In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of prayer in the life of Jesus Christ. He highlights how Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness to pray, showing his deep desire to be in communion with God. The speaker emphasizes that a person's prayer life reveals more about their relationship with God than their preaching does. Jesus taught about prayer, emphasizing the need to pray at all times and not lose heart. The speaker encourages listeners to examine their own prayer lives and strive to be like Jesus, who was a man of prayer.

I believe that without a doubt, the greatest demonstration of divine power was seen not when Jesus Christ raised the dead, and not when he walked on water, but when he prayed. And I believe that when the disciples saw Jesus pray, they could not believe their eyes. They could not believe even what their ears were telling them. Jesus was a man of prayer. A man of prayer. Now let me ask you a question. When people hear you pray, do they hear someone who knows God? Do they hear the rhythm of a religion? Do they hear words that have been taught to you by other men? Do they hear form? Do they hear intellect? Or do they hear a man, or a woman, or a child who spends much time in the presence of God? You can't fake prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer. And when he prayed, people saw the difference. Jesus lived a life of prayer. That's the first thing I want you to see. In Luke 5.16 it says, But Jesus himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. You know, often times when we find something that we greatly enjoy, as opposed to what we grudgingly must do, we try to slip away to it. Isn't it a crime? That Jesus Christ and the labor of the kingdom seems almost to be work that we want to slip away from. And you know, when you're walking with God, when? When you slip away to Him. When you say, there's so much I have to do. So much grudging work. So much labor. I just wish that I could slip away to Him for a moment. Because He's the one to whom I escape. He's the place I rest. When prayer becomes a labor, we're not like the Christ. We're not like Jesus. Jesus would slip away. In Matthew 14.23 it says, After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. And when it was evening, He was there alone. It says in Luke 6.12-13, It was at this time that He went off to a mountain to pray. And He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had to make a really tough decision? Did you ever pass the entire night in prayer to do so? If you say no, I say to you, Behold, we've found a man stronger than Jesus. Isn't it amazing that the Christ would slip away and spend the entire night in prayer to discern the Father's voice, to pick the men that had to be picked? But we've got the upper hand on that. That's not so much needed. Jesus was a man of prayer. He showed it in every aspect of His life. And it goes on. Jesus taught on prayer. He taught prayer. In verse 1, He says, Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not lose heart. That's the teaching of Jesus Christ. Right there. If you want to sum up everything He taught about prayer, we ought to pray at all times. And He said we ought to be praying always and not to lose heart. The initiating of prayer is never a problem. Do you realize that? You have initiated so many petitions before the throne. The question is, have you wrestled them through? I want us to look at Jesus Christ the man totally and completely submitted to the will of the Father. He says in John 4, 34, Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. I can't say that. I'd be a hypocrite to stand before you and say those words are mine. But Jesus could always say, My food, my sustenance, the thing I live for is to do the will of my Father. That's why how much a man prays will tell you a lot more about Him than how much a man preaches. You can preach for a lot of reasons. But to pray in secret is to do the will of the Father and to eat a pure food off the Lord's table. There is much in the Reform Movement talking about the law. Men will be judged by the law. And there is truth in that. Men will be judged by the law. But it is a small thing for me to be judged by the law. Put Paul Washer in the scale. Put the law on the other side of the scale. That's one thing. Yes, I will fail. But you know something that is a harder measure? Put Paul Washer in one side of the scale and put the perfect man, Jesus Christ, on the other side of the scale to be compared to Him. That is our goal. It could be said that is our only need to be like Jesus. The most dangerous prayer a human being could ever pray. Lord, make me like Christ. I don't care if you have to dethrone me. I don't care if you have to tear apart my ministry. I don't care if you have to destroy me. I don't care what happens. Make me like Jesus Christ. It's practically calling a death sentence upon you. But then again, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abideth alone. But if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.