39: TEACH US TO PRAY (Luke 11:1-13)

Parents and grandparents find much joy in children & grandchildren beginning to singing to God. For example, when we sing Here I Am to Worship I still have flashbacks of how Caleb sang it when he was 2, “Here I am to wor-tip…here I am to dow-down. He I am to say that you my Dod.”

And how precious when they begin praying, things like “God is gwate. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.”

And that’s cute…until you start to notice that the child is saying it as fast as he/she can, without considering what it means - just to get to the grub. But it’s not just children who do that. Teenagers & adults do the same thing.

Here’s an example. Say this with me with me if you know it:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and power, & glory forever & ever. Amen.

Today we examine this prayer, one that is thoughtlessly repeated across our country. Sports teams pray it quickly before games, as if these magical words will effect the outcome. Some pray it at a religious gathering in a ritual way. In truth, we have heard this prayer SO OFTEN that few pause to consider what it really means.

PRAY

2 quick issues I want to address before we dig in:

I have chosen the NET (New English Translation) to teach from today. It is a fine translation from the original languages that will help us re-think the meaning of this prayer.

Luke’s version of the disciple’s prayer is condensed from Matthew’s version we just quoted. As we have used the Synoptics together in this study, we will mention Matthew’s writing to gain more clarity on what Jesus meant.

Luke 11:1 (NET)

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

Luke earlier wrote how Jesus prayed at His baptism (3:21), how He prayed all night on the mountain before picking 12 as His apostles (6:12), and how He prayed on the mountain with Peter, James, & John before He was transfigured (9:28). The followers of Jesus recognized that His prayer life was of PRIMARY importance in His life. Evidently, the same was true of John the baptizer. And as John taught his disciples to pray, the disciples of Jesus wanted to learn how to pray too.

Is THAT something YOU want to learn to do? Do you view prayer as WORTHY of your time or a WASTE of your time?

Jesus didn’t think it was a WASTE, but a necessity…

Luke 11:2 2 So he said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, may Your Name be honored; may Your Kingdom come.

Father

Jews in Jesus’ day did not talk of God as their Father. They did not call on God as Father in prayer. In fact, “Father” is found only fifteen times in the entire OT, and none in which is God being addressed in prayer. In fact, in all the Old Testament writings and other Jewish literature of antiquity, not one of the prescribed prayers has a single example of a Jew addressing God in the personal form of address that Jesus uses here. Yet when Jesus prays He addresses God by the personal form of address, ‘My Father’ almost every time.

In telling the disciples to address God as Father, Jesus transfers this privilege onto them.

More than just Creator, they can call Him Father - a word meaning Provider, Protector, and the One who disciplines us for OUR GOOD & for His Glory.

May Your Name be honored

To honor, or as most translations say, hallow God’s Name means to recognize HIM as HOLY - different from all others - the perfect Creator of all life. To pray may Your Name be honored is saying that, before we ask anything OF Him, we bring something TO Him - our recognition that HE is GOD and He is GOOD…and because of that we desire to honor Him above all others. This is what was intended when God told the Jewish people to keep His Name holy (Lev 22:32; Cf Ps 79:9, Isa 29:23).

The Jews of Jesus’ time SO HONORED God’s Name that they chose not even to speak His Name aloud. Yet we speak of Him flippantly. Could we PLEASE stop saying, “Oh My God!” Don’t mention His Name unless you are taking TO HIM or ABOUT HIM.

Listen to part of the Qaddish, a Jewish prayer offered at the end of the synagogue service that dates before A.D. 70. Listen to the similarities of ‘may Your Name be honored; may your kingdom come’:

“Exalted and hallowed be His Great Name in the world which He created according to His will. May He rule His kingdom in your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the whole house of Israel, speedily and soon.”

So too the disciples of Jesus were to pray, May Your Name be honored; may Your Kingdom come…you’ll notice that Luke condenses what Matthew says in Matt. 6:10 ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’ So the kingdom is both PRESENT & FUTURE, to EXPAND the Kingdom ON Earth and EXPECT the Kingdom FROM Heaven.

This PRAYER is a PARTNERSHIP: “God…through OUR LIVES…

May Your Name be honored; may Your Kingdom come…”

Does that sound a little more meaningful than your pre-game or pre-meal ‘pray-it-as-fast-as-you-can’ prayer?

Now, let’s get honest. Does that sound like how most of OUR prayers begin?

Do your prayers start with, “Bless me, bless me, bless me - build MY kingdom.”

Or does your prayer time begin with something like this: “Father…Bless YOU, bless YOU, bless YOU! - BRING YOUR Kingdom.”

So the Lord Jesus first taught His disciples to…

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & [then] Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & [then] Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & [then] Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & [then] Ask in Faith for the needs in your life.

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & [then] Ask in Faith

Luke 11:3 3 Give us each day our daily bread,

We are to ask God to provide for our physical needs, which daily bread represents. For those who have a week’s worth of groceries, a refrigerator, & a full freezer, we often forget that God provides the basics we need to survive. We often forget to ASK God & THANK God for His daily provision.

Haiti - I will never forget a mission trip in Haiti when the folks asked us to pray that God would bring rain, because their crops desperately needed it. No rain = no crops. No crops = no food. We prayed that God would bring rain…for daily bread…and He did! I’ve never been more thankful for rain than that!

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

Jesus encourages us to ask for PHYSICAL needs as well as SPIRITUAL needs.

Luke 11:4 4 and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not lead us into temptation.”

3 Important principles from this ONE verse:

First, we can confidently ask God to Forgive us for our sin. Quit wondering if God can forgive you. Is anything TOO great for God to forgive? If you could see Jesus crucified by His own creation say…’Father, forgive them.’ - you would have your answer.

Second, we understand that we too are to forgive everyone who sins against us.

The Greek word (ὀφείλω) for sins against us actually means those ‘indebted’ to us [ESV, NAS]. You might have learned the prayer as ‘forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.’

They are ‘indebted’ to you. He/she has wronged you and therefore OWES you something. You deserve ‘payback'! But is that how GOD responds to you when you ask for forgiveness? NO!

Have you wronged God? Have you been forgiven by God? Have you been wronged by another person? Have you forgiven him/her?

Those who have experienced God’s forgiveness should extend God’s forgiveness to others! Quit wallowing in how others have wronged you.

Question: How is holding that grudge HONORING God & HELPING you? Your unwillingness to forgive is like YOU drinking the poison, and expecting your enemies to die.

So you’ve been wronged. Others owe you. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven. [funny song] and “Let it go…let it go!”

Third, do not lead us into temptation. This should cause us to pause and ask, DOES God LEAD us into temptation?

This Scripture makes clear that God does NOT tempt us to sin (James 1:13–14).

Further, Matthew's more thorough quote ends with 'deliver us from the evil one' (Matt. 6:13), so this must be understood as asking God to protect us from/through temptation.

Jesus has the apostles pray this type of prayer ‘pray that you may not enter temptation’ in Gethsemane (Luke 22:40, 46).

When’s the last time you prayed THAT for YOU or another brother/sister? ‘God, please protect him/her from temptation this week.’ BTW…I would LOVE for you to pray that way for me!!!

Is THIS what we think of when we rush through ‘The Lord’s Prayer’? I doubt it.

But this is how disciples of Jesus are to Pray…

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

Then Jesus tells a story to show how God responds to the sincere prayers of His people.

Luke 11:5–7

5 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 Then he will reply from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything.’

[sarcastic] Listen, the Watts Bakery is closed for the day.

If this parable were spoken in our day Jesus might have talked about someone calling you on the phone late at night, asking for help.

Jesus continues…

Luke 11:8

8I tell you, even though the man inside will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s sheer persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

Now watch how Jesus contrasts a tired friend to our heavenly Father!

Luke 11:9-10

9 “So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Ask, Seek, Knock is the same essential thought repeated rhythmically.

What’s the point?

We can Ask in Faith - and know that God hears and WILL answer in His way.

Luke 11:11-12

11 What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13 If you then, although you 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!”

Do you see what Jesus is saying?

God doesn’t answer prayer because we’re a bother.

God answers prayer because He is our heavenly FATHER!

Half-way decent Dads care about providing food for their children. Our perfect heavenly Father isn’t LESS INTERESTED in caring for His kids than an imperfect human father is. God not only provides FOOD and temporary needs, but He also provides His Holy Spirit to those who seek Him. The Spirit brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control.

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

PRAY for folks & invite people to trust Jesus

Last, let’s put our FEET2FAITH:

I hope you will spend time praying alone with God this week, but let’s go a step further. Let’s…Purposely pray WITH your family or friends THIS WEEK.

How many of us have said we want prayer back in schools?

But WHY should we pray in SCHOOLS…when we won’t pray in our HOMES?

Why should our children pray with their friends…when we don’t pray for OURS?

As a matter of fact, that’s how we will close today…praying TO God & FOR one another. Gather with your family…or friends. Don’t let anyone be alone. Look for others to pray with and quickly ask how you can pray for them.

Take some time to pray this way.

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in FaithBIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

BIG TRUTH: Honor the Father & Ask in Faith

Ask about Physical Needs to pray for

Ask about Spiritual Needs to pray for. (Pray for God to protect from/thru temptation)

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