Warren D. Carter – Elder

Wien, Österreich

25.Juni.2k

# The Prayer Life of a Disciple

read and meditate on Psalm 116

I love the Lord because He hears and answers my prayers.

Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Death had its hands around my throat; the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord:

"Please, Lord, save me!"

How kind the Lord is! How good He is! So merciful, this God of ours!

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and then He saved me.

Now I can rest again, for the Lord has been so good to me.

He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

And so I walk in the Lord's presence as I live here on earth!

I believed in You, so I prayed,

"I am deeply troubled, Lord." In my anxiety I cried out to You, "These people are all liars!"

What can I offer the Lord for all He has done for me?

I will lift up a cup symbolizing His salvation;

I will praise the Lord's name for saving me.

I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all His people.

The Lord's loved ones are precious to Him; it grieves Him when they die.

O Lord, I am Your servant; yes, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid,

and You have freed me from my bonds!

I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.

I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all His people, in the house of the Lord,

in the heart of Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

pray

Psalm 119:33-34

Teach me, O Lord, to follow every one of Your principles.

Give me understanding and I will obey Your law;

I will put it into practice with all my heart.

basic pattern of discipleship:

• reveal truth

• provide understanding

• challenge to apply

Spiritual truths:

#1 everyone in this room needs to grow in their relationship with God

#2 the only way to deepen your relationship with God is to spend time in fellowship with Him

how do you do it? … Don’t worry, be happy – God has designed a way:

• firstly, know that He desires your fellowship

the God of the universe … the creator of everything that ever was or will be … He

• He provided prayer as a means of personal communication directly with Him

• plus, He has given us many models of prayer to help us begin communicating

what must you do?

1. you need to decide if you want to have fellowship with God

2. for those of you deciding “yes”: listen to the rest of the message and

respond to the challenges given

3. for those of you deciding “no”: now is the time to catch-up on your missing sleep!

prayer – talking with God

– your personal communication with Him

i. God’s role in prayer

God always answers prayer

… recognizing that “yes” “no” and “not now” are all valid answers

Psalm 34:4a

I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me

God even helps you to pray when you’re not sure what to say

Rom 8:26-27

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.

the Lord reveals His plans

Jeremiah 33:3

Ask Me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.

God works through us to accomplish His miraculous plans

Eph 3:20

Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

God liberates us from the bondage of fear

Psalm 34:4

I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me, freeing me from all my fears.

God delivers us from the bondage of worry/ anxiety

Phil 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

did you hear personal responsibility in this passage ??

• Don't worry – decide not to be anxious about anything

• pray about everything – take every concern to the Lord

• Tell God what you need – don’t hesitate to ask the Father

• thank Him for all He has done – offer up a sacrifice of thanksgiving

and if you are faithful to complete these responsibilities, what is it that God has committed to?

• you will experience God's peace

• His peace will guard your hearts and minds

ii. the believer’s role in prayer

so what do we have to do ?

Hebrews 4:16

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

how often ?

I Thess 5:17

Pray continually.

with all my troubles ?

Psalm 62:8

O my people, trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.

and how do we come “boldly” into the throne room ?

illustration: “pray Jesus”

• coming to God as a little child … with child-like faith

• … not with a program or a system or a formula

[Ps 8:1-2a/ Rom 8:15/ Gal 4:7/ Matt 18:3-4]

Psalm 8:2a

You have taught children and nursing infants to give You praise.

• with praise

Hebrews 13:15

With Jesus' help, let us continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by proclaiming the glory of His name.

• with thanks

Eph 5:20

And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• with confession

Psalm 38:18

But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.

• with intercession

I Samuel 12:23

"As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

• with personal needs

James 1:5-8

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

model prayer: a disciple’s prayer

Matthew 6:9-13

Pray like this:

opening praise & worship and honour

Our Father in heaven, may Your name be honoured.

God’s issues and plans

May Your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

man’s issues and needs

Give us our food for today, and

confession/ repentance/ forgiveness

forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

spiritual protection

And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

acknowledging dependence on God and Him as our source

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

iii. your heart’s attitude is also very important to God … are you

ready/ responsive

Psalm 27:8

My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me." And my heart responds, "Lord, I am coming."

listening … especially for His will

Psalm 46:10

"Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world."

having a deep desire to be with Him

Psalm 63:1

O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

iv. other conditions for effective prayer

you will receive IF: you

confess

Psalm 66:18

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.

have faith/ believe with all your heart

Matthew 21:21-22

Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, 'May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

abide

John 15:7

But if you stay joined to Me and My words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!

ask according to His will

I John 5:14-15

And we can be confident that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. And if we know He is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that He will give us what we ask for.

ask in His name

John 16:24

You haven't done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.

what does this mean ??

– adding “in Jesus name” to the end of our prayers ?

– no … it’s recognizing Jesus’ authority and what He’s doing today

according to Heb 9:24 and other Scriptures,

• Jesus Christ is our advocate –

• sitting at the right hand of the Father,

• interceding for the saints

v. for whom should you be interceding ?

the lost

Romans 10:1

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jewish people might be saved.

all people

I Tim 2:1

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.

leaders – secular and church

I Tim 2:2-4

Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, for He wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Christian workers

Matthew 9:37-38

He said to His disciples, "The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send out more workers for His fields."

enemies

Luke 6:28

Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

model prayer: for other people

{inscription on Leanne’s wedding band:}

Eph 3:14-21

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you _________ mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart[s] _________ as you trust in Him. May your roots _________ go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you _________ have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you _________ experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you _________ will never fully understand it. Then you _________ will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.

vi. challenge: will you commit to improving your prayer life ?

a) recognize, understand, & accept your responsibilities as a child of God

b) decide to have a proper attitude & commitment

sincerity/ be genuine

James 5:16b-17

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years!

persevere

Matthew 7:7-11

"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.

stay alert/ be discerning

Mark 14:37-38

Then He returned and found the disciples asleep. "Simon!" He said to Peter. "Are you asleep? Couldn't you stay awake and watch with Me even one hour? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak."

prayer – like relationships – is hard work … resist the temptation to slack off

Luke 22:39-46

Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There He told them, "Pray that you will not be overcome by temptation." He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will, not Mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last He stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. "Why are you sleeping?" He asked. "Get up and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you."

c) take other practical steps

• pray with your family regularly

• if single, identify and meet regularly with a prayer partner (same-sex)

• study and meditate on what the Word has to say about prayer [use this sheet for starters]

• experiment – pray differently than you normally do – explore other forms of prayer

• pray aloud during congregational prayer

• join in other prayer activities (before the service, monthly all-church prayer, etc.)

• journal your prayer requests and how God answers your prayers … tell people about it

• start a small group to pray & study prayer

… a list of some potential study books are available

vii. closing prayer

Col 1:3+9-14

We [your local church leadership] always pray for you,

and we give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, …

So we have continued praying for you ever since we [have known] you.

We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives,

and we ask Him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord,

and you will continually do good, kind things for others.

All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with His glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need.

May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light.

For He has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and He has brought us into the Kingdom of His dear Son.

God has purchased our freedom with His blood and has forgiven all our sins.

viii. what does it mean to pray continually?

Acts 12:5

But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

I Thess 5:16-20

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies,

Joshua 1:8

Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Ps 25:1-3a

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. I trust in You, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in You will ever be disgraced,

Ps 69:6

Don't let those who trust in You stumble because of me, O Sovereign Lord Almighty. Don't let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.

I Cor 1:4

I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.

Eph 6:18

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Col 4:2

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Disc - Prayer

24.6.2k