Introduction: Prayer is God's gift to His children. He encourages us to come boldly to His throne of Grace. He tells us to pray and not to get discouraged. In John 16 Jesus teaches a little bit about how to pray. You have heard a hundred sermons about prayer, so I want to make this one different, and tell you what the Bible says NOT to do in your prayer life.
I. DON'T PRAY TO THE WRONG GOD (John 16:23-24).
A. You should pray to the Father...
Psalm 96:4-5 "For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens."
People who pray to Allah or Buddha or Krishna or the "Great Spirit" are NOT praying to the real God under a different name. They have rejected the real God and turned to idols. They are praying to non-existent gods, and it makes God mad (Romans 1:18, 22-23). Idolatry equals rebellion, and God won't stand for it!
B. In the same vein, you should pray in Jesus' name... That means you pray for things Jesus want's you to pray for. What does Jesus want us to pray? The Lord's Prayer is Jesus' teaching tool: In Matthew 5 He said this...
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Summarize What Jesus Says to Pray:
II. DON'T PRAY SELFISHLY FOR YOUR OWN WEALTH, COMFORT OR LONG LIFE.
A. Solomon, the wisest man in the world, pleased God with his request for wisdom, not wealth or long life (I Kings 3:4-14).
B. James 4:1-3 warns us not to pray selfishly. For example, it would be foolish to pray to win the $300 million dollar lottery.
C. Paul warned Timothy about seeking wealth (I Timothy 6:6-11).
D. Hezekiah prayed for long life instead of death, and blew his legacy (2 Chronicles 32:24-25).
E. Don't pray from a sinful life. God won't hear and He won't answer (Isaiah 1:15-17; 59:1-2).
III. DON'T PRAY WITHOUT THOUGHTFUL WORDS. (I don't mean you always need to pray audibly, but that even if you pray in your mind, you need to do it thoughtfully, with meaningful words.)
A. There is a funny bumper sticker or slogan about not starting up your tongue until your brain is in gear. This is exactly what the Bible tells us about prayer (Eccles. 5:1-3). We must not pray thoughtlessly, and we must not pray without words.
B. People pray thoughtlessly in many different ways. For example, in the Roman Catholic Church people are encouraged to light candles and to repeat the Rosary. Jesus forbids us to do this sort of prayer (Matthew 6:7-8).
C. Protestants are falling into the New Age heresy of "centering prayer," walking around labryinths, emptying their minds, chanting mantras, and attaining some emotional state. "Be still and know that I am God," does not mean to empty your mind of thought. It means to be humble in God's presence and to quit prattling away with foolish words.
D. Jesus commands us to love God with the entire mind. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). Christian meditation is not the emptying of the mind, but rather the thoughtful consideration of the Word of God (Joshua 1:8).
IV. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: DON'T PRAY WITHOUT EARNEST FAITH.
Jesus doesn't like lukewarm Christians. In Revelation 3:14-16 He said to the church of the Laodiceans, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth."
God answers fervent heartfelt prayer: James 5:13-18. If you haven't graduated beyond "God is great, God is good," and repeating the Lord's prayer, than you haven't learned to pray with fervent faith. Faith is the key. Be a committed disciple. Put your life on the line for Jesus. Then you will learn how to pray from the heart. Wishywashy faith can only produce wishywashy prayers, and they won't be answered.
CONCLUSION: Finally, there is one prayer that must precede all other prayers. If you have never yet prayed this one prayer, then God will not hear and answer any other prayer you pray...Sometimes it is called "The sinners prayer." It is recorded in Luke 18:9-14:
"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Prayer is a great gift from God to His children. He invites us to come boldly into His presence. But prayer is really useless if we pray to the wrong God. Or pray selfishly; or pray mindlessly; or pray without earnest faith. You must begin your prayer life by praying for mercy. We are all sinners. We all need a Savior. Until we reach that humble point in our lives, our prayers will go no higher than the ceiling. May the Lord bless us all, and help us to pray in a way that pleases Him. Amen.