Prayer and Perspective

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Prayer and Perspective

Matthew 6:5–13, Philippians 4:6–7

LAUNCH

What makes prayer so challenging? Why do you think some prayers are unanswered?

THE WORD

Matthew 6:5-13

5 “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 others. 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 when you pray, 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. 9 Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

EXPLORE

Verses 5-8: What not to do
What warning is Jesus giving us about prayer in verses 5-6? What is the warning about prayer in verses 7-8?

Verses 9-13: What to do
“Hallowed” - made holy, consecrated, greatly revered and honored

Why do you think Jesus’ prayer starts with “hallowed be your name”?

How does verse 10 change our perspective when we’re in prayer? If this prayer were answered on your team, what would it look like?

Verse 11 is the first time that there is a request. How is that instructive to us? Why do you think Jesus instructs us to ask for our “daily bread”?

What is being requested in verse 12?

Why is verse 13 an important element of prayer?

APPLY

Look at Jesus’ model for prayer:

1) Praise / Worship (v. 9)
2) Perspective (v. 10)
3) Provision / Needs (v. 11)
4) Pardon / Being right with God / people (v. 12)
5) Protection (v. 13)

Which of these elements needs to be more emphasized in your prayer life? How can they all apply to your sport and how you pray for that?

When Jesus was suffering, He prayed to “let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). How should Jesus’ teaching on prayer and His example instruct our perspective on how we view prayer? On “unanswered” prayer?

MEMORIZE

Philippians 4:6-7
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Grace of God

Ephesians 2:1–10

LAUNCH When was a time when someone gave you a really lavish or expensive gift? THE WORD Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. EXPLORE Why are people spiritually “dead” according to verse 1-3? Pick one word to summarize the condition of people in verses 1-3. Pick another word to summarize the condition of people in verses 4-6. What was God’s motivation for doing what He did in verse 4? (Look for two). “grace” - unmerited favor, undeserved gift With that definition in mind, what do you think it means in v. 8 that it is by “grace you have been saved”? Saved from what? “Faith” - trust, confidence With that definition in mind, what do you think v. 8 means when it says that “you have been saved through faith”? What do you think the text means when it says “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”? Why would this exclude boasting in self? If v. 9 just said that salvation is “not a result of works” what do you think it means that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”? APPLY Think back to the first question you answered. When someone gave you that expensive gift, how did you respond? How is this related to salvation that we looked at in this passage? Sometimes we think that acceptance before God is based on performance (works), but according to this passage, salvation is based on grace - a free gift. How does that affect you to know that we are freed from performance to be accepted by God? How should this passage affect your relationship with God if salvation is not a result of works, but salvation actually produces works? MEMORIZE Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Assurance of Salvation

1 John 5:11–13, 1 John 5:9–13

LAUNCH On a scale from 0-100%, how sure are you that you’d spend eternity with God? Why? What gives you that confidence? What causes doubt? THE WORD 1 John 5:9-13 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. EXPLORE When a witness gives a testimony, what is a testimony? How do you know whether to trust or not trust a testimony? According to this passage, what is God’s testimony? According to v. 9-10, why should we accept God’s testimony? How do we receive eternal life? Why does John say that he writes these things? APPLY Click the "Apply" button below to view image. MEMORIZE 1 John 5:11-13 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.