The Lord's Prayer - Concert of Prayer
Notes
Transcript
ATTN
PIC - CLOCK
Danny Hillis is a computer engineer and inventor who thinks all types of leaders should care more about the long-term future. He is so committed to that end that he designed a 10,000-year clock. He explains why: "I want to build a clock that ticks once a year. The century hand advances once every 100 years, and the cuckoo comes out on the millennium. I want the cuckoo to come out every millennium for the next 10,000 years.”
Danny's motivation in building the clock is to inspire people to take more responsibility for the future. He hopes the clock will raise the question, "Are we being good ancestors?" and cause people to start projects that will outlast their lifetime.
For many reasons long-range thinking is harder and harder to come by these days. Steward Brand, who is working on the same 10,000-year clock project, writes: "Civilization is revving itself into a pathologically short attention span. The trend might be coming from the acceleration of technology, the short horizon perspective of market-driven economics, the next election perspective of democracies or the distractions of personal multitasking. All are on the increase. Some sort of balancing corrective is needed.”
Well, we want to create some of that balance today. On the cusp of a new year, I want us to pause to look back, look forward and PRAY. When Jesus was on the earth, one thing He did the best was to pray. In fact, He was so good at it that His disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray. So He gave them this prayer. Will you pray it with me right now?
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father 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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Matt 6:9-
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: 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 forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
To be such a holy man, Jesus didn’t pray a very long prayer, yet we know that he would spend HOURS praying. How is it that His model prayer is so short? Well, quite honestly this is probably some of the most misappropriated or neglected words in the New Testament. You see, I do not think Jesus was simply giving us a prayer to memorize and repeat here, I think He was giving us a pattern of prayer. So, today, as we gather on the last Sunday of 2019, I want us to practice this pattern of prayer.
To be such a holy man, Jesus didn’t pray a very long prayer, yet we know that he would spend HOURS praying. How is it that His model prayer is so short? Well, quite honestly this is probably some of the most misappropriated or neglected words in the New Testament. You see, I do not think Jesus was simply giving us a prayer to memorize and repeat here, I think He was giving us a pattern of prayer. So, today, as we gather on the last Sunday of 2019, I want us to practice this pattern of prayer.
TRANS
So, where do we start? Well, I think that true prayer has to begin with the “Why?” question. Just why do we need to pray at all? Well the answer to that question is found at the end of the prayer. There you will find the
D1 – MOTIVATION FOR PRAYER.
D1 – MOTIVATION FOR PRAYER.
Why should you and I pray? Well you find the motivation in the last part of this prayer that says, For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. The first motivation for prayer is:
PROMISE – Don’t just pass over those words that say “For Yours is the Kingdom. They came at great cost! When man sinned, he took the side of the serpent and ceded some measure of his God-given authority to the Devil. That authority was taken back when Jesus died on the cross and said, “It is finished.” Now as our resurrected Lord, He has been given all authority and one day He will come again and claim that authority. That’s why we can pray with complete confidence: Yours is the Kingdom. We pray because of our promise.
POWER – And then we pray because of His power. Since He has the authority, He also has the power, but He has promised that power to us through His Spirit. In fact, He promises us that, through His Spirit, we will do even greater works than He did. The question is, how do we access that power? It is through prayer.
When the early church encountered such persecution in it’s early days, they prayed and it says that the place where they were was shaken with the power of God. We pray because of promise and power.
PURPOSE – But we also pray because of purpose. God’s promise to us and God’s power in us will produce His work through us. He will always glorify Himself. That is our ultimate purpose. It is the thing that we were created to do and, since it is the thing that we were created to do, it is also the thing that will bring us great joy. I am most satisfied in Him when He is most glorified in me. The reason we pray is that we want to experience the joy of glorifying Him. We pray because of promise and power and purpose.
PERMANENCE – But most of all, we pray because of permanence. His Kingdom will never end. Do you realize that when you talk to God, you are talking to the only being Who can promise you FOREVER and keep that promise! We pray because of promise; We pray because of power; We pray because of purpose; We pray because of permanence.
So think about that and lets life our hearts up in praise to Him!
SONG EXALTED OVER ALL
Well that’s the “why” of prayer, but this model prayer doesn’t just tell us why to pray, it also tells us how. Jesus gives His disciples and us a great pattern. He begins with
D2 - WORSHIP AND MEDITATION
WORSHIP
The prayer begins like this: Our Father in Heaven. Think about what He’s saying! He’s saying that God relates to us like a Father relates to His child.
The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
That means that God loves us! In Jeremiah, God says, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. [1]
But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
That also means that God defends us. David said of God in But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
That also means that God gives us rest: says: 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.”
On the front flap of your bulletin, you will find several things listed about the fact that God is your Father. Spend some time right now thinking about what that means and praising Him for it:
GIVE TIME TO PRAY SILENTLY
MEDITATION
From our worship of God as our Father, we move to worship God as our God. Jesus’s prayer says, Our Father in heaven Hallowed be Your Name. In the Scripture a person’s name described that person’s character. Jacob’s name meant “trickster” or “surplanter” and that’s exactly what he was. God’s name describes God’s Character so when we “hallow” His name, we worship Him for Who He is.
For instance, God is SOVEREIGN. That means that He is absolutely in control of every circumstance of our lives and He directs all things according to His will.
God is also ALL WISE which just means that He does the perfect thing in the perfect way at the perfect time.
And God is FAITHFUL: His character and His Word will never, ever change
On the other side of the flap of your bulletin, you will find several characteristics of God. Spend some time right now just remembering Who God is and praising Him for Who He is:
PRAYER TIME AT THE MIC
SONG: REVELATION SONG
D3 – FORGIVENESS
EXP
The next phrase we take a little out of order. It is this one: Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. It is taken out of order because the first response to seeing God is to become aware of our sin.
The word “debt” here has the idea of injury. We have “injured” God—done Him wrong—in our disobedience and we deserve punishment.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But we have a great promise in . We read there that If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To “confess” our sin means to “agree with God” about our sin. We agree that He is right and we are wrong; We agree that we must turn from that sin; and we agree that we will forsake it as He gives us the power to do that.
That phrase of the Lord’s prayer, however, contains a condition. Listen to it once more: Forgive us our debts AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. Simply put, if we are to be forgiven, we must forgive. In fact, the first thing Jesus says after He gives the disciples this prayer is this:
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
APP
So think about your last week: Is there anything that you need to confess? Think about your last month: Is there anything you need to confess? Think about the last year: Is there anything you need to confess?
And, of course, think about those you know: Your family, friends, co-workers. Is there anyone you need to forgive? Is there anyone from whom you need to seek forgiveness? Take some time right now to examine your heart.
PRAYER AT THE MIC – CONFESSION
SONG – IN CHRIST ALONE
D4 – SURRENDER
EXP
Two phrases in this prayer deal with our need to completely surrender to God. Look at the prayer once more: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name, YOUR KINGDOM COME . . . That’s the first phrase of surrender. When I ask for Christ’s Kingdom to come, I am asking for something to be true in this world which has not yet come true. I am asking for Christ to come and be the King of this world—to be the President of the U.S., the King of England, the Secretary of the UN—all of this wrapped into one.
Now, I don’t have to tell you that this is not our current reality. This world is nothing like what it would be if Christ were the King! That’s a problem, yes, but you and I are meant to be the answer! When we pray for His Kingdom to come, we aren’t just praying for Him to return to set up His physical kingdom in this earth, we are also praying for Him to rule in us and make us ambassadors for His Kingdom which is coming. We pray Your Kingdom come . . . and then we add
Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Very simply, our surrender to His work in us becomes our surrender to His work through us. We become His agents to see His work done.
APP
Which just leads me to this question: What is God calling you to do this year? Will you spend some time just asking Him that question? Maybe He wants to give you a completely new vision for 2020? Take some time to surrender to Him right now.
SILENT PRAYER
What applies to you individually applies to us as a church. What is God calling us to do this year. I asked the staff to share with me some specific things we could pray for this morning so, as I call these out, will you lift them up right now.
INSERT LIST
PRAYER AT MIC FOR MINISTRY
SONG – YES I WILL
D5 – PETITION
EXP
Then Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily needs. He teaches the disciples to pray: Give us this day our daily bread.
Take some time to ask Him for your everyday needs.
I am also aware that many of you have special needs:
There are some burdens you carried in 2019 you need to let go.
There are some problems you are facing in 2020 and you don’t know what is going to happen.
There are some opportunities in 2020 you need to embrace
Sing “A Wonderful Savior” – Bring those needs:
SONG - A WONDERFUL SAVIOR?
D6 – PROTECTION
EXP –
Says Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. Jesus tells us that we can ask God to take as much bad, tempting things out of lives as possible. We are told to ask for that and then we need to ask for His grace to go through whatever is left with joy, knowing that God will take care of us.
So now we’re going to pray. Take that burden and lift it onto Christ’s shoulders. Cast all your care on Him because He cares for You.
PRAYER
SONG - WAYMAKER