Introduction to the Lord's Prayer- Part 2

The Disciples Prayer Introduction Part 2

Text: Matthew 6:5–15 (KJV 1900)

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are:

for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

( For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.)

Introduction:

A “Model” prayer

* The prayer in which we call “the Lord’s prayer” has been mislabeled by us for many years.

* The prayer in our text this morning would be more accurately called “the Disciples Prayer.”

* Jesus did not actually pray this prayer. The prayer that we call “The Lord’s Prayer” was not a prayer that Jesus prayed, but it was in actuality, a model, or a template for the proper attitude with which to come to God in prayer.

* We just recently finished a 10 week series of sermons on the Beatitudes which begin in Matthew chapter 5.

* We then continued with the teaching of Jesus about the kingdom of God, with another 10 week series on the Kingdom Parables, which continued the teaching of Jesus about the true nature of the Kingdom of God.

* We are now starting into another 10 week series of sermons on what we call “the Lord's Prayer.”

* All of these teachings of Jesus are an explanation of what Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20.

* Turn with me there now and let’s refresh our memory from last Sunday.

* Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20:

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

* I spent last Sunday setting the context in which the Lord's Prayer was given.

* I wanted you to see that when we get to Matthew chapter 6 and the Lord's Prayer, the subject matter is still the same- Jesus is still contrasting true worship of the heart toward God, with the dead legalistic worship of the scribes and the Pharisees.

* Last week we looked at how Jesus said “Don’t pray like the Pharisees pray. Again Jesus is still contrasting the scribes and Pharisees with the true citizens of the Kingdom of God in the specific matter of prayer.

* Jesus was saying to these prideful, Pharisees that their worship of God was deficient! Their kind of worship was not pleasing to God!

- In chapter 6 and verse 1 Jesus tells them that their giving is inadequate…

Jesus said don’t give like the hypocrites!

- In chapter 6 and verse 16 Jesus tells them that their fasting was inadequate…

Jesus said don’t fast like the hypocrites!

- In verse chapter 6 and verse 19- Jesus tells them that that their faith in God is inadequate…

Jesus said don’t have faith like the Hypocrites!

- Jesus tells them in chapter 7 and verses 1-5- that the way they Judge others is inadequate…

* Jesus said “Don’t Judge unrighteously like the Hypocrites do!

- Jesus tells them in chapter 7 and verse 6- that that their evangelism is inadequate…

Jesus tells them “don’t evangelize like the hypocrites do!”

* And when we get to our text here in Matthew 6- The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus tells them “don’t pray like the Hypocrites Pray!”

* Everything that the scribes and Pharisees taught the people about God had to do with the outside of a man, not the inside of a man- which what God looks upon. God looks upon the heart of a man!

* We have seen in our study of the Beatitudes that God looks not on the external deeds of a man, but on in the internal attitudes of the heart.

* As we begin our study now about the Lord’s Prayer, we will see that it is not the external things about prayer that matter to God, but the condition and attitude of our heart when we pray.

* If you will remember, I took you back to Matthew chapter 5, and verse 20 in order to give you the subject matter, or the “focus” of what Jesus was speaking about in the Sermon on the Mount.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

* What Matthew chapter 5 verse 20 is essentially means is, that the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees was an external, ceremonial, ritualistic, hypocritical, legalism!

* Jesus was saying that, the righteousness that God demands is something internal not external!

* Jesus taught that when we pray, God does not respond to men on the basis of the outward acts of prayer, but on the basis of the condition of the heart!- which only God can see.

* When it comes to prayer, God is concerned with the inside- the attitude of the heart- not the outward mechanics of how we pray!

* In I Chronicles, chapter 28 verse 9 the Scripture says:

"And thou Solomon my Son, know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing heart for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts."

* Again in Second Chronicles chapter 16 and verse 9 ,the Bible says:

"For the eyes of the Lord runneth to and fro throughout the whole earth to shoe himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him."

* Psalm 7 verse 9 says, "The righteous God testeth the minds and hearts."

* Proverbs 16:2 says, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes but the Lord weighs the spirit."

* What this means is that a man may justify his ways in his own mind, but God will weigh his spirit.

* In Jeremiah 17:10, God says:

"I the Lord search the heart, I test the conscious even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings."

* And Revelation 2:23, the last book in the Bible, reiterates the same principle, that what matters to God is the attitude behind the act:

"I am He", says Christ, "Who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to everyone of you according to your works."

* In Hebrews chapter 4 and verse12, the Bible says :

"The word of God is alive and powerful." And it says it's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart neither is there any creature not manifest in His sight, all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

* Jesus is saying to his disciples that the external religion of the scribes and the Pharisees is not good enough!

* And He is saying in chapter 6 that their praying is does not measure up to God’s standards for praying! The standard of God in prayer is much higher than that of the scribes and the Pharisees!

* The standard that God has set for true prayer is a standard of the heart. Jesus made that message abundantly clear when He said:

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

* In our text here in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus is saying God's standard for praying is much higher than yours!

* Lets' go there together now, and look at Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20 together again, but this time we are going to back up a little to verse 17, where Jesus is still speaking to the people about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven- carried over from his teaching of the Beatitudes:

Matthew 5:17–20 (KJV 1900) Jesus said:

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

* Jesus here is saying don’t think for a minute that I am here to destroy the law, I'm not here to destroy the prophets!

* In fact, til heaven and earth pass away not one jot or tittle shall in any way pass from this law.

* Jesus was saying to them “I'm not going to tolerate anybody who sets aside one of God's commands but what you have is not God's standard! What you have is not God's law!

* Jesus said that I have come to re-define the Law of God for you. And that's exactly what He does through the rest of chapter 5, chapter 6, and chapter 7.

* All three of these chapters are Jesus explanation of what He said in here in Matthew chapter 5 and verses 17 through 20.

* Jesus told them that He came to strip the rabbinic barnacles off the law of God, to make it bare and naked and pure as it was when God gave it to Moses, and lift it back to where it belongs!

* The scribes and Pharisees had replaced the spirit of the Law of God with a false system of religious pride.

* That is what we call “Legalism” thinking that we can server God by simply keeping a set of rules, while our motives are pride and self-promotion!

* They were proud of their religious works and ceremonies, but as I showed you last Sunday, they served God with their lips, but their hearts were far from God.

* Their heart attitude toward the Word of God was not right. God has always been concerned with attitudes, always.

* God hasn't changed. God looks beyond what a person looks like on the outside, and God examines the heart and motives behind our worship and service to Him. God is concerned with our attitudes.

* But the people of Israel had lowered the standards of God’s righteousness!

* And then they justified themselves by what they didn't do, while their hearts were full of murder, full of lust, full of lies, full of hate, full of anger, and yet they were self-righteous because they did things that they thought impressed God!

* Like today, the people of Jesus day had lowered the standard of God to accommodate their own sinful, proud hearts.

* All throughout Jesus ministry He was accused by the scribes and Pharisees of trying to destroy or contradict the Law given to Moses.

* Jesus said I am not destroying the Law, in am lifting the Holy standards of God’s law right back where it was before the teaching and traditions of the scribes and Pharisees corrupted them!

* In verses 17 and 18 of Matthew chapter 5 Jesus explains that He has not come to speak against the Law, but to show them how that the scribes, the Pharisees, and the religious rulers of their day, had changed the nature and spirit of the Law of God in to a system of empty do’s and don’ts that where nothing but the outward actions of religious legalism.

* I tell you this morning that legalism and tradition, even in what looks to be like Bible believing churches today too, is the enemy of the Word of God!

* Legalism is the direct opposite of the true righteousness that God desires in the heart of man!

* The New Testament teaches that it is the spirit of the law that is the priority not the letter of the Law.

* The law is not mechanical. That's what Jesus is saying. The Law of God not simply functional for a man’s external behavior before men.

* But it is the inside of a man that God is concerned about!

* When God changes the attitudes of the heart on the inside, he will naturally desire to do the things that are contained in the Law.

* You can be all pretty, clean, and white on the outside, and still be a wretched, vile putrefying dead man on the inside!

* It is not the letter of the law that gives men eternal life. The Apostle Paul said “The letter kills, but it is the spirit that gives eternal life.”

* God is not looking for externals He's looking for changed hearts.

* The scribes and Pharisees thought:

- that because they didn't murder they were right with God- but they hated and looked down on other in their hearts!

- they thought that they were right with God because they didn’t commit adultery, but their hearts were filled with lust!

- they thought that they were right with God because they didn’t rob and steal, but they coveted what belonged to others in their hearts!

* Jesus saw through their self-righteousness, He say that their religion was legalistic, phony, and full of hypocrisy of the worst kind! - the kind that damns the souls of men to Hell!

* Conformity to God's law is a matter of the heart, not simply a matter of impressing God with your good works!

* Oh what a lesson this is to us who tend to justify ourselves because of our own good works!

* In Luke 16:15 Jesus said to the Pharisees:

"Ye are they who justify yourselves before men but God knows your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."

* Men and God judge differently.

* You know, you can come to Blue Springs Baptist Church, you can play the game, talk the talk, do the works in the energy of the flesh and justify yourself in your own eyes, and in the eyes of others, and yet still be an abomination to God because your heart is full of corruption!

* That's what Jesus is saying. It is the spirit of the law that is the priority, not the letter of the Law.

* The Law was given for the purpose of causing men to see their need for a changed heart their need for a savior.

* The apostle John said in John chapter one, that Jesus unto His own that that they received him not, but He was the light that came into the world to show men the true purpose for the Law of Moses!

John 1:17 (KJV 1900)

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:24 (KJV 1900)

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV 1900)

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

* The law was not given, as the scribes and Pharisees taught the people, to make a person righteous before God. The Law could do nothing to clean up the inside of a man.

Romans 3:20 (KJV 1900)

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

* The scribes and Pharisees falsely taught the people that they would be justified and made righteous before God by keeping the Law.

* The Pharisees had added so many of their own sayings to the Law of God that their teaching of the Law no longer resembled God's Law as God had revealed His Word to Moses.

* Jesus told the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees that they had corrupted the Law of God by adding their own commandments to the Law of God!

Matthew 15:1–9 (KJV 1900)

Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

* In chapter 5, in the Beatitudes, Jesus taught his disciples that what the religious leaders had been teaching them was wrong about the Law, and the He was not against the Law, but He was re-interpreting the Law, correcting what the scribes and Pharisees had corrupted.

* The Pharisees had changed the observance of the Law of God in to an empty Legalistic, system of religion, that focused on cleaning up the outside of a man, but missed the real intent of the Law of God- changing a man on the inside!

* Turn with me now to Matthew chapter 23 and verse 13 and see how Jesus pointed out that the scribes and Pharisees had corrupted and had misled the people about the true nature of the Law of God.

Matthew 23:13–28 (KJV 1900)

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

* In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5, Jesus contrasted the true believers from the false teachers and the Pharisees.

* Jesus began to give what we call the beatitudes and spoke of those are pure in heart, not just righteous on the outside only.

* Jesus said those who truly understood the purpose of the Law of God would be peacemakers, He said they will be persecuted, they will be reviled. But they will also rejoice.

* Jesus gave us a clear description of the character of a Kingdom citizen in the Beatitudes.

* In our series on the Beatitudes a few weeks ago, we saw those tremendous truths found in the beatitudes.

* There Jesus gave us God’s standard for excellence that the Legalistic religion of the scribes and Pharisees couldn't even approach.

* The scribes and Pharisees were not poor in spirit. They did not mourn, they were not meek, they did not hunger and thirst after righteousness, they were not merciful.

* They were not pure in heart. They were not peacemakers. All of those are internal attitudes.

* All of those are elements of character.

* The religion of the scribes and Pharisees was purely external. They had none of the real qualities of a kingdom citizen.

How does this affect our interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer in Mathew chapter 6?

* Now as we look at the Lord’s teaching on prayer for the next several weeks, we are going to see how that Jesus placed all the importance of praying on the attitudes behind our prayers, not the act of Prayer.

* As we begin our study now about the Lord’s Prayer, we will see that it is not the external things about prayer that matter to God, but the condition and attitude of our heart when we pray that matters.

* As we begin to look at our text this morning it is important to point out what Jesus does not mention when He teaches His disciples to pray.

* Jesus doesn't teach us about the posture of prayer here because any

Posture will do!

* In the Bible people prayed standing, lifting up their hands, sitting, kneeling, lifting up their eyes, bowing down, placing their head between their knees, pounding on their breast, facing a temple, etc, etc.

* In the Bible there was no specific posture for prayer.

* Notice Jesus doesn't tell us anything about the place of prayer!

* Jesus does not teach us anything about the place of prayer here because any place will do!

* People in the Bible prayed in battle, in a cave, in a closet, in a garden, on a mountainside, by a river, by the sea, in the street, in God's house. First Timothy says "Let men pray everywhere."

* In the Bible people prayed in bed, in a home, one guy even prayed in a fish!

* Some prayed on a housetop, in a prison, by the sea, in solitude, in the wilderness, on a cross, and so forth.

* And notice that Jesus doesn't tell us about when to pray!

* Jesus does not teaching anything here about what time to pray because any time will do!

* I know we have all heard a lot of people talk about praying early in the morning, but if you will examine your Bible closely, you find people praying in the early morning, in the morning, three times a day, in the

evening, before meals, after meals, at the ninth hour, at bedtime, at midnight, day and night, today, often, when they're young, when they're old, in trouble, every day and always.

* George Muller, that great man of prayer, was asked how much time he spent in prayer, his reply was, "I live in the spirit of prayer, I pray as I walk, when I lie down, and when I arise, the answers are always coming."

* Prayer for George Muller was a way of life.

* Jesus didn’t give us a preferred time to pray because He knew that prayer is to be a way of life, not a specific time of day.

* If prayer is a way of life for us, then it's needful for us to understand how to pray.

* In fact, this very same model prayer which Jesus gives here is also given in Luke in response to the question, "Lord, teach us to pray."

* If prayer is something we are to do unceasingly then we best know how to do it properly, and so Jesus here, teaches us to pray.

* Jesus doesn't tell us a specific time, a specific place, a specific posture is the correct way to pray, but He spends all His words in the Lord’s Prayer telling us with what kind of attitude we should pray!

* In this study we will be looking at what Jesus emphasizes as correct praying.

* Correct praying has nothing to do with the external things, but with the internal things of the heart- our heart attitude toward God.

* In our study we will see that true praying is always focused on God not on us.

* The entire Sermon on the Mount has set the tone for how we should pray. All prayer must begin with an attitude of humility before God will hear.

* What we have studied together from the Sermon on the mount should be enough to show us that the folks who are going around telling “weak minded Christians,” who are ignorant of the Word of God, that they can pray with the pride filled, self-centered attitudes, are all charlatans and liars, who advantage of ignorant Christians!

- They go about teaching people to pray with the pride filled attitude that they are “commanding God to honor his promises,”

- They falsely teach people a “name it and claim it” kind of mentality

- They foolishly go around telling people that they can pray to God with the authority to “bind the devil,”

* It should be obvious to you by now that those men and women who teach men to pray to God with such pride filled attitudes are perverting the real true humble praying that Jesus taught his disciples.

* They are the modern day hypocrites, that Jude the brother of Jesus spoke of would come in the last days- “clouds without water, “The blind leading the blind,” appealing to the pride of men’s hearts and tickling their ears, telling men what they want to hear on order to gather a following.

* These kinds of people control men because of the pride that is in men’s hearts!

* We are taught by our Lord not to be legalists.

* We do not believe that people are to be manipulated externally, or intimidated, or forced by fear or by external rewards into certain patterns of Prayer.

* But we believe that men and women ought to pray as a direct response to transformation that has taken place on the inside- in the heart.

* What Jesus has been teaching his disciple’s here in the book of Matthew is that, true worship of God is an act of the heart.

* Jesus is teaching here in the Lord’s Prayer, that we should not be paying attention the external things of prayer such as the posture, or the time of day, or the external forms of praying, but we should focus on the internal act of Prayer- Humbling ourselves before God.

* Jesus is teaching us here in Matthew chapter 6, to

Work on the attitudes with which we pray.

* True prayer to God does not belong belong to those people who manage to maintain all the externals of keeping the legalistic rules- the traditions of men that outwardly conform to the law.

* True prayer does not belong to those who have filled their gain column with their religious works and achievements!

* True prayer belongs to those who are humbling themselves beating their breasts saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner."

* Turn with me now to Like chapter 18 and verse 9:

Luke 18:9–14 (KJV 1900)

9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

* The very next thing our lord has to say after the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican praying together is that we need to humble ourselves like a child:

Luke 18:15–17 (KJV 1900)

15 And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said,

Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

* Do you want to be heard by God this morning? Then strive to humble yourself before God when you pray!

* In keeping with what Jesus taught us in Matthew chapter 5 with the Beatitudes, the work of praying, involves building in ourselves an attitude of humility- and more specifically, an attitude of humility in prayer.

* I want you to look at the very first word in the Lord’s Prayer with me this morning in our text:

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

* The very first word in the model prayer takes the focus of prayer away from us, and our agenda, and our self-fulfillment!

* We live in a very proud and egotistical generation. People are pushing themselves, and promoting themselves everywhere around us.

* In fact, people in the time in which we live are promoting pride as if it were a virtue!

* During the time of the writing of the Bible, particularly in the Roman Empire, pride was exalted as a virtue the too, and humility was looked on as a weakness.

* This national love affair with pride in America may well be one of the marks of the demise of our country, just like it was of the demise of the Roman Empire!

* No society can survive pride allowed to run rampant. The reason is this, that all of society depends on relationships; meaningful, ongoing, supportive relationships.

* But when a mass of people are all committed to themselves and themselves alone, built into that, is the disintegration of all relationships.

* This is exactly what is happening to America. All relationships in our society are falling apart, homes, friendships- all of them are falling apart.

* All social inter-relationship is at a stress point because everybody is screaming for his own rights, everybody is consumed, it seems, with self-glory, self-esteem, self-promotion and pride!

* You would think people would have the sense to at least mask their pride, but oh no, they parade their pride around it as if it were a virtue:

"I'm proud of myself in this...I'm proud to be this...I deserve more than I'm getting..." and on and on it goes.

* We are building a materialistic concept in the business world based on pride, self- promotion, and success-motivation- our society says “build yourself up, get more riches, get more self-esteem!”

* It seems as if everything around us is built on promoting yourself and your pride, and your ambition!

* This philosophy of pride has made its way into the church as well!

* This self-promotion, self-esteem pride movement has found its way into Christianity.

* People in the name of the church are now twisting the Bible to promote pride, self-esteem, self- glory, self-promotion, and self-image building.

* There are even Christian quote/unquote "books" on how to make your body more beautiful and your face more beautiful.

* There is even a “Christian book” on how to get the wardrobe to match your skin color, as if that was a spiritual issue!

* We continue to build the case for self. And now we are justifying pride by sweeping it into Christianity as if it were something that God would use in our lives to make us righteous before God!

* We've seen over the past twenty years a growing cult of selfism beginning to infiltrate in the church of Jesus Christ.

* And it needs to be dealt with; but it is not really being dealt with- because people don't want to hear those who confront our “love for ourselves.”

* But Pride in the life of a Christian needs to be confronted! And a lack of humility in our prayers needs to be confronted!

* We live in a Christianity now that thinks God's only design for us is to be healthy, wealthy, prosperous, happy, satisfied, fulfilled and so forth.

* We know very little about sacrifice. We know very little of the pain of suffering. All we want to do is eliminate all that so that we can get on to self-fulfillment!

* We have allowed pride, self-fulfillment, and self-promotion to rob us of the kind of humble praying that God desires.

* Each of the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer reveals to us an attitude that we are to have in our heart when we come to God in prayer.

* When you put all these attitudes together, you have a “framework” or a template to guide is in praying with humility before God.

* The first of phrase of the Lord’s template for proper praying is “Our Father which art in Heaven.”

I. The attitude of God’s Paternity

* Right off the bat, Jesus teaches us that we are to come to God in prayer with the humility of a child, and that is where we will take up our study of the Lord’s pray next Sunday, if the Lord wills.