PAUL, PRAYER, AND PRAYING
Philippians 1:4,9 <-----
Intro: *Paul prayed for folks because he loved them.
*Those w/loving hearts can pray & praise effectively.
Studying Biblical prayers is a profitable spiritual exercise.
--Herbert Lockyear, "Prayer history begins, Gen. 4:26...,
Prayers ending the Bible, Rev. 22:17,20"
Theme: To rejoice always (4:4) we must pray always (Eph. 6:18). <-----
I. God’s Storehouse
A. amazing
B. God draws from it.
1. The riches of His grace - an inexhaustible reservoir (Eph. 1:7 ).
2. The riches of His glory - such wealth is beyond us (Eph. 3:16).
3. The riches of His goodness - His goodness never fails (Ro. 2:4 ).
inset - II. Paul’s Action of Praying
III. Things for Which He Prays
IV. The Ends whereof He Prays
V. Observations for Our Instructions
II. Pauls Action of Praying
A. He prays that Philippians would abound more & more.
B. continue to pray
1. God must still uphold the saints
2. H.S. strength to overcome
a. slackness
b. neglience
c. coldness
d. faintness (cowardly or spiritless)
e. concerning our praying
III. Things for which he (Paul) prays.
A. saints love to God/each other may abound
B. increase in knowledge of God’s
1. will
2. way
3. word
C. sound judgement to discern good & evil
D. feel in the heart what we know in the Word (Ps. 34:8) <----
E. know the mercies & judgement of the Lord
1. Ro. 11:33 <-----
2. Neh. 9:19 <---------
IV. The Ends Whereof He Prays
A. discern things that differ
1. virtue & vice
2. true & false prophets
3. corrupt & incorrupt doctrine
a. Agnosticism, b. Rationalism,
c. Experientialism, d. Fideism,
e. Experientialism, f . Pragmatism
g. Combinationalism, h. Deism,
i . Pantheism, j. Pa-nen-theism,
k. Atheism, l. naturalism,
m. Objectivism
B. not stumble, stray, or backslide
1. Gal. 3:3 <----
2 . Lu. 9:62 <-------
Concl: We are to good and abound in doing good
(John 15:5-8; Acts 9:36 <-----).
We are to please God and glorify the Father
( Col. 1:10 <------).
Prayer is the key. Paul knew that and demonstrated
it by his power-filled, miraculous life in Christ.
Let all we have discussed in this message stir us
to go forward to every good work!
