How to Pray Like Jesus

1.    In His final prayer…Jesus prayed for Himself

John 17:1 (NLT) 1After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.

2.    In His final prayer…Jesus prayed for His disciples

John 17:6 (NLT) 6“I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

John 17:11 (NLT) 11Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

John 17:15 (NLT) 15I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.

John 17:17 (NLT) 17Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.

John 17:7-8 (NLT) 7Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you,
8for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.

3.    In His final prayer…Jesus prayed for His Church

Two Observations
1.    In this text, Jesus does not pray for the world, but for the believers in the world

John 17:9 (NLT) 9“My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you.

2.    The dominant thing from our text that Jesus prays for is that we would internalize God’s love

John 17:26 (NLT) 26I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

John 17:23 (NLT) 23I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

How does the world know God is real?
1.    It’s by how we love
2.    Through a unity in Jesus stronger than anything that could divide us

John 17:23 (NLT) 23I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

Love on display in the church is the church’s most powerful apologetic

John 13:35 (TMSG) 35This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

A Study in 2nd Corinthians
Contemplation of New Life

2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (NLT) 1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. 6So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

1 Corinthians 15:17 (NLT) 17And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.

John 5:25-29 (ESV) 25“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Acts 24:15 (NLT) 15I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Eight Judgments (Past or in the Future)

1.     There is the judgment which Jesus Christ bore on the cross
John 5:24 (ESV) 24Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

2.     There is self-judgment
1 Corinthians 11:31 (ESV) 31But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.

3.     There is the chastisement of God for the believer
Hebrews 12:6 (ESV) 6For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

4.     The works of the believer are to be judged
5.     The Israel nation is to be judged
6.     The Gentile nations are to be judged
7.     Fallen angels are to be judged
8.     There is the judgment of the Great White Throne

1 Corinthians 15:49 (NLT) 49Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

Message Notes: http://bible.com/events/46290096

Matthew 16:13-19 (NLT) 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

Matthew 16:20-24 (NLT) 20Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. 21From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. 22But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” 23Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” 24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

Truths about Confession
1.    Confession of who Jesus in your life is the rock upon which Jesus builds His church
2.    If we confess faithfully, we are unstoppable
3.    Satan tries to get us to reshape Jesus according to our liking
4.   Satan’s biggest distortion is getting us to believe we have a Jesus who keeps us from suffering in this life
5.   Jesus seeks committed followers, not anonymous consumers

Matthew 5:1-3 (NLT) 1One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2and he began to teach them. 3“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  5God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.  10God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)
16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Problems and human limitations have several benefits

·       They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us

·       They can keep us from pride

·       They cause us to look beyond this brief life

·       They prove our faith to others

·       They give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power

·       They bring an eternal reward

Main Idea:  God’s Kingdom knows no boundaries or limitations.

Homework Assignment:  What type of people in your church family are more difficult for you to reach out to with the love of God?  What will you do about it?

Luke 15:1-2 (NLT) 1Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

Luke 15:3-7 (NLT) 3So Jesus told them this story: 4“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Things to Know about the Parable of the Lost Sheep
1.    Our Shepherd pursues us as we wander in the wilderness

Psalms 23:1 (NLT) 1The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

Isaiah 40:11 (NLT) 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart…

Ezekiel 34:5-6 (NLT) 5So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal. 6They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.

Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NLT) 11“For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. 12I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.

Luke 15:4 (NLT) 4…and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it…

2.    A little celebration would do us some good

Luke 15:5-7 (NLT) 5And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

John 1:12 (NLT) 12But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

3.    We are better together

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (NLT) 7We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NLT) 23… I have…been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT) 12Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Philippians 1:12-13 (NLT) 12And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.

John 12:24 (NLT) 24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

Romans 8:17 (NLT) 17And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Main Idea:  In this teaching we’ll learn how the fear of the Lord will help us face all the storms of our lives correctly.

Homework Assignment:  Why is it that we mainly learn things that we need to learn in the storms of life?