This Is How We Do It
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This Is How We Do It
This Is How We Do It
Tonight I am going to have a lot of biblical text for you because this section is deep and plays such an important role in our relationship with God. As I have been thinking on this text and it’s implications for us this week God’s been impressing on me the importance of prayer for us specifically. My goal tonight is that you would have a better understanding of prayer and confidence and desire to go out and pray and slay on a daily basis.
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him. “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.
prayer as act of righteousness - communing with the Father for the purpose of fulfilling His mission, as an individual and as a community.
Notice this prayer is explained after a person has become a believer. It is assumed the person has come to faith and in relationship with God before they pray. We can’t properly pray until we have been saved and God’s Spirit resides inside of us.
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by it our ancestors won God’s approval. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
; faith is an integral ingredient for prayer.
Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
faith is an integral ingredient for prayer.
faith is an integral ingredient for prayer.
faith is necessary for communicating with God, not just any faith but a specific faith in a specific person. One needs to have faith in the one true God who has created and saved them, and it is a submissive repentant faith.
How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message? So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.
Faith is necessary for communicating with God, not just any faith but a specific faith in a specific person. One needs to have faith in the one true God who has created and saved them, and it is a submissive repentant faith.
Not Like This
Not Like This
v5 not to be seen by for purpose of looking good, but to glorify God.
pharisee vs the tax collector
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
How we hinder our prayers:
1 Selfish Motives -
This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
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You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
2 Ignoring God’s instruction -
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “What are all your sacrifices to me?” asks the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I have no desire for the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats. When you come to appear before me, who requires this from you— this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies— I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.
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Anyone who turns his ear away from hearing the law— even his prayer is detestable.
3 Hard hearts toward others -
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”
4 Active sin -
Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
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If I had been aware of malice in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
5 Doubt -
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord,
Why Pray?
Why Pray?
to commune with our Father
v6 pray to Father in secret
secret - Garden Psalm 73
publicly - ; Jesus prayed out loud for the sake of those who heard
2 kings Elijah prayed for rain stop and for fire to fall - to reveal God’s power
v8 pivotal point, since the Father knows what you need before you ask Him pray like this…….
This Way Not These Words
This Way Not These Words
6:7-15
9
He is Father - what does that say about me? The hope in that address, I go to him as His child.
Starts with relationship, not just personal but acknowledging I belong to a community/kingdom.
His name being glorified is the focus first and foremost not us.
10
His kingdom His mission
The term for “will” is thelema, which can indicate God’s purpose (e.g., ) and desire (e.g., ). But as here, the term can express God’s will of command, as in the psalmist’s exclamation, “I desire to do your will; your law is within my heart” ().
Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (p. 277). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
His will be done here, bring heaven to earth. Also it’s understood that I am part of the how, the answer to that prayer acts 2 & 4. So I pray for this to happen while intending to be part of the answer.
11
exodus 16 God provided manna daily, and they were ordered only to collect enough for one day. Their focus on provision from God was to be in the here and now, and not worry about the future. This built trust.
Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew
Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.
Phil 4:6-8
provide what I need, not what I want. ( Jesus food was to do God’s will, after feeding the five thousand I am the bread of life. )
God will always answer your prayer but his answer is not always what you ask for, but what you need.
12
debt = aramaic idiom sin
if I truly understand the mercy I have been given I will extend it. parable of wicked servant
Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven. “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan. “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ “At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart.”
13
My desire is to maintain intimacy with God rather than to be led astray
No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.
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then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
Since God is not one who tempts his people to do evil (), and the word rendered “temptation” (peirasmos) can be used for either temptation or testing (cf. ; ), this petition indicates that the disciples should pray either for relief from testing (; ; ) or for their testing not to become an occasion for temptation.
No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone.
Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (p. 279). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (p. 279). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
14-15
forgiving others is evidence we have truly been forgiven ourselves and have the Spirit residing within us.
As Son
As Son
He also said to them: “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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?”
persistence and identity, praying as a son
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.
empowered -
In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.
Why do we stop? We don’t believe He’s listening/cares, We don’t believe we are who He says we are.