Warren D. Carter – Elder
Wien, Österreich
25.Juni.2k
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