Be Prayerful

Service of Prayer

Review

It is not a coincidence that right after Jesus taught His disciples, “Do not pray like the Gentiles who repeat themselves on and on,” and then followed it with this

It is human nature to take a teaching like this and apply it literally, to pray it exactly the way Jesus taught

It is not to say we can’t use these exact words, but make sure we are not simply reciting the words; that our hearts and minds are engaged.

The is a difference between ‘example of empty prayer’ and ‘example of heart felt prayer’

What is more important is that Jesus didn’t say, “Pray this,” but He said “Pray like this”

So this morning, we are going to walk through Jesus’ step by step, giving you opportunity to put it into practice so that we take this teaching and apply it in our regular lives

with that, here we go.

Matthew 6:9 NLT

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

Jesus starts by reminding us that God is not just King and Lord, but He is our Father, who loves us and draws near to us. We don’t have to start our prayers with chants, but the same way we would start any conversation with someone we are close to.

But not only is God our Father, He is still God, and we want to honor His name above all else. May Your name be kept holy with my actions, my words, my thoughts. It is an attitude of worship.

So to start, take 5 minutes and praise God in your own words for the things He has done for you. Give Him praise

Praise Him slide, 5 minute counter

Matthew 6:10 NLT

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

the next part of the prayer is bringing our will into alignment with His. So often our prayers can turn back to us and what is going on in our life. Jesus reminds us that life is about honoring our Heavenly Father, and building His Kingdom here on earth, not ours.

last week I mentioned how we can know the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. In this next part, don’t just pray that His will be done, but ask Him to reveal His will to you, and the part you play in it.

God’s will slide, 5 minute counter

Matthew 6:11 NLT

Give us today the food we need,

this verse comes from Proverbs 30:7-9

Proverbs 30:7–9 NLT

O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

this part of the prayer is especially important today, as it is easy to live beyond one’s means. Praying for God to give us the food we need may start with asking God how much we actually need. It may start with asking God to help us be content.

Daily food slide, 5 minutes

Matthew 6:12 NLT

and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

Jesus continues this immediately following saying:

Matthew 6:14–15 NLT

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

two things to note on this portion of the prayer and Jesus’ subsequent teaching. It can be easy for us to run to God and beg of forgiveness. But what Jesus is teaching the disciples is that when you have experienced the love and forgiveness of God, you are more concerned about others then yourself. When Jesus was on the cross, He cried out for God to forgive those who were hurting Him. It is the same attitude Jesus is asking of us. Before we would even think about ourselves, we would forgive those who have hurt us first

the second thing to note is tied to the first. If our forgiveness was really tied to our ability to forgive, we would all be in major trouble. But what Jesus is noting is the unwillingness to forgive, which brings us back two weeks ago about loving difficult people. How can you claim the love and forgiveness for yourself if you don’t believe in it enough to share it with others.

so we pray to our Father, first forgiving those who have hurt us before asking for ourselves. Who do you need to forgive this morning?

Forgiveness, 10 minutes

Matthew 6:13 NLT

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

You may have memorized this passage as, Lead us not into temptation” but this actually captures the text more accurately. God doesn’t tempt people, but He does allow temptations and trials because they can help us grow and mature in our faith.

Jesus is teaching us to pray for strength. Strength to stay away from temptation, and stregnth to overcome when temptation comes our way.

Maybe you have a particular temptation you are struggling with today. Ask God for the strength to overcome it, to not yield to it

Strength, 5 minutes

Matthew 6:16–18 NLT

“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Fasting serves two purposes in the Christian life

First, we fast when we are seeking God’s direction in our life. Both in the Old and New Testament, fasting was done when people really needed a sense of God leading.

Physiologists actually say that when there is no food in the stomach, there is greater blood flow to the brain.

Once you get past the pangs of being hungry, your thinking processes become more focused and clearer

Second, fasting can free us from temptation. When you say no to your stomach and start praying instead, something powerful happens. Saying no to your physical appetites helps you say no to the other temptations that hassle you.

Jesus knew there would be times when we needed clearer direction from God. Jesus knew there would be temptations that we struggled with. He wasn’t suggesting fasting was a good idea, He expected that when those struggles came, we would fast to get the strength we needed to overcome.

BE Prayerful

my encouragement for you this week is to practice this way of praying at least once this week. Instead of running to whatever habit you have gotten into, actually follow Jesus’ model. Start with praise, thanking God for who He is and wanting to honor Him in every area of life

Then bring your will into alignment with His, putting His kingdom before your own

Ask your Father for everything you need for today, and maybe allow Him to teach you what that means

Forgive those you need to forgive, and then humbly for ask forgiveness for yourself

Finally, ask God for the strength to overcome any temptations you may be facing. If there are any temptations you are struggling with, try fasting as a means to overcome