← ArchiveSunday, October 16, 2016DateOctober 16, 2016Speaker—Text—Passages in this sermonColossians 11:34Colossians 1:33:14Psalms 668:33Mark 13525:36Matthew 1425:48Luke 625:58John 1739:46TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00of all creation, but by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together, and he is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent, for in him all the fullness of God was pleased0:24to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.0:49Today we begin a new series here at Bethel in the book of Colossians, so if you plan on joining us for the next several weeks through Thanksgiving, go ahead and mark your Bible in Colossians, a small book compared to others, but it was one of the most detailed Christologies that we have in the New Testament, meaning that Colossians shows us who Jesus is, shows us what he has done, and he shows us what the sacrifice of Jesus, how that changes us and impacts our1:15life. So we begin our series entitled, It's All About Jesus. It's All About Jesus, and we look today at prayer. Colossians 1, verse 3. I'm reminded of a story of a man named Raymond Edmond. Over 60 years ago, this young missionary staggered in from the Ecuadorian jungle.1:46The local doctor said that he would be dead by morning, and so his wife, because they lived in the tropics, because they did not have adequate embalming techniques, dyed her wedding dress that she still had black, because she knew if he died at night, they would have to bury him early in the morning because of the extreme heat. That night back in Boston, a friend, Dr. Joseph Evans, interrupted a prayer meeting, which makes2:13me laugh that he would interrupt prayer. And he said this, we need to pray for our missionary friend, Raymond. I don't know why, but we need to pray. And they spent much time in prayer. After an hour, Dr. Joseph said this, he called out, praise the Lord, the victory is won. The missionary, the next day, did not die.2:40God healed him. He ended up going back to the United States and became president of Wheaton College and ministered for over 40 years back in the States. The black dress did not recover. What the world said is a funeral. God said, I'm not finished yet. And in this, we see the power of prayer. We're going to look directly at how prayer affects our lives, why we need to pray, and who we need3:07to pray for this morning. Colossians 1.3, Paul's writing to a group of people he's never met. Paul had never been to the town of Colossae. Actually, his friend, who he knew from Ephesus, had carried the gospel there. Paul says, we give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus3:33and of your love for all the saints. Let's pray. Father, truly, it is all about you. Lord, we worship no other because we can't. So, Father, we ask today that you give us clean hands and a pure heart, that we would not lift our souls to another, or that you instill in us the desire to pray, as Paul says, always,3:58not ceasing, because we know that because of Jesus Christ, we have an open door to our Heavenly Father that cannot be shut. Lord, we know that through prayer, your power is unleashed in this world, not because of us, because of what your Son has done. So, Lord, may we be people who pray. May we be people who commit to do that, because we are people who live out our faith.4:26Father, make our lives, make my life all about Jesus Christ. And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen and amen. Verse 3, again, we give thanks to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here's the first thing that we need to understand about prayer. This is where God's Word pushes us, that my entrance to prayer is Jesus Christ.4:50My entrance to prayer is Jesus Christ. Many of you go to concerts or football games or musicals or art galleries and exhibits or museums or Disney World or pumpkin patches like I went to this week. I went to a pumpkin patch and never made it to the pumpkins.5:18Still disappointed. If anyone needs a guest to go to the pumpkin patch with you, as long as it has pumpkins and I can see them and hold them, I'll go. But the thing that's required at the pumpkin patch and at the football games and at the museums is a pass to get in. And for me, I had to purchase my pass. For some of our amusement parks, you have to get a magic wand or magic band to wear. For the games, you have a ticket that they scan.5:47We assume, because we know that when we go to these events, that the entrance into the event is required. Correct? You follow me there? So then how much more is the entrance to prayer important in our lives? Because we need to understand that the world teaches us how to pray and the world is wrong. This is how the world teaches us how to pray. We'll just pray and God will hear you.6:15Paul teaches us to pray thus. We give thanks to God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The entrance is important. Because if you enter the wrong gate, you go down the wrong road and you go to the wrong place. God's word tells us this, contrary to what the world will teach us. God the Father does not listen to every prayer. And I'm speaking to you not as someone that's saying, God doesn't hear your prayers.6:46I'm speaking to someone as someone that said, there was a time in my life where God didn't hear my prayers. And you say, well, you're a pastor. How could that happen? How could God not hear your prayers? I thought God hears every prayer. God listens to every prayer. Listen to what Paul says. Listen very closely into his word. Look, we give thanks to God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. What does it mean that God is Father? It means that he is Father of his community, which professes this Lord as the risen, exalted, and present Christ.7:16Using the words, Lord, Jesus Christ. This is something that we need to take to our hearts. When the disciples ask Jesus, Lord, others are teaching their disciples how to pray. Teach us how to pray. It's no accident that Jesus teaches us how to pray in this way. Our Father who is in heaven, Lord, holy be your name.7:40Your kingdom come, your will be done. Lord, we need this more than ever on earth as it is in heaven. Why would Jesus teach us how to pray, Father? Because we need to pray to our Father. And who can pray to a father but a child? And God's word impresses on us this, that the entrance to God the Father is through who?8:06I am the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ says we must pray to the Father through the Son. He is our entrance. God, help us seek Jesus. Maybe you're asking this today then, well, why would the Lord not answer my prayer? I never heard that before. Psalm 66, 18 says, Lord, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.8:33So God says, Pastor, if you hide sin in your heart, I will not hear your prayer. And we say, Lord, that's not loving. And God says, but it is. I love you so much that I sent my Son to forgive you of your sin, that you may pray if you enter through my Son. And James tells this, if we ask with selfish motivations, God will not hear or answer our prayers.9:00You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your evil desires. God will not listen to my prayers if I ask with evil intent to get to fulfill my evil intent. Lord, help us pray through the gate that is Jesus Christ. But, listen to this but, verse 3.9:29We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus is your Savior, then God is your Father. And if God is our Father, I have confidence knowing that my Father hears me. I love the picture of God, our Father. Because we have two kids. We have a young one and we have a younger one. And this is how God has programmed my mind and my heart.9:59That my child could be in a noisy room. And if they cry out, I hear that noise over everything else in the room. Why do I hear that? Because I am their Father and they are my child. And how much more so if God is our Heavenly Father in the noise of the world that we live in. That God says, when I hear you cry, I will hear, I will listen, and I will answer. The entrance to prayer is Jesus Christ.10:30And I say this, enter his presence with confidence. Enter his presence through prayer often. But we must remember this, Jesus also prays, Lord, your will be done, not mine. Remember in the garden, Jesus says, Lord, take this cup from me. But, Lord, not as I will, but yours. I'm around death a lot as a pastor.11:00And my selfish prayer often is this. My prayer is that God will heal every single person, every single time, that there would not be death in this world. That's my prayer. That's my selfish prayer. And sometimes God has to kind of hit me because I'm hard-headed. Sometimes I need a pat on the back. Sometimes I need a kick. Sometimes God has to say, Pastor, why would you keep them out of heaven when they should be with their father? I'm like, Lord, but I'm selfish.11:31I want them here. And God says, but don't you realize that there's death in the world because of sin? And that my son came to give us victory over sin. So maybe you're here thinking, well, Pastor, did you just say that God's not answering my prayer because of sin? No, sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers like we won't because I'm not praying God's will, I'm praying mine. And I've learned this in my life. That there are times I pray for my will and looking back, I have to pray a prayer of thanks and say, God, thank you for not listening to me.11:58God, thank you for changing my heart that I would listen to you. Our entrance into prayer is Jesus Christ. And if he is your savior, then God is your father. And if God is your father, he hears your prayers. Thank you, Jesus, for that. It's all about Jesus. May we pray and enter through the narrow gate. Verse three, not only should we pray, we see this is how we should pray.12:26We give thanks to God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you. A praying person is a thankful person. I found that in my life. A praying person is a thankful person. And often in my life, I found that the people who pray more are the people who have been through more. Right? The world would say, well, you don't have much to be thankful for because you are broken.12:54You're beaten up. Look at the things you've gone through in your life. And they would say, no, you don't understand. Look at the things that God has pulled me through in my life. Because if it wasn't for the Lord, I wouldn't be here. I would have been dead a long time ago. A praying person is a thankful person. Many years ago at Northwestern University, which is in the Great Lakes, they had a life-saving team that assisted Lake Michigan when a boat would go down.13:22One night in 1860, long before all of us, the Lady Elgin ran ashore near the campus. And a ministerial student named Edward Spencer personally rescued 17 people. It was so cold that night that he became very sick and never recovered. He did not pass away, but he had to drop out of school, and he no longer could go into the ministry because of his illness.13:51Upon his deathbed, it was noted that out of the 17 people he saved, he received not a single thank you. Not a single thank you. You know, I think God's Word tells us this. I'm not speaking to the world. We're here as a church. We're speaking to the church. We have lost the art of thankfulness. We've lost the art of thankfulness.14:20Sitting around in our prayer meeting Wednesday night here in our dining hall, I said, you know what? We're just going to spend some time. We're going to thank God tonight. I said, anyone want to go first? And if you were there, it took us a while to warm up. Anyone think? We say, oh, yes, we're thankful. What are we thankful for? Hmm. Well, you know, I'm really thankful for, hmm.14:46But then the wonderful thing happened is we began to really think about thankfulness. It was like popcorn going off. It wasn't a competition, but it was almost a, hey, can you be quiet? I need to thank God. And then it was, wait, wait, calm down. It's my turn to thank God. As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we have often lost the art of being thankful.15:09Because we know this in God's Word. Paul says, I thank God, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we are praying like we should, we will be thankful like we should. Thankfulness is not a November holiday. For the believer, joy should be central and thankfulness should be always on our lips. Are you a thankful person? Why should we be thankful? One, because Thanksgiving is good for your soul.15:39Thanksgiving is good for your soul. In the same way that Thanksgiving dinner is good for your stomach. It might not be good afterwards as you fall asleep. But what does Thanksgiving dinner do for your stomach? It fills it. What does thankfulness do in our life? When we are thankful to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we constantly feed on the grace that is His. Are you a thankful person? You say, well, of course I'm thankful.16:09What are you thankful for? Because the world needs to see that we're thankful. And they don't want to see that we're thankful for our stuff. You know why? Because everyone's thankful for their stuff. They need to see that we're thankful for Jesus Christ. That we can say, Lord, when I have, I've learned to be content. And Lord, when I have not, I've learned to be content. When I was in jail, I was content, Lord. When I was in the mansion, I was content.16:36But Lord, I have understood this, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Because I'm thankful. Are you a praying and thankful person? We should also be thankful because thanksgiving reorganizes our priorities. Look at verse 3. We give thanks. How can thankfulness reorganize our priorities? When you give thanks, who do you give thanks to? It gets really awkward quick if you don't thank anyone.17:06Right? I'm thankful. Who are you going to thank? I'm going to thank myself. Well, that's odd. That's weird. That's self-serving. Who does God's word, how does it push us to think? We give thanks to God the Father. The more we thank the Lord, the more we realize he is first. And I am not. Thanksgiving puts things in priority in my life.17:35And we should be thankful people. If we pray, we will be thankful. If we are thankful, then we will pray. An unknown author said this, our favorite attitude should be gratitude. That should be the heart of the believer. Lord, my favorite attitude should be gratitude. Lord, I'm going to thank you. I'm going to thank you today that we didn't have rain. And now we say, Lord, we heard we might get rain. So we're going to thank you for that.18:05But Lord, even if we never receive rain again, we know that you are the living water. And he who drinks from that should never thirst again. God, we are thankful. Make us thankful. Thanksgiving is good for your soul. Thanksgiving reorganizes our priorities. Thanksgiving helps you reflect on what you have and not what you don't. Thanksgiving helps us focus on what we have and not what we don't.18:34Because if we're not careful, then the grass is always greener on the other side. I heard a pastor once say this, be careful of the grass in someone else's yard. It could be astroturf. We need to remember that, don't we? Because often we're so thankful, but then we forget because we want that. And thankfulness reminds me that I should be thankful for what I have.19:01Someone once said, the things that we take for granted are the dreams to many people. The things that we take for granted are the dreams of many people. So why should I be thankful? It prioritizes my life, but it helps me realize what I have. Someone asked me today, well, how are you? I said, I'm glad to be here. I am. Because I know that every day is a gift. It's a precious gift of life.19:30May we drink from the grace that is Jesus. May we be thankful for him. So I ask, if it's all about Jesus today, then are you willing to thank him for that? Are you willing to say, Lord, I know I don't thank you enough, but I want to start today. Lord, I know Thanksgiving is about a month from now, but Lord, I want to start feasting today. Because I know the more I thank you, the more you feed my soul. And Lord, I don't have to take a nap after I thank you.20:00Lord, help us be thankful people. What would our world and our communities look like if people said, you know, I don't understand these Christians, but I know this about them. They sure are thankful. I don't get it, but they're thankful and I want it. I don't know where that comes from, but I want to see that. I want to taste that thankfulness. It is only through Jesus Christ. My entrance to prayer is Jesus. A praying person is a thankful person.20:30Look at verse 9. Lord, why is prayer important? For this reason, we also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease to pray for you. And to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the all knowledge of God.20:52Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power for all patience and longsuffering with joy, giving thanks. There's that word again, to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Lord, how should we pray? God says this, my priority in prayer is a reflection of my faith.21:22My priority in prayer is a reflection of my faith. And you say, well, I pray sometimes. Well, maybe that says that your faith is a sometimes faith. Because if we look in the mirror, we say, Lord, help me pray more. How often did Paul pray? Look at verse 9. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we do not cease. Cease means stop, right?21:52So not ceasing is a word to say always, which he's already said. So how often did Paul pray? A lot. A lot. What does that tell us about Paul's faith? It was deeply rooted in Jesus Christ. My priority in prayer is a reflection of my faith. And if you are like me, sometimes we are prone to pray often in emergencies. We're prone to pray often in emergencies.22:23But Paul says, I don't pray when it's an emergency. What does Paul say? I pray, I pray, I do not cease to pray. I got a glimpse of this recently. I was driving a vehicle that was not mine on the interstate. Before we got on the interstate, the low tire gauge came on. I said, Lord, what's going on here? So I went to fill it up.22:52And so we're getting on the interstate. So I'm going to go, let's assume I'm going to speed limit 70, right? That's a good assumption. And so I filled the vehicle up with air. And I get back on the road. And as soon as I get back on the road, it comes on again. And I say, this is not good. And I was following someone. So I said, I'm just going to stay on the road. And for about 20 minutes, I prayed, Lord, I don't know what's going on with that tire.23:22But Father, protect me. And I literally prayed without ceasing for 20 minutes. And that was probably the most nerve-wracking 20 minutes of my life. Because in my mind, the tire is going to blow out. I'm going to flip and I'm dead. And then I'm reminded that to live is Christ, to die is gain. And so I get to my destination as I've been praying and praying without ceasing.23:50The light stays on. Never goes off. And the first thing I do when I get out, I get out, I run to the tire. And it's as full as we filled it up at the gas station. And my first reaction was, Lord, why would you do that to me? Lord, if you can keep air in the tire, you can turn the light off. And I began to process that.24:23And I said, Lord, I don't know if it was a faulty tire. Could have been. And Lord, filling up with air, it just remains. Lord, it could have just been a faulty light. But I do know the tire was flat. And then I thought about this. Maybe this is the Holy Spirit. My thought was, well, Lord, maybe it was flat. And I rode on it flat, but you protected me. When we pray without ceasing, it does something to our faith.24:53And in that little, insignificant amount of time in my life, God said, Pastor, I'm going to deepen your faith if you'll trust me. You say you trust me with your life. Why don't you trust me with that tire? And I said, Lord, sometimes I need a glimpse. My priority in prayer is a reflection of my faith. Are you deepening your life in prayer?25:22We should not only pray in emergencies. We should regularly depend on the Lord in our life. Jesus modeled this to us in his life. Mark 135, Jesus very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up. He went out, and he made his way to a deserted place, and he was praying there. Matthew 14, 23. After Jesus dismissed the crowds, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray.25:50When evening came, he was there alone. Luke 6, 12. During those days, he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God. The prayer of Jesus Christ was regular, intense, focused, and intentional. Now, let me ask you this, because God's word is asking this of us. If anyone had reason not to pray, it would be Jesus.26:18Why would Jesus need to talk to God if he is God? Why would Jesus regularly then go off to commune with the Father unless it was necessary? Jesus Christ models for us what a life of prayer looks like. So I ask you this, is your faith deepened? And if it is, your prayer life will reflect the faith you say you have.26:45For many of us, that gets personal because we don't pray like we should. We're emergency prayers. Lord, help the tire. Amen. Lord, you know I'm in trouble. You knew before the foundations of the world I would be in trouble, so hear my prayer. Lord, I don't know about this food. Lord, I know who cooked it. You know their heart. Lord, keep my stomach safe. Amen. Some of you on mission trips, I prayed that prayer.27:15Lord, I have no clue what animal this is. I thought it was extinct, but Lord, keep me safe. May we be people who are not emergency prayers. May we be people who pray because we are people of faith. That when emergencies come, we say, you know what? Jesus has this because I've been with him in prayer. I pray without ceasing. I pray always, Lord, help me commune with prayer in you.27:41Here's the joy of the Christian life. In Jesus Christ, we have uninterrupted access to our Father. And if anyone's going to interrupt it, it's not God, it's us. Are we living a life of committed, deep, intentional prayer? So I ask you today, will you stand up and say, Lord, when I leave here today, I know I'm not praying like I should, but Father, it starts today. Lord, you say the gates of hell will not prevail against you.28:12And Lord, we're going to rattle the gates of hell when we pray. Father, help me pray like I should. Father, not in emergencies. May I pray that when emergencies come, we know who's in control. May we be people who drink deeply. I would encourage you this. You say, well, Pastor, how can you help me pray? We have three committed prayer services here at this church. Six o'clock in the morning, tomorrow morning, we have a group that comes here and prays.28:40And they would love for you to join them. Wednesday night at 6.30, we have a group and all we do is we get together and pray for each other. We would love for you to be a part. We have a group at Thursday afternoon at 4 o'clock that comes in this place and we pray. Are you a person committed to prayer? And I say that as someone in the church, we don't pray enough. We don't pray deeply and we don't pray regularly as we should.29:06But Lord, we want to get better. Are you committed to prayer? Your prayers display your faith. Lord, help us drink deeply from your grace. It's all about Jesus. We give thanks in prayer. We enter in prayer through Jesus. My prayer is a display of my faith. And then lastly, verse 9.29:35You say, well, Pastor, I'm in. I'm ready. I'm charged up. Let's pray. So who are we going to pray for? Verse 9. For this reason, we also, since the day we heard of it, remember, Paul has not seen these people face to face. He's praying for people he has not yet met. From the day that we heard of it, we do not cease to pray for. If he was from the south, he would say y'all.30:08Right? And by the way, there is a second person plural tense in the Greek. So the southern translation would be y'all. Who should we pray for often? You, others. And if we're not careful, a lot of times our prayer sounds like this. Lord, help me. Lord, you know I'm struggling today. God, give me my daily bread.30:36God, lead me not into temptation. God, look upon me. May your face shine upon me and give me peace, number six says. And if we're not careful, then the only person we pray for is me. And you say, well, pastor, that's what we have to do because no one's going to look out for me better than me. Oh, but God's word calls us into something much deeper than me. Because if I have faith in Jesus, then I am part of the body of Christ.31:06If I believe in Jesus, then now I commune not only with Jesus Christ, but I love you as much as I should love me. I should pray often for others, verse 9 says. For this reason, since the day we heard of it, we do not cease to pray for you. Paul prays regularly. Are you praying regularly for others? And this was not a simple, I'll be thinking of you, or I'll be praying for you.31:33That's not what Paul says. He didn't say, I will be praying for you. Bless your heart. I'm going to pray for you later. Paul says, I do not cease. And I will continue. And he says, this is my prayer. So I challenge you because God's grace challenges us. Who are you praying for regularly and consistently? And he said, well, when should we pray then?32:02I'm glad you asked. We already see that we are to not wait for emergencies. Paul does not say, Lord, fix these people. Instead, he almost exercises preventative maintenance. Paul's not praying because the car broke down. He's changing the oil so it won't break down. May we be people who say, I don't know what's going on in their life today. And Lord, I don't need to know necessarily.32:30Father, I don't know if it's an emergency, but before that emergency comes, I want to pray now. Paul says, I cease. I do not cease. I regularly, consistently pray for others. C.S. Lewis, writing to a friend, Sister Penelope Lawson, says this. I especially need your prayer because I am like the pilgrim in Bunyan, traveling across a plane called Ease. Everything without and many things within are marvelously well at present.32:57C.S. Lewis says, I need your prayers more than any other time because things are going really well. Is that not counterintuitive to how we pray sometimes? Often we say, pray for me, man. I'm really struggling. Instead of saying, you know, things are really good right now. I'm going through a place called Ease. Pray for me. Who should we pray for?33:26Or Paul says that we should pray for you. That I should pray often for others, regularly, consistently. Then how should we pray? How should we pray for others? Verse 9, Paul says this. He says, I ask that you may be filled with the knowledge. Now, he doesn't stop there, though. Paul doesn't say, Lord, give them the big head. Lord, you know they're not the sharpest tools in the shed.33:54Fill their minds with knowledge. That is not what God's word says. What does he say to Paul? How does Paul pray? Lord, I ask that you fill them with knowledge of his will. There is no better knowledge than to know what the Lord's will is in your life. And if we're not careful, we want degrees, and we want knowledge, and we want stickers, and we want people to say, look at what I know.34:21Paul says, I'm not praying for that. I'm praying that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Because often discernment in our life is not good and bad. It is what is good and godly. Paul says, I pray for you that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will. Have you prayed that for someone today? Lord, fill them with the knowledge of your will. Because I know that when I pray, and you're my father through Jesus Christ,34:52that you hear me. And Lord, I know that you give good gifts to your son, to your daughter in Jesus Christ. Paul often said, he also says, we pray this way. That they would be filled with the knowledge of his will, and all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you may walk worthy of the Lord. Are you praying for others to walk worthy? Because we know this, that when you stumble and when I stumble,35:22it makes the name of our God look bad. And often people want nothing more than to say, you're a Christ follower? Let me just sit back and watch. Let me see how Jesus really changed your life. And we need to be people that pray, hey, help pastor, help him walk worthy of the Lord, because I know he's praying for me that I may walk worthy of the Lord. Because we're not worthy, but Jesus Christ makes us worthy.35:49Are we praying for others to say, God, help them walk worthy today? Paul also says we should pray in this way. Look what else he continues. That they may bear fruit, being fruitful in every good work. Are you praying for others that they may bear fruit? Sometimes we struggle with this because when we see fruit in other people's lives, we get a little jealous. Lord, I wish I had that apple tree.36:19And look at that green thumb you gave them. Instead of saying, Lord, I give you the praise because we pray for fruit and you blessed. And Lord, I know that when you produce fruit, it's for his glory and honor. And Lord, the truth is we all live in the same orchard. Lord, if we're in the blueberry field, we all, we eat different bushes, but it's the same pasture. Lord, you are the shepherd. It is yours.36:48Are you praying for fruit in other lives? And then are you praying, Lord, when we see that fruit, Lord, may I not covet that fruit. But Lord, help produce fruit in my life that the world may see that we are fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. Look at verse 10. How else should we pray for others? Paul says that it may be fruitful, increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power.37:11Sometimes I believe that we've lost thankfulness in our life, but as Christians, sometimes we've lost power because we don't pray like we should. I was reminded of that recently because God's just really answered prayers in our church. I've been in many hospital rooms the last several months.37:39I remember praying over gentlemen and anointing him with oil like James says. And the prayer was, Lord, help circulation get back in this foot. Well, the doctors say they're going to have surgery and they'll know within two days whether it works. And the surgeon comes out of that surgery and walks right to the daughter and says this. As soon as the surgery began, the blood flow came back. We didn't have to wait.38:10It was there. I've been in a hospital room the last several weeks where we anointed and we prayed for an unconscious man in the ICU. And we gave glory to God that night that he was alert talking with his family. And we've been in places the last several weeks where we prayed for someone in the hospital and we anointed them as God's word commands. And it was a series of hospital stays and they went and they haven't come back.38:37We have lost our power in prayer sometimes. And the reason we've lost the power of prayer is because we just gave up. We say, Lord, I'm going to pray and I won't pray consistently or regularly. And it's not my prayers, by the way. I don't pray because I'm special. I don't have a direct line to God that no one else has because I'm a pastor. I have a direct line to my father because I believe in his son, Jesus Christ.39:07And it's the same line that he gives all of us, that he calls sons and daughters of the most high. Are we praying like we should church? May we thank God in our prayers. If we have faith like we say we do, then our prayer life will reflect the faith life we say we have. And if we truly have a heart for the gospel, we will pray for others like we need to.39:35I want you to know that Jesus modeled this. In the garden, in John chapter 17, Jesus, before he was going to die on the cross, prayed this way. He said, Father, this is eternal life. That you may know, that they may know you, the only God, and the one you have sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do.40:04Do you know that Jesus, before he died on the cross, he prayed for you? He said, Lord, I pray that they may see me. They may see your son, Jesus, and that they may glorify me. And then the next verse says, Lord, my work is finished. It is completed. It is completed for us. I want you to know, on Thursday afternoons, we get together, we pray over every single seat in this church.40:33Every single seat. So the seat that you're sitting in right now has been prayed over. And God knew who was going to sit there. And I want you to know, we pray that God would fill you up with his knowledge of his will. That you may bear fruit, that you may walk worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But also my prayer was this, if there was someone here today that has not put their faith and trust in Jesus, that they would.41:02That the seat that they're sitting in would be a hot seat. That they would be uncomfortable in their sin. And that they would realize that God proved his love for us, that while we were still sinners, he died for us. But if you're here today and you have not yet put your trust in Jesus, I want you to know his grace is freely offered to you. It is by grace, the Bible says, that we have been saved. Through faith. Not of works, lest anyone should boast.41:33It is the gift of God. Have you received the gift of eternal life? You don't deserve it. Actually, the gifts that we deserve are eternal separation from Jesus. But he sent his son to die in our stead, in our place. Have you put your trust? You say, well, pastor, what does it mean to believe? A missionary in Indonesia struggled with translating the word. And he translated belief this way. He said, it means to put your full weight upon something.42:03I know that you trust that seat you're sitting in because your full weight is upon it. And you have not fully trusted in Jesus until you say, Lord, I'm going to put my full weight on you. All I have is you. Father, I know I've sinned. I know you're the answer for my sin. Lord, I am sorry. I repent. I turn from my sin and I turn to Jesus as the answer. I believe. Have you done that in your life? If you have not, do not miss a chance to respond to Jesus Christ today.42:33Maybe you're here and you say, well, look, pastor, I am a believer. Jesus prayed for you also. He said this in John 17, 20. He says, I pray not only for these, my disciples, but also for those who believe in me through their message. Here's Jesus. Here's his prayer for us. That they may all be one as you, Father, and I are one. May they also be in us as the world may believe you have sent me.43:03Do you have a oneness in God that is so freely offered in Jesus? We're going to have a time of invitation, a time of response to his grace. And I'll be down front to pray with you if you need to come to the altar and respond. But I'm going to give a different invitation this morning. Often the invitation is about me and about you. And we say, if you need to respond to God, won't you come forward?43:31But I'm going to leave our altar open today because God's word says, pastor, how often do you pray for others? And maybe there's someone today that you need to pray for. And you need to spend some time in your seat or spend some time right here on your knees. And you say, Lord, I don't know what they're going through, but you do. And you have called me to pray consistently and regularly for others. And Lord, today's the day that starts. So maybe we just need to flood this place with prayers for other people.43:59Maybe you need to come and recommit your life in prayer and say, Lord, I have not been praying like I should. Father, that probably means my faith is not where it should. Lord, help me today. But may we walk in a manner worthy of his gospel. May we drink deeply from his grace because we can enter through Jesus Christ alone. Let's pray. Amen.44:29Amen.
