1. Prayer… our lifeline with God.
a. Doesn’t it just stir your heart that the God of all the universe hears & answers & attends to our prayers?!
Isaiah 58:9 (NKJV) 9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
Psalm 91:15 (NKJV) 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
NOTE: We find Jesus often getting away in times of prayer.
Matthew 14:23 (NKJV) 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
• He knew where His strength came from.
• And He modeled for us the place to run in times of fullness, in times of need, in times of strength, in times of weakness.
• Prayer… it’s our lifeline with God.
• I’m sure all of our prayer lives could use a tune up now & then.
SO WHAT DO YOU PRAY FOR? WHO DO YOU PRAY FOR?
• Is there some ministry direction on your mind?
• Have issues at work that need spiritual attention?
• Are you praying for friends, family, neighbors, your boss?
• How about the world? Ever pray for different parts of the world?
I’m sure some of you are thinking right now… THE WORLD?
• I can barely handle the things in my home, in my family, let alone the world… or this city… or this state.
• But God has given you the world as a mission field!
• God loves the people on this planet, in every nation, every country, every language… north parts of cities, west parts, east parts, south parts… good reputations, bad reputations!
Revelation 5:9 [NKJV] And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
DO you pray often for your enemies?
• Those that hurt you, continue to defame you, those that take you down, trying to take you out!?
• Oh YES Pastor Ed, I pray for them alright. I go right through the Psalms and pray this…
Psalm 10:15 [NKJV] Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
Psalm 58:6 [NKJV] Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
• Ahhhh… but Jesus said: Matthew 5.43-44
How about other churches in our city, in our area? Pray for them?
• I hope you do. God is doing so much in our city through so many God honoring, loving congregations!
• We’re not in competition with any other church.
• They are our brothers & sisters in the Lord!
• And we rejoice in His work in & among us! We pray for more!
Paul prayed for churches… & he prayed for the church in Rome!
I. (1:8-10) WITHOUT CEASING!
1. (8) I Thank God for you!
a. I guess Paul was from the south… You ALL?
b. He was so thankful because the faith of this church was spoken of all over the world!
c. He’s heard about these Roman Christians
d. It’s greatly encouraged Him!
e. They had a love for Jesus that was pure & powerful.
NOTE: I hear about you guys all the time.
• Some of you might think my e-mail box is filled with complaints & concerns all the time… it’s not.
• Most of the time it’s filled with praise reports and prayers!
• I hear of things all over town and literally from all over the world! People know your reputation… your love!
LOOK… unbelievers are looking for excuses not to believe!
• So if our reputation is one of judgment or condemnation or a whole host of other things… then people have their excuse!
• Oh they weren’t kind. They didn’t care. They’re so mean!
• If you have that fish on your car, or you’re wearing that T-shirt, or you’re carrying a Bible… then you better live out your faith!
• Let’s take the excuses away from them? AMEN?
• I’m committed in not being someone’s excuse…
• I will live like Jesus and live for Jesus and pray for a good testimony!
2. (9-10) Unceasing Prayer.
a. I’m so encouraged by Paul here in his prayer life!
b. His prayers were unceasing… just like he told the church in Thessalonica… 1 Thess 5:17
c. So it wasn’t just an order, it was a lifestyle for him.
d. AND We can learn a few things from Paul’s prayer life…
#1 – PRAYING UNCEASINGLY.
• Prayer was a continual habit in Paul’s life. He prayed for everything, about everything, all the time.
Ephesians 1:16 [NKJV] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
Philippians 1:4 [NKJV] always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
1 Timothy 1:2 [NKJV] To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
• Paul prayed in a specific way, unceasingly.
• It wasn’t mindless chants or massive mumblings, but a constant flow of conversation with the Father consistently.
I THINK SOME OF US were taught wrong in relation to prayer.
• Remember how we were told to close our eyes, bow our heads, & fold our hands?
• Well there is definitely a place for that, especially when Johnny is trying to pull Sally’s pig tails!
• But it doesn’t work when you’re driving does it!?! NO WAY!
• Prayer is designed to flow from the heart anytime, anywhere, for any reason.
• It’s just praying through out the whole day, really never closing the connection… always talking & sharing with God.
#2 – MENTIONING OTHERS & OURSELVES
• Notice Paul’s prayers involved others. He made mention of the church in Rome in his prayers.
• He took time in prayer to mention the needs of others.
• This is called INTERCESSORY prayer, or INTERCESSION.
• It’s what our prayer chain here at the fellowship is all about.
• It’s what our leaders & men do every week over the requests that go into the offering boxes.
• Flip over to 1 Timothy 2:1ff
NOTE: First of all… Paul says. First of all.
• This is foundational Timothy. This is fundamental.
• Don’t skip over this… it’s essential, vital, critical!
• Be a church that prays. Praying always for ALL men.
Don’t be known for your building… or your outreach, or your social concerns, or your budget, or the size of your growth…
• BE KNOWN FOR YOUR PRAYER that fuels the ministry there!
• And not just prayer inwardly, but your prayer of ALL MEN!
• IN OTHER WORDS… you guys first & foremost are to be a people who pray without ceasing.
And as Paul lists here, there are different kinds of prayer.
• Supplication: requests. We get the idea of continually seeking, asking, knocking, requesting from the Lord.
• Prayers: Idea here isn’t just praying, but EARNESTLY praying.
• Intercessions: to ask, stand in the gap, run ahead and meet
• Giving of thanks: Oh Lord thank you for hearing and being there!
#3 – REQUESTING NOT DEMANDING
• So many have turned prayer into a list of DEMANDS
• I tell you God that you promised this and now right now I want it, all of it, don’t hold back anything God in Jesus name!
• But the reality is simply this, God is God and we are not.
• God is not our servant, we are His.
• So in prayer we don’t come demanding, we come surrendered!
I don’t know why, but many people change when they pray.
• Just be yourself, talking with God in your normal tone of voice, in respect, requesting from God not demanding!
Pray UNCEASINGLY, MENTIONING OTHERS, REQUESTING NOT DEMANDING…
#4 – RESTING IN THE WILL OF GOD
• Notice in v10, that’s Paul’s desire, God’s will, not his own.
• Guys, I’ve been wanting to come to you for a long time but I haven’t been able to… but I’m praying that in God’s will I can.
• That’s the essence of prayer. I pray to accomplish God’s will on earth, not my will in heaven!
• When you grasp this view of prayer, everything changes!
• It’s not my will, it’s His. It’s not my way, it’s His!
• It’s how John prayed, Peter prayed, Paul prayed, Jesus prayed…
• It’s how we’re to pray today.
THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT… if God gave me all the things that I heave wanted… I’d be in trouble!
• I have no idea how wicked & twisted my heart can be…
• BUT I’m certain that God’s will is perfect, just and right for me!
• The will of God is not a bad thing, we don’t have to be afraid of the His will at anytime every.
• But it’s scary… I know. It can be.
• But the problem isn’t so much being scared as much as it is our desire to be in control of everything…
Read on with Paul in Romans 1:11-15.
• I long to see you. I want to bless you spiritually.
• I want to be blessed by you. I’ve often planned this trip.
• I want fruit among you. I feel like I’m a debtor to.
• I’m READY TO PREACH THE GOSPEL.
Look… there is nothing wrong with any of these reasons.
• They are good, noble, spiritual, powerful, wonderful!
• But in this season, it wasn’t God’s will!
CONTROL… we all struggle with this from time to time.
• I want to be in control of everything all the time!
• It’s a struggle for us to give up control to Jesus.
• And if we’re not careful, like Sarai & Abram, we may create an Ishmael or 2 or 3!
But guys… let me encourage you…
• When we get to heaven, we will rejoice in the will of God!
What scares U? Your health? Finances? Kids? Marriage? Loneliness?
• The will of God is a good thing… lean into it, rest in it.
• Whatever you do don’t fight it, resist it, or reject it.
• If you fight it, it will drag out… and you might just drag that trail out much longer than it really should go.
You can pray to God with assurance… and you can trust Him.
• Though the will of God is scary at times, if you hang in there with the Lord, He’ll show Himself faithful!
• You can trust Him. You don’t have to doubt His goodness.
• He loves you with an everlasting love and He cares for you greatly & wonderfully & powerfully.
Praying… Unceasingly, Mentioning, Requesting, Resting in His Will.
• Let’s close with 1 Peter 5:6-11
