1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,800 About two and a half weeks ago, a department store in Seoul, Korea collapsed into a pile 2 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:09,600 of rubble. 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:19,160 While we are glad for the 16 or so people who have been saved out of that rubble, one 4 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:28,760 as recently as two days ago, more than 600 people were killed in that terrible tragedy. 5 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:35,560 And one aspect of the story that I've only heard reported once is that there was an employee 6 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:42,760 of that department store who saw the walls crumbling hours before the building fell, 7 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,520 but who said nothing. 8 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,360 Can you imagine that? 9 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Would you not think that someone who saw the building in imminent danger would have said 10 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:57,880 something to spare the lives of those hundreds of people? 11 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:04,280 I certainly would have, and I'm sure you would have. 12 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:10,680 And yet, it's possible for us to be aware that there is corrosion going on in our own 13 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:17,360 lives and to be aware that if our lives were to collapse, we would embarrass ourselves, 14 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:24,920 our families, our church, our community, and to do nothing. 15 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:29,880 That's why this summer I've wanted to talk about those things that are necessary, especially 16 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:37,640 for us as believers in Jesus Christ, to firm up our foundations. 17 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,920 And today I want to talk about one of the most important aspects to the foundation of 18 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,280 our Christian lives, and that is prayer. 19 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:53,080 Prayer is one of those invisible areas of our lives where the foundation can waste away 20 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:59,240 and erode, and most people will not be aware of it. 21 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,080 That's why it's so dangerous. 22 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:09,360 That's why it's so important that we see the problem and do something about it before 23 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:15,800 there is a collapse, and many are endangered. 24 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:20,060 Someone has said if you want to humble a saint of God, don't ask him about his involvement 25 00:02:20,060 --> 00:02:22,160 in ministry. 26 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,480 Don't ask him about how much he gives to the church. 27 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,200 Don't ask him about his willingness to witness. 28 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:38,740 If you want to humble a saint of God, ask him about his prayer life. 29 00:02:38,740 --> 00:02:42,680 Many of us, if not most of us, can identify with that. 30 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:51,240 I'd like you to open your Bible with me to the book of Colossians and the fourth chapter. 31 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:57,520 As he begins to bring his epistle to a close, the apostle says to these beloved people whom 32 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:03,440 he had never met face to face in Colossae. 33 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:09,520 Chapter 4 verse 2, devote yourselves to prayer. 34 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,920 Devote yourselves to prayer. 35 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:21,000 Keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us as well, that 36 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:27,000 God may open up to us a door for the Word so that we may speak forth the mystery of 37 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:34,640 Christ for which I have also been imprisoned, in order that I may make it clear in the way 38 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:39,040 I ought to speak. 39 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:51,800 No life will stand strong and prevail that is not cemented together by faithful prayer. 40 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,840 As we think about the importance of prayer in our lives, there are three perspectives 41 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:01,760 that I want to talk about that arise to my attention from this text. 42 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:08,640 First I want to talk about the design for prayer that we observe. 43 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:14,360 The word prayer here is the very broadest of the words used in the New Testament. 44 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:19,800 It refers to prayer in all of its aspects, but the important idea behind it is that it 45 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:24,560 is a communication with God. 46 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,800 Now before I go further, I need to back up and say something regarding the practice of 47 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,000 prayer. 48 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,240 Prayer is a mystery. 49 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:38,480 There are many things about prayer that we do not understand. 50 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:48,720 How is it that one little human being can kneel beside a chair on planet earth and touch 51 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:55,040 the heart of the living God in heaven? 52 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:02,660 How is it that the words of a mere mortal can cause the hand of the eternal God to move 53 00:05:02,660 --> 00:05:06,400 and to work in history? 54 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:11,800 I don't understand that, but it's true. 55 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:20,240 And we need to remind ourselves that prayer is the privilege of the child of God. 56 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,960 Now all people may pray. 57 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:31,400 Indeed prayer is written into the very heart of all people, for even the pagans create 58 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:40,800 idols of wood or stone to which to offer up prayers. 59 00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:47,600 But prayer to the living and true God is the unique privilege of the child of God. 60 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:54,360 The Bible teaches us that before becoming children of God we were separated from God, 61 00:05:54,360 --> 00:06:00,080 we were alienated from God, we were hostile toward God. 62 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:07,280 That God through the death of his Son reconciled us and brought us to himself and established 63 00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:10,680 a relationship with us. 64 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:19,160 Back in Colossians chapter 1 it says, And through Christ, verse 20, to reconcile all 65 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:27,080 things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his that is Christ's cross. 66 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:32,360 And through him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven, and although you 67 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:39,880 were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet he has now reconciled 68 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:45,400 you in his fleshly body through death. 69 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:50,320 And so it is because of this wonderful work of God in reconciling us to himself through 70 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:55,240 Jesus Christ that we may pray. 71 00:06:55,240 --> 00:07:02,440 If you are a person who is still today separated from God because of sin, I want you to know 72 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:10,040 that God has made the provision through Jesus Christ for your sin issue to be settled. 73 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:15,800 He has made it possible for you to turn from your sin and to repent of it, to believe on 74 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:21,400 Jesus Christ that he died for your sin and rose again so that you might be reconciled 75 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:28,280 to God and enter into this privilege of prayer that we're talking about. 76 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:33,080 Now I want to talk about the design of prayer. 77 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:41,160 First let's notice that prayer reminds us of our dependence. 78 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:46,440 We human beings like to think that we are rather independent and self-sufficient. 79 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:51,760 But prayer reminds us that we are not that, we are dependent upon God, and that's why 80 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:57,160 he says that we are to pray with thanksgiving. 81 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:02,160 If I'm responsible for my own blessings and my own good things, then I don't need to 82 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:06,140 thank anybody but me. 83 00:08:06,140 --> 00:08:10,660 But prayer reminds us that we are not the source of our blessings, we are not the source 84 00:08:10,660 --> 00:08:13,800 of the good things about us. 85 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:15,180 God is. 86 00:08:15,180 --> 00:08:21,640 And therefore when we pray we are to offer up appropriate thanksgiving to God. 87 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:26,040 I appreciated Bill this morning after he played. 88 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:30,640 And while we applauded in saying thank you to him and praise to the Lord, for that's 89 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:36,320 what that means, he pointed up to God. 90 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:40,480 Because I believe that's an indication he recognizes that the good gift of music that 91 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:47,040 God has given him is not found as his own, it's a gift from God. 92 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,360 And he's saying thanks to God. 93 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,440 Prayer reminds us that we are dependent. 94 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:58,080 Secondly, prayer results in life change. 95 00:08:58,080 --> 00:08:59,720 Prayer results in life change. 96 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:04,680 Back in chapter 1 of Colossians, Paul says in verse 9, for this reason since the day 97 00:09:04,680 --> 00:09:10,840 we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled 98 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:16,680 with all the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and understanding so that you may walk 99 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:20,160 in a manner worthy of the Lord. 100 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:24,760 Paul says we are praying for you because we know that our prayers will result in your 101 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:25,760 life change. 102 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:32,400 You will walk worthy of God, he says, because prayer results in life change. 103 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:40,440 Not only for those that we pray for, but ourselves as well. 104 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:45,000 Soren Kierkegaard is not a man that I would agree with entirely, but he did say this very 105 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:55,520 fine statement, prayer does not change God, but it does change him who prays. 106 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:59,960 You remember the old statement, prayer changes things, it does. 107 00:09:59,960 --> 00:10:05,520 But also prayer changes people and above all prayer changes me when I pray. 108 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:07,600 Prayer results in life change. 109 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,000 That's part of the design of God in prayer. 110 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:16,960 Thirdly, prayer releases God's power. 111 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,800 Here in Colossians 1 the apostle goes on to say that he's praying for them that they may 112 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:28,800 be strengthened with all power according to his, God's, glorious might for the attaining 113 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:32,920 of all steadfastness and patience. 114 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:38,240 He is praying because it releases the power of God in the lives of the people he's praying 115 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,480 for. 116 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:46,520 If you and I want to see the power of God released in our church, it will come through 117 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:48,360 prayer. 118 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:52,680 And I believe that one of the reasons that God has chosen to bless the movement we've 119 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:58,800 been talking about that was here this weekend is because so many people are praying for 120 00:10:58,800 --> 00:10:59,800 it. 121 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,800 Indeed, while there were 61,000 people in the dome this weekend, there were literally 122 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:10,320 hundreds of people all around the Twin Cities and undoubtedly other places, but hundreds 123 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:17,760 in the Twin Cities who were meeting in churches to pray for God's blessing on the surface. 124 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:25,000 Prayer releases the power of God, and if we are experiencing little power in our lives, 125 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:31,800 perhaps it's because this part of our lives is being corrupted and eroded away. 126 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:38,680 And if we want that power back, it comes back as we begin to pray. 127 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:43,760 Then finally, prayer requests God's intervention. 128 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:45,480 That's part of God's design for it. 129 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:48,680 And Paul prays here in chapter 4. 130 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:56,800 Pray for us that we may speak, that God would open a door of opportunity, that we may speak 131 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,840 as we ought to speak. 132 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:06,200 At least five times in the New Testament, the apostle Paul invites, he asks others to 133 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:14,000 pray for him, most often in connection with his ministry, because he knows that prayer 134 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:17,840 requests God's intervention and brings it about. 135 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:23,440 Now the reason Paul knew that is because he had experienced it like many of us have. 136 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:28,560 Do you remember the time when he and Silas were in jail in Philippi? 137 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:39,160 And the Bible says that at midnight, they began to sing praises to God and to pray. 138 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:42,640 And it says the prisoners heard all of this. 139 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,280 And what happened as a result of the prayer? 140 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,280 God intervened. 141 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,440 He opened the prison doors and they were released. 142 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:56,680 I don't mean to imply that God always intervenes just as we ask him to. 143 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:02,120 I'm not even sure that night that Paul and Silas were asking God to open the door. 144 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,720 That's how he chose to answer. 145 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:10,020 I'm not saying that God always intervenes with the healing that we ask for or with the 146 00:13:10,020 --> 00:13:15,880 provision that we ask for, but let me tell you, when we pray, it always causes God to 147 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:23,280 act in some way, a perfect way according to his divine plan and purpose. 148 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:30,520 And so prayer, by its design, requests God's intervention and gets it. 149 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:37,360 And so are you experiencing God's design for prayer in your life? 150 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,460 Is it reminding you of your dependence upon God? 151 00:13:40,460 --> 00:13:44,720 Is it resulting in life change in you and in others? 152 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:52,240 Is it releasing God's power in your life, in your witness, in your church, in your family? 153 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,600 Is prayer requesting the intervention of God? 154 00:13:55,600 --> 00:14:01,000 Are you seeing God move in answer to your prayers? 155 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:06,200 Those are questions we have to ask ourselves because that's God's design for it. 156 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:13,640 And I remind you that no Christian's life will stand strong and prevail. 157 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,640 That is not cemented together by faithful prayer. 158 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:22,880 Now there's a second perspective I want to talk about regarding prayer and that is the 159 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:25,440 difficulties that we face. 160 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:27,640 Paul seems to imply that here, doesn't he? 161 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:28,640 Look at verse 2. 162 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:36,600 Where he says, devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert. 163 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:37,600 Keeping alert. 164 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:42,640 Literally, he says, staying awake. 165 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:44,400 There are difficulties in prayer. 166 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,040 Let me mention three of them. 167 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:51,880 One is spiritual illiteracy. 168 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:57,360 What I mean here is that there are some who don't know how to pray. 169 00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:59,080 They've never learned to pray. 170 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:02,880 Now that's nothing to be ashamed of. 171 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:07,720 But to stay illiterate is something to be ashamed of. 172 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:13,000 If we don't know how to pray then we ought to equip ourselves, we ought to learn how 173 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,580 to pray. 174 00:15:15,580 --> 00:15:18,000 But there are those who face the difficulty in praying. 175 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,620 I don't know how to do this. 176 00:15:20,620 --> 00:15:21,620 And that's fine. 177 00:15:21,620 --> 00:15:27,160 Just don't stay in that uninformed place. 178 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,440 Even the disciples felt that. 179 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:36,260 And so when they heard Jesus pray they said, Lord teach us to pray. 180 00:15:36,260 --> 00:15:40,200 And his response was, well here's how you pray. 181 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:45,100 Our Father who art in heaven, we heard that tune played a few moments ago. 182 00:15:45,100 --> 00:15:46,100 Teach us to pray. 183 00:15:46,100 --> 00:15:51,840 And then a second difficulty in praying is that of fleshly weakness. 184 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:55,040 That really seems to be the thrust of what Paul says here. 185 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,960 And he says staying awake in prayer. 186 00:15:58,960 --> 00:15:59,960 Fleshly weakness. 187 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:05,960 I think of the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. 188 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:11,040 Only Luke gives us the insight that Jesus said to them, I want you to come up to the 189 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,640 mountain with me to pray. 190 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:18,360 He invited them to a prayer meeting. 191 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:19,720 Only three of the twelve went. 192 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:22,240 That's not unusual is it? 193 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,020 Only three went up to pray. 194 00:16:24,020 --> 00:16:26,720 Just those of the three he asked. 195 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:31,960 And then when they got there it says they fell asleep. 196 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:37,240 I remember the first time in my life I ever went to a prayer meeting. 197 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:43,760 The Little Baptist Church where I was saved in Kansas did not have prayer meetings. 198 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,280 They preached the gospel there for a couple of years during the time I got saved. 199 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:52,520 And then a liberal pastor came who didn't know the Bible, didn't teach the Bible. 200 00:16:52,520 --> 00:17:00,240 And I guess we didn't need prayer meetings in that church or something. 201 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,880 But during a period of time in my youth I stayed for a week or two with a neighbor family, 202 00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:06,920 neighborhood family. 203 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:10,800 And they belonged to another Little Baptist Church in our town. 204 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:15,960 Every little town all over the Midwest has at least two Baptist churches, right? 205 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:17,880 And so we went to the other Little Baptist Church. 206 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:22,680 They had a prayer meeting and they always went to Wednesday night prayer meeting. 207 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,880 And I went for the first time. 208 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:26,160 I don't know how old I was. 209 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:31,920 I was probably ten or eleven years of age. 210 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:36,560 And after taking some requests they divided up. 211 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:43,440 The women went one way and the men stayed in the auditorium to pray. 212 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:50,200 And I remember waking up after the men had prayed. 213 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:55,440 And my hair must have been disheveled and my eyes full of sleep because I remember some 214 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:00,800 of the girls who were just a little older than I pointing at me and laughing because 215 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:06,040 they saw I had been asleep in prayer. 216 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,840 The apostle says that there are fleshly weaknesses that we have. 217 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,120 And we all face them, don't we? 218 00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:21,840 When we're too tired to pray, too weary to pray, when we lack the discipline to pray. 219 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:26,560 And then there is another area of difficulty and that is satanic opposition because if 220 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:31,560 Satan can prevent us from praying, he's won the battle already. 221 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:33,880 He doesn't care how much witnessing you and I do. 222 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:40,140 He doesn't care how active we are in ministry as long as we don't pray about it. 223 00:18:40,140 --> 00:18:47,360 Because it is prayer that brings the victory and he knows that. 224 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:51,720 You have experienced as I have undoubtedly those times when you're praying and it just 225 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:53,680 seems like there's a wall there. 226 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,800 Have you ever experienced that? 227 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,560 Or those times when you're praying and there are foreign thoughts that just come to your 228 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:08,760 mind, sometimes even impure and lewd thoughts come to your mind as you're trying to pray. 229 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,760 Where are these things coming from, brethren? 230 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:19,200 It is satanic opposition seeking to distract us, seeking to get our minds on something 231 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,800 else. 232 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:27,080 Don't you discover that you never remember so many details of things you need to do until 233 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:31,200 you get down to pray. 234 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,640 That's why when I'm going through those kinds of struggles, I usually take a pad with me 235 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:40,120 and a pen and when those things come to mind I just write them down and go on so I don't 236 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:44,080 try to retain them in my mind and can concentrate on praying. 237 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:49,600 There are difficulties that we face in prayer, but Paul says here we are to be alert with 238 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:50,600 prayer. 239 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:53,480 We're to stay awake. 240 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:54,480 We're not to go to sleep. 241 00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:59,200 Paul, we're on guard and we are on guard. 242 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:05,680 We're not to go to sleep in the midst of a battle and it is a battle. 243 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:10,320 So acknowledging the difficulties, let's not use them as excuses for not praying. 244 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:15,380 Let's recognize them and get beyond them and pray. 245 00:20:15,380 --> 00:20:22,840 That brings me to my third perspective and that is the dedication we need for prayer. 246 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:27,840 Because the apostle says here we are to devote ourselves to prayer. 247 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:33,200 Literally this word devote means to endure toward. 248 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:39,840 It's a verb with a preposition on the front side of it as a prefix which intensifies it 249 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,080 and gives it direction. 250 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:48,000 What it's saying here is that we need to endure in this and move ahead. 251 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:54,320 We are to devote ourselves to prayer and this is a word in the New Testament that is used 252 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,640 of prayer several times. 253 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:07,320 In Acts 1, 14, in Acts 2, 42, and in Acts 6, 4, you see the historical record of the 254 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,920 church devoting itself to prayer. 255 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:17,920 Now Paul says in Romans 12 and verse 12 that we are to be devoting ourselves to prayer 256 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:24,400 and here again he says devote yourselves to prayer. 257 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:28,280 In chapter 4 of Colossians in verse 12 he talks about Epiphras. 258 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,680 Who is one of your number, he says. 259 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:37,520 That is he's from Colossae, a bond slave of Jesus Christ. 260 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:45,960 He's with Paul and Paul says he sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for 261 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,600 you in his prayers. 262 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:59,200 Laboring, agonizing earnestly with intensity and fervor that you may stand perfect and 263 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,600 fully assured in all the will of God. 264 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,720 Here is how the church grows. 265 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:12,120 Here's how the saints of God grow when we agonize in prayer, when we labor in prayer 266 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:13,600 as Epiphras did. 267 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:23,640 Oh, that God would raise up an army of people like Epiphras in Grace Church, Roosevelt. 268 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:32,240 People who will engage in prayer, who will busily devote themselves to prayer with intensity 269 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:37,720 and faithfulness. 270 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:42,160 There's the story about a fisherman who was a Christian and went out to sea with some 271 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:43,960 of his godly companions. 272 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:48,120 While they were out at sea a storm came up. 273 00:22:48,120 --> 00:22:54,360 His friends knew that this man was a Christian, but he also knew that he had been out of fellowship 274 00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:58,840 with God for years. 275 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:04,280 They said to him, pray for us, pray for us that God will spare us. 276 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:11,080 He said to them, well it's been a long time since I've done that or even entered a church. 277 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,040 Yet they said, pray for us. 278 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:17,920 And so finally he did and this is what he prayed, oh Lord, I haven't asked anything 279 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:24,400 of you for 15 years and if you help us now and bring us safely to land I promise I won't 280 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:32,120 bother you for another 15 years. 281 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:35,760 That's not what you call devoting yourself to prayer. 282 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:41,520 You know frankly the need that most of us have is not to come to church and hear another 283 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,160 sermon on prayer. 284 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:50,240 The need that most of us have is to go home and to practice prayer. 285 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:57,240 To put to use what we already know about this subject and it's important that we do so. 286 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:03,000 I think I've told you before about a dear friend of mine who was a pastor for many years 287 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:10,880 and toward the end of his ministry as a senior man he came to join our staff in Covington, 288 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:15,560 Kentucky where I was pastoring. 289 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:20,440 And when I left there Jim was still on staff and shortly thereafter it was discovered he 290 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:25,120 had cancer and not long to live. 291 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:33,400 And so on a trip back to Kentucky I went to see Jim in the hospital as he was dying and 292 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:42,240 I said Jim as you look back over your life do you have any regrets? 293 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:52,560 And he thought for a moment and he said this, just one sentence, and he was a man who preached 294 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:59,200 powerfully, he was a man who studied the Bible, he was a man who read literally hundreds of 295 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,080 books every year. 296 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:09,040 He could read as fast as anybody I've ever met in my life and comprehended. 297 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:16,340 But here's what he said when I asked him that question, he said Galen I wish that I had 298 00:25:16,340 --> 00:25:21,200 prayed more. 299 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,600 That's an honest confession isn't it? 300 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:28,000 And you know something if I were to stand before you this morning and be honest I would 301 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,040 say the same thing about my ministry. 302 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,920 And I've got a hunch that there are a lot of us who would say if we knew that we were 303 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:49,840 about to meet the Lord like Jim we would say I wish I had prayed more. 304 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:56,280 Now if we think that that's what we would say, if we were about to meet the Lord then 305 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:02,260 why don't we do something about it so that when we come to that point be it tomorrow 306 00:26:02,260 --> 00:26:07,480 or in ten years or whenever that won't be a regret. 307 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:11,320 You say how much is enough prayer? 308 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:18,080 I don't know the answer to that but I do believe that when we have prayed enough God will satisfy 309 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:23,480 our hearts. 310 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:25,360 How is this area of your life? 311 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:30,480 What is the foundation like? 312 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:39,720 Andrew Bonar was a man who loved God, a man of great devotion to the Lord and who wrote 313 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:44,800 down his thoughts in a diary which is still published today though he died in the last 314 00:26:44,800 --> 00:26:47,480 century. 315 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,400 This is what he wrote on one evening. 316 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:57,360 Tonight I gave myself to a time of waiting upon the Lord. 317 00:26:57,360 --> 00:27:03,840 I had not been much in the spirit of prayer but now several things have become clear to 318 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:05,400 me. 319 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:14,280 I realize I have not communed enough with the Lord nor come to him as often as I should. 320 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:19,120 Little forethought has been given to the requests I have made. 321 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:25,080 There has been much conversing and outward engagement with men but I have not been occupied 322 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,720 enough with God himself. 323 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:35,480 I also realize that a closeness to him gives abundant strength and is like sunlight shining 324 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:42,360 through the clouds on a gloomy day. 325 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:49,360 Do you feel like Bonar? 326 00:27:49,360 --> 00:27:53,200 William Cooper was a man who had many cloudy days. 327 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,600 He wrote hymns that we sing. 328 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:04,000 William Cooper was a man who struggled all of his life with serious depression. 329 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:10,040 But listen to some words that he wrote about the blessing of prayer. 330 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:16,000 About various hindrances we meet in coming to the mercy seat. 331 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:25,480 Yet, who that knows the worth of prayer but wishes to be often there? 332 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,760 Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw. 333 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:38,120 Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw, gives exercise to faith and love, brings every blessing 334 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:42,440 from above. 335 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:47,600 Restraining prayer, we cease to fight. 336 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:52,240 Prayer keeps the Christian's armor bright and Satan trembles when he sees the weakest 337 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,640 saint upon his knees. 338 00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:04,320 Were half the breath that's vainly spent to heaven in supplication be sent, our cheerful 339 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,600 song would often be, 340 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:13,560 Hear what the Lord has done for me. 341 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:21,040 I think I have told you too about a woman in my own life who was a prayer saint, a prayer 342 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:22,040 warrior. 343 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:26,240 Her name was Mrs. Wills. 344 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:32,960 I still remember sitting in her living room where she and her husband George were and 345 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:38,280 telling her and him that I had been accepted as a student at Moody Bible Institute. 346 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,520 How thrilled she was. 347 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:45,960 She was a woman who knew how to pray because she had prayed for her husband for 55 years 348 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,800 before he became a Christian. 349 00:29:48,800 --> 00:29:53,840 This was now 10 years after that. 350 00:29:53,840 --> 00:30:05,680 She said to me, Galen, I'm going to pray for you every day. 351 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,320 I knew that she prayed for me. 352 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:14,840 The years went by and I graduated from Moody and had a year of youth ministry which I got 353 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:17,840 very old quickly. 354 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:22,280 Then went back to college and had two years and finished up my bachelor's degree. 355 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:27,880 During my senior year in 1969, you've got to understand she's in her upper 80s by this 356 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,360 point. 357 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:37,200 During that senior year I went to my home church to be ordained. 358 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:44,640 Mrs. Wills was shut in. 359 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:51,760 But that night they were able to get her into a wheelchair and she came. 360 00:30:51,760 --> 00:31:04,480 She sat there and she watched me as we went through that memorable evening of the ordination. 361 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:11,920 Afterward she gave me a big hug, reminded me that she had been praying for me. 362 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:21,320 She said, Galen, now I'm ready to go home. 363 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:27,080 You know it wasn't but a few months later that the Lord took her home and I missed her 364 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:30,080 prayers. 365 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:36,480 There was a woman who knew what it was to devote herself to prayer for a struggling 366 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,080 young man going into the ministry. 367 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:44,280 Do you know what it means to devote yourself to prayer? 368 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:51,800 See that's what it takes to get young people into the ministry. 369 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:57,720 That's what it takes for our kids to grow up and to be godly young adults with all the 370 00:31:57,720 --> 00:31:59,760 pressures in today's world. 371 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,320 That's what it takes for your grandkids to do that. 372 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,320 That's what it takes for your marriage to come together. 373 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:10,160 That's what it takes for God's work to be done, for people to come to Christ. 374 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:20,160 It takes people who are devoted to prayer. 375 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:31,880 Will you today say before God, like Andrew Bonar confessed, I have not spent in recent 376 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:43,320 days much time with the Lord, but I give myself to renewed prayer and will by God's grace 377 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:46,440 be devoted in prayer. 378 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,520 Will you? 379 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,280 Let's pray. 380 00:32:53,280 --> 00:33:02,400 Father, I give thanks to you for those examples that you have given me in my life, like Mrs. 381 00:33:02,400 --> 00:33:05,240 Wills. 382 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:13,680 And I confess before you that I have not followed her example as I wish I had. 383 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:17,360 And there may be many others here this morning, I don't know, who will want to say today 384 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:25,280 as they examine the foundation of their lives that they want to firm up this part and become 385 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:31,280 a man, a woman of prayer, be devoted to it. 386 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:37,760 Would you so move upon our hearts, I pray, for the sake of your kingdom, for the sake 387 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:44,240 of our lives, if that would be the desire of your heart, the decision of your heart 388 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:52,080 to say, God, I will devote myself to prayer. 389 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:57,120 I wonder if you'd be willing to stand just where you are to say that to God. 390 00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,840 Now you may already be that way, and if you don't feel like you should stand because 391 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:07,920 of it, that's fine, or certainly don't be dishonest about it, but if you would say, 392 00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:15,680 I want to be devoted to prayer, and will be by God's grace, feel free to stand before 393 00:34:15,680 --> 00:34:17,680 him now. 394 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,480 God bless you. 395 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:31,360 Lord, I pray that you will honor the commitment and the harsh desire of all of us who stand 396 00:34:31,360 --> 00:34:39,640 before you, so that when we come before you on that day and see you face to face, we will 397 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:45,880 not be grieved because we have prayed too little, but rather we'll be glad to arrive 398 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:53,360 home because we have already been for so many days and years living in the light of home 399 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,320 in prayer. 400 00:34:55,320 --> 00:35:01,880 Lord, may the minutes that some of us have spent in prayer become more than that, even 401 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:10,760 extended to the sweet hours of prayer of which we have sung this morning. 402 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,280 Now let's all stand together with our heads bowed. 403 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:20,800 Let's sing God Answers Prayer in the morning, at noon, in the evening. 404 00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,880 Therefore let's keep our hearts in tune. 405 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:31,000 God answers prayer in the morning. 406 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:38,360 God answers prayer at noon. 407 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:45,040 God answers prayer in the evening. 408 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:54,080 So keep your heart in tune. 409 00:35:54,080 --> 00:36:00,520 Lord, thank you for the tune-up job this morning. 410 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:06,800 And now may you be honored as we busily engage ourselves in this wonderful privilege that 411 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,800 you've given. 412 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:26,080 Please stand.