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Scripture
Matthew 6:5-8 & 16-17
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”
James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you
should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask
the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
Summary and Purpose
Summary: There is absolutely nothing more powerful than prayer and fasting. When we pray, we invite God to work miraculously in our lives. Scripture tells us that whenever we pray in Jesus’ name, God gives us what we want. Now that’s power!! (Of course, we must ask, ‘What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?”) When we fast we fine tune our spiritual senses to better receive God’s grace, wisdom and guidance. Now that’s the ultimate set of directions!!
Not only is prayer & fasting powerful and effective, they are also vital to maintaining a relationship with God. You can not have a relationship with God without them.
Experiencing effective prayer is very similar to experiencing effective reception on a two way radio. In order for people to effectively communicate using radios, two conditions must be met. First, both radios need to be on the same frequency. Second, there can’t be anything in between the radios blocking the signal. Likewise, we must be on the same frequency as God when we pray. This means we must pray for the right reasons. We must also ensure that there isn’t any sin blocking the signal between us and God. This requires an attitude of continuous repentance. If these two conditions are met, our prayer life will become powerful and effective.
So, how’s your prayer life? Do you need to fine tune your frequency? Is there anything blocking your signal?
Purpose: To help the congregation develop a better prayer life.
The Sermon
I. Introduction: The most powerful people
A. We often think of powerful people as CEOs of major corporations, presidents,
governmental officials and military commanders.
B. According to the world, powerful people are the ones with the most influence over
events.
C. According to Scripture, the most powerful people are those who regularly pray & fast.
- King David
- Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and all other prophets
- Even Jesus. He prayed to His Father and received power from the Holy Spirit. This is the example for us to follow.
D. Real examples of the power of prayer
- Virginia Wrenn: Had cancer and doctors gave her a month or two to live. Her Sunday school prayed for her. While in hospice, the cancer disappeared.
- Marcy (Linda Frano’s cousin): Has cancer. The Wednesday morning Bible study has been praying for her. Two years ago, doctors gave her about a month to live.
- Jim Tofflemire: Had disease that attacked his muscles. He gave it to God in prayer. God cured him.
II. Why prayer is so powerful
A. When we pray, we are inviting God to work miraculously in our lives.
- What can be more powerful than that?
- God wants to work in our lives. God wants to help us. God wants to give us love, joy and peace.
- God, however, will not force His help on us. This is because God wants a true love relationship with us. If God forces Himself on us, it’s not truly love relationship. We must have a say in it.
- So, we must invite God to work in our lives. That’s what prayer is. It is an invitation to God to help us in our lives.
- If you need God’s wisdom, strength, peace and love then you need to pray and ask Him for it. Ask and you will receive (Matthew 7:7). You do not receive because you do not ask (James 4:2b).
B. John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you
should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask
the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
C. When we pray in Jesus’ name, God will give us what we ask for.
- In a little while, we’ll discuss what it means to pray in Jesus’ name.
- For now, we just need to know that God wants to act in a decisively in our lives but He will not force Himself on you. He loves you to much to do that.
D. So, if prayer is so powerful, how do we develop an effective prayer life?
III. Praying to God is like communicating using a two-way radio.
A. It must be a two-way radio rather than a one-way radio because prayer involves
talking and listening.
- God wants to hear what you have to say. God wants you to honestly express your thoughts, feelings, attitudes and desires to Him. So, in prayer, praise God, give Him thanks and express your innermost thoughts, feelings, attitudes and desires.
- God also has something to say. After you speak to God, take several minutes to be silent, clear your mind and wait to see if God puts anything in your mind. Look for God to answer your prayers through other people, circumstances, events and Scripture.
B. In order to communicate with two-way radios, two conditions must be met
- First: Both radios must be set to the same frequency
- Second: There can’t be anything in between the two radios blocking the signal. This is having ‘line of sight’.
- In order to effectively pray, these same two conditions must be met.
C. In order to effectively pray, we must be on the same frequency as God
- We get on the same frequency as God by praying with the right motivation. We must pray for the right reasons.
- Matthew 6:5-8 – “"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”
- James 4:3 – “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” - God is not a cosmic Santa Clause who is obligated to give us whatever we want.
- This is what praying in Jesus’ name is all about. It’s about praying with the right motive.
- The right motivation: To maintain a relationship with God & align ourselves with God’s will. (It is God’s will to help and deliver us from trouble. So, God wants us to ask for help when life throws us a curve ball.)
- Fasting can help fine tune us to God’s frequency.
D. In order to effectively pray, sin can not be in the middle blocking the signal
- Sin separates us from God. So, if we hang on to sin how can we expect to effectively pray?
- This is why Jesus tells us to make amends with our enemies before making an offering to God. Bitterness, anger and hate will block our signal to God.
- If you willfully and knowingly continue in sinful attitudes, thoughts or actions then don’t expect your prayers to be effective.
- This is why we must have a continuous attitude of repentance. Search your hearts and ask God to cleanse you of any sinful attitudes so you can have effective prayers.
IV. Last words on prayer
A. In order for prayer to be effective, it must be continuous.
- Pray the moment you wake up in the morning and as you fall asleep at night.
- Pray throughout the day – without ceasing – over every decision you make – every challenge you face – no matter how big or small.
B. Expect your prayers to be answered
- Pray with right motivation and a repentant attitude – expect your prayers to be answered
- Look for the answers to your prayers with joyful anticipation
- Give thanks in advance for how God will answer your prayers
V. How’s your prayer life?
A. Are you on the right frequency?
B. Is there any sin blocking your signal?
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