Church and Prayer | Listen to Sermon Audio
Church and Prayer - SERMON NOTES
Below are Pastor Ben's sermon notes from this past Sunday, in case they may be helpful for further study. To listen to the sermon, click the link above.
Intro: (1) prayer service — Onwuchekwa book (2) prayer on Sunday mornings — call to worship, confession, pastoral prayer, end of sermon, giving pastoral goal of bringing prayer shape to our congregation (4) 5 reminders about prayer
Breathing prayer (17-22): (1) prayer like breathing (2) the problem of believing something we don’t act on read James 2:14-17 (3) examples at Grace — Keith, Frank/Lori, Darlene (4) the effect of difficult circumstances on our prayers — being honest about our struggles to pray (cf. Psalm 73:21-26)
Defining prayer (29-35): (1) common definitions — talking to God, claiming things from God, aligning our will with God’s, wishful thinking (2) read Genesis 4:25-26 (3) true prayer recognizes God for who he is based on how he has revealed himself (4) true prayer demonstrates a trust in God despite appearances
Attempting prayer (23-28): (1) praying as novices — Abraham in Gen.18, 20, Moses in Numbers 14, 20 (2) praying does not come “naturally” we are too immersed in self-sufficiency (3) what causes us to not attempt prayer — busyness, technology, fear of when/how God will answer, not knowing what to say
Learning prayer (28-29): (1) Luke 11:1 — request for instruction in prayer (2) v.1-2 — perspective, v.3-4 practicality, v.5-10 — persistence, v.11-13 — paternity (2) exercise — something you need perspective on, practical need, something you’re waiting on, an attribute of God
Sharing prayer (35-37): (1) prayer like a prescription — creates hope (2) Titus 2:11-14 — this hope is shared among all those whose faith is in Christ (3) if prayer is intended to be a foundational source of hope, then that is multiplied when we pray together (4) shared prayer creates shared life — married couples
Conclusion: (1) salvation prayer (2) prayer service (3) consider fasting (4) upcoming prayer service —cards