Sermon Tone Analysis

! What is Prayer?

1. Prayer is man *talking* to God directly.

2. Prayer is *spiritual communication* between man and God.

3. Prayer is a *two-way communication* and *relationship* with God in which man not only *talks* to God but also *listens* to God.

4. Prayer *develops* and *strengthens* our relationship with God and *demonstrates* our absolute trust and complete dependence upon Him.

5. Prayer is *seeking* God's favour(Exo 32:11), *pouring out* one's soul to the Lord (1 Sam 1:15), *crying out* to heaven (2 Chr 32:20), *drawing near* to God (Ps 73:28, KJV), and *kneeling before* the Father (Eph 3:14).

!! Some biblical promises to encourage us to pray:

/ He shall call upon me and I will *answer* him: I will *be with* him in trouble; I will *deliver* him and *honour* him.---Psa

91:15/

/ *The Lord is near* to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.---Psa

145:18/

/ And it shall come to pass that before they call, *I will answer*; and while they are yet speaking, *I will hear*.---Isa

65:24/

/ Call to me and *I will answer* you and *tell* and *show* you great and unsearchable things you do not know.---Jer

33:3/

/ Rejoice always, *pray continually* (unceasingly), give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.---1

Th 5:16-18/

Mt 6:9-15 is not the *Lord's Prayer* but His model for prayer.

And it starts with: *Our Father in Heaven* (Mt 6:9a).

It starts by knowing:

* 1. *Who* He is - who are you praying to?

* 2. *Where* He Is

* 3. *How* to Approach Him

* 4. *What* to Expect From Him

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!

I. Who is He?

!! A. He is our *Almighty God*

* There is none greater than Him nor can be compared to Him

* He is greater than all our problems and difficulties.

!! B. He is our *Heavenly Father*

* who loves, cares and wants to help us.

* Prayer is a *privilege* for us as His children.

We can come to Him with our petition because we have a *relationship* with Him through His son Jesus Christ.

/ Yet to all who did *receive* him, to those who *believed* in his name, he gave the *right to become* children of God.---John 1:12/

/ And *whatever* you ask in My name, *that I will do*, that the *Father* may be glorified in the Son.---John 14:13/

/ And in that day you will ask Me nothing.

Most assuredly, I say to you, *whatever* you ask the *Father* in My name He will give you.---John

16:23/

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!

II.

Where is He?

* in Heaven

* High and above and within us

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!

III.

How to Approach Him?

!! A. With *Confidence*

/ Let us then approach God's throne of grace with *confidence*, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.---Heb

4:16/

!! B. With *Assurance*

/ He shall call upon me and *I will* answer him: *I will* be with him in trouble; *I will* deliver him and honour him---Psa 91:15/

/ Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.

*Nothing is too hard for you*.---Jer

32:17/

!! C. With *Respect and Humility*

/ 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 I *will forgive* their sin and *will heal* their land.---2

Chr 7:14/

!! D. With *Clean Heart, Mind and Hand*

/ 1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But *your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face* from you, so that *He will not hear*.---Isa

59:1-2/

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!

IV.

What Can We Expect From Him?

* Our Father hears and answers prayers.

* It may be *Yes*, *NO*, or *Wait*

* Jesus said, "We must *pray always* and *never give up*."(Luke

18:1)

/ 7 *Ask* and it will be given to you; *seek* and you will find; *knock* and the door will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake?

11 If you, then, though you are evil, 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!

12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.---Mt

7:7-12/

1.

Everyone who /asks/ *receives*.

2. Everyone who /seeks/ *finds*.

3.

He who /knocks/ the door *will be opened*.

/ He is *able* to do exceedingly abundantly immeasurably *more* than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.---Eph 3:20/

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!

Application

Our Heavenly Father is *good*, *great*, *glorious*, *gentle*, *gracious*, and *generous*.

* He *gives* generously, not lends with interest nor dole out in pittance.

/ He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, *graciously give us all things?*---Rom

8:32/

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!

Challenge

Today come and stand before your *good, great, glorious, gentle, gracious, and generous Father as His beloved and precious child*.

1. *ASK* confidently and courageously for all your needs to be met according to the riches o his glory through Christ Jesus (Php 4:19)

2. *SEEK* consistently and continually for His will and purposes to be revealed and done in and through your lives (Rom 12:2)

3. *KNOCK* constantly and convincingly for Him to tell you and show you great, mighty and hidden things who you do not know and understand (Jer 33:3).