Unleashng The Power Of Prayer Series

(some material from Bill Hybels)

SERIES: “THE CHALLENGE TO THE CHURCH FOR 2005”

TEXT: MATTHEW 21:18-22

TITLE: “UNLEASHING THE POWER OF PRAYER”

INTRODUCTION: A. Prayer has been called “communicating with God”

--Here are some prayers from kids written as Letters to God:

1. Dear GOD, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t

you just keep the ones you have? -Jane

2. Dear GOD, Maybe Cain and Abel wouldn’t kill each other so much if they had their

own rooms. It works with my brother. -Larry

3. Dear GOD, If You watch me in church on Sunday, I’ll show you my new shoes. –

Mickey

4. Dear GOD, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world.

There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it. -Nan

5. Dear GOD, In Sunday school they told us what you do. Who does it when you are

on vacation? -Jane

6. Dear GOD, I read the Bible. What does "beget" mean? Nobody will tell me. -Love,

Alison

7. Dear GOD, Are you really invisible or is it just a trick? -Lucy

8. Dear GOD, Is it true my father won’t get in Heaven if he uses his bowling words in

the house? -Anita

9. Dear GOD, Did You mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? –

Norma

10. Dear GOD, Who draws the lines around the countries? -Nan

11. Dear GOD, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Is that okay? –

Neil

12. Dear GOD, Did you really mean "do unto others as they do unto you"? Because if

you did, then I’m going to fix my brother. -Darla

13. Dear GOD, Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. –

Joyce

14. Dear GOD, Please send me a pony. I never asked for anything before. You can

look it up. -Bruce

15. Dear GOD, If you give me a genie like Aladdin, I will give you anything you

want, except my money or my chess set. -Raphael

16. Dear GOD, I think about you sometimes even when I’m not praying. –Elliott

17. Dear GOD, I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible. -Love, Chris

18. Dear GOD, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school they said

you did it. So I bet he stole your idea. -Sincerely, Donna

19. Dear GOD, The bad people laughed at Noah - "You made an ark on dry land you

fool." But he was smart, he stuck with you. That’s what I would do. -Eddie

20. Dear GOD, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made

on Tuesday. That was cool. –Eugene

B. How do you see prayer?

1. Some see it as asking for something that couldn’t possibly happen anyway.

2. Others see it as their personal vending machine: put in the right combination of

currency, push the right buttons, and get what you want.

3. There are those who see prayer as a religious exercise.

4. There are those who don’t think prayer is effective at all.

C. In the middle of a somewhat puzzling event, Jesus makes a startling statement

concerning prayer

1. Jesus had made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on a Sunday.

2. He cleansed the Temple for a second time declaring that it was His house and that it

should be called a place of prayer.

3. During the week that proceeded His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus stayed in

Bethany and traveled to Jerusalem on a daily basis

4. It’s during one of these trips between Jerusalem and Bethany that the event

described in our Scripture passage this morning occurs

5. Matt. 21:18-22 – “Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he

was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it

except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately

the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the

fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you

have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but

also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be

done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

D. Preceding the events of the final week of His life, Jesus had tried to prepare His

followers for what was going to happen

1. The disciples are confused, excited, and afraid all at the same time