Read 1 Thessalonians 5:17. What does this verse mean? If we were on our knees praying 24 hours of every day, we would get nothing else done. If we prayed all day long, we would not be able to provide for our families, rear our children for God, keep the house, be a witness for Christ, preach the Word, gather for worship or fulfil any of the other Christian duties mentioned in the Bible.

When we come to verses like this that are confusing or seem to contradict other Bible commands, what are we to do? We certainly don’t throw out the Bible because it contradicts itself. We are not to stop reading the Bible because parts are difficult to understand. Instead, we do what a gold prospector does when he knows there is gold in the ground. We get out our study tools. We begin to dig. We search for answers. We pray for wisdom.

Transition

This morning I want us to follow three needful steps to study this verse rightly or any other verse in the Bible. These are not new steps. You have heard them before, but they are necessary steps when we study the Bible.

The first step to study a verse rightly is to …

Note the Definitions of the Words Carefully

  1. Define the words in the original language
    1. You might say, “Pastor that is over my head. I do not know Greek or Hebrew.” That may be true, but we live in an advanced world with powerful Bible study tools.
      1. If you do not own a computer, tablet or mobile phone, you can buy a Strong’s Concordance. That book will tell you the Greek or Hebrew word behind the English word and give a brief definition of every word in the Bible.
      2. If you do own a computer or mobile phone, free Bible software or apps make this step very simple. Free Bible software like theWord or E-sword is available. For Mac users there is one called Online Bible and another called MacSword. On the web you will find the Blue Letter Bible and others. A great free Android app is MySword. We have no excuses.
    2. The first word is translated “pray”.
      1. This word simply means to offer prayers or to pray. It means to ask or petition.
      2. In the Bible it primarily refers to speaking to God.
    3. The second word is translated “without ceasing.”
      1. The word is only used four times in the Bible.
      2. This word means without intermission, incessantly or without ceasing.
  2. Define the words in English
    1. The word “pray” is pretty easy to understand. We know what it means to talk to God.
    2. The words “without ceasing” are also easy to understand as long as you know that the word cease means to stop. To be without ceasing then means not to stop.
      ☆ Well, so far in our study of this verse we only know what it says. It says, “Talk to God continually.”

The second step to study a verse rightly is to …

Consider how the Words are Used Scripturally

  1. Find verses that contain the word pray.
    1. If you look up the English word “pray” in the Bible, you will find 306 verses that contain the word. These verses give you many examples of prayer in many settings.
    2. We learn more by looking up verses that contain the Greek word translated pray in this verse. Again, a Concordance, Bible software or app will help you do this.
      1. The general word translated “pray” is found in 82 New Testament verses. You will find many examples of people talking to God.
      2. The word “pray” in our verse is a command. The exact same word is found in 13 other verses. Pray for enemies (Mt 5:44; Lu 6:28; 22:40); pray as Jesus taught (Mt 6:9); pray about the future (Mt 24:20; Mr 18:18, 33); pray that you won’t yield to temptation (Mt 26:41; Mr 14:38; Lu 22:46); pray for fellow Christians (1Th 5:25; 2Th 3:1; Heb 13:18).
  2. Next, find other verses that contain the words “without ceasing”
    1. This English phrase is found in 6 verses. These verses can shed a bit of light on our verse, but are not all from the same Greek word so they are not all that helpful.
    2. Searching the Greek word you will find four helpful verses
      1. (Romans 1:9) “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;” Paul said that he continually mentioned the believers in his prayers, but he certainly did more than just pray all day.
      2. (1 Thessalonians 1:3) “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;” Paul was remembering their spiritual work every time he thought of them, not every minute of the day.
      3. (1 Thessalonians 2:13) “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” Again, Paul was thanking God regularly, not 24/7.
    3. Next, it is helpful to look at other verses that talk about the same topic. This is called “cross-references”. Here again, your concordance or Bible software will be of great help. Let me point out a few examples.
      1. (Psalms 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Prayer requires a clean heart.
      2. (Luke 18:1) “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” We should not quit praying when God answers slowly.
      3. (Romans 12:12) “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” Pray with perseverance!
      4. (Colossians 4:2) “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;” Pray without quitting!
        ☆ Now we know that “without ceasing” means faithfully and regularly, without quitting.

The third step to study a verse rightly is to …

Apply the Applications Personally

  1. Identify the application
    1. From our study, we may conclude that God is not telling us to pray 24/7.
    2. Instead, we are to pray repeatedly. We ought to pray daily. We ought to pray about every kind of need. We are to pray for others. We must not stop praying when God does not answer right away. We must persevere in prayer. We must keep all sin confessed so we can pray. We must stay close to the Lord and talk to Him all through the day.
    3. Praying without ceasing is unhindered, frequent, communication with God.
  2. Apply it to your personal life
    1. Be sure to confess all sin immediately and keep in close fellowship with God. (Proverbs 15:29) “The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”
    2. Learn to communicate with God about everything.
      1. Thank God for blessings He sends your way.
      2. Be quick to confess your sins to God (1Jn 1:9).
      3. Ask Him for wisdom before making choices (Jas 1:5).
      4. Cast all your burdens on Him instead of worrying.
      5. Pray for those who oppose you.
      6. Thank God for your food before you eat.
      7. Ask God to give you opportunities to witness.
    3. Praying without ceasing is keeping in touch with God all day long.

Conclusion

If we do not have a habit of talking with God all through the day every day, we are disobeying the command in 1Th 5:17. If you do not feel like praying because something is between you and God, get things right with God. If you forget to pray, you need a closer walk with God. If you think you are too busy to pray, reorganize your priorities. If you do not know how to pray, simply begin talking to God about everything you do. If you do not know the Lord, true prayer is really impossible. Let me show you how you can come to know Him.

Song: Teach Me to Pray – 346
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Pray Without Ceasing.
29 May 2016 AM – 1Thessalonians 5:17 – 1Th2016 – Scott Childs