Announcements

Collection

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Our sermon will be in Luke 18:1-14

We have a website: https://tahlequahworshipcenter.com/

We are going through the book of John on Wednesday Nights

We need to have another work day before long maybe 5/28?

We will be having Church Camp this year

Prayer requests

Gerald

Georgey

Dorcas

Cristy’s Grandparents

Sandra

Donna

Ukraine

Barbara’s Family

Barbara S. Son

Joe

Nita’s cousin

Songs

Mansion Over The Hilltop

Do You Know My Jesus

If We Are The Body

Attitude Of Prayer

It’s Hard To Be Humble

Ok, that was a joke

We are going to be talking about prayer, and especially our attitude.

It’s often not true but,

One of the biggest objections to Christianity is that the Church is full of Hypocrites.

Mahatma Gandhi, famously said

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

The truth is that hypocrites need saving too.

Even if we are saved, we can come across as a hypocrite.

Before I actually start preaching, let’s take a look at our text.

Luke 18:1–14 NKJV

1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pray Continually

Most of you know that I have some ongoing medical conditions.

I often wonder if I should keep on praying

There are so many on our prayer list and many that I put on there.

The truth is that this passage is clear that we need to keep praying, keep asking God for what our inner desires are.

Jesus uses an example of a woman asking a judge that was unjust.

He is clearly teaching us that we need to keep praying.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV

17 pray without ceasing,

We are to pray always.

I know that Paul asked God to take away a thorn in his flesh.

2 Corinthians 12:8–10 NKJV

8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

So unless God tells me to stop praying for it, I am not going to.

Pray without ceasing.

Look how Jesus closes this thought: Luke 18:8

Luke 18:8 NKJV

8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

“Never, never, never stop praying”

“Never stop praying for your needs”

“Never stop praying for those you love”

“Never stop praying for others”

“Never stop praying for me”

“Never stop praying”

We need to Pray Continually, and

Pray Honestly

In this next passage, we need look at the difference between the 2 guys praying.

One guy comes in and he doesn’t understand his own problems.

There are Christians who are doing all the right things, they are dotting their “i”s and crossing their “t”s.

But they have one blind spot.

They are prideful.

Jesus says we need to fix our own problems before we try to fix other peoples problems

Look at Matthew 7:1-5

Matthew 7:1–5 NKJV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Even if we deal with everything in our lives, then we probably have pride that we are dealing with.

That gets to the heart of what Jesus is saying.

We need to work on ourselves first.

There is this story in John 8:1-11

John 8:1–11 NKJV

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Do we have this loving attitude that Jesus is showing here?

Jesus acknowledges her sin, but does it in a loving way.

We need to look at our own sin first. We need to ...

Pray Humbly

When I pray to God, I ask for God’s help knowing that I am a sinner.

I know that I have faults.

I know that I sin.

The problem is that we often find a sin under every rock, or we find excuses in the Bible for those things that should be self-evident.

Let me give you an example: Matthew 5:27-28

Matthew 5:27–28 NKJV

27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Listen, to some extent, almost every one of us falls short on that verse.

So, to put it plainly, any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a women is a sin.

Even thinking about it.

Now there’s a line between lust and noticing.

Sometimes, I don’t know where that line is, so I’m going to go to God and tell him I’m sorry for all those thoughts.

We can’t meet God’s standard.

That means we are the tax collector.

Luke 18:13 NKJV

13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

If we start there, then God will hear our prayer.

James 5:13–18 NKJV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Elijah was a man like us. Let us pray like him. Let us proclaim the word like him. Pour your blessings on us like you did him.

Without the right Attitude in prayer. There will be no Altitude in prayer

Pray