Please turn with me in your Bibles now if you'd like to follow along to Paul's letter to the Colossians. Colossians chapter 4. And as I said, we're going to be considering the topic of prayer this morning and tonight from a couple of verses here in Colossians 4. And this morning we're going to look at just one Colossians 4, verse 2. Colossians chapter 4, verse 2. I'd like to actually back up and read all of Colossians 3 leading into chapter 4, verse 2, to give you something of the context and understand, I think, why Paul follows chapter 3 with this call to prayer. So let's give our attention now to the Word of God. I'll begin reading at verse 1 of chapter 3 and read down through chapter 4, verse 2. And again, our focus is chapter 2 of verse 4. Please hear now God's Word. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away. Anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all. Put on then as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other. As the Lord has forgiven you, you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bond-servants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Please join me in prayer. Father in heaven, we praise you and thank you for your word. We thank you this morning for this call to be a people of steadfast, watchful, thankful prayer. And we pray now that you would open our eyes and our ears to understand your truth. Lord, give us ears to hear, give us faith that would receive your word, but not just receive it, enable us to practice it to your glory. Lord, we ask for the help and the guidance of your Holy Spirit. Please feed us and nourish us now as your people by your word. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. If you are in Christ by faith, Colossians 3 calls you to set your minds on things above. God calls you in Colossians 3 to put to death what is earthly in you. To put on love. To be thankful. To let Christ's peace and His Word dwell in you richly. It calls you to do everything in His name and for His glory and every calling and every position and circumstance and relationship of life. This is how the Colossians and this is how you and I are to live a growing, fruitful life in Christ. That's a pretty long list, isn't it? It's a tall order. This is no easy task. In fact, it's overwhelming just thinking about it and hearing Colossians 3 read again. How could the Colossians, how can you and I do this? Well, there's a reason why Paul transitions in these verses here in chapter 4 to his closing remarks with a call to prayer. Continue steadfastly in prayer. You see, Paul knows the truth that Jesus taught in John 15 verse 5. Apart from me, you can do nothing. So this is why you must pray. Depend on Christ in prayer. In order to live a growing life in Christ, you must pray and keep on praying. You see, the Colossians 3 life of growing in Christ can only be lived by faith in Christ and in His power. One of the primary ways that you do this is through prayer. You see, prayer gives you a wide open window to God. Prayer is a means of grace that God uses to grow you because it draws you before the throne of grace. It gives you access to all the resources of God, to His presence and His power. Paul is transitioning to his closing greetings here at this point in his letter. But these verses, verses 2 through 6, are not just a simple transition. They're not a mere formality. They are vital. They're pivotal. Because a growing life in Christ must be marked by and sustained by prayer. Prayer is vital for a growing life in Christ. Friends, do you want to live this Colossians 3 life? Do you want to grow and make progress in Christ? Do you want to serve and glorify Him in everything you do? Then rely on Him and live by faith in Him and live specifically this morning by prayer. Brothers and sisters, God calls you this morning to press on in prayer, to grow in Christ and glorify Him. That's what Colossians 4 calls each one of you to this morning, to press on in prayer, to grow in Christ and glorify Him. Well, Paul here calls you to prayer because prayer sustains this growing life in Christ. It's a vital life link between you and Christ, between heaven and earth. But prayer is not something that's simple. Prayer is not an easy thing. It's not just an add-on to the Christian life. So we want to consider it this morning and take some time to think about it. And what we'll see is that God calls you here in Colossians 4 verse 2 to pray with persistence, to pray with watchfulness, and to pray with thanksgiving. Pray with persistence, watchfulness, and thanksgiving. First of all, you're called to pray with persistence. Look again at our verse 2, the first part of verse 2. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Paul is telling the Colossians, he's telling you and I to devote yourselves to prayer. To persist in it. Persevere in prayer. Press on. This word, it's one word, continues steadfastly. Pictures endurance. Staying in a fixed direction. Not giving up despite adversity. and difficulty. It is an intense, continual effort. Keep on keeping on. Keep praying. Don't stop, says Paul. Don't let up. It's as if Paul is a track coach on the sidelines, urging them on. Push yourself. Keep going. Don't let up. Press on. Continue steadfastly. This is not the only time that Paul has called the church In Ephesians 6, verse 18, Paul said, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Keep alert with all perseverance. In Romans 12, verse 12, he says, be constant in prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5, he says, rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. Pray with persistence. But Paul didn't just preach persistent prayer. He practiced it himself. He demonstrated it. From Colossians chapter 1, Paul told the Colossians, we always thank God when we pray for you. From the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you. Paul was a man of persistent prayer. But why was there such persistence in his prayer? And why does he call for you to pray with such persistence? Well, you see, for Paul, prayer was something like eating. For Paul, prayer was an essential part of life. He needed it. It sustained him. He could hardly imagine life without it. Paul knew that he couldn't live and grow in Christ. He couldn't glorify Christ on his own power. Paul couldn't build churches or build Christians on his own, and so he prayed. He knew that this was God's work. Friends, in the same way you wouldn't be able to live without food, so you eat. It's necessary. It's a necessary part of life. You also need to pray. You have to eat every day. Persist in eating. In the same way, you need to persist in prayer. As I said earlier, prayer is not easy. It takes practice. It takes discipline and time. It requires faith. It's hard work. It's so often easier not to pray than to pray. So that's why Paul says, keep at it. Don't give up. Don't slow down. Persist. Continue steadfastly. George Mueller, a man known for his persistent prayer, once said, the great fault of the children of God is they do not continue in prayer. They do not go on praying. They do not persevere. If they desire anything for God's glory, they should pray until they get it. Oh, how good and kind and gracious and condescending is the one with whom we have to do. He has given me unworthy as I am and measurably above all I had asked or thought." How do we continue steadfastly in prayer? How do we actually Practice this how do we make this a part of the regular? Rhythm of our life in Christ the part of the the air we breathe our daily bread Well many have found it helpful to start and end The day in prayer to make that the door you walk in and walk out of each day others have found it helpful to pick a time and place to pray and Think about it, you have a time and place for things that are important to you, even if it's something as trivial as brushing your teeth. When something is important, when something has a regular time and place in your life, it becomes second nature and you begin to do it regularly by habit. You can also take the opportunity to consciously, thoughtfully stop and pray before you eat. This isn't just an empty tradition. This can be a very good practice if you don't let it become routine. Stop and pray. Thank God for food. Ask for His grace and His sustenance. Another help to be devoted and persistent in prayer is to pray right when you hear of a need. Right off the bat when you hear of a prayer request. When that comes to mind, just stop and pray right then and there, even if it's silent and in your heart. To help you pray with persistence, you can also keep a prayer list or use a prayer guide to keep you focused and praying for a wide variety of things. You can pray before, during, and after your Bible reading or worship. You can pray with others, pray with your family, pray with your church family. Pray along in your heart during prayer and worship, but ultimately find your own ways that work for you in order to help you persist in prayer as you're called to. One time I was on a walk in the woods and I heard a repetitive thumping sound. I didn't know where it was coming from. Thump, thump, thump. And then I looked up and there was a pileated woodpecker Slamming his head slamming his beak into a tree again and again and again and there were wood chip chips flying And I was amazed by his persistence slowly Steadily slamming again and again just for his lunch Just for a bug that maybe or maybe wasn't there and this is what this bird did every single day just to eat and And I thought, that is a picture of how we need to be in prayer. That's how we need to be with prayer. Persistent, driven, hungry, knowing that there is a reward. Friends, this is what God calls you to, to pray with persistence. Jesus made this exact point in Luke chapter 18 in his parable of the persistent widow. And he concluded that parable saying, will not God give justice to his elect who cry to him night and day? Will he delay long over them? Friends, are you persevering in prayer? Will you? Is there a loved one or a friend you've been praying for for months, maybe years or decades? Will you press on and prayer. Are you ready to give up on something or someone that God has called you to? Is life overwhelming? Is your faith hanging by a thread? Then look to God and pray. Pray and don't give up. Maybe your walk with the Lord, your growth in Christ has stalled or slid backwards. Will you pray? Will you persist? Friends, God is good. He is loving. He is all-powerful. He hears prayer. And He calls you to pray to Him with persistence. Well, in order to pray with persistence, you're going to have to be vigilant. This takes work and watchfulness. And so God calls you, second this morning, to pray with watchfulness. Pray with watchfulness. Listen again to verse two. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Continue in prayer, being watchful, being awake, alert, vigilant. This is a wartime military word. Paul says, be on guard like a soldier in enemy territory. Jesus says a similar thing in Mark 14 38. He said, watch, watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You see, Paul knew that a persistent devotion to prayer would require watchfulness, a continuous concentrated awareness because there are so many distractions, so many obstacles, so many temptations that make it hard to press on in prayer. Often the spirit is in fact willing, but the flesh is weak. And so you're called to be watchful. Friends, you have to be watchful or you'll simply not make time to pray. You won't plan ahead to pray and other things will always take that time. Something else will always fill the time. Without watchfulness, prayer will not be a priority. It won't be important to you. If you're not watchful, you also won't even want to pray. You won't understand your needs. Other desires will crowd out the desire to pray. If you aren't watchful, you won't know what to pray about. You'll have little awareness of your own needs, your own limitations, your sin. You'll have little awareness of the needs of others around you, and so you'll forget to pray. And you'll forget the resources and the greatness of God and His ability to meet all your needs. Without watchfulness, the busyness of life, your responsibilities, all sorts of things will chip away at prayer. Or when you do pray, you'll get tired, you'll fall asleep, your thoughts will wander. Friends, Satan does not want you praying. And he will use whatever it takes to interfere to keep you from being watchful, to keep you from persisting in prayer. Also, without watchfulness, without guarding your time and your soul and your priorities, you won't pray because of lack of faith. You just won't believe in the power of God and His ability to answer prayer. You will trust too little in Him and too much in yourself. You'll forget His goodness and grace. Maybe you'll give up or you'll try to live on your own strength. You need to realize that prayer is really counterintuitive to your sinful nature. You and I try to get through life and get things done on our own. We need to watch for that tendency, that sinful attitude. We need to be watchful. One time I was on a big remodeling project and our crew was really behind. We had deadlines to meet and I'd always want to rush to get started in the morning. Let's get this done. But there was an older, wiser, more watchful, patient, and slow man that always insisted on praying before anything else. I said, no, no, no, no. Put the tools down. We need to pray. And I would get so impatient. See, I was not being watchful. But he was. He was watchful. He knew. Of course, he knew there was work to be done. But he also knew that without God's help, our labor would be in vain. We couldn't strive on our own, neglecting God and expect to make good, God-glorifying progress. This man was watchful, and because of that, he helped us to persevere in prayer. Friends, how often do you come up with excuses not to pray? What are those excuses? I need to get to sleep. This will never get done if I don't do it now. God already knows what I need. He hasn't answered yet. This doesn't work. I'll pray about this tomorrow. I'll pray when the kids get older. I'm not good at praying. Friends, be on guard against any thought, any feeling, any circumstance, any temptation, any excuse that you might have that would pull you away from God and pull you away from going to Him in prayer. Fight against that. Be watchful to grow in Christ and to glorify Him. Pray with persistence and watchfulness. And then third and finally this morning, God calls you to pray with thanksgiving. Pray with thanksgiving. Listen again to verse 2. Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Thankfulness is a repeated theme in Colossians. We even saw it in chapter 3. And it should be a repeated theme in your life and in your prayer. You were called to abound with thanksgiving earlier in Colossians, literally spill over with thanksgiving. You're to do everything with thanks to God and continue steadfastly in prayer with thanksgiving. Think about this. Why are we to be so thankful? Well, if what Paul said about Christ is true, if what he said about the full redemption that you have in him, in this letter and in the rest of Scripture, if that is in fact true, If Jesus really is the Supreme Lord, and you have life and forgiveness and future glory in Him, if that is all true, you shouldn't be able to help but to thank Him. You shouldn't be able to stop thanking and praising Him. Friends, there is always something to give thanks for. And so there is always reason to pray. and pray with thankfulness. Maybe you have trouble starting your prayer. You don't know where to begin. You don't know what to pray about. You have trouble thinking of things to pray for. Just start thanking God for His gifts. Just start with thankfulness. It doesn't matter what you're thankful for. Thank Him for whatever He's done for you, whatever He's given you. Maybe a difficult trial or circumstance makes it hard for you to think of things to be thankful for. Read the Word of God. See times where God's people thanked Him despite difficulties. For example, one time Paul and Silas had been arrested. They'd been flogged and beaten and then thrown in prison. Their hands and feet were in stalks. But Acts 16, verse 25 says, at about midnight, they were praying and singing to God. And later, Paul would go on to write to the Philippians, there where he was in jail, and he said, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known. to God. Friends, thank God at all times. A major part of your persevering prayer should be simply thanking God for who He is and for what He's done. Thank Him for simple, everyday blessings and for eternal, awesome blessings as well. The Christian life and Christian prayer without thanksgiving was almost a contradiction for Paul. He couldn't conceive of this. A Christian, by definition, was thankful because they had received the most undeserved, gracious, and glorious gift, the gospel. And the gospel rightly begets praise and thanks. And so friends, press on in prayer with thanksgiving. Remember, if you are in Christ, if you are a believer this morning, you will be joyfully, continuously thanking and praising God for all eternity. But don't wait till then. Start now as a foretaste. Relish God. Thank Him. Thank Him for His gifts more and more, even now. Make every day, every twist and turn in life an opportunity to praise and thank God. Persevering, watchful, and thankful prayer is what you are called to. It's vital for a growing life in Christ. That's why Paul says what he says in this part of his letter. He really wants to stamp this reality on your hearts and your minds. That a persevering walk in Christ takes a persevering talk with Christ. Let me say that again. A persevering walk in Christ by faith takes a persevering talk with Christ. And friends, talking with Christ, praying is possible. It's a privilege. It's a wonderful thing because Jesus is not an idea. He is not a religion. He's not a set of rules or a philosophy. He is your life. He is a living person. He is your Savior and Lord, your help and your strength. And you can talk to Him and praise Him and thank Him. Pour out your soul and your heart to Him. So I urge you to press on in prayer. Remember I said continue steadfastly. This persistent prayer God calls you to carries the idea of endurance. Staying in a fixed direction, not giving up despite adversity and difficulty. It's something like, think of running a marathon. This is how we're to pray. There's a world record marathon runner by the name of Zoe Koplowitz. And she once said, I will never finish a marathon before sundown or even sunrise the next day, but I will finish. And finish she does, taking one step after another, braces in both of her hands because she runs with multiple sclerosis. And her world record is actually for the longest marathon ever. 33 hours and 9 minutes. And yet this lady has completed a total of 25 New York City marathons. All of them finishing very last place by a long shot. She understands and knows and has even said quote her, the race belongs not only to the swift and strong, but to those who keep on running, to those who persist. And friends, in much the same way, the Christian life, a life of progress, a life growing in Christ, this race that is set before each one of you is not run by the swift and the strong. But it's run by the weak and needy. Weak pilgrims. You and I, those who are aware of their own frailty and sin, and yet taking one step at a time, leaning on Christ, in constant communion with and dependence on Him, with persevering faith in Him. A marathon takes, by rough estimate, some 50,000 steps. Zoe's marathons take thousands upon thousands more. And yet she presses on one step at a time. Friends, will you press on? Life in Christ is a hard, long race, and you cannot run it on your own. So run it with Christ and in His strength, depending on Him in prayer. Run it one step, one day at a time, in constant communion and dependence on Him, praying with persistence, praying with watchfulness, praying with thankfulness, all the way to the end when you reach the finish line. and your eternal reward when your eyes will lock with His. You will no longer pray, but you will speak with Him face to face. Friends, Christ calls you to run the race in and with Him by prayer. He invites you and calls you to press on in prayer for His glory and your good. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for the gift of prayer and we ask that you would forgive us for so easily forgetting that it is a gift and a privilege, a wonderful opportunity that's been given to us by the shed blood and the work of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray that you would Enable us to continue steadfastly in prayer with watchfulness and thanksgiving Because we need you Lord teach us to pray Make us people of prayer and communion with you delighting in you always relying on you by faith and Lord, would you hear and answer our prayers for your glory? We thank you and praise you for the Lord Jesus Christ. I Our great high priest who has gone before us, who's opened up to us the doors of heaven, the throne of grace. And we pray that he would be glorified. We ask it all in his name. Amen.