REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain: moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).
FLIP CHART: John Stott’s outline of SOM.
This then is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matthew 6:7-13)
REVIEW:
QUESTION: What can you remember from the last two weeks? Share any concept or idea that comes to mind.
We must remember that Jesus has already given us two standard prayer requests of highest priority that should be prayed for daily:
(1) That the Triune God be honored and revered throughout the world
(2) That His kingdom would come throughout the world.
Although God’s decreed will is settled what He wishes to be accomplished on earth is not and is affected by our prayers.
A good model for God’s sovereignty is not that of an aloof monarch who greets us with an unblinking cosmic stare but the model of a caring parent that can be affected by our requests, a Heavenly Father that is “the most moved mover!”
God has chosen to govern the world through a partnership and thus as a “kingdom of priests” we are co-laborers, fellow-workers with Him. (I Cor. 3:9; II Cor. 5:20, Rev. 1:6) Dallas Willard’s definition of prayer: Talking to God about what we are going to do together.
READING: In the late eighteenth century William Carey felt a call to travel to India as one of those workers in the harvest. Pastors around him scoffed at his idea: “Young man, if God had wanted to save the lost in India, he could certainly do it without the likes of your or us.” They missed the point of partnership. God does very little on earth without the likes of you and us. (Prayer, P. Yancey, 112)
Prayer is one of God’s gift to us, His way to honor us, to show us His love for it enables us to play a role in the outcome of events, even the evangelization of the ends of the earth.
There are certain things that are very dependent upon our prayers, one being the sending out of harvesters, e.g. Christian workers into the world.
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
1. Re-Orientation of Our Prayer Priorities
2. The Prayer Requests that Jesus Prioritized.
3. Biblical Prayer Requests Always in the Will of God
4. Praying in the Will of God when We are Not Sure of His Will
PRAYING IN THE WILL OF GOD!
INTRODUCTION
The Apostle James wrote, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives [amiss – KJV], that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3).
We all often wonder if we are praying “amiss.” How can we be sure what we are praying for is God’s will? If it is not God’s will are our prayer’s worthless and meaningless? We want to pray but we want to make sure we are praying for what we should be praying for. Verses like I John 5:14-15 often challenge us:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – – whatever we ask – – we know that we have what we asked of him.” (I John 5:14-15)
In a partnership, both partners need to work together, pull in the same direction. God invites us into the partnership. He is for sure the Senior Partner. We must discern His will. We want to pray according to His will. How do we do that?
I. RE-ORIENTATION OF OUR PRAYER PRIORITIES
“. . . your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).
If prayer is God’s way of involving us in a partnership with Him by delegating influence to us – – then how do we prayer effectively, do our part in this partnership? Obviously, it is necessary that we are on the same page with the Triune God. That we pray according to His will.
QUESTION: What should be our prayer priorities?
The “Disciple’s Prayer” talks about “His will” and not “our will.”
The “Disciple’s Prayer” is the key to re-orientating our prayer life. The priorities are clear: Pray first that God’s person be reverence, honored and glorified around the world. Secondly pray that His Kingdom, the range of His influence, would continue to grow and expand among the kingdom of men. Third, pray that His will be done in every nook and cranny of our world. Only after focusing on these three matters do we pray about our physical and spiritual needs.
THE HEAVENLY MUST ALWAYS HAVE PRIORITY OVER THE EARTHLY. THE FIRST THREE PETITIONS RELATE TO GOD AND HIS GLORY, THE SECOND THREE FOR US.
II. THE PRAYER REQUESTS JESUS PRIORITIZED
Jesus prayed often and spent long periods in prayer. “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God” (Luke 6:12). The Gospel of Mark says records, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayer.” (Mk. 1:35)
What did He pray for? If we pray for some of the same things Jesus prayed for we will be praying according to the will of God.
Well, we know that He prayed that the Triune God would be truly honored throughout the world, that the Kingdom of God would come, that God’s will would be done …. But what else?
Some of the prayer requests of Jesus or requests Jesus told us to focus on:
That the Father to be glorified
Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you (John 17:1).
The casting out of demons
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer” (Mark 9:29).
The supply of our daily needs
Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).
The sending out workers into the harvest
Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38).
Unity and harmony in the fellowship of believers
I . . . pray . . . that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us . . . (John 17:20-21).
Growth in holiness
Sanctify them by the truth; your Word is truth (John 17:17).
Our faith hold firm
I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32).
Forgiveness of our sins
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12).
Protection from the evil one
Deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:13) . . . . Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).
When we pray for these things, we are always praying in the will of God!
III. OTHER BIBLICAL PRAYER REQUESTS THAT ARE ALWAYS THE WILL OF GOD
If you read carefully through Acts and the rest of the New Testament you will note many clear and potent prayer requests. And I am sure y ou can also find numerous prayer requests listed in the OT.
The salvation of unbelievers
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved (Romans 10:1).
Boldness in proclaiming the Gospel
Pray at all times in the Spirit . . . and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 6:18-19) . . . . And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness (Acts 4:29).
Signs and wonders
And now Lord . . . grant your servants to speak thy word with boldness . . . while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:30).
Strategic wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him (James 1:5).
Successful ministry of Christian workers
I appeal to you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints (Romans 15:30-31).
A mind of discernment
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Philippians 1:9-10).
Knowledge of God’s will
And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9).
Knowing God better
[We have not ceased to pray for you to be] increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10; cf. Ephesians 1:17).
Power to comprehend Christ’s love
I bow my knees before the Father . . . that you may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:14,18).
A deeper sense of assured hope
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:16,18).
Strength and endurance
[We have not ceased to pray for you to be] strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:11; cf. Ephesians 3:16).
A deeper sense of God’s power
I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers . . . that you may know . . . what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:16,19).
Enablement to do God’s will
May the God of peace …. equip you with everything good for doing His will . . . (Heb. 13:21).
Fruitfulness in good works
[We have not ceased to pray for you that you] lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10).
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY: Read through the list of prayer requests. In column one responds as follows: COLUMN I: Write “A” beside the prayer request if you pray almost every day for the request listed, “B” if you pray for it once in a while and “C” if never. COLUMN II: List the various prayer requests according to importance. 1 will be the most important, 2 the next most important etc. COLUMN III: Check three prayer requests that you would like to add to your daily prayer requests.
We can pray for other matters too.
Why not pray that the qualities listed in the Beatitudes be evident in our lives and the lives of others: Awareness of our need, mournfulness for sin, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, strength in midst of persecution. Pray that we would be the light of the world and salt.
Pray that the Aspects of Love and Fruit of the Spirit: patience, kindness, humility, selflessness, joy, peace, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control.
READING: John Piper writes: You can measure your spiritual temperature by whether your prayers are richly seasoned with expressions of longing for your own growth in godliness. Do you plead with God to make you more joyful, more loving, more patient, more kind, more gentle, more earnest, more disciplined, etc.? Or do you only pray that He get you out of this and that financial pinch or sickness or predicament at work. If so, call to mind that God did not create us and redeem us merely to live and live well off; he created and redeemed us to be holy as he is holy, to walk in his good will and so bring glory to him. So let’s be like David, and every time we hunger for life and safety, let’s express to God that we desire spiritual vitality and godliness just as much as life itself. (John Piper, Sermon on Ps. 143).
IV. PRAYING IN THE WILL OF GOD WHEN WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT OF HIS WILL
Discerning God’s unrevealed will for our lives is always a challenge for the Christian. How do we know what to pray for when the situation facing us is not listed in the Bible? Should I take another job, move to another town, purchase a new car, open a business???
Keep as a matter of principle that requests relating to the glory of God and your spiritual growth must have priority. If you are not focusing on these things first you are already missing the will of God in prayer.
Pastor David Mains recommends the following checklist to make sure prayers are on target:
1) What do I really want? Am I being specific, or am I just rambling about nothing in particular?
2) Can God grant this request? Or is it against God’s nature to do so?
3) Have I done my part? Or am I praying to lose weight when I haven’t dieted and exercised?
4) How is my relationship with God? Are we on speaking terms?
5) Who will get the credit if my request is granted? Do I have God’s interests [glory – jg] in mind?
6) Do I really want my prayer answered? What would happen if I actually did get my girlfriend back? (Prayer, P. Yancey, 226)
Praying as a “fellow-worker” for the “joint work”
Praying according to the will of God “occurs only when the one who prays does so as God’s fellow-worker, demanding what is needed for the joint work. It is the prophet’s, the apostle’s, the missionary’s, the healer’s prayer that is made with this confidence . . . Something of the divine foreknowledge enters his mind.” (C.S. Lewis as quoted in Prayer. P. Yancey, 236)
QUESTION: Who is our great helper in prayer?
The Divine Helper in prayer
And when we pray we always have this confidence: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. . . . the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. (Rom. 8;26-27)
ILL: Translating for Jeff King. He would miss a response in the audience and I would ask him if I could say a word. Then I would add an illustration to explain what he was trying to communicate. I was a translator and more than a translator because I helped him communicate to the heart of the listeners.
It is always good to end a prayer with “Thy will be done” because that should be the ultimate intent of all of our prayers.
SO WHAT???
1. As God’s fellow-workers we need to make sure we are on the same page with Him when we bring prayer requests to Him.
2. We need to reorient our prayer life so that it focuses on prayer points that were priorities in the Bible. This will mean a much greater focus on praying for spiritual blessings over against physical blessings.
3. Jesus and the Biblical authors provide us with many good prayer requests that are always in the will of God.
4. The closer we walk with the Lord the more on target our prayer requests and the Holy Spirit will translate the prayer requests that miss the mark.
TABLE ACTIVITY: Discuss the list of prayer requests. Each individual at the table needs to share:
(1) A list of the prayer requests that they pray for almost every day (Column I).
(2) Their top three prayer requests from the list (Column II).
(3) The three prayer requests they will be adding to their daily prayers (Column III) and why they chose them.