Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

How do you pray?

For most Christians, prayer is an implied spiritual discipline.

What I mean by that is most people, when they become Christians are told that prayer is just talking to God and then kicked right into the deep end to sink or swim with little instruction at all of what it means to actually pray.

So, from the beginning, many Christians struggle to pray because they feel like their prayers don’t go higher than their ceiling.

They feel like no matter how much or how hard they pray, God doesn’t hear them, or maybe even worst, refuses to which leaves feeling alone, hurting and confused.

But God is not ignoring them.

They simply haven’t been taught how to pray.

Last week we studied the Parable of the Persistent Widow, where we saw that prayer is not an optional part of the Christian life, but is an essential practice to help us depend upon Jesus Christ and follow him faithfully.

That prayer is a necessary practice for us as Christians because it is a clear, tangible expression of our faith and dependence on God to live a life that glorifies him.

But here is what I don’t want to do as your pastor.

I don’t want to tell you that prayer is crucial to your discipleship only to once again kick you out into the deep end of faith.

Even though we know we should all pray, we struggle to believe our prayers actually make a difference.

That they are actually effective.

So what I want to do this week is to look at Jesus’ teaching in to really dive into the nitty gritty of how we are to pray like Jesus prayed so that our prayers can be effective to bolster and strengthen our faith.

Even though we know we should all pray, we struggle to believe our prayers actually make a difference.

That they are actually effective.

Last week we talked about three principles for effective prayer.

We said that when we pray we need to pray 1. Biblically, 2. Continually, and 3. Hopefully.

This week as we look at , you are going to see those principles weaved throughout Jesus’ teaching on prayer but

Where last week we really focused on how necessary prayer is for us to faithfully follow Jesus, this week I want to spend a lot of time intentionally teaching you how to actually pray as the Lord taught us.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

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.”

Jesus Lived a Life of Prayer

First and foremost we see that Jesus lived a life of prayer.

Jesus lived his life by the power of prayer

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Here is the wonderful thing about Jesus.

He is God incarnate.

tells us that when Jesus became a man, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself.

While being God, Jesus lived his life on earth as a human empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Practically, this means that Jesus showed us what it truly means to be a human being because he is the only human to ever worship God perfectly.

And Jesus, being our example of a godly life showed us that his pattern to live a life or worship and fulfill his ministry was to pray.

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

Even now today, Jesus is praying for us.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Who is to condemn?

Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Here is the point I’m trying to make, if Christian discipleship is about following the Lord and living for him by living like him, why in the world would we think we could live our lives praying less than he did?

If we are going to follow Jesus, we have to pray like Jesus.

But here’s the rub.

Prayer doesn’t just happen.

Effective prayer is learned.

Prayer is Learned

Jesus’ own disciples came to the Lord one day after he was praying and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.

And he said to them, “When you pray, say...

Jesus’ response should be an encouragement to every single one of us.

Prayer is not something that is learned automatically.

It isn’t something that just comes natural to us.

In the same way as reading the Bible, effective prayer must be learned by every single Christian.

So let me encourage you.

If you are here today and you have no clue how to pray or if you feel uncomfortable praying whether by yourself or with others, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Our goal this morning is to look at what Jesus taught effective prayer looks like so that starting today, you can begin to learn and grow into a life of effective prayer.

So after being asked, “Lord, teach us to pray,” Jesus teaches three aspects of effective prayer.

The first is...

The Pattern of Effective Prayer

And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your kingdom come.

Your kingdom come.

3  Give us each day our daily bread,

Give us each day our daily bread,

3  Give us each day our daily bread,

4  and forgive us our sins,

and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

And lead us not into temptation.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

When you Pray

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

This is what is commonly known as the Lord’s prayer and Jesus introduces it by saying, “when you pray.”

Literally this means “Whenever you are praying.”

Based on this, the Lord’s prayer is given to us as a pattern for all Christian prayer.

In other words, all occasions of prayer should be approached in this manner.

Now, Jesus is not trying to tell his disciples when you pray you must use these exact words.

Instead, he means that the things found in the Lord’s prayer are the kinds of priorities that should shape their prayers.

Also notice that Jesus uses plural pronouns throughout the prayer.

When you pray is plural.

Give us our daily bread

forgive us

Lead us

What this means is that in our prayer life we should not just pray for ourselves and we should not only pray alone.

These are the kinds of things that Christians ought to be praying for and with one another.

These priorities should shape how we pray not only for ourselves but also our families, our church, and other believers.

And here is how Jesus introduces the pattern for how we are to pray

Father

First and foremost, prayer is a family conversation between a Father and his children.

What that means is that if you want to have your prayers heard and answered by God, you must first know him as Father and this happens when we are born again.

The Bible says that all those that have not put their faith in Jesus Christ, that have not trusted in him for the forgiveness of their sins and given their whole life to him and his kingdom and to worship him are God’s enemies.