Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction to Prayer
Paul was beginning a prayer at he beginning of chapter 3. Verse 1 “For this cause , I Paul, ...”
Then interrupted his thought to discuss”The Mystery”, the gospel...
His being a prisoner for Christ sake, for the gospel, for the gentiles...
His humble position as servant...
God’s effectual power
The manifold wisdom of God
being made known by the church
to principalities and powers in heavenly places
Therefore Do not lose heart at my tribulation
“Therefore” .....
What’s it there for?
Connect this to the previous statement
Yes, Paul is in prison
Yes, he has suffered a great deal...
But it is for a reason...
this mystery - in other ages was not known....
the unsearchable riches of Christ
fellow heirs… partakers of the divine nature...
Have you ever felt like you were “losing heart”
Do you get discouraged at your trials, and disappointments?
Do you sometimes feel like giving up?
Paul’s answer: Don’t
Don’t do it.
Don’t lose heart, don’t be discouraged.
Why do You suppose that Paul write this?
Perhaps he had heard they were being discouraged.
Maybe he heard they were feeling down
Notice that he wrote - “I am asking that you do not lose heart”
He could have said “Oh, I understand how bad you all feel....”
He could have went on about how bad things were for him...”
what about his disappointments?
He had been on his way to Jerusalem for a great feast
Traveled for months to get there, over mountains and valleys and across seas and rivers to get there.
Only to be arrested, terribly beaten, imprisoned, mistreated, falsely accused, attempts made on his life...
Not just a few days, but for years now....
If anyone had a reason, or a right to lose heart, it was Paul.
But he asks us not to lose heart.
How?
If you are feeling discouraged, there is help for you here.
you can partake, with Paul, with us, of the divine nature of God
If you are feeling depressed, don’t make excuses for it, overcome it today.
Don’t lose heart.
I hope to show you here, the secret, the “therefore” ...
…At my Tribulation...
He said don't to be discouraged by his tribulation.
What kind of “tribulations”?
We find several examples in his writings, of these trials he faced
Sometimes he referred to them as “light afflictions”
2cor4.
So, here is the secret to having a right attitude… looking at the unseen...
Yes, we are hard pressed, sometimes on every side --- but we aren’t crushed
maybe we are persecuted, but we’re not forsaken...
This “light affliction” is bearing a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (can you say that?)
“while” we do not look at the things which are seen....
Is your “light affliction” bearing and eternal weight of glory?
or are you just angry and complaining under a heavy burden of this world’s problems?
“Do not look…” in other words, stop focusing on the temporary problems of today...
Not becasue they don’t matter, many of them do....
But becasue you trust God to see you through them....
Because you believe Him
He has saved your soul from death, will He not also save your feet from slipping?
This is a “light affliction”, “While” we are not looking at the things which are seen, but at the eternal unseen....
It can become a life crushing weight of burden and despair, while we are focusing on only now, and the past...
Reach forth to that which is ahead....
If Paul, and millions of other Christians can do it “So will I”
“Light Affliction”
Don’t lose heart.
Don’t be discouraged
Enduring all these things, yet Paul says, “don’t get discouraged by this?
Not becasue he was somehow greater than all of the other Christians...
On the contrary, this was the norm for Christians who suffered in the first century, and for centuries beyond...
The emperors were infuriated when they would sing praise even in the flames...
They rejoiced even in the midst of their trials… How?
By looking not at the things which are seen....
Setting our mind on that which is above … (Colossians)
So, when Paul said “Therefore” he is referring to the things he stopped to remind us of...
To the revelation of the mystery of which we are partakers
to God’s effectual power working in us
God’s choosing us before the world began
His unsearchable riches
His making us alive, who were dead
His manifold wisdom
Angels and principalities to witness...
For This Reason I Bow My Knee To The Father...
Now, he is ready to pray
Be in a right frame of mind when we pray
Coming with Thanksgiving and awe...
His attitude aligned with Christ’s
Desiring Christ’s glory… and thankful for it.
Desiring this for us.
This is how we should be.
And we can
That He Would Grant You According To The Riches of His Glory....
He prays that God would grant them - us -
His focus is not on himself, his suffering, his troubles....
Instead, he now has Christ’s focus, His joy, His desire, His reward
When we get our thoughts in line with the Holy Spirit, even our prayers are different
our goals become His
It becomes easier to trust Him
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