The Habit of Abundant Prayer

January 22nd 2023

Series: Habits of a Healthy Christian

Sermon Title: The Habit of Abundant Prayer

Topic: A message on what the Bible says about how to pray, how Jesus prayed, and the importance of prayer in our lives.

Key Passages: Various

Sermon Blurb: Have you ever wondered how to truly pray? What does the Bible or Jesus tell us about prayer? In this message, we will cover the basics of prayer according to the Bible.

Sermon:

Family Moment

Hello Family Church!!!

Welcome back to week two of our sermon series on Habits of a Healthy Christian.

Every January at Family Church, we spend the month talking about the things HEALTHY followers of Jesus do.

Because it is our goal for everyone at Family Church will become a healthy followers of Jesus.

So, our hope is quite simple this month....

We hope you will walk away from church every week with some additional ideas that you can put into practice in 2023 to become a healthier follower of Jesus.

PAUSE

Over these weeks, we’ll be talking about 6 Habits of a Healthy Christian…

And we chose to call it HABITS, not disciplines, for a couple of reasons.

First, we often think of discipline as a bad thing, so we wanted to rid our thoughts of any negative reactions.

Secondly, we are calling it HABITS because habits, by definition, are a better way to think about these spiritual tools that we are discussing.

In fact, write this down in your notes,

HABITS are actions that are ingrained, and that have become natural because of continued repetition. HABITS are the things we do without thinking but accomplish with skill and precision.

So, that’s why we called this HABITS of a healthy Christian because they should be things that over time just come natural as a rhythm of our life

PAUSE

And to make it easier on everyone, we created an Acronym to go along with the series…

It’s an acronym for the word HABITS…and it shows us, in order, the topics we’re going to be discussing over these weeks.

On the screen AND in notes

H – Holy Fasting A – Abundant Prayer

B – Bible Learning I – Intentional Generosity T – Transformative Community

S – Sacrificial Serving

Hopefully, this will help us to remember more easily what we’re going to be learning in this series.

PAUSE

Let’s open up our Bibles….Luke 11

New Person Bible Talk

App Talk

Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples'.

You should know by now how we LOVE to analyze the parts of the Bible we tend to skim over.

We love helping Scripture come alive in front of our eyes.

There is a lot we can learn from this passage beyond the significance of The Lord's Prayer that follows it.

In this passage, we clearly see that just seeing Jesus in prayer is what sparked the unnamed disciples' curiosity to learn about prayer.

We also learn that John the Baptist, anyone remember who John is?

John was the cousin of Jesus.

John was the one who baptized Jesus.

John was the one who was the forerunner to Jesus’ ministry.

This passage clearly shows us that John taught his disciples to pray.

But isn’t it interesting that out of all Jesus’ disciples, only one of them asked Jesus to teach them to pray?

It sometimes seems the church is in a similar situation today regarding prayer.

We talk about prayer.

We say we value prayer.

Some of us say prayers over meals.

Or start and end our days with a shout-out to God.

Maybe you even study prayer.

But….. how many of us earnestly seek God and ask Him to teach us how to pray?...

Or how many of us search the Scriptures to learn how to pray?

How many of us have learned the habit of praying without ceasing?

Did you know at Family Church, we have a weekly prayer meeting AND a monthly prayer meeting?

Did you know before each Sunday service there are teams of people that pray with the Pastors…..

I’ve heard it said before, “call a Church Pot-Luck dinner and every table is full, but call a Church Prayer Meeting and you might be dining alone.”

PAUSE

Sadly…..that is VERY true….

PAUSE

And I do not say that to shame you or pick on you….

I say that because it is simply true.

And sometimes the truth hurts….But just because it hurts does not mean it is not true…..

Church let’s be honest….

That is part of the reason our country is so messed up right now…

We are living in this space where people have come to think, “If what you say makes me feel bad or hurts…. You are wrong and I must be right..”

And that is simply a LIE from the devil!

Sometimes things in life sting….because we see we are wrong and we KNOW we are wrong but we DON’T want to change…..

That is why now suddenly you cannot tell a man he is a man.

Or you cannot say a woman is a woman….

Suddenly that is offensive because they are confused on God’s design.

I am sorry if that is offensive but God determines many things in life NOT you and me….

And that is EASY to amen…..

But why then do we not get the same level of passion or Amen for you not coming to a prayer meeting……

Because that one stings you….and the other does not…..

PAUSE

See church….We need to prioritize prayer like Jesus did….and if you do not….you need to change that…..

PAUSE

So today we are going to look to Jesus and His prayer life and see what Jesus can teach us.

We are going to look at elements of Jesus’s prayer life because I know there is something here for everyone to grow in, myself included.

So, let’s begin with our first observation of Jesus’ prayer life:

How Jesus Modeled Prayer 1. Jesus modeled praying for others. (Matthew 19: 13-15, John 17, Luke 22:32)

And you will notice below each of these sections I will give you some scripture to read later. We cannot walk through them all today so that is a free bonus for you to read later![KS1] [AG2]

Matthew 19:13, "Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them."

John 17:9 "I [Jesus] pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given Me, for they are Yours."

This shows us clearly that we need to think about more than just “me, myself, and I” when it comes to prayer.

You can use me as an example.

I hope most, if not all, of you pray for me and the other pastors/leaders here at Family Church.

Pray that God guides us.

Pray that God protects our families.

Pray that we bring more unity to the church and so on.

And I hope you pray for others as well...

You can pray for your fellow hunters to get that BIG buck!

Pray for THAT teacher….yes….. you students know what I mean…..

Pray for your neighbor that seems to not be feeling well.

And so on.

It is important to pray for others.

Later today, go and read John 17.

You’ll see where Jesus prays for Himself, He prays for His immediate disciples, AND He prays for all believers.

Don’t forget life is NOT just about you!

So, pray FOR others just like Jesus prayed.

PAUSE

The second point we see from the life of Jesus …..write this down….

2. Jesus modeled praying with others. (Luke 9: 12-17 & 28, Acts 1:14)

Luke 9:28 "[Jesus] took Peter, John and James with Him and went up onto a mountain to pray."

Jesus knew the value of praying with others. He knew that it would create a model for the future... and it worked as we read in:

Acts 1:14 "They all joined together constantly in prayer …"

This verse is talking about the early church….after Jesus had gone back to Heaven…..they were still living out His model!

Wouldn’t it be awesome if Family church was known in this community for being a church that prays?

Wouldn’t be SWEET if the community KNEW that the prayers of our church were answered by God in ways they could NOT explain!!!!!

Wouldn’t that be great if people from all over sought you out because God was answering your sincere and earnest prayers?!?

PAUSE

That is why we are a church that prays a lot.

BOTH of our campuses have a Prayer Team...and you could jump onto that team easily.

We have the Family Church Prayer Warriors FB groupwhere anyone can share prayer requests…

Every Tuesday morning Mom’s with children at Woodbridge elementary gather at the Grace Campus to pray.

Every Wednesday a group of gathers to pray!

We have teams that pray with Pastorsevery week before services.

Every 2nd Wed is a monthly Prayer Gathering at the Ebenezer Campus.

We pray during our church services at least 2 times every Sunday

And if you really like enthusiastic prayer, AKA long prayer, then go to the Ebenezer Campus where Pastor Keith lets his Pentecostal out sometimes! LOL!

But seriously, we are a praying church!!!

And we plan to keep growing that here!

PAUSE

Parents in the room….grandparents in the room….can I talk to you for a second…..

You have to make it a priority to pray with your family.

If you do not model this for your children…no one else will.

Parents, and grandparents….what are you doing to model prayer with your family?

PAUSE

For leadersout in the working world….you can model this at work….…

Farmers….you could gather your workers to pray at the start of each shift….. Don’t you think God would bless those prayers if you did that?

Company Presidents or Owners….you could lead a prayer group in your workplace..... I know that sounds odd…but you could…you run the show…

Educators... don’t allow the culture to shut down your prayer life... You could start your morning off with prayer before any students arrive... pray for each student, by name, every single day and watch what God does over the course of the school year!

I am not saying force anyone... But as the owner, leader, manager or just regular strong Christian at your work…MODEL it…

Don’t you believe God will bless that kind of prioritization of His kingdom inside of the kingdom of man?

PAUSE

I know some of you hear me say that and I know what you are saying in your mind, “That is impossible for me.”

Or maybe some are thinking, “Well that is easy for you to say because you’re a Pastor... and you don’t work in the real world.”

If you are newer to our church let me fill you in on a little secret...

...Pastors are human too!

Just like everyone else, we are faced with a choice... we have the choice to prioritize prayer or not.

We have the choice to pray with our family or not.

We have the choice to lead in that area or not.

But here’s the point: You can do it… God will bless it… the only question is will you follow Jesus’ example in all areas of your life.

And if that scares you….just remember, and I 100% believe this, God will bless you for honoring Him.

PAUSE

Let me share another insight into Jesus’ prayer life……

3. Jesus modeled praying apart from others. (Luke 5:16, 6:12, Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23)

Luke 5:16 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

As much as Jesus understood the value of praying with and for others, He also understood the need to pray alone.

See prayer is not all some BIG show for others to see.

It is a constant dialogue with God even when no one is around.

I mean afterall, true character is who you are when no one else is around…. Or when no one else is looking….

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God."

Sometimes it's important for us to "be still" before God,

PAUSE

We all know that we live in a hectic culture and that sometimes the only way to hear God is to get away from everything and unplug.

This one is for our hunters and anglers!

Jesus prayed in nature.

So, it is totally ok to say, “Hey honey... I need to go hunt/fish to be like Jesus!!!!”

See this is some good practical teaching, right?

Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

What better place to commune with our Creator than among the wonders of nature?

Luke 6:12 "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray"

Jesus could have gone to a home or to a synagogue to pray, he could’ve knelt at the altars or at his bedside...

But there were times when Jesus made the decision to pray where He was, which often happened to be in nature.

We are surrounded by so much that is "man-made" that sometimes it's difficult for us to remember that this is not our world, but God's world full of wonders for us to enjoy in our prayer life.

PAUSE

4. Jesus modeled praying over the long haul. (Luke 6:12, John 17)

Jesus knew how to dedicate long periods of time to prayer.

Luke 6:12, Jesus "spent the night praying to God."

We, too, need to be able to keep praying over the long haul.

PAUSE

You know, there are things we need to pray and pray and pray and never give up on!

We call this being persistent in prayer. At times, being persistent and constant in prayer is necessary.

Maybe that is you with...

Your spouse who does not know Jesus yet.

Your kids who have wandered away from God.

Your family member who does not yet know God.

A diagnosis that you are trusting God for a different outcome.

PLEASE don’t give up!!!

Keep praying!!!

KEEP persistent!!!

LONG PAUSE

And let me wrap this up with a point that is kind of hard to accept…….

5. Jesus knew that not all of his prayers would be answered as expected. (Matthew 26: 36-44)

This is a difficult prayer lesson to learn, but the fact of the matter is that not all our prayers are answered in the ways we expect.

Even Jesus knew this hard lesson as he cried out to God the Father in the garden of Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36-44 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Three times Jesus prayed for God to allow an easier path, but Jesus knew, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" (26:39).

Unanswered prayer is a challenge to the Christian life…

Until we learn the posture of Jesus….

This posture of “not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus’ posture…. God’s will NOT my will…..

When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, "Yet not as I will, but as You will," He offered a tremendous but seemingly simple insight into prayer….

This isn’t in your notes but you might want to write it down….

Passionate Prayer sits on three basic truths:

1. God is in charge.

2. God knows better than me.

3. God’s passion for me is greater than I realize.

So, when you pray, keep that in mind.

God is in charge... He knows better than me... and His passion for me is greater than I could ever imagine.

I can trust Him.

I can rely on Him

I can wait on Him.

Because I know He is good.

LONG PAUSE

Let’s close this out with just a few thoughts.

Often, we wonder if God expects eloquent, beautiful, prayers.

Many people think they don’t know how to pray or even what to pray.

So, can I fill you in on a little secret? God doesn’t care what you say when you pray. He really doesn’t.

God just wants you to communicate with him.

He wants you to be real and raw... vulnerable and teachable... honest and sincere.

Nothing brings God more joy, than when His children come to Him...and prayer is a direct line of intimate, ongoing, connection with God.

And here’s another neat thing...

God already knows what you are thinking and what you’re facing, even before you pray.

Remember the Lord’s Prayer?

“Our Father Who art in heaven...”

Do you know what Jesus says just before He teaches His disciples how to pray?

Look at

Matthew 6:7-8 And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

The very next verse is when Jesus teaches the Lord’s prayer.

You see, God already knows what’s going on...and He cares greatly!

Now, don't misinterpret the point.

The point isn’t “don’t pray because God already knows”

The point is pray because prayer demonstrates our trust in God and it activates the heart of God.

And if you have God's heart, it will cause His hand to move also.

Listen, prayer isn’t about what we can get from God, but simply how we can be with God.

It’s how we demonstrate our trust in a God Who passionately loves us and wants the best for us.

Life Application: Make a commitment today to pray more frequently and more faith-filled prayers than ever before.

I just want to encourage you to pray more…

Take your relationship with Jesus to the next level today.

Let’s Pray…..