National Day of Prayer 2015

Transcription

1 National Day of Prayer 2015 Hook Choose one or more of the following components to introduce today s topic. Trivia 1. The National Day of Prayer bill was passed in what year? a b c d The head of the National Day of Prayer Task Force is the wife of which Christian leader (she has been leading the Task Force since 1991)? a. Billy Graham b. Rick Warren c. James Dobson d. Greg Laurie 3. What war was taking place during the birth of the National Day of Prayer? a. WWI b. WWII c. Vietnam d. Korea 4. One day after he was sworn in as president, this man created a proclamation to celebrate a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving (a one-time event): 1 a. Abraham Lincoln b. Jimmy Carter c. George Bush d. George W. Bush Video Clip Historical Event By Jim & Kaye Johns America was still in recovery from the strain of a hard-fought victory in World War II when, on June 25, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38 th parallel, invading South Korea and bringing the world once again to the recurring reality of national conflict. Two days later, on June 27, the U.S. entered that war. It would last until the signing of a peace treaty on July 25,

2 The Korean conflict came at a perilous time, when the Cold War between democracy and communism brought fear and apprehension across our nation. That was the mood, the unsettled condition of a frightened nation, when President Truman launched The National Day of Prayer. The stimulus for the NDP, however, came from the Rev. Billy Graham. It was February 1952 and he had been conducting a revival in Washington, D.C. The House Speaker at the time, Sam Rayburn, invited Graham to hold his final revival session on the steps of the Capitol. During the sermon, Graham spoke these words: What a thrilling, glorious thing it would be to see the leaders of our country today kneeling before Almighty God in prayer. What a thrill would sweep this country. What renewed hope and courage would grip the Americans at this hour of peril. 2 Representative Percy Priest was among those who had been inspired by the revival and he set about to bring a prayer-focused idea into reality. On April 17, 1952, a bill proposing the National Day of Prayer was passed into law. This year, on the bill s 64 th anniversary, the National Day of Prayer will be observed by millions of Americans. Discussion Questions What are the challenges that Americans are facing today? Can our prayers really make a difference against such issues? What are some truths that the Bible teaches about prayer? (Answers might include Philippians 4:6; James 1:6; Romans 8:26; 1 Timothy 2:1 4; James 1:5) Transition May 7, 2015, is the National Day of Prayer, and our own Pastor Jack Graham is the Honorary Chairman. Today we will discuss how to pray and then take time to pray for our nation. 2

3 Book How do I pray? That s the question that Jesus answers in Matthew 6. The Lord is speaking to His disciples, who have seen poor examples of prayer in the past, and provides for them a healthy model. To understand how to pray, Jesus first explains what to avoid. First, never use prayer as a method to receive the admiration of others (Matthew 6:5 6). Jesus has no place for men in public places who pray verbose prayers with the intent of impressing anyone within earshot. This doesn t preclude believers from praying together (in fact we are encouraged to do so) but instead speaks to the goal behind public prayers. Secondly, do not pray long prayers with empty words (Matthew 6:7 8). Jesus references the pagans who repeat phrases for hours, spewing words without meaning (see 1 Kings 18:36; Acts 19:34). After discussing what not to do, Jesus provides His followers with an example of how to pray in Matthew 6:9 13. What the Lord shares in these verses is meaningful, specific and to the point. In his book The Power of Praying Boldly, Will Davis, Jr., describes Jesus words as a pinpoint prayer ; pinpoint prayers remove all unnecessary items, keeping prayer life simple and clear. In analyzing the Lord s Prayer, Davis states There s no fluff, no fat, no extra words of theologically heavy term. There s just simple, spot-on, pinpoint accuracy from Jesus (12). Discussion Questions What are some things to avoid when praying? (Answers might include praying in public to gain the admiration of others [Matthew 6:5 6], treating prayer as a performance [Matthew 6:5 6], praying for self-centered pleasures [James 4:3]) What is the best way to teach someone (e.g., a child or a new believer) to pray? Davis shares that Jesus example of prayer contains five targets, five requests. 3 Jesus prays for: 1. God s Glory Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name To whom are you praying? In Matthew 6:5, Jesus chides the hypocrites for praying in public places in efforts to impress others. Prayer is to be offered to God, not men. Jesus sets the tone for His prayer by addressing God both as Father (relaying an intimacy that the believer enjoys) and as one who is in heaven (reflecting God s sovereignty and rule over all things). After Jesus addresses God, He makes a petition and worships Him: hallowed be your name. To hallow something means to make holy. In the simple words 3 Will Davis, Jr., The Power of Praying Boldly (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group),

4 hallowed be your name, Jesus expresses a fundamental desire that God s name would be honored and exalted. 4 The phrase is rich with both worship and commitment. Worship is at the center of all prayer. 5 Communicate in your prayer and establish in your heart that God s name would be made holy in your life. How does God resemble a good earthly father? How does God differ from a good earthly father? How does someone hallow Christ in the way he or she lives? 2. God s Agenda Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven The disciples knew the Messianic prophesies and would have been familiar with the idea of the kingdom. What does the coming of God s kingdom mean in the believer s life today? The ESV Study Bible refers to God s kingdom in this way: The presence of God s kingdom in this age refers to the reign of Christ in the hearts and lives of believers, and to the reigning presence of Christ in his body, the church so that they increasingly reflect his love, obey his laws, honor him, do good for all people, and proclaim the good news of the kingdom. 6 God s will is perfectly executed in heaven. Pray that God s will and kingdom would function in your life with the same efficiency and ease that it does in heaven. This requires that you place God s agenda above your own. Pray that God would have priority above everything else in your life. What are your top three priorities in this season of life? If someone were to look at your schedule during a typical week, what would he or she believe are your top priorities? How did you form your top priorities? 3. God s Provision Give us this day our daily bread Jesus prays for personal needs. The Greek word translated as daily in this verse carries a meaning that God would give us what we need, sufficiently, from day to day. 7 Pray that God would give you what you need, not what you want. 4 Prayer, Davis 5 Bible Knowledge Commentary 6 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., Matthew, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Matthew 6:5 15.

5 Where in the Bible do we see God providing for physical needs? What impact did that provision have on the recipient? What qualifies as a need? How does someone learn to live on the basics (needs rather than wants)? God often provides through His people. What are the needs in our city, and how can we, as a Bible Fellowship, help meet those needs? 4. Relational Health and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors Moving from personal to spiritual needs, the believer is to ask for forgiveness. The directive to ask for forgiveness does not imply that the disciple s salvation is in constant limbo. Instead, the Scriptures teach that a Christian is justified at the moment of salvation by faith (Romans 5:1, 9; 8:1; 10:10). When we sin, we do not break our relationship with the Father; however, we can strain that relationship (Ephesians 4:30). In your prayer life, confess sin in your life and ask for forgiveness, knowing that He graciously grants it. Confession and repentance are integral for a healthy relationship with God. Understanding how you have been forgiven should prompt you to forgive others. Colossians 3:12 13 says, Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Pray that God would help you to understand the weight of His forgiveness and forgive others. What do confession and repentance accomplish in the life of the believer? How does the knowledge of God s forgiveness change the way that believers forgive others? 5. God s Protection And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil The believer will encounter trials of various kinds and situations that might tempt him to sin. However, we are to pray that God would strengthen us to resist. Pray that God would keep you from Satan and sin. What is the difference between a trial and temptation? (Answers might include trials are designed to develop spiritual maturity; temptations do not come from God; temptations, if pursued, lead to death [see James 1:2 18])

6 How does a believer fight the temptation to sin? Notice that Jesus prayer uses the plural pronoun us throughout. How can we help each other away from temptation and away from evil? Discussion Questions Describe the different methods you have used to pray. Describe the different components of the Lord s Prayer (e.g., worship, physical petitions, spiritual petitions). Is there a significance to the order of these elements? How do we keep our prayer life vibrant? How do we best pray for our family? For coworkers? For the nation?

7 Took Take the remaining class time to pray for America. Break your class up into small groups (three to five people) to pray with one another. Either the teacher or the prayer coordinator should open this time with a general prayer and then move into a time of guided prayer. Introduce a topic and allow for a brief time of prayer. After your prayer time, please draw your members attention to the prayer guides that are located in your classroom. These have been written by Prestonwood members Jim and Kaye Johns as a component of their ministry, Prayer Power. Instruct your class members to select one of the following prayer guides to use in their quiet time: Prayers for Guidance Prayers to Make My Family Strong Prayers for Husbands and Wives Prayers for Living a Life of Purity Government 1 Kings 3:28; 1 Timothy 2:1 2; Exodus 18:21; Proverbs 11:3; Romans 13:1 2 Pray for your leaders, as well as the judges in our courts. Ask God to grant them wisdom to act with integrity. Federal Government: President Vice President Cabinet Members Congressional Leaders Supreme Court Justices State Government: Governor Executive Leaders Legislative Leaders Judicial Leaders Local Government: Mayor Police Chief Fire Chief Judges County Officials Pastors Leaders in Education Military 2 Chronicles 32:6 8 Courage and dependence on God (Psalm 91) Perseverance to endure hardship (Isaiah 43:2; Deuteronomy 31:6) Divine protection from the enemy (Romans 5:1 5) Wise leaders (Romans13:1) Confidence and vision to persist (Psalm 18:31 39)

8 Protection and support for military families (Romans 1:8 10) Chaplains who are divinely appointed to deliver hope and spiritual strength (Proverbs 4:11) Education Proverbs 2:3 6 A safe atmosphere conducive to learning Excellence in educators (Exodus 18:20 21) Boldness and wisdom in educators who are believers The Church Colossians 2:6 8 Ask God to forgive you of your sins and to awaken in you a strong desire for personal holiness God would bring a fresh zeal and commitment to the mission and purpose of Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:37) Unity with and among churches that reveal God s love to the world (John 17:23) A return to the absolutes of God s Word (Psalm 1:1 3) Integrity (1 Peter 2:11; 1 Corinthians 13:6) A holy fear of the Lord in the heart of God s people (Proverbs 9:10) The Family Mark 3:25 Restoration of marriages that are hurting and protection for those that are thriving Unity and love in individual family units (Romans 12:9 13) Strong relationships between parents and children and grandchildren (Malachi 4:5 6) Parents who train their children in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6)