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Men Ought Always To Pray
Introduction: We are living in a day in which there are clichés or slogans for practically anything we can think of, including prayer. We have heard for example:
Prayer changes things.
The family that prays together stays together.
Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees.
Prayer should become our first and natural response to every circumstance of life.
Yet, when we find ourselves up against the cold hard realities of life, off times these sayings appear to be over-simplified and we do not trust them.
However, it is absolutely true that a Christian can take his burdens to the Lord and leave them with Him day after day and moment by moment and consequently live in perfect peace. The only way he can do this is by REGULAR PRAYER about every problem. Perhaps we need to practice more of what we sing about,
What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer!
"Oh, what PEACE we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear;
All because we do not carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer!
Please turn with me to our text found in Luke 18:1-8 and follow as I read.
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (2) Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: (3) And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. (4) And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; (5) Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. (6) And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. (7) And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? (8) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
The book of Luke has been called the Gospel of Prayer and here in this chapter we have a number of instances of prayer.
Verse 1 the Widow’s continual prayer
Verse 11 the Pharisee’s self-righteous prayer
Verse 13 the Publican’s prayer of humility
Verse 38 the Blind beggar Bartimaus’ prayer.
Notice again the phrase in verse 1 "Men ought always to pray."
It is not only that we would DO WELL to pray, but that we OUGHT to pray.
It is not only that we OUGHT to pray OFTEN, but that we ought ALWAYS to pray.
There are times when Christians should do nothing but pray. Now from Luke 18, there are 3 truths I would like to bring to your attention.
First Truth: PRAYER is NECESSARY. Notice in verse 1 Jesus is saying that men "ought always to PRAY and not to FAINT." If we don’t pray, we will faint; it’s as simple as that! The word "FAINT" describes one who loses heart and gets so discouraged that he wants to quit.
Now in order to understand that phrase we must look at the CONTEXT in which our Lord was speaking. There is a connection between what our Lord said in 18:1 and His last statement in 17:37. "Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together." speaks of something that is rotting. I believe we can say that our society is like a rotting corpse. The "atmosphere" in which we live is being polluted and this is bound to affect our spiritual lives. But when we pray, we draw upon the "pure air" of heaven, and this keeps us from fainting.
Now in the context of Luke 17:26-37 Jesus is describing what it would be like just before his return in the last days.
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. (27) They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (28) Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; (29) But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. (30) Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (31) In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. (32) Remember Lot’s wife. (33) Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. (34) I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. (35) Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (36) Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (37) And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”
Now in 18:1 it says Men ought to always do what? PRAY and not FAINT.
Here is where we have the difference between Noah and Lot.
The reason Noah did not faint in the wicked world in which he lived is because he no doubt prayed for his family. In so doing, he provided protection for his family as God directed and preached words of warning to those around him.
Yet on the other hand, Lot fainted because he failed to pray for his family, and therefore failed to protect his family from the rotting world around them. As a result, he succumbed to the wicked world of his day in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why did Noah succeed in the wicked world?
Why did Noah succeed in saving His family?
I believe that Noah succeeded because NOAH PRAYED. In view of that observation, let me suggest several things:
ALL your activities should be bathed in prayer. All around Noah, people were living in sin. He realized there was a judgment coming. So rather than leave the outcome to chance, HE PRAYED that he and his family would be saved. Jesus said we "ought to always pray." Pray about everything!
I don’t have to tell you that we live in a wicked world. You know that and I certainly know that. We live in a world where the Devil, our own human flesh, and the world around us are doing their best, day and night, to defeat us. I read several years ago that the Church of Satan is fasting and praying 2 days a week for Christians and especially Christian leaders and Pastors to fall into sin and immorally. Now if that is true, then day and night we had better uplift each other through prayer before the throne of Heaven in order to negate all that Satanic prayer.
DAILY, persistent prayer for your family is a necessity. You read Luke 17:26-33, as well as II Timothy 3 and you should begin to realize we are already living in the period of the last days. Listen folks, our families, our children, our churches, and God’s men are under vicious Satanic attack.
It takes more than just saying we are a Christian family.
It takes more than saying we go to church with our family.
It takes more than just having your children in Sunday School.
You can have them in all these arenas and many more, but unless you are praying daily for them, you are going to lose them. Let me ask you, how many of you pray for your wife, husband, parents, children, and grandchildren by name and by specific need every day?
Noah succeeded. He did not faint in the polluted world because he prayed, preached and walked with God.
Lot who walked in the council of the ungodly, and stood in the way of sinners, and sat in the seat of the scornful, led his family deeper and deeper into wickedness because he failed to WATCH AND PRAY and thus fell into temptation.
Pastor what about my family? I have prayed for them, raised them in a godly atmosphere and yet they have not turned out right. In II Chronicles 29-32 we have the story of one of the godly Kings of Israel, Hezekiah. He was a deeply spiritual man who prayed in times of religious problems, political distress, and physical problems. At his death, onto the throne came His son who became one of the most wicked men to ever rule Israel. Yet after 55 years on the throne, Hezekiah’s son came to God in repentance. Why? What influenced him? I believe that the prayers of His godly daddy followed that son through all those years, even long after Hezekiah’s death. DON’T STOP PRAYING!
Second Truth: PRAYER is ACTIVE, verses 2-4. In verse 3, this woman kept on coming day after day. In verse 5 the judge gave her what she wanted because she was wearing him out. Put another way, she was a nag.
Now, if that kind of persistence can get an unjust judge, who could care less who you are, give you what you requested, how much more will a loving, heavenly father give to us, his children, what we need and what we request?
Listen to this thought provoking, yet tragic, statement, "The average Christian prayers 4 minutes a day, the average pastor prays 7 minutes a day, and very few, if any, families pray together." And yet we have a prayer-answering God who can give us the power to stand in the midst of a rotting world.
I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us we are to "pray without ceasing." Now, what does it mean to "pray without ceasing"?
Does it mean we are to be speaking words constantly? Of course not.
Does it mean that the Christian should stay on his knees every moment of the day? This is impossible.
It means we are to make prayer as natural as we do our breathing. We just breathe; we don’t think about it. We should just pray whenever and wherever. We don’t need to think about it.
There are several things, I believe, that are meant by “praying without ceasing.”
There isn’t any time when the Christian should not pray. Every day ought to be a sacred moment for the Christian when he can and should be breathing out prayers to God.
The Christian should be in constant communication with God.
How wonderful are the early morning hours spent in prayer.
How strengthening is the noontime when the Christian may attach his cable to God’s booster for help during the day.
How sacred are the closing hours of the day when God seems even nearer and more dear.
There isn’t any place where the Christian should not pray.
Every place is Holy Ground, an altar, a sanctuary.
The kitchen sink can be an altar.
The workbench can be a chancel.
The sofa can be a mourner’s bench.
The rest room can be a prayer closet.
In verse 7, it seems the woman had an urgent need; so urgent that she begged day and night. Now, if she was that way with an unjust judge, why shouldn’t we have the same urgency in praying to God? Our God is never wearied of our coming to Him in prayer.
So, we see the necessity of prayer in verse 1, and the activity of prayer in verses 2-4. Now, let’s talk about the third truth concerning prayer.
Third Truth: PRAYER is REAL. In verse 7, “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” God is not like the unjust Judge.
The unjust judge had no interest in this woman.
To him she was just a woman who wanted some justice given.
To him she was just a bad dream, a pain in the neck. He wanted to give her what she wanted to get her off his back.
On the other hand, our God is PATIENT, KIND, GOOD and LOVING, CONCERNED and CARING. Amen!
We may ask why God doesn’t give us what we ask for immediately, if He is all that. Listen, it must be understood that our Heavenly Father which art in heaven does not always answer immediately; nor in the way in which we think He ought. Regardless, He still wants us to persevere in prayer.
Remember, God’s delays are not the delays of inactivity, but of preparation. Apparently, God is always answering prayers, because Romans 8:28 tells us, God works in all things at all times, causing all things to work together to accomplish His purposes. SO, WHY WOULD GOD SOMETIMES WANT TO MAKE US WAIT FOR AN ANSWER AND THEREFORE HAVE US CONTINUE TO AGONIZE AND PERSEVERE IN PRAYER?
First: Because God knows WHAT is best. Sometimes we come to God to present our petition, and God knows that we are asking for a solution that is second best. He may have a better solution. Many Christians receive second best because they want their prayers answered quickly. Sometimes the Lord delays to see if we will wait for His best solution.
Second: Because God knows WHEN is best. If it is a prayer for something that is in the will of God, and the solution is right for us, God has the answer already wrapped, addressed and postmarked. But his timing is important. The WHEN is just as important as the WHAT. He wants us to have it, but He wants us to have it at the right time.
Oh, our God is a prayer-answering God. One of the most profound verses in the Word of God that we should know by memory is God’s telephone number found in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Notice it says "Call unto me and I will ANSWER." That’s pretty much all we need to hear, God will answer. In the New testament there is another profound verse found in Ephesians 3:20-21, which says "Now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above ALL that we ASK or THINK, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory…"
Do you believe God answers prayer? I trust you have often experienced answers to your prayers. But do you realize how many answers to prayer there are in the Bible? Here are just a few:
JOSHUA prayed after the defeat at Ai and God revealed the thief Achan.
HANNAH prayed and God gave to her a child, Samuel.
DAVID prayed, and O’ how often God answered his prayers.
HEZEKIAH prayed when he had religious, political and physical problems, and God answered.
DANIEL prayed and God protected his life.
ABRAHAM prayed and God delivered Lot.
ELIJAH prayed and God raised the dead, sent fire from heaven, brought the drought, and gave the rain.
NEHEMIAH prayed and God allowed him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Now those are some of the answers to prayer found just in the Old Testament. Our great God definitely answers prayer in response to our requests. In so doing, we don’t worry Him, or weary Him. He delights in us coming and coming, again and again and again to Him in prayer. Remember,"What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!"
How serious are you about the ministry of prayer? Let me encourage you to make this church a praying church. In Mark 11:15-18, we read of our Lord chasing the merchants out of the temple. “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; (16) And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. (17) And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. (18) And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.”
This was the second time He did this, the first being in John 2. So what made the Son of God so agitated? His house was being used for purposes other than what was intended. He seemed to be saying, "This place looks and feels more like a mall than a temple." Whatever happened to Isaiah’s word about the real point of this building, to be a HOUSE OF PRAYER for all nations? Out, get out of here, all of you."
To be sure, the merchants were there to help with the required money exchange and the buying and selling of animals for sacrifice. "But Jesus was not impressed with their religious commercialism. He was concerned then, as He is now, not only whether we’re doing God’s work, but also how and why we’re doing it." That’s a rather uncomfortable message for us to swallow.
The first century moneychangers were in the temple, but they didn’t exhibit the spirit of the temple. Jesus wanted "The atmosphere of my Father’s house to be one of prayer." Jesus seemed to say, “The aroma around my Father must be that of people opening their hearts in worship and supplication. This is not just a place to make a buck or perform a service. This is a house for calling on the Lord."
Someone said this, "The feature that is supposed to distinguish Christian churches, Christian people, and Christian gatherings is the aroma of prayer. Does the Bible ever say, My house shall be called a house of preaching? Does the Bible ever say, My house shall be called a house of music? However, the Bible does say, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Do you realize that Jesus launched the Christian church, not while someone was preaching, but while people were praying? The early church was initiated and sustained by prayer. This intense praying resulted in the powerful proclamation of Christ.
In Acts 1:14 the church is found seeking the face of God, not planning, but praying, not organizing but praying, which resulted in 3000 souls being saved at Pentecost.
In Acts 2:42, the church is still excited as they move forward in prayer. The results were phenomenal as people came to know Christ daily.
In Acts 3 Peter and John, on their way to the Temple to pray, saw 5000 converted before they arrived.
In Acts 4 the church continued to pray, and in Acts 5:14 we read "and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women."
In Acts 13:3, the church was preparing to send forth missionaries. In order to determine God’s will, they PRAYED and FASTED. In fact, the motto of the early church was "pray and proclaim, pray and proclaim."
E. M. Bounds in his book "Power through Prayer" said,
"What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use, men mighty in prayers. The Holy Spirit does not flow through METHODS, but through MEN. He does not come to MACHINERY, but to men. He does not ANOINT plans, but men of prayer."
E. M. Bounds goes on to say,
"We must learn anew the worth of prayer, entering anew the school of prayer. There is nothing which takes more time to learn. And if we would learn the wondrous art of prayer, we must not give a fragment here and there, "A little talk with Jesus," but we must demand and hold with iron grasp the best hours of the day for God in prayer, or there will be no praying worth the name."
Let me encourage you to be here for the Wednesday evening prayer meeting. I believe PRAYER MEETING is the most important service of the week. This ministry needs to be gathered in much prayer.
In Ephesians 6:18-19 "Praying always with all prayer…and supplication for all saints; And for me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known… the gospel."
Matthew 7:7, "ASK, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you;"
Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself in the Lord; and HE SHALL GIVE THEE the desires of thine heart."
Yes, you are a vital part of the prayer ministry for this church. Wednesday Evening is just as important as Sunday School, Sunday Morning, and Sunday Evening. Let me close by saying:
There is no burden so great or so small that God doesn’t want to help us bear it.
There is no problem so great or so small,that God doesn’t want to help us find a solution to it.
There is no question so hard or so simple that God can’t find an answer to it.
There is no area of life that should be kept from God, and we should be in constant touch with Heaven presenting our petitions and accepting grace in time of need.
Prayer is God’s appointed way for Christians to get things and to get things done. The psalmist said in Psalm 65:2, "O thou who hearest prayers, unto thee shall all flesh come."
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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon "Men Ought Always Too Pray" then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.
Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in
Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”
If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior let me know? Please send an e-mail to, pdmikBBM@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.
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