Rev. David Holwick N Grow Your Faith, #1
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
April 27, 2014
Matthew 6:5-8
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I. Prayer is at the heart of our walk with God.
A. We are taught how to pray at a young age.
1) Probably your mother or father taught you.
2) It may have seemed like a bizarre practice at first -
talking to someone you will never be able to see,
someone who doesn't talk back.
3) Over time, prayer becomes almost unconscious.
B. We have heard stories of the results that can happen.
Alvin Vander Griend tells of Johnny Jones, a middle-class
Californian suburbanite.
Jones made a commitment to pray five blessings on five
neighbors for five minutes a day for five days a week for
five weeks.
Surprising things began to happen.
One neighbor asked him how she could have a personal
relationship with Christ.
He shared the gospel with her and she accepted Jesus as her
savior.
A drug-dealing neighbor asked Jones to pray for him and help
him turn his life around.
A Buddhist couple from across the street asked if they could
go to church with his family.
A Hispanic couple living next door asked him to start a Bible
study for the neighborhood.
[1]
C. Prayer contains mysteries that confound us all our life.
1) No wonder Jesus' disciples asked him to teach them about it.
a) In answer, he gave them the Lord's prayer.
2) Prayer is practiced by almost every religion.
a) Is it meaningful to you?
b) How well do you practice it?
c) Would you be willing to invest effort into it?
II. The problems we have with prayer.
A. We neglect it.
1) Surveys show that most Christians pray when they get up,
and when they go to bed.
2) The typical Christian thinks they are praying over an hour
a week. [2]
a) When you think about it, that's not very much.
b) And plenty of Christians pray very little.
B. We rush it and trivialize it.
1) Should you pray whatever comes into your mind?
Megachurch pastor Francis Chan says he was taught to pray
that way.
He says, "I would just start opening my mouth and talk to
God about whatever. ...
There's some truth to that but I noticed in the Bible there
are also some warnings that we have to be very careful
how we approach God.
For example, Ecclesiastes 5 says guard yourselves, guard
your steps when you go near to the house of God.
And it says draw near to listen rather than to offer the
sacrifice of fools who do not know that they are doing
evil."
Maybe in prayer we should come slowly, carefully.
#64421
2) Put some thought into your prayer.
a) You should ask God to make you concerned about the
things he is concerned about.
C. We manipulate it.
1) Praying to be seen or heard by people. Matt 6:5
a) This is more of a problem for us professionals.
b) But anyone can use prayer as a tool or a weapon, aimed
at a person rather than God.
2) Praying in a ritualistic way.
a) Jesus warns people about "multiplying words" in prayer.
b) What about the opening illustration of the guy who
prayed 5 minutes for 5 people for 5 days for 5 weeks?
1> In my opinion, that comes close to ritualizing.
2> It can help to have a system, but don't worship
the system. Prayer is not a gimmick.
D. We intellectualize it.
1) How can God answer everyone's prayer?
2) What is the point of prayer when God knows the future and
is already in control of everything?
3) If we cannot change God's mind, why should we pray? [3]
a) There are certainly many things about prayer and God's
will that humans will not be able to explain.
b) It is not our job to understand all the ramifications
of prayer. We just have to pray.
E. We divorce it from our walk with God.
1) Sin can form a prayer barrier between us and God.
a) The Old Testament even states flat-out that God won't
listen to some people when they pray.
b) It people are hypocrites or violent people, God has
no obligation to help them in any way.
2) James 4 says we don't get many of the things we pray for
because we are praying with the wrong motives.
a) We are really praying for our own selfish ends.
b) This is why it is always important to examine our
hearts before we pray.
1> Ask God for forgiveness.
2> Ask him to give you insight into your real motives
and desires.
III. The essence of prayer.
A. Communicating with our Heavenly Father.
1) U.S. News survey on prayer.
a) 42% of Christians prayed so they could have intimacy
with God.
b) For Jews and Muslims, it was less than 27%
c) However, Christians were less likely to thank God
for their blessings. [4]
2) When we talk to God, he communicates with out spirit.
a) Prayer is a good way to feel close to him.
B. Making requests.
1) For our needs.
a) I did a study of what Paul prayed for, and much of it
was practical.
1> He prayed that he could visit churches. Rom 1:10
2> He prayed that his fellow Jews would
respond to the gospel and get saved. Rom 10:1
3> He asked for prayer that opponents
wouldn't beat him up. Rom 15:31
4> He asked for prayer that he would be
a bold and effective preacher. Eph 6:19
5> When he was in bad situations, like prison,
he asked them to pray that God would
deliver him. Phil 1:20
2) For the needs of others.
a) Most of the people who came to Jesus asked him for
healing, often for a loved one. Prayer is like that.
b) Pray for your enemies. Matt 5:44
c) Pray for politicians. 1 Tim 2:1-2
d) Pray for your Christian friends. Eph 1:17-18
1> Paul has some beautiful prayers for the people
he had led to the Lord.
2> He prayed that the eyes of their hearts would be
opened, that they would grasp the vast love
that Jesus had for them.
3> We should pray for our friends that way.
C. Praising God and enjoying him. Rev 5:12
1) It is appropriate to praise him for who he is, and to show
gratitude for the blessings he gives us.
2) Sometimes prayer can lead to ecstatic experiences, like
Paul's vision of paradise. 2 Cor 12:2
IV. How to encourage a healthy prayer relationship with your Father.
A. Prayer is a discipline that can be developed.
1) Prayer does not have to be elaborate or long, but it
should be thoughtful and deliberate.
2) It should be regular so it becomes a habit.
a) Peter, like most Jews, prayed daily at 3:00. Acts 3:1
b) Jesus prayed before every meal and at critical
times in his ministry.
c) Paul even says we should pray without ceasing. 1 Th 5:17
3) You don't have to pray like others do.
a) Some people pray in the morning, others at night.
b) Some do it during their commute, or during lunch.
c) Whenever it works for you, do it.
4) Perhaps this week you you set aside a special time for
prayer.
B. Keep a prayer diary or journal.
1) This can help to keep your prayer focused, and balanced.
2) List your requests, keep track of how your prayers are
answered, and jot down spiritual insights you have
received in times of prayer.
3) Reviewing past entries in a journal can be a huge
encouragement in future times of trial or trouble.
C. Pray in a special place or time.
1) Jesus did this when he went off by himself, often on a
mountain.
2) Our church prayer vigils fulfill this for many.
3) You may have your own special place that feels holy to you.
D. Pray with a partner.
1) Your spouse might be an excellent partner.
a) Studies have shown that couples who prayed together
on a daily basis, had less than a one-tenth of 1%
chance of divorcing.
b) However, the study also found that less than 4% of
couples pray together.
c) Why not give it a try? #64424
2) A prayer buddy.
a) The early Christians prayed in groups. Acts 1:14
b) It can be a great encouragement knowing that someone
else is lifting you up in prayer.
V. Prayer is not just something we do.
A. When we are overwhelmed, God can do the praying for us. Rom 8:26
1) This is a special role for the Holy Spirit in us.
2) He will never abandon you.
B. God can work through answers and non-answers.
Mike Rushton grew up rough in a mill town in South Carolina.
His mom took him to church when he was a boy, but his dad let
him stop going when he got a job.
Money was more important to his dad.
Mike continued to believe there was a God but didn't have any
place in his life for him.
When he was 16 another worker at the mill cussed him out.
It just so happened that this worker was Mike's former Sunday
School teacher so he lost his respect for Christians.
His life began to spiral out of control.
He was in jail several times, and every time, alcohol was
involved.
Mike eventually got married and had twin daughters.
One of them got a skin disease.
Mike prayed about it, she wasn't healed, so he became an atheist.
His wife would invite the preacher to their house and it made
Mike mad.
He finally told the preacher that if he ever came to the house
again, he would whip him.
Meanwhile, Mike began doing landscaping work -- and business
was booming.
One evening, he covered their bed with $100 bills.
He told his wife that this was what was important to him, not
religion.
The following week, Mike was working in a Baptist preacher's
yard when a tree rolled onto him and broke his back.
Before his surgery, he prayed, "God, if You are real, I want
You to come through this window and take me out of my misery.
I don't want to live like this."
At that moment, he said Jesus Christ came into his heart, and
he had a feeling of peace he had never had before.
He went from being a man who could do anything he wanted to
someone who could not even take care of his basic needs.
God had broken him, and God started rebuilding him into the
person He wanted him to be.
The next morning, Mike shared with his wife what had happened,
and they prayed together.
The preacher he had threatened to whip visited him in the
hospital and later started teaching him how to study the
Bible and to pray.
Mike Rushton says, "I am carrying a lot of scars from my
former way of life.
I have served Satan, and I have served God.
Believe me, life is a lot better serving God."
#64403
Reaching out to God made all the difference in this man's life.
Perhaps the most important prayer we pray is the one where we
humble ourselves before God and ask him to save us.
It can be as simple as the "sinner's prayer" from a story by
Jesus - "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner."
Is this a prayer you have prayed?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] “Your Prayers Matter,” by Alvin J. Vander Griend, Discipleship
Journal #111, May/June 1999, page 44. I suspect "Johnny Jones"
is a pseudonym.
[2] “Christians Pray At Least One Hour A Week,”
<http://christiannews.christianet.com/1190131533.htm>
[3] “Why Pray?” <http://www.gotquestions.org/why-pray.html#ixzz302okWA1c>
[4] “U.S. News & Beliefnet Prayer Survey Results,” December 2004,
<http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Faith-Tools/Meditation/2004/12/U-S-News-Beliefnet-Prayer-Survey-Results.aspx>
#64403 “Former Atheist: ‘Life Is Better Serving God’,” Rudy Gray, Baptist
Press, March 31, 2014. <http://www.baptistpress.org>
#64421 “Christians Are Not Praying As God Intended,” Eryn Sun, Christian
Post Reporter, December 14, 2011.
<http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-christians-not-praying-how-god-intended-64814/>
#64424 “The Family That Prays Together, Stays Together.” The main statistics
in the sermon are drawn from "The Couple that Prays Together," by
Dr. David Stoop, Marriage and Family Matters, August 6, 2012.
<http://drstoop.com/the-couple-that-pr ays-together/>. Ed Stetzer
gives what are probably more realistic statistics on divorce among
committed Christians in “Pastors: That Divorce Rate Stat You Quoted
Was Probably Wrong," September 27, 2012.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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