In this bible study, we look at what are the main reasons that we should pray. We also look at some things that were prayed in the Old Testament that are no longer appropriate for us.

Scriptures:

Matthew 10:7-8
Luke 11:1
Mark 9: 17-18; 25-29
Matthew 6:5
Gen 18: 16-18;22-29
Exodus 32:7-14
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Isaiah 26:3
Psalms 16:11
John 3: 16
John 3:36
John 5:24
John 17: 1-3

In Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus told the disciples:

7As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,a drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

What would your response to your pastor be if he instructed you to do this?

Many would ask how exactly are we supposed to do that.

The interesting thing is that there’s no record of the disciples asking Jesus how to do it before they tried to do it.

Peter didn’t even ask how to walk on water.

What did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to do?

pray

Luke 11:1

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

They asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.

They never asked Him to show them how to feed 5,000, heal the sick, raise the dead, turn water to wine, or cast out demons, but they did ask how to pray.

Why is that?

They realized that it was Jesus time alone in prayer and fasting that gave Him the ability to do what He did.

Mark 9: 17-18; 25-29

17And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” 19And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22“It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” 23And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” 24Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” 25When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.” 26After crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he got up. 28When He came into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not drive it out?” 29And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

This is an example of the disciples asking why they weren’t able to do something they tried. Even here the answer was prayer.

Did Jesus pray and fast at that moment?

Did the boy with the demon pray and fast?

What did Jesus mean?

Jesus was explaining that it was His relationship with God that He built through prayer is what allowed Him to perform this miracle.

Prayer was the discipline that kept Jesus connected with God and the Holy Spirit. It is how He refueled while on earth in a flesh body.

The prayer is what prepared Him

Story: I can sleep when the wind blows

be prepared

if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready

being prayed up allows us to sleep when:

the wind blows
we lose our job
a relative dies
we get sick

The purpose of prayer is to equip you spiritually for whatever life throws at you. To empower you with spiritual strength to cast out demons in your life.

How Did Jesus Pray?

Alone

Jesus never prayed with His disciples

- He always prayed alone

- prayer is a personal thing

this doesn’t mean we can’t pray in groups, but that isn’t the prayer that empowered Jesus

Not Religious

- Jesus taught against religious, ceremonial prayers

Matthew 6:5-8

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

we shouldn’t:

pray to be seen - for show
some people pray to impress others
some people pray to fulfill their quota

What are some examples of vein repetition?

saying hail Marys
to keep reciting the Lord's prayer (it's a model prayer)

if you're not thinking about the words

God looks at your motive

Is your motive:

to make God move
to get leverage from God
to manipulate God?
to fulfill a time requirement for God to love you?

there is no virtue in prayer

you don’t get “Holy Points” for praying

What Jesus didn’t pray for

Jesus never prayed for:

health
death
deliverance
healing

Nor did the disciples.

Next lesson we’ll discuss whether we should or not

Old Testament vs New Testament Relationship With God

leper example

in the old testament God sometimes acted out of anger

- God has now reconciled man to himself through the death of Jesus

Abraham

Gen 18: 16-18;22-29

16When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.c 19For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

20Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.d 23Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not sparee the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Why didn’t God want to tell Abraham his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?

Because He knew Abraham would try to change His mind

Was Abraham interceding for Sodom and Gomorrah?

Should we intercede so that God doesn’t destroy America?

no, I’ll explain later

Moses

Exodus 32:7-14

7Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

9“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”

11But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ” 14Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

Why did God call the Israelites “your people” turned away

because He was mad and wanted to disown them

Why did God tell Moses to leave Him alone?

So He could get mad and destroy them

Did Moses leave God alone?

because that’s what friends are for - to keep you from making rash decisions

Moses, Abraham, and David served as mediators in the Old Testament

Should we attempt to be mediators for America?

Why no?

Jesus is the only mediator needed now

1 Timothy 2:5-6

5For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

Do we need a Moses or an Abraham to Mediate for us now?

Do we need to pray for God to send Jesus to die for our sins?

no, He already did it

Jesus is the only mediator now

we don't need to pray to stop God's judgement

we don’t need to pray to keep God from destroying America

We don't need to pray to stop God's will

Just that His will be done

God has now declared the end of hostility

God does not punish you for your sins
Jesus received the punishment for all our sins
God is not putting His judgement on you
that's not our current relationship with God

We may have:

trials to build our character,
there may be a process to get us to our destiny
we may cause God to remove His protection from us,
but He doesn’t issue judgement on us now

Jesus is in you

- that's what gives you the power

Jesus interceded with God greater than we ever could

- we don't need to rebuke God anymore

- the wrath of God is no longer falling on us

- Jesus has forever satisfied the wrath of God

God isn’t currently acting out of:

Anger
Judgment
Revenge

But we can move far enough away that we lose His protection

- the enemy is waiting for that moment

And there are trials to build our character, but it’s not a response to anger or judgment

God no longer does things out of wrath, anger, judgment, or punishment, so we don’t need to pray to end or prevent this.

Other Things That Have Changed in the New Covenant

prior to Jesus the Holy Spirit came upon them and would eventually leave

but now He’s indwelt in us
so we don’t need to ask Him to come in, just to make His presence known

God is always with us

don't ask Him not to leave me or forsake me
It was appropriate for David, but not us

God is inside of us

we don't need to ask God to come down from Heaven

Why Should We Be Praying?

Why do most Christians pray?

when you need something
someone else needs something

friend / relative
our church
our country

as a tool to manipulate God

you promised this
if you love me then do this…
if you’re real then do this...

Did you come looking for steps to get your prayers answered?

that’s next week :-)

prayer existed before needs existed

Adam and Eve had everything they needed
but they had communion with God regularly

Why should we be praying?

to maintain our relationship with God

We should pray to:

establish a relationship with God
thank God for what He’s done
to love God and bless Him

if we have a relationship, asking for things would be a smaller part of prayer

remember that God is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him

What are some of the rewards of seeking God?

Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3

3 You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.

Joy

Psalms 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

What else did Jesus’ death give us?

Eternal Life

John 3: 16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

What was the purpose of Jesus coming

so we could have eternal life

Do non-believers have this “eternal life”?

yes and no - they do exist forever in hell
but they don’t have “eternal life”

So what is “eternal life”

let’s look at more scriptures

John 3:36

He who believeth on the son hast everlasting life

Do non believers have “everlasting life”?

John 5:24

He that heareth my word and believeth...hath everlasting life

does “hath” refer to the present or the future?

the present

everlasting life isn't something that's going to start in the future

- if we believe then we have it

John 17: 1-3

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

So what is eternal life?

knowing God

Jesus’ death allowed our sins to be forgiven which removed the barrier we had to intimacy with God

the goal of salvation is to know God in an intimate way

Before Jesus there were few who were able to have an intimate relationship with God (Moses, Abraham, David), and they needed to pray that the Holy Spirit wouldn't leave them.

Jesus didn't come solely to forgive your sins

- he came to forgive your sins so that you could have eternal life

- sin was the barrier to eternal life

- the Lord couldn't produce eternal life without forgiving your sins

most Christians aren't experiencing everlasting life - only forgiveness of sins

salvation isn't just getting your sins forgiven to go to Heaven

- it’s also so that you can get to know God

your praying to God shouldn't be dependent on Him giving you something

prayer should be about

- knowing God

- loving God

- worshipping God

all the things we get should be a byproduct of our relationship with God

if you were the only person alive Jesus would have still come and died for you

The Love of God

God loves unconditionally

you can't make Him love you more
you can't make Him love you less

Do you love God?

War Room example:

mother asks daughter if she believes she loves her

kind of
the daughter asked about her jump rope team

“what’s my team’s name”
team color
what award did I win
coach name

the mother didn’t know anything about what was important to the daughter

what if God asked us about the things that are important to Him

our main reason for praying should be as a response to God’s love

God wants to get to know us
God wants you to seek after a relationship with Him
If you aren’t hearing from Him then you should be working hard to find out why
Don’t just settle for a one way relationship

The reward of seeking God is a relationship with God

The purpose of prayer is to pursue the path of hearing from God

That is the purpose of prayer!

questions / comments

Summary

The purpose of prayer is to equip you spiritually for whatever life throws at you. To empower you with spiritual strength to cast out demons in your life.
We should pray alone and not just out of religion, tradition or obligation
Jesus is the only mediator between us and God
God no longer does things out of wrath, anger, judgment, or punishment. So we don’t need to pray to end this.
We need to realize that God is always with us and will never leave us, and as such we don’t need to pray for that anymore.
The main purpose of prayer should be to develop a relationship with God
Peace and joy are some of the results of seeking God
Jesus died to forgive our sins which resulted in our ability to have eternal life
Eternal life is the ability to have an intimate relationship with God
God loves us unconditionally and deserves for us to seek after the intimate relationship that we have access to

Presenter: Michael Leadon

References:

A Better Way to Pray (video series) - Andy Womack

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Saturday, September 12, 2015

The Purpose of Prayer