Sermon on Prayer | Fervent, Sincere, Persistent Prayer
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INTRODUCTION:
1. Psalm 96:8-9
2. One of the important acts of worship is prayer. In prayer we make certain assumptions:
1) That there is a God.
2) That we need God.
3) That God hears prayer.
4) That God answers prayer.
5) That God loves man.
3. Prayer is powerful.
1) There is power in prayer because of the power of God.
2) James 1:17
3) Ephesians 3:20
4. Prayer must be accompanied with human endeavor.
1) A farmer might pray for a good crop, but he must do…
2) Luke 6:46
5. In our lesson today we are going to see that if our prayers are going to be pleasing unto God they must be offered acceptably.
1) Knowing this very thing is what led the Lord’s disciples to say, “Lord teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1)
2) Let us set forth the same spirit of these disciples as we enter into our study.
6. In this regard we need to be aware that God is not just attentive to the words of our prayers, but He is also cognizant of our attitude that prompts those words.
DISCUSSION:
I. Sincerity.
1. Most certainly, sincerity is a basic, prime prerequisite of successful prayer.
2. Matthew 6:5
1) Praying without sincerity makes one a hypocrite.
2) These were seeking to attract the attention of men rather than God, thus their prayers were in reality addressed to a human audience.
3. Prayers are also insincere when they are prayers merely to ease one’s conscience.
4. Insincerity in prayer is soundly denounced in Matthew 15:7-9
II. Humility
1. To impress the hearts and minds of His disciples with the need for humility in their prayers, Jesus related the parable concerning a Pharisee and a Publican.
2. Luke 18:10-14 => notice the phrase “set all others at nought”
1) The Pharisee was filled with pride, self-exaltation, and self-righteousness … he acted as though the Lord owed him.
2) The publican, on the other hand, knew his spiritual poverty and need for divine help.
3. James 4:6, 10
4. Proverbs 29:23
III. Fervency
1. Must be intense in our prayer lives – not half-hearted and lethargic!
2. James 5:17
3. Colossians 4:12
1) “Fervently” comes from AGONIZOMAI, and this is where we get our English word “agonize.”
2) This we are to have a zeal and intensity in prayer.
IV. Persistency
1. Luke 11:5-8
1) This parable is not intended to imply that God is reluctant in heeding our prayer.
2) The reluctance of the neighbor was real: the reluctance of God is only seeming.
3) The fact that God is willing to answer our prayers should be motivation to be persistent in our prayer life.
2. Persistency in prayer is also taught in Luke 18:1-8
V. Watchfulness
1. Watchfulness and prayer go together and must not be separated.
1) Mark 13:33; Mark 14:38
2) Luke 21:36; Colossians 4:2
2. To be watchful means to be constantly alert to need of prayer in our lives.
1) 1 Peter 5:8-9
2) Surely, one who is watchful concerning the devil is alert to his need of God’s strength through prayer in successfully withstanding him.
VI. Thoughtfulness
1. “I will pray with the understanding…” (1 Corinthians 14:15)
1) This passage has reference to a prayer in a public service that cannot be understood by the hearers.
2) It is absurd to pray publicly if one cannot understand.
3) Whether public or private we are not to set forth meaningless words.
2. Matthew 6:7-8
1) The Lord is not condemning repetition – but vain repetition.
2) We must give deep thought to the words that we express in prayer.
VII. Godly Living
1. Prayer is not a substitute for the Christian’s responsibility to serve God, but is a reinforcement of his worthy endeavors.
2. 1 John 3:21-22
3. Proverbs 15:29
4. We must understand that when we are obedient that God doesn’t owe us an answer to our prayers – we receive God’s answer by grace.
1) But by the same token – we must be obedient if we want our prayer answered.
2) John 15:7
VIII.Self-denial
1. Matthew 16:24
1) These words of Jesus affirm that in living for and with Him, His disciples must deny everything in their lives that is contrary to the teachings of God.
2) Also, at times, we need to deny things that are right for the cause of Christ, for example:
a. We may deny ourselves of sleep because we stayed up all night in prayer.
b. We may need to forsake going to a ball game, because an important spiritual matter has come up.
2. You will notice also that fasting is associated with prayer throughout the New Testament (e.g. Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23; Luke 2:37)
IX. In Accordance with God’s Will
1. 1 John 5:14-15
2. Prayer cannot be forceful unless it brings the human will into union with the divine will.
3. We do not pray in order to change God’s will – but to bring our will to God’s.
4. We need to realize that it is just as possible to pray a false doctrine, as it is to teach one or sing one.
5. We cannot pray for things that are contrary to the will and teachings of God.
X. In the Name of Christ
1. John 14:13-14; 16:23
2. To ask a prayer in Jesus’ name is not limited to simply repeating His name … pray by His authority.
XI. Faith
1. Matthew 21:22
2. James 1:6-7
3. We must believe – truly believe – that the Father hears and answers prayers.
CONCLUSION:
1. If we are going to have a successful prayer life we must pray with sincerity, humility, fervency, persistency, watchfulness, thoughtfulness, godly living, a life of self-denial, in accordance to God’s will, in the name of Jesus, and in faith.
2. Are you having a successful prayer life?