Learning to Pray
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
1 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.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“ ‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Introduction (v.1)
Introduction (v.1)
Luke 11:1 - One day Jesus was praying in a certain place...
On the way to Jerusalem (in terms of Lukan outline...)
This is helpful to remember.... context of when Jesus prayed is important.
Keep in mind that ... Luke wanted to show that faithful intercession is essential to the life of godliness.Ryken, P. G. (2009)
This is seen in the times when Jesus was found to be in prayer.
Impressed disicples...
When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Clearly disciples were impressed with Jesus' prayer life.
They wanted to know just how to pray.
Notice that teaching on prayer had already been seen as John taught his disciples to pray.
J. I. Packer wrote, “Prayer is the spiritual measure of men and women in a way that nothing else is, so that how we pray is as important a question as we can ever face.”
Jesus will thus use this opportunity to teach his disciples how to pray...
He said to them, “When you pray, say: “
Notice that Christ is going to give them an idea of the content of their prayers.
What we pray - the words we use - are important.
The things that we cry out to God for and ask him for are important.
If there was no difference in prayer, or there was nothing "better" to pray for, then this kind of instruction from Christ would have been irrelevant. No need!
We thus do well to consider our prayers, and what it is that we are praying for.
Note...
This is not to cause fear in prayer... should not lead to paralysis in prayer
Also - we don't want to learn to pray well for selfish reasons...
Consider warnings...
““And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5, NIV84)
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7, NIV84)
Think about the difference of the publican and the tax collector... different prayers. One honoured God, one certainly did not!
We must learn how to pray so that we would honour God in our prayer...
This must never stop us from praying. We should never be afraid to come before God. We don't have to get our prayer down to perfection before we pray....
BUT! We do want to practice doing prayer well. We want to be good prayers....
Touch on - differences between Luke and Matthew... very slight.
1. Pray to God as Father (v.2a)
1. Pray to God as Father (v.2a)
“‘Father...”
Relationship
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Ephesians 1:4–6, NIV84)
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” (Galatians 4:4–5, NIV84)
If we consider God as our Father, we must see him as the one that is in relationship with us.
There is an intimacy involved in calling God our Father.
We must understand that God invites us to call upon Him as a Father.
Note - in other passages, it's "our" Father...
In fact, the entire prayer is directed to God from a corporate dimension...
Corporate nature... not individualism.
This sense should pervade all our prayers.
While it is good and fitting to pray for personal needs, it is important to pray for corporate needs...
Care
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV84)
Provision
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NIV84)
Protection
“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6, NIV84)
Guidance
Subtopic “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26, NIV84)1
Help
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, NIV84)
These and many other qualities mark our relationship with God
This sets the tone for our prayers.
If we know who we're praying to, and understand his relation with us, we have a wonderful motivation to come before Him and to present our requests to him.
2. Pray For God’s Honor (v.2b)
2. Pray For God’s Honor (v.2b)
“...hallowed be your name...”
To hallow means to set apart as holy.
When we pray this, we are asking that in all things, God would be the one to get all the glory and honour.
Our desire should be that God is set apart, even in the answer of our prayers, as the one who is distinct and holy...
1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.
2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,
‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’ ”
So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.
When Jesus petitions God to hallow his name, he is asking that God act in such a way that he visibly demonstrates his holiness and his glory. [Mohler]
Examples in Scripture...
9 “For the sake of My name I delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And My glory I will not give to another.
13 “But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.
14 “But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out.
God's purpose in the world is ultimately His own glory!!
When we pray, we need to recognise that primarily our heart's desire is to have God's name and His glory esteemed in and through our lives indidivaully, and as a church.
We want first and foremost, God's glory to be revealed in all the earth.
We must ask ourselves, is this our attitude when we come to pray... do we approach prayer with this as our primary agenda in directing our prayers.
3. Pray For God’s Kingdom (v.2c)
3. Pray For God’s Kingdom (v.2c)
“...your kingdom come...”
Not only do we pray for the hallowing of God's name - his glory being extended, but we are to pray for the coming of His kingdom in this world.
What does this mean?
It means that we desire His rule, and His reign to be fully evidenced in this world.
Augustine - two cities...
The City of the World.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19, NIV84)
““I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15, NASB95)
This city consists of those not in Christ.
The world is in chaos and disorder.
This city is ruled by selfishness, pride, and every kind of evil thought and desire.
The people of this city are driven by their own selfishness... and this causes tremendous amounts of conflict
In this regard, our prayer is that God's kingdom would infiltrate this dark world, and that those in darkness would turn to the light of Christ
When we pray for the coming of God's kingdom, it is not only a request for the maturity of the church, but for the expansion of the church as the world is evangelised.
The City of Christ.
This is where Christ rules and reigns properly
As Christians, we are already members of that kingdom
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
We are citizens of heaven (1 Peter 1)
We are merely pilgrims in this world, and we are heading towards the celestial city
In this regard, however, we still long for a greater evidence of God's goodness in our lives.
When we pray for God's kingdom to come, we are praying that His church would be pure.
We are praying that the church would truly be submissive to Christ as Lord, and this would be evidenced in our conduct.
6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness,
I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You,
And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
Goal: Make God known
In Matthew's version... "thy will be done..."
Are we eager to make God's name known...
Must be seen in the church...
In our conduct…
In the way that we demonstrate love for one another
In the general pattern and manner of our lives
In the Context of Evangelism
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
4 And in that day you will say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.
Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
5 Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth.
When you pray, are you praying for the extension of the kingdom of God?
when we pray “your kingdom come,” we are praying something incredibly dangerous because it imperils our comfort and devalues our ease. By praying “your kingdom come,” Jesus teaches us that we are ultimately meant to value God’s agenda, not our own. Mohler, R. Albert. The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down (p. 95). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.
Interluding thoughts...
Note that thus far, all prayers have been for the great glory of God... nothing focused on self!
However, we must see that all that has been prayed is the focus of life of the believer.
What follows is not just about our own personal needs...
Rather, it's about how we may pray for our personal needs to be met in order that God's kingdom may be established.
We should not approach prayer thinking, let me pray for God's kingdom first, so that I can get onto the more important matters of my needs being met.
Rather, our motivating desire is the extension of God's kingdom.
We should not approach the Christian faith with the idea that Christianity, Christ, is a small (even important) part of my life... that gets done over here.... and then the rest of my life is done somewhere else.
Our entire existence as Christians is to be devoted to the worship and honour of God.
Does Scripture really teach this?
33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
Fact is, our entire existence as Christians is bound up in the worship of the true king, and in doing His will in the world, so that His kingdom may be established!
4. Pray For God’s Provision (v.3)
4. Pray For God’s Provision (v.3)
Give us each day our daily bread.
At this point, Christ teaches the disciples that God would pray for daily provisions.
Give us this day our daily bread”—serves as a clear and unmistakable reminder that we are merely creatures; God is the creator. We are needy; God is the provider. Mohler, R. Albert.
We live as needy people - always!! Start to finish
We are called to ask God to provide for our daily needs.
9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Physical needs are not wrong or unimportant.
1 Timothy 4:3–5 (NASB95)
men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.
a hyper-spiritual theology that ignores physical needs has never had to come face-to-face with the horrors of deprivation. Mohler, R. Albert.
Look at Exodus 16:11-18
God provided in a profound manner
He was concerned for His people.
They were in a difficult place... but he brought His provisions to them
Note - provisions were perfect in quantity... not too much, not too little.
Ask God for physical requirements...
We need to bring our daily needs of life before God.
When you have needs as a family... bring them before God.
You do need to have physical needs met.
Abundance or sufficient?
Tension... but important...
Prayer is for daily needs... we want to ask God for that which is needed for life.
No need for outright ascetism.
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Nothing wrong with earthly riches... provided the dangers are recognised... and they are used well to the glory of God.
BUT - need to live with contentment...
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Pray this so that can be used for glory of God
We are to ask God to provide in order that we may honour His name, and participate in the extension of His kingom.
He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,
begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
But remember Deut 8:3...
Deut 8:3 Physical needs are pointers to a deeper, spiritual need
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
5. Pray For God’s Forgiveness (v.4a-b)
5. Pray For God’s Forgiveness (v.4a-b)
“Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”
Daily bread... Most important physical needs...
Forgive sins... most desperate spiritual need.
We are indebted to God...
Romans 3:9-18
“What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”” (Romans 3:9–18, NIV84)
Our sin has separated us from God
We have no hope at all... apart from the grace of God.
The Gospel message is of forgiveness of sin...
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV84)
How do we receive grace? Praying for forgiveness...
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” (1 John 1:8–10, NIV84)
God Desires to Forgive
“who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4, NIV84)
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV84)
New Life in Christ...
Will be marked by continued repentance and faith
We need to keep coming to Christ when we sin...
But we also need to see that our repentance is genuine... in other words, it is bringing about a change of behaviour in our lives...
“Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,” (Romans 8:12–13, NIV84)
Judas... felt a sorrow over his sins... but no true repentance...
“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:3–5, NIV84)
The Basis of God's Forgiveness
We must forgive our neighbour
Be careful of theology here...
The grounds for our forgiveness is repentance and faith in Christ.
The fruit of that is forgiving others...
Christians easily, readily forgive others, because they recognise how much they have been forgiven.
““Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”” (Matthew 18:32–35, NIV84)
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22, NIV84)
“It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”” (Luke 17:2–4, NIV84)
For the sake of His name...
“For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.” (Psalm 25:11, NIV84)
“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.” (Psalm 79:9, NASB95)
How does this happen? How bring glory?
“Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.” (Psalm 51:13, NASB95)
“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.” (Psalm 51:14, NASB95)
6. For God’s Protection (v.4c)
6. For God’s Protection (v.4c)
And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
Reality of Spiritual Battle...
We live in the midst of the spiritual battle.
If we fail to recognise this, we will fall often, because we will underestimate the power of the devil....
If Christians truly embraced biblical teaching on demonic powers, we would come to church with a tremendous sense of the fact that God has rescued us from the domain of darkness. [Mohler, R. Albert. ]
Sin wants to rule over us...
“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Does God tempt us?
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
God doesn't lead us into sinful practices... this is our own doing.
Our hearts are sinful and evil... we go in the direction of the sinful desires of our own hearts...
Our prayer then is that God would lead us away, in the opposite direction, to what our sinful fleshly desires would lead us.
We pray that God would lead us to holiness.
Praying for God's Shepherding
The gospel, however, and this petition in the Lord’s Prayer turn our attention away from our own strength to the strength of another. Jesus does not teach us to pray, “Lord, give me more willpower in the fight against sin.” He teaches us to ask for shepherding and deliverance—“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” These words express a heart of dependence, not self-sufficiency. [Mohler, R. Albert.]
With that said... we are not inactive in this battle...
“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Prayer is a critical weapon in our spiritual battle.
We cannot live a life pleasing to God... extending his kingdom... hallowing his name... without praying for strength in the spiritual battle.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
Summary... Our prayer life is critical... How we pray... what we pray...
There is an urgent need that we pray...
There is an urgent need for us to consider what / how we are praying...
I want us to recognise, as mentioned before, that it is critical that we see our lives as Christians existing in every moment of every day for the purpose of bringing honour and glory and praise to God Almighty.
Our prayers ought to all the more reflect this reality in terms of what we pray.
The more we recognise our true calling in life - the worship and exaltation of God - the more our prayers will be those that are oriented towards God’s glory and the building of His kingdom.
I want to encourage you all… the life lived in the worship of Christ is one that denies self.
Do our prayers reflect a denial of self, and a seeking after the exaltation of God and the wellbeing of others?
I trust that all the more… our prayers would be seen to do this!