn them away from God. Therefore in Luke 22:31-32, Jesus told Peter Satan wants to sift him but he has prayed for him. In Matt. 26:31, Jesus predicted the falling away of the disciples, especially Peter. As human as he was, Peter taught he knew Jesus enough not to deny Him. Feeling confident and independent he taught he had no need of God’s grace. If you think you are standing, be careful you don’t fall. Some of us were so confident until we failed the test of temptation and affliction. If a believer fails to “watch &pray”, sin takes over him. Bible says Satan is a cunning serpent, therefore we need to “watch &pray” else we will realize him only at the point of fall.

What is “watching?”

Watching signifies a lurking danger. Watching means sleeplessness; vigilance; being awake and aware of surrounding realities. It also means being spiritually alert. In Gen. 3, Adam and Eve failed to watch, so they believed in the lie of Satan. Most Christians are failing the test of their faith because ignorance has taken the place of knowledge of Jesus Christ. Brethren, the secret to victory over sin and the devil is to watch & pray.

Who is a watching person or what is it to watch?

A watching or watchful person:

1)  Is guided by the knowledge of God (as stated in the scriptures). He rejects the wisdom of the world. He knows that the world’s wisdom is foolishness because it denies the revelation of God, the creator of the universe and ruler of all.

2)  Is aware that the ability to sin still dwells in him and that Jesus Christ defeated Satan by death on the cross but Satan and his demons are still given the freedom to rule and tempt all believers (Rev 12).

3)  Knows that this world will pass away and not abide forever. Therefore it is foolish to trust in this world and its attractions (1Jn. 2:16-17). He remembers Lot’s wife and accepts Christ’s advise that “what shall it profit a man when he gains this world and loses his soul”? He does not run like the pagans do after things of the world but instead seeks first the kingdom of God. He knows there is God but there is a devil seeking to devour the believer.

4)  Is who having seen the heavenly things, refuses to live like the people before the flood and the people before the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Lk.17:26-30)

5)  Is one who repents of his sins and obey God. He is careful in his life and sets his affections on things above, not on things of the earth, which is passing away. He is one who embraces Paul’s words of Colossians 3:1-4.

6)  He understands God’s truth and therefore able to detect and reject heresies in the Church. (Acts 20:30-31). Today’s church is also falling to all the warnings to the 7 churches in Rev 1-3 because Christians are not watching.

As Christians:

·    we need to watch how the world events are going to enable us be ready at all times (signs and falsehood)

·   we need to watch our group relations and friends, our marriages (Job’s wife), our children (Samuel, Eli, etc) and attitudes (Moses & Canaan entry)

·   we need to watch the events in the churches, so that we are not deceived by Satan’s minister who parade as ministers of light.

 We need to watch, so that Satan will not destroy our lives.

The Power of Prayer

Jesus also told his disciples to pray in addition to the watching. God has given us the right to pray to him in the name of Jesus Christ. The right to pray and receive an answer from the living God is the greatest privilege a Christian has (Hebrews 10:19-22). We don’t need a pope or a priest to pray on our behalf. We believe in the priesthood of all believers, that all who trust in Jesus Christ can come through the new and living way of Jesus Christ into the Father’s presence and he will receive us.

Our Need to Pray

Why do we need to go into the presence of God? We are tempted all the time as we live in this evil world. We need God’s help to resist that temptation. Psychologists cannot help us nor can anything we learn at the university because most modern educators have nothing to do with God and Jesus Christ. In fact, it is quite fashionable for secular man to deny God and Jesus Christ and despise Christianity( they prefer the new age religions based on human thinking).

The truth is, we are weak, needy, and helpless. Remember how Peter told Jesus, "Lord, I am willing even to die for you. Even if everyone else denies you, I never will"? How many times have we made similar statements? Yet such words are merely expressions of foolish self-confidence. We need help to resist the devil, and no one can help us but God, who graciously says to us, "Come to me in the name of Jesus Christ and you will receive mercy and grace for your time of need." When we come to him, God will always help us.

Why do people fall into the same sin again and again? Because they do not watch and pray. They think they can operate in their arrogance and self-sufficiency, but the devil is stronger than their self-sufficiency.

So what makes prayer so powerful a tool to the Christian?

Prayer Is Communication

When we go to God in prayer, we go to adore our God, confess our sins to him, give thanks to him, and make supplication of him. Prayer is communication with God. Our prayer is also a delight unto God (Prov. 15:8)

In Ephesians 6:10-17 we read about putting on the whole armor of God. In Ephesians 6:18 we read, "And pray in the Spirit," meaning the Holy Spirit. We pray because we are in a foreign land, on the battlefield and want to be in communication with our general. So we tell him what is happening and he tells us what to do and which way to go.

We must pray in the power and wisdom of the Spirit. This does not mean we can ask for anything we want and receive it. God’s will is revealed in the word of God, and we must pray within the limits of God’s will. Praying in the Spirit is praying in God’s wisdom and power.  In God’s wisdom, our prayers can be answered:

(i)  No (James 4:3); (ii) Yes (2Kings 20:1-6); (iii) Wait (Dan. 10:10-14); (iv) Better option (In Judges 7: Gideon’s 22,000 against God’s 300men for war with Medians).

The prayer of a watching person is always effective because God gives him his grace to deal with every situation. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul complained about a “thorn in his flesh” and for three times, he prayed to God to remove it. But God said, "No," but, "My grace is sufficient for you to deal with the problems." That is why Paul could declare, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (KJV). We must never try to face the prowling, roaring devil in our own self-confidence. If we do, he will only laugh at us. But if we go in the strength that God gives, we can resist the devil and he shall flee from us.

The Weapon of Prayer

As Jesus came to Gethsemane we are told he was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. He asked his disciples, "Please stay with me and pray with me." Imagine, the Lord Jesus Christ desired help of his disciples in prayer. But they slept the whole time. Although the disciples did not watch and pray, Jesus did, praying three times. After he was finished, he told his disciples, "I am ready now. Let’s rise and go." Jesus was ready to meet the devil.

The third time he knew there was no other way, so he prayed, "May your will be done," just as he had taught his disciples to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, "Thy will be done." Through prayer Jesus was strengthened to face death on the cross. In Luke 22:31, 32 (KJV), he prayed also for Peter against the devil’s sifting of Peter. I believe that, this prayer saved Peter from falling away after he had regretted denying Jesus. Because Judas lacked the strengthening of prayer, he killed himself after his regret for selling Jesus.

This is the weapon of prayer. It is mightier than all the weapons of hell. In fact, the devil trembles whenever a Christian is on his knees.

Hindrances to Prayer

Lack of faith (James 1:5-7); Sin (Isa. 59:1-2; Ps. 66:18); Forgive others (Mk. 11:25-26); Using your request for pleasure (James 4:3); Not taking good care of your spouse (1Pet.3:7)

Watch, Pray, and you’ll Triumph

The result of a Christian watching and praying is that - he will be triumphant over sin, Satan, and the flesh. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 Paul exclaimed, "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ." When we watch and pray, we will triumph! We will not fall into temptation or be knocked down, swallowed up, or blown away by satan and his demons. God wants us to live that glorious hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How to watch vigilantly

Do you make the time to study the Bible and obey it? Do you fast and do well to pray every day? Do you take stock of your life whether you are in the faith every time? Do you trust in man and traditions rather than God? If not, you'll find yourself swallowed by the world and sifted by Satan like wheat.

Take note that satan and his demons are not ignorant. He was in heaven and he fell with a "third of the stars" (other angels) who became demonic spirits. They have knowledge and they know how to tempt. The devil can even tempt you with the Bible by abusing verses from it to take you off track (Matt. 4).

Think of Job. He was righteous in the sight of God, yet the devil tempted him to such an extent that even his closest friends believed that he had done something wrong to offend God to cause such calamities. The devil used a whole range of varieties in tempting righteous Job.

Sadly in the Christian world today, the emphasis is on prayer and the first word "watch" is sadly neglected. Brethren, Satan is not asleep - he is busy all the time. Peter says that we are to be on our guard, to watch, because our enemy, the devil, goes around like a roaring lion. Just picture this literally: if you knew that there was a devouring lion in your home would you act casually or would you be extremely watchful?

It is not enough to say: "I go to church and have given my heart to the Lord". It is essential that you "watch and pray".

We need to watch and pray to have discernment. Jesus said that in the latter days many will fall away. If one thinks of the fact that just a few years after Jesus had ascended back into heaven He wrote letters to His 7 churches and 10 times He found fault with them. It breaks one's heart to think that most of those churches had allowed deception (through not being watchful and prayerful) into their midst  -  (go and read Rev 1 to 3 and ask God to speak to you as you read what Jesus said to His church)

Conclusion

Brethren, let us watch and pray because satan knows his time is short and therefore he is roaring to and fro to sift you and deny you meeting Jesus Christ in holiness and righteousness. I pray that we will begin to watch and pray and learn the secrets of having a victorious Christian life.

Brethren, Watch, watch and pray. Amen!