Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church
6/10/26 Wednesday Evening Service

  • Review:

    Turn to Hebrews 4:14-16
    Two weeks ago, we found answers to several questions about the Bible:
    We studied…
    Who is the author of the Bible?
    How can we defend our Bible?
    Why should we read our Bible?
    How should we read our Bible?
    Remember: we are learning this material so that we can teach others these principles.

    Introduction - Chapter eight: learning how to pray

    The chapter begins with this statement:
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    “True Christianity is not just a set of beliefs, but a personal relationship with God.” - First Steps For New Christians, page 57
    That statement is the key. The starting point for real Christianity is a genuine personal relationship with God guided by the Scriptures, not by your feelings. Remove the relationship, and anything that remains is just a shadow of religion.
    Christian, until you learn to pray, your relationship with God will be more like a long distance pen pal than that of a close Father/child relationship. God intends for your relationship with Him to be far deeper than you can possibly imagine, but it will be only as deep as you want it be.
    Prayer is the antidote to shallow Christianity.
    There are many reasons why Christians don’t pray, but I believe that it can be boiled down to this root problem. I believe that the greatest hindrance to private prayer is unbelief.
    We just aren’t convinced that God actually hears us.
    That leads us to the million dollar question: how do we learn to pray?
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    “Though a man shall have all knowledge about prayer, and though he understands all mysteries about prayer, unless he prays, he will never learn to pray.” - Chadwick, The Path of Prayer
    The good news is that time after time, God invites you to pray. Let’s look at one of those verses:
    Read Hebrews 4:14-16
    V14 - Since Jesus is our High Priest, we have every reason to be strong in faith and not to doubt!
    V15 - Gives a description of Jesus and why He is indeed the perfect high priest for us.
    V16 - Because Jesus is our high priest, we have every reason to enter the throne room of God with confidence when we pray - no doubt necessary!
    I’ll put it this way: if a publican can humble himself, confess his sin and go to his house justified, surely there is hope for you and me when we pray!

    Key Bible Truths

    Let’s look at today’s questions about prayer:
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    Why do we pray?
    See pages 58-59
    Our Heavenly Father is interested in the small details of our lives
    God hears us
    God cares about our troubles
    God desires to grant our requests (He invites us to pray)
    Our Heavenly Father is interested in the small details of our lives
    Do you really believe that? How do you know?
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    Matthew 6:26 KJV 1900
    26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
    Application: no prayer is too small for God.
    God desires to grant our requests (He invites us to pray)
    Do you really believe that?
    Turn to and read Matthew 7:7-11
    Application: God infinitely loves to give gifts to His children
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    How do we pray?
    Have a quiet time
    Have a quiet place
    Have a pure heart
    Have a sense of expectancy
    Have a prayer list
    Have a quiet time and have a quiet place
    I have learned to appreciate the fact that this may be very easy for some, but very hard for others.
    It may be easier for retirees, but much harder for young mothers.
    Application: Moms, prioritize this. Husbands, help your wife to prioritize this.
    Have a pure heart
    This is critical. An unholy life will result in a prayer-less life.
    “Well, Pastor Tim, none of us are perfect, so how can we ever have confidence that God will hear us?”
    Someone might be thinking,
    “I don’t pray because I struggle with sin and doubt and unbelief so much that there’s no way God will ever hear me anyway”
    This takes us back to where we began: in my opinion, unbelief is the greatest hindrance to prayer.
    How do we have a pure heart?
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    Sinless perfection is not the prerequisite to prayer. Confessing all known sin is.
    We must have the attitude of the Psalmist:
    Psalm 139:23–24 KJV 1900
    Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
    Application: when you are convicted that you have sinned against the Lord, agree with Him that it is sin and claim His forgiveness - 1 John 1:9.
    Question: what if our sin involves someone else? what then? We should make it right with that person also.
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    Matthew 5:23–24 KJV 1900
    Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
    Application: That’s humility! God resists the proud but He shows grace to the humble!
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    If we are not willing to humble ourselves and be in a right relationship with those around us, neither will we be in a right relationship with God that is over us.
    Matthew 6:14–15 KJV 1900
    For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
    1 Peter 3:7 KJV 1900
    Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
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    Sinless perfection is not the prerequisite to prayer. Being right with God and man is.
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    What do we say?
    See pages 60-61
    Adoration
    Confession
    Thanksgiving
    Supplication

      • Matthew 6:26KJV1900

      • Matthew 5:23–24KJV1900

Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church
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