Changed as We Pray with Jesus
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Charles Drew
Sermon Series: How Praying Changes Us
Luke 11:1-13 (ESV)
1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Sermon Outline
Incentives for praying
1. Jesus prays
v. 1: Now Jesus was praying in a certain place
2. There are many important things to pray about
vv. 2-4: When you pray, say: Father, hallowed by your name….
Comprehensive
Deep
Broad
3. The Father hears and answers
vv. 11-13: What father among you…will give a serpent…How much more will the heavenly Father give….
We keep asking, seeking, and knocking (v. 9) because….
Rom 8:32: He who did not spare his own Son…how will he not also graciously give us all things?
Prayer of Confession
Generous Father, you urge us to pray urgently and comprehensively—for ourselves and those we love, for our world, and for your honor throughout the earth. You have convinced us of your generosity by giving us your Son, in whom we have already begun to receive all things. We confess that we don’t pray as we should. We tend not to pray enough or with enough urgency. We tend to pray too narrowly and with little expectation. Forgive us for our doubt, our laziness, and our lack of imagination. By your Spirit change our habits: increase our praying, deepen our faith, and broaden our prayer horizons. Change us as we pray. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who has triumphed over sin and death and sits now at your side interceding for us. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Do an inventory on your praying last week. How many minutes did you spend praying—on your own, in small groups, at church? What kept the minutes lower than they should be?
One incentive to praying more frequently and earnestly is knowing that we are not alone. What encouragements for praying do you derive from Hebrews 7:25 (He always lives to make intercession for [us]) and Romans 8:26 (The Spirit [of Christ] helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words)?
Think of those occasions when Jesus’ prayers were not answered. How might knowing this help you to press on in prayer even if nothing seems to be happening?
The pattern for praying that Jesus gives us in Luke 11:2-4 is personally comprehensive, deep, and broad. Where does the prayer reflect these qualities? What might you do this week to cause your praying to fit Jesus’ pattern more fully?
We won’t “pray big” if we don’t permit our imaginations to “think big” (…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven). Take five minutes to pray right now, allowing Cornelius Plantinga’s vision for a renewed world (from Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be) to guide you:
“Nations and races…would treasure differences in other nations and races as attractive, important, complementary…Business associates would rejoice in one another’s promotions… Newsfeeds would be filled with well-written accounts of acts of great moral beauty, and, at the end of the day, people would read these and savor them and [text] each other about them. Above all…God would preside in the unspeakable beauty for which human beings long and in the mystery of holiness that draws human worship like a magnate. In turn, each human being would reflect and color the light of God’s presence out of the inimitable resources of his or her own character and essence…”Jesus uses two illustrations in vv. 5-13 to motivate us to pray. What are the illustrations? Do they motivate you to pray more, or more earnestly? Why? Why not?
What does it mean to seek the Holy Spirit from the Father (v. 11b)?
Spend some time praying about your praying.