How To Pray More Powerfully in 14 days
Part 1 of 2 * Luke 11:5-8 (NIV)
April 27, 2003 Chester’s FBC, Chester, IL Mike Fogerson, Speaker
1 Introduction:
A A tavern was being built in a town that had previously been dry. In opposition to the tavern, a group of Christians began an all night prayer meeting and asked God to intervene. Lightning struck the tavern and burned it down.
a The owner then brought a lawsuit against the church and held them responsible. The Christians hired a lawyer and denied responsibility.
b In response to this unusual scenario, the judge said, "No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer, and the Christians do not."
*There is a power in prayer!
B The apostles spent 10 days in prayer, 10 minutes preaching and 3,000 people got saved on the day of Pentecost.
a We spend 10 minutes in prayer, 10 days preaching and we haven’t seen 3,000 people saved in 65 years.
b There is power in prayer!
2 We are going to spend the next 2 weeks learning how to pray more powerfully.
(Briefly describe Three Step Strategy to Prayer Ministry)
A Jesus disciples didn’t ask "How" to raise the dead, heal the sick, make the blind to see, make five loaves/2 fish feed 5,000. They said , "Lord, teach us how to pray."
a Luke 11:5-8
5 Then 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, [6] because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 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.’ [8] I 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.
b Jesus taught His followers how to pray with power. (ETS)
B Prayer opens the door for God himself to do his work in us. (ESS)
a I hope you’ll commit yourself to participating in the power behind church growth. (Objective)
b What missing building blocks are stopping you from building a powerful prayer life? (Probing Question)
T.S.: Let’s look at the first three building blocks that make for powerful prayer.
I The first building block that makes powerful prayer is.....URGENT NEED. (vv:5-6)
5 Then 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, [6] because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
A The guest arriving at midnight was mighty hungry.
(Traveling for hours in the mid-eastern sun, he got a late start, the mule wouldn’t start, ran out of water, bread, sand was in his sandals, hair and clothes.)
a It was 12 midnight, not 12 in the afternoon. (Not a perfect time)
b The friend had an immediate need (hunger) and it was pitch dark out. Need was food.
B We are surrounded by people who are living with a need in the pitch darkness.
a We are surrounded by hungry people.
(Hunger for a job,...a marriage to work,...peace,...friendship,...to be shown they are loved.)
b God has sent them to our house!!!!
*It’s dark out there! It’s not a convenient time for many of you!
*Prayer. God’s not waiting for your prayers to be perfect for you to pray.
C A little boy stayed with his grandma/grandpa every Saturday night and went to church with them on Sunday morning.
a He stayed awake until 12 o’clock and counted the chimes of the ol’grandfather clock.
*This Saturday night it rang 13 times. The little boy came running into his grandparents room as said, "It’s later than it’s ever been."
b Church, it’s later than it’s ever been and God has sent people who are hungry to us.
*There is an urgent need for prayer!
T.S.: To have prayer that’s powerful it starts with an urgent need that leads to the next block.
II The second building block that makes powerful prayer is...WILLING LOVE. (v:5)
5 Then 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,
A The host was willing to leave the comfort of his warm bed to show love to his late night guest.
a Lights were out, kids were in bed, dogs were settled, resting well...and his ol’ high school buddy shows up.
b Without thinking the guy gets out of bed, turns on the lights and leaves his comfortable home to help his buddy.
I Cor 13:5 "..it (love) is not self-seeking" (Sounds like love to me!)
B Prayer is full of a willing love. (We’ve already established that there are people all around you with need.)
a Prayer is more than words. It’s a willingness to leave what’s comfortable in order to meet someone else’s need. Pray for/do something for someone who isn’t you!
b In the pioneer days, During the pioneer days, a family lost all of their possessions to a fire. In response, the church called for a special prayer meeting in their behalf. As the people came together for prayer, a young man rode up with a wagon full of supplies. He had canned goods, staples, building materials, tools, and sundry other items. The young man said, "My father couldn’t make it today, but he sent his prayers." Prayer involves much more than words!
C In the horrors of WWII, Winston Churchill called on his subordinates to find more silver for defense projects. (Tough times, materials in short supply, they found silver in the most unlikely of places.)
a Statues of saints in this monolithic cathedrals, melted down the statues and then with his characteristic wit said, "It’s time we put the saints back in circulation."
b Churchill was right. It’s time we go back in circulation!
*That takes saints who will show a willing love to people in need.
*This is action to your prayers.
*Card from mother of college student!!!!
T.S.: R. C. Sproul has noted, "To pray without action is hypocrisy. To act without prayer is pagan." Effective prayer involves the balanced tension between total dependence on God and responsible action by the one who prays. This leads us to the last building block we’ll build on today.
III The third building block that makes powerful prayer is...A REALIZATION OF HELPLESSNESS. (v.6a "I have nothing to set before him.")
A The host has NOTHING (zero, zilch, nil, nix) to offer his needy friend.
a I can hear him saying, "If I knew you were coming I would have bought extra, straightened the house, had clean sheets in the guest bedroom, picked up, diet coke, cooked your favorite dish."
b I HAVE NOTHING!!
*Before the host could go to his friend(who had plenty), he had to realize he had NOTHING. He was helpless.
B The moment we realize we have nothing, our prayers go to a whole other level.
(Until we do, we’ll never know the power available to us through prayer)
PRAYER a IMPOTENCE OMNIPOTENCE
aa We are finite, helpless, impotent.
bb God is eternal, has access to every resource of eternity, omnipotent
cc Prayer is what bridges the gap! Prayer allows us to tap into HIS resources!
b When we realize were helpless.....we can get help.
Powerless......we can get power Empty............we can get filled.
Nothing.........we can get something.
C During the days of sailing merchant ships, one such vessel becalmed off the coast of South America. Weeks went by without the slightest movement of wind. The ship was helpless and couldn’t move. The sailors were dying of thirst, when another ship drifted close enough to read their frantic signs for help. "Let down your buckets," was the reply. They then found water suitable for drinking right beneath their keel. Although adrift at sea, they were surrounded by the fresh water current that came from the mighty Amazon River. All they had to do was reach for it.
a We one who had the power the create the cosmos with a single word wants us to call him "Daddy."
b LK 11:9 "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. [10] For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
*Ask for the power!!
*Before you can, you’ve got to admit what the host did, "I have nothing!"
Conclusion:
Jesus taught His followers how to pray with power. (ETS) Prayer opens the door for God himself to do his work in us. (ESS)
A We’ve looked at the first three building blocks that make for powerful prayer.
a Urgent need (It’s later than it’s ever been!)
b Willing love (Leave our comfortable bed, homes and put action to our prayers. It’s time the saints get back in circulation)
c Realization of helplessness (I have nothing!!! "The power of prayer is not in the one who prays but in the one who hears it." -Max Lucado
B I hope you’ll commit yourself to participating in the power behind church growth. (Objective)
a Two Choices
*Squeak by in your prayer life. Prayer over your hamburger, shredded wheat. Pray really hard when times get really hard.
b OR you can decide to get serious about praying more powerfully.
*Church growth
*Seeing Chester brought to Jesus
*Another great awakening, Revival, start with us!!!!
*John Wesley, "God does nothing but in answer to prayer."
C What missing building blocks are stopping you from building a power prayer life?
a Every Friday night, a prayer group meets in Rivera, Uruguay. Such fervency would usually be applauded, but such is not the case. These Friday-night warriors are the leaders of spiritist groups who meet for the purpose of calling on the forces of evil to hinder and destroy the efforts of local Christian churches and pastors. Additionally, they attend worship services in hopes of disrupting them. To counter these attacks, Pastor Nelson Fernandez and his wife, Maria, have established daily prayer groups of Christians. May the tenacious zeal of these non-believers challenge us to more faithfully utilize the power, opportunity, privilege, and responsibility of prayer.
*The devil is doing everything he can to tear your life, this church to shreds.
*The only power we have to fight off his attack is prayer.
*I’ve got good news...prayer is the only power we need!
*"We will have all of eternity to celebrate victories, but only a few hours before sunset in which to win them."
*Sometimes we pray on our knees, sometimes we pray on our feet, but all times we pray.
b What missing building blocks are stopping you from building a powerful prayer life? (Probing Question)
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a VERY long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
