Topic: Prayer

Do you ever get tired of praying for the same people or issues or “stuff” only to hear silence
from heaven? How does God command us to respond in such disappointing times? And when
we get impatient with the “God who is there,” to borrow a book title from Francis Schaeffer,
how should we view our sovereign Lord and trust Him regardless of the seeming lack of
response to those prayers? In this sermon on Matthew 7:7-11, Pastor Gary unfolds the answers
to these very questions.

Every true Christian intuitively knows that he/she is in a spiritual battle. God’s Word tells us that and in Ephesians 6, Paul tells us about the “armor” of protection that the Lord has provided. But in the Pattern Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” That’s a rather enigmatic statement. What did Jesus mean by that? Does God lead us to do evil? Absolutely not (James 1:13-14) If so, then what is our Savior teaching us in this portion of the Pattern Prayer. Well, listen in as Pastor Gary instructs us on this very issue.

The world is doing a great job of following the adage of “an eye for an eye.” If you blind me, then I will blind you, and then we will both be blind and stumble in the darkness.” The suggestion that the first person forgive instead of retaliate seldom seems to enter the picture. But Jesus clearly taught us to forgive even as He did when He said on the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” More relationships have been destroyed by an unforgiving heart than we could ever count. Join Pastor Gary as he develops for us the issue of “Forgiveness & All that Goes with It” in today’s ministry of God’s Word.

When we pray “give us this day our daily bread,” we are really asking God to provide what we need, not necessarily what we want beyond our needs, although often He gives us that as well. The prayer assumes our own understanding of how dependent we are upon the Lord for everything in this life. Pastor Gary will flesh this out from God’s Word in this sermon sub-titled, “A Request for All Things Necessary.”

In the Pattern Prayer, often mistitled as the “Lord’s Prayer,” we say, “…Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Do we mean that in reference to the world, or do we understand that the answer begins with our own life? And when God’s will is at cross-purposes with our will, where does that leave us? Do we really believe that God’s will is God’s best for us, whether or not it feels that way? Pastor Gary will dig into these difficult questions to see what God’s Word reveals in today’s message, sub-titled, “An All-Consuming Passion for God’s Reign” in our lives.

How often do we inadvertently leave God out of our prayer times? We usually jump into what is most pressing on our mind, or the problem we’re facing right then, or the needs we think we have. But where should we begin and then properly bring our petitions to our God and Savior? Get some answers for these questions and more as Pastor Gary continues a study on prayer, emphasizing this week both the Imminence & Transcendence of God in our prayers.

Today, we begin to dig into the prayer that Jesus gave His disciples in response to their request, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.” We will deal with three foundational issues: (1) why is our “adoption” into God’s family so critical to our relationship to “our Father in heaven? (2) What are some of the doubts that hinder or even drive us away from prayers? And finally, (3) How can God love me, given the things I have done in my past?

“What does God think of my prayers?” Have you ever asked that question? How would you know? Well, Jesus helps us in this area of our walk with Him day-by-day. There are some things we should shun and other practices we need to embrace. For instance, do you often repeat certain words or phrases throughout your prayer time using familiar phrases? Even the name of God can be a habitual “filler” that borders on using God’s name in vain. Come find out how Jesus instructs us in our time alone with Him and even in public prayers so that you might pray as Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount.

Prayer is one of the most talked about aspects of the Christian life and one of the least consistently practiced. It is also one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines to pursue with consistency. But Jesus both preached about prayer and rigorously practiced it in his personal life. How amazing that the God-man felt a great need to spend time in prayer with his Father in heaven. Yet, you may wonder, “If God knows it all and will accomplish all his holy will anyway, then why should anyone pray?” Find out some answers in this two-part series entitled “The I-V (a medical term) of Life & Godliness.”