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 simple using a dull ax. If we do not take the time to pray, we can never expect God to enjoy God’s 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
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 07:52:21 +0000
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