INTRODUCTION
Today’s message is about prayer: “Progress Through Prayer.” Let me ask you this morning, “How many of you have prayed for someone?” Another question, “What motivates you to pray for someone?” (Emergencies such as accidents, sickness, loss of job, death in family, how to handle a pressure packed situation, etc.)
This is one level of praying and it is important. But, there are other levels of praying which are more important. Think about the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is not an emergency prayer.
Well, Paul begins his letter to the Colossians with a prayer. Right after his greeting, Paul tells them how he prays for them everyday in verses 9-14 of chapter one. Paul is praying for their progress.
We must grow as Christians. How tragic it would be if when a baby is born it remained a baby. Growth is desired. Growth is expected. A father was talking with his 5 year old daughter about birthdays. Her birthday was March 30, his was March 27. He said, “My birthday is only three days before yours.” The little girl looked up at him and said, “Yeah, but you grew much faster than me.”
Many of us haven’t grown very fast as Christians. Many are still spiritual “babies.” Someone once described a baby as “a digestive apparatus with a loud noise on one end and no responsibility on the other end.” Yes, there are many of us who need to grow up in the faith. The world does not center around us.
Let’s look at Paul’s Prayer Plan for the Colossian Christians. We’ll look at 6 ways he prayed for them and these can be 6 ways for us to pray for one another.
I. TO KNOW THE PURPOSE OF GOD (9)
Many people are confused about what their purpose on earth really is. They think it has something to do with their job, or their bank balance, or how their kids turn out.
If your job is your purpose in life, what happens when you get fired, laid off or retire? If raising children is your purpose, what happens when you find out you can’t have children, or your children don’t turn out like you planned, or when you lose a child?
Verse 9 says, Paul prayed that they be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding.
Often we go through life with a happy-go-lucky, come what may attitude. Or, selfishly we pick what we think suits us best and go after that only.
-Illus.- There’s a story of an old Scottish woman who went house-to-house across the countryside selling thread, buttons and shoe strings. When she would come to a fork in the road she would toss a stick up in the air and go in the direction it pointed when it landed. One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. “Why do you toss the stick up so many times,” someone asked. “Because,” she replied, “it keeps pointing to the left and I want to take the road to the right.” She kept tossing the stick until it finally pointed to the right.
Sometimes we treat God like that.
How do we know God’s will? Wisdom and spiritual understanding come through studying God’s Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Prayer helps too. I wish that all of you would pray for me like Paul prayed for them – To be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.
Book recommendation: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
Prayer should be directed for us to know the purpose of God, and:
II. TO LIVE A LIFE PRAISEWORTHY OF GOD (10a)
What does Paul mean when he says, “that you may walk worthy of the Lord?”
The word, “worthy” means “weight” (spell it). He is saying that their lives would be weighty or have substance. He doesn’t mean that they would pig out at the buffet. He wanted them to have a godly presence about them.
Jesus was a weighty person. There was an aura about Him. He carried “weight.” When he walked into a room the room was impacted.
Do you pray for others this way? That so-and-so would walk worthy that others would see the love of Christ in their face; that when they show up on the scene hearts would be warmed, peace would come to a room full of pain; that smiles would be put on faces and hope in hearts.
Jesus prayed for His disciples this way:
John 17:20-23
20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may 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. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. NKJV
Paul prayed for them to know the purpose of God and to live praiseworthy of God, now:
III. TO LIVE PRODUCTIVE LIVES FOR GOD(10b)
“being fruitful in every good work”
John 15:5
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. NKJV
Jesus once cursed a fig tree because it did not produce figs.
-Illus.- In the “Wizard of Oz” there is a scene where Dorothy sees an apple tree and goes to pick an apple from it. The tree rebelled. It yelled at her for taking the apple. Dorothy was shocked not only because the tree was talking but because the tree would not give up its fruit willingly. That’s not natural. Trees produce fruit for the benefit of others.
We should pray for one another to naturally and willingly yield fruit. That our roots would run deep tapping into the well springs of living water so that we may produce fruit even in dry seasons.
Another reason to pray:
IV. TO GROW IN PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD (10c)
Knowledge can be a wonderful thing.
-joke- At a golf course a foursome approached the 16th tee, a par 3. The fairway ran along the outer edge of the course. There was the cart path then the fence and then a street. The first golfer teed up his ball and sliced it toward the fence. It landed on the cart path and bounced high over the fence and onto the street. There happened to be a bus coming along and his ball hit a tire on the bus and bounced back over the fence and miraculously stopped on the green a few inches from the hole. Another golfer said, “Wow, how did you do that?” The first golfer said without hesitation, “You have to know the bus schedule.”
Well, we need to have a growing knowledge of God. But the Scripture doesn’t say that we should know about God but that we should know Him personally.
There are several kinds of relationships with people today. Some people we speak to and say “Hi” or “Bye” or “Recon it will snow?” as you pass them by. There are others you would share a meal with and carry on a conversation. Then there are those that you take risks with and share your deepest feelings and fears with. These are the ones you are totally yourself with. This is the deepest level of knowledge. You risk it all with them.
What kind of relationship do you suppose God wants to have with us? He already stated His love for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins. He wants to be more than as Pete Rose says, “The big umpire in the sky.”
Can you pray for me or someone that God would give us an increasing knowledge of who He is and cause them to want to know God better today than yesterday?
We should pray to know the purpose of God; pray to live a life praiseworthy of God; pray to live productive lives; and pray to grow in personal knowledge of God. Also, we should pray:
V. TO BE FILLED WITH THE POWER OF GOD (11)
We all like power. Ask any man in this room if he would rather drive a little 4 cylinder Ford Pinto or a big “Hemi Head” Dodge truck and you know what his response would be. We admire power brokers – the Donald Trumps and the George Steinbrenners of the world.
Is Paul saying to pray that we can perform powerful miracles, do spectacular events for God? No, look at what he says in the latter part of verse 11:
“for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” Paul says we need to pray for God’s power to get us through problems and that we get through them with JOY! This is what turns the world upside down (or rightside up). It is when the world see us, as believers, trusting God through sickness and tragedy and maintaining our Joy. Do you recall where Paul was when he wrote this letter? (prison about to be executed)
There’s one more thing Paul says should be prayed for:
VI. THAT WE BE THANKFUL PARTAKERS OF GOD’S GRACE (12-14)
(Read these verses) WOW! Also read Eph.1:7 which is similar to v.14
Ephesians 1:7
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace NKJV
You and I have been delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Oh, the riches of His grace! We should give thanks that he qualified us to be partakers of His love.
CLOSE
Ask each person to look at these verses and look at the person sitting closest to them. Pray for that person the way that Paul prayed for the Colossians. Everywhere there is a “you” or “us” insert their name. Do it now. If you don’t know the person’s name ask them and pray now. Some of you can pray for me. (pause)
There is progress through prayer. Some of us need to grow up. We only pray emergency prayers. The world revolves around us. We need to advance. A good way is on our knees. Maybe you are here and need a church. Maybe you are here and need a Savior. We can help you.
