Better Life of Prayer

January 18, 2015

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Better Life

Better: Life of Prayer

Col. 1:9-12

Introduction

We’ve all been in that service when one child get’s a little rambunctious.

• I read of one such incident.
• The little boy was acting up.
• After several warning it was time for a father/son talk in the foyer.
• The father scooped up the boy under his arms and headed up the center aisle.
• About half way up the little boy shouted, “Ya’ll pray for me!”

Asking for prayers...nothing wrong with that.

• Do you only pray when things are at their worst?
• Or, is your life one that is saturated in prayer?

• 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:16-18

So how can be we get better?

• We will not get better unless we stretch ourselves...it will take effort on our part.

Spiritually speaking, with the new year in front of you, do you want to become better?

• Over the next few week I want us to focus on a few things that we can become better at.
• It is possible for this to happen.

• What will it take for you to become better?
• It will take time, effort, and a commitment to become...better!

I hope that each of you will join me today to make a commitment to become better.

• Last Sunday was about being a better servant
• Last Sunday night the lesson was about having a better passion for people.

Text

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Colossians 1:9-12

Paul’s prayers are always a great study.  

• They are each unique and we can learn a great deal about him and how we should pray.  
• I have found that those letters that he wrote while in prison were extra unique.
• To begin he always prayed for others and not for himself.  
• The request in his prayers is always for spiritual blessings and not material ones.  
• Of course, it would not have been bad to pray for material things.  
• Paul realizes that it’s the spiritual needs that are greatly more important.

So how do you pray for a group of people that you’ve never seen before?  

• This is the situation that we find here.
• All that Paul knew about the believers in Colossae he learned from their faithful servant, Epaphras.  

• Paul had a strong passion for prayer, and it is the content of that intensity that I want to focus on tonight.  
• There are many things that Paul prays for, and we should take note of these to have a BETTER prayer life this year!

Listen to these requests:

He prayed for spiritual wisdom (1:9)

The Colossians were struggling with “false teaching.”  

• They were mislead that they would have special knowledge if they accepted a new doctrines.  
• They used words like knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual wisdom in their religious vocabulary, so Paul did the same.

Every believer needs to have “the knowledge of His will.”

• The Greek word translated “knowledge” in this verse carries the meaning of “full knowledge.”
• There is always more to learn about God and His will for our lives.
• No Christian would ever dare to say that he had “arrived” and needed to learn nothing more.  
• We can always learn...more particular, this verse says that we need to be filled with the “full knowledge.”  
• To be filled means “to be controlled by.”  
• So in this prayer Paul is praying that these individuals be controlled by the full knowledge of God’s will.

He prayed for practical obedience (1:10)

The wisdom that Paul prayed for was not to simply have knowledge of deep spiritual truths.  

• Where is true spiritual wisdom found?  Is it found in books or theology?  
• No, true spiritual wisdom must affect daily life...that is where it is seen.  
• Wisdom and action must go together.

Notice that in verse 9 we begin with wisdom.  

• Then in verse 10 we find that we have to walk (servanthood/worshipping) and that is followed by work.  
• This sequence seems important, and one that we need to take notice of.

He prayed for moral excellence (1:11-12)

Paul is letting the Colossians know that when he prays for them regularly

• Furthermore, that he is also asking God to give his power to them.  
• Not for any selfish gain, but so that they can live for God in a worthy manner.
• Spiritual growth and maturity can come only as we yield to God’s power and permit Him to work in us.  
• Not from any effort of our own.

You have to have endurance and patience.  

• Notice that these qualities are have accentuated by the fact that we are joyful in our patience and endurance.
• Patience is endurance in action.
• It is not the Christian sitting in a rocking chair, waiting for God to do something.
• It is the soldier on the battlefield, keeping on when the going is tough.

Lesson

Prayer was not a new spiritual discipline, but it was one that the apostles had trouble with.  

• How do we know that?  
• Well, when we read the gospels we find that they came to Jesus and asked him to teach them how to pray.  
• And he does just that.
• How do we start in developing a better prayer life?
• A good place is to go back to that “Lord’s prayer.”  
• It worked for them it might just work for us
• Look at this as a “model prayer” rather it is more of guidance and place to go for direction

Make prayer a priority in your life.  

Jesus did, Paul did, and we can too.  

• We only need to put God first.  
• By having God first in our lives...prayer becomes a priority to us.  
• Because with God centered in our lives we’ll be talking to him.  
• We will talk daily, maybe even multiple times a day.

We’ve talked about the different thing that battle for your time.  

• Cut out some of the unnecessary things and plug in this one spiritual discipline that will make a profound difference in your life.

Be devoted to your prayer life.

The devotion we have for God will pour over into our prayer life.  

• Why is that?
• Devotion is when you dedicate a large portion or all of your time on one thing.  
• At this point God will be center in our life...we are loving and loyal to only him.

Look at the way you pray and consider a change.

If you feel that you don’t have the passion you should look at the way that you’re praying.  

• Consider journaling your prayers.  
• You might find that your heart pours out more.  
• Consider another prayer posture.  
• There are many in the Bible, and while it really just matters the posture of your heart different postures can help put you in the right frame of mind.

Conclusion

In verse 9 we find that Paul never stopped praying for the Colossians.  

• He was persistent in his prayer.  
• He was devoted in his prayer.  
• He made prayer a priority in his life...he probably got better because he had a passion for it!

But what do I have to be thankful for?

13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.