Sermon: Devote Yourselves to Prayer Colossians 4

Sermon: Devote Yourselves to Prayer  Colossians 4

Please devote yourself towards prayer.  Pray for God to open doors for this church.  

One Way Christian Center is a Reformed Baptist Church, located at 605 E. 6th Street in Olustee, OK close to Altus, OK and Altus AFB.  

  

Website: http://www.onewaychristiancenter.com  

  

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Consider joining us for service.  Sunday service starts at 10:30 AM and Wednesday service starts at 7 PM.

 By: Bryan Walker Given on: 1/7/2018  Sermon plays on KWHW 93.5 FM on: 1/21/2018

 

Sermon Notes:

 

Colossians 4:2-18 ESV 

 

4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

NASB Devote yourselves to prayer,

NKJV Continue earnestly in prayer

 

• What can I do for the church?
  • Maybe you are not a preacher
  • Maybe God hasn’t placed you in a particular position
  • Maybe you listen on the radio or internet and can’t attend
  • Maybe you are physically disabled
    • Maybe you want to donate funds for the ministries but can’t
    • Or for whatever reason you FEEL under utilized
  • You can still do GREAT things through prayer
    • Too often prayer is our LAST resort
    • It should be our first step
  • Is prayer how you get what you want???
    • No, prayer is how God gets what he wants
      • God is sovereign and we pray
      • God works through means, one of those is our prayers
    • Prayer is OFTEN exploited on TV as a way to beckon God to do our bidding
      • A way to manipulate God
        • Speak it into existence
        • Plant your seed
        • Command it, command who?
      • Prayer is not an outward RELIGIOUS act for others – showtime!

 

Matthew 6:5 NKJV 

• Prayer is between you and God
  • We humbly ask God for help, comfort, decisions, healing, wisdom, all things
    • Prayer is ALSO another way to give God glory

 

Matthew 6:6 NKJV 

• Verse 2, is concerning YOUR NEEDS
  • Proud American, What? you have no needs?

 

Revelation 3:17 NASB 

Charles Spurgeon

• Jan 6^th 1861
  • First sermon of the New Year
  • Sent a New Year’s text – motto
  • Prior to receiving this text, Spurgeon called for a month of prayer
  • He later opened the text on New Year’s day
  • He read: Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
• Jan 7^th 2018 (157 years later)
  • As Paul asked the Colossians
  • As Charles Spurgeon asked his congregation
  • I ask you, Devote yourselves to prayer
    • In one ear and out the other?
  • Do you believe God’s Word? – Then pray
    • We have much to thank Him for
    • We have many needs to pray for
      • Start with yourself and your children

 

Matthew 7:7-8 NASB 

 

• Verse 3, Paul is asking for specific prayer
  • What does Paul ask for?
    • Riches & Glory? No

 

(3)  At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison

 

• What do you see on TV, what do you hear on the radio?
  • Christ centered preaching? Gospel? The Word of God?
    • Listen for it, will you hear it???
      • You will hear stories and remedies
      • You will hear pleas for money
        • Plant your seed money
        • Invest in God
      • If you hear the Gospel, you are fortunate
    • I am asking you to pray for God to open doors

———-

• Too often, we ARE working on the structure without a foundation
  • It’s raining, so you say we need a roof
    • We build a roof
  • It’s cold and windy, so you say we need walls
    • We build walls
    • We are only reacting to the problems
  • We have become so busy fixing the problems
    • We forget to lay the foundation
  • People are being tossed too and FRO
    • Faith is becoming shipwrecked
    • Their house is torn down over and over again
  • We must build the foundation FIRST
• Christ centered preaching
  • THIS is about the person and work of Christ
    • Not about me and my testimony
    • Not about my stories
    • CHRIST EXALTING, GOD GLORIFYING WORDS
  • Why is our message not resonating, why are people not excited?
    • I’m asking you to pray for open doors
    • Not just for this Church but all Christ centered churches
    • This country needs a revival
      • Revivals begin with prayer

 

Ephesians 6:18-19 NKJV 

• Pray for boldness
  • Pray for the right words
  • Pray for the truth to be heard and received

 

• Calls for prayer didn’t last
  • On August 2^nd 1990 we went to war – Praying country
  • On September 11^th 2001, the nation knelt in prayer
  • OKC Bombing, & severe drought
  • Hurricane Harvey (Houston) & Hurricane Irma (Florida)
  • 8 million acres burned in 2017, Prayers
• Not praying for the right thing – CHANGED HEARTS
  • Is the country better today than in 1990?
  • What about the church?
• We hear this verse invoked all of the time.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 NASB 

• This was given at the dedication of the temple under Solomon
  • The new temple is Christ and Christ dwelling in us
  • The new people are God’s elect from all nations
  • What is the new land, is it the heart?
    • We need to pray for the healing of the church
    • Pray for the seed to fall on the good soil
      • Ask God to remove the rocks, thorns and thistles

 

(4)  that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

 

• Paul has needs of his own
  • Paul is not asking for money
    • Paul is asking to be able to speak the Gospel clearly
  • In a manner worthy of his calling
• Not everyone is called to preach
  • Everyone is called to pray
• Not big on New Year’s resolutions
  • But will you pray for people to hear and give Christ glory?
• Pray for people to want to hear the Word
  • Pray for clear God glorifying messages – (20 minutes)
    • We have the means to reach people – but changed hearts.

 

Nehemiah 8:1-3 ESV 

 

Nehemiah 8:8 ESV 

 

• Pray for Roy, Scott, me or whoever is before you
  • Pray for the churches not preaching and teaching the Word
  • Pray that we & them may make the Word clear
  • Pray for people to desire to hear
  • Pray for understanding and changed lives
    • Please, God will answer
    • This is our motto for this year.
    • NASB DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER

 

(5)  Walk in wisdom toward outsiders,

 

Ephesians 5:15-16 NASB 

• It does not say sit in wisdom
  • It says walk, or conduct yourself in wisdom
  • How does one become wise? PRAYER and knowing the Word
    • You can know the Word and be unwise
      • Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes
      • God imparts wisdom on those who ask for wisdom

 

 

Ephesians 5:16 

 

• How can we make the best use of our time?
  • Pray constantly, keep the communion with God
  • Psalms 1:2 ESV he meditates day and night.
• Be gracious not argumentative – you want people to listen
• Best use of your time
  • Audio Bible – listening
    • Dishes, clean the yard, driving
  • Story Time
    • CHRONICLES OF THE NEPHILIM, Brian Godawa
  • What is the best use of your time?
    • Netflix, Facebook???
    • How’s that going?

 

so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

 

• Will we give Godly advice or worldly?
  • Can you defend your faith without sinning?

 

———–

• Series of Greetings – for communication

 

(12)  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers,

 

• Can we say we struggled in prayers?

 

Colossians 4:16 ESV 

 

• Shows the letters were to be circulated
  • Scholars think Ephesians was the letter from Laodicea

 

• Closes with

 

(18) 

 

• Shows Paul was dealing with forgeries
  • Today’s documentaries, Long Lost Letters of The Bible
    • They are not lost and do not belong to the Bible
  • Remember my chains
    • Many sacrifices have been made for you to hear the Word
      • Jesus Christ was crucified
        • This should be enough
      • Paul was imprisoned
      • All but John was martyred
      • The Christian’s killed under Nero
      • The reformation and all who were burned at the stake
      • Lastly, the pastor’s toil in hours of preparation
        • In one ear and out the other???
        • Might remember something after lunch
      • Pray, pray, pray!!!
        • God will answer if we call upon Him
          • Pray for the message of this church
          • Pray for the messengers
          • Pray for the hearers

Mark 8:36 ESV