Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Theme: For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus . . . to pray continually.

Date: 05/08/2022 File: Final_Instructions_03.wpd

File #: NT13-05

As the Apostle Paul closes out his letter to the Thessalonian believers he encourages them to pray continually.

Now, no one can pray ceaselessly.

No one can literally do what Paul is suggesting.

He is saying that prayer ought to be a priority in our lives, and that each of us could probably pray a whole lot more than we do!

The Bible indicates that prayer is as important to your soul as air is to your lungs and life.

If I were to ask you this morning, “Is prayer fundamental to a believer’s spiritual life?”

I am sure I would receive a resounding “Yes!” from every one of you.

Yet, if some of you were honest with yourself this morning you would have to admit that if you breathed air as inconsistently as you sought out God in prayer you just might suffocate!

In relation to our text this morning, I want to leave you with three thoughts.

Prayer to God is worship.

Prayer to Us is work.

Prayer to Satan is warfare.

The first is this:

I. PRAYER TO GOD IS WORSHIP

1. the offering and burning of incense in the Temple at Jerusalem was a twice-daily event in Israel’s worship

a. once in the morning and again in the evening a priest would enter the inner Temple with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering

b. he would place it upon the altar of incense, and then the incense itself would be sprinkled upon the flame

c. the priest would then bow toward the Holy of Holies and retreat slowly backwards

2. as the smell of incense, wafted through the temple — filling it with a sweet fragrance — it represented the prayers of the people being carried to God

a. it is a beautiful Old Testament illustration of the believer’s prayers ascending to the ears of our Heavenly Father

b. even King David recognized this:

“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

(Psalm 141:2,NIV)

3. the prayers of the saints are a sweet smell in God’s nostrils

a. God is praised when we pray and that is worship

b. so how is prayer worship?

A. PRAYER BRINGS US INTO GOD’S PRESENCE

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

(Hebrews 4:16, NASB95)

1. because of Christ’s sacrifice every Christian has direct access to God

a. Paul urges us to make the most of our access by approaching God in prayer with a sense of confidence and boldness, knowing that our prayers will be heard and answered

2. at the same time, however, we should never be so bold as to lose sight of our surroundings

a. prayer ushers us into the throne room of God — that is no light thing

b. if we don’t take a moment to absorb the implications of that, we can’t fully appreciate the magnitude of the event

1) remember the Prophet Isaiah when, in a vision, he finds himself standing in Heaven’s throne room?

“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 And I said: “Woe is me!

For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”” (Isaiah 6:4–5, ESV)

2) prayer grants us a personal audience with the One who created the universe, who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, who kept Daniel safe in the lions’ den, who sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, who sacrificed His only Son, and who raised Him from the dead

c. it’s an astonishing opportunity, when you think about it — so we must think about it

3. approaching God in prayer should be mixed with a deep sense of awe and appreciation

B. PRAYER HELPS US RECOGNIZE OUR PLACE AND OUR PURPOSE

1. prayer is saying to God: “OK Lord, what’s next on your agenda for me and my life?”

a. this leads me to an observation

b.

I think one reason why Christians may not pray like they ought to is because if we really did find out what God’s will for our lives is, it would conflict with what we wanted to do

2. prayer is saying to God: “I need you God . .

.”

a. “. . . to help me handle my problems.”

b. “. . . to tell my frustrations to.”

c. “. . . to guide me in daily living.”

d. “. . .

for simple fellowship.”

1) at this point, let me hasten to say that each of us would be better off if we spent more time seeking God’s face rather than seeking God’s hand

2) too often, our only reason for going to God is when we want something or need His help

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.”

(1 Chron.

16:11, NIV)

3. often, too often, when we turn to God in prayer, it’s in response to circumstances in our life — a medical crisis, a broken relationship, a job loss, a sense of helplessness or hopelessness

a. we pray in times of desperation, imploring God to do something on our behalf

b. more often than not, we have a pretty clear idea of what we want Him to do

1) in such cases, prayer becomes an “assignment” — we give God a job and wait for Him to complete it

4. God is gracious; He will respond to “emergency requests,” though not necessarily in the ways we want Him to

a. however, when we pray in such a shortsighted way, we limit prayer’s potential in our lives

b. prayer, in its most potent form, is a regular acknowledgment of God’s place in our lives — and of our place in His will

5. as we extol God’s virtues and praise Him for His power, His wisdom, His love, and His ability to bring ultimate good from any situation, we are using prayer to worship our God

C. PRAYER DIRECTS OUR FOCUS ON GOD

1. what’s the highest form of compliment that you can pay to somebody else?

a. the highest compliment you can pay someone is the enjoyment of their presence

2. how do we seek God’s continuous presence?

a. we focus on God through continuous prayer!

ILLUS.

George Johnson, a Missourian who taught Bible at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale for twenty-five years, had a favorite saying.

When he died his family found it written in about a dozen places: “Every morning, lean thine arms awhile upon the window sill of heaven and gaze upon thy God.

Then, with that vision in thine heart, turn strong to meet the day.”

D. PRAYER ALIGNS OUR HEART WITH GOD’S HEART

1. the most profound example of seeking God’s purpose in prayer comes from Jesus

a. in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before His arrest, Jesus felt the full weight of what He was about to endure

1) he begins His prayer by saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39)

b. it was certainly an understandable request from someone who was being pushed to the limits of human endurance

2. but it’s how Jesus ends His prayer that resonates with us

a. he follows His anguished plea with these words: “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39)

b. this is the essence of worship ...

“ ... “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Matthew 6:9–10, NIV84)

3. our aim must be to follow our Lord’s lead in our own prayers

a. after we pour our hearts out to God, it is essential that we pray, in effect, “No matter how urgent or important these things seem to me, they pale in comparison to the urgency and importance of Your will.

That is my first priority.”

... Prayer to God Is Worship

II.

PRAYER TO US IS WORK

1. one reason so many believers pray so little is that they really don’t believe they are doing anything important when they pray

ILLUS.

I collect cartoons about church life.

One in my collection shows a pastor on his knees in his office, head bowed in prayer.

The door is cracked open, and the church secretary is peaking in, and she says, “Oh good.

You’re not doing anything important.”