Prayer
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Introduction:
Introduction:
The lord Jesus gives us an example of the importance of prayer by His life.
He had a short ministry, roughly about three years, and so much of that was spent in prayer.
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.
hebrews 5
Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.
This was quiet, secluded, prayer.
Jesus sets the example to us of how often we ought to be in prayer.
And since Almighty Deity, God in the flesh felt the necessity of prayer, how often should we as weak, feeble beings be in prayer.
The Scriptures command us to always we in the attitude of prayer.
Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Prayer is one of the most free, open gifts given to us by God, yet it is probably the most neglected.
Why is this?
I believe this is because prayer is also very hard spiritual work.
The flesh does not want to pray, and discourages you much to not pray.
Just think the whole time you are praying, you are wrestling against a flesh that does not want to pray.
Still, the command stands, we must pray.
Prayer is our communion with God, it is one of the gifts of grace God has given us to help us as Believers grow in Him.
Charles Spurgeon said much on prayer, He said that the greatest gift that any one could do for him was to pray for him.
He also said, “The very invitation to prayer implies that there are blessings waiting for us at the mercy-seat.
The disciples recognized, by there Lords example, the importance of prayer.
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
matt 6:9-13
The disciples recognizing just how important prayer was, asked to be taught how to pray.
But before Jesus taught them how to pray He wanted to make sure they knew how NOT to pray.
“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
The Lord wanted to make sure that when His disciples prayed that they were not like the hypocrite.
The Pharisees would go out into the public squares, and pray these long, beautifully worded prayers, so that people would look on them, and be impressed with there oratory, and there knowledge of Scripture.
But Jesus thought these prayers to be cold, dead, and worth nothing.
He basically said, Oh yes you like those prayers, you like those praises you get, and those complements you receive, well enjoy them, because that is all your getting from them, you have your reward.
But what did the Lord say are manner of prayer should be?
Again, in following His own example He said our prayers should humbly be done in quiet, seclusion.
“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
matt 6
Our Lord Jesus said to pray in quite, go into your prayer closets, and when you have shut the door, Pray.
Then Jesus said that the Father, God the Father, who sees in secret will reward you openly.
I believe this points to the outward growth that will happen with secluded prayer.
Our outward reward, is inward growth.
Charles Spurgeon again says this on private prayer:
“Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church.”
Jesus also condemns the use of empty, vain prayers.
“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Explain....
So we see how not to pray, but how should we pray?
I. Our Father
I. Our Father
I. Our Father
Right from the beginning of the prayer we are supposed to pray in a way that recognizes the Father/child relationship between us, and our Heavenly Father.
We are supposed to say “Our Father,” we are children making a request to our Dad.
God is the Father of those who have their sonship through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?
m
This verse is teaching us so clearly of the sonship of all who have been ushered in to the Family of God, we are said to all have the same Father, God the Father.
for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’
We must though make the distinction between the fatherhood God has with Believers, and unbelievers.
God the Father is only the Father in a general, Creator type way to those who are unbelievers.
The Bible makes it clear that those who are unbelievers have a completely different father.
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Those who are unbelievers, though while created by God, have their real father in the Devil, and they want nothing but devilish desires, because they are of THEIR father.
But to those who believe we are the children of God.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Because we belong to Christ, we can come to the Father as His beloved children.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
Listen to that verse, we have been adopted, we are children, heirs of the promise, now we can come boldly before the throne of grace, crying Abba, Father.
The word Abba is an intimate, father/child relationship, word.
We are children, children, He is our Father.
Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
II. Which Art In Heaven
II. Which Art In Heaven
This is simply describing the abode of God.
He is our Father, and He abides in Heaven.
So because “Our Father” is “in Heaven” this also tells us where our supply as Christians come from.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
We, as heirs of God, are recipients of a bountiful, Heavenly supply, because of Christ, when we trust our Father to be our Heavenly Supplier.
So as our Father He is eager to hear our cry, but as Deity who dwells in Heaven, He also has the power to supply our needs.
III. Hallowed be Thy name
III. Hallowed be Thy name
This shows the underlying purpose behind all that God does, that being, His own glory.
Earlier in the chapter, as we saw, Jesus condemned self-seeking prayer, and is now showing us that in our times of communion with God, He is to be our main priority.
When we pray we ought not to be just passing through, mumbling through the words, but with a sober mind, we ought to seek to pay our Father full homage, and reverence for who He is.
We ought to have an awe about us when we pray, in great reverence, love, fear, and appreciation to our Heavenly Father.
The very Deity of God is wrapped up in His name, so when we speak of it, it ought to be in great respect, and reverence.
And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
This verse is telling us that as many as know the name, or character, or glory of God will put their trust in Him.
I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Some boast in chariots and some in horses, But we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God.
The very Name of God, shows God Himself, and therefore is what we as Christians, trust in, and live off of.
The name of God is where we find our boast.
It is where we find our source of thanksgiving.
The name of God not only tells Who He is, but what He is like.
The word Hallowed is an archaic English word, which means, “To make holy.”
We as Christians are commanded to be holy, but God in it of Himself is Holy, it is who He is.
So as Christians praying, hallowed be thy name, we are attributing to God the holiness that already is, and has always been His.
When we Hallow Gods name we give to Him the awe, reverence, respect, and honor due Him, simply for who He is.
Gods name is not a swear word, it is to be hallowed!
IV. Thy Kingdom Come
IV. Thy Kingdom Come
This is the longing cry of children, who long to see their Father reign above.
As Christians, we should yearn to see our Father on His throne, receiving the honor, and glory due Him.
The King is inseperable from His kingdom, so when we pray for Gods Kingdom to come, we are praying for that blessed day when Christ returns with a shout, and ride victorious on the clouds to set up His kingdom!
“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
matt
The Lords coming should be the preoccupation of everything we do as believers.
The word kingdom here, does not merely refer to geographical territory, but to sovereignty, and dominion.
So we are praying for Gods rule, through Christ’s enthronement to come.
And come here is an aorist active imperative, which indicates a sudden, instantaneous coming.
“For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
As Christian, we want the Lord to come, and come quickly.
We are to wake up every morning gazing upon the eastern sky, longing for our Dear Master to come, call His bride away, and set up His kingdom.
Knowing this as well, that our Lords final victory, is our victory as well, since we have been made heirs of God.
For at the Lords return perhaps one of our greatest victories will be the final victory over our sin!
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
1 cor 15 52-55
This is probably one of my favorite passages of Scripture.
This passage describes the victory that believers will have over their sin at the return of Christ, because of Christ!
So believers should be living their lives as only pilgrims passing through a foreign land, longing for the return of their King, His rule and reign over the earth, and final deliverance from sin!
V. Thy Will be Done, in Earth as it is in Heaven
V. Thy Will be Done, in Earth as it is in Heaven
This is a prayer for Gods will to first, become our on will, or His desires to become ours.
And as well for His will to rule over the earth, just like it does in Heaven.
We are praying for God to have His will and way in our lives, and we are also praying that as His will rules Heaven,and makes it the glorious place that it is, we as Christians desire to see that on earth as well, so we pray that same will to be done on earth.
As Christians we are demanded to submit to Gods will over our own desires.
We are to long for Gods sovereign plans to be worked out in us.
And whatever it may cost our flesh, we are to crave His will over our wants.
Our Lord paints us a picture of this submissiveness to Gods will that we all should have, in His prayer to His father in the Garden.
matt 26
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Gods will is to be our sole interest in what we do.
You might say, well, what is Gods will?
That could take us in many directions, but basically Gods will is whatever is obedient to Scripture.
So we ought to pray for Gods will.
VI. Give us this day our daily bread
VI. Give us this day our daily bread
This is basically a request of God to take care of our material needs.
Food, Family, and Home.
Is it not amazing that the Master of the universe, the Maker of all things is also concerned with the tiniest details of your life?
“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
matt 6 28-
“And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
Almighty Deity is the one who supplies our needs, from a bountiful, heavenly supply, we need not worry of our needs being met.
We have a Lord who is the giver of all good gifts.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
This does not mean that we will be rich millionaires, but it does mean that our needs will be met.
VII. And Forgive Us Our Debts, as we forgive our debtors
VII. And Forgive Us Our Debts, as we forgive our debtors
This is the Christians cry for forgiveness of sin.
One thing to not is that this is in the imperative tense, which means it is a command.
You might be asking yourself, are you telling me to command God to forgive me?
Admittedly the thought of commanding God to forgive you does seem a bit off, but that is exactly what we get from our text.
Than you might ask. how than is that possible?
As Christians, we believe in what is called the imputed righteousness of Christ.
Basically, that means that Jesus Christ having paid my penalty, and having born the wrath of God for my sins, thus reconciling me to God, than gives, or imputes to me His righteousness, thus giving me merit before the Father.
But it does not stop their,
So now when God sees me He does not see the filthy sinner I am, but He sees the perfect righteousness of His Son.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
So we can now come boldly, and make our petitions known, and yes even command for forgiveness.
Why?
Because of the standing we now have in front of God, through Christ,
We are now seen as having Christs’ righteousness, and can come, holding to the promises of God, and command, still with reverence, for forgiveness.
Charles Spurgeon said this, “Come boldly believer, for despite the lies of Satan, and the doubtings of your own heart, you are greatly loved.”
We then read, as we forgive our debtors.
The principle is clear, if we forgive, we will be forgiven, but if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.
You than might ask, “well if we are forgiven at the cross, as scripture teaches, than how can you say that?
I say that because if you claim to be a Christian, and yet have the attitude that is continually refusing to forgive people, that is a huge indicator that you are actually not a Christian, and therefore have not had the forgiveness found in Christ applied to you.
It is truthfully said, that those who have been forgiven much, will also forgive much.
Also, we are never more like Christ, than when we forgive.
So because we have been forgiven of so many awful acts, we must forgive always.
Jesus, speaking on forgiveness said this,
matt 18
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
So as Christian we beg for forgiveness, and we also forgive.
VIII. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
VIII. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This is a Christians cry for the Lord to keep him from those things that causes him to sin.
Read Spurgeon Study Note one Verse 6:13.
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are told in Scripture to guard our heart, for out of it flow the issues of life.
So we as Christians need to beg that God would keep us away from those things that would cause us to sin.
We should ask the Lord to search, and know us, so that we would be clean, and innocent in His eyes.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
psalm 139
We must know who we are, so that we may beg God to make us into anything else, but what we are.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
rom 7 18-
Paul knew who he was, and that there was nothing good in him, he knew the sin which remained in him, that caused him to do the very evil he hated, and did not wan to do.
We as believers must know the same, and with that knowledge run to the mercy seat of the Father begging Him to me Lord from the things that would cause me to sin.
IX. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
IX. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
The model prayer to us ends where it began, Praising the Lord for who He is.
Explain more....