Prayer: Greatest Hits Tour- How to Pray for each other
Prayer: Greatest Hits Tour • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Turn your bible to Philippians 1
Have you ever aske a friend for a favor? Are you willing to do anything for someone else? Are you willing to do it with joy? ( Mike Melton)
Well we are going to see how Paul thinks of the people that he knows and how he relates to them and then is willing to lift them up and encourage them. Paul is reminding us how to lift others up by prayer.
As you look throughout scripture in what Paul has written about prayer. praying, intercession it was a part of his life. There are about 40-75 times Paul is referencing prayer in his writings - here are a few...
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
pray without ceasing,
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
So as we look at tonight in Philippians we are going to see Paul addressing prayer by
Praying for Joy
Praying for the Work of the Lord
Praying for your Love to Grow
Turn to Philippians 1:1-11
Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The background of who and why Paul was writing this letter
The Authors
Paul and Timothy, “bondservants of Jesus Christ”
Written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment
Paul’s work was never done, no matter the circumstances!
Paul was concerned about others
The Audience
“All the saints in Christ Jesus” in Philippi
Three Groups Addressed
Saints: All believers (our identity is in Christ)
Paul has a heart for the believers because he wants them to grow in Christ.
So Paul is addressing the church which is us today and saying listen to what I am saying
Bishops (overseers): Spiritual leaders
These are the ones that need to lead faithfully
Deacons: Servants in the church
Deacons need to serve the church - the Spiritual leaders can not do everything.
A healthy church needs every believer living as a saint, every leader leading well, and every servant serving with purpose.
His heart is not just to greet them.… hi how are you, but to strengthen them toward maturity, unity, and gospel-centered faithfulness.
The Greeting
“Grace to you and peace”
Grace = God’s unearned favor - let that sink in for a moment - unearned favor from God!
Peace = result of receiving God’s grace
Both come from God the Father and Jesus Christ
I. Praying for Joy
I. Praying for Joy
always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,
Paul’s prayers are marked by joy despite imprisonment
Notice he says every prayer of mine - always praying for others
Paul is being held and is on house arrest while writing this letter
Joy is not always happiness - it is great to be happy but may not always be the case
Joy is not based on circumstances but on relationship with Christ
Consistent Faithfulness
The Philippians supported Paul early and continually - they were faithful to Paul
We need to thank God and pray for those who we fellowship with.
Family
Friends
Youth leaders who help you follow Jesus
The staff
II. Praying for the Work of the Lord
II. Praying for the Work of the Lord
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
God Initiates the Work
Do you ever get bored with something, or you might even not want to start something?
Well God when He begins a work
He sees it till the even and will complete it.
It may not look like what we think it ought to be
The growth will have a different outcome then we might expect.
Remember it is what HE does through us - utimately it is to draw closer to the Lord
Salvation and growth start with God
God Sustains and Completes
God does not abandon what He starts
The Timeline
“Until the day of Jesus Christ”
This happens only if we have a personal relationship with the Lord
Until the day is.…
For some of us that could be when we die and stand in the presence of the Lord.
Fulfillment happens at Christ’s return
Key Truth
Our spiritual growth is secure because it depends on God’s faithfulness not on our own merit
Following Jesus is a journey, not a race.
Many times we want to hurry and finish the race, I am done I made it to the finish line.
Our life is not a race but a journey.
There is a difference on being on a journey of life and being on a journey of following Jesus, each of these will take you in a different direction
Even when you struggle—whether it’s with attitude, peer pressure, or doubts—God isn’t finished with them yet.
A Daily prayer could be , God, keep shaping me to be more like You, each and everyday
Your identity is in Christ, not your performance. It is who you become. 2 Cor 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Paul deeply loves the Philippians, even while in prison. His affection mirrors Christ’s love for us.
When Paul thought of the beginning of God’s work among the Philippians (from the first day), it was natural that he also thought of the day when that work would be complete.
Paul also expressed his confidence in God’s ability to complete that work.
Even though Paul may physically see the work complete.
III. Praying for your love to grow
III. Praying for your love to grow
Paul’s prayer for the Philippians.
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Now this is growing in a Real Love - Agape love, not a Philia love or Eros love
Agape: God-like love that seeks another person’s good, even at a cost to yourself. Our love should not be static - it should always be growing
Philia: Loyal friendship love, the bond between close companions.
Eros: Romantic love;
Paul prays that their love will grow in knowledge and discernment so they choose what’s excellent and live pure lives.
This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more:
The Philippians had a lot of love, and they showed it to Paul.
Yet Paul didn’t hesitate to pray that their love would abound still more and more.
It doesn’t matter how much love for others we have; we can still have more! There is always room for growth in this area of our life
Loving someone is not just about a feeling, it involves wise choices.
This is where scripture says more in knowledge and all discernment
The choice we make of how we respond to:
Parents
Friends
Those we do not like
Authority figures
The love Paul wanted to abound in the Philippians was not “blind love.”
Paul knew the danger of an undiscerning love.
He rebuked the Corinthian church that seemed to glory in their “love” and “openness” which lacked any sense of knowledge and discernment (1 Corinthians 5:1-7).
Paul is expecting us to be discerning in sharing our love with others
Paul was wanting unity
Being sincere is important, but alone it is not enough. Where is your heart in the matter of loving others.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ day were without offense in the opinion of many. We want God to make us both sincere and without offense.
Bearing fruit is always the result of abiding in Jesus (John 15:4-6). As we abide in Him, we receive the life and nutrients we need to naturally bear fruit to the glory and praise of God.
So what does this look like in your life???
Show love by including classmates who are left out and treating others with respect.
Use discernment when choosing friends, entertainment, social media, and activities.
Make decisions based on what is right, not just what is popular.
Be honest in schoolwork, sports, and relationships.
Let your words and actions point others toward Christ. This is the ultimate, because you might be the only Jesus a person sees.
“Every genuine follower of God has his glory in view by all that he does, says, or intends. He loves to glorify God, and he glorifies him by showing forth in his conversion the glorious working of the glorious power of the Lord.” (Clarke)
Response time:
Is your prayer life where it needs to be?
Do you have joy in praying?
Praying for others?
Pray for salvation
