26-0816p Transcript

(1:27) Good evening. (1:29) Good to see everybody back. (1:30) All right, we got Steve back again tonight to help sing. (1:37) Good having, you know, other singers. (1:39) I know Scott probably gets tired of doing it every time, but he’s got a great voice.

(1:45) My sermon tonight is, Lord, teach us to pray. (1:49) So it ties in with this morning’s lesson. (1:53) When we looked at the power of prayer, it is not the least we can do, but the most.

(2:01) And I don’t want to get practical and talk about what we can actually be praying about. (2:08) After the morning sermon, Joe asked a really good question that fits perfectly with this. (2:17) He asked, in essence, when we pray, who are we supposed to pray to? (2:24) The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

(2:28) So thanks, Joe, for making me do more work, but I’m just kidding. (2:33) I didn’t really have a great answer for him, so I did a little research on that. (2:40) So to make the good starting point for the sermon tonight.

(2:44) So who do we pray to? (2:48) Jesus taught his disciples to pray our Father in heaven, Matthew 6, 9, Luke 11, 2. (2:57) The normal primary way the Bible teaches us to pray is to the Father. (3:01) So we have a ton of examples of praying to the Father. (3:06) At the same time, it is also scriptural to pray to Jesus.

(3:12) When Stephen was being stoned, he prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit, Acts 7, 59. (3:21) Paul also prayed to Jesus. (3:24) He said he pleaded with the Lord three times about his thorn in the flesh.

(3:30) And then speak to the power of Christ and the answer he received, 2 Corinthians 12, 8-9. (3:38) So praying to Jesus is not out of bounds. (3:43) What about the Holy Spirit? (3:45) The Bible never gives us a clear example of somebody praying to the Spirit, (3:51) and there is no command to do so.

(3:55) Instead, we are told to pray in the Spirit, Ephesians 6, 18. (4:01) And that the Spirit helps us when we pray, Romans 8, 26. (4:07) So the consistent New Testament pattern is this.

(4:12) We pray to the Father, through the Son, or in Jesus' name, in the Holy Spirit. (4:20) That is the biblical shape of Christian prayer. (4:25) I probably should have known that after being a Christian for so long.

(4:28) But it does get kind of confusing. (4:32) I mean, I’ve prayed to Jesus plenty of times in the Father, (4:35) but that’s probably the most scriptural way to do it. (4:40) So what should we pray about? (4:43) The disciples at once asked Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray, Luke 11, 1. (4:51) They did not ask Him to teach them how to preach or how to perform miracles.

(4:58) They asked Him to teach them to pray. (5:01) That request still matters. (5:04) Tonight, we will look at five specific things the Bible tells us to pray about.

(5:12) These are not the only things we can pray for, but they are foundational. (5:18) If these five areas are regular parts of our prayer lives, (5:24) we’ll be praying in a way that honors God and strengthens His people. (5:30) First is pray for the lost.

(5:34) 1 Timothy 2, 1-2-4 begins, (5:37) Therefore I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, (5:43) and giving of thanks be made for all men. (5:48) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, (5:52) who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (5:58) God’s heart is for the lost.

(6:01) If our prayers never include the names of people who are outside of Christ, (6:06) something is missing. (6:09) Jesus looked at the crowds and was moved with compassion (6:13) because they looked like sheep without a shepherd. (6:16) Matthew 9-36, He then told the disciples to pray (6:22) that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers.

(6:26) Notice the order, first pray, then go. (6:32) Who are the lost people in your life? (6:35) Family members, co-workers, neighbors, friends from years ago? (6:42) You know, that’s a lot of what the classes we’ve been going over for the last few years (6:46) with Dale Tackett and what Scott’s been teaching. (6:50) Going to our neighbors, going to the people in our community, (6:54) building relationships and bringing them to the Lord.

(7:00) But prayer is an important part of that. (7:02) We can’t forget to pray first. (7:05) Write their names down.

(7:07) Pray for them by name. (7:09) Pray that God would open their eyes. (7:12) That He would send someone, perhaps you, into their path (7:16) and that they would respond to the gospel.

(7:21) Evangelism begins on our knees. (7:25) Second is pray for the church. (7:29) Paul’s letters are filled with prayers for the churches.

(7:34) In Ephesians 1, 15-19, (7:37) he prays the believers would know the hope of their calling. (7:42) The riches of their inheritance and the exceeding greatness of God’s power towards them. (7:49) In Colossians 1, 9-12, (7:53) he prays that they would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will.

(7:57) Walk worthy of the Lord and be strengthened with all might. (8:02) The local church is not sustained by good programs or strong personalities alone. (8:09) It is sustained by the prayers of its members.

(8:13) Pray for the elders and leaders. (8:16) That they would have wisdom, courage, and pure motives. (8:20) Pray for the unity of the body.

(8:23) Pray that we would be a people who love the truth and live the truth. (8:29) Pray that our assemblies would be times of genuine worship (8:33) and mutual encouragement rather than a mere routine. (8:40) Pray that the weak would be strengthened and the strong would be patient.

(8:45) A praying church is a powerful church. (8:49) A prayerless church is just a club that happens to meet on Sundays. (8:54) I believe we do pray a lot here.

(8:58) We have a great praying church. (9:01) That’s one of our strongest attributes we have here, I believe. (9:05) Just like my morning sermon, I went over how much we do pray.

(9:09) We do go over the prayer list every Sunday. (9:12) A lot of us take the list home and pray. (9:15) And we need to keep that up.

(9:20) Third is pray for those in authority. (9:23) 1 Timothy 2, 1-2 continues the thought. (9:28) Pray for kings and all who are in authority.

(9:31) That we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence. (9:38) This is not a suggestion reserved for times when we like people in office. (9:46) Paul wrote those words while living under a Roman empire.

(9:50) An empire that would eventually execute him. (9:54) We are commanded to pray for leaders whether we voted for them or not. (10:01) It’s difficult praying for a leader that you don’t like or you feel that (10:07) isn’t representing your view or doing the right thing.

(10:10) But the Bible says to pray for them. (10:13) Pray for wisdom for those who make laws and enforce them. (10:18) Pray for justice to be done.

(10:22) Pray that the gospel would have free course and that God’s people (10:26) would be able to live peaceful, godly lives. (10:33) Pray those in authority would come to know Christ themselves. (10:38) Our political opinions may differ, but our prayer responsibility does not.

(10:45) We especially need to pray for politicians now. (10:49) Because, you know, the political landscape is crazier than ever. (10:56) We need to pray that they follow Jesus.

(11:00) That they obey God’s word. (11:03) For and pray for personal spiritual growth. (11:09) Jesus taught us to pray.

(11:12) Give us this day our daily bread and lead us not into temptation, (11:17) but deliver us from evil. (11:19) Matthew 6, 11 and 13. (11:22) We need to pray about our hearts.

(11:26) Pray for a greater hunger for scripture. (11:30) Pray for strength against the specific temptations that trip you up. (11:37) Pray for humility when pride rises.

(11:40) Pray for endurance when discouragement settles in. (11:44) Pray for a softer heart towards God and a harder resistance towards sin. (11:52) David prayed in Psalm 139, 23 through 24.

(11:58) Search me, O God, and know my heart. (12:01) Try me and know my anxieties. (12:04) And see if there is any wicked way in me.

(12:08) And lead me in the way everlasting. (12:11) That is a dangerous and necessary prayer. (12:16) We cannot grow simply by trying harder.

(12:21) We grow by asking God to do in us what we cannot do ourselves. (12:28) And the fifth prayer way is pray with thanksgiving and for God’s will. (12:36) Philippians 4, 6 tells us to pray with thanksgiving.

(12:42) 1 Thessalonians 5, 18 says, and everything give thanks. (12:47) For this is the will of God and Christ Jesus for you. (12:53) Thanksgiving is not the closing line we tack on after all we ask for and everything we want.

(13:02) It is a fundamental posture of prayer. (13:06) It reminds us that God has already done good to us long before we opened our mouths. (13:14) At the same time, Jesus taught us to pray, (13:17) your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Matthew 6, 10.

(13:24) The most mature prayer is the one that ends with open hands. (13:28) Not my will, but yours. (13:32) Sometimes God’s answer is yes.

(13:35) Sometimes it is no. (13:37) Sometimes it is just wait. (13:42) Thanksgiving and surrender keeps our hearts steady in all three.

(13:50) These five things, praying for the lost, for the church, for those in authority, (13:58) for our own spiritual growth, and with thanksgiving for God’s will, (14:03) will keep our prayer lines from becoming self-centered wish lists. (14:09) I know that’s one of my faults is praying for myself too often or what I want (14:16) instead of focusing on others or the church or politicians. (14:23) Prayer is not mainly about getting God to do what we want.

(14:28) It’s about aligning our hearts with what he wants and then watching him work. (14:34) I encourage you this week to take these five areas and turn them into actual prayers. (14:41) Write them down if it helps.

(14:44) Set aside time. (14:46) Be specific. (14:47) Be persistent.

(14:50) The same God who invited us to come boldly to the throne of grace is still listening. (14:56) Let us not wait for privilege. (15:00) So if you need prayer tonight, if something is weighing on your heart, (15:06) or you need to obey the gospel, the invitation is open as we stand and sing. (15:10)