Luke 11 Verses 1 to 4 Lord Teach Us to Pray December 4, 2022

Luke 11 Verses 1 to 4 Lord Teach Us to Pray December 4, 2022

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Psalm 93:1-2 (NASB) 1 The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The LORD has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.

· Psalm 23:1-4 (NASB) 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Main Idea: God’s will is connected to God’s Word.

Study Aim: To understand that the greatest need a person has is forgiveness.

Create Interest:

· On the importance of prayer in the Christian life, the notable Puritan pastor Thomas Brooks wrote,

o The power of religion and godliness lives, thrives, or dies, as closet [private] prayer lives, thrives, or dies. Godliness never rises to a higher pitch than when men keep closest to their closets.

· Private prayer is that privy [secret] key of heaven that unlocks all the treasures of glory to the soul. The best riches and the sweetest mercies God usually gives to his people when they are in their closets upon their knees … the graces of the saints are enlivened, and cherished, and strengthened by the sweet secret influences which their souls fall under when they are in their closet-communion with God. (The Secret Key to Heaven[Reprint; Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2006], xiv, 44).[1]

· A few years ago, the Pew Forum conducted a research poll to determine how common it was for adherents of various religious groups in America to pray at least daily. Overall, 58 percent of Americans reported being daily

prayers. The two groups with the highest percentage of folks who claimed to do so were the Jehovah’s Witnesses (at 89 percent) and the Mormons (at 82 percent). Why would those two groups have the highest percentage of those who claim to pray daily?

· I’m sure there are many reasons that may be proposed, but here is my theory: those two groups both teach and expect their people to pray daily (even multiple times per day). Do we? Do we see the need to teach people to pray? Should we expect people to pray, even incorporating some accountability into the practice? Today’s lesson gives us insights into Jesus’ prayer practices. It also shows how Jesus included learning to pray as a part of the training of his disciples.

Lesson in Historical Context:

· The Gospel of Luke has an emphasis upon prayer, with proportionally more references to that subject than any other Gospel. Various people are presented in Luke as persons of prayer (examples: Luke 1:13; 2:37). This emphasis continues in Luke’s second book, Acts, where the early Christian community is frequently presented as being engaged in prayer (see Acts 1:14; 2:42; 4:31; 6:4).

· The preeminent prayer-person in the Gospel of Luke is Jesus himself. Jesus prayed at his baptism (Luke 3:21), before the choosing of the 12 disciples (6:12), at the time of Peter’s confession (9:18–20), on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:28, 29), as a motivation for cleansing the temple (19:45, 46), and during his agony in the garden (22:41). These just a few examples of prayer were obviously noticed by the disciples with much wonder and awe.

· The immediate context of today’s lesson on prayer is that of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, crucified, buried, and resurrected (Luke 9:51). This fateful journey and its aftermath occupy about 60 percent of the Gospel according to Luke.[2]

Bible Study:

Luke 11:1 (NASB) 1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples."

· Jesus “was praying in a certain place”. A disciple saw him and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (v. 1). That request means prayer is not something learned automatically. Prayer is not natural. Effective prayer has to be taught and learned.

o There’s no shame in not knowing how to pray or feeling uncomfortable in prayer.

o There’s only shame if we don’t ask to be taught and as a result spend years of our Christian lives ineffective in prayer.[3]

· Lord, teach us to pray. Probably they had been struck with the excellency and fervor of His prayers, and, recollecting that John had taught his disciples to pray, they asked him also to teach them. We learn, therefore

o 1st. That the gifts and graces of others should lead us to desire the same in our lives, as God’s will desires.

o 2d. That the true method of praying can be learned only by our being properly taught. Indeed, we cannot pray acceptably at all unless Godshall teach us how to pray exampled by Jesus, other Christians, and leadership of the Holy Spirit.

o 3d. We should meditate beforehand what we are to ask of God, and to arrange our thoughts, that we may not come thoughtlessly into his presence,[4]mindful of our requests being last on the list.

· ACTS…..Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Discuss.

Thoughts to soak on before moving on

· Prayers in the Old Testament were characterized by several elements.

o First, they were marked by adoration, love, and praise, as the passion of the heart flowed out from the lips (Pss. 7:17; 22:23, 26; 34:1). Second, they reflected an attitude of gratefulness and thanksgiving for God’s blessings and provision (Pss. 9:1; 30:4; 33:2; 50:14, 23; Isa. 12:1; Dan. 2:23; Jon. 2:9),

o Third, they recognized God’s holiness (Ps. 22:3), acknowledging His transcendent glory.

o Fourth, they manifested a heartfelt desire to obey God (Ps. 119:5, 8, 17, 34, 88, 134), which resulted in confession of sin (Ps. 51) when there was disobedience.

o Fifth, instead of focusing exclusively on the needs of individuals, Old Testament prayers also expressed the needs of the nation as a whole (Ex. 33:13, 16; Deut. 26:15).

o Sixth, prayer in the Old Testament also involved perseverance, such as that exemplified by Moses, who interceded on behalf of the people for forty days after the incident of the golden calf (Deut. 9:18, 25).

o Seventh, prayers were offered in humility (2 Chron. 7:14; Ezra 8:21; Ps. 10:17).

§ Those same elements are in view in Jesus’ prayer, as He reestablished the divine pattern that had largely been lost in Israel. Let’s look quickly at that comparison😊

· This rich, multifaceted template may be approached in several ways. It unfolds the various relationships between the believer and God:

o Father and child (“Our Father”),

o Holy One and worshiper (“hallowed be Your name”),

o Ruler and subject (“Your kingdom come”),

o Master and servant (“Your will be done”),

o Savior and sinner (“forgive us our debts”), and

o Guide and pilgrim (“do not lead us into temptation”).

· It also defines the proper attitudes for prayer:

o unselfishness (“our”),

o intimacy (“Father”),

o Reverence (“hallowed be Your name”),

o loyalty (“Your kingdom come”),

o submissiveness (“Your will be done”),

o dependence (“give us this day our daily bread”),

o penitence (“forgive us our debts”),

o humility (“do not lead us into temptation”),

o and confident, triumphant joy (“Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever”).

· Notice that Jesus ignored the posture of prayer…..Why?

· Notice that no particular location that prayers must be offered, though Jesus did suggest a private place (Matt. 6:6) rather than a pretentious public display.[5] Why?

· Notice that Jesus did not specify a particular time to pray. Why?

· Notice that the Lord also did not mandate one particular attitude for prayer. On the one hand, some approached God with an attitude of sadness, grief, even despair. On the other hand, people approach God with joy. Paul wrote to the Philippians that he was “always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all” (Phil. 1:4). Why?

Luke 11:2-4 (NASB) 2 And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 'Give us each day our daily bread. 4 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

· Christ could have refused to answer this request, and simply commented that prayer is a spiritual matter requiring no forethought at all. Yet the Lord was well aware of how self-centered and aimless prayer can be sometimes. If we really believe that we are speaking to the sovereign Lord of the universe—who spoke and worlds were created—then our prayers will be more God-centered and purposeful.

· In this model prayer Jesus began with an intimate direct address, Father. This was characteristic of the way Jesus referred to God in His prayers (cf. 10:21). He then made five requests.

· The first two dealt with God’s interests. The first request was that God’s name be hallowed (hagiasthētō, from hagiazō, “to set apart or sanctify” or, as here, “to treat as holy”). Thus, the request was for God’s reputation to be revered by men.

o He seems to have intended by these few words of instruction to guide disciples as to what themes should be central to prayer.

‘our father in heaven,

hallowed be your name’

o These opening words focus our gaze upon God. We are not approaching Him casually; we are not going to begin with self, but with Him. Nor are we going to take His name in vain by endless repetitions of ‘dear Lord’ or ‘Gracious God’. His name is holy.

‘your kingdom come.

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.’

· The second request was Your kingdom come. John the Baptist, Jesus, the Twelve, and the 72 had been preaching about the coming of God’s kingdom. When a person prays for the coming of the kingdom, he is identifying with the message of Jesus and His followers.

o Disciples of Christ are to long for the day when he shall return, and everything shall be under his feet (1 Cor. 15:24–26).

§ That is that God’s will be done ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. Submission to God, and delight in His will are vital to true prayer.

📷 Too often today, we mistrust God, and find it difficult to submit totally to him.[6] Why?

o (Note the KJV which included reference to God’s will being done on earth as in Heaven.)

§ Luke 11:2 (KJV) 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Thoughts to Soak On

· The prayer does not seek a continual reverencing of God and his name or in the next petition a continual coming of God’s kingdom.

· It does not refer to a gradual or evolutionary improvement but rather looks for the day when God will once and for all receive the honor due him when the kingdom will be consummated.

· Although the believer continually prays “hallowed be your name,” the fulfillment of the prayer involves that event in which history as we know it will come to an end and God’s name will be hallowed in the consummated kingdom. Matthew 6:10points out that the scene is “on earth,” not in the human heart, and that its extent is “as … in heaven.”[7]

o Matthew 6:10 (NIV2011) 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s press on……………………………………………………………….

· The third request was for daily bread. Bread is a general term denoting nourishing and filling food. Thus, the request is for food that is necessary to sustain life for the day.

· The fourth request concerned man’s relationship to God—the forgiveness of sins. Luke had already linked the forgiveness of sins to faith (7:36–50). In asking for forgiveness of sins a person expresses his faith that God will forgive him. Such a person then evidences his faith by forgiving others.

o We should pray for the Father to forgive our sins, and we need to take some time in discussing the matter with our Father. But note the word “our.” We are to ask God to forgive “our sins,” the sins of our family, neighbors, city, state, nation, and world. Sin is a shame, an afront to God. Sin is the most serious matter and most tragic event to ever occur in the universe. It is to be discussed with the Father every day—not just our own sins, but the world’s sins.

o Intercessory prayer for the sinners of the world is to be a daily event in the life of every believer.

§ But note a crucial fact:old sins that have been confessed and covered by the blood of Christ are not to be brought back up to God. They are already forgiven, hid and cast away by God. He does not want them remembered anymore. They are too painful and hurtful.

§ However, there are new sins—new things committed every day—so many within our hearts and throughout the world that it would stagger the human mind. We are ever so short of God’s glory—unconformed to the image of Christ, undeveloped and immature—so far short of what we should be.

📷 It is these and the unconfessed sins of the world and the new sins of the human heart that need to be forgiven. The believer needs to come every day begging for a fresh experience of forgiveness both for himself and for the world.

o Note there is a condition for forgiveness. We must forgive those who sin against us. We sin and sin often against God. If we expect Him to forgive us, we have to forgive those who offend us.[8]

· The fifth request is, lead us not into temptation. But why pray such a prayer since God does not want people to sin? The meaning is that Jesus’ followers are to pray that they be delivered from situationsthat would cause them to sin. His disciples, contrary to the Law experts (10:25–29), realized that they were easily drawn into sin. Therefore, Jesus’ followers need to ask God for help to live righteous lives.[9]

o Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV) 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

o Mark 11:25 (KJV) 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Thoughts to Soak On

· In prayer, we are to be occupied with the Father’s protection: “And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” From evil! Or as it has been rendered, “from the evil,” that is, from the Evil One, from active harm.

· Certainly, we need to be protected from Satan and from his agents, both demonic and human.

o We need, just as much, to be protected from the evil that we carry around within our own fallen nature.

o When a child of God falls into evil, not only is he hurt himself but also he brings discredit to the family of God and does dishonor to the Father.

· The Lord Jesus knew exactly about what He was talking. He, as man, had been led by the Spirit into temptation (Matt. 4:1). It had been a terrible ordeal. It came in all of its final force and fury after a forty-day fast.

o He triumphed gloriously, but it was not an experience that He would like any of His followers to experience. When it was over, He needed the personal ministry of angels to help Him recover.[10]

More Thoughts to Soak On

· If Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, had to depend on prayer during “the days of His flesh” (Heb. 5:7), then how much more do you and I need to pray! Effective prayer is the provision for every need and the solution for every problem.

· We call this “The Lord’s Prayer,” not because Jesus prayed it (He never had to ask for forgiveness), but because Jesus taught it.

o There is nothing wrong with praying this prayer personally or as part of a congregation, so long as we do it from a believing heart that is sincere and submitted. How easy it is to “recite” these words and not really mean them, but that can happen even when we sing and preach! The fault lies with us, not with this prayer.

· This is a “pattern prayer,” given to guide us in our own praying (see Matt. 6:9–15 for the parallel). It teaches us that true prayer depends on a spiritual relationship with God that enables us to call Him “Father,” and this can come only through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:14–17; Gal. 4:1–7).

· Lyndon Johnson’s press secretary, Bill Moyers, was saying grace at a staff lunch, and the President shouted, “Speak up, Bill! I can’t hear a thing!” Moyers quietly replied, “I wasn’t addressing you, Mr. President.” It is good to remind ourselves that when we pray, we talk to God.

· True prayer also involves responsibilities:honoring God’s kingdom and doing God’s will (Luke 11:2). It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. Prayer is not telling God what we want and then selfishly enjoying it. Prayer is asking God to use us to accomplish what He wants so that His name is glorified, His kingdom is extended and strengthened, and His will is done. I must test all of my personal requests by these overruling concerns if I expect God to hear and answer my prayers.

· It is important for Christians to know the Word of God, for there we discover the will of God. We must never separate prayer and the Word (John 15:7). During my ministry, I have seen professing Christians disobey God and defend themselves by saying, “I prayed about it and God said it was all right!” This includes a girl who married an unsaved man (2 Cor. 6:14–18), a fellow living with a girl who was not his wife (1 Thes. 4:1–8), and a preacher who started his own church because all the other churches were wrong and only he had true “spiritual insight” (Phil. 2:1–16).

· Once we are secure in our relationship with God and His will, then we can bring our requests to Him (Luke 11:3–4).

o We can ask Him

§ to provide our needs (not our greeds!) for today,

§ to forgive us for what we have done yesterday,

§ and to lead us in the future. Note the following:

📷 All of our needs may be included in these three requests: material and physical provision, moral and spiritual perfection, and divine protection and direction.

📷 If we pray this way, we can be sure of praying in God’s will.[11]

As we pause and reflect on what we have learned from this lesson, I feel led to circle back to the beginning…where it all started and emphasize our relationship with God. As such we will devote the next two pages to recognizing “Our Father”.

· Using the term “Father” was revolutionary in the time of Christ. This was something new that Jesus was teaching the disciples. The writers of the Old Testament certainly believed in the Fatherhood of God, but they saw it mainly in terms of a sovereign Creator-Father. In fact, God is only referred to as “Father” fourteen times in the Old Testament’s thirty-nine books, and even then, rather impersonally. In those fourteen occurrences of Father, the term was always used with reference to the nation of Israel, not to individuals. In the entire Old Testament, you will not find one individual speaking of God as Father.

· When we turn to the pages of the New Testament, however, we find the Lord Jesus Christ addressing God only as His Father. In the Gospels, our Lord refers to God as His Father more than sixty times. God is our Father, our Abba. Addressing God as Abba (Dearest Father) is not only an indication of spiritual health, but is a mark of the authenticity of our faith. The impulse to call on God as our Father is a sign of being God’s child.

o Galatians 4:6—And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

o Romans 8:15—For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

· The realization that God is your Father is one of the great and primary works of the Holy Spirit. He makes Christians realize with increasing clarity the meaning of their relationship with God in Jesus Christ.

o Do you know that God is your heavenly Father?

o Do you think of Him and address Him as your “Dearest Father?”

§ If you cannot answer in the affirmative, it may be that He is not your spiritual Father at all, and you need to heed the words of Scripture and come into a relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.

§ We enjoy countless blessings when the Lord is our Heavenly Father.

The Blessings we Enjoy when God is our Father

1. Suspicion, Shaking, or Fear can end or be Conquered.

* 1 Peter 5:7—Casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you.

2. We have Salvation, Security and Hope.

His promises of eternal life are certain and for real because God is for real. He is our Father in Heaven and knows all of our needs.

* Matthew 7:11—If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

3. Our Solitude is Settled.

We are no longer alone. If we are rejected and forsaken by our family, friends, fellow believers, and the rest of the world, we know that our Heavenly Father will never leave us or forsake us.

* Hebrews 13:5b—.… for he hath said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.

* 1 Corinthians 3:16—Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

4. Submission to Him brings Sight, and Direction.

He gives us direction and a purpose for living. Obeying Him and following His guidance brings blessing and fulfillment. Since Jesus, as God’s true Son, came down from Heaven, not to do His own will, but His Father’s will, how much more are we, as His adopted children, to do His will. Obedience to God is one of the supreme marks of our relationship to Him as His children.

* John 6:38—For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.

5. He is our Source for Satisfaction and meeting our Needs.

All the resources of Heaven are available to us when we trust God as our heavenly supplier. We can take our needs to Him anywhere and at any time for He does not sleep.

* Philippians 4:19—But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.[12]

[1] John MacArthur, Luke 11–17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013), 1. [2] Mark S. Krause et al., “Jesus’ Model for Prayer,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2014–2015, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson and Jonathan Underwood, vol. 21 (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2014), 154. [3]Thabiti Anyabwile, Exalting Jesus in Luke, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018), Lk 11:1–13. [4]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke & John, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 72. [5] John MacArthur, Luke 11–17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013), 6. [6]Gavin Childress, Opening up Luke’s Gospel, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster: Day One Publications, 2006), 99–100. [7]Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 325. [8]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to Luke, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 222. [9] John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 234–235. [10]John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of Luke: An Expository Commentary, The John Phillips Commentary Series (Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009), Lk 11:1–14. [11]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 214–215. [12] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Luke, vol. 3, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2010), 72–74.