The Practice Of Prayer Series

THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER

MATTHEW 6:5–8 “AND WHEN YOU PRAY, DO NOT BE LIKE THE HYPOCRITES, FOR THEY LOVE TO PRAY STANDING IN THE SYNAGOGUES AND ON THE STREET CORNERS TO BE SEEN BY MEN. I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, THEY HAVE RECEIVED THEIR REWARD IN FULL. 6BUT WHEN YOU PRAY, GO INTO YOUR ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR AND PRAY TO YOUR FATHER, WHO IS UNSEEN. THEN YOUR FATHER, WHO SEES WHAT IS DONE IN SECRET, WILL REWARD YOU. 7AND WHEN YOU PRAY, DO NOT KEEP ON BABBLING LIKE PAGANS, FOR THEY THINK THEY WILL BE HEARD BECAUSE OF THEIR MANY WORDS. 8DO NOT BE LIKE THEM, FOR YOUR FATHER KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU ASK HIM.

INTRODUCTION: AS WE CONTINUE IN OUR SERIES ON THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, WE ARE PRESENTED WITH THE TEACHING OF JESUS CONCERNING PRAYER. WHAT I WOULD YOU TO SEE IS THAT WHAT JESUS IS TEACHING US IN THESE VERSES IS, WHAT I WOULD CALL, “CRITICAL CONCEPTS IN COMMUNICATING WITH GOD.”

AS WE SAW LAST WEEK, GOD WANTED OUR MOTIVES TO BE RIGHT IN OUR GIVING. THIS WEEK, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT GOD WANTS OUR MOTIVES TO BE RIGHT IN OUR PRAYING.

I. DEFINING PRAYER BY DEFINING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

a. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT PRIMARILY AN EXPERIENCE

i. WE DO EXPERIENCE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

ii. WHEN WE SENSE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

iii. WHEN WE SENSE THE DIRECTION OF GOD

iv. WHEN WE SEE GOD WORKING IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE

b. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT PRIMARILY FEELINGS

i. FEELINGS HAVE THEIR PLACE IN OUR CHRISTIAN WALK

ii. WE CAN BE BROUGHT TO PLACES OF GREAT EMOTION

iii. WE CAN BE BROUGHT TO PLACES OF GREAT ANGER

iv. FEELINGS ARE FICKLE. JAMES TELLS US THAT THE SAME MOUTH CAN BLESS GOD AND CURSE MEN

v. PROVERBS 3 TELLS US TO TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEART – THE SEAT OF OUR EMOTIONS

1. PUT OUR FULL CONFIDENCE IN GOD, NOT WHAT WE FELL

2. AVOID RELYING ON OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING WHICH CAN OFTEN BE FLAWED

3. SEEK TO KNOW GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE AND HIS WAYS, WHICH RESULTS IN A STRAIGHT PATH

vi. JEREMIAH 17 TELLS US THAT OUR HEART IS DECEITFUL. IT IS SICK. IT CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD.

c. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS PRIMARILY A RELATIONSHIP

i. JOHN 17:3 NOW THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE: THAT THEY MAY KNOW YOU, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, AND JESUS CHRIST, WHOM YOU HAVE SENT.

1. ETERNAL LIFE IS IN KNOWING GOD

2. ETERNAL LIFE IS IN KNOWING JESUS WHOM GOD SENT

d. PRAYER IS COMMUNICATION

i. IT IS THE SIMPLEST LEVEL OF RELATIONSHIP THAT WE CAN HAVE

ii. ALL RELATIONSHIP GROW OR WITHER BASED ON THE CONSISTENCY, AND DEPTH OF COMMUNICATION.

iii. IT IS EASY TO NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR RELATIONSHIP THROUGH COMMUNICATION

1. THE MIS STEP IN WHAT YOU SAY

2. ANGER IN WHAT YOU SAY

3. FORGETTING TO COMMUNICATE SOMETHING

4. THESE SITUATIONS ALL AFFECT RELATIONSHIP THROUGH COMMUNICATION AND HAVE REPERCUSSIONS

a. SAY THE WRONG THING AND YOU COMMUNICATE THE WRONG MESSAGE

b. SAY SOMETHING IN ANGER AND THE RESPONSE IS ALSO IN ANGER

c. FORGET TO COMMUNICATE SOMETHING AND THE RESULT IS HURT FEELINGS, MISUNDERSTANDING, OR THE THOUGHT THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO HIDE SOMETHING.

e. PRAYER FOR THE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST IS ALSO A STRUGGLE

i. CHRISTIANS STRUGGLE WITH PRAYER

ii. PRAYER IS THE LANGUAGE OF DEPENDENCE

1. WE CANNOT DO IT OURSELVES

2. WE NEED HELP IN WHAT WE ARE DOING

iii. MAN HAS STRUGGLED WITH INDEPENDENCE SINCE THE FALL

1. ADAM AND EVE WHEN CONFRONTED BY SATAN FELL TO THE DESIRE OF INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-DETERMINATION

a. YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD

b. YOU WILL KNOW GOOD AND EVIL

2. THE FIRST CURSE IN CREATION HAS CONTINUED INTO THE PRESENT

a. WE LIKE DOING OUR OWN THING

b. WE LIKE RUNNING OUR OWN LIVES

c. THIS ATTITUDE PLACES THE LORD IN A LOWER PRIORITY. AND GOD WILL HAVE NOTHING BEFORE HIM

II. OUR PASSAGE REVEALS FOUR THINGS ABOUT PRAYER

a. WE SHOULD BE PRAYING REGULARLY

i. PRAYING IS OUR EXPECTED CONDITION. TEXT SAYS WHEN WE PRAY, NOT IF WE PRAY

ii. A BREAKDOWN IN REGULAR PRAYER LEADS TO A DRIED-UP CHRISTIAN LIFE

iii. WHEN WE STOP TALKING TO GOD, WE INEVITABLY STOP LISTENING TO WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. WE BECOME SPIRITUALLY DEAF.

iv. IF GOD NEVER ANSWERED A PRAYER OR IF ANYU PRAYER MADE NO DIFFERENCE TO WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE WORLD, PRAYER WOULD STILL BE NECESSARY BECAUSE PRAYER IS RELATIONSHIP.

v. PRAYER IS THE TALKING PART OF THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE BETWEEN US AND GOD

vi. AND IN CASE YOU DID NOT REALIZE IT, IF GOD DID NOTHING ELSE BESIDES SAVE OUR SOULS, HE HAS DONE MORE THAN WE DESERVE!