The Praying Church
When the Church Prays • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Title: The Praying Church
Scripture: Matthew 21:13
Occasion: The Lord's Day
Date: August 9, 2026
Opening Prayer
Father in heaven,
Quiet our hearts before You.
Remove distraction, pride, and unbelief, and give us ears to hear Your Word with reverence and faith.
By Your Spirit, expose our self-reliance and awaken in us a holy hunger for communion with You.
Show us the glory of Christ, deepen our dependence upon Your grace, and teach us not merely to speak about prayer, but truly to pray.
Let Your Word search us, humble us, comfort us, and conform us to the image of Your Son.
Make us willing to obey whatever You reveal and ready to go wherever You send.
Speak, O Lord, for Your servants are listening.
What we know not, teach us.
What we have not, give us.
What we are not, make us.
Your Word is Truth.
Sanctify us by your Truth.
Through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and King,
Amen.
Introduction: What Kind of Church Actually Prays?
What would someone conclude about our church if they watched us for an entire month?
They might hear us speak about the sovereignty of God.
They might hear faithful preaching, sound doctrine, gospel-centered songs, and conversations about ministry, discipleship, missions, and church planting.
But would they conclude that we are a praying church?
Many churches talk about prayer.
We announce prayer meetings, share prayer requests, quote verses about prayer, and tell one another, “I’ll be praying for you.”
Prayer is regularly discussed, frequently recommended, and almost universally affirmed.
But it is often rarely practiced.
It is possible to believe in prayer without truly praying.
It is possible to possess a sound theology of prayer while living a practically prayerless life.
It is possible for a church to have a full calendar, gifted leaders, careful plans, excellent programs, and biblical convictions—and still be attempting to accomplish the work of God without seeking the power of God.
Prayerlessness is not merely a scheduling problem.
It is not simply the result of busy lives.
At its root, prayerlessness is often a declaration of functional self-sufficiency.
When we do not pray, we are quietly saying:
“We can handle this.”
“Our wisdom is enough.”
“Our plans will work.”
“Our experience will carry us.”
“Our strength will sustain us.”
H.B. Charles Jr. says it this way,
Prayer is arguably the most objective measurement of our dependence upon God. The things you pray about are the things you trust God to handle. The things you neglect to pray about are the things you trust you can handle on your own
We may confess with our mouths that Christ builds His church while functioning as though everything depends upon us.
And perhaps this helps explain why so many churches possess activity without spiritual power, conviction without gospel boldness, and members without missionaries.
A church may talk continually about reaching the nations while never praying for laborers.
It may celebrate church planting and missionaries while never sacrificially sending anyone.
It may desire conversions while rarely pleading with God to awaken the spiritually dead.
A prayerless church will eventually attempt to replace spiritual power with programming, gospel boldness with careful branding, and missionary sending with religious spectatorship.
Before we begin asking what happens when the church prays, we must first ask a more basic question:
What kind of church actually prays? (Repeat!)
Jesus teaches us that prayer is not merely one activity among many ministries of the church.
Prayer is one of the defining marks of the church.
The church prays because she knows her God is glorious, her needs are great, her strength is insufficient, and her mission is impossible apart from divine power.
My sermon is entitled The Praying Church, and our big idea is this:
A praying church is a dependent church that seeks the Father’s glory, trusts His provision, and lives on mission through the power of the gospel.
Transition:
And if prayer begins with God rather than us, then the first mark of a praying church is a heart consumed with the glory of the Father.
1. A Praying Church Desires the Father’s Glory
In Matthew 21, Jesus enters Jerusalem and goes into the temple.
There He finds people buying, selling, and exchanging money.
The place intended for the worship of God had become consumed with human profit and religious activity.
Jesus drives them out and declares:
“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Jesus is quoting Isaiah 56, where God promises to gather outsiders and bring them into His covenant people:
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
...
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
The temple was intended to be a place where God was worshiped, His name was honored, and people from the nations could draw near to Him.
But instead of reflecting God’s glory, it had become centered upon human interests.
Jesus did not merely object to commerce occurring in an inconvenient location.
He was confronting a worship problem.
The people had filled the temple with activity while neglecting the purpose for which it existed.
God’s house was to be a house of prayer.
Illustration:
A home can be full of activity and still lack meaningful relationship.
Meals are made, bills are paid, and schedules are kept, yet the family may rarely sit together and enjoy one another.
In the same way, a church can be busy with sermons, ministries, meetings, and programs while neglecting communion with God.
Everything may be operating, while the very dependence that should define the church is disappearing.
That does not mean prayer was the only activity that should occur in the temple.
The Scriptures were read.
Sacrifices were offered.
Songs were sung.
God’s people gathered for worship.
But prayer represented the posture that should have characterized everything: reverence, dependence, communion with God, and desire for His glory.
A praying church is not merely a church that has a prayer ministry.
It is a church in which the glory of God shapes every ministry.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He began:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”
—Matthew 6:9
Before daily bread, forgiveness, protection, or personal need comes the glory of the Father’s name.
“Hallowed be Your name.”
“May Your name be treated as holy.”
“May Your glory be known.”
“May Your character be treasured.”
“May Your reputation spread throughout the earth.”
Jesus teaches us that biblical prayer begins with God, not with us.
It begins with His name, His kingdom, and His will:
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
—Matthew 6:10
We certainly bring our needs to God.
Jesus commands us to do so.
But prayer is not primarily an attempt to bring God into our plans.
Prayer brings us into submission to His.
We see this most beautifully in John 17.
As Jesus approaches the cross, He lifts His eyes toward heaven and prays:
“Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you.”
—John 17:1
Jesus knows betrayal, abandonment, suffering, and death are before Him.
Yet the great burden of His prayer is the glory of His Father.
The cross would reveal the holiness of God, the justice of God, the mercy of God, the wisdom of God, and the love of God.
Through the death and resurrection of Christ, sinners would be redeemed, the church would be gathered, and the Father would be glorified through the Son.
This is where a praying church begins.
A praying church desires God’s glory more than its own recognition.
It does not pray primarily for a larger platform, a better reputation, or an easier ministry.
It prays that Christ would be treasured, sinners would be saved, saints would be sanctified, churches would be strengthened, and the Father’s name would be honored.
We must ask ourselves: What dominates our prayers?
Are our prayers almost entirely concerned with our comfort, schedules, health, plans, and immediate circumstances?
Or are we pleading for God’s name to be hallowed in our homes, throughout our church, across Sanford, and among the nations?
Prayer reveals what we truly desire.
When we desire God’s glory, we will pray:
“Father, make Christ known.”
“Cause Your Word to prevail.”
“Save those who are lost.”
“Purify Your church.”
“Raise up faithful leaders.”
“Send laborers into the harvest.”
“Plant churches where Christ is not faithfully proclaimed.”
A praying church is captivated by the glory of God.
Transition:
Yet the church that longs for God’s glory must also confess its own need, for we cannot honor the Father apart from daily dependence upon His gracious provision.
Not only does A Praying Church Desire the Father’s Glory, but...
2. A Praying Church Depends upon the Father’s Provision
Luke tells us that Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When He finished, one of His disciples said:
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
—Luke 11:1
The disciples had heard Jesus preach.
They had watched Him perform miracles.
They had seen Him heal the sick, cast out demons, calm storms, and confound His opponents.
Yet they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
They understood that prayer was not incidental to the life and ministry of Jesus.
It was central.
Jesus prayed at His baptism.
He withdrew to desolate places to pray.
He prayed before selecting the apostles.
He prayed before Peter’s confession.
He prayed at the transfiguration.
He prayed in Gethsemane.
He prayed from the cross.
The eternal Son of God, in His incarnate obedience, lived in continual communion with His Father.
If Jesus, in His perfect humanity, devoted Himself to prayer, how much more should we?
In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us to pray:
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
—Matthew 6:11
Daily bread represents our continual dependence upon the Father for every need as we learned in the beginning of the year.
We do not sustain our own lives.
Every breath, meal, opportunity, relationship, resource, and ability comes from His gracious hand.
Jesus continues:
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
—Matthew 6:12
We depend upon God not merely for physical provision but for mercy.
We have no righteousness of our own by which we may stand before Him.
Our acceptance rests entirely upon the righteousness and atoning work of Jesus Christ.
Those who trust in Christ are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Prayer does not earn the Father’s acceptance.
We pray because Christ has already secured our access to the Father.
We do not approach God as strangers attempting to persuade Him to become merciful.
We approach Him as adopted children through our one Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Jesus then teaches us to pray:
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
—Matthew 6:13
We depend upon the Father for preservation.
We are not strong enough to defeat sin, resist temptation, withstand the evil one, or persevere in faith by our own strength.
We need sustaining grace every day.
A praying church recognizes that everything it needs must be received from God.
Only God can save sinners.
Only God can awaken spiritually dead hearts.
Only God can give repentance and faith.
Only God can sanctify His people.
Only God can preserve unity.
Only God can raise up qualified elders and deacons.
Only God can sustain church planters and missionaries.
Only God can cause His Word to bear lasting fruit.
Jesus says in John 15:5:
“Apart from me you can do nothing.”
He does not say that apart from Him we can accomplish less.
He says we can accomplish NOTHING of spiritual and eternal value.
Illustration:
Think of how quickly we reach for our phones when we need directions, an answer, or help.
But when there is no signal, the phone may still look impressive and function in limited ways, yet it cannot connect us to what we actually need.
In the same way, a church may have gifted people, strong programs, and careful plans, but without prayerful dependence upon Christ, it is attempting spiritual work disconnected from the only source of spiritual power.
This does not mean we refuse to plan, organize, prepare, or labor diligently.
Dependence upon God is not an excuse for passivity.
The sovereignty of God does not weaken our efforts; it rightly orders them.
We plan carefully because God is wise.
We work diligently because God has called us.
We preach faithfully because God has ordained the proclamation of His Word.
And we pray earnestly because only God can give the growth.
God not only ordains His purposes; He also ordains the means through which those purposes are accomplished.
Prayer is one of those primary gracious means.
Prayer does not manipulate God.
It submits to God.
Prayer does not overcome God’s reluctance.
It rests in His fatherly goodness.
Prayer does not inform an ignorant God.
It communes with the God who knows every need before we ask.
Prayer does not make God sovereign.
Prayer bows before the God who already reigns.
A church that truly believes in God’s sovereignty should be the most prayerful church in the city.
We pray because the God who hears us possesses the wisdom, authority, and power to accomplish what we cannot.
As my friend Dustin always says,
“God not only knows what’s best, he does what’s best, AND HE alone has the power to pull it of”!
Our prayerlessness often reveals that we believe more deeply in our own competence than we do in God’s power.
What would happen if prayer became our first response rather than our last resort?
What if we really prayed before we planned?
What if families really prayed before reacting?
What if ministry leaders really prayed before strategizing?
What if elders really prayed before deciding on matters of the Church?
What if members gathered not only to discuss the needs of the church but to carry those needs together before the throne of grace?
A praying church is a dependent church.
Transition:
And when a church truly depends upon the Father, that dependence does not leave it passive—it sends it forward in confidence that God’s power will accomplish God’s mission.
Not only does A Praying Church Desire the Father’s Glory and Depend upon the Father’s Provision, but...
3. A Praying Church Trusts God’s Power and Lives on Mission
A church that seeks the Father’s glory and depends upon His provision will not remain turned inward.
Prayer directs the church into the mission of God.
In John 17, Jesus does not pray only for Himself.
He prays for His apostles:
“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
—John 17:18
Jesus had been sent by the Father to accomplish redemption.
Now His disciples would be sent into the world to bear witness to the redemption He had accomplished.
Jesus then looks beyond the apostles and prays for future believers:
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”
—John 17:20
Jesus is praying for people who have not yet believed but will one day hear the apostolic gospel and be saved.
He is praying for the future church.
He is praying for the spread of the Word.
He is praying for sinners who will be called out of darkness and brought into fellowship with God through the preaching of Christ.
And He prays that the unity of His people would testify to the truth of the gospel:
“That they may all be one…so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
—John 17:21
The praying church is a unified missionary church.
This is also what Jesus teaches in Matthew 9.
When He sees the crowds, He has compassion on them because they are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
He tells His disciples:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
—Matthew 9:37
What is His first command?
“Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
—Matthew 9:38
Before Jesus sends the Twelve in Matthew 10, He commands them to pray for laborers in Matthew 9.
Prayer precedes sending. (Repeat!)
The church does not manufacture missionaries.
The Lord of the harvest raises them up.
The church prays, recognizes, equips, supports, and sends those whom Christ calls.
This is precisely what we will see in the book of Acts in the new few weeks, and then we will see it in action in our very own Church!
In Acts 1, the church gathers in united prayer, waiting for the promise of the Father.
Then the Spirit comes in power.
When the church prays, God gives power. (That’s next week!)
In Acts 4, the church gathers under opposition and asks God for courage to continue speaking His Word.
The believers are filled with the Spirit and proclaim Christ boldly.
When the church prays, God gives boldness. (That’s in two weeks!)
In Acts 13, the church at Antioch worships, fasts, and prays.
The Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Saul, and the church sends them into the mission.
When the church prays, God sends. (That’s the third week of this study)
This is not because prayer is a formula that forces God to act according to our wishes.
It is because God delights to accomplish His sovereign purposes through a people who humbly seek Him.
Prayer is not a retreat from mission.
Prayer prepares, sustains, and propels the church into mission.
A praying church asks:
“Lord, where would You send us?”
“Whom would You have us reach?”
“Whom are You raising up?”
“What resources have You entrusted to us?”
“What comfort must we surrender?”
“What part would You have us play in the advance of the gospel?”
By God’s providence, we are preparing to help send two church-planting families over the next year.
Austin and Alicia Darrow are preparing to plant in DeLand.
Cory and Chrissy Cooper are preparing to plant in East Orlando.
We should be grateful.
We should celebrate.
We should give.
We should encourage.
We should go.
But before all of that, and beneath all of that, we must pray.
We must pray for their marriages and children.
We must pray for their holiness and endurance.
We must pray for their preaching and leadership.
We must pray for financial provision and faithful partners.
We must pray for God to prepare hearts in DeLand and East Orlando.
We must pray for sinners to be saved, disciples to be formed, elders and deacons to be raised up, and healthy churches to be established.
And as we pray, we must remain open to the possibility that God may answer our prayers by sending some of us.
When we ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers, we must be willing to say, “Lord, send me.”
A praying church does not merely admire the mission.
It participates in it.
We will have 21 focused days to pray for these families, our church, and our own hearts, asking how God might use us in His mission.
Conclusion: Lord, Make Us a Praying Church
What kind of church actually prays?
A church that knows God is glorious.
A church that knows it is dependent.
A church that believes Christ’s mission can be accomplished only through Christ’s power.
A praying church desires the Father’s glory.
A praying church depends upon the Father’s provision.
A praying church trusts God’s power and lives on mission.
The painful truth is that many of us have treated prayer casually.
We have prayed hurriedly, inconsistently, and only when circumstances became too difficult for us to manage.
We have been more willing to talk about problems than to pray about them.
More willing to plan than to plead.
More willing to complain than to intercede.
More willing to worry than to worship.
We should confess this honestly before the Lord.
But we must also remember the gospel.
Our hope is not found in the perfection of our prayers.
Our hope is found in Jesus Christ.
Jesus prayed faithfully where we have been prayerless.
Jesus trusted the Father where we have relied upon ourselves.
Jesus submitted to the Father’s will where we have demanded our own.
Jesus went to the cross, bore our guilt, rose from the dead, and opened the way for sinners to draw near to God.
Through Christ, we do not approach a throne of condemnation but a throne of grace.
Through Him, we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus is not only the One who teaches us to pray.
He is the One through whom our prayers are accepted.
He is our great High Priest, who lives forever to intercede for His people.
Therefore, let us draw near to him this morning. (Hebrews 10:22)
Jim Cymbala, writes,
“No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times of prayer.”
That statement should sober every preacher, every leader, and every member.
We can hear 3 sermons about prayer, complete twenty-one devotional readings, and agree with every theological truth in this series.
But unless we actually seek the Lord, we will have learned about prayer without becoming a praying church.
As we begin these twenty-one days, do not approach them as another church program or spiritual challenge to complete.
Let us come with humble dependence and holy expectation.
Set aside time each day.
Open God’s Word.
Pray individually.
Pray with your family.
Pray with other members of the church.
Gather with us for corporate prayer.
Pray for the lost.
Pray for our leaders.
Pray for our children.
Pray for Austin and Alicia.
Pray for Cory and Chrissy.
Pray for DeLand and East Orlando.
Pray for Sanford.
Pray for the nations.
And pray that God would make us the kind of church through which He is pleased to display His glory.
Next Sunday, we will begin watching this praying church come to life in the book of Acts.
And we are going to see in the scriptures, through the early Church what happens when the Church prays.
But TODAY our prayer is simple:
Father, make us a praying church—a church that seeks Your glory, depends upon Your provision, trusts Your power, and gladly joins Your mission for the glory of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Closing Prayer
Father in heaven,
Make us a praying church.
Empty us of self-confidence, forgive our prayerlessness, and teach us to seek Your face before we trust our plans.
Hallow Your name among us.
Supply every need according to Your wisdom, strengthen us by Your Spirit, and make us bold in the gospel.
Send us wherever You please.
Save sinners, sanctify Your people, raise up laborers, and plant healthy churches for the glory of Christ.
Let us not merely speak of prayer, but become a people who depend upon You in all things.
Through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and King,
Amen.
