(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
As Christians, we know that prayer is important, because it is one of the ways God enables us to make contact with Him, and it is a powerful tool in realizing the good things He has planned for us.
When God, by His mercy, saved you from the punishment your sin deserved, you then became responsible to develop your relationship with Him.
XVII. The Foremost Communication1
...which is available through...
Please turn to...
For example, he writes in...
Paul is not breaking any new ground here. Much of what he says about prayer he reiterates in other letters. He says here...4
1. Your time with the Lord should be comprehensive.
2. Your time with the Lord should be continuous.
What Paul says about prayer in his letter to the church at Ephesus is consistent with what he says about prayer in his letters to the churches in other cities, all of which provides a consistent description of how you should pray, that your time with the Lord should also be comprehensive and continuous.
Where the apostle identifies the subject of his prayers and what should be the subject of his readers' prayers, it is always other believers.9 While you can certainly pray for non-believers, biblical admonitions to pray for them are rare,10 and even then, the reason is that believers might ultimately benefit.
Does God hear every prayer? ...Yes. Just as God is omniscient (knowing everything), and omnipresent (existing everywhere), so He is omni-aural (hearing everything).11 The more important question, though, is: Does God heed every prayer? ...No, and the Bible identifies those prayers God will not answer as well as those prayers He will answer, so that you may develop...12
Bear in mind that these are not difficult things to avoid. Neither are they the kinds of things a person would fall into by accident. They are all a deliberate disregard for what God expects from His people, and they are all a hindrance to effective prayer.
The Bible distinguishes between prayers God will not answer and prayers He will answer. To the prayer God does heed, He responds variously—yes, no, maybe, wait— depending on the situation but, if those qualities are present, that He will heed prayer is certain.
Having considered The Foremost Communication, we will look next at The Foremost Combination, which is the paradigm for God, in 1 Tim 6:6-7.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
"Anyone with needs to be prayed over, come to the front at the altar," the preacher announced. Leroy got in line and, when it was his turn, the preacher asked, "Leroy, what do you want me to pray about for you." Leroy said, "I need you to pray for my hearing." The preacher put one finger in Leroy's ear, placed the other hand on top of Leroy's head, and prayed...and prayed...and prayed. He prayed a blue streak for Leroy. After a few minutes, the preacher removed his hands, stepped back, and asked, "Leroy, how is your hearing now?" "I don't know," Leroy replied... "It ain't til next Wednesday!"As Christians, we know that prayer is important, because it is one of the ways God enables us to make contact with Him. Its effectiveness, though, depends on our proper use of this, The Foremost Communication.
When God, by His mercy, saved you from the punishment your sin deserved, you then became responsible to develop your relationship with Him.
- As Paul describes it, "to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12).
- As Peter describes it, to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 3:18).
XVII. The Foremost Communication1
...which is available through...
Please turn to...
Eph 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 [believers].Paul's letter to the Ephesians is one of his four prison epistles (along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon), written during the apostle's two-year incarceration in Rome (A.D. 60-61). Like those other letters, He does not dwell here on the difficulties of his own situation. In this book (as in Philippians) he also does not address particular problems in the church, concentrating instead on how God has blessed his readers. Like several of his other letters, though, the apostle reflects on the prominent role prayer has in his own life, especially on their behalf.
For example, he writes in...
Eph 1:16 I have not stopped...remembering you in my prayers.... 18a I pray...that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened...Again in...
Eph 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.... 17b I pray that you [may be] rooted and established in love,He also expresses his concern that prayer should have a prominent role in their lives,2 as in this passage from chapter 6.3
Paul is not breaking any new ground here. Much of what he says about prayer he reiterates in other letters. He says here...4
1. Your time with the Lord should be comprehensive.
a. Pray during all the situations you encounter, "on all occasions", as Paul also admonishes in...5
Phil 4:6b in everything...present your requests to God.
b. Pray using all the sorts available to you, "with all kinds of prayers and requests" (styles), as Paul also describes in...6
1 Tim 2:1 I urge...that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made....
c. Pray concerning all the saints whose needs come to your attention, "for all the [believers]," as Paul also does in...7
Your time with the Lord should be comprehensive. Moreover...2 Cor 13:9b ...our prayer is for your [i.e., the Christians at Corinth] perfection.
2. Your time with the Lord should be continuous.
- Pray maintaining all steadfastness, persisting at all times, "always" (steadiness), as is Paul's practice in...8
Your time with the Lord should be continuous.2 Tim 1:3b ...night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
What Paul says about prayer in his letter to the church at Ephesus is consistent with what he says about prayer in his letters to the churches in other cities, all of which provides a consistent description of how you should pray, that your time with the Lord should also be comprehensive and continuous.
Where the apostle identifies the subject of his prayers and what should be the subject of his readers' prayers, it is always other believers.9 While you can certainly pray for non-believers, biblical admonitions to pray for them are rare,10 and even then, the reason is that believers might ultimately benefit.
1 Tim 2:1 I urge...that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone —2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.Your primary concern in prayer should be for believers (see below). This reflects God's primary concern, which is for His people. While you can certainly pray for anyone, if you would follow the emphasis in scripture, your prayers for fellow Christians should predominate.
Does God hear every prayer? ...Yes. Just as God is omniscient (knowing everything), and omnipresent (existing everywhere), so He is omni-aural (hearing everything).11 The more important question, though, is: Does God heed every prayer? ...No, and the Bible identifies those prayers God will not answer as well as those prayers He will answer, so that you may develop...12
Competence in Prayer
- God does not answer the petition of the unrighteous, who is...
- Praying in the wrong direction (i.e., "to" someone/thing other than God)
- Isaiah cites the flagrant apostasy of the idolater, whom God will "put to shame."
Isa 44:1 la [The idol maker] and his kind will be put to shame.... 17b He prays to it and says, "Save me; you are my god."
- Praying in the wrong condition (i.e., living in persistent disobedience)
- Isaiah cites the unrepentant attitude of the sinner, whom God will ignore.
Isa 1: 15a-b When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers,13 I will not listen.... 16b-c Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong,
- Praying with the wrong motivation (i.e., for personal gratification)
- James cites the worldly desires of the selfish, whom God will deny.
If any of those deficiencies is present—the wrong direction, the wrong condition, the wrong motivation— God will ignore a person's prayer.Jms 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Bear in mind that these are not difficult things to avoid. Neither are they the kinds of things a person would fall into by accident. They are all a deliberate disregard for what God expects from His people, and they are all a hindrance to effective prayer.
- God also does not answer the intercession of the righteous, who is...
- Praying for those in the wrong condition
- Jeremiah cites his urgent (but vain) plea for the rebellious in Israel, whom God will still punish.14
God does not intend this prohibition to discourage prayer for the unsaved, those who are not His people. The charge is against those who claim to be God's people but who behave stubbornly as if He has no claim on their lives. The apostle John issues a similar admonition regarding some in the early church.Jer 11:14 Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen.... 17b because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal.
1 John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.
- God does answer the petition of the righteous, who is...
- Praying in the right direction
- Jesus cites the singular devotion of the disciple, whom God will reward.
Matt 6:6a ...when you pray...pray to your Father, who is unseen.... 9 This...is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven..."
- Praying in the right condition15
- Jesus cites the submissive lifestyle of the pious, whom God will heed.
John 9:31b ...God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
- Praying with the right motivation
- John cites the godly desire of the selfless, which God will grant.
If all of those qualities are present—the right direction, the right condition, the right motivation—God will heed a person's prayer.1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
The Bible distinguishes between prayers God will not answer and prayers He will answer. To the prayer God does heed, He responds variously—yes, no, maybe, wait— depending on the situation but, if those qualities are present, that He will heed prayer is certain.
Heb 4:16 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.Of the many activities that characterize your spiritual life—those means of grace—prayer should occupy a prominent role. Does it have the priority Paul accords it in these admonitions? ...How would you describe your use of prayer? Is it comprehensive and continuous or selective and sporadic? ...How important is The Foremost Communication in your life?
Having considered The Foremost Communication, we will look next at The Foremost Combination, which is the paradigm for God, in 1 Tim 6:6-7.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs