MENTOR LIKE JESUS: Prayer as practice 2-13-22
INTRODUCTION
PRAYER
JOURNAL ENTRY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
When George
Washington was about 20 years old he wrote this in his prayer journal: "O
most Glorious God, in Jesus Christ my merciful and loving father, I acknowledge
and confess my guilt, in the weak and imperfect performance of the duties of
this day. I have called on thee for pardon and forgiveness of sins, but so
coldly and carelessly, that my prayers are become my sin and stand in need of
pardon. I have heard thy holy word, but with such deadness of spirit that I
have been an unprofitable and forgetful hearer, so that, O Lord, tho’ I have
done thy work, yet it hath been so negligently that I may rather expect a curse
than a blessing from thee."
[George Washington’s Prayer Journal From
William J. Johnson George Washington, the Christian (New York: The Abingdon
Press, New York & Cincinnati, 1919), pp. 24-35. From a sermon by David
Scudder, Prayer is Seeking Our Father, 9/11/2011]
““And when
you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you,
they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who
sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on
babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many
words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask
him.”
Matthew 6:5-8 NIV
I. TEACH US HOW
TO PRAY
A. Submission
“This, then,
is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your
kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our
daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’
Matthew
6:9-13 NIV
B. Humility
Humble
yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time.
1 Peter 5:6
NIV
C. Jesus'
example of prayer
The night of
his betrayal - John 17
The garden
prayer - Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46
All night on
a mountain - Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46
In a
desolate place - Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35
Praying in
solitude - Luke 9:18; Luke 11:1
1. His custom
was to find a place where he could pray alone; whether it was on a mountain or
in a desolate place.
2. He often
prayed while it was dark either at night, through the night, or early in the
morning.
3. Prayer
formed the foundation for his ministry.
4. He prayed
before making major decisions.
5. His
miraculous power and his glorious relationship with the Father are closely
connected to times of prayer.
6. Unity with
the Father was both the source and content of his extended prayers.
II. GIVING GOD
THE CREDIT FOR ANSWERED PRAYER
Dr. Thomas
M. Carter, an ex-convict, tells a thrilling story of his mother who constantly
followed him with her prayers. On one occasion while he was in prison, she
received a telegram stating that he was dead and asking what she wanted done
with his body. Stunned by the news, she opened her Bible and laid the message
beside it. "Oh, God," she said, "I have steadfastly believed
that You are a rewarder of them who diligently seek You. I felt sure that I
would live to see Tom saved and preaching the Gospel; and now this wire says he
is dead. Lord, which is true, this telegram or Your promises to me?" When
she rose from her knees, having won the victory, she sent this note to the
prison: "You must be wrong. My boy is not dead!" There had been a
mistake -- Tom Carter was alive! He was later converted and lived to preach!
A. Thankfulness
Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
Philippians
4:6, 7 NIV
B. Prayer Log
or Prayer Journal
III. LISTENING AS
WELL AS TALKING
A. Listening
Dr. Charles
Stanley "How to Listen to God" sermon series/book 5 c's
1. Consistent-Is
the answer/instruction consistent with Scripture?
2. Challenge-Will
the answer challenge your faith?
3. Conflict-Does
the answer conflict with human wisdom?
4. Clash-Does
the direction clash with your fleshly nature?
5. Courage-Will
obeying God require courage?
B. Talking
ACTS method
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
CONCLUSION
IT ALL
STARTED BY ONE MAN WANTING TO PRAY
In 1857
there was a 46 year old man named Jeremiah Lamphere who lived in New York City.
Jeremiah loved the Lord tremendously, but he didn’t feel that he could do much
for the Lord until he began to feel a burden for the lost and accepted an
invitation from his church to be an inner city missionary.
So in July
of 1857 he started walking up and down the streets of New York passing out
tracts and talking to people about Jesus, but he wasn’t having any success.
Then God put it on his heart to try prayer. So he printed up a bunch of tracts,
and he passed them out to anyone and everyone met. He invited anyone who wanted
to come to the 3rd floor of the Old North Dutch Reform Church on Fulton St. in
New York City from 12 to 1 on Wednesday to pray. He passed out hundreds and
hundreds of fliers and put up posters everywhere he could.
Wednesday
came and at noon nobody showed up. So Jeremiah got on his knees and started
praying. For 30 minutes he prayed by himself when finally five other people
walked in. The next week 20 people came. The next week between 30 and 40 people
came. They then decided to meet every day from 12:00 to 1:00 to pray for the
city.
Before long
a few ministers started coming and they said, "We need to start this at
our churches." Within six months there were over 5000 prayer groups
meeting everyday in N.Y. Soon the word spread all over the country. Prayer
meetings were started in Philadelphia, Detroit, and Washington D.C. In fact
President Franklin Pierce started going almost every day to a noonday prayer
meeting. By 1859 some 15,000 cities in America were having downtown prayer
meetings everyday at noon, and thousands were brought to Christ.
The great
thing about this revival is that there is not a famous preacher associated with
it. It was all started by one man wanting to pray. People have been seeking
God, and seeking a relationship with God through Jesus Christ for centuries.
(From a
sermon by Rich Anderson, Seeking The Face Of Jesus Christ, 2/18/2011)
CHALLENGE
Our
challenges will fall heavily into the category of journaling. When we
write, we have to think, then formulate words, then put it to paper. This process
helps us integrate our whole self. We will also
focus upon action.
1.
Do you have regular times
of prayer?
2.
Are you trying to live for
God without praying for God’s will and strength?
3.
Do you listen as well as
talk in prayer?
4.
Are you experiencing God’s
love through prayer in such a way that it forms and shapes your will to match
His?
5.
If you were unable to pray,
how would your life change?
INVITATION
It is our
custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want
to follow Jesus. You may want
to proclaim your faith. You may want
to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you
want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if
you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to
become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have
been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come
forward now. If you would
like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God
is doing in your life.
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