ask.learning to pray with Jesus

T E R M 1 L E A D E R S B O O K

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This term we hope to grow as a church in bold and expectant prayer as we are again

amazed at who our God is and his readiness to hear and respond to the things we

ask him in Jesus’ name. We will begin the term by committing the year to our Lord in

prayer on Wednesday 1st Feb, 7:45 at church.

ask.learning to pray with Jesus

Title Passage Notes

5th Feb 1 Ask your loving Father

Lk 11:1-13 Jn 11:38-44 Lk 22:39-46

Prayer is speaking to our loving Father, who eagerly listens to his children

Key concept: relationship

12th Feb 2 Ask through the Son

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 We ask in Jesus’ name because he makes every prayer pleasing to God

Key concept: access

19th Feb 3 Ask with the Spirit’s help

Rom 8:15-30 Lk 3:21-22

The Spirit helps us pray like the Son

Key concept: help

26th Feb 4 Ask for forgiveness Psalm 51, Lk 22:31-34 Psalm 66:16-20

We ask our Father to forgive our sins, knowing he always will

Key concept: confession and forgiveness

5th Mar 5 Ask for your needs Matthew 6:5-14 Matthew 6:25-34 Nehemiah 1:5-11

We ask our Father for everything we need, because he knows our every need

Key concept: God’s power, sovereignty and care

12th Mar 6 Keep asking Lk 18:1-8, Hab 3:1-19

We keep asking our Father, even when we don’t see an answer

Key concept: perseverance

19th Mar 7 Ask for others Eph 3:14-21 John 17:20-26

We ask our Father to work in and for the sake of others

Key concept: intercession / wrestling in prayer for others

26th Mar 8 Ask the God of the Nations

Ps 67 Daniel 9:4-19

We ask our Father to work in the world for his glory

Key concept: praying for God’s work around the world

2nd April

9 Give thanks / (All-in service@10:30)

Ps 118 Matt 11:25-28

We give thanks to our Father: for who he is, what he has done and what is to come

Key concept: thankfulness

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Passage: Luke 11:1-13 John 11:38-44 Luke 22:39-46

Prayer is speaking to our loving Father, who eagerly listens to his children

Key Concept: Relationship

What is the key to great prayer? Is it certain words? A certain structure? A certain attitude? A certain routine? The key to great prayer isn’t anything we can do, it’s who our Father is and that he loves to hear us pray.

Jesus’ teaching on prayer can be summed up in one word: ask. Asking is an act of dependence, when we ask things of our Father in prayer, we rely completely on his love and goodness, not the quality of our asking or worthiness.

Possible Outline:

Jesus taught us to ask our Father for all things (Lk 11:1-4)

Ask and it will be given to you (Lk 11:5-10)

Ask because of your Father’s goodness (Lk 11:11-13)

Key application points:

Great prayer isn’t about a technique or anything we do. It’s about realising who our Father is - his power, goodness and readiness to hear and answer

Pray expectantly - we will cover lots of the qualifiers to this in future weeks but for now just let this passage sit: ask and it will be given to you.

Praying expectantly declares many things about God - his power, his goodness, his generosity and his love for his children

Prayer isn’t emptying our minds - it’s engaging our minds as we talk to God

We can get caught up in all the things we know we should be praying - acronyms like ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) have their place, but in the end prayer is simple - prayer is asking our Father for things.

Tool in prayer:

Memorising the Lord’s Prayer and using it to pray for all things

WEEK 1 - ASK YOUR LOVING FATHER

5th Feb

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Passage: Hebrews 4:14-5:10

We ask in Jesus’ name because he makes every prayer pleasing to God

Key Concept: Access

We all know we’re meant to pray ‘in Jesus’ name. But is it a stuffy formality? Or is it where we find intimacy, confidence and hope in prayer?

We pray in Jesus’ name because he is our mediator - our prayers are heard because he deserves to be heard

When we pray in Jesus’ name he should also be our model - praying with Jesus’ privileged position and his priorities

We approach God in prayer with confidence because we come in Jesus name, approaching God the Father through Jesus, our high priest (Heb 4:14-5:4). Jesus was the perfect Son of God perfect pray-er (Heb 5:5-10), and we now approach God in prayer in his name, on the basis of his work

But what does praying in Jesus name look like?

Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with the confidence of the Son (Jn 11:38-44), because we don’t come before God on our merits but on his. Praying in Jesus’ name also means praying with the priorities of the Son (Lk 22:39-46), for the one to whom the Father always listened was the one who prayed, ‘not my will, but yours be done’.

Possible Outline:

What does it look like to pray in Jesus’ name?

Jesus is our mediator - making every prayer pleasing to the Father (Heb 4:14-5:4)

Because Jesus was the perfect, praying Son (Heb 5:5-10)

We can now pray, and be heard, as the perfect Son is heard

Key application points:

Praying ‘in Jesus name’ isn’t a formality - it is the basis of our hope in prayer

God listens to our prayers as eagerly as he listens to Jesus’ prayers

We stand in Jesus’ shoes when we pray so share an immense privilege

We should also stand in Jesus’ shoes as we consider our priorities in prayer

Valuing that you can pray at all!

Try praying ‘backwards’ - starting ‘in Jesus’ name’ - how will that effect your confidence? How will that effect the content or tone of your prayers?

Tool in prayer:

‘Praying backwards’

WEEK 2 - ASK THROUGH THE SON

12th Feb

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Passage: Rom 8:15-30 Lk 3:21-22

The Spirit helps us pray like the Son

Key Concept: Help

How does the Spirit help us as we pray? Emptying our minds? Focusing our minds?

The Spirit makes us sons who can call God ‘Father’ and he helps us to start praying like sons of our Father.

Possible Outline:

The Spirit unites us to the Son and makes us children of God who can call God ‘Father’ (Rom 8:15-17)

The Spirit prays for us when we can’t (Rom 8:18-27)

The Spirit forms in us the dependence of the Son (Rom 8:28-30, Lk 3:21-22)

The Spirit shows us the will of God in his word (1 Cor 2:6-16)

Key application points:

You are not alone in prayer - the Spirit is allowing you to pray, helping you to pray and praying when you can’t

By the Spirit you are welcomed into a conversation that started long before you got there - you don’t need to break the ice!

Use the bible to pray things in line with God’s will

Your prayer is ‘Spiritual’ if it approaches the Father relying on the Son

Your prayer is ‘Spiritual’ if you seek to pray God’s will as revealed in his word - ‘God is fond of his own handwriting’

Tool in prayer:

Praying the Psalms

WEEK 3 - ASK WITH THE SPIRIT’S HELP

19th Feb

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Passage: Psalm 51 Lk 22:31-34 Psalm 66:16-20

We ask our Father to forgive our sins, knowing he always will

Key Concept: Confession and Forgiveness

Where do we go with our guilt and shame? Ignore or Deny it? Minimise it, Explain it away or Blame others? Try to make amends? We are to confess our sins to our heavenly Father, knowing he will forgive.

Possible Outline:

We need to ask for forgiveness (Psalm 51)

Our sin is firstly against God

We need to own our sin and confess it

We have a Father who is pleased to forgive because of his great mercy

Knowing forgiveness leads to longing for holiness and proclamation

Key application points:

Forgive as you have been forgiven (Mt 6:14)

We are to confess our sins, even though our sins are already forgiven

The place of corporate confession

How sin can affect our prayers - the difference between fatherly displeasure and being cut off / not heard

The joy of confessing rather than excusing or explaining away sin

The joy of confessing sin to our Father who will surely forgive

Now we are sure of the Father’s forgiveness:

• We must flee from sin but have somewhere to go with our continued sin (1 John 1:8-2:2)

• Sin still affects our relationship with God (Ps 66:16-20, 1 Peter 3:7, Heb 12:4-11)

» The idea of Fatherly displeasure and discipline vs. wrath

Tool in prayer:

Books or collections of prayers:

Valley of Vision

Prone to Wander

Book of Common Prayer

WEEK 4 - ASK FOR FORGIVENESS

26th Feb

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Passage: Matthew 6:5-14 Matthew 6:25-34 Nehemiah 1:5-11

We ask our Father for everything we need, because he knows our every need

Key Concept: God’s Power and Sovereignty

Where do you go with your needs?

Do you get to work? Go to others? Start worrying? Or do you bring your needs before your heavenly Father?

Possible Outline:

Your ‘unseen’ Father cares about your ‘seen’ needs (Mt 6:5-13) The seemingly ‘small’ and ‘worldly’ request of daily bread made it in here with God’s kingdom coming and our sins being forgiven!!

Your Father knows your needs, so simply ask (Mt 6:7-8)

We have a Father on which to cast our needs, worries and anxieties (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7)

Ask and Act: surrendering our needs in prayer, solving our problems and seeking his kingdom in action (Matthew 6:33, Nehemiah 1:1-2:10 (look at the broad narrative and how prayer and action are related), Nehemiah 4:8-9)

Key application points:

We are to bring our needs to God

Nothing is too small or too big

The purpose of prayer to a God who already knows everything

The place of anxiety and worry in light of prayer

Entrusting to God and getting to work: the relationship between praying and doing

Tool in prayer:

Keeping a Prayer diary

WEEK 5 - ASK FOR YOUR NEEDS

5th Mar

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Passage: Luke 18:1-8 Hab 3:1-19

We keep asking our Father, even when we don’t see an answer

Key Concept: Perseverance

Sometimes our requests are met with delay, denial or darkness. How do we keep praying?

Possible Outline:

Always pray and don’t give up, because your loving Father will act (Lk 18:1-8)

Persevering Prayer remembers God’s power and asks him to act (Hab 3:1-15)

Persevering Prayer trusts in our Loving Father more than a particular outcome (Hab 3:16-19)

Key application points:

We should expect some delays in prayer

Perseverance in prayer

What to do with unanswered prayer

Our need for others to pray with and for us

Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7-10)

Tool in prayer:

Asking others to pray with and for us

WEEK 6 - KEEP ASKING

12th Mar

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Passage: Eph 3:14-21 John 17:20-26

We ask our Father to work in and for the sake of others

Key Concept: Intercession / Wrestling in prayer for others

All the things we most want for others we cannot do. We are to bring them and their needs before our Father, who can do abundantly more than we ask or imagine.

Possible Outline:

What do we want for others and what can we do?

We ask for the needs of others, especially their greatest needs (Eph 6:18)

We ask that others would know God better (Eph 3:14-21, Jn 17:20-26)

We ask that others would grow in God (Col 1:9-12)

Key application points:

We are called to pray for others

• For their needs

• That they would know God

• That they would grow in God

Wrestle in prayer for others (like Epaphras)

The most loving thing to do for someone is pray

The best way to love someone more is to pray for them

Tool in prayer:

Prayer lists

WEEK 7 - ASK FOR OTHERS

19th Mar

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Passage: Ps 67 Daniel 9:4-19

We ask our Father to work in the world for his glory

Key Concept: Praying for God’s work around the world

We ask that God would work, so that he will be glorified We ask that many would be saved, so that God will be glorified We ask for those in authorities, that God would be glorified We commit ourselves to God’s work in prayer, so that he will be glorified

Possible Outline:

We ask that the nations would know God (Ps 67:1-7)

We ask that we would help the nations to know God (Ps 67:1 & 7)

We ask for authorities, that the nations may know God for his glory (1 Tim 2:1-6)

We ask it all for his glory (Ps 67:1-7, Dan 9:15-19, Jn 12:23-30)

Key application points:

One of the highest callings we have is to pray for the work of the gospel in the world

Prayer for global mission ‘connects our local, momentary and fragile labours with God’s global, eternal and invincible purposes’ - John Piper

Prayer is a form of political action!

Tool in prayer:

Missionary letters

WEEK 8 - ASK THE GOD OF THE NATIONS

26th Mar

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Passage: Ps 118 Matt 11:25-28

We give thanks to our Father: for who he is, what he has done and what is to come

Key Concept: Thankfulness

Possible Outline:

Ps 118

Give thanks for who God is

GIve thanks for what he has done

GIve thanks for what is to come

Key application points:

Being thankful

Giving thanks in our prayer

Tracking and remembering answers to prayer

Giving thanks for unanswered prayer

Thanklessness is at the heart of sin (Rom 1:18) and Thankfulness is at the heart of effective witness (Phil 2:14-18)

WEEK 9 - GIVE THANKS / (ALL-IN SERVICE@10:30)

2nd April

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ask.learning to pray with Jesus T E R M 1 L E A D E R S B O O K