Watch And Pray

WATCH AND PRAY

Matthew 26:41

Intro: In our reading we find Jesus has gone to the Garden of Gethsemane and has taken the inner circle with him. As he goes into the garden to pray he left Peter, James and John to watch and pray. When he returns from praying he finds all three of them asleep and asks Peter. “What could ye not watch with me one hour?” He then tells them this, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” Of course, we should in no way condemn these men when we think of our own prayer lives. I guarantee you most of us sleep much better then we pray. Jesus was fighting a battle for us and the only thing he Has told us to do is; and this is the title of my message, “WATCH AND PRAY.”

I. PRAY FOR THE CALLING

A. I am not talking about everybody praying for the call to preach.

B. I am talking about God’s Will for your life and in order for us to know the will of God we must realize prayer is essential to our discovery

C. (Psalms 143:10) Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness

D. Once we find the Will of God in our lives then it is absolutely necessary to serve from the depths of our heart. Not worrying about what others may think or what they may not think of us

E. (Ephesians 6:6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart

F. The be in his perfect will is to serve him without question and from the depths of our heart

II. PRAY FOR COMMITMENT

A. Not that God would be committed to you but that you will be committed to God

B. (2 Timothy 2:2) And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also

C. We have got to learn how to commit ourselves fully to God

A. Commit ourselves to his work

1. (John 9:4) I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day the night cometh when no man can work

B. Commit ourselves to his will

1. (Romans 12:2) And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what it the good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

2. (1 John 2:17) And the world passeth away; and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever

C. Commit ourselves to his ways

1. (Lamentations 3:40) Let us search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord

D. If we would look at our ways closely I guarantee you we could find some place where we could move up

III. LISTEN FOR THE COMOTION

A. What commotion? I am talking about the sounds of his return

B. You can hear it everywhere. On the news, in daily conversation, through the actions of the government and in the prayers of the saints

C. (Matthew 24:6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet

D. (Luke 21:25) And there shall be signs in the sun; and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring

E. (v. 26) Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken

F. (v. 27) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory

G. (v. 28) And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh

H. How do I know this pertains to the coming of the Lord and specifically concerning the Gentile people

I. (Matthew 24:24) Speaks about the fullness of time

IV. WATCH FOR HIS COMING

A. (Matthew 24:42) Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come

B. There have been literally hundreds of predictions made of when the Lord will return

C. Since 30 AD there have been 183 documented predictions that the Lord would come back before 2007

D. For 2007 there have been 20 predictions made

E. Through 2010 there are 20 predictions

F. After 2010 there are 26 predictions

G. All of these have been documented because of their scientific calculations or theories