Sovereign Intercession
by T. Austin-Sparks
Prayer in the Holy Ghost comes spontaneously out of the work and power of the cross.
(Abbreviated Notes of an address.)
Luke 3:21: "...having been baptised and praying the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended." Here is the cross because the baptism was significant of death and resurrection. The Lord having in the Spirit in faith established at the commencement of everything His death, burial and resurrection, His first recorded action is praying, prayer arising out of the cross in all its meaning. It was out of that fellowship with God that He went out to battle in the wilderness, meeting and vanquishing the prince of this world.1 Pet. 2:9: "Ye are a royal priesthood." This is mediation linked with sovereignty, a sovereign intercession. Priesthood applies to all who are members of the body of Christ, all who are in Christ in this age, a priesthood of all born again believers.
Priesthood is representative (1) before God for man, (2) before man for God. Your business in Christ is to stand before man in behalf of God to make known the mind and will of God to man, and to lay before God the needs of man. The classic illustration of this in all scripture is John 17, which is full of "Father, these, these, these," revealing the thoughts and intentions of God concerning them. "Royal priesthood" suggests the cross and mediation, and links with John 17.
The effectiveness of the cross is in a threefold realm.
(1) It deals with the world, Gal. 6:14, which has to be ruled out before you can pray in that way or dominate world situations.
(2) It deals with the flesh, which is the life principle of the entire nature of man as he is joined to his first parent Adam. When God said, "He has become flesh" it was to say that he was no longer pre-eminently spirit. God being spirit, only spirit can get in to worship God, "in me - my natural life - dwelleth no good thing." The cross deals with all that natural life. There is no effective prayer until we get clear through and operate in the spirit.
(3) It deals with the devil. Prayer that is based on the cross has its application there.
All this was anticipated in the Old Testament. God's principles are the same in all ages, e.g., the truth of the body of Christ underlies the whole Word of God. Paul only gives full illumination and explanation of what lies in the earlier scriptures - the tabernacle, the temple building, the truth set forth in John 6 and 15 - Paul brings these types and parables with their hidden meaning, before us as now spiritual realities.
