Prayer 101

Please take your Bibles and find Luke 22:39. I want to share a message with you entitled, “Prayer 101.”

 

If you have ever taken college classes, the title of the class usually includes a name and a number.  Depending on that school’s numbering system, the higher numbers indicate upper-level classes while the lower numbers indicate classes for underclassmen.

 

Therefore, a 101 number would mean a class for freshmen. Today, I want you to see some basics regarding prayer in the life of a Christian.

 

You will find that word prayer on five different occasions in today’s text: 40, 41, 44, 45, and 46. In today’s text, I want to show you an invitation to pray, a demonstration of prayer, and the temptation with prayer.

 

As we have said in recent weeks, we are in Passion Week.  We are very late into Thursday night and may even into the earlies hours of Friday morning.

 

Jesus has already gathered the Twelve in an upper room in Jerusalem.  They took the Passover Meal together, and Jesus began the Lord’s Supper.

 

Last week, we saw that Jesus knows the future.  He made predictions regarding Judas, Peter, and our future conflicts.

 

 

1. An Invitation to Pray, Luke 22:39-40

39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. 40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

 

In verse 39, Jesus and the Twelve left the upper room, and headed to the Mount of Olives. Judas would have left them at this time. 

 

Obviously, he knew where they were going.  Verse 39 says this was a place that Jesus normally took them.

 

Even though Luke doesn’t name it specifically, we know from the other gospel writers that this was the Garden of Gethsemane and could have been owned by a wealthy friend of Jesus.

 

Verse 40 contains the invitation.  Jesus told them to pray that they may not enter temptation.  In other words, pray that you don’t succumb to temptation.

 

I would suggest to you that His invitation for them is also an invitation for us.  When you are facing temptation, pray.

 

Also, here is a little help for you to recognize your times of weakness, your times of vulnerability.  Satan is not an idiot.  Actually, he is very intelligent and knows us well.

 

Consider the acronym H. A. L. T.  We are most vulnerable to falling to temptation when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

 

Is that true of you? I know I can certainly identify with that.

 

Therefore, when you are tempted, H. A. L. T.  Then P. U. S. H.

 

 

2. A Demonstration of Prayer, Luke 22:41-44

41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

 

In these four verses, Jesus modeled for us what prayer can look like.  I want to see His intimacy, His intentions, and His intensity.

 

In verse 41, notice Jesus’ intimacy as He withdrew and got alone.  I would suggest the same.  That may be outside or your car or anywhere you can and God can be alone together.

 

Notice also in verse 42 what Jesus called God.  God was His heavenly Father.  Jesus was talking to His daddy.

 

His intentions are seen with His posture and His actual prayer.  He intended to surrender or submit. 

 

Most men would have stood looking up.  Jesus knelt looking down.

 

In His actual prayer, we see a lot of Jesus’ humanity.  Like any normal human, Jesus didn’t want what He knew was about to happen.

 

He didn’t want to be beaten.  He didn’t want to be scourged. He didn’t want to have what we might think of as railroad spikes nailed into His wrists and ankles.

 

However, Jesus’ intention was to do His Father’s will.  He surrendered and submitted. 

 

BTW…In our culture today and even church, submission is seen as a dirty word.  However, Jesus models for us the subordination of equals in one of His darkest hours. 

 

What is the subordination of equals?  Two individuals can be equal in value and worth and yet submit to one or the other.

 

Jesus and the Father are equal in that they are both fully God and part of the Holy Trinity.  However, Jesus submitted to the Father’s will.

 

Husbands and wives are equal in value and worth as human beings both created in the image of God.  However, it is God’s plan for wives to submit to their husbands as the husband sacrificially leads his family.

 

Because this was one of Jesus’ darkest hours, He needed assistance.  In verse 43, an angel appeared to strengthen Him.

 

I don’t have any reason to believe that angels don’t assist us.  I am not saying we all have a guardian angel, but assisting Believers is one of their ministries.

 

The third aspect of Jesus’ demonstration of prayer with intimacy and intentions is His intensity. Verse 44 says He was in agony.

 

Why was He in agony?  He was about to bear the sin of the world on the cross. Let that sink in.  Jesus became my sin and our sin.

 

Consequently, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood. The medical condition is hematidrosis.

 

Did Jesus sweat blood?  Maybe, and Dr. Luke is the only one who reported.  However, technically, he said His sweat became like drops of blood. 

 

Therefore, we don’t know for sure.  What we do know is that Jesus prayed with intensity.

 

 

3. The Temptation with Prayer, Luke 22:45-46

45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. 46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”

 

After Jesus prayed, He returned to His disciples.  What did He find?

 

They were sleeping from sorrow.  Jesus told them what was going to happen to Him.  He also told them what would happen with Judas and Peter. 

 

Were they hurt?  Were they sorrowful? 

 

Absolutely.  Consider the time of day or night, they were also probably physically tired, but Jesus encouraged and invited them again to pray.

 

I bet a temptation you face with prayer is falling asleep.  I have had many church members through the years admit to such.

 

I would encourage you to pray in the mornings after your coffee or after your shower. Not only is the temptation to fall asleep less, but you also set the tone for your day.

 

 

Conclusion

First, if you are facing temptation today, commit prayer above all else.  Pray for strength, pray for victory.

 

Second, if you have never been saved, prayer can be the means to your salvation.  You can pray to receive Christ today. 

 

That would mean admitting you are a sinner.  Next, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins.  Call on Him to save you today, and He will!