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Jesus – A Man of Prayer
Introduction:
The story is told of two lumberjacks – an older and a
younger – both known for their expertise and speed. The
younger challenged the older to a contest to see who could
cut down the most trees in one day. The contest began. The
younger man, with his vim, vigor and vitality, began in
earnest chopping down one tree after another without
stopping. He soon noticed that the older lumberjack chopped
trees for one hour then took a fifteen-minute break. At the
end of the day when the felled trees were counted, the older
lumberjack had chopped down one-third more trees than the
younger lumberjack. Puzzled, the younger lumberjack asked
the older, “How could you, taking a break every hour, cut
down more trees than I did cutting nonstop all day?” The
older lumberjack responded, “Because when I stopped, I
sharpened my ax.” A lot of us are just like that, we spend
our time chipping away in the Lord’s work, never
accomplishing much for Him and all the time we are simply
using a dull ax. If we do not take the time to pray, we can
never expect God to enjoin His power on our lives nor can we
expect Him to bless our efforts.
As James wrote in
James 2,
“Ye have not, because ye ask not.” It is vital that we
follow the example of our Lord and become people of prayer.
Body:
I.
Jesus Prayed at the Critical Moments of His Life
·
At His baptism (Luke
3:21-22)
·
Before He chose the twelve apostles (Luke
6:12-13)
·
At Peter’s confession (Luke
9:18-20)
·
At His Transfiguration (Luke
9:28-29)
·
In the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal (Luke
22:44-45)
·
On the cross (Luke
23:34,46)
Lesson:
Especially in critical, important times in our lives, we
need to spend much time in prayer. We need to pray for
wisdom and strength.
II.
Jesus Often Communed with His Father
·
At the beginning of His ministry (Mark
1:35)
He went to a solitary place where He could be alone with no
distractions. He prayed early in the morning.
·
After feeding the 5,000 (Mark
6:46)
·
Note Luke’s remarks (Luke
5:15-16)
Lesson:
We need to commune with the Father when we can in a quiet
place, with no distractions.
III.
Jesus Taught about Prayer
·
Persistence (Luke
11:5-10)
Note the present tense commands in verses 9 and 10.
·
Vigilance (Luke
18:1-8)
Here prayer is seen as necessary for Christians to remain
faithful.
·
Self-control (Luke
22:39-46)
God’s people need to be in constant prayer for strength not
to yield to temptation and to successfully pass through the
trials of life.
Conclusion:
Just as Jesus was a man of prayer, so we should be as well.
A life-style of praying needs to characterize our daily
lives.
Bobby Stafford
February 2, 2014 |
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