Sermon Tone Analysis

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians

Sunday May 29, 2022

The secret to prayer

n this day in 1944, General George S. Patton, aka “Old Blood and Guts,” begins his bold strategy to relieve the Allied defenders of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.

Ultimately, his plan paid off, and his 3rd Army penetrated the German lines and pushed them east across the Rhine.

Notably, a couple weeks prior, 250,000 prayer cards were distributed to every soldier in his Third Army.

The text of the two-sided card follows:

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend.

Grant us fair weather for Battle.

Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.

To each officer and soldier in the Third United States Army, I Wish a Merry Christmas.

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle.

We march in our might to complete victory.

May God’s blessings rest upon each of you on this Christmas Day.

G.S. Patton, Jr, Lieutenant General, Commanding, Third United States Army.”

After all, as General Patton said just prior to their distribution:

“[B]etween the plan and the operation there is always an unknown.

That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure.

It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes.

Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God.

God has His part, or margin in everything.

That’s where prayer comes in.”

Let us now draw our swords and turn to the fifth Chapter of Thessalonians verse 17 this day in the Lord, to learn what the spirit teaches us on the subject of prayer.

Opening Hymn: Battle Hymn of the Republic

We concluded Sunday with the mandate (imperative) to rejoice always.

Now we come to another commandment for the Christian.

Prayer.

In verse 16 we are to “rejoice.”

How often?

Always

Habits are those practices which are interwoven within the life and becomes a very fabric of the person’s lifestyle.

When we met on our last previous Lord’s day, we learned the principle that we are to Rejoice Always.

πάντοτε [pantote /pan·tot·eh/] adverb;

noting the continual practice of a glad heart.

that Joy is not dependent upon the outside circumstances that produces pressure upon the believer but is subject to the inside counter pressure of the spiritual life produces a crop to include the outpouring of Joy.

Now speaking of walking.

If our gladness is due to our ever presence with the Lord, then it would stand to reason that we would be talking to the Lord on a continual basis.

προσεύχομαι [proseuchomai/pros·yoo·khom·ahee/] v to speak to or to make requests of God—‘to pray, to speak to God, to ask God for, prayer.’

The action is a present Middle or Passive imperative.

This is a deponent verb.

It takes the form of a middle or passive, but it is active in the sense of fulfillment.

Here lies the secret of prayer.

It is not in our active pursuit of Prayer but in our active pursuit of God which makes all the difference in our lives, for prayer can either be the believers greatest and most comforting reward or it can be our greatest frustration.

John 15:4–8 (NASB95) — 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you.

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

It so stands to reason that if we as believers we are continually occupied with the person of the Lord in turn should we not also be talking with the Lord as a habitual state of living.

Should it not be for such a person that praying would be as natural as breathing but and in the same regard to be unnatural as to stop breathing.

But also, the one who is not abiding in the person of the Lord Prayer is unnatural as well.

In so doing, the imperative is carried out by one abiding in the vine

That being said, then prayer is what is produced from the very life of the believer when he is abiding in the Lord.

Now in verse 17 we are to pray continually.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NASB95) — 17 pray without ceasing.

ἀδιαλείπτως [adialeiptos/ad·ee·al·ipe·toce/] adv[1]

pertaining to not ceasing from some continuous activity—‘not ceasing, not stopping, unceasingly, continuously.’

This unceasing prayer denotes and unwavering personal connection and walk with the person of the Lord.

The continuance of prayer is not that every waking moment that we are at prayer.

2 Timothy 1:3 (NASB95) — 3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,

Paul does not mean here that he does not do anything else but to remember Timothy in His prayers.

Paul is reminding Timothy that he makes it a habit of prayer.

And often Paul does include Timothy in his prayers.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NASB95) — 13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, youaccepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Paul again with the use of ἀδιάλειπτος is not saying that is all that they do is thanking God for the people in Thessalonica

It means that regularly they are thanking God.

they make a habit of prayer.

The Acrostic for Prayer which we went over in our last meeting is ACTS.

Adoration

Confession

Thanksgiving

Supplication

These are found in the Disciples prayer in Matthew 6.

The Disciples wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray.

And from it we have what is often known as the “Lord’s prayer.”

The prayer is better identified as the disciple’s prayer, for the Lord had no sin that he should ask His Father to forgive.

Matthew 6:4–13 (NASB95)

First this is not rote prayer.

It is not a recitation of prayer which when something is recited over and over the words lose their flavored meaning.

Prayer of one who is abiding in the Lord is not contrived or in repetition.

Matthew 6:7 (NASB95) — 7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

This is a model prayer.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:9 not to pray this prayer but to “Pray in this way.”

Jesus gives them a template for prayer.

Each of the parts of prayer are covered in the our acrostic within the Disciples prayer.

Adulation

Praising God and acknowledging his glory

Matthew 6:9 (NASB95) — ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed ἁγιάζω, ἀνασῴζω

[hagiazo /hag·ee·ad·zo/] v be Your name ὄνομα [onoma /on·om·ah/][2].

Thanksgiving

Matthew 6:10 (NASB95) — 10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

There is the confident expectation which leads to thanksgiving even for that which is not yet but a physical reality, But is in ours to grasp.

This inspires thanksgiving of those who are the recipients of salvation and their future destiny.

Supplication

Petitions and intercessions making our requests be known to God.

Matthew 6:11 (NASB95) — 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.

Confession

Matthew 6:12–13 (NASB95) — 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.