July 27th, Sermon & Ministry Resources

"LEARNING TO PRAY" (Luke 11:1-13)

Lectionary Readings — Seventh Sunday after Pentecost — July 27, 2025

Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13

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Call to Worship (based on Luke 11:1-13)

Leader: Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray."

People: We gather today as learners, seeking to follow Jesus in prayer and worship.

Leader: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

People: Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Leader: Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find."

People: We come asking for your presence, searching for your truth.

Leader: "Knock, and the door will be opened for you."

People: We knock at the door of your house, ready to enter your courts with praise.

Leader: "For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds."

People: And for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Leader: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

People: We ask for your Spirit to fill this place and our hearts as we worship.

Leader: Come, let us pray and worship together.

All: For we are children of a Father who delights to give good gifts to those who ask. Amen.

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Opening Prayer (based on Hosea 1:2-10)

Let us pray:

Gracious and loving God,

We come before you this morning knowing both our need and your faithfulness. Like your people of old, we confess that we have wandered from your ways, choosing paths that lead us away from your heart. We have been unfaithful when you have been constant, distracted when you have been present, and distant when you have drawn near.

Yet even in our waywardness, you do not abandon us. Where we deserve judgment, you offer mercy. Where we have earned rejection, you extend acceptance. Where we have forfeited our place as your children, you continue to call us beloved.

You are the God who transforms "no mercy" into abundant grace, who changes "not my people" into "children of the living God." Your love pursues us when we are lost, restores us when we are broken, and reclaims us when we have strayed.

As we gather for worship, help us to remember who we are in you—not because of our worthiness, but because of your unchanging love. Open our hearts to receive your word, our minds to understand your truth, and our lives to reflect your grace.

Make us worthy of the name we bear as your people. Help us to live as those who have been shown mercy, who have been called from darkness into light, who have been adopted into your family.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who embodies your faithful love for us.

Amen.

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Sermon Outline: [NOTE to Paid subscribers — scroll down for the full manuscript sermon].

[Note: All Scripture is taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.]

Sermon Outline: "LEARNING TO PRAY"

Based on Luke 11:1-13

INTRODUCTION:

"Lord, teach us to pray." Four simple words that reveal a profound recognition - even Jesus' closest followers knew they needed instruction in something so fundamental to faith.

• Scene: Luke 11:1 - Jesus had been praying, disciples observed Him

• Request: Not "teach us about prayer" but "teach us TO pray"

• Precedent: John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray

• Implication: Prayer is learnable, not just instinctive

I. PATTERN - Jesus Gives Us a Foundation for Prayer (vv. 1-4)

A. The Disciples' Request (v. 1)

B. The Lord's Prayer as Pattern (vv. 2-4)

II. PERSISTENCE - Jesus Encourages Bold Asking (vv. 5-10)

A. The Parable of the Friend at Midnight (vv. 5-8)

B. The Promise of Answered Prayer (vv. 9-10)

III. PROMISE - Jesus Assures Us of God's Good Gifts (vv. 11-13)

A. The Logic of Divine Love (vv. 11-12)

B. The Superior Gift of the Heavenly Father (v. 13)

CONCLUSION:

Jesus doesn't just teach us words to pray—He teaches us how to relate to God as loving Father. Through the pattern He provides, the persistence He encourages, and the promises He makes, we learn that prayer is fundamentally about relationship with a God who delights to give good gifts to His children.

What would change in your prayer life if you truly believed God wants to give you good gifts even more than you want to receive them?

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Full Manuscript Sermon Below for Paid Subscribers