UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSES OF PRAYER

UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

INTRODUCTION:

READ

STAND – READ – PRAY

WHAT DOES PRAYER DO?

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED THAT?

LET ME SHARE A FEW OF THE PURPOSES OF PRAYER…

1. IT GIVES US A PROPER VIEW OF GOD.

a. I MENTIONED THIS BRIEFLY IN MY FIRST SERMON ON PRAYER A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE ISSUE A LITTLE MORE DEEPLY…

b. HOW DOES PRAYER HELP US TO HAVE A PROPER VIEW OF GOD?

c. FIRST, THROUGH PRAYER, WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

i. EXPLAIN SOVEREIGNTY.

1. DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY REFERS TO GOD’S ALL-ENCOMPASSING RULE OVER THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.

ii. IT IS NOT JUST POWER, ALTHOUGH GOD’S POWER IS CLEARLY VISIBLE IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY.

1. THE BIBLE CONTINUALLY COMMUNICATES THE SOVEREIGNTY AND AUTHORITY OF GOD (),

iii. AND IT EMPHASIZES THAT GOD ALONE IS THE TRUE GOD AND THAT ALL HUMAN AUTHORITY IS DELEGATED AUTHORITY.

iv. PRAYER, IF APPROACHED PROPERLY, PUTS US IN A POSITION OF HUMILITY…

v. AND AS WE PRAY – AS WE ARE INTENTIONAL ABOUT PRAYER – WE COME TO RECOGNIZE THAT GOD ALONE IS THE ONE WITH AUTHORITY…

vi. AND THAT EVEN THOUGH WE DO HAVE DELEGATED AUTHORITY FROM GOD, WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO USE OUR AUTHORITY TO CONTRADICT HIS AUTHORITY…

vii. WHICH BRINGS TO LIGHT ANOTHER TRUTH ABOUT PRAYER AND THE PROPER VIEW OF GOD…AND THAT IS…

d. THROUGH PRAYER, WE BETTER UNDERSTAND THE WILL OF GOD.

i. I’M REMINDED OF JESUS’ PRAYER IN THE GARDEN, WHERE HE PRAYED THAT THE WILL OF THE FATHER WOULD BE CARRIED OUT…

ii. (ESV) - 39 AND GOING A LITTLE FARTHER HE FELL ON HIS FACE AND PRAYED, SAYING, “MY FATHER, IF IT BE POSSIBLE, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME; NEVERTHELESS, NOT AS I WILL, BUT AS YOU WILL.”

iii. THIS IS A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE HUMANITY OF JESUS…

iv. IN HIS HUMANITY, HE PRAYED “IF IT BE POSSIBLE, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME…”

v. BUT WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT NOT EVERYTHING THAT IS POSSIBLE IS PART OF GOD’S WILL…

vi. AND JESUS WANTS TO MAKE IT PLAIN THAT HE INTENDS TO FULLY COMPLY WITH HIS FATHER’S DESIRE.

vii. HE WAS NOT WILLING TO ALLOW PERSONAL PREFERENCE OR AMBITION TO CONFLICT WITH DIVINE DEMAND.

viii. AS WE PRAY, WE COME AWAY WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WILL OF GOD…

ix. BUT THERE’S ALSO A THIRD THING RELATED TO A PROPER VIEW OF GOD THAT HAPPENS AS WE PRAY…

e. THAT IS, THROUGH PRAYER, WE MORE CLEARLY SEE THE HAND OF GOD AT WORK.

i. ROBERT VELARDE – IN AN ARTICLE ENTITLED PRAYER HAS ITS REASONS, SAYS THIS ABOUT PRAYER - “WHY DO WE NEED TO PRAY? BECAUSE PRAYER IS THE MEANS GOD HAS ORDAINED FOR SOME THINGS TO HAPPEN. PRAYER, FOR INSTANCE, HELPS OTHERS KNOW THE LOVE OF JESUS. PRAYER CAN CLEAR HUMAN OBSTACLES OUT OF THE WAY IN ORDER FOR GOD TO WORK. IT IS NOT THAT GOD CAN'T WORK WITHOUT OUR PRAYERS, BUT THAT HE HAS ESTABLISHED PRAYER AS PART OF HIS PLAN FOR ACCOMPLISHING HIS WILL IN THIS WORLD.”

f. SO PRAYER GIVES US A PROPER VIEW OF GOD AS WE RECOGNIZE HIS SOVEREIGNTY, UNDERSTAND HIS WILL, AND REMEMBER HIS WORK.

g. BUT THERE’S A SECOND PURPOSE IN OUR PRAYERS…

2. IT HELPS US COMBAT SIN.

i. AS WE PRAY, WE NOT ONLY GAIN A PROPER PERSPECTIVE ON WHO GOD IS, BUT WE ALSO GAIN A PROPER PERSPECTIVE ON WHO WE OURSELVES ARE…

ii. AGAIN, I WOULD POINT YOU BACK TO THE FIRST SERMON IN THIS SERIES ON PRAYER, AS WE LOOKED AT ISAIAH’S VISION OF THE LORD AND OF HIMSELF…

iii. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE BEGIN TO REALIZE HOPEFULLY IS THAT WE ARE WRETCHEDLY SINFUL…

iv. I HEAR PEOPLE ALL THE TIME SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS…

1. “WELL, I THINK I’M OK…”

2. LET ME JUST SAY THIS…YOU ARE NOT OK…

3. YOU A RE A WRETCHEDLY SINFUL PERSON, AND I AM A WRETCHEDLY SINFUL PERSON…

4. AND YOU AND I ARE CAPABLE OF UNSPEAKABLE SINS…BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD, AND THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT…

v. AND AS WE DEVELOP AN INTENTIONAL PRAYER LIFE, AS WE REALIZE THE HOLINESS AND SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD, AND ARE MADE AWARE OF HIS WILL, AND SEE HIS HAND AT WORK…

b. PRAYER HAS THE ABILITY TO HELP US:

i. RECOGNIZE OUR SINFULNESS.

ii. LEONARD RAVENHILL (1907-1994) - "A SINNING MAN STOPS PRAYING, A PRAYING MAN STOPS SINNING"

1. THE APOSTLE PAUL SAID THIS ABOUT HIMSELF…”WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM!” –

2. ISAIAH – “I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS AND I DWELL AMONG A PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS.” –

3. KING DAVID - (ESV) – 3 FOR I KNOW MY TRANSGRESSIONS, AND MY SIN IS EVER BEFORE ME. 4 AGAINST YOU, YOU ONLY, HAVE I SINNED AND DONE WHAT IS EVIL IN YOUR SIGHT, SO THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS AND BLAMELESS IN YOUR JUDGMENT.

4. PRAYER HELPS US TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE SINFUL, BUT IT DOES EVEN MORE THAN THIS…

iii. IT ALSO HELPS US REGOGNIZE AND CONFESS OUR SIN.

1. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE.

iv. WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT JUST ADMITTING TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE SINFUL…

1. BUT ADMITTING TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE SPECIFIC SINS WE NEED TO ADMIT TO THE LORD AND REPENT OF.

v. AND IT CAN HELP US FIND FORGIVENESS FOR OUR SIN.

vi. HOW CAN WE KNOW HOW TO BE FORGIVEN IF WE ARE UNABLE TO ARTICULATE THOSE THINGS FOR WHICH WE NEED TO BE FORGIVEN?

vii. PRAYER HELPS US TO BE ABLE TO NAME OUR SINS TO GOD, THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FORGIVE US…

viii. AND WE DO THIS, NOT BECAUSE GOD IS UNAWARE, BUT BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME SPECIFIC SINS IS TO RECOGNIZE THEM AS SINS…

ix. WE NEED TO ADMIT OUR SINS SO THAT WE CAN BE FORGIVEN…

c. SO PRAYER CAN HELP US TO DO THAT…

i. TO RECEGNIZE OUR SINFULNESS…RECOGNIZE AND CONFESS OUR SINS…AND FIND FORGIVENESS…

ii. BUT HERE’S A FINAL THING PRAYER CAN DO…AND I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF PRAYER…

3. IT GIVES US STRENGTH IN THE MIDST OF STRUGGLE.

a. PRAYER CAN HELP US OVERCOME FEAR.

i. LEONARD RAVENHILL – A MAN OR WOMAN WHO IS INTIMATE WITH GOD (THROUGH PRAYER) IS NOT INTIMIDATED BY MAN.

b. PRAYER CAN DISPEL THE DOUBTS THAT CREEP INTO OUR MINDS…

i. DOUBT IS A TOOL OF THE DEVIL…

ii. AND HE WILL TRY TO MAKE YOU DOUBT EVERYTHING…

iii. EVERYTHING…EXCEPT THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH GOD’S COMMANDS…

iv. HE SEEKS TO CONVINCE US THAT WE DESERVE THOSE THINGS WHICH GOD SAYS STAY AWAY FROM…REMEMBER THE INCIDENT IN THE GARDEN???

v. AND HE SEEKS TO CALL INTO QUESTION EVERYTHING RELATED TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST…

c. PRAYER HAS THE ABILITY TO – AS WE HEAR FROM GOD – CAST OUT DOUBT AND FEAR…

d. AND HELP US FIND STRENGTH IN THE MIDST OF STRUGGLE…

CONCLUSION:

SO PRAYER WILL:

- HELP US HAVE A PROPER VIEW OF GOD…

- HELP US COMBAT SIN…

- GIVE US STRENGTH IN THE MIDST OF STRUGGLE…

BUT THE QUESTION THAT WE EACH NEED TO ANSWER TODAY IS ARE WE DESPERATE ENOUGH TO SEEK AFTER GOD IN PRAYER?

ARE YOU DESPERATE ENOUGH TO PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN?

- MANY PARENTS ARE WATCHING THEIR CHILDREN RUIN THEIR LIVES ON THE ALTAR OF POOR CHOICES, AND THEY ARE ASKING WHAT CAN I DO?

o PRAY!

ARE YOU DESPERATE ENOUGH TO PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE?

- WE ARE OFTEN QUICK TO COMPALIN ABOUT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF OUR RELATIONSHIPS, BUT WE SELDOM SPEND TIME PRAYING AND ASKING GOD TO INTERVENE…

o PRAY!

ARE YOU DESPERATE ENOUGH TO PRAY ABOUT THAT DECISION YOU ARE FACING?

- IT MAY BE A JOB, OR A MEDICAL ISSUE, OF A FINANCIAL ISSUE…

- WHY WOULD WE NOT SEEK THE COUNSEL OF THE ONE WHO GAVE WISDOM ITS NAME?

o PRAY!

ARE YOU DESPERATE ENOUGH THIS MORNING TO RECOGNIZE YOUR SINFULNESS, AND YOUR NEED FOR A SAVIOR?

- PRAY, REPENT OF YOUR SINS, AND BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD, AND THAT HE DIED ON THE CROSS FOR YOUR SINS, AND ROSE AGAIN, AND YOUWILL BE SAVED!!!

o PRAY!