Untitled Sermon (18)

Read Verses 1-4) We should do good works to please God, not man.

In this text, the pharisees fed the poor and gave money to the poor only to be seen by other men.

They enjoyed the praises of men and therefore even their good deeds were sinful in Gods eyes.

Men in this life who seek the approval and praise of man with good deeds and religon will have there reward. (and it is not God)

We should focus our good deeds and good works to the glory of God not man and we ensure a great reward in the life to come.

Read verses 5-8) We should pray for Gods glory not mans glory!

The pharisees were hypocrites and secret sinners who would go through the streets praying openly and loudly wearing long robes.

they would soak up the praises of men like wicked sponges.

They wanted to praises of men, so the scriptures say “(vs 5) that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward”

What they did not receive, was a changed heart and a right relationship with God

This is the purpose of Prayer, anything else is “vain repetition” and “vain jangling”

Read verses 9-14) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Verse 9) “ Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name”

When we pray, it is worship.

sadly i feel many Christians worship themselves and their own selfish desires when they pray.

They treat God like a wishing well or a shooing star.

But we should begin our prayers with the worship and praise of the very name of God the Father.

Hallowed means “ to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow (2) to separate from profane things and dedicate to God”

WE should not only render our hearts to God in prayer, we should not only acknowledge Him in prayer.

We must separate our prayer life away from the evil of the world and and dedicate time to prayer to our heavenly Father.

because when we pray, we must remember, “hallowed is his name” the Name of Jehovah God is a name above all names, a name separate from sin and evil.

By hallowing out a special time dedicated to talking with God in worshipful surrender....

....we are taught to do that all the time and not just when we pray.

Verse 10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We need to pray for the return of Christ.

We need to desire Christs Kingdom, and beg for its coming.

many times we as Christians are so busy loving the devils kingdom, we forget to long for the coming of Gods Kingdom.

by praying “thy Kingdom come!” in our prayers, we teach our hearts to look for it and desire it.

We need to pray for the will of God to be done in the earth!

We have to stop praying for “our own wills to be done, we got to stop praying for God to give us what we want.”

Instead we need to pray for Gods will to be done in our life's

and we need to pray for God to give us what we need not necessarily what we want.

Verse 11) Give us this day our daily bread

By asking God for food or having him bless our food we acknowledge that he is our provider and the source of all our good things.

the picture i had in my minds eye as i was writing this was,

When Samuel and Lilly are hungry, they come to me and say “daddy I'm hungry, daddy i need a apple or a banana.

They trust in me to provide for them and in a loving trusting way, they expect to receive food from me.

The same way we as children of God should go to our heavenly Father and ask him for clothing and food and every good thing.

We can trust God and we can expect good things from him.

We should go to God in prayer, before we try to do things in our own power and get in trouble.

for example, sometimes Samuel and Lilly don't ask me for fruit, they have learned to push a chair to the counter top and steal fruit.

i caught Lilly two days ago, eating a orange peel and all and i caught Samuel eating peanut butter out of the jar with his hands.

Some days I've caught them eating a entire container of blue berry's and strawberries, hiding behind the couch.

Well they got spankings why.......They did not come to there father asking.....

Likewise we as Gods children would get in less trouble, if we will take everything to God in prayer first.

Verse 12) When was the last time you prayed for God to forgive your enemies?

Jesus says we are to pray for God to forgive our sins, based on the fact that we have first forgiven those who have sinned against us.

Don't be praying for God to forgive you, if you can not forgive others.

Jesus practiced what he preached, when he hung on the cross bleeding and said “Father forgive them, they know not what they do!”\

Verse 13)  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

There is great evil in our world, the Devil is alive and well today.

let us pray always for our self's, families, church and nation.....

That God would deliver us all from the evil one and from his temptations

and from the evil of our own hearts.