Sermon Tone Analysis

*THE PRAYER OF CONNECTION*

*The Lord’s Prayer:  Path to Inner Peace*

*Part 1 of 8*

*Rick Warren*

*June 22-23, 2002*

 

 

/       “Don’t worry about anything.

Instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”/

Phil 4:6-7 (NLT)

 

The Key to Inner Peace: ________________________________________

 

       /“This is how you should pray:  Our Father in heaven…”/  Matt.

6:9 (NIV)

 

       God is a____________________, not a ____________________

 

 

 

We can connect with God because …

 

1.

HE IS A ________________________________________

       /“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who honor Him…”/  Ps.

103:13 (NIV)

 

       /“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you!”/  1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

 

       /“So don’t worry saying, ‘What shall we eat? … or what shall we wear?” … Your heavenly Father knows you need these things.”/

Matt.

6:31-32 (NIV)

 

 

2.

He is a ________________________________________

       /“Every good and perfect gift… is from the Father – who does not change like shifting shadows.”/

James 1:17 (NIV)

 

       /“Even if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”/

       2 Tim.

2:13 (NIV)

 

       /“God will never go back on His promises.”/

Rom.

11:29 (LB)

 

       /“My God is changeless in His love for me.”/

Ps.

59:10 (LB)

 

 

\\  

3.

He is a ________________________________________

       /“God did this so people would… reach out for Him and find Him, since He is not far from each of us.”  /Acts 17:27 (NIV)

 

 

       He is never ______________________________

       /“T//he Lord is near to all who call on Him.”/  Ps.

145:18 (NIV)

 

      

       He loves to ______________________________

       /“If you… know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”/  Matt.

7:11 (NIV)

 

 

       He is sympathetic to ________________________________________

       /“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”/

Ps.

34:18 (NIV)

 

 

4.

HE IS A ________________________________________

       /“For nothing is impossible with God.”/  Lk.

1:37 (NIV)

 

/       “(God) is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes!”/   Eph.

3:20 (LB)

 

      

 

                                    God sent Jesus to make the connection:

/       Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”/

John 14:6-7 (NIV)

 

       /“We are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”/

Gal.

3:26 (LB)

 

 

 

\\ *THE PRAYER OF CONNECTION*

*The Lord’s Prayer:  Path to Inner Peace*

*Part 1 of 8*

*Rick Warren*

*June 22-23, 2002*

* *

* *

This week we’re going to begin a new series that’s going to take us through the rest of the summer on The Lord’s Prayer.

For the next eight weeks I’m calling it “The Path to Inner Peace.”

Summer time is a great time to de-stress your life.

And it’s a great time to work on gaining inner peace something everybody would like to have.

In fact, all of us would like to feel at peace with ourselves on the inside.

Every one of us would.

We often go to great lengths to try to find what will calm me down, what will de-stress me, what will give me that inner peace.

Yesterday, I went on the Internet and found all kinds of products and services that offer us inner peace.

Among them aroma therapy, organic potato chips (I don’t know how those work), funeral services, candles, a plumbing warranty, bank overdraft protection, yoga, herbs, cancer insurance, car alarms, even mood rings promising inner peace.

If only it were that easy.

The truth is very few people ever experience inner peace.

We spend all of our time regretting the past and worrying about the future so we mess up today.

And we don’t have inner peace.

The Bible is very clear about what brings inner peace.

Philippians 4 says, /“Don’t worry about anything.

Instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.

If you do this, you will experience God’s peace/.

[Circle “you will experience God’s peace.”]

/which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”/

It says there whatever I do in that verse will bring me peace.

And what is it?

/Pray about everything./

That’s it.

The Bible says the key to inner peace is prayer.

As I go through life I can either worry or I can pray.

Those are my options.

If you pray you’ll have a lot less to worry about.

He says if you pray you will experience inner peace.

That brings up the logical question, what do I pray?

How do I pray?

What words do I use?

How do I say the kind of prayer that will bring me inner peace?

Fortunately the disciples asked that question 2000 years ago.