Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Good Morning.
You know one of the first things I get to do most mornings is take that first breath of the morning.
I know I am breathing through the night.
But, what I’m talking about is that first waking breath.
It’s YES!
I have a new day!
Thank you father!
I always look forward to the day.
I wonder where and how God will lead me today.
Who will I meet, who will I see?
When I see someone, whether it’s one of my ladies, perhaps a one of you, perhaps someone in the community, or just a random person; I often think is there something today that is making that person happy.
If there is, will they share where I can rejoice with them?
Are they sad or struggling with something?
Again, will they share and open just a little where I could lend a listening ear?
We have these opportunities everywhere.
That’s because, for a large part of our time, we are around people.
Consider the person next to you, either to your right, you left, in front of you or just behind you.
That person could be rejoicing or might be looking for someone to share something happening in their life.
We become blessed when this person open up, because it’s an opportunity to pray with and for that person.
On Wednesday night, we have prayer - right here in this sanctuary.
We join in prayer as a group and lift what is on our minds to the throne of God.
We pray over a range of things.
We have a pretty detailed list
we pray over.
Part of that list, is we pray over the many requests that come in during the week and sometimes during the weekend.
It is especially humbling and savoring when I am allowed to hear a person pray for another.
My hope is your next opportunity, would you consider joining us on Wednesday night?
Some of you might be thinking I don’t pray very well; I can’t pray out loud or in front of other people for that matter.
A lot of us feel that why.
Sometimes expressing words for the feelings we have is hard.
And, that’s ok.
God knows what’s on our heart when it might be hard to express.
When we pray for others - it’s powerful.
One trait of Paul’s letters is an opening with prayer.
Paul was letting the churches know they were in his thoughts, and were lifted before God.
Our passage this morning takes us to Colossians.
Turn with me into your Bibles to Colossians chapter 1. We’ll be reading from verses 9 through 11.
Pastoral Prayer
Throughout Paul’s ministry he acknowledged the important role of praying for others.
In many of Paul’s letters, you can find him where he is praying for others and asking others to pray for him.
Paul understood this importance that here in this letter he begins with thanksgiving and prayer.
This morning we will looking parts of Paul’s prayer to the Colossians.
When we take a look at Paul’s prayer, there are three characteristics that describe Paul’s prayer in the first half of verse 9.
The first characteristic is what’s prompting it.
The first two words tie to verses 3 through 8, and the condition of the church.
Paul expressed great joy when he heard of the Colossians’ faith in Christ Jesus.
The joy continued from that day, and that, too, became the reason for prayer.
Paul saw the dangers in the theological heresy and what it would do to the congregation.
The words of the prayer reveal Paul’s concern about the future of the church.
Right in the middle of verse 9 we get right down to the nature of Paul’s prayer.
That is pray and asking.
When you look at just the word “pray.”
It’s generally considered a general term.
It help describe what we are doing.
The second word “asking” is much more specific.
This expresses, or brings, a particular request to God to intervene in the lives of those who he was praying.
The Bible is filled with examples of God’s people praying for each other:
Job prayed for his friends (Job 42:10)
Moses prayed for Aaron (Deut 9:20)
Samuel prayed for Israel (1 Sam.
7:5, 9)
Daniel prayed for Israel (Dan.
9:3-19)
Jesus prayed for His disciples (John 17:9-24)
The church prayed for Peter’s release (Acts 12:5)
The third characteristic found in the first half of verse 9 is evidence of consistence.
Prayer has to be consistent.
Paul says we have not ceased to pray.
This means Paul Prayed regularly and consistently for them.
Nehemiah is a great example of one who prayed without ceasing.
When King Artaxerxes asked for the reason for his sadness, Nehemiah told him of the destruction of Jerusalem.
In the midst of being afraid and a stressful situation, Nehemiah prayed a quick brief prayer before replying to the king.
You see Nehemiah was knew God’s character.
Part of Paul’s final instructions in his first letter to the Thessalonians was to:
When we coming into prayer for others, it helps know a little of what is going on.
We can narrow to the scope of the prayer to really target what is on our hearts.
This is what Paul is doing.
Paul was aware of the Colossians needs.
He was able to zero right in.
With unceasing prayer, this helps us to be people-conscience.
Two elements of praying without ceasing came together in Paul’s prayer life.
Paul was able to gain unbroken communication with the Father.
Paul’s love for people grew in such a way that it drove him to continually pray for others.
The second half of verse 9 gets to the root of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
Paul’s prayer was for them to be: be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
The Greek word for “knowledge” can mean either full knowledge or more precise knowledge.
This means Paul and Timothy asked that God would give the Colossian believer the exact knowledge of all His desires.
Knowledge is a central theme in many of Paul writing.
To the Corinthians he said:
Paul prayed that “the God our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory” would give the Ephesians “a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him”:
Paul prays that the knowledge we have would be God’s will.
So what is God’s will for our lives?
I heard someone once say, I have prayed, and I have had others pray over me to try and learn God’s will.
And you know what, I have yet to learn God’s will.
In fact God’s will is not secret.
God’s will can be found right here in this.
It doesn't mean we turn to commentaries or read online what others are talking about.
These things can help.
But! Nothing can replace the power of the Holy Spirit.
When your reading scripture, I’d encourage you to pray first, that God’s Spirit many lift the words off the page in a new way for you.
Second, when you are praying before you start reading, pray for others as there may be someone just like you beginning a study or has some similar questions as you do, and are searching through God’s Holy word.
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