Untitled Sermon

Don's Testimony

1. In 1975 Don became sick. After his first abdominal surgery, he woke up and learned that he was wearing 3 colostomy bags and two pouches of blood being transfused into his body. After a few more surgeries, a miracle took place. His whole large intestines were removed, but he did not end up wearing not even one colostomy bag.

2. 1976 Don left a church of 2000 people to teach people how to pray.

3. People do not choose to pray. Prayer chooses them.

4. The greatest thing one will ever do is to talk to God.

5. 227 Bible passages will be dealt with in the workbook.

The people who will change our world: Who are they? What are they like? How are they to do it?

7 types of praying people

The launching pad of prayer ministry

Luke 18:1 ESV

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

There are either praying or fainting. God desires to turn fainters into prayers.

1. Concerned People: The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Luke 18:2–8 ESV

He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Concerned about either family, church, country or world?

How many of you have family members outside God's will? Our family is a huge mission-field.

Unconcerned prayers are not heard to God.

Key: Cry to God day and night (v. 7)

2. Humble People: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Proud People vs. Humble People

1) Self-Confidence God-Heard

2) Self-Righteous God-Answered

3) Self-Elevated God-Elevated

If you do not humble yourself, God will.

You will never find proud prayer warrior.

Proud people may pray, but they will never pray powerfully.

If you ever think you are better than other people, your prayers will not be answered.

Key: He who humbles himself will be exalted (v. 17).

3. Little People: Let the Children Come to Me

Luke 18:15–17 ESV

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

1) Tender with no experiences

2) Trusting with no possessions

3) Dependent with no talents

Big people can only touch men, but little people can touch God.

You can't talk for God until you learn to talk with God

Key: Like a little child (v. 17)

4. Empty People: The Rich Young Ruler

Luke 18:18–27 ESV

And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said, “All these I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

This man was looking for eternal life, but Jesus said one thing kept this man from God--basically his possessions

1) Things they have

2) Things they want

3) Things that owe

These things keep people from praying; all of us already have more than what we need!!!

As long as you have things to work out with, you will not pray. You will try to work it out with what you have.

However, there comes a time when what we have will not matter any more.

One man from Oklahoma said, "Preacher, I lost 18 million dollars last year, but I learned how to talk to God."

Even church work can keep you from prayer

Key: How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God (v. 24).

It is hard for God to hear you and to fill you till you come to Him with empty hands and empty hearts.

5. Abundant People (28-30)

Luke 18:28–30 ESV

And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

1) What do you mean you left all????

2) Every one of us already has more than he needs and more than what he uses.

How many women have many extra pairs of shoes you seldom put on?

How many men have many extra pairs of pants in your closet that you seldom put on?

3) Yet, we still want more food, blessings, stuff, time.

Don't you ever say you don't have time to pray.

For those who say they cannot pray because they had no time, Don spoke of a man who found ample time to pray after had amputated his two legs.

Many people waste their time to watch TV or do FB.

No wonder we have no miracles as promised in the Bible.

Prayer is God's separator. God chooses prayer to separate His people.

Have you ever heard prayerless people's prayer? Bunch of empty words

Key: Receive manifold more (v. 30)

6. Ignorant People: Jesus foretells his death a third time

Luke 18:31–34 ESV

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.

1) Those who approach God in prayer are more impressed by their ignorances than they are by their knowledge.

- Warning: Continual ignorance is inexcusable.

- Challenge: God will never reveal his secrets to a prayerless man (cf. ).

Key: They understood none of these things (v. 34)