Sermon Central
-
Jesus’ Prayer Life
Contributed by Mark Roper on Jul 28, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: Quite often we hear "What would Jesus do?" Yet the better question is, "What did Jesus do?" Jesus prayed often and consistently, He prayed early in the morning, late at night, all through the night.
Jesus’ Prayer Life
Quite often we hear "What would Jesus do?" Yet the better question is, "What did Jesus do?"
I. Jesus prayed often and consistently, He prayed early in the morning, late at night, all through the night.
This insight is gleaned from a passage cited, Luke 5:16: "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." The word "often" is not hidden, but makes it obvious that Jesus prayed regularly. Throughout the Gospels whenever we read of Jesus and prayer, it comes up regularly and naturally.
Jesus prayed in every aspect of life. Can we say the same about prayer in our life?
A. The prayers of Jesus were heartfelt.
Jesus did not pray in a cold, distant manner, but in heartfelt supplication, demonstrating empathy and genuine love for God for Himself, His immediate disciples, as well as for all believers.
B. Jesus prayed based on His knowledge of God and His truths.
The prayers of Jesus were based on God's revealed truths and, as such, were in line with a solid biblical worldview. In John 4:24 Jesus said, "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." He also said, "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32), underscoring the importance of truth in the life of Jesus and, in turn, our lives.
Proper prayer requires us to have a truthful understanding of God and what He has revealed to us through His Word.
C. He prayed before critical events in His life.
Jesus prayed for those who were responsible for his death on the cross. . .
(KJV Luke 23:34)
34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
At critical moments in your life, what do you do?
Can we forgive those who harm us?
D. He prayed at the table of the Last supper for us
Jesus gave his very best for us, his very life. He gave it to overcome the power of sin. He gave it to give us victory in life.
By prayer we receive of God’s life and are made partakers of Christ’s character
E. He prayed that believers might be sanctified John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth
We should pray for a complete new transformation, pray to become the image of Christ. The image we created to become
F. He prayed for our protection from the evil on, while we are in this world
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one
God’s gift to us is life; our gift to God is what we do with it. To every human being the Great Creator entrusts an eternal soul—a precious possession! This gift from heaven can not be compared with the value of an earthly treasure. It is God’s crowning creation fashioned in His likeness.
It is always conscious; it never sleeps. Satan targets the souls of all humanity, desiring to steal them away from God. Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter? “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31 NIV). Read these words of Jesus, put your name in the place of Simon. There you have it. Jesus is praying for you that your soul may be saved from Satan’s attacks. The soul’s journey may sometimes lead down dangerous paths. Safety for the soul is found in the hand of God.
We need to pray continually for spiritual victory
G. Jesus Prayed during a storm.
The disciples had been on the sea for about nine hours. John tells us they rowed four miles (John 6:19).
Mark tells us that during the storm Jesus “saw his followers struggling” (Mark 6:48). Through the night he saw them.
What does he do while we are in the storm? You’ll love this. He prays for us. Jesus wasn’t in the boat because he had gone to the hills to pray (see Mark 6:46). Jesus prayed. That is remarkable. It is even more remarkable that Jesus didn’t stop praying when his disciples were struggling. When he heard their cries, he remained in prayer.
While Jesus is praying and we are in the storm, what are we to do? Simple. We do what the disciples did. We row. The disciples rowed most of the night. Mark says they “struggled hard” to row the boat (Mark 6:48). The word struggle is elsewhere translated as “tormented.” Wasn’t easy. Wasn’t glamorous.
Much of life is spent rowing. Getting out of bed. Fixing lunches. Turning in assignments. Changing diapers. Paying bills. Routine. Regular. More struggle than strut. More wrestling than resting.
