THE COMMUNION OF PRAYER (3)
January 4, 2004 AM
Sermon Outline
LK 18:9-14
INTRO: Two men went up into the temple to pray. Here are two men who are engaged in admirable activity ... that of prayer. Yes, the two men were very different. But they both sought the ear of God in prayer. Are you happy with your prayer life? Do you pray as often as you think you should? Do you feel comfortable speaking to God through prayer? Is prayer an essential pare of every days activity for you? To help us to come to a better appreciation of prayer consider:
I THE PENITENCE OF PRAYER ... HAVE MERCY
A. Lk 18:13 - God be merciful to me a sinner
1. here is a man recognizing his greatest need ... forgiveness
2. v. 14 tells us his plea came from penitence ... for he was justified, made whole in his prayer
3. penitence in prayer and humility are inseparable - and this parable notes the contrast between humility and pride (note Acts 9:11)
B. Prayers for forgiveness must be penitential if we are to be forgiven
1. Lk 18:11 - is there the sound of humility, Godly sorrow here?
2. to ask Gods forgiveness without true change of heart leading to changed living is pointless ... mockery
3. God, forgive me is no magic formula ... penitence is the activator
II THE PAUSE OF PRAYER ... MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT
A. Ps 55:17 - Evening and morning and at noon will I pray...
1. the pause that refreshes - is really the pause of prayer
2. David, busy man that he was, had his set time of prayer
3. Daniel was predictable in his pause of prayer (Dan 6:10,11) - he wasnt too busy, too frightened to pray (Isa 40:31)
B. New Testament prescribes no set frequency of prayer
1. but Jesus & apostles paused often to pray - see Mk 1:35; Acts 10:9; Acts 20:36
2. and in the pause was (is) refreshing of the spirit
3. Ps 23:3 - ...he restoreth my soul... - communion with God in prayer is certainly restorative - so, Rom 12:12c ... continuing instant in prayer
III PREVENTIVE PRAYERS ... AVOIDING DISASTER
A. Mt 26:41 - ...pray, that ye enter not into temptation
1. vigilance of and in prayer - watching and alert
2. a praying person who is constantly communing with God has greater resources upon which to draw in temptation
3. but the apostles slept and were subsequently overcome by trial!
B. Watching in prayer is frequently encouraged for disciples
1. 1 Pet 4:7 - Col 4:2 - ...watch in the same...
2. we cannot totally avoid temptation - but we can fortify ourselves against it by praying often
3. Mt 6:13 - do not abandon me to temptation ... stand by me in it (cf. 2 Tim 4:16,17a)
IV PROVINCE OF PRAYER ... PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING
A. Phil 4:6 - ...in everything by prayer and supplication...
1. in what part of ones life does prayer not belong?
2. answer: prayer belongs in every part of our lives
3. every legitimate phase of life is of interest to God
B. Consider the provinces mentioned in the model prayer:
1. Mt 6:11-13
a. daily bread - a mundane, secular need, interest
b. as we forgive - personal relationships
c. deliver us - spiritual concerns
2. and the lesson is that prayer belongs in each province or realm of life
3. in nothing must (or, should) we go it alone ... because in everything we do God is interested and concerned (could that be inherent in the words, Our Father....?)
CLOSE: Really, the question begins to form along these lines. How can I get along without prayer? And the answer is, I cannot. Perhaps each of us needs to have a rediscovery of prayer in his life.
Cecil A. Hutson
4 January 2004