Sermon Central
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Get Praying
Contributed by Gary Holt on Jan 20, 2018 (message contributor)
Summary: The Bible teaches us to pray for the lost. God is very interested in the salvation of the lost, and "urges" us emphatically to pray for the lost. God loves the lost, and so we will also.
House of prayer sermon #2
“Get Praying”
- I urge you. I encourage you. I challenge you. I charge you. I beg you. I plead with you. I appeal to you. I’m asking you. Wow! That’s a lot urging.
Sometimes it takes a lot to get people to do things.
ILL.- One dental worker said: At the busy dental office where I work, one patient was always late. Once when I called to confirm an appointment, he said, "I’ll be about 15 minutes late. That won’t be a problem, will it?"
"No," I told him. "We just won’t have time to give you an anesthetic." He arrived early.
The idea of suffering pain was a pretty good motivation. That’s always a good motivator! Most of us don’t like pain!
ILL.- Bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied, "Because that’s where the money is."
Money is also a good motivator. As the bumper sticker reads: “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go.” Or it’s more like, “I owe, I owe, so it’s off to work I go.”
ILL.- There was once a jockey who had an unbelievable winning record. Just before the end of any race, the jockey would lean way over and seemingly speak to the horse. A reporter asked the jockey what he did that made such a difference in the horse’s speed. He replied: "I simply quote a little verse in his ear: ’Roses are red, violets are blue; Horses that lose are made into glue!"
Mercy. Yes, I guess the thought of death would be a good motivator for most folks. However, I’ve known of doctors to say to some people, “If you don’t stop what you’re doing you’re going to die.”
And some of those people just keep right on doing what they’ve been doing. Maybe some doctors should say even more, like, “If you don’t stop that wild living not only are you going to die, you may also spend eternity where you don’t want.”
YOU:
LOOK:
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers,intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—"
The word “URGE” or exhortation is stronger than a simple suggestion.
Paul wants these instructions:
- carried out to the letter.
- more than proper actions,
- the acts are to be joined with the right attitudes
- 1 Timothy 1 emphasized proper attitudes
- especially proper attitudes in prayer
We are reminded that our PRAYERS are to be:
- “made for all people” 1 Timothy 2:1
- this includes a heavy emphasis on the LOST
Prayer is a stool with 4 legs:
A. Prayers of PETETION:
- these are prayers from the deepest part of the heart
- also called prayers of “supplication”
- these are prayers of NEEDS.
We pray a lot of “I Need” prayers:
- I’m sick, I’m broke, I’m exhausted, I’m overwhelmed
- Lord Help ME!!!
- Lord Give me (money, health, peace, strength)
I’d say that we need to balance:
- our “I need” prayers with prayers for others
- except that word “balance” implies a 50/50 relationship
- between prayer for “MY”, or even “OUR” needs.
The text today is teaching us to Pray unbalanced prayers:
- spend time praying for the lost, the least, the little
- spend time praying for Kings and politicians even.
Pray for yourself, but spend more time praying for the NEEDS OF OTHERS:
- The Bible tells us that God knows our needs
- it is right to ask God for what we want
- God loves you, but he also LOVES OTHERS
- It pleases God when we LOVE OTHERS enough to pray for them.
- both in Christ and ALSO those outside the Christ
B. General PRAYER:
- these prayers are to be offered for “All men”
- pray for the cashier at Kroger, the UPS man, pray for your neighbor and his Salvation.
Remember that God SALVATION of PEOPLE is of 1st Importance to God:
“For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
When we pray ESPECIALLY FOR THE SALVATION OF THEIR SOUL:
- We are valuing SACRIFICE Jesus made for all men
- We are LOVING PEOPLE the way God loves people
- aligning our hearts desire with the desire of God
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
The fact that people are dying and going to HELL:
- should concern us
- draw us to our knees in sadness
- pull our hearts to the Lord and seek his blessing upon these people