CHRISTIANPRAYER

LESSON 19

WHY PRAY?

1 Corinthians 10:31

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Psalm 50:15

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;     I will deliver you, and you will honor

me."

Why Pray?

1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)

Philippians 4:6

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

1 John 5:3

3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

Why Pray?

1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)

2) Because God wants us to and we want to

Luke 11:1-13

Jesus' Teaching on Prayer    1One 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.”    2He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

   5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

Luke 11:1-13

 7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

   11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Why Pray?

1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)

2) Because God wants us to and we want to

3) Because God promises His blessings to those who pray

WHO PRAYS

PROPERLY?

John 14:13-14

13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

Matthew 4:10

 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Psalm 66:18

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,     the Lord would not have listened;  

Mark 11:25

25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Isaiah 59:1-2

   1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.

    2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.    

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3) Repent daily and turn away from sin

James 4:3

3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3) Repent daily and turn away from sin

4) Pray with God-pleasing motives

James 1:6-7

6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3) Repent daily and turn away from sin

4) Pray with God-pleasing motives

5) Pray trusting that God hears and answers

1 John 5:14

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Who Prays Properly?

1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)

Those who …..

2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3) Repent daily and turn away from sin

4) Pray with God-pleasing motives

5) Pray trusting that God hears and answers

6) Seek God’s will

SOME GUIDELINES

FORPRAYER

Some Guidelines for Prayer1) Use whatever posture, etc, that expresses

our inner attitude.2) Combines prayer with Bible study to balance output with intake

3) Pray in this pattern:A adoration

C confessionT thanksgivingS supplication (a humble request)

petition (a request) intercession (a prayer for someone else)

THE LORD’S PRAYER

TEACHESUS ABOUT

PRAYER

Matthew 6:5-155“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 men. I tell you the truth, 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.

Matthew 6:5-15  9“This, then, is how you should pray: “

‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done       on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts,       as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us About Prayer

1) We pray as children

2) God’s honor, kingdom, and will are the most important things to pray about

3) Spiritual requests come before physical requests

4) Praise should be included

5) We end confidently with “Amen” which means, “It shall be so.”

ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT WEEK

1. Study carefully the notes you have taken in class; be sure you understand them.

2. Study carefully questions 329 – 376 in the Catechism. Be able to answer them in your own words.

3. Complete the “Working with God’s Word” section. Have parents check your work.

4. Memorize these Bible passages:

VIP Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

1 John 5:14 – “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

5. Memorize the Lord’s Prayer.

6. Complete Worksheet #19 at home and have parents correct it. Prepare for Unit Review of Lessons 17-19 for Wednesday, March 2nd, 5:45 – 7:30 pm.

KEY TRUTHS

Lesson Nineteen: Prayer is one way we honor God (prayer is ____________). We pray the right way when we pray in Jesus’ ______ , to ______ alone, with God-pleasing __________, trusting that God _____ and ________, and seeking God’s ______. A good pattern for praying is A____, C________, T_________, S_________. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught us to pray mainly for _________blessings. Amen means ______________. _______

Closing Prayer

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Amen.