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Sermon: "Your Best Communication" Part 3
...a sermon on Prayer
by Chris Cumming
SERMON THREE
ON PRAYER – COMMUNICATING WITH GOD
Intro: This
is the 3rd part of a 3-part sermon on the subject of prayer.
Part 1 was the Introduction in which we discussed 3 subjects.
1)
The Lord’s
Prayer Outline
2)
Requirements
for Effective Prayer
3)
Recognizing
God’s Answer to Prayer
In Part 2 we
began discussing actual prayer elements. In that sermon, we discussed
the first 6 elements of prayer content. They were presented in
chronological importance.
1)
Praise—starting with praise for God
2)
Waiting—total surrender before the throne of God
3)
Confession—of sin; creating a clean heart
4)
Scripture
Praying—seizing faith
5)
Watching—mental awareness, vigilance, guarding against Satan
6)
Intercession---praying for others, for the Work, for countries and kings
Today, we
will conclude with the last 6 elements of prayer.
Again, the
purpose remains the same…
Communicate
with God
Prayer
Element 7: Petition
“The Act of
Personal Supplication”
“Supplication” means “to ask God humbly and earnestly”
The word
“supplication” is in your dictionary at home. Do you know what word
comes next?
It’s the
word “supply”. In that same dictionary it says as one of the meanings
of “supply” is church. The church is your supply until Christ returns.
The definition also stated each church member serves as a supply for the
other church members.
Petition is
that aspect of prayer given over to asking God for specific personal
things. To seek an unselfish spiritual or material blessing is not
unscriptural.
Let us look
at an important example: Does anybody know who Jabez was? I did not.
His story is
found in 1 Chronicles, that book with all the “begats”. There are over
500 names mentioned in 1 Chronicles. It is one “begats” after the
other. But right in the middle of all this, the Bible talks about just
one of the 500…Jabez.
Turn to 1
Chron 4 and beginning in verse 9…
1 Chr 4:9-10
9
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called
his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
10
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest
bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with
me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!
And God granted him that which he requested.
Jabez is
asking for physical blessings and God granted them. We can do the same.
Phil 4:19
19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory
by Christ Jesus.
Praying must
be personal. God tells us to work out our own salvation. That’s
personal. Prayer is a part of our salvation and they must be personal;
especially prayers of petition.
Petition is
the confession of helplessness in a specific matter. Since we are
helpless, we must offer these petitions to God EACH DAY.
Matt. 6:11
says “Give us this day our DAILY bread”.
We need to
express our dependence on Christ for every need.
Remember the
sermon I gave about changing God’s mind about something? We saw the
examples of God’s servants actually changing God’s mind. The lesson for
us in these petitions we offer to God is that we must present each need
with a good argument as to why God should grant it.
Keys to
Petition:
1)
A petition
should be specific.
Do not be
vague. The greater the intensity of our desire the better we will hold
on to that petition.
James 5:16
(ff)
…The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
2)
A petition
must be complete.
Think
through the petition. Analyze the problem from every angle and then
express it as a petition. The more complete you are the more faith that
is generated when we bring it to God.
3)
A petition
must be sincere.
1 Cor 5:8
8
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth.
4)
A petition
must be simple.
2 Cor 1:12
12
For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more
abundantly to you-ward.
Let your
petitions be direct, pure and simple.
Matt 7:7-11
7
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it
shall be opened unto you:
8
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him
a stone?
10 Or
if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask him?
Prayer
Element 8: Thanksgiving
“The act of
expressed appreciation”
Thanksgiving
is closely related to praise but differs in this sense:
Praise
focuses on who God is.
Thanksgiving
focuses on what God has specifically done for us.
As I have
stated, these elements are being given in chronological order of where
they might best appear in the make up of your prayer. This element can
however, be sprinkled throughout the whole prayer period.
Col 2:6-7
6
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Col 4:2
2
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Element 3
was confession of sin. Thanksgiving is a confession of blessing.
Like praise,
thanksgiving takes the believer’s attention from self and places it on
God.
What can we
possibly give God other than praise and thanksgiving? This question
is asked in the Bible. Turn to Psalms 116
Ps 116:12-17
12
What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Later, he
answers.
17 I
will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the
name of the LORD.
Earlier, I
stated that in our petitions to God, we should be specific. Such is the
case when we offer thanks to God.
Four
Specific Areas of Thanks:
1)
Confess
Spiritual blessings.
Eph 1:3-9
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved.
7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace;
8
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which
2)
Confess
Material Blessings
2 Cor 9:8-9
8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
9
(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor:
his righteousness remaineth for ever.
3)
Confess
physical blessings
Thank God
for good health.
Ps 103:2-5
2
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
3
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
4
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with
lovingkindness and tender mercies;
5
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed
like the eagle's.
4)
Confess
External blessings
Thank God
for blessings given to friends, community or nation. Thank Him for the
blessings to the Work and to this local church.
God’s
blessings are everywhere:
Ps 33:4-5
4
For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5
He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness
of the LORD.
Give thanks
unto you God.
Prayer
Element 9: Singing
“The Act of
Melodic Worship”
Here we
discover one of the most neglected aspects of personal worship---singing
alone in God’s presence.
Ps 100:2
2
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Notice just
down a couple of verses…
Ps 101:1
1 I
will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
In a survey
of over 150 books about prayer, only a few even mentioned singing and
then only in passing. Yet, no fewer than 41 of the Psalms specifically
refer to singing praises unto the Lord.
What should
we sing during prayer. On two different occasions Paul spoke of “making
melody” in our hearts unto the Lord with “spiritual songs”.
Eph 5:19-20
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20
Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Look at what
happen when Paul and Silas were in prison:
Acts
16:23-25
23
And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into
prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24
Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison,
and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25
And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and
the prisoners heard them.
Question:
How can we make singing a part of our prayer life?
Well you
could sing from memory or using a hymnbook and that would be okay. You
can also make up your own melodies by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Clearly this is what Paul and other did. There were no hymnbooks back
then.
What should
we sing about? Here are 6 themes and I only have time to list them.
1)
Sing songs
of praise.
2)
Sing of His
Power and Mercy.
3)
Sing songs
of Thanksgiving.
4)
Sing the
name of God.
A quick
verse here to cover numbers 3 and 4:
Ps 69:30
30 I
will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with
thanksgiving.
5)
Sing God’s
Word.
Ps 119:54
54
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
6)
Sing a new
Song.
Ps 144:9
SAYS
9 I
will sing a new song unto thee,
Let singing
be a part of your prayer life.
Prayer
Element 10: Meditation
“The Act of
Spiritual Evaluation”
Meditation
is a silent inner study of some spiritual matter.
Josh 1:8
8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Meditation
is taking the time to look deep. God, Christ and the Word of God are
very deep.
It is in
meditation that God’s Holy Spirit is heavily at work within us,
imparting understanding, knowledge and wisdom. Meditation gives us
peace.
Ps 94:19
19 In
the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
“To think
well,” Thomas Traherne said, “is to serve God in the interior court”.
Meditating with a solidly biblical foundation is the best thinking in
which man can engage.
Let us look
at 5 items in which you can focus your meditation:
1)
Focus on God
Himself.
Ps 104:34
Ps 104:34
34 My
meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.
2)
Focus on
God’s Word
Ps 1:1-2
1
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night.
3)
Focus on
God’s Works
Ps 77:12
12 I
will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
4)
Focus on
Past Victories
Ps 143:5
5 I
remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the
work of thy hands.
In times of
distress and trial, spiritual relief can be found in looking as the many
blessings God has given us in previous days.
5)
Focus on
Positive Thoughts
Phil 4:8
8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Gain
strength through Meditation.
Prayer
Element 11: Listening
“The Act of
Mental Absorption”
Now, right
away you might be asking, how does listening differ from either waiting
or meditation?
Waiting
comes early in prayer as we come before the throne of God and surrender
before Him.
Waiting is
when we focus on God in love.
Meditation
is a very careful exploration of a particular spiritual theme.
Listening is an element of prayer that stands alone.
To listen in
prayer is to mentally absorb divine instructions from God concerning
specific matters for that day.
It is in
listening that we find that prayer is a two-way street. We talk to Him
and He, in turn talks to us.
Rev 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him,
and he with me.
Exod
25:17-22
17
And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half
shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
18
And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou
make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19
And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other
end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends
thereof.
20
And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the
mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another;
toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
21
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark
thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
22
And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above
the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of
the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto
the children of Israel.
In prayer,
we are before the mercy seat, the throne of God. Listen for His Voice
Prayer
Element 12: Praise
“The Act of
Divine Magnification”
Prayer has
now come full circle, and we find ourselves again at praise. Worship
should seal all praying.
We began
with an act of adoration and we will end with an act of magnification.
Listen to
what Mary said when she found out that she would give birth to the Son
of God.
Luke 1:46-49
46
And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from
henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his
name.
Jesus taught
us in the Lord’s prayer outline to begin and end our prayers in praise…
“Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name”……the beginning
“For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever”….the ending
As prayer
concludes we praise God because it has been His greatness that has made
our devotional time with Him possible.
In these
final moments we add faith to our praise. We actually praise God for
future answers to prayer.
Ps 52:9
9 I
will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on
thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
By ending
our prayers in praise we leave the prayer closet by giving and not
asking.
IN THE NAME
OF “JESUS CHRIST”
We always
end the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ for everything we do and the
whole plan of salvation is only possible through the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. We cannot go before the Father with Jesus
Christ.
We then say
“Amen”….”so be it” or “it is done”. In the Greek we are saying “God,
our King, is trustworthy.”
End your
prayers in praise.
Well, there
you have it. Three full sermons on the subject of prayer. All three
were just outlines.
Prayer is a
life time study and a life time duty.
Never stop
learning about prayer. Devote your life and your existence to prayer.
Come boldly
before the throne of God. Talk with your Father
It is your
BEST Communication.
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