NCC Question 38
New City Catechism • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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What is prayer?
What is prayer?
We just finished two questions that had to do with what or who?
The Holy Spirit
Q36: What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?
A36: That He is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son, and that God grants Him irrevocably to all who believe.
Q37: How does the Holy Spirit help us?
A37: The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and He enables us to pray and the understand God’s Word.
Let’s start with some easy questions—you should all have answers:
How did you get to know your friends?
What do you like to do with your friends?
What do you talk about with your friends, family or parents?
You can learn a lot about someone by reviewing their social media platforms, reading about them, and hearing about them from others. But there is nothing better than just talking to them in person one-on-one.
As humans, is the same type of communication always the best answer?
To put it another way—is it always best to write someone a letter? Why not?
Is it always best to send someone an email? Why not?
Is it always best to call someone? To text someone? To use social media? Facetime?
Is it always best to talk to someone face to face? Why not? Generally yes—but I would say there are some times you shouldn’t—if you can’t get your emotions under control or if you have lots of important information such as a schedule or itinerary. I have planned enough events to know if you just tell someone the order of events they won’t get hardly any of it. If you send them a schedule they will remember much more.
The point is this—depending on what you are trying to communicate or the mood or the situation there are different best practices. It can get annoying when someone calls you to tell you something that could have been a simple text—running 5 minutes late. Or when you sit through an hour meeting that could have been a brief email.
So depending on the situation there are different ways to communicate and yet when it comes to our relationship with God there is always one solution, which is what?
Prayer.
When we are sad, frustrated, confused, depressed, angry, happy, hurting, joyous—there is one answer to communicating with the king of the universe—prayer.
We are going to spend the next 3 Sundays covering 4 questions that have to do with Prayer—what is prayer, with what attitude should we pray, what should we pray and what is the Lord’s prayer?
Hopefully this morning I can stay in my lane and keep the focus on what is prayer so that in the next two weeks Josh can develop those other things.
Q38: What is prayer?
Before I give you the answer—let me ask you—what is prayer?
A38: Prayer is pouring out our hearts to God in praise, petition, confession of sin, and thanksgiving.
Before we move on let me ask you a tough question.
We just said that prayer is pouring out our hearts to God.
What is this word? Omniscient.
What does it mean? God is all knowing.
So if God is all knowing, wouldn’t that mean he knows our hearts?
So if God knows our hearts—why do we need to pour our hearts to God?
The reality is he doesn't need us to. However, prayer is the avenue in which God has designed for us to allow us to participate in His work. I realize some of our theological radars are blaring right now.
Stay with me. God allowing and inviting us into the process of his redeeming work doesn’t negate the fact that we are saved through grace alone by faith alone through Christ alone. God is the one at work and allowing us to come to the table so to speak. And by his grace he allows us just a fraction, just a glimpse of the process by giving us the Holy Spirit so that we can now converse with God and pour out our hearts. Prayer is not needed on God’s account, its needed on our account so that we can build a relationship with our heavenly Father.
We have talked about in this class and on Wednesday nights and from the pulpit that we believe in scripture alone for truth, and so where should we go for how to pray or what is prayer?
The bible.
And there is actually an entire book dedicated to prayer, what is it called?
Psalms
What are some things you love to do with your family?
What are some things you love to do with your friends?
Everything you have brought up has to do with being together, having a relationship.
We want and need to have a relationship with God. And he has told us throughout the bible how to have this relationship and what it should look like. David wrote many Psalms instructing us what to do, how to respond, how to grieve, how to rejoice, etc.
Turn with me to Psalm 62.
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. 1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah 5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah 9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work.
For the record the word Selah is in here multiple times. The official definition of Selah is—a Hebrew word of unknown meaning. it often is defined as pause or praise but also is defined as forever, a musical direction. The Arabic translation is rock. Seeing as we named our daughter that I tend to think its pause or praise.
But David is writing here—God alone is my salvation, my rock and my fortress. How long will all of you attack a man?
What ultimately is David encouraging the readers of this Psalm to do?
Trust in God—cry out to him, communicate with him.
David tells us to do what in verse 8?
Pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us.
What does it mean to pour out our hearts to God?
We are communicating everything that is going on in our lives—what we are thinking, feeling, struggling with, frustrated with, happy about, nervous about, excited about.
How many times have you seen someone, even someone your close to, and you say—how are you doing? And they respond—good. How’s work going—good. Hows your family—good.
And sometimes you know for a fact that is not the case—you can see it in their attitude, there expressions, their emotions. Hopefully we are close enough to them at some point to say brother, are you really doing good? Is work really going well?
There actually stressed out because the mortgage is due soon and their hours have been cut back at work because business is slow and they don’t have the cash. They have been grumbling with their wife over how to divide us the little resources they have left. Their stress has made them physically ill and they haven’t spent much time with their kids because of it.
How are you doing? Good.
No—I’m tired, stressed, nervous, anxious, worried, ill, and dare I say in sin. But we don’t say that to our friend or brother in Christ. Good. I’m good.
David is communicating thats not what this looks like. Pour out your hearts before Him.
God—I don’t know how I’m going to make this work, Father I’ve been a butt to my wife. God—help me be a light in the workplace during this hard time. Father—thank you for the absolute blessing of my children. Jesus—help me find some relief from my suffering.
Nothing held back, emptying our hearts and emotions before the King.
Those who love us want to know these things---how much more does God want to heart these things from us.
Psalm 62 describes God in a variety of ways—what are they?
A Rock
A Fortress
A Refuge
The one of Saves
Remember a couple weeks ago when Pastor Jared was preaching in Acts 27?
What was happening in that passage?
Turn to Acts 27 quickly.
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
What is going on? They are in the midst of a storm, trying to figure out how to survive. They winds are blowing in directions they are not supposed to. The waves are crashing into the ship. They are afraid they are going to crash into the rocks. They are throwing the cargo overboard trying to lighten the ship. There is no light for many days.
What do you think everyone on board wanted? To be saved—verse 20 says all hope of being saved was abandoned.
The desperately wanted a Rock, a fortress, a refuge. Someone or something to save them, to protect them, to provide relief.
We have that Rock, that Fortress, that Refuge in King Jesus.
We may not be in the midst of the sea, but you will be in the midst of the storm. We will be battered and attacked. It will appear as if the wall is coming in, we will be cursed, riches are not the answer, high power and positions are not the answer. God is the answer as the Psalmist tells us.
God is 100% reliable and trustworthy.
Can we say that about anyone else?
No—your parents will fail you, your teacher will fail you, your friends will fail you, your spouse will fail you.
Are you able to talk to your best friend everyday all day?
No.
Has your best friend ever failed you?
Yes.
Can you talk to God everyday all day?
Yes.
Has God ever failed you?
No.
God is reliable and trustworthy all the time, and we can come to him at any point. And even more than that—he wants us to come to him.
Quickly I want to define the four parts of our answer here.
We know that that prayer is pouring out our hearts to God but there are four ways in which we do that:
Praise. What is praise?
Officially is defined as approval or admiration. I prefer adoration. I don’t want to get into it but there is a reason the Lords prayer begins with adoration.
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
God is great and worthy to be praised.
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
Timothy Keller in his book on prayer says this,
“Praise and adoration are the necessary preconditions for the proper formulation and motivation of all the other kinds of prayer. This doesn’t mean we can never go immediately to petition or confession, but it means that, in our overall prayer life, praise and adoration must have a prime place.”
When we focus more on great God is and less on how great we think we are, it humbles us and reminds us that this great high priest can take these burdens from us if its his will.
2. Petition
A request or an appeal.
We read Psalm 62 but the Psalm before that is helpful here.
1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,
God has designed prayer so that we can cry out to Him with our needs and requests.
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,
Paul is not only asking God for relief but for others to join him in these prayers.
9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
5 “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Does this mean that God will always answer our prayers in the way we want him to? No.
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
God knows our path and our plan, and sometimes we pray for things that are not part of than plan and so he doesn’t answer them they way we ask.
I prayed for years for a spouse—what about her? What about this one? Lord this is the one right? And he answered all those prayers but not how I wanted.
And finally he brought my wife into the picture in a very unexpectated way—with a simple invite text to college group which turned into a conversation via text which eventually turned into a lunch date.
The point is God was answering each one of those prayers just not how I wanted, why? Because there was a better plan, a plan for good not evil.
3. Confession of sin
Prayer is not only an avenue to praise God and request of God, but to confess to God. The beauty of the cross is it destroyed the old system. No more blood needs to be spilled, not more sacrifices to be made right. The lamb God has been slain and we are forgiven. And with that, we are no longer in need of a high priest to intercede for us. We can go directly to the throne, directly to God and seek forgiveness for our sins. God wants this and God requires this.
17 They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him
18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
Our prayer life is not only a confession of our sin, but also a time to examine ourselves and see what sins we are overlooking.
Keller says this,
“Confession should not be done simply as a response to a sin about which you are already aware and convicted. Our prayer life is the place where we should examine our lives and find the sins that otherwise we would be too insensitive or busy to acknowledge.”
4. Thanksgiving
Our prayer life is a time to thank God for the countless blessings in our life.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
This thankfulness is not just for God and salvation but also for the people he has put in our lives.
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
I want to end with one more question you may be thinking.
Many religions pray, what makes our prayer different?
Someone actually hears our prayers, God Himself, because we pray to the true and living God.
Let’s pray