Pray Without Ceasing, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin introduces the Christian's fundamental desire to please God, as assumed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians, and highlights the command to 'pray without ceasing' as a key aspect of…

Martin shares how he found Thomas Lanton's sermon on the same text and decided to use its basic outline, acknowledging his indebtedness to avoid any appearance of plagiarism.

I wouldn't dogmatize on it, but certainly anyone who thinks the issue through, can see that there is a definite connection. He's not simply picked out these admonitions, and thrown them out willy-nilly. The only one who knows what it is to rejoice always, in the biblical sense of that rejoicing, as we've studied it together, is the one who is continually applying himself to the throne of grace, for mercy, for grace, for forgiveness, and who has learned to embrace from the heart every aspect of the will of God, so that in everything he's learned to rejoice in the dispositions of divine providen...

2:43 - 4:09 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not savingly joined to Christ, you cannot acceptably pray.

To explain that merely mouthing 'in Jesus' name' is not true prayer, Martin uses the analogy of an unauthorized person claiming authority 'in the name of the United States government' to illustrate that one must be rightly related to Christ to bear His name in prayer.

And just mouthing some words and at the end tacking on the phrase in Jesus' name is not praying truly in His name any more than if I suddenly show up at some head of state in a foreign country and I say in the name of the United States government I want this and that. Just mouthing that name doesn't constitute me as one who has authority to bear that name. Unless I am so related to the government that I have been appointed as its ambassador, I have no right to be spouting off the name of the U.S. government.

12:10 - 12:43 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You don't separate the man's basic spiritual life from his spiritual exercise of prayer.

Martin recounts his unregenerate days as a Dodger fan, praying for a home run, to illustrate how carnal desires, not God's will, drove his 'prayers' before conversion, highlighting the blasphemous nature of such requests.

And you watch carnal men, they'll ask God for anything. The brazenness with which they'll ask God things. I look back upon my own unregenerate days and I tremble at times. I used to be quite a Dodger fan before they went out to Los Angeles.

17:29 - 17:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn ejaculatory praying, especially in difficult situations like driving on Bloomfield Avenue or facing office challenges.

Peter crying 'Lord, save me!' as he sinks in the water is used as a vivid example of ejaculatory prayer, demonstrating that in moments of crisis, formal prayer is not always possible or necessary.

But there in that context, he shot up a volley to heaven, as it were. And he cried out in that instant, Oh God, help! And then he spoke to the king. The great example of this, in terms of an illustration, of course, is Peter.

24:54 - 25:08 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn ejaculatory praying, especially in difficult situations like driving on Bloomfield Avenue or facing office challenges.

Martin describes Paul overhearing Epaphras fervently praying for the Colossians for extended periods, illustrating the concept of solemn, extended prayer that wrestles with God.

Epiphras, a fellow servant who always labors fervently for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Paul would go by Epiphras' hotel room when they were on a certain preaching tour, and as he'd hear him praying and put his ear to the door, he'd hear him in there crying to God for the Colossians, and he'd hear him pleading that they might stand perfect and complete in the will of God. He'd come back by a few hours later, and lo and behold, he's still in there wrestling with God for the needs of the Colossians. Here was extended prayer, not the volley o...

26:00 - 26:45 Read in full sermon

The point: Learn ejaculatory praying, especially in difficult situations like driving on Bloomfield Avenue or facing office challenges.

Driving on Bloomfield Avenue is humorously suggested as a practical training ground for ejaculatory prayer, as difficult traffic situations provoke immediate cries for help to the Lord.

How thankful we should be that God has opened to us these channels at both ends of the spectrum. Ejaculatory prayer. The kind of prayer that can be shot up to the Lord when you find yourself in a difficult situation on Bloomfield Avenue. And if you haven't learned ejaculatory praying and want a good place to learn it, just start driving up and down Bloomfield Avenue for a week.

26:46 - 27:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Engage in extraordinary prayer, including fasting, for unusual circumstances and abnormal pressures.

Joel's command for the bridegroom to leave his chamber for a prayer meeting is translated into 20th-century vernacular as foregoing a honeymoon for a prayer meeting, illustrating the seriousness of extraordinary prayer in times of crisis.

He says, even the bridegroom and the bride are to forego their honeymoon and come to a prayer meeting. Now that's putting it in 20th century vernacular, but that's exactly what he says. He says, let the bridegroom come out of his chamber and come to a prayer meeting. Unusual circumstances which mean the setting aside of legitimate things to seek the face of God.

34:29 - 34:52 Read in full sermon