A Pattern For Powerful Prayer Pt.2

Opening Comments:

Please make your way to Luke 11:1-13 in your copy of God’s Word, pg.816 in our church Bibles. This is the word of the Lord, let’s see what it has to say for us.

Luke 11:1–13 ESV

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 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 forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who 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!”

Prayer:

"Almighty God,

We glorify you as the all-knowing and all-powerful Creator, who reigns supreme over all things. Your wisdom and majesty are beyond human comprehension, and yet, you desire a personal relationship with each of us.

As we prepare to receive your Word, we pray for a glimpse of your coming kingdom, where your will is done on earth as it is in heaven. May your kingdom bring peace, justice, and righteousness to our world, and may we be instruments of your grace and love.

We ask this in Jesus' name, who taught us to pray, 'Your kingdom come." Amen.

Introduction:

We began unpacking what is commonly known as the “Lord’s Prayer” in our time together last week. Luke’s version of the prayer is not the one we typically quote but is a more condensed version. To call it the Lord’s prayer is really a misnomer, because it is not a prayer prayed by the Lord but a model taught by him in response to a disciple asking him to teach him to pray.

The prayer that follows are simply meant as guardrails to follow as we pray and develop each one as we go.

We must also remember that this is a model of prayer for christians to use as they come together for corporate prayer. Though, this model can influence out private times of prayer as well.

We developed the first two points of this model prayer last week when we say that we are to begin our prayers with a:

1.) Reverence for God. (v.2)

We begin by addressing him as our “Father” (dearest father) acknowledging the familial relationship we have with him as born again children of God.

But, after we address him as such, we then move on to reverencing him by addressing him as sacred. We do this by acknowledging his names and attributes. We don’t have to run down the whole list, but pick one or two to focus on for each prayer. This is how we “hallow” his name with our lips but we also mentioned that we must hallow him with our lives as well.

2.) Request for the coming kingdom. (v.2)

We pray for the soon return of Christ to set up his future kingdom on this earth but also that his kingdom would rein now through the lives of his children and the spread of the gospel throughout the earth drawing citizens into his kingdom.

Once we have done this we then move on to

3.) Supplication for our daily needs. (v.3-4)

Luke 11:3 ESV

3 Give us each day our daily bread,

Daily- “For the coming day.” Could also mean “todays bread or tomorrows bread.” Only appears in Matthew, Luke, and the Didache in all of greek literature.

These needs are both physical needs and spiritual needs and we will address both.

A.) Material Needs

Daily bread refers to our needs for basic provision. This tells us that God cares about our simple day to day needs.

The great God of the universe, cares that his children are warm, fed, and housed. He is concerned for your well being.

There is perhaps no better way to illustrate this than by going all the way bak to the Old Testament as Israel was journeying through the wilderness on their way to the promised land.

Exodus 16:4 ESV

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

Exodus 16:14–21 ESV

14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ ” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

God provided this daily portion of food for forty years until it was no longer needed.

If he will do this, surely he cares enough not just to provide you with the big things, but also the small, seemingly insignificant things.

Food

Housing

Clothing

Health

Peace

Security.

Staples to maintain daily life.

It is not at all out of line to bring our daily request before the Lord, in fact, he desires for you too and when we do this, bring him these “little things”, we are bringing him glory. There is no request too small for the Lord.

We have been trying to teach this to our kids. To stop and ask God for help even in the small things. Tell story of Jonathan being scared the other night!

Notice, we are invited to pray for bread, not dessert.

Proverbs 30:7–9 ESV

7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Since God has promised to meet all of our needs, we can confidently cast all of our anxieties about life on him, because he cares for us!

Matthew 6:25–33 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

While we bring all of these things to the Lord in prayer, in full confidence that He is going to provide, it does not at all negate our responsibility to work in order to provide for these things. In fact, this is how God answers that prayer.

2 Thessalonians 3:10–12 ESV

10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

This as well does not mean that though God has promised a general principle of provision that there aren't going to be exceptions.

Even some of the people we admire most in the Old Testament spent times in destitution, affliction, and even times of being mistreated.

Beyond the scriptures there have been martyrs who have suffered greatly for the faith.

Hebrews 11:37 ESV

37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—

But, God still provided for their daily need all the way up until the time of their death. All those who are faithful top the Lord can trust in that daily provision

B.) Spiritual Needs

Yes, we can bring God the normal, every day physical needs but, more substantial than our physical needs are our spiritual ones.

Our prayers for spiritual guidance begins with our need for the:

1.) Forgiveness of sin

Luke 11:4 (ESV)

and forgive us our sins,…

This is our greatest need and the fact that Jesus tells us to pray for it, means that God is eager to forgive our sins when we ask.

Psalm 86:5 ESV

5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

Remember, the Lord’s prayer is a prayer for christians to pray in an act of corporate worship, so this is not a salvific prayer of forgiveness but a relational one.

Family setting of a son or daughter confessing and seeking forgiveness from a parent for breaking a house rule.

This prayer assumes the regular need for confession of sin and the ongoing cleansing from sin, not to become or remain a part of God’s family (give gospel) but to ensure that nothing comes between us and God spoiling that relationship.

This is the kind of prayer David prayed after his sin adultery followed by murder in the case with Bathsheba

Psalm 51 ESV

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; 19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

a.) The caveat to forgiveness

Luke 11:4 (ESV)

…for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us…

If we desire the ongoing forgiveness of sin from the father, we must in turn forgive all those who have wronged us.

This is not saying that we somehow earn God’s forgiveness, that isn't grace but merit, but what it is getting at is that there is a fundamental insincerity in asking forgiveness from God when we refuse to forgive those who have wronged us. We should be mirroring God’s grace to others as best we can.

“An unforgiving Christian is a contradiction in terms.”

John MacArthur, Luke 11–17, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2013), 42.

Why is this so vital, that Jesus would say “If you want your sins to be forgiven, then you must also forgive those who are indebted (metaphor for sin) to you?”

Because if we’re not careful, we can give bitterness the throne to our lives and allow it to rein supreme.

We hold grudges (sometimes for a lifetime).

We are prone to vengeance.

Our relationships fall apart on this issue of one or both parties being unwilling to forgive.

A lack of forgiveness leads to bitterness and that bitterness will eat you alive.

Story of Ahithophel (2 Samuel 15-17)

When we embrace unforgiveness it tortures us and makes us a prisoner to its devices. It will consume our lives and rob us of the happiness and joy of the Lord.

Forgiveness on the other hand is liberating and loving. We must forgive others the way in which we have been forgiven.

Micah 7:19 ESV

19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Psalm 103:12 ESV

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

It is only when we forgive those who have disrupted our relationship with them that God will forgive us those things that disrupt our relationship with Him.

B.) Lead us not into temptation.

Temptation- Not things that entice us to sin, but the ordinary encounters every believer faces in life.

God does not cause men to sin.

James 1:13 ESV

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

But he does permit us to go through trials or testings that if yielded to will result in sin. These testings are necessary for the health of our souls.

The proper prayer asks God to deliver us from the overpowering temptations. We must have the humble awareness of our weaknesses and our need for God’s provision of strength not to falter.

Here is the beautiful thing, he promises to give us that strength.

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 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.

Conclusion:

Don’t be afraid to ask for physical needs.

Our greatest needs are spiritual.

Our needs to forgive and be forgiven

Our need for strength to endure testing.