LivingLikeJ L5: Praying Like Jesus
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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.”
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE DISCIPLES
Q: What can we learn from the disciples in this verse?
We can learn to desire to be taught by Jesus how to pray even though we have been practicing prayer for years. In other words we can learn that we still have things to learn from Jesus in every area of our lives.
We learn to go to the best source to understand how to do something. Jesus’ example is where we need to go first before anyone else.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM JESUS IN THIS VERSE
Q: What can we learn from Jesus in this verse?
That if we can teach others and have more opportunities through doing what we are supposed to be doing.
Jesus had already taught them something through His example. What had He already taught them? That prayer was very important and constant.
They saw Jesus praying and thought to ask Him to teach them. Jesus had already demonstrated their need for prayer though His own example.
LEARNING WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO
Q: When teaching someone something before you teach them what to do, what else do you have to teach them?
We have to teach what not to do (or “unteach” what needs to not be done). Anyone ever had this experience? If so what was it?
Teaching how to punch in TKD: When I taught TKD I would often have to “unteach” student how not to punch. Example: the typical “haymaker” throws you off balance and you can see it coming. Better to do…show...
Jesus had to “unteach” the disciples to show them what they shoud not do that were popular among the religious of that day.
Just before our text In . In verses 5-8 you find Jesus giving some instructions of what not to do then in what to do after.
Q: Before we look at what Jesus taught what are some things we should not do if we want to have a good prayer life?
Do not pray “God, if you are there” prayers. Why? Jesus taught to pray believing and you will receive.
Do not pray “God if you will do this, I will do that.” You are in no position to bargain with God. We should serve God whether He answers our prayers the way we want Him to or not. (Hannah promised to dedicate Samuel but she was living her life for God…)
Do not pray “bland and unbalanced prayers.” By bland I mean where you never boldly ask for anything out of the ordinary. By unbalanced I mean only talking about one thing such as the sick…Jesus’ model prayer shows a great variety of...
Jesus gives some do not’s of prayer:
Verse 5-7: Do not pray for attention from others rather than God.
Now let’s see what can we learn from the model prayer?
The Model Prayer
The Model Prayer
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Matthew 6:
Q: why do we need to pray anyway? Specifically why do we need to pray without ceasing, constantly or consistently?
We need to be close to God and constant prayer is how we can be close to God now. Constant prayer leads to a closer relationship.
Q:Would you say that this prayer is simple or complicated?
It is structurally and verbally very simple but yet much deep meaning. This shows us that sometimes simple prayer are powerful.
The book notes that the prayer has 6 petitions; 3 having to do with God and His glory and 3 having to do with our needs.
Q: Which ones come first in the prayer? (God’s glory or our needs?)
It is important to note that God and His glory come first before our needs.
Probably intentional and a great lesson because we often only pray about our needs and wants first or foremost.
Jesus is given a basic structure but not saying we always have to say these exact things. (However that would not necessarily be a bad thing because some of these things we do pray for…)
Q: Do you think it is good to have a preset structure when we pray?
It can helpful when teaching our children how to pray but also for us to as well. However, going by a structure is not essential and we must be careful that we do not let the structure control our prayers so that we never venture outside to touch on needed things.
OUR PRAYERS SHOULD REFLECT A GOD CENTERED LIFE
Notice how the first three things are things that you can see were of first importance in Jesus’ life.
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.
Matthew 6:9-
Jesus lived to glorify and honor God’s name. He came to show us and glorify the Father among us.
Jesus preached the Kingdom of God was at hand.
Jesus was concerned about God’s will more than anything else and even accomplished God’s will even when it took dying to do it.
Our prayer and lives should reflect these three things as well. As our lives are seeking these things then we ask for our needs to be met.
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.
Matthew 6:11-
Q: How would you put into words these three needs would would they be?
We need to be provided for on a daily basis, we need forgiveness (and to forgive), and we need help overcoming evil (temptation and the evil one.)
DAILY NEEDS:
Q: Why would daily food be a little more significant to those of Jesus’ day than us?
Many of them were daily hired hands so their pay was daily as their food. We have food stockpiled but we still depend on God for it we just might not realize it. But we need to realize that we need to God ever hour of every day.
Praying for God to help us with our daily needs is important to instill in us just how dependent we are on Him!
When we forget just how much we need God we can begin to slowly drift away from Him. This is what God warned Israel about in the promised land.
Pride and over dependence on self can be horrible things.
Q: What of what is mentioned here in our needs seems most difficult to you?
FORGIVENESS AND FORGIVING
Q: Is it easier to ask for forgiveness or give forgiveness?
Pride might keep you from asking for forgiveness (or saying sorry) but forgiving others is usually more difficult right?
Q: Why do you think that Jesus coupled these to things together?
It is a genius way of teaching us the importance of forgiving others and how to give it. (At least I think so…)
We can better come to the reality of how much others need our forgiveness when we come to the truth of how much we need forgiveness from God. It is like a perfect parallel.
OVERCOMING TEMPTATION AND SATAN
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Q: What strikes you most about this request?
How about the fact that we never pray it. I do not know why because if we would it could change a lot in our lives. For example:
We would be more watchful so as to not walk into temptation ourselves.
Some temptation we might avoid altogether as God leads us away from situations that Satan wants to use as a trap.
In other words if we would pray this we might avoid some portion of the temptation in our lives.
Deliver us from evil…we need God’s help against evil...
THE ASSURANCE IN PRAYER
THE ASSURANCE IN PRAYER
mATTHEW 7:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Q: What does the fact that Jesus has to teach people to ask God in prayer for things possibly imply that they did not do well?
It seems that some people did go to God in prayer as they should. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering it is the same today. Do people pray to God as they should?
says “You have not because you ask not.”
From our text in it is obvious that Jesus is encouraging more prayer, persistently just as with the parable of the persistent widow.
Jesus taught them to always pray and never give up…
Q: Why do people not pray as they should if they have heard that God answers pray?
We will not go to God in prayer if we do not see Him as the loving Father that He is. Jesus in the next few verses was touching on this.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:
When a person is uncertain about how God feels about them then they will not bother God with their needs.
When I was a kid I knew when and when not to ask because I thought I knew the answer beforehand.
Jesus is trying to say God is your loving Father and He will help you like an earthly Father would.
Unfortunately many people have come to think of themselves as “sinners in the hands of an angry God.”
This is sad and negatively influences people’s lives. Power is powerful and changes things but for some people things stay the same because they do not believe that God is a loving God or that He will listen to them.
Q: How could your prayer life improve in light of what we have talked about tonight?