How to Pray - Matthew 6:5-17

Pray - Into - Tim Keller - Prayer Book

Welcome Edgewood, my name is Pastor Kevin, and I am the youth pastor here in Waupun. If you are new here id love to get a chance to meet you after the sermon and introduce myself and get to know you as well.

Well this week we are taking a break from our normal Genesis series as we seek God in these next two weeks preaching on praying and fasting. This will be an exciting break as I think God is ready to change some hearts in this building today in the same way he’s been changing mine while preparing and being in prayer before our father.

Im not going to lie this was a real daunting topic to preach on. I went to God with prayer and asked God how am I going to preach on prayer. Im not nearly as good as other people on this. You know God, im the one who should be in the seats this weekend learning from someone far more experienced than I am when it comes to talking with you.

After my grumblings before the Lord I took a second and walked around my office looking at what books were on my shelf and found something that caught my eye. The book was called “Prayer” by Timothy Keller. I opened to page one and it didn't take long for God to give me inspiration, encouragement, and that his presence was with me. Here is what I read.

In the first page of this book, Timothy Keller said he did not discover prayer until the second half of his adult life. He was 49 years old. He was teaching a study course of Psalms and he said “It became clear to me that I was barely scratching the surface of what the Bible commanded and promised regarding prayer.”

Soon after that came 9/11, Kathy his wife was dealing with the effects of Crohn’s disease, and Tim was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Timothy said he was asked by his wife to do something that he had never had the self disciple to do before, pray with his wife EVERY night. She said this…

Imagine you were diagnosed with such a lethal condition that the doctor told you that you would die within hours unless you took a particular medicine—a pill every night before going to sleep. Imagine that you were told that you could never miss it or you would die. Would you forget? Would you not get around to it some nights? No—it would be so crucial that you wouldn’t forget, you would never miss. Well, if we don’t pray together to God, we’re not going to make it because of all we are facing. I’m certainly not. We have to pray, we can’t let it just slip our minds.

Kathy Keller

Timothy Keller said after that he does not remember missing a single night of prayer together. Even if he was traveling he could call home and pray with her. He said that this led him into a serious search of prayer because he wanted a far better personal prayer life.

Into - How is your prayer life?

What if someone who you really respected sat down with you for a cup of coffee? This is someone you are ready to learn a lot from in this meeting and you have your notebook open ready to fill it up and take as much knowledge as you can from him. And once you are all situated and have a few cups of coffee he opens up with the question ”how is your prayer life?”

and you respond, Its good! It couldn't be any better! In fact I even have a friend that im praying for right now. And you keep on blabbering on and on about how good your prayer life is and how good God is. trying to make him believe youre better at prayer than you know you are.

But you get home that night and the question haunts you….Is it good? God have we been keeping up? God are you listing to me lately or am I just talking to a wall? Hello?

The truth is, is that is many of us. I don’t know about you but I have been dodging that question for a long time! Im scared to truthfully answer it. I cant let people know my prayer life is on and off at times. They must see me as a pastor who has a perfect prayer life.

We cannot dodge this forever. We cannot lie about this forever and Jesus knew that. Jesus understood the importance and urgency of prayer. He understood it so much he taught his followers how to pray to God. This is the very heart of the sermon on the mount. If we are followers of Jesus we must take that next step and pray. Pray in a way where we actually expect God to show up and do things only he can do.

If you need encouragement to grow in your prayer life look at examples of Timothy Keller who was a pastor and a great one at that, that didn’t really pray like Jesus has commanded us until he was 49 years old. Arent you glad that God doesnt have a timeline on us, that if you miss the boat at a certain age you are done for? Listen for the Holy Spirit today in your heats as we go through the Lords prayers and than talk about what are next steps are after.

Pray

Matthew 6:9-13

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

  Give us this day our daily bread,

  and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

  And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Why does this matter?

What we are going to do today is study and dig deep into this passage that Jesus gave his followers on the Sermon on the Mount.

If you are new to praying, If you think you are bad at praying, If you have devoted your life to praying…all the above, this scripture is for you. This scripture is for everyone. Jesus had you in mind when he taught his followers how to pray.

In fact, Jesus right before this passage, told people to pray differently than the people who pretended to have it all together and would pray in the streets so people would see them and think how great they are. These people did not have a relationship with God, they had a relationship with their ego and theirselves. How many people will be watching me today as I am praying on the street corner? If we bring this in to modern times we could say something like this, “how many people are liking my prayer that i put up as a post on facebook?” I posted it not to help people, but to see who all liked it and to see how many more likes I can get this week than I recieved last week.

First lets take some time together talking about the Lords prayer and what it means to us. How can this help us with our prayer life and how we communicate with God? After we walk through this together we will talk about the importance of prayer and what our next steps look like.

PRAYING TO A FATHER OF LOVE AND SANCTIFYING HIS NAME

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

God here is referred to as father. When we sit down to pray, Jesus tells us to refer to God as our father. He is a father who comforts and loves us.

So let me ask, who are you coming before when you pray? Who are you viewing God as? Or are you even thinking about it? Are you rushing through prayer to get it done so you can go on with your day?

In Aramaic, (the everyday language spoken by Jesus) Jesus used the word “Abba.” אָב

This was a common word used by both children referring to their father and also adults referring to their father. God is personal and this would have made a ton of sense to his followers to that time as he was preaching to them, and also makes a ton of sense to us today if we understand who a father is and what role a father plays.

Now, Some of you in the room right now might have a hard time calling God our father because you did not have a consistant father in your life growing up. Maybe some of you watched your father walk out the door and never come back and the idea of father hurts you or scares you.

To you I want to tell you, that the Abba Father that Jesus is talking about is perfect.

He is “I AM WHO I AM” who appeared to Moses in Exodus 3.

He is the father that told Joshua that “I will not leave you or forsake you.”

He is the father that David talks about in Psalms 62 that his soul finds rest in.

All the compassions of all the tender fathers in the world compared with the tender mercies of our God would be but as a candle to the sun or a drop to the ocean.

Matthew Henry

God hears you. Write this down and high light it and underline it, When you pray to your father, he hears you. Dont forget that. We have to be certain of that. We have to pray knowing that he hears us. Even in the times when we feel like he isn't listening or responding to us, he is. Pray in that certainty that God is listening and caring for you.

Our father in heaven as in says in v. 9, is in heaven over us right now. In all of his splendor, in all of his glory, cares deeply for you. He loves you and is watching over you.

Know that when you pray, he is your father and listens to every word. Approach him like that.

hallowed be your name.

Hallowed be your name is not necessarily a praise, it is a plea. His name must be kept sacred. What does that mean and how do we do that?

Pray that God would be center of our city, our state, our nation, our world. That in our actions and the way we live our life that he would be center in everything. Even in things that we do. Pray that Gods name would be magnified throughout the whole world.

That people would see that God is holy. Pray earnestly for that. We live in a dark world where evil is running around and people don’t seem to care, or are oblivious to it now. Or maybe in some instances don’t even care.

Pray that his name would be hallowed throughout the world. As you are driving around today, take time to pray for your city as you pass houses and street corners. Pray for families and businesses that Gods name would he hallowed over them. That the world would see God for who he truly is. His name is glory!

You are an instrument through whom God displays His holiness in the world. If His name is to be hallowed on earth as it is in Heaven, it must first be hallowed in your life.

John F. MacArthur

YOUR KINGDOM COME

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

When we pray are you praying for Jesus to come back in all his mighty and power? Are you excited about Jesus coming back? We are praying for the end times here. What does it look like to pray for the final kingdom? What does that mean? How do we pray that? Scripture tell us to pray like this, “Lord, Come!”

English Standard Version (Chapter 16)

If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

1 Corinthians 16:22

English Standard Version (Chapter 22)

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

REvelation 22:20

Just a minute ago we talked about Gods name be hallowed in our world. This is when it is complete. Gods name will be fulled hallowed when Christ returns! We will see Christ is all his glory on that day and every knee will hit the ground and his name will be hallowed throughout the whole word in the blink of an eye.

But we also see a present time here as well. If we are praying for Gods kingdom to come we are thinking about the unbelievers to come and to know Jesus the one who died for them. These our our friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family.

How often are we thinking about unbelievers when we pray? Be careful though because praying these prayers will lead us to action. If we are praying for our friends to come and know Christ, God will give us opportunities to tell the world who he is. He will put us in situations to tell the world of his great and holy name. These aren't meaningless prayers. They are dangerous prayers that are going to stretch us for the advance of the Gospel.

When we are praying for Gods kingdom to come we are asking to be exposed to Gods kingdom in new ways. Growing Christians are learning and growing spiritually. We see things in a new way the more God reveals to us as we grow closer to him.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

What is Gods will? How do we find out what the will of God is? Do we have a verse that tells us what this is? And does Gods will show up here on earth as it is in heaven?

Again we find ourselves praying for the now and for the future. Were praying for Gods will now. God has a good, pleasing, and perfect will.

English Standard Version (Chapter 12)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:2

The world is dark and filled with sin that is lurking at every corner. People live their lives without Gods will of even knowing about what is acceptable and perfect to God. Pray that God would reveal himself to the lives of everyone in the world…But be ready, God will use you. Are you ready to pray and prayer like that and live it out?

We fully will not understand Gods complete and perfect will right now, but as we grow as Christinas more will be revealed through us. Pray that God would help you lead your friends to understanding just a grasp of Gods will. If a dark world just grabs a 1/10 of his will, and sees the smallest picture of Gods plan, they will be hungry for more and want to see his will in completion one day when God brings the new heaven and the new earth. What a glorious day that will be.

Daily Bread and Forgiveness

English Standard Version Chapter 6

11  Give us this day our daily bread,

12  and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

These next 2 verses point us to the part of the prayer where we are totally dependent on God in our everyday lives. Notice we do not read Lord, give us this bread for the week, or the year, or the rest of our lives. We read that we need this bread daily.

When we pray, we pray daily for Gods name to be lifted high, for his will to come, and for him to supply all our needs. Are you coming to the table totally dependent on God? Are we asking that he will provide our everyday needs?

This is a good part to come back to when we think overall of prayer and maybe that question we asked earlier. How is your prayer life? My prayer life is dependent on God daily, I cant miss a day, I need God to show up for me. Not in a mentality where I am asking God for everything like “gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, but in a way where we tell God i cant do this with out you.

I need you today to give me what my body needs. God i need you to give me what my soul thirst for. God i need you to transform my thoughts today. This has to be a daily prayer. A daily need from our father.

What are some things that you have thanked God for lately for taking care of you? Lets think food? God has allowed it to rain and for the ground to get his nutrients that God provides. Thank him. God has given strength to the farmer for providing us food. Thank God. God has given us healthy animals for our daily food. Thank God.

Are we modeling this at the dinner table for our kids to see? When you sit down as a family to eat are your kids thanking God for providing?

God will provide for us and we need to ask and be dependent on our father who cares and loves us deeply.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Debts, that is a word huh? We must never forget the debt that was paid for on the cross.

The Sermon on the Mount, a 12-Week Study (Gospel Glimpses > Week 8: A Model for Prayer (Matthew 6:9–18))

Forgiveness is gracious and free for the one who requests it, but it is costly for the one who extends it. Jesus is on his way to the cross, where he will pay all of our debts with his very life.

- Drew Hunter

Jesus looked at you and your dirty and sinful debts and said I am going to take those from you. Its completely free for you. I am going to pay the price for your sin on the cross. Sin came with a cost and Jesus purchased you with his life.

English Standard Version (Chapter 2)

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13-14

This verse draws us to remember the work that Jesus did for us on the cross. Are you feeling a heavy burden today? Have you been trying to hide a sin from God lately? Lay it at his feet because the price has been paid already.

As Christ followers we emulate Christ. notice how he says “as we also have forgiven our debtors” You cant separate asking for forgiveness and forgiving our debtors. It doesn't work that way. Christ has forgiven us, we are called to forgive others.

We know the wickedness is our heart and we know Jesus died for us. How much more will your forgive people who have wronged you now knowing that truth?

English Standard Version (Chapter 6)

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Ask that God would give us strength. Dont mistake this as God tempting you with sin. James is clear that “God does not tempt people with evil But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Jas 1:14.

But stand firm in the truth because Gods word promisses us that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to with stand. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Co 10:13.

Those closing of this praying is very simple. To ask God for strength in your daily battle to not let temptation overcome us. Many times we go on with our day and get busy with work and family that we forget that temptation is waiting for us to get weak and fall into sin. God gives us that strength to keep going and stay observant.

Closing

No matter where you are at with prayer and with God, it is never to late to start now.

As I mentioned in the beginning with Timothy Keller, him praying with his wife changed everything for him. Started him on a journey.

What is your journey with prayer?

Jesus wants us to take the Lords prayer and take it with us everyday. To understand that prayer is about quality not quantity. Quality time with our father. The Lords prayer is short, but powerful and when we understand what we are praying and how to pray, God will continue to teach us as we grow in him.

Real consistant prayer will bring you in line in Gods will. You can never know Gods will if we are not seeking it. As Christians we have to understand that we are foreigners on earth, but citizens of heaven. If we believe that, we will live to please our heavenly father by doing his will.

So when someone asks you how your prayer life is going be grounded in truth and what scripture says. Respond with I am in desperate need of my father daily to continue to do his will. We cannot afford to miss that mark. We cannot afford to cheapen prayer, we cannot afford to not believe in the power of prayer. Live your life in desperate need to be talking with your father.

Prayer at its best is the expression of the total life, for all things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives.

A. W. Tozer

An example: On the night he was betrayed, before going to the cross, Jesus gave us the Lord’s supper as a way to remember the sacrifice of his body and blood for us. . This table, intended for those who have turned from their sin and trusted in Jesus' death and resurrection alone for salvation, has many benefits as well; Partaking of it:

· reminds us of the gospel. It is a tangible picture of the gospel - Christ’s body and blood given to provide forgiveness of our sin.

· Renews our appreciation for God’s amazing grace toward us

· Increases our gratitude

· Refocuses our life with Christ at the Center

· Fosters unity in a shared spiritual experience as a church family

· Allows time for personal evaluation of our spiritual lives and repentance from any continuing sin

· Gives spiritual nourishment

· Affirms Christ’s love for us.

2. Explain who the table is for:

· At Edgewood we welcome all true believers in Jesus Christ to partake of the bread and the cup with us. It is for those who have personally accepted Christ Body broken for them and his blood shed for their sin by repenting of sin and trusting in Christ. If you have not trusted in Christ, we ask you to please not partake of the elements when they are passed. Or, perhaps, today is the day you admit your sinfulness to God and trust in what Jesus did alone to save you.

3. Explain the process.

· The bread and the cup will be passed simultaneously. Please grab the two stacked cups – one containing the bread and the other the juice, then hold onto them so we can take them together as a church family.

4. Invite the servers up: “Servers, please come forward.”

5. Read 1 Cor. 11: 23-26: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

6. Pass elements out to servers who will distribute them to the congregation.

7. Prayer (When servers are back up front, and communion plates are restacked) : Say a prayer thanking Jesus for his body given for us and his blood shed for us.

8. Partake of the bread together “Let’s eat the bread together, remembering Christ’s body given for us.

9. Partake of the cup together: “Let drink the cup together, remember Christ’s blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins.

10. Closing words traditionally used at Edgewood: “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”