COMMUNICATING WITH
GOD THROUGH PRAYER
Luke 11:1-13
A Desire To Pray
V:1. " One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to
pray, just as John taught his disciples."
A. You never know who
is watching you.
1. You should
always be doing what is good, so others can learn from your
example.
example.
2. Whatever you
do becomes the conversation of others.
3. The disciples
of Jesus heard what the disciples of John learned.
4. The disciples
of Jesus watched Him go off alone and pray.
B. Prayer should be
one of the first attitudes we learn in our Christian faith.
1. Communication
with the Father is through prayer.
2. There is no
better role model for prayer than Jesus.
The Lord's Instructions
V:2 . "He said to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come."
A. We should first recognize the Father as who He is.
1. The name of the
Father is Holy.
a. We should
never say His name in vain.
b. At the name
of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Isa
45:23, Rom 14:11
2. In our prayers,
we should be mindful of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
a. While we
pray for our needs today, they are just provisions to keep us until
the day
we enter into God's presence in heaven.
b. This is not
our home, we are just passing through.
c. We are part
of God's kingdom building, therefore we should pray for the
salvation of others.
salvation of others.
3. We are commanded
to pray always. Luke 18:1
1. Our prayer
ought to be continuous.
2. We should
pray without ceasing.
4. We ought to pray believing that God will
answer our prayers.
1. Our faith
should be based on the entire body of truth.
Luke 18:8
2. James 1:6 says we ought to pray without any doubt.
Ask What You Need
V:3. " Give us each day our daily bread."
A. We live one day
at a time.
1. We should
pray that God provides for us one day at a time.
a. We are commanded
not to worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will have
its own problems. Matt6:34
its own problems. Matt
b. We also
have God's promise, that if we seek His kingdom first, all we need
will
be added to us. Matt 6:33
B. There are a lot of things you want, but ask
for what you need.
1. God can
give you the desires of your heart, if you delight yourself in
Him. Ps 37:4
Him. Ps 37:4
2. If we set
our hearts to please God, our desires will be to do His will.
Forgiveness Before Blessings
V:4. " Forgive
us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead
us not
into temptation."
A. God is the
only one who can forgive sins.
1. Jesus death on the cross is the atonement
for the sins of the world.
2. Therefore,
we ask the Father in the name of Jesus to forgive our sins.
B. We are
commanded to forgive others for the wrongs they have done to us.
1. If we
can't forgive, we can't satisfy the command to love our neighbors as
ourselves.
2. If we can't
forgive others, God want forgive us.
3. Forgiving others,
really is for you.
a. If we
can't forgive, the past has a hold on us.
b. If we
can't forgive, we will not be able to have Jesus Joy.
c. If we
can't forgive, we will not have complete fellowship with the Father.
C. We need God's guidance and directions.
1. Temptations
are all around us.
2. We need the
strength of the Lord to resist temptation.
3. The devil does
not always look like the devil.
a. He can
easily disguise himself as an angel of light.
2 Cor 11:14
b. Satan's
suggestions may seem right, when they are sinful. 2 Cor 11:14
4. We need the
intuitions of the Lord to steer us away from Satan's devises.
The Lord's Example Of
Persistence Praying
V:5-6. "Then he
said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves
of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have
nothing to set before him."
A. Many times our prayers come late at night.
1. Since we
are friends of God through Jesus Christ,
we can ask anytime we have a
need. James 2:23.
a. God never sleeps
or slumbers.
b. God welcomes
our prayers anytime we come to Him.
2. Whatever we
ask God to do for us, we should be willing to do for others.
B. To be a help to others, sometimes it will be at a time
when it is inconvenient for
you.
you.
1. In the example
God used, everyone was sleep when the neighbor came for bread.
2. The father of
the house was reluctant to move.
3. The God we
serve is never reluctant to help the faithful.
Testing Our Faith
V:7. "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't
bother me. The door is already locked, and
my children are with
me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything."
A. The neighbor who
comes to the door represents us, the believers.
1. The man who has the bread, represents our
heavenly Father.
2. Our heavenly
Father, does not always give us an answer to our prayers
immediately.
immediately.
3. But God hears
our prayers and answers in His time.
B. God uses our
circumstances to draw us into more communications with Him.
1. There is no
time when God gives us a " don't bother me response", but He does
cause us to rely
on our faith and to be patient.
2. The door to the
Lord is never locked, but open to our prayers.
The Promise Of An Answer
V:8. " I tell you, though he will not get up and give
him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the
man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs."
A. The point here, is
God may not answer our prayers immediately, but because of
our persistence,
He will answer our prayers.
1. There are times
when God is silent, but that does not mean He will not answer.
2. There are times
when God is long on His answers, but that does not mean no, just
wait.
a. It is in
the waiting that our faith is strengthen.
b. It is in
the waiting that we learn to be patient.
c. It is in
the waiting that we anticipate the blessing of the Lord.
B. We have be bold
when we go before the Lord in prayer.
1. None of us
deserve an answer to our prayers, but because of His love
and mercy He
grants what we need.
2. We are the
Fathers children, and He makes it His business to provide for us.
Our Responsibility
V:9. "So I say
to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you."
A. The promises that
Jesus makes to us are true, but we can't realize them unless we
exercise our
faith in Him.
1. God gives us
three commands; ask, seek and knock.
2. We can't sit
back, do nothing and expect God to do everything for us.
3. The tense of
the command is to keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep
on knocking.
4. Persistence is
key to prayers being answered.
B. James 4:2 says we have not because we ask not.
1. We have to be bold
enough to ask for what we want in faith.
2. We have to
seek the favor of God.
a. They that
seek the Lord will find Him.
b. We have to
search the Word to know His promises and to know His will.
3. To find a job,
you have to go knocking on doors.
a. We can't
expect God to do the work we can do for ourselves.
b. We can't
get discourage when doors don't open.
c. If you knock on enough doors, the
right one will open in God's time.
V:10." For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks,
the door will be opened."
the door will be opened."
A. Jesus promises
that our earnest, persistent efforts will produce the desired results.
B. The question is
not weather God will keep His promises, but weather we believe
He will.
1. When we
exercise our faith, we have to be willing to endure trials and
tribulations.
tribulations.
2. God tells us
not to get weary in well doing, because in due season we will reap.
Gal 6:9
3. There is a season for praying and a season
when God answers our prayers.
4. There is a
season to wait on an answer from God.
God's Compassion For Us; His Children
V:11-12. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks
for a fish, will give him a snake
instead? 12 Or if he
asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? "
A. As responsible parents,
we love our children and will not do anything to harm
them.
them.
1. It is irresponsible
parents that will purposely harm their children.
2. It is an
irresponsible parent who will not do everything in his/her power
to give their
children what they need.
B. The God we serve
wants the very best for us.
1. The God we
serve will provide for us.
2. The God we
serve will not give us what will be harmful to us.
V:13. " 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
A. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.
1. We think we
know what is best for our children, but God knows what is best.
2. God gives both
earthly gifts and heavenly gifts.
3. Only God can
give the gift of the Holy Spirit.
a. We need the Holy Spirit to remind us of God's
righteousness.
b. It is our
job to study the Word of God which is the foundation for
successful
living.
B. When we have the
Word engrained in our hearts, we will know how to pray
according to the
will of God.
1. When we are
living according to God's will, our prayers will always be
answered.
answered.
2. When we pray
according to God's will, He has a vested interest in answering our
prayers.
GOD'S
GREATEST EXAMPLE OF LOVE; JESUS
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Rev. M. Mitchell, Asst Pastor Of
GMBC
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