Title: Three Dimensions of Prayer

Series: Courtroom of Heaven

Icebreaker: What is the first title that comes to mind when you think of God?

This Sunday our Bishop introduced a new sermon series entitled, Courtroom of Heaven. There's probably nothing more frustrating to a believer than unanswered prayers. Many people quit praying or leave the faith altogether because they feel like God won't ever respond to their requests. The truth, however, is that our prayers can be held up in heaven due to a matter of legality. Everything on the earth originates in heaven, so when we look at the world's systems, broken as they may be, we get a glimpse of how things were designed to operate in heaven. Just as we have court proceedings and a judicial system here on the earth, there is a courtroom in heaven where our prayers are heard...

Luke 18:1-8

I. God: Father and Friend (Luke 11:2, 5-8)

a. When Jesus taught his disciples about prayer he first introduced God as Father, the one who calls us his own (Romans 8:15). The way you approach your parent to ask for something is very different from the way you might approach a stranger. As a child of God, we have access to him and all that is his, we don't have to come to him shy or afraid.

b. We can come boldly to the throne of grace, knowing that our Father cares for us and desires to bless us. This means that when we pray, we can trust that our Father will give us what we need at the time.

c. Other times, God answers our prayers not only because he's our father, but because he's our friend. There is a different relational depth between friends than between parents and children, friendship is an intentional choice.

d. God considered Abraham a friend and because of that friendship God fulfilled some of Abraham's requests, like sparing his nephew Lot, as a favor to a friend (Genesis 18).

e. Just as you would share secrets with and grant favors to your closest friends simply because you care for and trust them, God does the same with us. He responds to our prayers and requests like any good friend would.

Discussion:

How does having a relationship with God as father or friend impact the way you approach him in prayer?

Is there ever a time you ask a parent or friend for something and they can't fulfill your request? What might be a reason for them to say no or not now?

II. God the Judge (Isaiah 33:22, Daniel 7:10)

a. With this knowledge of relationship with God as father and friend, it still confounds us to think that there are times God seems to not answer our prayers. Jesus didn't only teach his disciples to address God on these two dimensions, but he encouraged them not to lose hope when their prayers seemed to go unanswered. Jesus reveals that an unjust judge in our world's system will eventually grant a fair judgement, we can trust our just Judge to do the same.

b. There are many times where God the Father hears our prayers and desires to bless us, and God our Friend wants to grant us special favors, but God the Judge is duty-bound and cannot allow partiality. Although we are children and friends of God, we have an enemy who brings accusations against us before the Judge, and that evidence cannot be ignored.

c. Satan can accuse us and bring evidence of personal sin in our lives (Psalm 66:18), actions we've taken that are explicitly wrong. He can also hold sins in our family bloodline against us, if there is a pattern in our families of sinful habits. There are also impure motives of the heart that Satan can find evidence of and use against us (Job 1:6). The point is that we must be vigilant in and address all areas of our lives so the enemy has nothing to stand on (1 Peter 5:8).

d. We must do the things that we know to be right, and do them for the right reasons. We must repent to break the legal power of the enemy off of our lives, this includes repenting for the things in our bloodline that maybe we haven't done but are subject to, and we must ask the Lord to purify our hearts and motives. With repentance, our defense against the enemy is the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 12:24).

e. Our job is not to argue against Satan, we only have to address our Judge and await his verdict. Only then, can we approach the spiritual battlefield with authority, as God gives us permission to move forward.

REMIND:

GriefShare: Grief is one of life’s most difficult journeys, but you don’t have to go through it alone. If you, or someone you know, has lost a loved one you can begin your journey from mourning to joy through GriefShare at City Church. Meetings are held on Saturdays at 9:00 AM in the District Pastors’ Office. For more information please visit citychurchnola.life/GriefShare.

Wednesday Morning Prayer: You can participate in corporate prayer every Wednesday morning at 7 AM on Facebook. Join us each week as we continue to pray for our church, our city, and our nation.

City Life TV: You can watch our Bishop deliver thoughtful messages throughout the week. Tune in to WHNO, channel 20, Saturdays at 10:00 PM.

REPORT:

Please continue to report your in-person and virtual group meetings!

By using the same email you would normally receive, you may update your group information and report your weekly meetings.

If you need help with reporting, please contact your district pastor.

Have an amazing and spirit-filled group!