Prayer Series

PRAYER

PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7 BE ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN TO GOD. 7 AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH SURPASSES ALL COMPREHENSION, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.

HOW YOU CAN TELL WHEN IT'S GOING TO BE A ROTTEN DAY

· YOU WAKE UP FACE DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT.

· YOU CALL SUICIDE PREVENTION AND THEY PUT YOU ON HOLD.

· YOU SEE A "60 MINUTES" NEWS TEAM WAITING IN YOUR OFFICE.

· YOUR BIRTHDAY CAKE COLLAPSES FROM THE WEIGHT OF THE CANDLES.

· YOU TURN ON THE NEWS AND THEY'RE SHOWING EMERGENCY ROUTES OUT OF THE CITY.

· YOUR TWIN SISTER FORGOT YOUR BIRTHDAY.

· YOUR CAR HORN GOES OFF ACCIDENTALLY AND REMAINS STUCK AS YOU FOLLOW A GROUP OF HELL'S ANGELS ON THE FREEWAY.

· YOUR BOSS TELLS YOU NOT TO BOTHER TO TAKE OFF YOUR COAT.

· THE BIRD SINGING OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW IS A BUZZARD.

· YOU WAKE UP AND YOUR BRACES ARE LOCKED TOGETHER.

· YOU CALL YOUR ANSWERING SERVICE AND THEY TELL YOU IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

· YOUR INCOME TAX CHECK BOUNCES.

· YOU PUT BOTH CONTACT LENSES IN THE SAME EYE.

· YOUR WIFE SAYS, "GOOD MORNING, BILL," AND YOUR NAME IS GEORGE.

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PROPOSITION: WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PRAYER.

INTRODUCTION: IN HIS COMMENTARY, JAMES BOICE HAS SAID, “FOR MOST PEOPLE FEW DOCTRINES ASSOCIATED WITH CHRISTIANITY ARE MORE GENERALLY MISUNDERSTOOD THAN THAT OF TRUE PRAYER. IT IS TOTALLY MISUNDERSTOOD BY NONBELIEVERS, AND IT IS MISUNDERSTOOD BY MANY WHO PROFESS THE NAME OF JESUS. THE PROBLEM MAY BE TRACED TO THE FACT THAT SO FEW PERSONS KNOW GOD WELL ENOUGH TO BE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH HIM IN PRAYER, AND SINCE NONE OF US IS AS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH HIM AS WE OUGHT TO BE, PRAYER IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY CONFUSING TO US ALL.”

WITH THIS THOUGHT IN MIND, THE APOSTLE PAUL GIVES US, IN A DISTINCT FASHION, GIVES A CONCISE DOCTRINE OF PRAYER.

TRANSITION: SO, LETS TAKE A LOOK THE DOCTRINE OF PRAYER AS RECORDED FOR US BY THE APOSTLE PAUL

I. THE NATURE OF PRAYER

a. FIRST AND FOREMOST, PRAYER IS CONVERSATION WITH GOD

i. THE LEVEL OF OUR CONVERSATION IS DETERMINED BY THE LEVEL OF OUR RELATIONSHIP.

ii. THE DEPTH OF MY CONVERSATION WITH GOD IS NO DIFFERENT, THE BETTER MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, THE BETTER MY CONVERSATION WITH GOD.

iii. RELATIONSHIP ARE BOTH CREATED AND MODELED

1. WE CREATE RELATIONSHIP

2. WE MODEL RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHERS

iv. GOD WANTS TO CREATE A RELATIONSHIP WITH US.

REVELATION 3:20 'BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK; IF ANYONE HEARS MY VOICE AND OPENS THE DOOR, I WILL COME IN TO HIM AND WILL DINE WITH HIM, AND HE WITH ME.

1. HE SEEKS OUR PERMISSION

2. HE SEEKS OUR ACCEPTANCE

3. HE SEEKS OUR INTIMACY

4. WE ARE THE DETERMINING FACTOR

5. WE DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF OUR PRAYER.

v. OTHERS MODEL PRAYER FOR US.

1. JESUS MODELED PRAYER IN THE GARDEN

2. JESUS MODELED PRAYER IN HIS TEACHING ON PRAYER

3. THE APOSTLES MODELED PRAYER IN PRISON

4. WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE RIGHT MODELS

a. TURN PRAYER FROM A NUISANCE AND INTO RELIANCE.

b. SECOND, PRAYER IS FOR BELIEVERS ONLY!

i. PRAYER IS TO PRODUCE THE “PEACE OF GOD”

1. THERE IS A PREREQUISITE TO THE “PEACE OF GOD”

2. IT IS OUR “PEACE WITH GOD”.

3. WE CANNOT HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD UNTIL WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD!

4. THE REALITY PRAYER IS RELATIONSHIP BASED

ii. PRAYER IS ALSO “IN CHRIST”

1. WHO IS IN CHRIST?

2. THE BELIEVER IS IN CHRIST

JOHN 14:6 JESUS *SAID TO HIM, "I AM THE WAY, AND THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE; NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME.

3. BELIEF IS A RESULT OF REDEMPTION – A TRANSFER OF TRUST FROM SELF TO CHRIST

a. MORE THAN BELIEF IN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

b. MORE THAN A BELIEF THAT HE CAN HELP

4. GOD IS SOVEREIGN, AND THUS HEARS EVERY PETITION, YET SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST FIFTEEN REASON GOD DOES NOT ANSWER, AND AT TIMES CHOOSES TO NOT EVEN HEAR.

a. WHO HAVE PERSONAL AND SELFISH MOTIVES.

b. WHO REGARD INIQUITY IN THEIR HEARTS.

c. WHO REMAIN IN SIN.

d. WHO OFFER UNWORTHY SERVICE TO GOD.

e. WHO FORSAKE GOD.

f. WHO REJECT GOD'S CALL.

g. WHO WILL NOT HEED GOD'S LAW.

h. WHO TURN A DEAF EAR TO THE CRY OF THE POOR.

i. WHO ARE VIOLENT.

j. WHO WORSHIP IDOLS.

k. WHO HAVE NO FAITH.

l. WHO ARE LIVING IN HYPOCRISY.

m. WHO ARE PROUD OF HEART.

n. WHO ARE SELF-RIGHTEOUS.

o. WHO MISTREAT GOD'S PEOPLE

c. WHETHER A BELIEVER IN CHRIST, OR NOT, THE QUALITY OF PRAYER IS ALWAYS RELATED TO SIN!