What have you been praying about this week?
I'm going to assume that just about everyone in this room,
we have prayed at least once this week.
Well, what specifically have you asked God to do in your life
or in the life of the people you pray for?
Now, from my observation,
from what I've heard as a pastor for many years,
and I'm going to say a lot of you know this,
being in prayer meetings, being in Sunday school,
most Christians make physical health,
physical needs their top priority in prayer,
or at least their top priority when it comes to
making a public prayer request or praying publicly.
Why is that?
Why do we mostly pray about, at least publicly,
physical things?
Well, sometimes it's very obvious
that we need to pray about physical health and issues.
COVID-19, for example,
that has been a central focus of many people's prayers
over the last 10 months.
And if you haven't prayed about this,
I don't understand you.
I cannot imagine how any Christian has not
been praying that God would bring about
an end of this pandemic.
I know a lot of you are like me.
I have prayed that my family members
and this church family would be spared,
that we would not come down with it.
If we did, we would not, you know,
have any serious or long-lasting effects from it.
It's natural for us to pray about some physical health issues,
matters, physical needs at times.
I mean, who wouldn't?
But at the same time, we need to understand,
that is not the biblical focus of prayer.
The Bible does not make physical needs
the priority of prayer,
either by instruction or by example.
Jesus taught us about how to pray.
Matthew chapter 6, Luke chapter 11.
When Jesus taught, this is how you should pray,
He said, in effect, that our priority
should be to focus on God,
to honor Him,
to seek His will,
and to ask for help
to live in a right relationship with Him
and other people.
That's why there's such a strong emphasis
on forgiveness,
and especially on forgiving other people.
Now, when you read the prayers of the apostles
in the New Testament,
and I'm thinking specifically of Paul,
their top priority
is for Christians
to honor God
and seek to grow spiritually
in their prayer requests.
Now, I want to reemphasize.
I am not in any way saying
that it's wrong,
that it's unimportant
to pray about physical needs.
It is not.
In fact, Jesus did teach us
to ask for our daily bread
in that model prayer, didn't He?
And when He was talking about
praying for our daily bread,
He wasn't talking about
literally just bread,
but daily necessities.
Paul sometimes
asks Christians to pray
for His safety
or for His deliverance.
So,
don't take what I'm saying here
at the beginning wrong.
It is not wrong.
It is good.
It is healthy.
It is normal
for you to pray
for physical situations,
health,
needs,
in your life,
in the life of people
that you know and love
and care about.
But most of what we see
in the New Testament
about prayer
is that spiritual needs
take priority
over physical needs.
And we need to apply that
to ourselves
and how we pray
and then how we pray
about other people.
Paul provides us
with a great example
of this kind of prayer
in Philippians chapter 1.
I want you to turn with me
if you would
because I'm not going to put
all of these verses
on the screen at this time.
We will look at them
individually
a little bit later on.
Let's look at
Philippians chapter 1
verses 9 through 11.
I only referred
to this last week.
We didn't get into it at all.
We're talking about
how to make the best
of the bad situation.
And one of the ways
we need to,
one of the things
we need to do is pray.
Well, now we're going to look at
how we should pray.
Look at this.
Philippians 1, 9.
And it is my prayer
that your love
may abound more and more
with knowledge
and all discernment
so that you may approve
what is excellent
and so be pure
and blameless
for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit
of righteousness
that comes through
Jesus Christ
to the glory
and praise
of God.
I want us to look at this
as an example
of the kinds of things
that we need to be
asking God for
for ourselves
and for the people
in our lives
that we really
are concerned about
and praying for
on a regular basis.
I'm talking about
your family members,
your friends,
this church family.
Let's look at it.
First,
pray for yourself
and others
to grow in love.
First prayer request,
pray for yourself
and others
to grow in love.
Look at it in verse 9,
the first part.
And it is my prayer
that your love
may abound
more and more.
We need to
make it a practice
to ask God
to help us
to grow
in our love.
Now I want you
to know that Paul
does not ask
for us
to develop love
and there's a reason
for that.
He's writing
to Christians.
He knows
these Christians.
You can read
verses 3 through 8
and see that
he has a good
relationship with them,
he loves them
and they love him.
But Paul knows
that people
who are Christians,
they've been born again
by the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God
lives within them.
And the Spirit of God
when he comes
to indwell us,
he plants
what we could consider
seeds of love
within our heart.
If you are a Christian,
there is love
within you
by virtue of the fact
that the Holy Spirit
lives within you.
So we don't have
to pray
for love
if we're Christians.
It is there.
But what we do
need to pray for
is that it will grow
more and more
every day,
abounding
more and more,
that it will mature.
Now,
note that Paul
does not specify
the object
of our love.
He doesn't say,
you know,
pray for,
that we'll love God,
love people,
or whatever.
He just says
that our love
will abound
more and more.
And so we can
apply that,
at least initially,
broadly.
We need to pray
that we'll love
God more.
We need to pray
that we'll love
other Christians more.
We need to pray
that we'll love
people in general
more.
You know,
love is to be
the defining characteristic
of us
as followers
of Jesus,
isn't it?
It is the essential
Christian quality.
There's a strong
emphasis in the New Testament.
especially
that we will love
our brothers and sisters
in Christ.
I really believe
that's what Paul
is specifically
thinking of
as he writes this.
There were some
problems in this church,
a lack of unity.
There was some division.
And we'll see
some of that
as we go through
this letter
over the next
several weeks.
This is surprising.
But in chapter 4,
Paul calls
two women
by name
and basically
tells them
tone it down.
Now you can imagine
church gathering.
There's two women there.
And Paul calls them out
for their lack of,
for a better way
to express it right now,
loving one another
as they should.
They don't get along.
You think you've had
your toes stepped on
by some preacher before?
Never,
most likely,
have you had your name
called
and say to stop
sinning like this
publicly.
But Paul did.
So there are some problems.
But overall,
this is the best church
that Paul has
a relationship with.
It's a positive letter.
There's a lot of gratitude
and love expressed.
But he is emphasizing here
our love
for one another,
brothers and sisters
in Christ.
It should be growing.
Our relationship
should be deepening
is what he's talking about.
Jesus said
this kind of love
would be the distinguishing
mark
of his followers.
Look at this
from John 13.
By this all people
will know
that you are my disciples
if you have love
for one another.
Now think about that.
Jesus told his disciples
all the things
that he had taught them
about how they should think,
how they should believe,
how they should live.
The thing that should
set you apart
as uniquely
as being my disciple
is your love
for one another.
Your love
for your brothers
and sisters in Christ.
John,
the apostle,
emphasizes this
in his first letter.
Look at it.
And this commandment
we have from him,
whoever loves God
must also love
his brother.
Now think about that.
Sometimes we might think
to ourselves,
well I truly do love God.
It's people I have
problems with.
I can say that too.
But we can't
accept that.
John is issuing
a command.
Look at it.
And this commandment
we have from him.
Whoever loves God
must also love his brother.
By describing love
as a commandment,
he's talking
about it being,
about love as being
more an act
of the will
than a,
what you'd call
feeling of the heart.
Christian love,
when you think about
what it is,
it is not
hallmark
kind of love.
It's not
the,
you know,
the fuzzy,
warm feelings
that you see
on the hallmark channel
or in hallmark cards
or anything like that.
Now hopefully
we have some
healthy,
appropriate feelings
of love
for people.
But this
is a commandment.
We're talking
about how we act,
how we treat people.
One of the best
definitions I've ever
heard of Christian love
is seeking
to meet
people's needs.
Now,
that's why
Paul prays
that the Philippians
love will grow.
we need it to.
It's an act
of the will.
It's not always
how we feel.
But I want you
to note,
it's not open-ended
about our love
growing more and more.
He says that
our love should grow
in knowledge
and discernment.
Look at this.
Ask God to help
your love
to grow in knowledge
and discernment.
Verse 9,
it is my prayer
that your love
may abound more
and more
with knowledge
and all discernment.
Our love
needs to be
an informed love.
We need to be
growing in knowledge.
James Boyce,
the pastor
and commentator,
says that the word
translated knowledge
here always means
spiritual knowledge
when it is found
in the New Testament.
So here's what
we need to pray.
We need to pray
for ourselves
and for other people
that we will grow
in our knowledge
of God,
who He is,
in our knowledge
of His will,
knowledge of His ways
so that we might
be able to obey Him,
please Him,
serve Him.
Now,
how are we going
to acquire
such knowledge
of God?
It's not that you
strain and pray,
Lord,
help me to know
You better.
We study His word.
See,
God has revealed Himself
as He wants us
to know Him,
His ways
and His will
in the Bible.
And so if we're
going to grow
in our knowledge
of God,
of spiritual things,
we've got to
read and study
the Bible.
We should pray
that God will help us
through His indwelling
Spirit,
help us to understand
what we read.
It's not enough
just to read the Bible.
You know,
if you do your,
if you're doing,
it is good to read
through the Bible
in a year.
It is good to have
a planned reading program.
Don't misunderstand.
But never open
your Bible in the morning
and just read it
so you can say,
I read it.
Read the Bible.
If you don't have time
but to read
a verse or two,
read the Bible
with a prayer.
Lord,
help me to understand
what You are saying
in this passage
and how I can apply it,
how I can do it,
how I can obey You
in it.
So let me just ask you.
Pause right here
for a minute.
Are you praying
such prayers
for yourself?
God,
help me grow
in my love
for You,
for people.
God,
help me to grow
in my knowledge
of You
and Your ways
and Your will.
Help me to know
You better.
Help me to know
how to please You
in just
my everyday living.
Are you praying
such prayers?
Are you praying
those kind of prayers
for the people
that,
let's just say,
you pray for every day
or you pray for regularly?
Is that the kind of prayer
you're praying
for your children,
for your grandchildren,
for your parents,
for good friends?
don't just pray
that they won't
get sick.
Don't just pray
that they won't die.
Pray that they will
truly grow
if they're Christians
in their love
and in their knowledge
of God
and His ways
so that they can
live their life
in such a way
as to please God.
God,
that's what all of us
need to be doing
on a regular basis
when it comes
to how we pray.
We're also,
notice here,
we're to pray
for ourselves
and others
to grow in our ability
to express Christian love
in our relationships
with others.
I'm just throwing this in.
This is not actually
a part of the text.
What I'm doing
is applying this.
I sort of got ahead
of myself.
God is not impressed
with us just having knowledge.
It's not enough
to read the Bible
to be able to quote it.
God wants us
to be able to understand
and put it into practice
in our lives.
Now,
we're talking about love.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 13,
Paul describes
what love looks like
when it's practiced
among Christians.
I want you to look at this.
Love is patient and kind.
Love does not envy
or boast.
It is not arrogant
or rude.
It does not insist
in its own way.
It is not irritable
or resentful.
It does not rejoice
at wrongdoing,
but rejoices
with the truth.
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Are you asking God
to help you
to love like that?
Are you asking God
to help you
to be more patient
with certain people
in your life?
Are you asking God
to help you
to not be irritable
and a grouch
and just a negative person?
Are you asking God
to not gloat,
to not feel good
when someone
that you really don't like,
something bad happens to them?
Do you ask God
to help you
to rejoice
with those who rejoice?
People who get a promotion
even above you.
People who excel
at sports.
Are you asking God
to help you
not to be resentful,
not to be jealous,
but to genuinely rejoice
with the good fortune
of your brothers
and sisters in Christ?
That's the kind of love
we need to be praying
that we will be growing in.
If we really understand it,
if we have this kind of knowledge,
we need to be putting it
into practice.
Are you helping
your children,
people you have influence over,
are you helping them
to develop and grow
in that kind of love?
Are you modeling,
look at it,
are you modeling it,
putting forth the effort
to help your children,
whoever,
people in your home,
people in your Sunday school class,
people you work with,
are you helping them
to see
this is what Christian love
looks like?
Our love needs to be growing
in knowledge,
practical knowledge,
we put it into practice,
and our love also needs
to be growing
in discernment.
That means we need to know
how to apply love
in different situations.
Sometimes discerning love
will require us
to exercise tough love.
You know, being loving
is not just having a smile
on your face
and just thinking,
don't rock the boat.
Whatever goes, goes.
If I came in here
one Sunday morning
and I said,
we've been making
too much of the Bible.
It's really just
an old book
written by a lot
of old people.
There's some good ideas here,
but mainly
it needs to be updated.
Let's just forget it.
As a member of this church,
you need to exercise
tough love and fire me.
If a Sunday school teacher
does that,
they need to be fired as well.
It is not loving
to just let anything go
as a parent.
It's not loving
to allow your young child
or teenager
to be disobedient,
disrespectful
to you
and your home.
Christian love
should compel you
to take action,
to not allow it.
Take control.
Exercise discipline.
That's part of your
God-given responsibility.
That's what God
wants you to do.
And in the long run,
that'll be what's best
for your child.
Sometimes,
Christian love
requires
us to do hard things
because tough love
is needed.
But then on the other hand,
if we're going to be discerning,
sometimes
our love
is going to be real,
give that person
the benefit of the doubt,
gracious.
We're not going to take,
we're not going to be
easily offended.
We're not going to take
what somebody says
or does
to some kind of
slight,
whether they meant
for it to be or not.
Sometimes Christian love
just requires us
to keep our mouth shut,
to not say anything,
to not do anything,
just to go on,
give them the benefit
of the doubt.
That helps
some
many situations
among your friends
at school,
at work,
in a church,
even in the home.
It's not always easy
to know how love
should respond.
That's why we need
to pray.
That's why we need
to pray that our love
will be growing
in discernment
and that we will be
willing to
do what needs
to be done.
Sometimes the most
difficult thing to do
is to say something.
Sometimes the most
difficult thing to do
is to not
say something.
So,
this is how
Christians should pray.
Are you praying
like this?
For yourself.
For your children.
For other people.
Maybe you know
some people.
They really need
to have a more
discerning love.
Pray for them.
Ask God to help
them to see the need
and to be able
to grow.
Paul's prayer
requests in these
verses really
build on one another.
The most important
Christian quality
is love.
And so,
Paul prays
that it will
always be growing.
Growing in knowledge
and discernment.
And then the next
request,
build on that.
Number two,
pray for yourself
and others
to develop
Christ-like character.
That's sort of
the heading
for everything
he says now
in verses 10
through the first
part of verse 11.
It seems
that there are
Christians
who think
that the purpose
of salvation
is to keep us
out of hell
and get us
into heaven
when we die.
That's not true.
God saves us
for much,
much more
than rescue
from hell
and getting us
into heaven.
God saves us
for the purpose
of making us
like Jesus.
And we've looked
at that
and how many times
over the years.
It's in Romans
chapter 8, 29.
God is working
in us
to conform us
to the likeness
of his son.
I want to read
something.
It's from Ephesians
chapter 1.
It's not on the screen
because I didn't think
about putting it in
until it was too late.
Ephesians chapter 1
is in verse 4.
Remember last,
two weeks ago,
we looked at
Philippians 1, 6.
And I referred
to this verse
and talked about
how if we're Christians,
that means God
has chosen us
to be his children.
God chose us
because he wanted
to choose us.
All within him,
nothing about us.
He chose us
before the foundation
of the world.
But I want to read
this verse.
Even as he chose us
in him
before the foundation
of the world
that we should be
holy and blameless
before him.
God's intent
when he saved
you and me
was to so work
in us
throughout our lives
that we would grow
and develop
in Christ-like character.
And as time goes on,
we become more
and more holy
and blameless.
That doesn't mean
perfect.
It means that we
live a life
above reproach.
We seek to obey God.
Those kinds of things.
We need to think
of God as being
like a father
who has many children.
He's happy
that he's got each one
but he's not just content
just to have
all those children.
He wants each child
to grow,
to mature,
to be a good
and productive
member of society.
God,
our Heavenly Father,
he wants
each one
of us
to grow
and mature,
to grow
and develop
holiness,
purity,
and to
be a fruitful
member
of his family,
of his kingdom.
We need to pray
to that end
as Paul does
in these verses.
Look at this.
Number one,
ask God
to help you
and others
discover what is
excellent.
That's the first part
of verse 10
so that you may approve
what is excellent.
There's two key words here.
The word approve
means
to put to the test,
to find out,
say,
from experience,
to discover.
The word excellent
literally means
things that differ,
things that make
a difference,
make a difference,
the best things.
The NIV
translates this phrase
so that you'll be able
to discern
what is best.
What's your real
desire for yourself
as a Christian?
How are you praying
and asking God
to work in your life?
Now,
you would never say this,
none of us
would ever say this,
but do your prayers
sort of sound like
your goal
is just to be mediocre,
stay out of trouble,
stay healthy,
and don't go
overboard
with excitement
about being
a follower of Jesus.
The way you pray,
the kind of things
you pray for,
could it be
that's what
it really boils down to?
Or,
do you pray
that you will grow
in your relationship
with God?
That you will really
develop Christ-like character?
Do you pray
that you'll have
a strong Christian influence
on other people?
And are you praying
that for your children,
for your grandchildren,
for your friends,
for the people
that you really
do care about
and you do pray for?
You pray that
for our church,
our church family.
We need to pray
that we
will discover
from experience
that the best way
to live in this world
is to love
and serve God,
to love
and serve
other people,
and not just enough
to get by,
but to excel
at it,
to seek
to do
our best
to please
God,
to impact
other people.
The next thing
Paul teaches
about prayer
is this,
ask God
to help you
and others
become pure
and blameless.
The phrase
in the last part
of verse 10,
and so be pure
and blameless
for the day
of Christ.
To be pure
and blameless
is really talking
about
the inward
and outward
parts
of our lives,
our character.
pure
is something,
a word
that can be
translated
as sincere.
It refers
to what we are
on the inside.
Blameless
refers to what
we appear
to be,
how others
perceive us,
both inward
and outward,
is what we're
talking about here.
Another way
to describe
being pure
and blameless
is to be real,
be genuine,
be on the inside
what you are
on the outside,
be on the outside.
Or put it another way,
Paul's teaching us
to pray
not to be hypocrites.
You know,
we pray for God
to help us to have,
we need to pray
that God
would help us
to have right motives
and then act
on those motives.
I need to pray
that God
will help me
to prepare
and get up here
and preach
for the right reasons.
You don't know
why I'm here.
Brian needs to pray
before he gets up here
and leaves
and sings like he did.
God,
help me do it
from the right
kind of motives.
You don't know,
I don't know
what his motives are.
But God does.
And we do as well.
So we need to pray
that way.
God,
help me to be
pure,
sincere,
genuine
on the inside
and on the out.
You know,
another way to say this
is we need to ask God
to help us
to hate hypocrisy
and never
allow ourselves
to be hypocrites
who don't practice
what we
profess.
And you know,
by being here
this morning,
by being a member
of this church,
by coming to a worship service,
we are making
some kind of profession
that we're Christians.
We're God's people.
We've been born again
by the Spirit of God.
We need to live like it.
But we need God's
help to live like it.
So we need to pray
for ourselves
and for the people
we care about
that we will
grow in our love,
in our knowledge,
in our discernment,
and that we'll be
the real deal.
We'll grow inwardly,
develop in Christ-like character.
And we'll display that
in all of our relationships.
There's one more
Christ-like character,
quality,
we need to pray for.
Look at this.
Ask God to fill you
and others
with the fruit
of righteousness.
The first part
of verse 11.
Filled with the fruit
of righteousness
that comes through
faith in Jesus Christ,
what comes through
Jesus Christ.
We need to pray
that God would help us
to produce
the kind of fruit
that comes
from having
a right relationship
with Him
that is through
faith in Jesus.
Now the first thing
that might come
to your mind,
it does me,
the first thing
that might come
to our minds
when we say that word
fruit,
it's something like
the fruit of the Spirit.
Love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness,
self-control,
those kinds of qualities.
This prayer is not really
that we will develop
such fruit,
but that we will
demonstrate,
put it on display
in our lives.
We, you and me,
we need to ask God
to help us
to put love and joy
and peace
and these things
that are mentioned
into practice.
in the way
that we relate
to the people
in our homes,
at church,
at work,
at school,
every place
in our lives.
We need to specifically
ask that God
will help us
where we fail
the most.
Just think about it.
You know,
sitting here right now
or sitting at your home
reading the Bible
yourself,
you think about
the fruit of the Spirit
is love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
and when you
sort of mellowed out,
chilled out,
just sort of sitting
back and reading
and thinking good
thoughts,
it's not hard
to be patient
in my room
by myself.
It's not hard
to have,
you know,
some kind thoughts,
be self-controlled.
People mess it up,
don't they?
people just bring out
the worst in us.
No.
People,
stressful situations
just help us to see
what's really on the inside,
how mature we are.
If you have a problem
with patience,
ask God,
Lord,
help me.
Help me to desire this more,
to work on this more.
If you have a problem
with self-control,
pray about that.
Ask God to help you.
Now,
the people in your life
that you love,
that you know well,
you know where they struggle.
don't beat them up,
but pray
where they are weak,
where they struggle.
Ask God to help them.
Do what you can do
to help them.
We need to
ask God to help us
display the fruits
of righteousness.
And we need to be praying this
for other people
in our lives as well.
The final part
of Paul's request
is really
the end result
of everything else.
Look at this.
Pray for yourself
and others
to glorify God.
For the glory
and praise of God
this outends.
This is the ultimate
purpose of our lives,
isn't it?
We know that.
It's the goal
of everything that we do
to bring glory
and honor
and praise to God.
That means
this should be
the ultimate request
of every prayer
we pray
for ourselves
and for
other Christians.
Doesn't mean
it's always easy,
but it's what we should
pray for.
Are you praying
like this?
When you face
a major decision
in life,
do you pray
among other things,
Lord,
bottom line,
I want you to do
what will enable me
to most glorify you?
As you think about
serving the Lord
here in this church
or somewhere,
do you pray,
Lord,
it's not about me.
What people say
or think about me,
help me to do
what I do
in a way that
will honor you,
bring glory to you.
and when you pray
for people
who are close
to you,
do you pray
that God
will use
them
for his glory?
Whatever that
may mean
and that may mean
that your child's
looking for a job
and if you pray,
Lord,
will you not just
let them have the job
but let them have the job
if that's what will most
enable them to serve
your purpose.
If that's what
will bring glory
to you the most.
See,
it's not always easy
to pray such a prayer
but it's how we're called
to live and pray.
Now,
in light of what we see
in Paul's prayer,
do you need to make
any changes
in the way
that you pray?
Let me say it
one more time.
Don't misunderstand.
We all need to pray
all kinds of prayers.
We need to be praying
about things related
to the coronavirus
for people to get well,
for the pandemic
to end.
We need to pray
for our country
especially this week
that there will be
a smooth,
peaceful transition
of power
on Wednesday
when President-elect
Biden
takes the oath
of office
and becomes actual
President Biden.
We need to pray
for widespread
repentance
in this country.
Reconciliation.
We need it.
prayer for our prayer.
But both the teaching
and the examples
in the Bible
clearly show us
that when we pray,
spiritual needs
need to take priority
over the physical needs.
We need to work on that
privately
in our private prayers,
but also publicly
as we pray in groups
here at church.
church.
There's no doubt
that praying
such prayers
will make a difference
in our lives
and it will make
a difference
in the lives
of the people
we care about.
And when we pray
the way Jesus
taught us,
the way Paul
models here,
it will make
a difference
in the number
of prayers
that we see
answered.
Let's pray together.
Dear God,
help us to see
right now
what changes
need to be made
in our prayer lives.
Father,
for some people,
convict them
of their prayerlessness,
of their failure
to pray regularly,
of their failure
to really believe
that prayer matters,
that it makes
a difference.
Father,
for people
in this room
who just about
exclusively pray
for physical things,
help them to see,
Father,
that their priority
is wrong.
Help them to see,
dear God,
that while they may
need to continue
to pray about everybody
and everything
they're praying
about right now,
they need to,
first of all,
focus on you,
your way and will.
They need to focus
on true Christian love,
growing in it,
becoming more knowledgeable
and discerning.
Lord,
help us all
to see that we need
to be praying
about the development
of Christian character
and that all things,
in all that we do,
we seek your glory.
So,
Father,
just show us,
help us to leave
here today
better equipped
to pray in a way
that will truly
please you
and make a difference
in our lives
and in the lives
of people we pray for.
let's just now,
all of us,
in attitude of prayer,
let the Lord speak,
listen,
obey Him
and respond to Him.
whatever you who
you or not.
I think you
willfox
verses
but in the 수가
of Israel
high
until man
vive
ganz
.