2020.08.23 Prayer - Format
Notes
Transcript
5 “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.
6 “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.
7 “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.
8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is 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 also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘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.’
Prayer - Format
Prayer - Format
Prayer can be intimidating:
Richard Foster – “To pray is to change. If we refuse to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives.”
Martin Luther – “I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.”
John Wesley – “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.” Two hours daily
Adoniram Judson withdrew from business and company seven times every day to engage in prayer.
Foster says of these shining examples, “Many of us, however, are discouraged rather than challenged by such examples.”
He then compares prayer to athletics…specifically running.
“Occasional joggers do not suddenly enter an Olympic marathon.”
It takes training…
Then there is the expected level of propriety involved:
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"The proper way for man to pray," said Deacon Lemuel Keyes;
"The only proper attitude is down upon his knees."
"Nay, I should say the way to pray," said Reverend Doctor Wise,
"Is standing straight with outstretched arms with rapt and upturned eyes."
"Oh, no, no, no," said Elder Snow, "such posture is too proud.
A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed."
"It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front.
With both thumbs pointing to the ground," said Reverend Doctor Blunt."
"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's well headfirst," said Cyril Brown.
"With both my heels a-stickin' up, my head a-pointing' down;
And I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I ever said,
The prayin'est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin' on my head."
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It seems that prayer has been a point of argument in religion for quite a few centuries. The disciples teach us by example to ASK JESUS for the simplest things. Some people may be embarrassed to ask about something like prayer. "Well, I should know how to pray...it should be natural for me, so if I ask somebody about it, I'll surely look like a fool."
The disciples dispel this myth by asking outright for the Master to teach them about prayer.
Luke 11:1-4 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
· Prayer must not just be an instinctive response…we need to LEARN how to pray.
· The disciples had prayed all their lives as Jews. Something about Jesus’ praying made them see how little they knew about prayer!
Matthew's account (Matthew 6) contains much more detail about Jesus' teaching this day. Much of the instruction is not a specific prayer, as Luke records. It's instruction about how to approach prayer, an attitude, a motivation, with this prayer in the middle of the teaching.
For this reason, I believe this is a model prayer Jesus is giving us, not a prayer to be spoken verbatim repeatedly. There is nothing wrong with reciting the Lord's Prayer, but if we look at it as a model for daily prayer, it may help us understand what we should be asking God for and how we should address the Father. First this is not intercessory prayer! This is a model for regular, daily prayer in relationship with God!
Note: divided into sections
Note: each section is distinct and important on its own
Section on the back of your bulletin for taking simple notes on this:
Model Prayers
Adore – Hallowed be your name
· Phrases telling us to worship: Worship the Lord, praise the lord, worship God, praise God appear over 100 times in the Bible.
· Not statements of God’s worthiness of being worshipped…command to worship Him.
· Awesome, indescribable, breathtaking, exalted, magnificent, majestic, wonderful, overwhelming, beautiful
Compliance – Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
· 1Samuel 15:22 “To obey is better than sacrifice.”
· Job 22:21 “Submit to God and be at peace with him.”
· Lord bring me into obedience!
Take Care – Give us each day our daily bread [DAILY NEEDS]
· Daily
o Manna – only provided daily [Exodus 16; Numbers 11]
§ Held longer than a day it rotted
§ Focus only on the immediate needs to avoid worrying about tomorrow
o Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
o Phil. 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [NLT]
o We are not guaranteed tomorrow!
o Pray daily
· Bread
o Not Little Debbie : Jaguar : Yacht
o NEEDS!
o Manna – only provided daily…
Overlook – Forgive us our sins…as we forgive
· God’s economy always balances the book
· You forgive…He will forgive
o We are to ask God to forgive the same way we forgive...perhaps this is transformational to our own hearts!
Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
· We are to be like God…He forgives!
Refuge – Lead us not into temptation, [deliver us from the evil one]
· Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance
· Psalm 59:1 Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
· John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect…
Adore – Hallowed be your name
Compliance – Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
Take Care – Give us each day our daily bread [DAILY NEEDS]
Overlook – Forgive us our sins…as we forgive
Refuge – Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from the evil one
ACTOR - a person who does something [dictionary.com]
One who acts or takes part in any affair; a doer [hydroponicsearch.com]
Legally…one who acts for another [answers.com]
Adore – Hallowed be your name
Compliance – Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
Take Care – Give us each day our daily bread [DAILY NEEDS]
Overlook – Forgive us our sins…as we forgive
Refuge – Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from the evil one