Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Changing the Way We Pray”*

Colossians 1:9-14

*09~/27-28~/08*

* *

*Focus: Story of Person Needing Prayer…Folks Praying for Obvious--Nothing*

How many times do you find yourself wanting to Pray for Someone~/Situation but are at a Loss as to know What to Pray?

In my experience I’ve found people struggle in the area of Prayer for one of several reasons: *Superficiality* (God, please bless ______.)

Or come with a *Ready-Made Solution* to Offer God (Dear Lord, please let ______ get this promotion.

She needs it because….)

Often we *Don’t Know What to Pray* because God answers in Different Ways (To Heal or Not to Heal!).

And how do we pray for the *Needs of the World*—the *Middle East*; *Natural* *Disasters* & *Famine~/Starving Kids*; *Darfur*… What are we to make of the *Cataclysmic* things seemingly taking place à the *Economy* fallout; *Nuclear* *Threats* by rogue nations; the *Wars*?

* *

*Last weekend*: Launched series from *Colossians* on CHANGE & spoke about Changing our Priorities.

Making a Decision to Put God 1st, Letting God Transform us From Inside Out.

*Today* à Changing the Way we *PRAY*.

By time we walk out of here, we believe God is going to give us some Specific direction in the way we pray, esp.

for others.

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*TS:* In the Bible there are a number of Prayers recorded to Help us learn how to address God in ways that bring about Change.

One such Prayer comes from 1st chapter of Colossians uttered by a man named Paul for a church in his day.

Two significant things about Paul’s Model Prayer:

1.      Had Deep Concern for this group of people à Being Misled by false teachers

2.      He had NEVER Met them!

à Praying for Total Strangers

So in this General Prayer for Christian brothers~/sisters we Can Learn some Specific Applications for All those we Pray For.

 

*Colossians 1:9-14 */For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped *praying* for you and *asking* God to *fill you* with the knowledge of *his will* through all *spiritual* *wisdom* and *understanding*.

And we pray this in order that you may *live* a life *worthy* *of* *the* *Lord* and may *please him* in every way: *bearing fruit* in every good work, *growing* in the knowledge of God, being *strengthened* with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great *endurance* and *patience*, and *joyfully giving thanks* to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins./

Before we Get Into the Meat of What this Teaches Us about Prayer, a Couple of Things we Can Learn that Might Change the Way we Pray

·         /“We have not stopped Praying for you and Asking…”/

This is *Petitionary Prayer, *or* Intercessory*

·         God calls you~/me to Pray For~/Ask on Behalf Of One Another! …

o   Over 100 prayers are recorded in the Bible (For: City, Deliverance, Miracles, Leaders, Forgiveness, Strength, Wisdom, *a Bride*!, Prosperity, Longer Life, Enemies, Healing, the Return of Christ…)

o   Prayer is the Characteristic of the People of Faith – the Backbone of Anything with Eternal Significance – Our Lifeline to God!

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So What Did Paul Pray For in this Model Prayer when Interceding for Others?

| What to Pray for Others |

                                              

 

 

 

/“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped *praying* for you and *asking* God to *fill you* with //à// the knowledge of *his will…*/

 

Ø  *They Would Be Filled with the **Knowledge **of God’s Will!*

* *

In NT Language, /“to be filled with”/ means to */“be controlled by”/*

·         Filled with Anger = Controlled by Anger

·         Filled with Jealousy = Controlled by Jealousy

·         Filled with the Spirit = Controlled by the Spirit

*Paul prays, then, that these Christ-followers would be Controlled by the Full Knowledge of God’s Will! *(Directed – Guided by What God Wants)

 

*(illus.)

Know what MIND-SPACE is?* Marketing term.

Coca-Cola has a Percentage of Your Mind: When you think of Soda, what comes to mind?!

            Some call it *Mental Real Estate*.

How much *MIND-SPACE* does God have in you?

How much *Mental Real Estate* does His Will for You occupy?

* *

*God Wants You to Know His WILL.

His PLANS.

*Did you know that?

Do you believe that?

*God wants to bring His Friends into His counsel.*

Ø  *Abraham* – *Genesis 18:16-19*

/Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom.

As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.

*“Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked.*

(“For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just.

Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”)/

Ø  *Psalm 25:14* TNIV /“*The Lord confides in those who fear him*; he makes his covenant known to them.”/

NASB /“The secret (counsel, intimacy) of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he will make them know his covenant.”/

Ø  *Jesus – John 15:13-16 /(/*/There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

*You are my friends* if you do what I command.)

I no longer call you slaves, because *a master doesn’t confide in* his slaves.

Now *you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.)*

You didn’t choose me.

I chose you.

I appointed you to go & produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name./

/ /

*Do you Believe* God Wants you to Know his Will?

That He Wants to Reveal…?

*Eph.

5:17* /“Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

/

/ /

*PRAY* for the People you know Going through a Difficult~/Perplexing Time…to Gain knowledge of What God is Up To—His Will for their Circumstances.

For using their Circumstances in a way that Blesses Others, Brings Glory to His Name, Gives a Testimony.

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*But, you ask, How do I Know How to Pray God’s Will?

How do People Discover It?*

* *

è v. 9 /“…God to fill you with the knowledge of his will *through all spiritual wisdom & understanding.”*/*

[Pause]*

*As we study God’s Word & as we Pray, we Discover NEW & EXCITING *

*Truths about God’s Will for His People!*

We Understand the *WILL* of God through the *WORD* of God!

(Not ONLY way, but *Primary* Way)

 

*General** Will of God vs. Specific Will of God*

*The GENERAL Will of God* for All His Children is given Clearly in Bible

*The SPECIFIC Will of God* for any given situation must always agree with what

He has already revealed in His Word!

The Better we know God’s *General Will*, the easier it will be to determine His *Specific Guidance* in daily life!

God doesn’t Expect you to Seek Visions~/Wait for Voices.

He wants you to go Deeper into His Word & thus have Greater Wisdom~/Insight concerning His Will.

To “have all wisdom”—NOT to know All things, but to have All the

Wisdom necessary for *making decisions* & *living to please God*.

*[(illus.)

the Moral Warehouse of Principles]*

     (Children learn best from watching Parents…We from Stories in Life [Bible])

 

So Paul prayed for WHAT?

That they would Be Filled with Complete Will of God,

through All Spiritual Wisdom & Understanding

| *Notice WHY he prayed for this.

*What Happens when people Understand God’s Will?  |

 

 

 

Verse 10 /“And we pray this in order that you may/

/        *live* a life *worthy* *of* *the* *Lord* and may *please him* in every way”/

/ /

Ø  *To Honor God & Please God in Every Way!*