1. Great verses on prayer as it relates t awakening
1.1. For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1: 15– 19
1.1.1. behavior. To have the “eyes of the heart enlightened” with a particular truth means to have it penetrate and grip us so deeply that it changes the whole person. In other words, we may know that God is holy, but when our hearts’ eyes are enlightened to that truth, then we not only understand it cognitively, but emotionally we find God’s holiness wondrous and beautiful, and volitionally we avoid attitudes and behavior that would displease or dishonor him. Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (p. 20). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
1.1.2. In Ephesians 3: 18, Paul says he wants the Spirit to give them “power . . . to grasp” all the past, present, and future benefits they received when they believed in Christ. Of course, all Christians know about these benefits in their minds, Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (pp. 20-21). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
2. remarkable thoughts
2.1. It is remarkable that in all of his writings Paul’s prayers for his friends contain no appeals for changes in their circumstances. Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (p. 20). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
2.2. Prayer is like incense to God
2.2.1. Rev 5:8
3. Our true self is refelcdted in our true interactions with God
3.1. Matt 6:5-6 - it is seen in our private prayer life
3.2. In the negative
3.2.1. Hypocrites in Matt 6:5-6
3.2.2. Ezekiel - hole in the wall, look at the priest and what they do
3.3. The infallible test of spiritual integrity, Jesus says, is your private prayer life. Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (p. 23). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
3.4. A minister may fill his pews, his communion roll, the mouths of the public, but what that minister is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more. " - John Owen Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (p. 22). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4. Conclusion
4.1. Count the cost and fight the fight of faith for prayer
4.1.1. I can think of nothing great that is also easy. Prayer must be, then, one of the hardest things in the world. To admit that prayer is very hard, however, can be encouraging. If you struggle greatly in this, you are not alone. Keller, Timothy (2014-11-04). Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (p. 24). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4.1.2. *** Fight and effort is nt anti gospel. Antil gospel is not effort, disciple. Pride is antigospel. Desperation is the heart of hte gospel! To fight and say "I gained it" mockes the cross. To fight and say "where else can I go." honors it!
4.2. See grace in the hard time of prayer
4.2.1. This is true self reflection - to let what God invites us to remind us o fwhat we have nt cme to. So true with prayer --- that the empty feelings of prayer often reveal the lack f prayers. And this is grace to feel this. Mercy to feel this. This is not discouraging... but informative, sheperding, pastoring our soul.
4.2.2. pray till you go from duty to delight - this is the sign of death to life!!!
4.3. Pray full of God's electing power
4.3.1. They can’t pray, “God, take out my friend’s heart of stone and give him a new heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19) They can’t pray, “Lord, circumcise my daughter’s heart so that she loves you.” (Deuteronomy 30:6) They can’t pray, “Father, put your Spirit within my dad and cause him to walk in your statutes.” (Ezekiel 36:27) They can’t pray, “Lord, grant my teacher repentance and a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:25–26) They can’t pray, “Open my sister’s eyes so that she will believe the gospel.” (Acts 16:14) Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4447-4448). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4.3.2. Do you see where this leads? People who really believe that man must have the ultimate power of self-determination, can’t consistently pray that God would convert unbelieving sinners. Why? Because if they pray for divine influence in a sinner’s life they are either praying for a successful influence (which takes away the sinner’s ultimate self-determination), or they are praying for an unsuccessful influence (which is not praying for God to convert the sinner). So either you give up praying for God to convert sinners or you give up ultimate human self-determination. Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4468-4472). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4.4. Pray for the triumph of the word
4.4.1. The triumph of the Word will not come without prayer. How do we know this? We know it by the way the apostle Paul pleads for prayer in the ministry of the Word. Three times he appeals for prayer from the churches so that the Word he preaches will succeed in its intended mission. “Pray also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19). “Pray for us also, that God may open to us a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ” (Colossians 4:3). “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4579-4580). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4.5. Pray in small groups
4.5.1. two or three are gatehred
4.5.2. women gather
4.5.3. cg- lets pray
4.5.4. prayer nights
4.5.5. Families
4.5.6. Next time with friend ---- can we pray! Oh that we might know each other that way - so quick to pray
4.5.7. Sunday morning s- come and pray with us if you can, gather your families to do that
4.6. be devoted to prayer
4.6.1. fight for it
4.6.2. fast wed
4.6.3. it is a discipline that you must fight for
4.6.3.1. And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray with many of you on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., and Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Saturday at 4:45 p.m., and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. out of duty? Is it a discipline? You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold. Means of Grace: Gift of God I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer. God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there are spiritual means of grace. Resist the lies of the devil in 2009, and get a bigger breakthrough in prayer than you’ve ever had.
4.7. Start in the bible
4.7.1. George Mueller said that for years he tried to pray without starting in the Bible in the morning. And inevitably his mind wandered. Then he started with the Book, and turned the Book into prayer as he read, and for 40 years he was able to stay focused and powerful in prayer.
4.7.2. Dan 9:1-2 "I daniel perceived ..."
4.8. Oh rethink your life and your hardships. They are not moments of abandonment by your God, they are moments of inivitation. Come to me. Know me. I'm removimg the blindness, removing the dross, removing the pride, removing the idolatry. I'm squeezing your life. I'm doing this so you might know me for all I am. The devil whispers "See, God's abandoned you and does'nt love you" and God's response is "I want more of you and I will never abandon you. That's why I'm takin gyou through this, because the response will be you will call on me"
4.8.1. What About Zechariah? Now what about Zechariah 13:8–9? It tells us one of the main ways that God awakens earnest prayer in his children, namely, in the refining fires of suffering. Don’t worry about when this passage is talking about. Just see, for now, how God works, and use this word to prepare yourself for God’s prayer school. Verse 8: “In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.” So the one third represents God’s remnant—his faithful, imperfect, weak people, who do not pray with the kind of discipline and desperation and joy, and hunger for God, that they should. So what is God’s remedy? What is his school of prayer? Verse 9: “And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested.” Notice carefully what is happening. In his great love, God saved the one third from being cut off with the two thirds who perished (v. 8). And then as part of his love for them, he puts them in the fire to be tested and refined. That is normal Christianity. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Put in the Fire to Awaken Prayer But what is it that God wants to see change in his people? Verse 9: “I will test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them.” That’s all he mentions. Nothing about their sex lives. Nothing about their money lives. Nothing about their power struggles. He just says: “When they come through the fire, they will pray to me, and I will answer.” God puts his people through the fire to awaken earnest prayer.
4.8.2. “In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”” (Zechariah 13:8–9, ESV)
4.8.2.1. NOTE the effect at 9b: - “They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’ ”” (Zechariah 13:8–9, ESV)
4.8.3. "It is therefore necessary that we should be subject, from first to last, to the scourges of God, in order that we may from the heart call on him; for our hearts are enfeebled by prosperity, so that we cannot make the effort to pray. (Commentary on Zechariah 13:9 [Baker, 2003], 403, emphasis added)" - John Calvin
4.9. Have a strategy - ACTS
4.9.1. adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. First, adore God with praise for the truth revealed in your reading of and meditation on the Scriptures, then confess your own sins and failings and foibles, then give thanks for his grace and mercy, and finally supplicate — petition him, ask him — for requests for yourself, your family, your church, and more.
4.10. Jopurnal
4.11. I:: Robert Robinson’s hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above
5. INtro to prayer
5.1. God's will for our lives is that we pray,
6. How Prayer awakens us
6.1. Because in prayer we see God for God and us for us. This is being awaken.
6.1.1. About three years ago i did a series on the baptism of the holy spirit. I was working through that topic (which I will soon with us). Among some of the things I regret was the ambigious thought that to be "empowered" had much to do with me once I was deposited with an endument of power. Meaning, power me God, so I can be this and do that and accomplish these things. That was the fullness of the Spirit. IT was these outworkings of power that allowed me to accomplish, to, perform. I dn' twant to diminish that, but the target was off I think. At the heart of it... listen ... at the heart of it, of every pentecostal renewal of the spirit, is the communion with God to see him as He is and to value him as he deserves. That's it. It is the placement of hte ehart back to Eden. To walk with God and know he is all sufficient, for my life, for this life, for all of life.
6.1.2. And that's what prayer does. Prayer allows us to see God as giver and us are getters, and we understand I think that givers are more glorious than getters because givers are self-sufficient!
6.1.3. Romans 11:35–36, "Who has given a gift to him that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever."
6.1.4. Acts 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
6.1.4.1. How humbling is that? PRay that one every day you who are needed. In the church, in the culture, at your work, even in your family - for all we say abou tthe need for fathers and mothers that are godly, and they are needed --- oh to trust that even if we abandoned our chidlren God is able to love them and care fo rthem. Only He intends to do i thtrough us.
6.1.4.2. ILL: Tonto always saved the Lone Ranger because the Lone Ranger long ago saved Tonto. And so he took an oath to pay him back.
6.1.4.2.1. That's a blasphemous way to relate to God. It's the Tonto ethic-He's done so much for me, now I must . . . , and then how you finish that sentence determines whether you are going to honor God in the way you receive blessing and honor grace or whether you're going to turn grace into works.
6.1.4.2.2. Romans 11:33: O the depth of the riches and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, how inscrutable are his ways. Who has ever given a gift to God that he should be repaid? Or who has ever been his counselor so as to teach him anything? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever and ever.
6.1.4.2.3. If you want to glorify God, to honor grace, you must recognize that you stay a receiver always. He stays the benefactor. You stay the beneficiary. If you try to reverse those roles, you dishonor him, if you say, oh, he's given so much to me, now I must give so as to enrich or meet his needs. Usually we don't articulate it because as soon as we do, it sounds awful, but we live it.
6.1.5. ““If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” (Psalm 50:12, ESV)
6.1.6. It's interesting because often times when the scriptures testify of prayer, it's a testimony of people needing to Get. Almost always that's the context
6.1.6.1. You have women want to bare children and they can't and so they pray
6.1.6.2. Jesus prays
6.1.6.3. Disciples prays
6.1.6.4. Early church prays when needs
6.1.7. Psalm 50:15, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
6.2. Because in Pray God ordains to awaken us to joy
6.2.1. I love what Tim keller says .. from duty to delight
6.2.2. John 16:23–24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
6.2.3. When we think of awakening.. isn't this what we're talking about? When we see peopel joyless, we might say somthein glike "you look lik eyou have the life sucked out of you"
6.2.4. Pray is the means by which Go dawakens us to flourish - life. To feel it. To live it. To be thankful for it. To be in awe and in wonder.
6.2.5. ILL: CAMP ... shooting stars.. wow .. oh... oh wehre... no...
6.2.6. Some of us ..numb in life. Just get up, just go, just make it through ...
6.2.7. God knows this ... so he brings us to places where we need to pray and the effect is what? Joy
6.2.7.1. Ex. Women who are barren. Pray and note their delight!
6.2.7.2. Ex. Acts - bound . Pray. Note their delight!
6.3. Because in prayer we are humblefied and God is glorified
6.3.1. Psalm 50:15, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
6.3.2. Why is salvation tied to prayer? Calling on the name of the Lord? Cause it's a magical incantation? No . cause God gets the glory and we get the good.
6.3.3. God answers our call for help so that we get the rescue and he gets the honor
6.3.4. John 14:13 Jesus says, "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
6.3.5. “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
6.3.6. Listen - prayer takes our small ordinary life and enlightens it to something grander!
6.3.6.1. So much of us are not alive because we can't get beyond the small. Our lives feels small, and tha tis really hard when we live in such a connected world.
6.3.6.2. Prayer ties us to the cosmic plan - not the salvation of others, that's just part, but hte making known of GOd! Listen, that is the cosmic plan of redemption. Since the day Satan misrepresented God and man bleieved it, and angels followed, God has (and before that) worked to declare himself
6.3.6.3. Allc reation declares his glory!
6.3.6.4. So you live, through prayer ... becomes as majestic as the grand canyon! The awe the ,wonder
6.3.6.5. Isn'tthat what brinsg us to life?
6.3.6.5.1. You work for a doctor and not mean anything.. but you work for hte cure of cancer... means something, especially if it will be successful
6.3.6.6. EX. Luke 5 - disciples .. fishers of men .. left everything...
6.3.6.7. See the answer is not that we all go find some grand purpose like be a pastor (though I love that) or get support to fight sex trafficking.. that's great. some will do that! But wher eis the grandness of stay at home moms, or the man that lives now in retirement and has all day long to do something, or the student that has to study ... all that is found int he rythims of life having need and God answer to show himself --- as moses found out --- merciful, gracious, compassionate ... andas that your life is light house... and when that happens, what life enters!!!
6.3.6.8. Even we believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God—even we say, “We have this treasure in jars of clay” (2 Corinthians 4:7). Our spirit is alive with God’s Spirit, but our bodies are dead because of sin (Romans 8:10). Prayer for Eternity That’s the way life is. And that’s the way this prayer is—iridescent with eternity and woven into ordinary life.
6.3.7. verse
6.3.7.1. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake! (Psalm 79:9)
6.3.7.2. For your name’s sake, O Lᴏʀᴅ, pardon my guilt, for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)
6.3.7.3. or your name’s sake, O Lᴏʀᴅ, preserve my life! (Psalm 143:11)
6.3.7.4. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake. (Daniel 9:19)
6.3.7.5. It is my prayer that you be . . . filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9–11).
6.3.7.6. We always pray for you, that our God may . . . fulfill every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you (2 Thessalonians 1:11–12).
6.3.7.7. John 14:13–14: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
6.3.8. This is wonderful. God exalts his grace and power by giving help rather than demanding it. He designs the Christian life so that we get the joy as he gets the glory.
6.3.8.1. But when we are born again, we are happy for God to be God. We are content for God to get all the glory, while we remain cheerful supplicants of mercy. So pray without ceasing and put God’s glory on display.
6.3.9. Pray big and small
6.3.10. side: God will not give us more than we can handle - of course he will
6.3.10.1. ex. Moses free my people
6.3.10.2. ex. discples - reach the world
6.3.10.3. teh point is he wil lnot put us in a place where al lhpe in God is lost because what we can handle is prayer
6.3.11. Not all things glorify God
6.3.11.1. “Whatever you ask . . .” God will do. We all wonder how extensive that whatever is. If we make it absolute, we deny that the glory of God is the aim of prayer. Why is that? Because we can all think of prayers that do not glorify God. If God answered them, he would not be glorified. He would be discredited and dishonored. For example: “God, please, make me more important than yourself.” “God, please wipe the Jewish people off the planet—or black people, or white people.” Choose your hatred, and ask God to support you in it. “God, please make pornography a godly thing to look at once a week.” “God, blind the IRS to all the times I have lied on my tax returns.” “God please put my competitor out of business.” When Jesus says, “Whatever you ask . . .” the whatever is qualified by the end of the verse: “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Prayer exists, like everything else to show that God is supremely glorious. Therefore, any prayer that does not imply “Hallowed be thy name” as the main desire has no claim on this verse.
6.4. Because the greatest delight we bring to God is in the outworking of grace in prayer
6.4.1. Proverbs 15:8 says, "The prayer of the upright is His delight." He is so eager to hear prayers and respond to them that he says in Isaiah 65:24, "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." In fact, he takes special steps to see to it that he is constantly badgered. I say that reverently and, I think, truly on the basis of Isaiah 62:6–7, "On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." So God loves being asked for things so much that he appoints people to "give him no rest" but to "remind the Lord" and "never [to] keep silent."
6.4.2. We can never be more loved and more honored by the Father, because the utlimate point of holiness and right standing with god was secured by faith in Jesus.
6.4.2.1. John 15:7–8, 16: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples . . . . 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.”
6.4.3. But... note that for example, we are a holy nation (in Peter) we are still called to live holy. Meaning the life of a disciples is deep rooted in our standing and the pressing .. even the fighting, the striving, the working.. to live in that truth. That's what the Spirit is pushing us towards. That isthe process of sanctification - not the NEW STANDING, but the NEW EXPERIENCE. To see and know the truth of union with Christ.
6.4.4. So then, prayer is the fullest of this ... know what christ has done, lean on it, enjoy it .. it honors God by honoring his son
6.4.5. So devote
6.4.5.1. Devote Yourselves to Prayer Now back to Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourselves to prayer." This does not come as a surprise now, does it? If prayer is so great and central to God's purpose for the universe and for your life, it is not surprising that God would tell us, "Devote yourselves to prayer." And it is not surprising that this word "be devoted to" or "persevere in" or "continue in" occurs six times in the New Testament in relation to prayer. Acts 1:14, "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer." Acts 2:42, "[The early church] were continually devoting themselves to . . . prayer." Acts 6:4, the apostles said they would devote themselves "to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulation, be devoted to prayer." Ephesians 6:18, "Pray at all times in the Spirit . . . with all perseverance."
6.4.6. God delights in prayer
6.4.6.1. Proverbs 15:8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
6.4.6.2. Prayer is his delight because prayer shows the reaches of our poverty and the riches of his grace. Prayer is that wonderful transaction where the wealth of God’s glory is magnified and the wants of our soul are satisfied. Therefore God delights in the prayers of the upright. Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4291-4293). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
6.4.6.3. Psalm 147:11 that “The LORD takes pleasure in those who hope in his love.” Here we see that the Lord takes pleasure in prayers that give expression to that hope. Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4397-4398). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
6.4.6.4. *** The most wonderful thing about the Bible is that it reveals a God who satisfies his appetite for joy by answering prayers. He has no deficiency in himself that he needs to fill up, so he gets his satisfaction by magnifying the glory of his riches by filling up the deficiencies of people who pray. Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4413-4415). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
6.4.6.5. Do yo usee the privilege of prayer - Psalm 50:13–15. “Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?” says the Lord. No. Therefore “offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving … and call upon him in the day of trouble, and he will deliver you, and you shall glorify [him].” Piper, John (2012-01-17). The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God (Kindle Locations 4416-4418). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
6.4.6.6. He is anxious to answer
6.4.6.6.1. Isaiah 65:24, "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."
6.4.6.6.2. Meditating on this is very encouraging to our faith and hope. This means that God, the Creator of the Universe, who holds our life in his hands and rules the world, is the kind of God who loves to be asked for things.
6.5. Because God has ordained that fruit in the christian life flows from prayer
6.5.1. Think about that in context of being awakened. Would we not say that to be fruitless, to be baren, is in fact what it means to be slubmering as a christin? To be asleep? On the flip side, should we not say that to be alive means to be fruitful as a christian? I mena, it's such a better phrase than "being on fire for God". The bible puts very little if any verbage towards that idea. But fruitfulness, a pciture of life, a pctiure of connected with jesus, a pictuer that something is growing, happeing.. that's what we hear.
6.5.2. So listen then to what Jesus has to say - John 15:7–8: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
6.5.3. “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.” (John 15:16, ESV)
7. Outline
7.1. Outline the typical problem of non-flourishing life
7.2. Set the goal
7.2.1. To see how God brings life
7.2.2. To see the role prayer plays
7.3. What does it mean to be awaken?
7.4. What does prayer have to do with being awaken?
7.5. What can I do to maximize this series?
8. About the Lord's Prayer - Structurally
8.1. IS it a template or a word for word prayer?
8.1.1. Going just by Matthew you would take it to be a template or model. Going just by Luke you would take it to be a form to be prayed in those exact words
9. Teach us to Pray (Luke 11:1-13)
9.1. In comparison to Matt's version
9.2. Luke
9.2.1. Darrel Brock - IVP - mentions that this request was more to do with the newfound identity emerging from the dsiciples sense of what jesus is doing than seeing the examples of Jesus praying.
9.2.1.1. Brock's commentary - "Here the prayer is the direct result of a request from the disciples to be given a community prayer such as John the Baptist's community has. Such community prayers were not unusual. The Jews had the Eighteen Benedictions, and the disciples' remarks make it clear that John also had a community prayer. The Qumran community had numerous hymns and prayers (1Q34; 4Q507-9).As we look at the setting for the Lord's Prayer, a very important point emerges. The prayer is really poorly named, at least in its Lukan setting. Here the prayer is the direct result of a request from the disciples to be given a community prayer such as John the Baptist's community has. Such community prayers were not unusual. The Jews had the Eighteen Benedictions, and the disciples' remarks make it clear that John also had a community prayer. The Qumran community had numerous hymns and prayers (1Q34; 4Q507-9). This makes the Lord's Prayer really "the Disciples' Prayer." It was given to exemplify the attitude of dependence that Jesus' disciples should have. The disciples' request also reflects the independent identity they were developing as they followed Jesus. The more they followed Jesus the more they realized that he was forming a new community, a distinct expression of Jewish hope. So they wanted to know how to pray to mark their distinctiveness. This is the only time in Jesus' ministry that there is a request for instruction on prayer.
9.2.1.2. Why this makes sense
9.2.1.2.1. note that they don't say "we see how often you pray" or "wow, what intimacy you have with God. We want that. Teach us to pray". This would make sense cause here's Jesus praying in verse 1. However, that's never in view. Instead, they look at John and his disciples and the "group" or "community" or "movement" there and they say to Jesus - "teach us to pray" - give us a prayer that identifies us as a community. it may be that they are seeing, as Brock says, that a new community is emerging by faith in Jesus
9.2.1.2.2. Extra note - this was not just them noticing something about John's ministry. Remember, that John had pointed to Jesus at the Jordan and some of his disciples (though not all) left. It's not unlikley that these disciples that transfered from John's group to jesus group tehrefore wanted to know when Jesus woudl do what John did
9.2.1.2.3. "Our" and "Us" is used
9.2.1.2.4. The focus on the Kingdom
9.2.1.2.5. The prayer for forgiveness is not only vertical with God, but is made dependent upon the horizontal with each other
10. Context of Eze 37
10.1. Historic view - About Israel and the return of the people to Israel
10.1.1. Good reference to see that "all of israel wil be saved" - all meaning the nation, not necessarily every single person - http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-reasons-i-believe-romans-11-26-means-a-future-conversion-for-israel