When You Pray

Intro

[Thank worship team]

Good morning Bethel Church, and good morning to our network of rural churches that are joining us live on YouTube. And if you are new here, I want to extend a special welcome to you. If you would, there are “Connect” cards in the seat in front of you. If you would fill that out there or at the Welcome Center outside of the sanctuary. We even have a free gift for you if you are new to Bethel. We would love to get in touch with you and discuss how to get connected to our church family.

Announcements:

Zach

Today we will be continuing our study called Summer on the Mount. If you are reading out of the Bibles in front of you, our passage can be found on page 825. If you do not have a Bible, please stop by the Welcome Center and take one. It is our gift to you.

TRANS: Pray

Opening Hook

Picture the fire extinguisher hanging behind glass. You rarely think about it. You don’t interact with it. You may not even know exactly how it works. But it’s reassuring to know it’s there—just in case something catches fire.

That is how many of us treat God.

We keep Him nearby, but separate from ordinary life. We break the glass when the diagnosis comes, the marriage is struggling, the money runs out, or we have exhausted every other option. Prayer becomes our emergency response rather than our daily relationship with our Father.

But when Jesus teaches us to pray, He doesn’t give us an emergency prayer. He teaches us to pray about everything: God’s name, God’s kingdom, our daily bread, our relationships, our sin, and the temptations we will face today.

God is not an emergency resource hanging on the wall. He is our Father, inviting us to bring every part of life under His rule and care.

The Lord’s Prayer moves God from the edge of life to the center of it.

Big Idea

Prayer brings every part of life under the Father’s rule and care.

Prayer

Prayer is talking to God as your Father, not performing for others.

Matthew 6:5–13; 7:7–11

Prayer does not bring life under God’s sovereign rule as though He rules only after we pray. Rather, prayer brings every part of our lives and hearts into conscious surrender to His rule and trust in His care.

TRANS: [text]

Matthew 6:9–10 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Four Lessons On Prayer

Prayer reorders our desires around the Father’s priorities.

Matthew 6:9-10

By saying “Father” we are also recognizing that we are a child of God. It is meant to solidify in our minds our own status, and our relationship with God.

To “Hallow” something means to honor, to set apart, and to treat with the highest respect. We treat God’s name with the utmost respect — a theme we see throughout scripture.

We are to bring glory to God’s name in the way that God brings glory to His own name.

Ezekiel 36:22 “22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came.”

Ezekiel 39:27–28 “27 when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore.”

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He did so for them AND for Him. He was making His name great.

There is a future aspect to the prayer, though. We want the Kingdom to increasingly reign in us and around us, but we also have a final hope at the end.

The final state according to Revelation 20–22 is on earth. That is why the Lord’s prayer says, “on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s redemptive power aims at realizing the heavenly condition on earth. It follows, then, that “kingdom of heaven” entails the idea that the earthly kingdom will be like the heavenly kingdom; that is, it will be a perfect manifestation of God’s will.1

1 Scot McKnight, Sermon on the Mount, ed. Tremper Longman III and Scot McKnight, The Story of God Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 180.

TRANS: [text]

Matthew 6:11 ESV

11 Give us this day our daily bread,

Prayer entrusts our needs to the Father’s provision.

Matthew 6:11

Requests for needs to be met.

It is against God’s intent for our needs to be met and for us to then act independently of Him. God answers a prayer, and we forget about Him days later. This is why we ought to pray for *daily* needs, because this keeps us in a place of relatinoship and dependency on Him.

When we ask for “give us this month our monthly bread,” we treat God as our bank teller. “Give me my money so I can be on my way.” But God is your Father, not your bank teller. This should tell us something about what that relationship ought to look like, and how He meets our needs.

“God’s permanent place of residence for us is at the end of our rope.”

Jesus’s disciples should pray that God will provide the food that they need for the rest of the day. This petition seems modest in comparison to a common Jewish prayer that asked God to supply the food for an entire year.140 1

140 The ninth petition of the Amidah or Shemoneh Esreh is a prayer for prosperity for the coming year.

1 Charles L. Quarles, Matthew, ed. T. Desmond Alexander, Thomas R. Schreiner, and Andreas J. Köstenberger, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Academic, 2022), 190–191.

This underscores the idea of daily dependance. God is not interested in an annual review, he wants daily relationship.

Ask according to what is good and right, ask according to the Will of God. Jesus says elsewhere, Matthew 21:22 “22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.””

So ask in faith! And God will answer according to what is our best:

Yes

No

Wait

Perhaps in God’s “no” or God’s “wait,” we must understand the difference between our daily bread and our daily *want.* Do we “need” this? Or do we want it? Like when you do a budget with a budget coach and they point out that you’re spending $100/mo on cable and netflix, they ask “do you need this?” And you say, “yes because I want to be able to watch—” ahh. Want, not need.

This is true of our prayers. God’s answer to us may reveal the difference. God meets our *needs,* and sometimes he even meets our wants! But sometimes our wants are contrary to God’s desire for us. Trust Him in that process as you bring your requests to Him.

TRANS: [text]

Matthew 6:12–13 ESV

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Prayer brings our sin and weakness to the Father’s mercy.

Matthew 6:12-13

Request for forgiveness, request for deliverance.

Forgiveness:

What we are asking for is Grace.

Grace

Grace is God giving you what you could never earn.

Matthew 5:3, 7, 9; 6:12, 14–15; 7:7–11

The life of a follower of Jesus is a life of asking for forgiveness and extending forgiveness. 1 John 1:8 “8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” So what are we to do? We ask for forgiveness.

Asking for forgiveness of sin is how we become a follower of Jesus, and it is also how we *live* as a follower of Jesus. We bring our sin and weakness to the Father’s mercy. He helps us turn from our sin and walk with Him. He transforms us as we stumble, confess, and continue learning to live according to our new self.

And Jesus also talks about needing protection. Matthew 6:13

Matthew 6:13 ESV

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

God cannot tempt us, but sometimes he permits temptation to occur. When we pray not to be led into temptation, we’re asking God to protect us from being overcome by temptation rather than requesting immunity from it entirely.

We’re essentially asking God to strengthen us against our own vulnerabilities and the schemes of our adversary—acknowledging that we are defenseless on our own against the things that can arise from the labyrinthine ways of our heart.

When we feel weak, we typically have one of two responses:

We pridefully respond, “I’m not weak!” And we face temptation or suffering in our own strength.

We are crushed, “I’m so weak.” And we sulk in misery, forgetting that the Lord offers His strength.

Neither reaction is right. Notice that the prayer is for the Lord to do the delivering.

In 2 Kings 6–7, the Aramean army surrounded Samaria, creating such a severe famine that Israel had no strength or resources left to save itself. But during the night, the Lord caused the Arameans to hear what sounded like a massive approaching army. Convinced that Israel had hired foreign kings to attack them, they panicked and fled, abandoning their tents, horses, food, clothing, silver, and gold. When four lepers entered the deserted camp, they discovered that God had already delivered Israel before anyone in the city knew it.

Israel did not win because they were strong enough to defeat the enemy. God delivered them when they were utterly powerless.

“Deliver us from evil” is a confession that we cannot rescue ourselves. Our weakness is real—but so is our Father’s power to deliver.

When we feel threatened we feel weak, when our resources run dry we feel needy, when temptation is strong we feel pulled away…

The Lord is our deliverer. Prayer brings our sin and weakness to the father’s mercy.

TRANS: Jesus concludes with an expansion on His comment about forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14–15 ESV

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Prayer joins receiving the Father’s forgiveness with extending forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14-15

The Lord’s Prayer isn’t establishing a transaction where your forgiveness of others buys God’s forgiveness; rather, Jesus ties your forgiveness and God’s forgiveness together to show how connected they are—not so you’ll earn forgiveness by forgiving, but so you’ll grasp the critical importance of becoming a forgiving person.[1] - Scott McKnight

Jesus is not teaching that we earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. Rather, a persistently unforgiving heart calls into question whether we have truly understood and received the mercy of God. Forgiveness does not excuse wrongdoing or eliminate wise boundaries, but it releases personal vengeance into God’s hands.

A fleshly temptation is to put ourselves in the seat of judgement.

We ruminate about offenses done to us

Act as the prosecuting attorney by repeating all the evidence of wrongdoing in our minds

Deliberate to ourselves as though we are the jury coming to a verdict

Then place ourselves in the seat with the gavel and pronounce a sentence for our offender.

We do all of this in our minds. I think this is what psychologists call “multiple personality disorder.”

But this makes a fundamental mistake. The reason we are to forgive others is not because justice will go unpunished, but it is because justice is not our job.

Hebrews 10:30 ESV

30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

I find it ironic when people say “only God can judge me.” Yeah, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. God’s standard for justice *must* be met, but it is HE who has that role — not us.

It is not that people get off the hook, it is that our job is to send our case to a higher court. And here’s the kicker — if we are talking about offenses between Christians, between people who attend the same church, people in this room, we must begin with the Gospel in ourselves and extended to the other.

Remind yourself, “Jesus paid for the sin that was done against me.” If your brother or sister in Christ sins against you, remember that both of you will stand shoulder to shoulder in heaven praising the same God. Therefore, seek reconciliation and keep eternity in mind.

Prayer joins the Father’s forgiveness with extending forgiveness. Forgiven people forgive.

TRANS: [text]

Reflection

Where do I need to surrender to my Father’s rule and rest in His care?

Surrender addresses our resistance to his authority.

Our pride hates to surrender.

We want a “say” in how things are going to go. Our pride may not be obvious, but hidden. We may say, “Father I surrender to your will” but beneath the surface you are still negotiating. “But only if it turns out like this…”

We want God’s Kingdom to be built if we get some credit along the way. Our pride *hates* being anonymous, it wants credit. Even if just 1 person knew the sacrifice you’ve made.

We are willing to give up areas of life that are easy, but some areas of life we think we need to control. Perhaps you don’t really worry about money, so you can release that and Trust God. But you do worry about the future, so you need to make sure God knows what is really best for you in the coming weeks/months/years.

But surrender is where we thrive. It puts us in the place of trust. When we are carrying a burden we were not meant to carry, we become exhausted from the effort. But what does Jesus say? Matthew 10:28

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We must rest.

Rest addresses our reluctance to trust his provision.

Resting is not the opposite of responsibility, it is our attitude as we live our lives. We are instructed to work, to provide for our families, to raise children, to be faithful, to toil and press toward the goal of making disciples. As we go, we must rest in Him. We trust that as we go about our responsibilities, that it is ultimately God who provides.

Are you tired? Burned out? Frustrated? Come to Jesus in prayer, and stay with Jesus in prayer — day by day.

Prayer brings every part of life under the Father’s rule and care.

Do you trust Him today?

Communion

And to this end we pray, that our relationship with Jesus would not look like “break glass in case of emergency,” but of daily dependence. We pray that His Kingdom would come, that he would meet our needs, for forgiveness, for deliverance, and to help us extend forgiveness to others.

This is why we participate in the ordinance of communion. It is to remember the Gospel — the good news — that Jesus forgives sinners like you and me.

Paul summarizes the gospel in Romans 5:8-9

Romans 5:8–9 ESV

8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

For this we take communion. To remember the greatest need that Jesus meets: hope for our souls.

We practice “open communion”

Invite ushers forward.

Invite congregation to reflect on who God is an how much He has done for us.

SING

Jesus said starting in Matthew 26:26

Matthew 26:26–28 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Let us Stand and pray the Lord’s prayer together.

Matthew 6:9–15 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Pray

Talk About It/Think About It

What do the opening requests of the Lord’s Prayer teach us about what should matter most to us?

Where do your desires or priorities most often compete with God’s will?

Why do you think Jesus teaches us to pray for “daily” bread?

Why must confession and dependence remain regular parts of a believer’s prayer life?

Why is it inconsistent to receive God’s forgiveness while refusing to forgive someone else?

Identify one specific area—such as a desire, need, sin, weakness, or strained relationship—that you need to bring to the Father in prayer.