Everything by Prayer
And They Remembered His Words • Sermon • Submitted
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· 7 viewsA message on the importance of prayer.
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6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Pre-Sermon Ice Breaker
Pre-Sermon Ice Breaker
Something everyone has been waiting for - Blond Man jokes.
A blond man shouts frantically into the phone, “My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only 2 minutes apart.” The doctor on the phone asks, “Is this her first child?” “No!” the man shouts, “This is her husband.”
Introduction
Introduction
During 2021 we have been participating in the 2021 Scripture Memory Challenge. Each week we memorize a passage of Scripture as a Congregation. This includes a Theme, the Scripture Reference, The Scripture Text and we repeat the Scripture Reference again.
Our themes help link the Scriptures together to make them more memorable. In January our theme was Salvation, in February the theme was love, in March it was Service, and In April the theme was Christ.
The theme for the month of May is Prayer. Four of the Five Scriptures and messages during May will focus on the topic of prayer. One Sunday, May 21 we will have a special Scripture and message for Pentecost Sunday.
The Bible refers to prayer 128 times. During these four weeks we will examine different facets of prayer to help us become prayer warriors.
You may remember several years ago when my friend Mlento Wesley came and shared about his Mission work in Liberia. Mlento said, “We are life-changers through prayer!”
The apostle Paul is the author of Philippians. This “Hymn of Joy” has as its theme the adequacy of Christ for life and death. When Paul penned this letter, he was in a Roman prison, Years before in Philippi, Silas and he, “prayed and sang praises to God.” May we learn how to face our adversities through prayer.
Philippians 4:6 addresses Four truths about prayer that will equip you for the challenges that you face, lets look at them together now.
Body
Body
A Reason for Prayer
A Reason for Prayer
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
The word careful is the Greek word Merimnao. We find it in various forms in Matthew, Luke, 1 Corinthians, Philippians and 1 Peter.
Some translations render the word anxious. It literally means don’t worry.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matthew says to take no thought.
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
How do we practically cast our care upon Jesus. We do so through Prayer. What is prayer?
A Recipe for Prayer
A Recipe for Prayer
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Six times in the New Testament we find this word Supplication and it is always paired with this other word prayer. They seem to refer to the same thing, but the nuances of these terms are significant. If you have been here throughout my pastorate you have heard me before refer to ACTS - Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. There is another acronym I like and it has a Biblical basis. It is SPIT. We need to SPIT out our prayers.
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
Supplication - Always involves a request.
Prayer - Simply talking to God
Intercessions - Prayer for others
Thanksgiving - Gratitude
A Reality of Prayer
A Reality of Prayer
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
11 Seek the Lord and his strength,
Seek his face continually.
The Result of Prayer
The Result of Prayer
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We have selected just Philippians 4:6 as our memory verse, but it may well heed you to remember both of these verses together.
When the exhortations of verse 6 are heeded, the peace of God (v. 7) will flood one’s troubled soul. The Lord Jesus Christ is a believer’s peace
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Every child of God has peace with God through justification by faith
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
But the peace of (or from) God relates to the inner tranquility of a believer’s close walk with God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A few years ago Bobby McFerrin wrote a very popular and catchy song entitled, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” He may never have realized that He had landed upon a Biblical allusion. For it was the Apostle Paul was the original author of the sentiment. But unlike Bobby, Paul had a substantial reason for his happiness. It was the peace that comes from prayer. Do you have this peace today?
It begins first with a relationship with Christ. It continues through fellowship with him.
Let us pray.