Lesson # 8 - Prayer & The Believer

This is lesson number eight of John MacArthur's Fundamentals of the Faith. Lesson number eight is on prayer and the believer. The memory verse was Philippians 4, 6 and 7 and this of course says, Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.

That's how I memorized it but it says all comprehension will guard your hearts in your minds in Christ Jesus. So that's the NASB I believe but whatever translation you memorize it in that's that's fine.

The Purpose of Prayer and the Lord's Prayer

John MacArthur begins the purpose of prayer is to express our submission to the sovereignty of God and our trust in his faithfulness. Prayer is the means by which we express all that is in our hearts to our loving and wise Heavenly Father.

Prayer is not to give God information because God knows everything. Prayer brings us into reverent communion with God worshiping him and acknowledging him as the giver of all things. So the way I like to describe this is prayer is talking to God when we read the Bible that's God talking to us.

So we have a relationship with God in that way we talk to him in prayer he speaks to us through the scripture in the leading of the Holy Spirit and to really know someone and to have a relationship with them there has to be communication.

So without prayer the communication really breaks down. So starts out number one the nature of prayer. For the believer prayer is a learning experience that must be developed into a spiritual discipline.

Nobody's born into this world just knowing how to pray. If anyone thinks that well yeah I just automatically know how to pray it's because you've seen other people do it you've heard other people do it.

So it's something that has to be taught you have to learn it and why do we say that because in Luke 11 verse 1 what did the disciples ask of Jesus? Teach us how to pray. Now you might assume that they already knew how to pray.

Shouldn't they have already known how to pray? How would they have known?

They realized after spending some time with him that they did. Maybe they did before but in being with him they realized the shortcomings there.

Yeah and even if you thought you did know how to pray if Jesus is with you you're gonna ask him anyways. But obviously as Jews growing up in the synagogue and having the Psalms they knew something about prayer already but they they wanted to hear it from the Lord.

So Jesus how does he respond? He responds by giving them the model prayer of the Lord's Prayer. So how should we pray? What's the first what's the first instruction in the Lord's Prayer? Yeah yeah first of all we pray to God the Father and we pray that his name would be kept holy.

So that that's where you start. Did I see a hand in the back?

You said the book of Psalms that they had access to was excellent prayers in there.

Right yeah so we would go to the Lord's Prayer obviously because that's Jesus instructing his disciples how to pray. The Psalms would be the other book to turn to because the Psalms not only are they yes they are songs and they're poems but many of them if you read them they're prayers as well so and there's all different types of prayers in the Psalms.

There's you know David is thanking God and praising God there's worship then there's those prayers where David feels like God has forgotten about him and Lord where are you? There are the imprecatory Psalms where David is calling down judgment on his the Lord's enemies so that's not something you hear much about today but there's all different types of prayers in the Psalms.

Read Romans 8 26 and then that will answer this question that according to the Apostle Paul who assists us in our prayers? The Holy Spirit. Sometimes people ask well can I do I have to pray to God the Father can I pray to Jesus?

Can I pray to the Holy Spirit? I don't think there's anything wrong with praying to Jesus or praying to the Holy Spirit but I think the Holy Spirit we pray in the Spirit the Spirit assists us but I don't know that we would direct our prayers to the Holy Spirit.

Can anyone think of an example where somebody directs their prayers to the Holy Spirit? I couldn't think of one off the top of my head. So I just try to stick with what Jesus said you know pray to the Father.

I wouldn't say the others are wrong necessarily but I just try to stick with what Jesus said. So the Holy Spirit we do not know how to pray as we should but the Spirit himself does what? He intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

So those times we don't know how to pray we can't really put it into words God knows he knows what we're trying to express so the Holy Spirit somehow in some way he communicates that to the Father. B that's A so B in light of that what should we do when we are not sure what to pray for?

It says pray and express our uncertainty to God and trust the Spirit to intercede for us. Now if you're doing a public prayer some you know public prayer is tends to be a little different than private prayer.

Public prayer well can anyone think of differences? If you were to pray publicly how might that look different than your private prayers to God? Yeah yeah I mean because everyone else is listening so it's it's probably going to be a little different but if you're praying to God one-on-one you can just tell them whatever you're thinking however you feel you're less likely to do that if 50 people are listening to you because God knows anyways so you might as well tell them what you're thinking and how you're feeling because he already knows.

So it tells us that God is very interested in our personal struggles. What does Psalm 34 verse 15 say about the Lord? What does it say? Okay his eyes are toward the righteous and his ears are open to their cry.

Is there an implication in that? Could you draw something out of that? His eyes are toward the righteous. Who are the righteous? Yeah believers, the Saints, his people. And his ears are open to their cry.

What might you extrapolate from that? They're open to the prayers. Yup. Carolyn? That if you're not a believer he doesn't see you and doesn't hear you. Right yeah that if you're not a believer his eyes are not towards them and he doesn't hear their prayers or their cries.

Now that's not really a popular thing to say today. I do think that God does answer the prayer of an unbeliever when they cry out Lord save me and then they become a believer. But really an unbeliever who has no faith in God and is not obeying God, they logically cannot expect to receive anything from God.

God is not going to hear their prayer. This is a little off topic but turn to Isaiah chapter 1 and the book might cover this as well. I went through it and I forget if it mentioned this or not. But Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah is a prophet and he's addressing of course the children of Israel.

And he says, hear the word of the Lord you rulers of Sodom. That's verse 10. Give ear to the law of our God you people of Gomorrah. Well is he actually talking to Sodom and Gomorrah? No, Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed a long time ago.

He's addressing his people, his covenant people who are not living in fellowship with him. Notice what he says in verse 13. Bring no more futile sacrifices. Incense is an abomination to me. The new moons and Sabbaths and the calling of assemblies.

I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They are a trouble to me and I am weary of bearing them. So who's talking? God is talking to the disobedient Israelites and he says in verse 15, when you spread out your hands I will hide my eyes from you even though you make many prayers.

What? I will not hear. So that is biblical. It is something that you can take away. If somebody is not a believer and if they're not walking with the Lord they cannot expect God to answer their prayers.

And they probably wouldn't pray to God anyways because they don't think that God is either there or that he cares or that he's going to answer prayers. But this is very important. In order to have your prayers answered we need to be walking with the Lord.

Okay any questions or comments? Yeah yeah crying out to God right yeah I saw I think someone mentioned this last week in church there's that football player that collapsed right and I guess everyone on the field the players and the coaches like people started to pray and that's good that's good we want to see people praying but they interviewed I don't know if he was one of the coaches or who it was but he's like yeah you know we were praying and that's what we need to do.

It doesn't matter what faith you belong to it doesn't matter what you believe you just need to pray and it's like you're missing the whole point who are you praying to. I mean this is the most basic thing of all how do you pray.

Jesus teach us to pray. Pray to Allah pray to Buddha pray to the grand architect of the universe. No pray to who you have to believe in the Heavenly Father. And it does matter what you believe and what you're doing if you believe Isaiah chapter 1 but on the other hand that person who is living in disobedience and rebellion to God they can be living that way right up until the time of their prayer and they can have that prayer answered if God sees that their heart is sincere.

Yes Marcus you got it. Okay. What did you find. Okay. Okay all right. Three. How are we encouraged to approach God. Hebrews 4 verse 16 says let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. Okay.

Draw us near or let us draw near with confidence. Or the translation I'm most familiar with as I alluded to a moment it was come boldly. Right before the throne of grace. Why is it bold. Or why do we need.

Or how can we come with confidence. Yes Carolyn. Because of Christ. Right. And you'll often hear pastors say something like it doesn't mean you come arrogantly to the throne of grace. But you come boldly.

And it's really not about you that you have this standing with God. It's that Christ has the standing with God. And you're coming through through Christ. Okay. For though we have the privilege of access what caution does Ecclesiastes 5 verse 2 advise it says do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought.

Let your words be few. Okay. So can anyone give an example of what it might look like to be hasty in word or impulsive in thought when you are praying to God or approaching God. Mark. Yeah. Yeah. Hasty in word.

When we're talking to God I mean we do want to be mindful of what we're saying and who we're talking to. You know some people will say I probably said this that you know when I talked to God I talked to him as though he's my he's my friend.

I talked to him as he's my buddy there in the car driver. And you know Jesus did say I've called you friends. And Abraham was a friend of God. I mean there's something to be said for that. But at the same time he's the the Lord of glory.

He's not just your buddy. So I mean how you talk to God again you should be mindful of how how. You don't want to be hasty in word. Okay. So however you understand that. Stacey. Would your Anna. Yeah.

Right. How you come to him in the words that you're choosing. Right. That's a easy thing to do to view God as like a genie in a bottle. Or he's Santa Claus. And you're just coming to him with your wish list and Lord do this for me and do that and do that.

You know. What about the things that he wants you to do. You probably should start with that. And then the petitions are last or supplication is last. If you go by the acrostic acts a CTS which we'll talk about did I see.

Another hand. So on the one hand we're his we're his child so there is a there is a nearness and a closeness in that relationship. And yet you know I'm your father and your mother. So yeah yeah there's probably you know one side where.

It's a little too formal and you're too careful with every word. Then there's the other side where you're just too too relaxed and too casual. I don't know right. Five. What comfort does first. Peter 5 6 7 offer believers says casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

That's one thing about prayer. You have to believe that God cares. If you don't think that God cares. And that's what the devil would want to convince you of that. God really don't bother God he doesn't really care about you and your troubles.

And if the devil can convince you of that or if you convince yourself of that yeah why why pray. Because doesn't seem like God cares anyway. Like there's certain people probably that you know in your life and you probably figured out that they don't really care about you and what you're going through.

Right. There are those people they really don't care about you and your problems. Are you going to go to those people and talk to. Of course not. They're the last people you would go to. You go to the people that you know care.

One thing that troubles me especially lately because it seems so many of my friends have passed away with the Lord. So that's great. Some I don't think did. And and they're those left behind their widows are probably unbelievers.

And you want to you want to share these verses. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. And you want you want you want to somehow direct them towards you know the comforter the Holy Spirit.

Yeah. But you have to be careful that you're not making promises to them that don't apply to them. So I'm really torn trying to try to write out something that a dear friend who's lost her husband who was a dear friend of mine and what what Bible verses to you use.

Yeah I want so much for. And this is for all my classmates. We we seem to be getting together at funerals all the time now that. But that's a common prayer.

Lord give me give me the words to say how do I approach this what what do I.

Tell them all right it's okay. I guess I'm just gonna use Jesus words things that he said forget which ones.

Perseverance, Confidence, and the Blessings of Prayer

Okay see prayer is effective it can change situations and people. We are encouraged to pray expecting results. This is one of those things where well God knows the future or you know we get the mindset what's gonna happen.

It's gonna happen. So what difference does it make for me to pray. Because you know the future is already fixed. At least in the mind of that's another thing that people will fall into that that way of thinking.

And yeah why pray. If it's gonna. Is it not. Is prayer gonna change things or is it not. Well what does the scripture say. Just prayer change things. Yeah. Well at the very least it changes you and your response to what God will do.

But there are examples. Remember where God was gonna wipe out the Israelites. He said he was gonna do it. God says he was gonna do it. I take him at his word he was gonna do it. Until Moses interceded on their behalf.

And then God showed mercy. So God was. And then the city of Nineveh. Jonah went to preach judgment to the city of Nineveh and God was gonna do that. And then the people repented. So sometimes things do change.

God does change his mind. That's what the scripture says. So prayer does change things. I don't know how it all works. And the the sovereignty of God and his foreknowledge. And I don't understand it all.

But the scripture does say that prayer changes things. So the first question for whom did the church pray. In Acts 12 verse 5 Peter who is in prison. How did God answer their prayers. Acts 12 verse 7.

Yeah an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and the light shone in the cell and he struck Peter's side and woke him up saying get up quickly. And his chains fell off his hand. So there was a angelic jailbreak broke Peter out of prison.

And of course you remember the story. Then Peter actually showed they're praying for him to be released. God releases him answers their prayer. Peter shows up knocks on the door. The woman answers it.

Rhoda is that who it was. Or she answers the door and she. And there's Peter and she like shuts it and goes back. And his angel is here like she she didn't even really believe it was him. She doesn't even let the guy in.

So it's just straight like they're praying for him to be released. God answers the prayer. And it's like they're shocked. And sometimes we do pray and God answers. And we're surprised. We shouldn't be surprised.

Okay. Three. Besides answers what else does God grant to those who pray. Philippians 4 6 7. Yeah. And he gives the peace that passes or surpasses all understanding. So God gives peace. Have you ever felt peace after praying.

James 5 16 says the effective prayer of a righteous man availeth much or can accomplish much. This is section number two. The practice of prayer throughout the Bible. God encourages and commands believers to persevere in prayer.

So notice it's not just. Well you know you should. The prayer is a commandment is something that we are supposed to do. In Luke 18 verse 1 the disciples were taught that they should always pray. And what.

Not. Lose heart. Why did Jesus say that. Because he knows that people pray. And they do lose heart to what is God's will for believers in Christ Jesus. 1st Thessalonians 5 17 that believer should pray without ceasing.

I think we understand that doesn't mean that you are to pray 24. Every waking moment you are to spend in prayer. Because even Jesus himself didn't do that. So what. Is the same. Pray continually throughout the day.

Not just. Well. Okay I prayed yesterday and that's that kind of covers me for the month. No. I prayed in church on Sunday. That covers me for the week. Now pray without ceasing. Three. When should believers pray.

Ephesians 6 18. Always at all times. Okay. So I think that's pretty clear. B says in the Bible you will discover many guidelines to help you develop the practice of prayer in this parable. In Luke 11 what did Jesus teach his disciples to expect if they persisted in prayer.

That's Luke 11 5 through 10. Okay. So yeah. Everyone who asks receives. So the whole purpose of this is you know at home during the week you go through the book you look up the passages you write you write the answers.

But you should also come in with with questions or maybe insights. So does anyone up until this point you have any questions or maybe something. For it's a discussion topic something you've thought about for a long time or maybe just a few days about prayer.

Maybe there's something you don't really get about there. Like this this part doesn't really make sense to me. Does anyone have any anything like that. Because this is the time for that this you know when I'm preaching you don't get to really ask questions and give your input.

This is the perfect time. So yes. Carolyn.

Yep well if there's believers praying God's answering their prayer right. But then all these others see I told you how do you tell somebody. No he's answering the believers prayer.

If you're gonna pray to whoever. Yeah. I don't know. I guess that how to respond would depend on many factors. I don't know I would start by asking. Yeah. Who are you praying to. I mean if I were there and I heard that that's what I would say.

I would start. You know who are you praying to. Because you're at you're asking for something. Who are you asking. Who do you expect to do this. And that. Why do you expect this. God that you're praying to.

That you do. Do you know this guy. Like. I don't know that. That's a hard thing. But the P the idea that people have is that hey as long as you're sincere it doesn't matter. That's the prevailing wisdom in our culture.

As long as you are sincere doesn't matter what you believe or who you pray to. It's good enough that that's kind of people's attitude today and that's that's the way it is. That's people believe that.

Because people around them think that people believe that because that's what they've heard that's what they've been told. So we need to patiently teach them what the scripture says. So I wouldn't want to respond like in a sarcastic way.

Well listen. No you know God isn't gonna hear you. What are you doing. You fool. Or something. Like you want to be kind and patient. Because they really don't. A lot of them really don't know any better.

Yeah.

Yep and I'm praying. And then she says I even asked my father who died right if he.

Yeah right. I mean that's yeah well I mean some people there are churches that will say that you can pray to your deceased loved ones and the Saints and you know Mary and you're praying to all these different people.

So someone who's been in an evangelical church like ours I mean you would think they would know better but I mean who knows maybe they didn't weren't paying attention. I don't know but I would just go back to are you.

Are you following Christ. Just go back to their relationship make it about Christ. Are you fall. Are you praying to God in Jesus name. Are you following. I would make that the issue instead of you.

Know all the other stuff. Yeah Marcus I might say well I pray to God and I'd be happy to tell you why I pray to him rather than anyone else is because he created all things he created everybody he created Adam and Eve from which eventually Mohammed and Buddha and Sun Moon.

Okay. Yep nobody else can hear your.

Prayers you know you your deceased great-grandfather might have been a great guy he might have been a godly man but the idea that he could hear your prayers number one and that how would he have the power to answer them he's not God like there's some sort of disconnect of why someone would even do that or think that that's possible but again they probably picked that up from.

Somebody else I would also warn them that trying to talk to dead people is a dangerous thing to do because an evil spirit is gonna probably start to pretend that they are that one in a you're talking in the spiritual realm and when you get in the spiritual realm which prayer is.

Be just make sure it's the Holy Spirit who is you know the third person of the God right. Yeah.

Because that's really it's necromancy speaking to deceased loved ones. You can call it prayer all you want but it's divination witchcraft necromancy and it's something that the scripture obviously teaches against.

Right you had.

Something. But also I was thinking a good way to not offend the friend is to then ask back is something along the lines of well that's interesting. Where did you see that in the Bible. I'd love to read that myself.

Right. Yeah. Something that makes them think about what they said and to offer a scriptural reference to that. Yeah. And then maybe it'll prompt them to think about what they're saying instead of you pointing a finger that makes them think about it.

Yeah it's good.

Advice. Good advice. Okay it says we can start to understand praying without ceasing by looking at the life of our Lord himself. Since he did that he was obviously in constant communion with the Father.

And we see him in scripture rising up early to pray. We see him spending all night in prayer. It must have been an unending and non-stop communion between himself and the Father. Hebrews tells us that he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.

That is a fascinating insight. There was an intensity in the prayers of Jesus that is utterly unique that is utterly amazing. When he prayed on a number of occasions there was great a great agonizing.

And we can assume that even though the scripture does not chronicle for us all the details of his praying it had much of the same kind of intensity as those prayers that we do not see and have revealed to us in the text.

And the Bible tells us that he went to the Mount of Olives and prayed all night. There was no doubt an intensity in that kind of praying that we know very little about. If anything I think it would go without saying that the prayer life of Jesus is at a whole other level.

So when you read about Jesus praying all night long you probably feel like oh man like I've never done that or something maybe some of you have. But there's often a discouragement when you hear things like that.

Or there's a quote from I think it's from Martin Luther that he said I pray four hours a day. And the days where I'm really busy I pray even more. You know you hear stuff like that. But even if you're praying two minutes a day you know I don't want to.

We don't want to shame people or make them feel bad about it because that's gonna make them pray. It's not gonna make them pray more when you take that approach. So we want to encourage and teach people to maybe build on that three minutes and turn it into six or five and turn it into ten and go in that direction.

And your prayer life is not going to be like the prayer life of Jesus. Okay it's just not but it can improve and our prayer life should be improving. Yes John. So I'm gathering.

That my ability to prayer is probably a little inadequate so something to work. But I find myself oftentimes I'm not the greatest sleeper. Sometimes it takes me a while to get to sleep and what I've done is I've just gone into conversation.

I start off in prayer but then in my head it's just a conversation between yeah it's a one you know I'm just talking to God and I'll just go and go and go. And then the next thing I know it's tomorrow.

I just put myself to sleep and I just have that conversation a lot of times. It starts off in prayer but then I just go to bed.

That starts the morning. Yeah that's a good that's a good way to start now. Somebody there's some guy out there who would hear that. You know you need to be you know on your knees. And you need to show God.

Well I think doing it more doing it on your knees. That yeah. There's room for improvement with all of us. I do the same thing by the way. You know I think if you're really gonna pray without ceasing you need to be able to do it in bed.

You need to do it in the car when you're driving. That's an example. Here's another thing you don't need to close your eyes when you pray. Do you know that there's no example anywhere in scripture. That again correct me if I'm wrong there's nowhere in scripture that says you have to close your eyes because if you have to close your eyes to pray that severely limits when and where you can pray.

So yeah keep it up.

Yeah I think the more you mature in the word the more you want to pray in the.

Easier it is. Yeah yeah you know there's a legend about James the brother of Jesus that his nickname was old camel knees or something. This might be some legend or something but the idea is he spent so much time on his knees that he had these massive calluses on his knee.

That was just like a picture of how holy he was. And again that might not even be true but that type of thing really is an exalted level. Them quite frankly most people are never gonna reach. But you know you probably have those pads though.

Okay what does Jesus teach as a requirement for answer prayer. John 15 verse 7 if you abide in me and my words.

Abiding you you shall ask what what. Well and it shall be done unto you.

Right. Okay so if you abide in me and my words in you you shall ask what you wish and it will be done for you. Obviously there are those patch passages that make it sound like you know if you are just walking with God if you just have enough faith you can ask for anything and God will give it to you there are those verses that sound like that.

So in theory Lord you know and you get pray some carnal thing. Lord give me a Lamborghini. You know I tend to think if somebody is truly being led by the Holy Spirit they're probably not gonna pray for that.

I don't know but I mean some people do there's one statement about if you have faith you will be able faith as a mustard seed. You will be able to move mountains. You should say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea.

There are certain things that you don't take in that that ultimate literal sense because even Jesus himself didn't say to a mountain be removed and cast into the sea. That like you're kind of missing the point there.

But God will give us what we need. He will give us the desires of our heart. And then when we pray the correct desires those are the things that he answers whatever whatever we wish. And there's another verse about you need to pray according to what God's will.

Or is that first John. I remember I said that in a Sunday school class years ago that you know if you want your prayers answered you should pray according to God's will. In a woman in the back she said well that just ruins it.

Then she said okay according to 1st John 514 what is our confidence as we pray. If we ask anything according to what his will he hears us. So it is first John. Okay. Matthew 6 9 through 13. Jesus's prayer or pattern for prayer.

So we pray to God our Father in heaven. We exalt him saying hallowed be thy name may your name be kept holy. We submit to him praying your kingdom come your will be done. We look to him seeking our daily bread our sustenance.

We confess to him pleading forgive us our debts or our sins. We depend on him asking do not lead us into temptation. And we trust in him requesting deliver us from evil. And it says look up the following verses and list some of the hindrances to answer prayer.

So Psalm 66 verse 18 says if I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will what not hear. Okay. So if there's any sins you're doing and okay I'm not turning away from this. I'm going to do it. I don't care what the Bible's.

I'm gonna do it. Anyways you just can't really expect God to hear your prayers. James 4 verse. I mean he will answer one prayer Lord forgive me. I mean he'll answer that that's the place to start. James 4 3 you ask with wrong motives so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Isaiah 59 one and two. Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God in your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. Okay. So this then talks about that acrostic tulip or the acronym for important areas of prayer.

So a C T S acts so a stands for adoration. C confession T Thanksgiving. And then the last one is S which is supplication. So asking God for things should be blast. If you follow this acrostic so adoration reflect on God himself.

Praise him for his attributes his majesty and his gift of Christ. Confession. Admit to God that you have sinned. Be honest and humble. Remember he knows you and loves you. You know you can pull the wool over other people's eyes.

Sometimes you can't pull the wool over God's eyes. Thanksgiving. Tell God how grateful you are for everything he has given you even the unpleasant things. Your thankfulness will help you see his purposes and the supplication.

Make specific requests. Pray first for others and then for yourself.