Prayer and the Church

 Temple Baptist Church - 9-20-2026

Mark 11:15-18

Introduction: 

 

A. There are many prayers found in your Bible as God’s people have always spent time in prayer.  Praying without ceasing is a command of God found in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Prayer is the avenue by which we approach the throne of God and commune with Him.  What a privilege to have a personal conversation and communion with the great “I AM THAT I AM!”

 

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Boldly means confidently not disrespectfully)

 

1. The greatest prayer is found in John chapter 17 when our Lord prayed to our heavenly Father prior to going to the cross. I thank God that our Lord prayed for you and me that day as well as for all that those who would one believe on Him.

 

2. The Model Prayer, Lord, teach us to pray. A prayer to be modeled after, not memorized and repeated.

 

3. Possibly the second greatest prayer was the dedication prayer of King Solomon at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple. 

 

a) Solomon was one of the most Prominent and Powerful kings who ever lived.  957 BC, in the eleventh year of his reign, King Solomon dedicated the Temple. This prayer is found in 1 Chronicles chapter 16 and God’s response to that prayer in chapter 17. 

 

b) The Lord’s Model Prayer is often quoted and sung because of its structure.  It was a pattern given to His disciples when they asked Him to teach them to pray.

 

c) I believe Solomon’s dedicatory prayer would be a second Model Prayer to be mirrored by today’s churches.

 

3. That prayer took me 6 minutes to read!  When we think of prayer, we think of hours spent talking with God.  Though that is a good thing, God is more interested in content than length.  Solomon got a lot said in 6 short minutes.

 

d. God answered Solomon’s prayer immediately with fire falling from heaven and consuming the sacrifices on the altar! Divine approval!

 

B. Almost one thousand years later, we find Israel’s Messiah, Christ Jesus, entering Zerubbabel’s Temple.

 

1. Things had greatly changed in the Temple since the days of Solomon when the first Temple was built!  As He entered the Temple, Christ saw the corruption of the money changers and those who sold flawed animals to be offered a sacrifice to God.  When Jesus came into the Temple, He cast out those who perverted the Temple’s real purposes. 

 

2. Twice, our Lord cleansed the Temple! If the Lord were to come to the churches of America today, would he commend the church or cleanse the church?  He would probably spend more time cleansing than anything else.  God is not pleased with the casual worship of our day as the Temple was a holy place.  Today, the come as you are, do as you please, coffee and donuts available churches are becoming more and more prominent.

 

C. After He cleansed it, our Lord quoted Isaiah 56:7 saying, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?” 

 

Isaiah 56:7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 

 

D. Not a house of prayer, but THE HOUSE OF PRAYER!  They even had special times just to go to the Temple and pray. 

 

Acts 3:1  Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 

 

The ninth hour was three o’clock in the afternoon, one of the three times that it was customary with the Jews to pray.  At 9:00 AM, 12:00 Noon, and 3:00 PM.

 

Daniel 6:10  Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

 

Psalms 55:17  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. 

 

E.  We, here at Temple Baptist Church, pray often. 

 

1. We open Sunday School with prayers. We pray in men and ladies’ prayer rooms before the morning service.  We pray to begin the morning service.  We pray several times in the process of the service and dismiss in prayer.  Sunday evenings we open in prayer, pray during the service over the offerings, pray at the end of the service, and often have special prayer for people who are sick or in need.  Wednesday evening is Prayer Meeting where we open in prayer, go over our prayer lists and pray, pray over the offering, close in prayer.

 

2. All of the above-mentioned prayers ought to be done, but do we pray for the power of God and His blessings upon us or do we pray out of ritual?  That is where we find the Jews at the Temple in the days of Jesus Christ.  Prayer should never be a formality but communion with our heavenly Father!

 

 

 

F.  It would do us well at this point to go to the first mention of prayer in the Temple to better understand what the Lord meant when He called it the House of Prayer.  In these verses, we will see both the direction and quality of praying. 

 

1.  It Was A Prayer Of Humility – vs. 12-13

 

a.  Humbled In The Sight Of Man – vs. 12 – “in the presence of all the congregation and spread forth his hands”  (Not caring what man thinks.)

 

b.  Humbled In The Presence Of God – vs. 13 – “kneeled down on his knees…spread for th his hands toward heaven”  (Caring what God thinks!)

 

2.  It Was A Prayer Of Remembrance – vs. 14-18

 

a.  Remembrance Of God’s Person – vs. 14 – “there is not God like thee”           

 

b.  Remembrance Of God’s Presence – vs. 14 – “nor in the earth”

 

c.  Remembrance Of God’s Power – vs. 15 – “fulfilled it with thine hand”

 

d.  Remembrance Of God’s Promises – vs. 16 – “keep…hast promised”

 

3.  It Was A Prayer Of Intercession – vs. 19-31

 

a.  For Forgiveness – vs. 21 – “when thou hearest, forgive”

 

b.  For Restoration – vs. 27 – “send rain upon thy land”

 

4.  It Was A Prayer Of Missions – vs. 32-33

 

a.  Foreign Missions – vs. 33a – “that all the people of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee”

 

b.  Home Missions – vs. 33b – “thy people Israel…may know this house”

 

5.  It Was A Prayer Of Deliverance – vs. 34-39

 

a.  From Enemies – vs. 34 – “go to war…enemies by the way”

 

b.  From Defeat – vs. 35, 39 – “maintain their cause”

 

6.  It Was A Prayer Of Enthronement – vs. 40-42

 

a.  God In His Rightful Place In The Temple – vs. 41a – “arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place”

 

b.  God In His Rightful Place In The People – vs. 41b – “let thy saints rejoice in thy goodness”