Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introduction

            From time to time we get to watch important state functions.

Perhaps it is a royal wedding, the funeral of an important person or some other such function.

One of the things I have noticed at such occasions is that there are a whole bunch of people who are asked to perform supporting roles.

For example, the guards who accompany the official vehicle or the uniformed people who carry the flags.

I remember the memorial service they had in Washington a short while after September 11 when the president of the US attended.

I watched the honor guard which carried about four different flags.

They were very precise in their movements and careful in all they did.

They knew they had an important supporting role to play.

Can you imagine how exciting it would be to be chosen for such a role?

You would be excited about the honor that would be yours to be asked by important people to do this task.

You would be a little nervous about the importance of what you were being called to do because you would want to do it well.

Have you ever realized that you have been called to a very important supporting role by none other than God himself?

It is an essential task, an important task and God himself has invited you to do it.

What is that task?

It is the task of prayer.

This morning, I would like to begin a three week series on prayer.

I hope to encourage all of us to see just how significant the work of prayer is and to realize that God has called us to it.

I hope to encourage and challenge all of us to take the work of prayer much more seriously as we are engaged in God’s work here on earth.

!

I. God’s Invitation

When you read the Bible, you soon realize just how comprehensive God’s invitation to prayer is.

This morning, I hope to challenge you with the power of God’s invitation to us to pray.

!! A. Invitations To Prayer

An invitation is, by its nature, an opportunity which allows us to participate in something special, usually something we want to participate in.

The invitation to prayer is like that.

In the depth of our need in this world, the maker and sustainer of the universe has invited us to approach Him with all of our needs.

I have chosen a few verses from different parts of the Bible which give us this invitation.

In II Chronicles 7:14 God tells his people, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

In a time when Israel had wandered away and was on the verge of desperate need, God invited them to humble themselves before Him and pray.

The Psalms are a great prayer book and in that prayer book we have the invitation in Psalm 32:6, “Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found…”

Later, in the prophets, Israel is told in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

The New Testament continues this invitation.

Philippians 4:6 encourages us at times when we do not know where to turn, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Hebrews 4:16 also extends the wonderful invitation, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We have been sent the invitation from the God of all to pray to Him.

!! B. Commands To Pray

I received an invitation to a banquet which is taking place in a month or so.

I do not intend to go to that banquet.

Invitations have an optional element to them, we don’t have to respond to the invitation.

The invitation to pray, however, is not something we can take or leave.

Prayer is so important that God has even put it in the form of a command.

Particularly in the New Testament we have many statements which make it clear that God expects us to pray.

Let me share just a few with you.

In Luke 18:1 we read, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

This command comes from Jesus himself to all of his disciples.

As the church, in the days following Pentecost, the apostles gave leadership and basically did all the work.

As the church grew, it became obvious that they could not continue to do it all and some things began to be neglected.

In Acts 6, the young church appointed deacons to look after some practical matters.

The reasoning was that the apostles did not want to neglect what was their most important role in the growth of the church and that was to pray and to preach.

Prayer was seen by them as essential for the life of the church.

Throughout the letters in the New Testament, we have many direct commands to pray.

Let me read just a few of them.

Romans 12:12, “Be … faithful in prayer.”

Ephesians 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

I Timothy 2:1, 8, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone … I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”

I Peter 4:7, “The end of all things is near.

Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”

Does God expect that we will pray?

That seems pretty obvious.

!! C. Examples Of Prayer

            We are further encouraged in prayer by the many Biblical examples of what happens when we pray.

We could easily spend the rest of the morning looking at one story after another of God’s response to believing prayer, but let me point to just two stories to show God’s power in answering prayer.

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is the story of Elijah and the contest with the Baal prophets.

The story begins with a prayer.

God tells Elijah to pray that it will not rain and the drought begins.

After three years, God once again comes to Elijah and tells him to set up the contest with the Baal prophets.

After a whole morning in which the Baal prophets do all they know how to try to get a response from their gods without any success, Elijah prays a simple prayer and fire comes down from heaven and destroys the sacrifice, the wood, the altar and the water.

In a powerful way, God responds to the simple believing prayer of Elijah.

After the Baal prophets are killed, God once again tells Elijah to pray, this time for rain.

Seven times Elijah prays for rain and soon there is a downpour and the land flourishes again.

In the New Testament, the book of Acts provides many examples of God’s work in answer to prayer.

As God begins to establish his church in Jerusalem, it is his desire that the gospel move beyond the confines of the Jewish world and to the Gentiles as well.

In Acts 10, we are told that Cornelius, a Roman centurion in Caesarea was a man who was interested in the things of God.

The Bible tells us that he prayed regularly.

At the same time, we read about another man praying.

Peter was in Joppa involved in ministry there.

Around noon, Peter was up on the roof of the house he was staying in and he was praying.

Now here we have two men who are praying, each of them interested in God’s leading.

What happened?

Some very powerful changes.

Peter changed his mind about the uncleanness of the Gentiles and Cornelius changed his mind about his hope and found salvation in Jesus Christ.

These are the kinds of things that happen when people pray.

God begins to act and His will is done and His kingdom is built and people are changed and situations are changed.

If we are not yet convinced that we must pray, let us look briefly at the prayer life of Jesus.

If Jesus the Son of God thought it important to pray, how much more should we.

Jesus did and we can find many passages which tell us how often Jesus prayed.

Again, let me just introduce you to a few.

In Matthew 14:23, after the feeding of the 5000,  Jesus got alone to pray.

In Matthew 26:36, Jesus’ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.

In Mark 1:35 we read that Jesus got up early in the morning to pray.

In Luke 5:16 we learn that Jesus often went alone to pray.

Luke 6:12 tells us that Jesus spent the night praying.

!

II.

God’s Limitation

            The Bible is clear and powerful.

God invites us to pray, God commands us to pray.

When people pray, God answers and the example of Jesus impresses on us the importance of prayer.