Real Prayer

August 7, 2023

I. Jesus’ Story About God’s Prayer Preferences
A. Paraphrase: the parable of the

and the

B. The Context
1. Original hearers: the spiritually

2. Guiding principle: Either

yourself, or God will do it

C. The characters
1. Pharisee =

religious leader
2. Tax collector =

sinner

D. The story
1. The Pharisee has some major

trouble
2. The tax collector prays like a

, not a

.
3. Guess who goes home

before God!

II. How To Pray
A. Ignore your

audience
B. Avoid the trap of

1. When I look down on someone else, my prayer pipeline gets

2. God doesn’t grade on a

C. Be

with God
D. Count on

goodness, not

III. Our Response: