Compiled and Revised by Pastor StepheN MacK HowarD
A.
Why
do we as Christians pray?
1.
Communication
is important in every area of life
2.
Communication
is the basis of co-existence
3.
Communication
allows the creation to reach the Creator
B.
The
True Nature of Prayer
1.
Prayer
is meant to accomplish certain things [from Jim Gordey 5-11-1997]
a.
Defeat
the devil Matt.
18:18
b.
Secures
unbelievers Acts
2:21
c.
Edifies
the believers Jude
20
d.
Sends
laborers to harvest Matt.
9:38
e.
Heals
the sick James
5:13-15
f.
Overcomes
the impossible Matt. 21:22
g.
Changes
the natural James
5:17-18
h.
Brings
right things to pass Matt.
7:11
i.
Imparts
wisdom James
1:5
j.
Brings
peace Phlp.
4:5-7
k.
Guards
against temptations Matt.
26:44
l.
Reveals
God’s answers Luke
11:9-10
2.
Prayer
occurs in different ways
a.
Read
Philippians 4:6-7
b.
Prayer is systematic and deliberate
·
Two
or three times a day
c.
Supplication is spontaneous and heartfelt
·
As
needed in the situation you are put
3.
Prayer
is communication
a.
Story
of kid wanting prayer for her cat in my Dad’s Sunday School Class
b.
I
had this view early on in my Christian life
c.
As
I matured I found the following to be true
d.
We
do not pray for things outside of God’s control
e.
There
are rules to prayer in which we function as we communicate, ask and believe
C.
Jesus’
Skeleton Prayer
1.
Read
Matthew 6:5-13
2.
Here
we see
a.
Vain
repetition is just that
b.
Prayer
is a private, personal thing
c.
A
model of how we should pray
d.
A
type of things to include
Note: We
will examine this more in full later…
D.
The
Lord’s Prayer
1.
Read
John 17
2.
Here
we see
a.
God
does not violate His own system
b.
Jesus
is concerned about us
c.
One
prayer is very, very effective in God’s power.
E.
P
C T I P L C Prayers (Or the Practice of Prayer)
1.
Practice
implys that one works at getting better at it.
Notice the fliip side of this is we are told not to practice sin in
Galatians 5:21 (prasso or to do repeatedly or habitually), Ephesians
4:19 (ergasia or to do for profit or business) and a positive reference
in 5:13 (hexis or habit).
2.
Jesus
included several things in His Skeleton Prayer
3.
We
are to include these ourselves when we pray
4.
Include
the following:
a.
Praise for who God is
i.
Nehemiah
1:5
b.
Confession for what you have done
i.
1
John 1:8-10
c.
Thanks for what God has given
i.
1
Thess 2:13
d.
Intercession for what others need
i.
Philippians
1:3
e.
Petition for what you need
i.
Acts
4:29
ii.
“The
Prayer of Jabez” (Dr. Bruce H. Wilkinson)
‘Now
Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed
and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would
keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him
what he requested.’ (1 Chronicles 4:10)
·
Oh
that you would bless me indeed
i.
Request
for personal blessing
ii.
The
indeed is an emphatic in the Hebrew and like adding five explanation
points
·
Oh
that you would enlarge my border
i.
Request
enlarged borders
ii.
If
you are being Godly with what you have, ask for more.
·
Oh
that Your hand would be on me
i.
Request
that the Father would be with him
ii.
God
will answer this request in such a fashion that doing it without Him should
feel uncomfortable.
·
Oh
that You would keep me from harm
i.
His
namesake was pain
ii.
Request
to keep from temptation.
iii.
We
do not ask to be delivered from evil until we have first requested to be
steered clear of evil.
f.
Listening
i.
Job
4:14
ii.
Eccl.
5:1
iii.
Isaiah
55:3
g.
Consecration
i.
1
Samuel 1:11
F.
Old
Testament Prayers
a.
2
Samuel 24:17
b.
Gen.
18:16-33
c.
Ex.
32:11-14
d.
Num.
14:11-19
e.
2
Samuel. 7:18-29
f.
2
Samuel 12:13-23
g.
1
Kings 8:22-53
h.
2
Kings 19:14-19
i.
2
Chronicles 20:6-12
j.
Ezra
9:5-15.
G.
New
Testament Prayers
a.
Acts
4:24-31
H.
The
Attitude of Prayer
k.
Just Do It!
l.
Let
your Mindset determine your position and your attitude
m.
Don’t
go to fast, think about what you pray
I.
The
Positions of Prayer
n.
The book, “The Screwtape Letters” made quite
a big deal of appropriate prayer positions only to end up that such things are
irrelevant
i.
Reasons
for different positions
1.
To
help concentrate
2.
To
show humility
3.
To
show respect
ii.
Types
of positions
1.
Standing
2.
Sitting
3.
Kneeling
4.
Prostrate
5.
Hands
Raised (see 1 Tim 2:8)
1.
Palms
up to receive is correct
2.
Palms
forward is wrong, shows rejection
J.
How
to Keep a prayer Journal
a.
Daily
record a passage of scripture as well as a focus for the day.
b.
Use
the PRAY system
i.
List
Person
ii.
List
Request
iii.
List
Answer Date
iv.
List
Your Response
K.
Rules
of Prayer
a.
Luke
11:1
i.
The
disciples did not ask for the ability to preach or sing
ii.
Prayer
is a essential element of every Christian life
iii.
Despite
this privilege to every believer, prayer is the least exercised power of the
average believer
iv.
The
ministry of prayer is due in every true Christians life
b.
Don’ts
i.
Matthew
6:5-8
1.
Don’t
be like the hypocrites
2.
Don’t
make a big show out of it
3.
Don’t
give up your reward
4.
Don’t
be like the heathens
5.
Don’t
pray in vain repetitions
6.
Don’t
forget that God already know
ii.
Matthew
6:9-13
This is not the Lord’s Prayer but the Disciples
Prayer. The Lords prayer is in John
Chapter 17.
c.
Do’s
i.
Matthew
6:9-15
1.
Do
look upward COMMUNION
a.
To
the Father
i.
Ephesians
5:20
ii.
Matthew
6:9
iii.
1
Peter 1:17
b.
In
the Name of the Son
i.
John
14:13
ii.
John
15:16
c.
By
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, never to Him
i.
Ephesians
6:18
2.
Do
look inward PETITION
a.
Praying
for daily needs is NOT wrong
b.
Ask
for practical forgiveness: as we forgive others
c.
Cf.
Matt 18:23ff
d.
Lets
call this the radiation principle and will be discussed in a moment
e.
Deliverance
from evil
3.
Do
look outward INTERCESSION
a.
To
Forgive others
b.
Looking
to a potential kingdom and those who might be in it
c.
The
Radiation principle
i.
How
it works (Use illustration of the prism):
1.
Starts
with God
2.
Reflects
off of us
3.
Radiates
to others
ii.
What
areas it is known to effect
1.
Faith
2.
Love
3.
Forgiveness,
ect…
iii.
This
is what Paul talks about in Romans 12:2 about being transformed
Types are divided by Styles and Specifics
a.
Styles
i.
Prayers
1.
Set
times during the day
2.
Daniel
6:10 and Acts 6:4
ii.
Supplications
1.
Short,
blasts of prayer
2.
Kin
to the blowing of the shofar to rally support in times of trouble or necessity
3.
Pray
without ceasing (II Thes. 5:18) a clear channel
b.
Specifics
i.
Prayer
for WISDOM James 1:5
1.
Will
of God
2.
Insight
from God
3.
Seeing
from God’s perspective
4.
Decision
within God’s desire
5.
Opportunity
to grow
6.
Making
Scriptural decision
ii.
Prayer
for WORKERS Matt 9:37f
iii.
Prayer
for PROTECTION Psalm 91
iv.
Prayer
for GIFTS 1
Cor 14:11
v.
Specifically
for Church Edification
vi.
Prayer
for DISCERNMENT Phil 1:9f
vii.
Praying
the ARMOR Eph 6:10ff
1.
This
should not only include installation (initial putting on) of each but also the
appropriation (setting aside for a specific purpose).
viii.
Prayer
for OPPORTUNITIES Acts 4:30
ix.
Prayer
for REVIVAL Ps 85:6-10
x.
ECT.
a.
Changes
the Praying Christian
i.
Psalm
116:1-2
ii.
Jeremiah
33:3
iii.
1
Thes. 5:17
iv.
Hebrews
4:16
b.
Changes
the Situation
i.
Psalm
116:3-4
ii.
Isaiah
65:24
iii.
Ephesians
6:18ff
c.
Teachs
the Goodness of God
i.
Matthew
7:7ff
ii.
John
14:13ff
iii.
Philippians
4:6-7
What
I am among men CONFIDENCE
What
I say to men COMMUNICATION
What
I do before men CONDUCT
What
I give of my possessions COMPASSION
What
I dare to claim in the name of Jesus OMNIPOTENCE
a.
Individual Hindrances: these can be in a single person or in a group
of singular people…
i.
James
1:5-7
1.
Faithlessness
2.
Doubt
3.
Double
mindedness
ii.
James
2:4
1.
Lack
of discernment
2.
Evil
motives
iii.
James
4:2-3
1.
Lust
2.
Murder
3.
Envy
4.
Fights
and Quarrels
5.
You
simple do not ask
6.
Wrong
motives
iv.
James
5:16
1.
Lack
of confession
2.
Unrighteousness
b.
Marital Hindrances: these are peculiar to sexually active people, especially those
bound by covenant…
i.
Genesis
2:24 and 5 other times in the Bible a married couple is called ‘one flesh’
ii.
1
Peter 3:5-7
1.
Woman
a.
Disobedience
and disrespect to her husbands renders frightening from many fears
2.
Man
a.
Misunderstanding
his wife renders hindered prayer
a.
PETITION
GRANTED but DESIRE NOT GRANTED
i.
Psalms
106:15
ii.
In
Numbers 11 in the Israelites wanted meat
iii.
In
1 Samuel 8 in asking for a king
b.
PETITION
NOT GRANTED but DESIRE GRANTED
i.
In
Genesis 17:18 when Abram prays that Ishmael could be the heir
ii.
In
Genesis 18 when Abram prays that Sodom and Gomorrah be spared
iii.
2
Cor. 12:7ff
c.
PETITION
GRANTED and DESIRE GRANTED
i.
In
1 Kings 18, Elijah’s prayed the destruction of Baal’s alter and offerings.
ii.
In
Judges 16:28 Samson’s request to regain his strength and the destruction of the
Philistines
iii.
The
thief on the cross asked for Jesus to Remember him
d.
BOTH
PETITON and DESIRE DENIED
i.
Lack
of Faith (James 1:5-7)
ii.
Failure
to take in Bible Teaching (Prov. 1:24-31)
iii.
Selfishness
(James 4:2-3)
iv.
Carnality
(Psalms 66:18
v.
Lack
of Compassion (Prov. 21:13)
vi.
Lack
of harmony in the home (1 Pet 3:7)
vii.
Pride
and self-righteousness (Job 35:12-13)
viii.
Lack
of control of the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:18)
ix.
Lack
of Obedience (1 John 3:22)
Q.
Some
Helpful Acronyms
a.
PUSH
i.
Pray
ii.
Until
iii.
Something
iv.
Happens
b.
PCTIPLC
i.
See
Section E.
c.
PRAY
i.
Person
ii.
Request
iii.
Answered
iv.
Your
Response
R. Conclusion
a. Pray!!! It is a vital link between the Christian and God.