I. Introduction
A. Throne Room
1. The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace in London, England, is ornate and very stately. This is the room where the King/Queen receives addresses and hosts subjects who come to see them in an official capacity.
a. Our equivalent is most likely the Oval Office of the President of the United States.
b. This room is often featured in pictures of important guests who come to see the president at his request.
c. I would think that most of us would be a little unnerved if we were called into either one of these rooms.
2. But what about coming into the throne room of God?
3. Last week, we looked briefly at the throne room scene of Revelation 4. It is a place of humility, adoration, and awareness. It is also a place where the prayers of the saints are depicted as ascending before God (Revelation 5:8).
B. Review of Series- The Heart of Worship
1. Spiritual
2. Sacrificial
3. Sincere
C. Prayer in Worship
1. It is interesting that this aspect is something we do a lot each worship service on Sunday mornings. There can be as many as six prayers in one service.
2. We do a lot of praying during our worship time. Why?
II. In the Throne Room
A.
1. Prayer is an part of worship.
a. Our passage this morning is set in the context of Paul instructing Timothy, a preacher at the congregation in Ephesus, on worship.
b. Paul has apostolic authority to instruct the church on how to worship.
c. It is interesting to read what Paul tells Timothy we should include in our prayer lives (all people, kings, those in high positions).
d. Paul states the importance of prayer by saying, “First of all…”
2. God commands prayer because He knows the it does for us.
a. Illustration: As parents, we continually instruct our children to do things that are good for them, even if they don’t always appreciate it.
b. Prayer humbles us before God, opens our hearts to others in need, and serves as a reminder to us that everything is not up to us.
3. Our prayers are to God (1 Peter 3:12).
4. But prayer isn’t important just because it is commanded of us.
B.
1. Prayer is our means of communication with God. We Him and petition Him through prayer.
2. Paul provides different words that carry significance regarding the type of prayers we offer
a. – urgent needs (Hebrews 5:7)
b. Prayers- a petition directed to deity (Matthew 6:9)
c. – prayer offered for another out of concern (James 5:16)
d. Thanksgivings- appreciation for God’s blessings (Philippians 4:6)
3. All of these terms are interconnected and reveal the depth of prayer. Prayer is a kind of divine therapy God has provided us.
4. When you look at the things that Paul mentions we should pray about, it is these kind of things that can bring anxiety into the life of a Christian.
5. Bad things happen when we do not communicate in our earthly relationships and the same is true in our relationship with God.
C.
1. The blessing in this command for communication is the reminder that God to hear from us.
a. 1 Timothy 2:1 “First of all…” denotes God’s desire for us to understand the importance of prayer.
b. 1 Peter 5:7 …casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
2. There is great in the prayers that are offered during our time together in worship.
a. Acts 4:23-31 (verse 31) And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
b. When we connect with God as a body of His believers, powerful things happen.
c. Recently, I watched one of our shepherds pray with a person he didn’t even know in our parking lot. It not only diffused a situation that could have quickly escalated; it recentered an entire group of people on their mission and purpose. God knows the good that can come from one human being simply coming to His throne room with another.
III. Conclusion
A. Empty Throne Room
1. At the beginning of the sermon I mentioned the throne room in Buckingham palace.
a. While important things still happen there, the vast majority of the time the throne room is empty.
b. In an effort to modernize, the British monarchy often holds many of the ceremonies that were once reserved for the throne room elsewhere.
c. The throne room is most often used as an extension to the ballroom.
2. In contrast, God is never away from His throne room. He is always listening and ready to command the universe to bend to His will.
B. Invitation