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.

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