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TEXT: I Thessalonians 5:17
SUBJECT: Children's Sermon #23(?): Prayer
Dear Children,
Today, and for the next couple of months--the Lord willing--I'm going to talk about the means of grace. These words are not used every day, are they? Maybe you don't know what they mean. So, let me tell you: The means of grace are the ways the Lord and His people stay in touch.
If your best friend moved across the country, you'd still like him or her, wouldn't you? Of course you would. And that means you would want to keep in touch. How would you do that with your friend who live thousands of miles away? You could call him on the phone or write a letter or send an e-mail or go to a chat room.
Now, you can't do these things with God. He doesn't have a mailbox or a phone number, or an e-mail address. And you'll never find Him in a chat room.
So, you've got to stay in touch with God in other ways. And He tells you how to do it. In three special ways: Prayer, Bible-reading, and Church. These are the main means of grace.
Today, I'll talk about prayer.
DEFINITION
What is prayer?
That's an easy one: Prayer is talking to God. You can talk to God in three ways:
1.With your mouth. You speak to Him the way you'd speak to me or anyone else.
2.With your thoughts. I can't hear your thoughts; unless you put them into words and say them to me, I cannot know what you're thinking But God does. So, you don't have to speak aloud for God to hear you. You can pray with your thoughts.
3.With your feelings. Sometimes you're so upset or scared or sad that you don't know what to say--or even what to think! That's okay with God. You can pray to Him "With groanings that cannot be uttered"--Romans 8:26.
This is what prayer is: talking to God with your mouth, your thoughts, or your feelings.
And so I have to ask you: Do you pray?
I know your parents have taught you to pray at the dinner table or before going to bed, but when you do, are your talking to God--or just talking?
REASONS
You should be talking to God. And here's why:
1.God commands you to pray.
a.I Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray without ceasing".
b.Luke 18:1: "And [Jesus] spoke this parable to them, that men ought always to pray and not to faint".
2.It is a great privilege to pray. A "privilege" is special treat; something you don't deserve, but God gives it to you anyway.
a.Nobody deserves to get God's attention. But He gives it to us when we pray. The God who is "infinite, eternal, and unchangeable" listens to what we say!
1.Psalm 65:2: "O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh will come".
3.You need things. And God often gives them to you when you ask for them--James 4:2b,
a."You have not because you ask not".
CONTENT
What should you say in prayer? Four things ought to be in your prayers.
1.Praise. You praise God by saying wonderful things about Him, Psalm 103.
2.Thanks. You thank God for what He's done for you.
3.Confession. You tell God about your sins.
4.Requests. You ask God for things.
a.What kind of things? Any good thing can be asked for.
b.If you're not saved--by all means--ask God to save you! That's Number One!
c.Ask Him for material things. Not every greedy thing you want, of course, but the things you need. Like food or good health.
d.Ask Him for spiritual things. Like wisdom. And patience, love, and kindness.
5.Intercession.
a.Ask God to bless other people. To save them. Or to heal them. Or to give them jobs. Pray for me that I would be a good pastor. Pray for your parents; pray for your brothers and sisters; pray for your friends. And--don't forget!--pray for your enemies!
HINDRANCES
Do you pray? I hope you do. But, I suspect not everyone here does. Some of you kids don't pray, I fear. And maybe some adults don't either. Do you know why?
1.Here are some secondary reasons: Laziness, a bad conscience, unbelief, being too interested in TV. Things like these keep us from praying.
2.But the main reason is something else. Some people just don't like God's company! I know you have friends in school. But not everyone is your friend, is he? Some people you don't like. And because you don't like them, you stay away from them and don't talk to them much, if at all. The sad thing is: Many people feel this way about God!
3.If you don't like God's company, it means you're not saved. And if you're not saved, you're wasting your life and will go to hell!
4.Why don't you repent of this sin? And believe in Jesus Christ? If you do, you'll be saved. And you'll start praying more and better than you do now. Because you'll enjoy God's company.
HELPS
Saved people have trouble praying too. Sometimes we forget; sometimes our prayers are cold and dead. We need help praying. Let me give you some.
1.Think more about God. The main reason Christians don't pray much is because they're not thinking of God much! Think about Him during the day, and soon, you'll be praising Him.
2.Remember how much you need God. You forget to ask for His Presence only when you forget how much you need Him! Acts 17:28.
3.Open your eyes to see how much He's given you! That will stir up thanksgiving.
4.Have set times for prayer. Get into the habit of praying, let's say, when you get up in the morning or when you go to bed at night or when you eat and so on, and you won't be prayerless for long.
5.Say little prayers all day long! You don't have to bow your head or close your eyes. Just say, "Thank You, God" once in a while. Or, "Help, Lord" when you feel tempted. And so on.
6.But most of all, think about what Jesus Christ has done for you. If you think of His crucifixion, you'll be praising God; thanking Him, confessing your sins, asking for things with confidence, and praying hard for your friends.
CLOSE
Dear Children, I want you to pray. Your parents want you to pray. But most of all, God wants you to pray. He sent His Son to the cross to make it possible for you to pray. Now why don't you do it? Starting now.
"Pray without ceasing".
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