Confidence: Will We Trust Him?
Lifeline: Power Through Prayer • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 29 viewsWhen the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something, they asked how to pray. Jesus responded not with a five-point lecture on prayer. Instead, He prayed. As we study the Bible on prayer, we find a powerful tool for communicating with God that goes far beyond "asking for a list of stuff." It's the key to a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ for every believer.
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Basis of Our Confidence...
The Basis of Our Confidence...
This morning… confidence in prayer. We’ve talked about desperation and desire and boldness in prayer. If we’re really honest, even those of us who’ve been Christians for a long time sometimes struggle with having confidence in our prayer lives. I want us to look at the basis for our confidence along two lines...
The God we pray to
The God we pray to
Divide our time between these two realms.
The gift He gives us
The gift He gives us
Divide our time between these two realms.
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:1-13
The God We Pray To...
The God We Pray To...
God is Father
God is Father
Jesus trying to teach this from the beginning. It’s bookended. The concept of Father doesn’t leap off the page for us, but it was a novel concept for the disciples! In the New Testament we have the privilege of coming to Him as our Father, not some dreadful, fearful God as in the OT.
He’s our Father. Let’s not forget that. We’re not the spoiled child and get to dictate what He does for us or we’ll throw a tantrum if we don’t get our way. The purpose of our prayers is not to control God.
that’s not how prayer works. When we pray, we’re basically acknowledging two things.
We are expressing a reverence to Him
We are expressing a reverence to Him
Expressing the fact that He is in control. He’s sovereign.
He’s our Father. Let’s not forget that. We’re not the spoiled child and get to dictate what He does for us or we’ll throw a tantrum if we don’t get our way. The purpose of our prayers is not to control God.
We are enjoying our relationship with Him
We are enjoying our relationship with Him
We are enjoying our relationship with Him
We are enjoying our relationship with Him
that’s not how prayer works. When we pray, we’re basically acknowledging two things.We are enjoying our relationship with Him
We have a relationship with the God of the universe. Let that sink in.
We are children
We are children
He contrasts earthly fathers
He contrasts earthly fathers
Jesus teaches from the lesser to the greater, “If this is this way, then God is even more so this way.” If earthly fathers care this much for their children, how much more so will God care for His children!
Don’t let Jesus’ next comment blow your mind, but He says earthly fathers are evil...
We are evil
We are evil
He is good
He is good
No father in this room has ever been right 100% of the time. In comparison to God, we are evil. Not my words.
In contrast, God is right 100% if the time. He’s also good 100% of the time. We may be wrestling with how do we pray to God. It might help if we understand He is right all the time, every time.
We have limited wisdom
We have limited wisdom
He has infinite wisdom
He has infinite wisdom
God knows every single situation. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
We have imperfect love
We have imperfect love
God has perfect love
God has perfect love
He deals with each of us individually in exactly the way we need. He loves each of us completely, and always unconditionally. He has no favorites and treats us accordingly.
The Gift He Gives Us...
The Gift He Gives Us...
The Spirit indwells us
The Spirit indwells us
Think about it. When we ask God for things He has given us the Holy Spirit in response. We ask God for comfort, He has given us the Comforter. We ask God for guidance, He has given us the Guide. We ask Him to teach us truth, He gives us the one who teaches all truth. We ask for wisdom, He gives us the Spirit of Wisdom. We ask for strength, He gives us the Spirit of power. He gives us everything in giving us the Spirit.
We ask for gifts, He gives us the giver
We ask for gifts, He gives us the giver
We ask for the supply, He gives us the source
We ask for the supply, He gives us the source
It’s like going to God and asking for money. And instead He gives us the bank.
The Spirit empowers us
The Spirit empowers us
The same Spirit that was hovering on the waters and brought creation to being, the Spirit who was on the men and women of the OT who were mightily used by God, the same Spirit is ours. Every good thing we have in Christ, everything that affects the way we walk with Christ is all dependent on the Spirit of God.
The Spirit pleads for us
The Spirit pleads for us
The Spirit conforms our prayers
The Spirit conforms our prayers
The Spirit transforms our lives
The Spirit transforms our lives
David Platt Sermon Archive The Spirit Pleads for Us
everything that God wants to do in every single one of our lives in this room happens as a result of the Spirit of God’s work in our lives.
Everything that God wants to do in every single one of our lives in this room happens as a result of the Spirit of God’s work in our lives.
David Platt Sermon Archive The Spirit Pleads for Us
I want for the Spirit of God to show Himself in this church in powerful ways, in unusual ways, in fresh ways so that we don’t do church business as usual anymore, so that we are doing things that apart from the Spirit of almighty God could not be explained, so that we are a people who are desperate for Him and calling out to Him, for Him to captivate us with His presence, to overwhelm us with His presence, not just in this place, it’s not about a building but us as a people that we as a people would be so captivated by the presence of our God in our lives that our lives would look radically different on a day by day by day basis and this church would look radically different.
I want for the Spirit of God to show Himself in our church in powerful ways, in unusual ways, in fresh ways so that we don’t do church business as usual anymore. Not about a building but us as a people would be so captivated by the presence of our God in our lives that our lives would look radically different on a day by day by day basis and this church would look radically different.