Spiritual Gains (Part 2 - Prayer)

Introduction

Attention:

Q. What is the role of a spotter in a workout?

Support

Prayer = working out with God as your spotter

Prayer: spiritual workout

God: There to support

Today: prayer in Luke 11

Need:

Not many Christians pray for more than a very few minutes each day

1 Timothy 4:7b (ESV)

... train yourself for godliness;

Many aren’t doing this when it comes to prayer

Why not?

How can we change this?

Body

The Big Idea: Persistently pursue prayer

The Big Question: Why should we persistently pursue prayer?

Prayer is expected

Luke 11:1–2a (ESV)

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say...

Explanation:

Q. What was Jesus doing when His disciples asked Him to pray?

“Jesus was praying”

Q. What can we learn about prayer from this?

Jesus = our model

He persistently pursued prayer

Q. What does Jesus say before starting the model prayer?

“When you pray…”

Q. What do we learn about prayer from this?

Not “if you pray”

Jesus expected His disciples to pray

Following = praying

Obeying = praying

God expects us to pray

Prayer is a command, not a suggestion

Why does God expect us to pray?

He wants to hear from us

A loving Father

The person of Christ

Christ’s sacrifice

God is worth talking to

If you could talk to anyone past or present, who would it be?

The God that made you wants to have a conversation with you every day!

Illustration:

Workout coach

Application:

Will you pray because prayer is expected?

Expectancy = urgency

Prayer is learned

Luke 11:1–4 (ESV)

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

4 and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

Explanation:

Q. How is it that the disciples ask Jesus to pray?

“Teach us to pray.”

What does this phrase teach us about prayer?

Prayer is not learned automatically

Encouraging: you can learn!

How do we learn to pray?

Persistent pursuit

Learning from Jesus’ pattern

God’s kingdom

Man’s needs

Physical (daily bread)

Spiritual (forgiveness and protection from temptation)

A.C.T.S.

Adoration

What do you adore about God?

Confession

What sin do you need to confess & repent of?

Thanksgiving

What are you thankful for?

Supplication

How do you need God to work in your life and in the lives of others?

Learning from praying

Like learning a foreign language; you just have to do it!

Meditation

Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Bible Reading --> Meditation --> Prayer

Meditation = the missing link between Bible reading and prayer

Listen to God (read Bible)

Think about what He said (meditation)

Reply to Him (prayer)

Mediation = a conversation with a real person

Thomas Manton:

“To hear and not meditate is unfruitful.”

“It is rashness to pray and not meditate.”

Peter Toon:

“… better to read one chapter and meditate afterward than to read several chapters and not to meditate.”

Praying with others

Q. Who does the disciple ask Jesus to teach how to pray?

“Teach ‘us’ how to pray”

Q. Who does Jesus pray is not let into temptation?

“Lead ‘us’ not into temptation”

Praying together = Christian unity

No shame/a learning opportunity

Illustration:

Learning a new exercise

Awkward

Muscle memory

Application:

Will you learn to pray?

A joyful student of prayer

Prayer is answered

Luke 11:9–10 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Explanation:

Q. What are the three verbs used to describe prayer here?

“Ask… Seek.... Knock...”

Continuous verbs

Start and don’t stop! (persistence)

Why? He answers prayer!

We receive

We find

The door is opened

But what about when you pray and it isn’t answered in the way you were looking for?

“...if you ask and receive not, it must be because there is something amiss or wanting in the prayer.”

-Andrew Murray

Answered, but not obvious

Perseverance/patience

Outside of God’s will?

Prayer changes us

Selfish motives?

“if we persist in prayer, our prayers will eventually be answered according to God’s best for us.”

The Father’s open arms

Illustration:

Workout results over time

Persistence

Application:

Since prayer is answered, won’t you persistently pray?

Be someone who desires to pray bc you know He answers

Conclusion:

Visualization:

Imagine your spiritual “muscles” if you were to persistently pray

Reiteration:

Be someone who persistently pursues prayer

Lesson Overview:

The Big Idea: Persistently pursue prayer

The Big Question: Why should we persistently pursue prayer?

Prayer is expected

Luke 11:1–2a (ESV)

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say...

Prayer is learned

Luke 11:1–4 (ESV)

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

4 and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

Prayer is answered

Luke 11:9–10 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Small Group Questions:

Why do you think Jesus expects us to pray regularly, not just occasionally?

How can we learn to pray more effectively?

What role does meditation play in your prayer life?

Have you ever experienced a time when God answered your prayer in a way you didn’t expect? How did that affect your faith?

How can we encourage each other to grow in prayer, just like a workout buddy helps in fitness?