Praying with a Higher Agenda

Sermon Notes:
There is always one of three answers to prayer.
1. Yes
2. No
3. Not now, wait
4. All of our prayers have an agenda to them.
5. The overall purposes of Jesus’ prayers were for the Father to be glorified.
6. When we pray with heaven’s agenda things happen.

Follow-up Questions from Sunday:

Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?

Digging Deeper:
1. If someone were to ask you if God always answered prayer, what would you say?
2. What are some examples in the Bible of God answering “yes” to prayers? When was the last time God answered “yes” to one of your prayers?
3. When God answers “no” to our prayers, what do you think His motives are?
4. We read in James 4:1-3 that there is always an agenda to our prayers. What would you say is the overall agenda of your last 10 prayers?
5. In John 12:23-29, Jesus is in Jerusalem a few days before His death on the cross. When He prayed to the Father, what did He pray for? How did the Father answer His prayer?
6. In John 14:13-14; John 15:7-8; and John 16:24, what does Jesus teach us about what our highest agenda should be in our prayers?
7. Since January we have been studying the Armor of God found in Ephesians 6. When you read the prayers of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:17-20; 3:14-19 what would you say was his agenda?
8. Pastor Frank said on Sunday that more of our prayers would be answered with a “Yes” from God if we learn to pray with heaven’s agenda. How would this look in practical ways in your prayer life?

Taking it Home:
Prayer exercise:

Someone loses a job and asks you for prayer. Besides asking for God to bless them with a new one, what else could you be praying for this person for that would involve their faith, character, personal growth?

Marriage in trouble:
Health diagnosis:

Prayer:
Pray for each other in your group that God would help all of you to see how powerful and important prayer is.