First Baptist Church . 3 Hedge Street . Simpsonville, SC 29681 . phone: (864) 967-8591 . Class Location: Main 210
Our Prayer
Our Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Luke 10 records Jesus sending out seventy-two
of His followers ahead of Him into the towns and places He intended to visit.
Before Jesus tells them what to say or where to go, He tells them what to see:
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” There are people
everywhere who need the gospel. The problem is not that there is a shortage of
people who need Jesus. The problem is that there is a shortage of people
willing to labor for the sake of the gospel.
Luke 10:1-3
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two
others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place
where He Himself was about to go. 2 And He said to them, ‘The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of
the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” 3 Go your way; behold, I am
sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Discussion Questions
What does “the harvest is plentiful” reveal
about how Jesus views the people around us?
What does Luke 10:2–3 teach us about the
connection between prayer and obedience?
How does this passage challenge a consumer
mentality toward church?
God is the “Lord of the harvest” and gives
the growth (1 Cor. 3:6–7). Why are we still responsible to labor faithfully?
Why should every disciple be moving toward
making disciples?
How do we make disciples?
What would it look like for you to step up
and participate in God’s mission?
Closing Thoughts
Luke 10:2 reminds us that mission is not
something reserved for pastors, missionaries, or ministry leaders. Every
follower of Jesus is called to live on mission wherever God has placed them.
There are opportunities to make disciples all around us. The people we
encounter each day are not interruptions to our mission — they are often the
very people God has placed in our lives for the sake of the gospel. Living on
mission as a group begins by living on mission as an individual. Instead of
simply seeing a coworker, neighbor, classmate, teammate, or friend, we begin to
see them as someone who needs Jesus and whom God has intentionally placed in
our sphere of influence. We don't have to manufacture opportunities; we need to
be attentive to the opportunities God has already given us. Furthermore, living
on mission as a group means intentionally leveraging your group to be a place
of both authentic belonging and focused discipleship together.
James 5:13–20 closes his letter with a call
for the church to be a praying community, in suffering, in sickness, in sin,
and in wandering. James points to the prayer of a righteous person as having
great power, and holds up Elijah, a man with a nature like ours, as proof that
ordinary believers' prayers accomplish extraordinary things. He closes with a
call to pursue one another when we wander from the truth, because bringing a
wandering brother or sister back covers a multitude of sins. Prayer, in James's
vision, is never meant to be a private, individual practice alone. It is the
lifeblood of a caring community.
James 5:13-20
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him
pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let
him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he
will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth
bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from
his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of
sins."
Why do you think James connects prayer to
every season of life rather than only to crisis moments?
What makes confession to one another
difficult, and what would it take for this to grow as a group?
Why is it significant that James describes
Elijah as "a man with a nature like ours"?
What does it look like practically to
"pursue" someone who is wandering from the truth without pushing them
further away?
Who is someone in your life right now who
needs your consistent prayer or your pursuit?
Closing Thoughts
James envisions a church where no one carries
their burdens alone, where confession is met with prayer rather than judgment,
and where wandering believers are pursued rather than written off. As a group,
we can practice this by being honest about our struggles, praying specifically
and consistently for each other, and taking the risk of pursuing someone who is
drifting from the faith. A group that prays for one another this way becomes a
picture of the gospel itself, people who could not save themselves, brought
back by relentless love.
END
Teacher Notes:
A Praying Community
James 5:13-20
Someone is
suffering? → Pray.
Someone is
sick? → Call the church. Pray.
Someone is
struggling? → Don't let them face it alone.
Someone has
wandered? → Go after them.
Prayer is
powerful?
Don't underestimate what God can do through ordinary people.
Click Play to Watch
Prayer, to James,
is never meant to be a private, individual
practice alone.
He sees prayer as the lifeblood of a
caring community.
James 5:13-20
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him
pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let
him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one
who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he
will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed
fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth
bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from
his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of
sins."
Discussion Questions
Why do you think James connects prayer to
every season of life rather than only to crisis moments?
What kinds of suffering tend to drive us
toward God?
Why does suffering sometimes drive us toward
God, while other times it causes people to turn away from Him?
Why is it sometimes easier to pray for
someone's physical problem than their spiritual problem?
What is the difference between praying for
someone and praying with someone?
Why is it significant that James describes
Elijah as "a man with a nature like ours"?
What does it look like to "pursue"
someone who is wandering from the truth without pushing them further away?
How do we understand prayer when God doesn’t
answer in the way we prayed He would?
Three truths we can know:
An
unanswered prayer is not necessarily an unheard prayer. God may say yes, no, or wait, but silence or
a different outcome doesn't mean God wasn't listening.
Faith
isn't believing God will do what I ask. Faith is believing God is good and trustworthy even when He doesn't do
what I ask. That's a much harder and deeper faith.
Our
ultimate hope isn't that God will always heal this body. Our ultimate hope is that God will ultimately
make all things right.
What does it look like to be a community that
doesn’t simply pray for one another, but actually carries one another to God in
prayer?
Luke 18:9–14 contrasts two men who went to
the temple to pray: a Pharisee confident in his own righteousness, and a tax
collector who could only cry out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus
says it is the tax collector, not the Pharisee, who went home justified. This
parable teaches that prayer is not a platform for self-congratulation but a
posture of humility. True repentance does not compare itself favorably to
others; it simply casts itself on the mercy of God.
Wayne’s notes from his sermon last Sunday:
Luke 18:9-14
Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax
Collector
“He also told this parable to some who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with
contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I
thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat 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
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself
will be exalted.’”
Why do you think the Pharisee's prayer,
despite sounding religious, was not acceptable to God?
What made the tax collector's prayer
different, both in content and posture?
Why is it so easy to slip into comparing our
own righteousness to other people's, even unintentionally?
What is the difference between conviction
that leads to humble confession and shame that leads to hiding?
What would it look like for you to pray more
like the tax collector this week?
Closing Thoughts
The Pharisee’s prayer reminds us how easily
comparison and self-righteousness can creep into community, while the tax
collector’s prayer shows what genuine humility before God sounds like. As a
group, we can model honest confession with one another, refuse to compare our
sin against someone else’s, and remind each other that our standing before God
is never based on our performance but always on His mercy. A group marked by
humility becomes a safe place for real transformation to happen.
END
When Prayer Becomes a Mirror
Luke 18:9-14
1.We Start
Measuring Ourselves
2.Spiritual
Blindness Can Hide Behind a Good Life
3.Repentance is
the Cure for Comparison
Luke 18:9-14
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax
Collector
“He also told this parable to some who
trusted in themselves that they were righteous and treated others with
contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I
thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I
get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes
to heaven, but beat 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
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself
will be exalted.’”
Most of us spend a great deal of our lives
managing the picture that other people see. We want to be seen as good parents,
good grandparents, good Christians, faithful friends, generous and dependable
people.
But Jesus tells a story about two men who
went to the temple to pray. One had a very impressive picture of himself. The
other wasn't interested in the picture, because he knew what the X-ray would
show.
When you come before God in prayer, are you
more aware of what you've done, or what He has done?
Luke 18:1–8 teaches that believers ought
“always to pray and not lose heart.” Jesus tells the parable of a persistent
widow who wears down an unjust judge through sheer perseverance, then makes a
“how much more” argument: if even an uninterested, unrighteous judge eventually
gives justice, how much more will a good and loving Father respond to His own
children who cry out to Him day and night? Persistent prayer is not about convincing
a reluctant God. It is the natural posture of faith that keeps trusting Him
even when the answer is delayed.
Luke 18:1-8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
“And He told them a parable to the effect
that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city
there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a
widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against
my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,
“Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps
bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her
continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He
delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’”
Why do you think Jesus used an unjust judge,
rather than a good one, to make His point about God?
What is the difference between persistent
prayer that flows from faith and prayer that flows from doubt or anxiety?
Why do you think believers are tempted to
lose heart when prayers aren’t answered quickly?
How does Jesus’ closing question about
finding faith on earth connect persistence in prayer to the state of our faith?
What is a situation in your life right now
where you need to keep praying and not lose heart?
Closing Thoughts
Jesus told this parable precisely because
perseverance in prayer does not come naturally when circumstances are
discouraging. As a group, we can carry each other’s burdens by continuing to
pray for one another’s requests over time, refusing to give up on people or
situations too quickly, and reminding one another that God is not an unjust
judge who must be worn down, but a Father eager to act on behalf of His people.
A church that prays persistently becomes a people marked by hope rather than
discouragement.
END
Teacher Notes:
Click Play to Watch
What stands out to you about Chris and the
advice
he gives his son?
Perseverance is easy to talk about when you
know the story has a happy ending.
It's much harder to persevere when you're
still in the middle
of the struggle.
The widow in Jesus' parable today, is also in
the middle of a struggle. She doesn't know how her story is going to end. She
doesn't know if or when justice will come. She doesn't even have a sympathetic
person in authority on her side.
But she keeps coming.
Luke 18:1–8
“And He told them a parable to the effect
that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city
there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a
widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, “Give me justice against
my adversary.” For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,
“Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps
bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her
continual coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will
He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily.
Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?’”
Jesus is addressing something that we all
experience:
What happens to our prayer life when God
doesn’t
seem to answer?
It's easy to pray when:
the diagnosis is good
job comes through
prodigal comes home
financial problem is resolved
relationship is restored
surgery goes well
or an answer comes quickly
But what causes us to lose heart when we've
been praying about something for a long time and nothing seems to change?
Prayer: Transaction vs. Relationship
Transactional Prayer says, God, give me this.
Relational Prayer says, God, I trust You with
this.
Persistent prayer isn’t always repeating the
same request. Sometimes it’s just continuing to say, Father, I don't
understand, but I still trust You.
The Christian isn't promised: If you persist
long enough, you'll get the outcome you want.
We're promised something deeper: God is
faithful, and therefore we can continue trusting Him even when
the outcome is uncertain.
Giving up says,
God isn't going to do anything.
Surrender says,
God, I don't know what You're going to do,
but I trust You.
Click Play to Watch
But sometimes our stories don't resolve as
quickly as Chris Gardner. Some prayers take months. Some take years. And some
we may not see answered this side of heaven.
This is where the words of Jesus become so important: “Pray and don't lose heart.”
The Bible gives this image an even deeper
meaning. The rainbow first appears in Scripture as a sign of God's covenant — a
reminder that God keeps His promises.
The rain represents what we see.
The rainbow reminds us of what we know: God
is faithful.
Jesus ends this parable by asking,
“When the Son of Man comes, will He find
faith on earth?”
The question isn't whether there will be
rain. There will be.
The question is, when the rain comes, will we
still believe
in the promise?
Perhaps one of the great gifts of growing
older is that we have enough history with God to know that He can be trusted —
even when we don't understand everything.
