CORE VALUE: Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Series Introduction
Series Introduction
Good morning, Last week we took time talking about Vision.
We have a God who expresses our purpose and direction through vision and so, this should matter to us.
Over the next 5 weeks or so, we will go through a new series to look at our church’s core values, and our functions.
Series: CORE VALUES for GOD’S PEOPLE
Series: CORE VALUES for GOD’S PEOPLE
These are our Core Values.
CORE VALUE: PRAYER
CORE VALUE: PRAYER
PRAYER: What it is
PRAYER: What it is
Prayer is communication with God. There are different kinds of prayers just as we have different kinds of conversations with each other. Let’s go through some of them:
1. THANKSGIVING
1. THANKSGIVING
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
16 Estad siempre gozosos.
17 Orad sin cesar.
18 Dad gracias en todo, porque esta es la voluntad de Dios para con vosotros en Cristo Jesús.
34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
34 Aclamad a Jehová, porque él es bueno; Porque su misericordia es eterna.
Thanksgiving is such an important part of our lives.
A thankful attitude changes everything, but who should we be thankful toward?
Every human on the planet must give thanks to someone for something.
But God does not owe thanks or gratitude to anyone because He is self-sufficient.
All thanksgiving ultimately goes to God and because of Jesus, we have direct access to the Father to express our thanks for all He has given us.
Anything you are thankful for, you are thankful to God for and we do that through prayer.
PERSONAL THANKSGIVING vs CORPORATE THANKSGIVING
2. ADORATION
2. ADORATION
Adoration is the reverence, admiration, and devotion expressed toward God. This is often done in prayer.
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.
11 Tuya es, oh Jehová, la magnificencia y el poder, la gloria, la victoria y el honor; porque todas las cosas que están en los cielos y en la tierra son tuyas. Tuyo, oh Jehová, es el reino, y tú eres excelso sobre todos.
3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
3 Pero tú eres santo, Tú que habitas entre las alabanzas de Israel.
When we express our adoration of God through prayer, we choose to see Him as He is and ourselves as we are.
We are in need and He is our provider - Jehovah Jireh
We are weak and He is God Almighty - El Shaddai
We are sick and He is our Healer - Jehovah Rapha
We are troubled and He is our Peace - Jehovah Shalom
We may feel abandoned, but He is our Sheppard - Jehovah Rohi, and His is there/ever-present/and you are not alone Jehovah Shammah
He is worthy of your adoration! We adore Him in times of Prayer.
PERSONAL ADORATION vs CORPORATE ADORATION
3. CONFESSION
3. CONFESSION
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9 Si confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para perdonar nuestros pecados, y limpiarnos de toda maldad.
Through prayers of confession, we speak out those things we have done wrong, ask Him to forgive us - and then walk in freedom from those things.
We just read that He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us.
PERSONAL CONFESSION vs. CORPORATE CONFESSION
4. SUPPLICATION
4. SUPPLICATION
This is the kind of prayer most are familiar with besides thanking God for the food. Even then, many are not thanking Him, they are asking for Him to bless it, make it taste better, and take all the calories out of the cake.
Supplication is making a request of God. Here are some scriptures on supplication:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
5 Y si alguno de vosotros tiene falta de sabiduría, pídala a Dios, el cual da a todos abundantemente y sin reproche, y le será dada.
6 Pero pida con fe, no dudando nada; porque el que duda es semejante a la onda del mar, que es arrastrada por el viento y echada de una parte a otra.
7 No piense, pues, quien tal haga, que recibirá cosa alguna del Señor.
8 El hombre de doble ánimo es inconstante en todos sus caminos.
Here is a challenge to ask God for wisdom and believe that He will provide it to you.
3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
3 Clama a mí, y yo te responderé, y te enseñaré cosas grandes y ocultas que tú no conoces.
Notice that these two above scriptures do not have anything to do with stuff. They have to do with wisdom and wanting to meet with God.
We make requests for stuff, but we also make requests on behalf of other people (we call that intercession). We pray that others would see their need for Jesus. We pray for healing and peace. We ask that the promises of God in scripture be revealed and applied to our life.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
6 Por nada estéis afanosos, sino sean conocidas vuestras peticiones delante de Dios en toda oración y ruego, con acción de gracias.
That is only the first half. There is a promise that comes after this verse, but I want us to see how we are called to prayer - to request what we need from God knowing that He will give us what will glorify Him and be for our good.
PERSONAL SUPPLICATION vs CORPORATE SUPPLICATION
TRANSITION: These are some of the main kinds of prayer. It seems obvious as to why it is important, but I want us to see how God responds to prayer...
PRAYER: Why it is important
PRAYER: Why it is important
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
14 si se humillare mi pueblo, sobre el cual mi nombre es invocado, y oraren, y buscaren mi rostro, y se convirtieren de sus malos caminos; entonces yo oiré desde los cielos, y perdonaré sus pecados, y sanaré su tierra.
We see throughout scripture, that God responds to prayer. He calls us to pray. He promises a response. It may not be the response you think is good or right or best.
This is why our prayers of adoration help us to trust Him.
Our prayers of thanksgiving remind us that He is the source of every good thing in our life.
We confess our sins and weakness to Him and realize that only He is perfect.
We declare our needs before Him and when He responds, it only enhances our prayer life further.
Why do we do these things together and not just on our own?
CORPORATE PRAYER allows us, as the body of Christ, to see God’s response to our prayer - we call them testimonies, right?
PRAYER: In Action
PRAYER: In Action
Let’s take time in prayer today.
Perhaps yours is a prayer of confession and forgiveness
Perhaps you want to simply declare your love for Him through adoration
You may need healing or have another petition to bring before Him, let’s pray
Come and give thanks to Him today
Whatever it is, let’s pray together.