Colossians

It’s ALL about Jesus

PRAY!

Why go through a book in the Bible?

To get the full counsel of Scripture. A complete Biblical perspective. It helps to make sure that we are not dodging topics or verses. It also helps us to understand much more context for the Scriptures that we’re going through.

(Quick recap:1:1-2 / 1:3-14 / 1:15-23 / 1:24-2:5 / 2:6-15 / 2:16-23 / 3:1-17 / 3:18-4:1)

Devotion to Prayer

Colossians 4:2-4 –2Devote yourselves to prayer,being watchful and thankful.3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mysteryof Christ, for which I am in chains.4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

(When I talk about devotion to prayer, most of us will have a feeling of guilt or shame.)

Devote to Prayer

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

  • What is prayer?
  • "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, in the name of Christ, by the help of his Spirit, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies." – Westminster Catechism

(Prayer is the most important conversation that you have. It is the most important words that come out of your mouth.)

  • Devotion: to continue steadfastly, strongly endure, persevere, to be courageously persistent

The admirable leaders throughout Scripture and the history of the church have not always been the ones with the most impressive skill sets but they have been the ones with massive devotion to connecting with God.

  • (Abraham for Lot, Israel wrestles with God, Moses for Israel, Joshua sun stand still, Daniel thrown to lions, David psalms, Elijah with rain, many prophets)
  • Jesus’ devotion to prayer
  • Early
  • Mark 1:35 – 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
  • Often
  • Luke 5:16 – 16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
  • All Night
  • Luke 6:12 – 12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
  • The Early Church’s Devotion to Prayer
  • Acts 1:14 – 14They all joined together constantly in prayer,along with the womenand Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
  • Acts 2:42 – 42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachingand to fellowship, to the breaking of breadand to prayer.
  • Acts 6:3-4 – 3Brothers and sisters,choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spiritand wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them4and will give our attention to prayerand the ministry of the word.”
  • Why Pray?
  • Q: Since God is Sovereign and can and does do whatever He pleases than why pray? Doesn’t God do what He wants?
  • A: Yes!! And He wants us to come to Him in prayer!

“God loves to bless His people. But even more He loves to do it in answer to prayer.” – John Piper

  • God Delights in Our Prayers
  • Proverbs 15:8 – 8TheLorddetests the sacrificeof the wicked,
    but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
  • Hebrews 11:5-6 – 5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to himmust believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
  • Luke 11:5-13 – 5Then Jesus said to them,“Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;6a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’7And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacityhe will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.10For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks fora fish, will give him a snake instead?12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

  • Luke 18:1-8 – Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.2He said:“In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justiceagainst my adversary.’

4“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

6And the Lordsaid,“Listen to what the unjust judge says.7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry outto him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Mancomes,will he find faith on the earth?”

  • We Need Prayer
  • “When we depend on organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend on education, we get what education can do; when we depend on man, we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.” – A.C. Dixon
  • Ephesians 6:10-20 – 10Finally, be strong in the Lordand in his mighty power.11Put on the full armor of God,so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities,against the powersof this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.13Therefore put on the full armor of God,so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spiriton all occasionswith all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on prayingfor all the Lord’s people.19Pray also for me,that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlesslymake known the mysteryof the gospel,20for which I am an ambassadorin chains.Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

How do I pray?

  • Pray Scripture
  • 1 John 5:14-15 – 14This is the confidencewe have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we knowthat we have what we asked of him.
  • Pray Circles
  • In John 17 Jesus prays for himself then for His disciples, followed by prayer for all future believers and finally for the world. This is a great model for us to follow.
  • Pray Together
  • Acts 1:14 – 14They all joined together constantly in prayer,along with the womenand Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Paul Asks For Prayer

Pray for a Clear Path

Colossians 4:3 – 3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mysteryof Christ, for which I am in chains.

  • We should always pray that God is opening doors geographically for the gospel and personally for people to be open to the gospel.

Pray for a Clear Message

Colossians 4:4 – 4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

  • Paul asks that not only would there be open doors for the gospel but that he would faithfully fulfill his role in delivering it clearly.