Pray the Bible

Objectives:

• Examine the “how” of worship: Read, Preach, Pray, Sing, and See the Bible
• Explain why the “How” of worship matters, which includes the elements, historical evidences, cultural accommodations, biblical characteristics, and challenges of worship in our modern culture, particularly in regards to prayer

I. The need for prayer

1. The new church movement argued that the best way to reach out to the unchurched was to have a service that was not “churchy”
   1. This led to an absence of prayer and expository teaching in worship services
   2. Skit, brief “talk,” no long prayers, no hymns, only cool music
2. Jesus said, “My Father’s house is a house of prayer.”
3. James Montgomery Boice
4. R.C. Sproul and Bill Hybel
   1. Never in the Bible do people encounter the living God and respond with boredom.
   2. Maybe the reason the unchurched go to churches and come away saying they are boring and irrelevant is because God is not there
5. People don’t know their Bibles because we haven’t been preaching the Bible

II. How To Pray

1. Adoration
   1. The Bible doesn’t simply tell us to “just praise the Lord,” but gives us the why of praising him.
   2. We are to recount his glorious deeds
   3. We are to give thanks for the forgiveness he extends to us
2. Planning
   1. Your public prayer should be rich in biblical and theological content.
   2. This doesn’t mean you have to read written prayers, but it does mean you should spend time planning.
   3. It is okay to deviate from the plan, but have a plan
3. John Calvin, in his order of service, had a prayer of illumination before the reading of Scripture
   1. He believed the reading of the Word was a means of grace
   2. He believed that the right understanding of the Word was spiritual  — no natural, but supernatural (1 Corinthians 2)
   3. The language and theology of Scripture should permeate our prayers
   4. “Your people want a pastor who is filled with God and with his Word.”  — Ligon Duncan
4. Rich in Scripture and theological content
   1. Pray Scripture back to God
   2. Spend time plundering the language of Scripture for prayers in public worship
   3. Ephesians 3:14-19
5. Resources
   1. Matthew Henry, “Methods of Prayer”
      1. “A Way to Pray” O. Palmer Robertson, Matthew Henry
      2. Also available online as a free resource
   2. Valley of Vision
      1. Book of Puritan prayers
   3. C.H. Spurgeon, “Checkbook of the Bank of Faith”
      1. God has deposited all these promises to you in the bank of faith and prayer is when you write a check the amount of which is fulfilled and paid for by the promises that God has deposited in faith’s bank
      2. Pray God’s promises back to him
         1. Daniel 9: Daniel prays that God would do what he’s promised to do for the people of Israel
         2. In answer to this prayer, Jesus comes into the world.
   4. Kenneth Boa, “Handbook to Prayer”
      1. Taking Scripture passages and turning them into prayers to God
   5. Dr. Calhoun, “Prayers on the Psalms”
      1. In 1595, the Church of Scotland created a psalter with prayers before each psalm
      2. This book is a collection of those prayers
   6. Book of Common Prayer
6. We should spend time plundering the truth and language of Scripture in preparation for leading our people in prayer

III. Ephesians 3:14-19

1. That he would grant you to be strengthened with the power of the Spirit in your inner being
   1. Paul knows that you need power to live the Christian life
   2. This power comes from outside of you.
2. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith
   1. The work of the spirit is to root and ground us in Christ
3. That you may know the love of Christ
4. That you may be filled with all the fullness of God
   1. Being filled up to be what God made and redeemed us to be
5. His prayer for us is to reap the benefits we already have in Christ