Sermon Tone Analysis

“I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

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Some memories haunt us; other memories bless us.

Questions of what might have been often rob us of sleep.

That same question can, at other times, cause us to offer thanks to God. Memories of friendships that have been shredded cause us to mourn; and the intensity of sorrow seems unabated even though years have passed.

Likewise, warm memories of friends whom we haven’t seen for years can still elicit a sense of joy.

The Bible says nothing of memory in Heaven.

Perhaps memory is no longer needed in Heaven since “then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” [1 CORINTHIANS 13:12].

However, Jesus provides a disturbing account of memory in Hades which leads me to believe that even in the lake of fire memory will haunt the damned.

You recall the account of the rich man and Lazarus recorded in Luke Chapter Sixteen.

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table.

Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead’” [LUKE 16:19-31].

Focus on Abraham’s response when the rich man begged, asking that Lazarus might be sent to even dip the end of his finger in water to cool the tormented man’s tongue, “Child, remember” [LUKE 16:25].

In addition to the torments experienced, this man remembered.

Among his memories was that of five brothers who apparently had adopted the same manner of life that he had embraced.

He had lived without consideration of God; and they, also, lived without consideration of God.

At last, this man who had enjoyed wealth and who had no need for God, discovered compassion.

He found compassion at last; alas, he discovered it too late.

Though memories will haunt the damned, today, memories serve to encourage the redeemed.

I don’t encourage focusing on the negative memories—little can be gained by doing so.

Christians, to say nothing of outsiders, who hold on to bitterness, grudges and disappointments soon discover that their outlook on life is darkened—so darkened that it is difficult to continue walking in the light.

Negative memories fostered and fed on ultimately steal contentment and joy.

We are well advised to focus on positive memories, especially memories that remind us of fellow labourers who share this holy Faith.

Paul focused on positive memories of shared service with a fellow soldier—memories that sustain him in the trial of his imprisonment and pending execution.

Similarly, memories of those with whom we have shared the Faith serve to encourage us, to comfort us and to build us in this Faith.

Three times in a few short verses, the Apostle speaks of memories of Timothy and how those memories sustain him in his trials.

These warm remembrances encourage the Apostle in his prayers for the young pastor of the Ephesian congregation.

Drawing from Paul’s statements, join me in exploring the dynamics of godly memories of fellow Christians.

*I REMEMBER YOU* — “I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.”

For whom do you pray?

When we spend time in the presence of the Master, what names do you mention before His eternal throne?

Perhaps you pray for family members.

The most natural thing in the world is for Christian parents to pray for their children—pleading with God to keep them safe and that He will be their constant companion.

As our children begin to spend time in the presence of the Master, because we have taught them of Christ the Lord, they will pray for us, their parents.

As we name the names of those of our immediate family, we are genuinely moved at the memories that flood our minds.

Undoubtedly, we pray for our siblings—our brothers and our sisters; and each time we mention their name, sweet memories are brought to mind.

I trust that we pray for fellow Christians, remembering their struggles and rejoicing with them in their triumphs.

Though so many of our prayers for fellow believers are for health and perhaps wisdom to cope with the challenges of daily life, I do trust that we pray for God to richly bless one another with wisdom, with strength to live holy lives and with His grace to walk godly in the midst of a fallen world.

I learn of the things that were important to the Apostle as he prayed for believers in that ancient world.

I do not say that health and financial well-being were unimportant to the members of the early churches; I do say that health and financial well-being were not paramount if the prayers that are recorded have any meaning.

What matters seized the Apostle’s heart when he prayed?

An example of Paul’s praying in which he invited others to join him is given in ROMANS 15:30-32.

“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.”

We witness Paul’s prayer and his invitation for others to join in that same prayer for deliverance and service.

The Apostle seems primarily concerned with the spiritual health of the congregations to whom he wrote.

Here is an example that demonstrates what I mean.

“We pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.

For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.

Your restoration is what we pray for” [2 CORINTHIANS 13:7-9].

This dysfunctional church—their tendency to err, their proclivity for self-advancement and their self-exaltation, benefitted from Paul’s constant prayers.

He sought their full restoration to unity and to honourable service with the Living God.

I want you to look at a couple of examples of apostolic praying by looking to the Ephesian Letter.

The first example is found in the first verse.

There, Paul writes to the churches that would receive this missive, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” [EPHESIANS 1:16-23].

Because of God’s appointment as an Apostle, Paul was driven to pray for Christ’s glory.

Though none of us may say that we have received appointment as Apostles, we should emulate the Apostle’s yearning for God’s glory.

Again, in this encyclical, Paul reveals his prayer life when he writes, “I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” [EPHESIANS 3:14-19].

One of the few times that Paul requests specific prayer for his situation is given in the closing words of this Ephesian Letter.

To get the context, let’s pick up what the Apostle is saying in the middle of a series of imperatives.

“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” [EPHESIANS 6:17-20].

In other Prison Letters Paul wrote of his prayers for the respective congregations.

To the Philippians, Paul wrote, “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” [PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11].

Though this congregation was the source of rich joy, the Apostle sought even greater blessing for the people.

He wanted the saints to overflow with knowledge and discernment.

How do you pray for this congregation?

What is your prayer for the churches of this community?

Here we have a model for prayer for the saints.

“From the day we heard [of your faith and of your love], we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” [COLOSSIANS 1:9-14].

Here is encouragement to pray for fellow saints serving among the churches of our community!

I do not wish to tire you, but I do want to note that even in his earliest letters, Paul revealed his prayer life for the saints.

The Letters to the congregation in Salonica were arguably Paul’s earliest letters to have been included in the canon of Scripture.

In the First Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, “We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.

“Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

[1 THESSALONIANS 3:11-13].

Paul prayed for opportunity to serve the Thessalonians and for God to increase their love and their holiness.

Undoubtedly, this is a worthy prayer for any Christian.

Do you pray for love to grow and abound in this assembly?

Do you plead with God for us to become a holy people?

Such prayers speak of our understanding of God’s character and of His desire for His people.

In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle spoke again of his prayers for them.

The context of his prayer is the knowledge of Christ’s return to judge the wicked and to receive His redeemed people.

Thus, Paul prays, “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” [2 THESSALONIANS 1:11, 12].

Among the very personal missive from the Apostle is that which was delivered to Philemon.

In that letter, Paul wrote of his prayers for Philemon.