Prayer's Cement with the Lord

Introduction

This morning we address the subject of prayer. We look at the Lord’s prayer or the Model prayer. I have enjoyed this study because if there is anything I want to do better is to pray.

You may be one that asks the question why pray? The question would have similarity in asking why get out of bed in the morning?

The answer would be that we would never know what the day would hold if we never went out in the world nor would we ever know prayer’s matchless potential if we never prayed.

Furthermore consider this. Let’s assume most of us here have experienced a significant relationship with someone. What would happen to the relationship if after the relationship was birthed that we never communicated again with our new found friend? Our relationship would be doomed for failure without intimacy through the form of communication taking place.

Turn this morning in your Bibles to Luke 11:1-13 as we learn to pray.

Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1–13 NKJV

1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” 5 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Prayer

Message

Jesus was engaged in prayer as He had many times with the disciples around. For whatever reason, on this particular occasion the disciples wanted to know more about prayer.

Jesus’ prayer life captured these men. They had seen Him pray, heard Him pray and they saw what happened following His prayers. They wanted what Jesus had.

John’s disciples were identified as a group and now Jesus’ disciples were identified as a group and collectively they wanted to please Jesus. They realized there was something more to prayer than what they had experienced. They knew there was something missing in their prayer lives.

In our text this morning, the Scriptures are divided in three parts: the Lord’s Prayer, a parable about persistent praying and a reiteration of the need to pray. You may remember that over these recent months as we have studied Luke that the emphasis has moved from the mission, the messages and miracles to an emphasis on discipleship. Jesus was preparing these men to have a healthy Christian walk and to grow in ministry to flourish once He left to return to His heavenly home. They hungered to grasp the reservoir of power and the intimacy established with the Lord as they prayed.

And Jesus shared a corporate prayer that could be used, but it as well can be an example of private prayers. I shared this recently from another message, but our Bible’s will title this prayer the Lord’s prayer, but its really a believers prayer or the disciples prayer. And for this reason that Jesus never had to ask forgiveness for sin. Jesus never had to ask His Heavenly Father to forgive His actions. Jesus is perfect, He is blameless, he is Holy and righteous. Amen.

1. Our Example of Prayer v. 1

Our text this morning begins:

“Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place.” It was always very common place to see Jesus praying as told in the Word of God over those 3 1/2 years of ministry as He walked, talked, ministered and performed many miracles. Jesus touched many lives and when He encountered them there lives changed for the best time and again. Jesus prayed to call down the collective empowerment of the triune God of the universe. We read of an intimacy between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

Have you considered what Jesus would have accomplished had He not prayed?

John 5:19 “19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

John 14:10 “10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”

I would imagine that a strong beginning point this morning addressing the subject of prayer is to realize that Jesus is our best example because Jesus prayed. How would we ever think that if Jesus being God found it important to pray that we would ever be able to function without prayer.

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Introduction

Martin Luther said? Martin Luther said, “As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and as it is the business of cobblers to mend shoes, it is the business of Christians to pray.”

These disciples on this given day had already begun to recognize that there was something different when people prayed. They saw something different about John’s disciples as they ministered. In fact, they recognized the One most apparent that was different and His name was Jesus.

Jesus was seasoned in ministry and they knew there was something lacking, something that was short sided in their lives that was amiss when they attempted miracles or attempted to impact people like Jesus did.

Just two chapters back in Luke 9:37, they failed to be able to heal a little boy that had seizures and we read where Jesus appearing frustrated said:

Luke 9:41 “41 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.””

We do know that ultimately the disciples matured to the point of performing miracles of healing empowered by the Lord.

In Acts 3 we know that Peter and John healed the man that was lame since birth at the gate called beautiful.

Acts 3:6 “6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.””

The disciples recognized that Jesus was special when it came to transforming lives. With each passing day they were growing. The disciples wanted to please Jesus with their ability to continue the ministry.

They were constantly growing as Christ followers each day. We read in Luke 10 these words:

Luke 10:2 “2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Later in Chapter 10 they came back bragging at the power they were able to use to subject the spirits, the demons in the name of Jesus. And Jesus told them to keep a humble spirit in such matters and “be thankful that their names are written in heaven.”

They were learning that as much as they knew and as much as they had grown, they still lacked and they knew specifically that they had not fully grasped the power in prayer.

And I imagine that is true for most of us, we have never seen the matchless potential that can be accomplished by exercising a strong prayer life.

So on this day the redundancy of Jesus’ example of making time to pray resounded in their being and they began to realize that possibly the one thing Jesus had going for Him besides obviously being God was the fact Jesus had a consistent prayer life. Jesus is our example, our best example as to the importance of prayer. I will say it again, if Jesus being God and man felt it important to pray, how could we survive without prayer?

Prayer invites the power of God to Bring Great Change

Matthew 9:38 “38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.””

The Lord is our power to bring about great change. Is there a matter in your life and you feel its hopeless? Are there any in your circle of loved ones, family, friends that you are concerned for their spiritual welfare? And I would simply ask have you prayed about the matter?

One of the great reminders I receive more often than I would want to admit when I am stressed over a matter, fretting over some situation at church or a concern for one of you, my wife will always lovingly, graciously bump my being and ask the question, have you prayed about it?

Ill. Have you ever been with someone out to eat and the steak and potato come and the waiter or waitress asks, is there anything else? Butter and sour cream for my potato, salt and pepper, possibly more bread and if you would please,refill my tea. The waiter comes back with all requests, and they ask again, is there anything else I can get? Would you please bring some Worcestershire Sauce for my steak?

There are times if we are not careful that we are engaged in the Christian life, we attend regular, we participate, but we aren’t fulfilled and many times it can be that prayer is the last spiritual practice rather than being the first spiritual practice. And we wonder why our spiritual manna is not tasty?

Luke 9:29 “29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.”

Luke 22:44 “44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

The ultimate change in the last verse is our very destiny lay in the brink of Jesus’ prayer to stay the course of saving all mankind for the asking.

Prayer has a personal and private element

Matthew 26:36 “36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.””

Mark 1:35 “35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

This prayer we study this morning was one that the group, the disciples, us believers can pray together and we do.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” which by the way is also recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 “9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

WE may ask the question this morning that if this prayer was encouraged corporately? Then why is it important to pray privately?

Priority “now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight”. If we do not pray first thing, Satan will place something in our path to keep us from praying.

Prayer is a habit. Think about prayer like going to the gym. Are you going to the gym these days? No, I hate to admit it. I haven’t been in six months. There is no excuse and it does not even make sense that I am not going. I feel better when I go, I have more energy, I hurt less, I handle stress better when I exercise. It’s amazing, I put out energy when I go but I actually have more energy by going.

Could that be your testimony about prayer? Raise your hands if you feel worse after praying? Raise your hands if you did not feel a calm come over you after praying? We would all agree that prayer cements our relationship with Jesus.

Let’s move on:

2. The Elements of Prayer vv. 2-4

Luke 11:2-4 “2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.””

We are taught several concepts in this short but concise prayer.

Prerequisite concept

“When you pray”-Jesus has been teaching them to be His disciples. Jesus is teaching what actions, what habits, what is to take place in the life of a believer. There is a prerequisite. It’s not “if” we pray, but “when you pray. Pray in this fashion.

Jesus practiced prayer.

You have heard, practice what you preach. Jesus practiced prayer.

At his baptism (Luke 3:21)

Regular time of withdrawal from the crowds (Luke 5:16)

After healing people in the evening (Mark 1:35)

Before walking on water (Matt 14:23, Mark 6:46, John 6:15)

Before choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12)

Before Peter's confession (Luke 9:18)

At the Transfiguration (Luke 9:29)

Before teaching his disciples the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1)

Jesus says that he has prayed for Peter's faith (Luke 22:32)

Paternal Concept

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” In Graeco-Roman times, the Father was the head of the house and teacher. There was a strong respect and honor for the father. We knew that the Jews had a strong patriarchal relationship.

We know that Jesus was the only one that could truly call His Heavenly Father-abba or daddy. Many times we place the warm and intimate title of abba for the Father to distinguish His approachable nature. The warmth is not to the extreme of a buddy. Let me explain.

Ill. My Son and I are in business together in Gulf Shores.

In other words, adult children are like a born again believer in a sense. We were born with free will, free choice. So, we have full authority to do what we want to do. But in exercising a paternal nature in our prayers, there is a respect that we are talking to our Heavenly Father. We have been adopted into His family, but we would never want to act in a way that would bring embarrassment on the name Christian. Furthermore, Jesus states:

“Hallowed by your name.” Every family has a family name. Our parents have always asked us not to act in a way to ruin the family name.”

We can not accomplish that in our power. We must pray that the Lord strengthen us to live as He would have us live and bring honor to His name.

Petition concept

Lord, please meet my needs, not my wants. In Bible times, there were not grocery stores. There were not refrigerators. There was no way to keep food for any length of time. The ability to eat was a need every day. Furthermore, Jesus is calling us to ask for spiritual food every day. Help me stay fed spiritually.

Pardon Concept

“And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

The first part of verse 4 is easy to understand, the last part of verse 4 is difficult to execute. Pray is integral to accomplish this.

When we accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, He forgave us our sins, past, present, and future. But, if we do not continue to ask for God’s forgiveness for our sins, we become desensitized to our sins and we are not even aware we are sinning. Sin is the big separator to a holy God.

You want to know where you are in your prayer life? Do you want to measure your spirituality this morning? Do you have anyone in your life you can not seem to forgive? Do you have a severed relationship and you have mentally drawn a line in the sand not to cross? Jesus states here that to enjoy His forgiveness and the sense of being forgiven, we must forgive others.

Protection Concept

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

We would immediately say that seems bizarre. God would never tempt us into evil. In fact, the Lord wants us as far from evil as the east is from the west. Why pray such a prayer? You need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead you away from Satan.

3. Our Expectations in Prayer vv. 5-13

In a home in Palestine, the family may all sleep in one room. And, if a friend came at night to offer something to a traveling friend that came by at an odd hour, you would not have time to cook break and other items in any reasonable time frame. The friend goes to the other friends house in the middle of the night and has a boldness and a shamelessness to his nature. He has a persistent way about him. He not only goes at night to ask for bread to host his friend, but he waits at the door knowing his friend has to rumble around, unlock and step over all his family, retrieve the food and it is an ordeal.

We would call that person pushy or we would say that there is no shame in his game in the modern vernacular. He has nerve.

The friend half asleep and disturbing everyone gets up and gives the food to the neighbor.

We come to that text that we all know:

Luke 11:9-10 “9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Following we read the next parable of the Good Father and the parable mentions that all of us are of a sin nature. We all have shortcomings, but yet a father would never meet a request of his son with an evil intent. Jesus concludes by saying if those dads that are sinners will offer up assistance of a good nature, how much more will our heavenly Father off His help.

When you pray, do you pray from a practice or procedural habit, are your prayers a performance to see how you can improve in eloquence as you pray, or are you praying expecting, looking for new possibilities from the Lord?

Have you met anyone in your family that is pushy? They have no patience. They want something yesterday and they will not be satisfied until they get what they want? Jesus wants us respectful, but pushy with Him. He wants you to let Him know how He can help. Now, He already knows how He can help, He just wants to hear it from you because for no other reason, He wants to hear from you.

How many people here like it when your loved ones call you to ask about you? How many of you get calls from loved ones seeking your counsel? When they do that they are saying to you they value your counsel. We want them to think for themselves, but all the same it means a great deal to us that they think we offer up good counsel. Do you believe the Lord feels the same way?

Are there matters you are facing this morning that are real. Are there consuming issues you fret over or nervous or concerned about? Are you facing a relationship issue, a health issue, possibly a financial matter or a tough decision ahead? I would ask you have you prayed about it? Have you really prayed about it?

Pray knowing that if Jesus prayed, we sure need to pray. Pray and utilize the elements of pray. Pray with respect because we are talking to our heavenly Father. Act in a way that brings honor to His name. Pray for His strength for your needs and the need to fight off sin and stay in His will. And lastly, pray with some expectations. Pray knowing that the Lord will respond. Now understand because He is God, He knows best and He will answer our prayers in the way He knows best.

What is it you need to pray for today?

Let’s pray.

Invitation