Resurrection Prayer Outline and Audio Sermon

Outline and Audio Sermons:
Dr. Walter D. Huyck Jr. D.Min.
www.thischristianjourney.com

How To Use This Outline

[Are you a child of the Resurrection? Have you been born again? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior by inviting Him to come into your life? If you have been born again then you are a Child of the living God and you have been, already, resurrected with the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote,]

[Colossians 3:1 ¹ If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.]

[As a child of God you are an heir to His glorious kingdom and you are a child of the resurrection. Glory to God, you are, right now, living the resurrection life!]

[One of the incredible wonders of being a child of the resurrection is that you can, and should be, talking to your Heavenly Father continuously in prayer. Our text reads,]

[Colossians 4:2-3 ² Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; ³ Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:]

[Prayer is one of the incredible privileges of the New Birth. It is a wonder that the God of all creation, the one who threw the stars into the heavens in all their glory and calls them all by name, the architect who designed the DNA that forms all of life, the divine artist who painted the butterflies, and illuminates the wonder of the sunset desires to hear your prayers. So much so, that our Lord said,]

[Jeremiah 33:3 ³ Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. ]

[Psalm 145:18-20 ¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. ¹⁹He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. ²⁰The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.]

A. Persevere In Prayer (vs 2; Luke 18.1; Eph 6.18; Philip 4.6) [– Continue in prayer, . . . – Do you realize, my Christian friend, just how precious prayer is. Prayer is the greatest of all privileges given to the child of God and your Heavenly Father wants you to pray. Our text calls upon us to continue in prayer. To continue means,]

[Continue - προσκαρτερεῖτε (Gk) - from prós (4314), to, and karteréō (2594), to endure. To tarry, remain somewhere (Mark 3:9); to continue steadfastly with someone (Acts 8:13); to cleave faithfully to someone (Acts 10:7); referring to those who continually insist on something or stay close to someone (Acts 2:46; Rom. 13:6); used metaphorically of steadfastness and faithfulness in the outgoings of the Christian life, especially in prayer (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2).^{^[1]} ]

[Luke 18:1 ¹ And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; ]

[Ephesians 6:18 ¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; ]

[Philippians 4:6 ⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ]

[My brothers and sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to pray. He wants you to pray so much that many of His exhortations to prayer sound very much like commands. Almighty-God wants you to talk to Him and with Him.]

[What Is Prayer – Do you know what prayer is. The word prayer simply means to communicate. It is merely talking with God and listening to God. You must understand that God wants to communicate with you. Now, communication is never one sided. But true communication deals with talking and listening and likely more listening than talking. To many people think that prayer is just when they tell God what they want or think. But, Biblical prayer is listening for God as much as talking to God.]

[Any real prayer starts in heaven, is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and is then sent back to God in our praises.]

[Do you realize that God has given you His direct telephone number and has given you unlimited access to call Him anytime you want. And our text calls upon you to continue, persevere, and be steadfast in praying to God.]

[It is in incredible privilege to have continuous access to your Heavenly Father and God wants you to pray continuously.]

B. Present Our Prayers (vs 2; 1 Sam 12.23) [– Continue in prayer, and watch in the same . . . - This is like saying, “Just Do It.” The word watch here means,]

[Watch - γρηγοροῦντες (Gk) - to arise, arouse. To watch, to refrain from sleep. It was transferred in meaning from the physical to the moral religious sphere (Matt. 26:38, 40, 41). It denotes attention (Mark 13:34) to God’s revelation or to the knowledge of salvation (1 Thess. 5:6); a mindfulness of threatening dangers which, with conscious earnestness and an alert mind, keeps it from all drowsiness and all slackening in the energy of faith and conduct (Matt. 26:40; Mark 14:34, 37, 38; 1 Thess. 5:6; 1 Pet. 5:8).^{^[2]}]

[What this text is saying is continue in prayer and be impudent in your prayers, or don’t fail to pray.]

[Remember that our Lord encourages us not to faint in prayer. We must be diligent to pray and faithful in our prayers.]

[1 Samuel 12:23 ²³ Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: . . .]

[Have you ever wondered why Christians quit praying? John Bunyan once said, “Prayer will make man cease from sin, sin will make man cease from prayer.” I am certain that there are other reasons that people cease to pray, but I agree that sin will certainly cause a person to stop praying.]

[Do you know that a lack of prayer in your life reflects that you don’t feel like you need God in your life. A lack of prayer reflects an independent spirit that feels they can find their way through life on their own. Our text warns us to watch in prayer, or to be certain that we are talking to and listening for God in our daily lives.]

[I have talked to many Christians who have said that at times they just do not feel like praying. My friend when you do not feel like praying is when you need prayer more than ever. When you do not feel like praying you need to pray until you feel like praying.]

[So as Resurrection Christians we need to pray continuously and be sure we are watching in prayer all the time. Every moment of everyday we ought to find our selves praying or talking to our Heavenly Father.]

C. Praise In Our Prayers (vs 2; Psalm 33.1; 147.1; 1 Chron 16.34) [– Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; - We must be Thankful in our Prayers. Adrain Rogers once said,]

[“We need to pull some of the groans out of our prayers and shove in more HALLELUJAH’s.”]

[Psalm 33:1 ¹Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.]

[Psalm 147:1 ¹ Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.]

[Praise will brighten the darkest night and clear up a gloomy day. Praise and thanksgiving help us get our eyes and minds off of our difficulties and onto the faithfulness of our Lord. King David once said,]

[1 Chronicles 16:34 ³⁴ O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. ]

[Your thanksgiving and praise is the answer for your depression and despair. We all have a multitude of blessing that we can thank and praise God for. Our God truly has poured his bountiful provisions upon us and we should and must thank and praise Him for them.]

[My brother and sister in Christ, if you are having trouble finding something to pray about, then you can always find something to thank and praise our Lord for. Perhaps you should thank God that your day is such that you don’t feel you have anything pray about right now.]

D. Partner In Prayer (vs 3; James 5.16; Eph 6.18) [– Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: - This is to intercede for one another in prayer. If there is one thing that prayer teaches us, it teaches us to be selfless. It teaches us to think about others and their needs. James wrote,]

[James 5:16 ¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ]

[Ephesians 6:18 ¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;]

[It is a great privilege to be able to talk to your Heavenly Father. It is just as great a privilege to be able to pray one for another. I believe that every Christian ought to have a prayer partner. Someone they can trust. Someone who will faithfully pray for them and with them.]

[Prayer is an incredible privilege given to the Children of God. It is such a privilege that even lost and sinful people claim to pray, but did you know that God does not hear the prayers of the wicked. The Bible says,]

[Proverbs 15:8 ⁸ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. ]

[Psalm 66:18 ¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: ]

[If you have not been born again then there is only one prayer God will hear from you it is the prayer of repentance asking the Lord Jesus Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior. Then you will be able to call upon God in prayer and be heard.]

[But the born again child of God is a part of the resurrection life and should continuously be talking to his Heavenly Father in prayer.]

^{^[1]}Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.) (G4342). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

^{^[2]}Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.) (G1127). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.