BE SOBER AND WATCH UNTO PRAYER


A. "BUT THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND; BE YE THEREFORE SOBER AND WATCH UNTO PRAYER" - I PETER 4:7
  1. This pastoral admonition seems to be directed to God's remnant people:
    1. Who lives in the end of time
    2. In the last days
  2. Peter emphasizes:
    1. The importance of sobriety
    2. And watchfulness in prayer
B. SOBER PRAYER
  1. Implication of the word "sober":
    1. To be sober is to be serious or subdued in mood, expression and appearance
    2. Solemn, grave, not affected by passion or prejudice, well balance and temperate
  2. Visualize, if you please, a sober prayer:
    1. A prayer that is serious and yet subdued; Examples: Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane; how earnestly He prayed and yet how subdued He was - "Not my will, but Thy will be done" - Matt. 26:39; Luke 22:42; Paul and Silas prayed so earnestly at midnight, yet, it was subdued - Acts 16:25; we think of Daniel's prayer for himself and his nation, how earnest it was - and yet subdued - Dan. 9
    2. The prayer of God's people must ever be serious and yet free from excess, marked by sobriety
    3. The thought is that when we pray, we are to be collected in our thoughts, seriously consider the times we live in - Rom. 13:11-14
  3. The general tendency of the last days:
    1. Be given to hilarity, joviality, frivolity, Examples: We think of the days of Noah - Matt. 24:37-39; of the days of Lot - Luke 17:28; even some of the ministers of the gospel will be affected by this spirit - Matt. 24:48-51
    2. It is this excess that endangers the spiritual life of God's remnant people, clearly indicated in the testimony of the true witness Rev. 3:14-17
C. SOBER PRAYER
  1. The implication is clear:
    1. That the prayers of God's children must be marked by seriousness and yet by restraint
    2. It is a serious thing to contemplate the time we are living in - "perilous times" - 2 Tim. 3:1-13; "The end of all things is at hand" - I Peter 4:70; "the last days" I John 2:18
    3. Yea, we are living at the very threshold of eternity - the close of probation
    4. In view of these sobering facts, our prayer must be molded by these facts
    5. Yet, we are to be clam, subdued, not given to extremism at any time; Examples: the Thessalonians expected the Lord to come in their day, and some stopped their work and became a burden to others. Too, the 1844 experience of the Advent people became excessive to the hurt of the cause of God
  2. Sober prayer has seven sanctified marks to guide us and we shall do well to observe them:
    1. Our supplications have our personal salvation in view - this is of primary concern to the saints living in the last days; Examples: Paul was deeply concerned, lest he should be a cast away - I Cor. 9:27; Peter recognizes the seriousness of the case of the righteous - I Peter 4:18
    2. Our prayers should have the sharing of our faith with others in view - this is very important
    3. We should deeply be concerned about the lukewarm condition of God's people - Rev. 3:16; Daniel was for his people - Joel 2:15-18; and Jeremiah was for Israel - Jer. 2:13
    4. Our prayer must concern itself about the investigative judgment now in progress nearly 100 years - Rev. 11:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:10; the day of atonement was a most serious event
    5. Our supplication must concern itself with our own state of imperfection as yet
    6. We ought to seek the Lord in prayer for the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit to make us ready for the coming of the Lord - Zech. 10:1-2
    7. Finally, sober prayer indicates intelligence, calmness in the midst of extremism, in view of the fact, "the coming of the Lord is nigh at hand."


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