Prayer Connected to Promise: Sermon Guide

The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our July 28, 2019 message, Prayer Connected to Promise. For more from this series, check out Summer on the Mount.

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

• What in your life are you tempted to believe that God doesn’t care about? Share this with your community group and ask them to pray with you for that very thing.
• One way to be encouraged to pray more is to reflect and celebrate answered prayers. The next time your community group gathers, share answered prayer requests with each other, and then spend time praying together.

Summary

Does prayer really make that big of a difference in life? We all know it’s important and that we should do it, but aren’t things going to happen either way? As we continue our series, “Summer on the Mount,” David Marvin walks us through Matthew 7:7-11, showing us how Jesus calls us to pray continually and trust constantly.

Key Takeaways

• Matthew 7:7-11 is all about praying to your Heavenly Father: Ask, Seek, Knock.
• Scripture calls us to pray continually and trust constantly.
• God cares about everything in your life...bring Him whatever you are facing wherever you are.
• Why is it that we can’t be honest with God the way we are with our friends?
• God answers prayers in three ways: yes, no, not now.
• God answers yes when His will intersects with our ask.
• When God gives us something we didn’t ask for, does that mean He is a bad gift giver? No! He’s a perfect, loving, and good Heavenly Father. He only knows how to give good gifts.
• “God will either give us what we ask for in prayer or give us what we would have asked for if we knew everything He knows." -Tim Keller
• God loves to give the best gift: Himself.

Mentioned or Recommended Resources

• Suggested Scripture study: Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1; 1 Peter 5:7; James 4:2-3; Luke 11:13
• Sermon: The Foundation, Fabric, Mortar and Maintenance Program of Everything
• Sermon: The Lord’s Prayer
• Sermon Series: Vacate - The Secret of Prayer and Intimacy with God
• Real Truth Real Quick: Why Pray if God Knows Everything Any Way?
• Book: A Praying Life by Paul Miller (available wherever books are sold)