Routine Re-Alignment

Good morning church! And if you are new here, WELCOME to Lindsay Lane East! We have a gift for you if this is your first time. It’s waiting on you at Next Steps in the Lobby. All we ask is that you fill out the card in the back of the seat in front of you. You can drop that by Next Steps on your way out today and get your very own East TShirt and some info about our church.

This morning, we are in the middle of a message series looking at spiritual disciplines. We looked week one at an intro level. Last week we talked about the role God’s Word should play in the lives of believers and this week, we are looking at another commonly thought of part of our walk: PRAYER.

We will be looking at a common passage. Actually one we just studied back in the Spring in depth, but it is important to look at here in light of our current flow of discipleship...

Open in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6. I will read what we commonly call the “Lord’s Prayer” as a whole, then we will pray, then come back and break things down.

Matthew 6:9–13 CSB

“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

PRAY

This passage may be familiar to many of you even if you didn’t grow up in church. Honestly, I have said this passage many more times OUTSIDE of church than I have inside. For my sports teams growing up, we would often say the Lord’s Prayer after or even before a baseball/basketball/or football game.

This was more of ritual in those settings than it was a real heartfelt prayer. Many of my teammates saying it didn’t even know or follow the God they were praying to!

Can the Lord’s Prayer be repeated regularly, without actually accomplishing anything? SURE! So can singing these songs we just sang, or even opening God’s Word together. If we are doing any of these things for any other reason than to connect with God, it will not accomplish much.

So, why did Jesus give us this prayer? I believe it is for two quick reasons: so we would repeat it, and so we would learn from it!

Today, we will focus on the latter part today as we open God’s Word together. There are great principles to prayer that can be uncovered in the Lord’s Prayer. More than Jesus was giving us a prayer to pray, he was TEACHING us to pray!

The first thing we learn from the prayer is that we need to...

1. Pray with Perspective

Notice how this prayer begins...

Matthew 6:9–10 CSB

“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus begins this prayer with an important recognition! This opening line “our father in heaven” reminds the one praying of who God is and, in turn, reminds them of who they are, right?

When we pray, we are praying to our FATHER. This is not some distant being with little knowledge of what we have going on in our lives. This is God, OUR FATHER. He not only knows us but brought us into existence! We are not the source of our life, nor are our parents mainly. It is God who gives life!

To say that God is Father is to also say that we are his children. This is taking the lowly position in the relationship. We are acknowledging God’s power and control over our lives as we are just mere children in light of God’s wisdom!

Then, “Our Father, IN HEAVEN.”

This is the reminder that Our Father is not seeing things from an earthly perspective. God is lifted up above us! He is “seated on high” in the heavens and can see things that you and I cannot see.

This, in turn, is also a reminder of how short sighted our own vision can be! God is seeing much more of the picture than you and I!

Do you see the importance of these two acknowledgements in our prayers?

I like to think that I have control of my life, don’t you? I am afraid that is often why we don’t pray! Like we have God waiting on hold just in case we can’t figure something out, then we take him off hold, and lay our request. But let’s be honest that doesn’t happen much, because we are so good at adulting!!!!

Until we get to a place where we acknowledge that God is God and that we are simply children living with a short-sighted view of what’s really going on, our prayers will lack power! We cannot do this on our own. Let’s stop pretending and let’s talk to OUR FATHER who actually sees what’s coming down the road for us!!!

AMEN?? Hey, I’m guilty of this too!

Then, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Notice what Jesus says to pray here… God, let this earth be conformed to your Kingdom, or your desired outcome.

Church, this is often what is lacking in our prayers! Our prayers are more about asking God to conform the earth to OUR desired outcome, our KINGDOM! Is it not? We want God to answer our prayers OUR way. We run through a laundry list of things we would like to see God do in our life and the lives of others. And that’s not a bad thing (we will get to that in a minute), but we must be mature enough to acknowledge that the best thing to happen would not be that our kids make friends at school, that our hip stop hurting so much, that our neighbor get over the flu, that the government stop being so liberal, or that our boss recognize our hard work and give us a raise.

Church, the ultimate and best thing that can happen today and the next day and the next is that the Kingdom of God would expand here on earth! That the worship of God that occurs in heaven we happen more frequently here on earth among his people. That God’s people would begin to exemplify more actively God’s principles and standards, and that the nations would come to know Christ! That’s the prayer we are missing! While we are spending time each week soley focused on praying for physical things, there is a spiritual battle going on around us! I am guilty of being asleep at the wheel! Are you?

If so, Church, let’s begin to pray differently! Let’s remember that we are praying to our Father who has all power. He is in heaven and can see everything that is coming down the road. And that the ultimate end of our prayer must be, “Let your kingdom come, let your will be done HERE.”

That’s praying with PROPER PERSPECTIVE.

But, Jesus does show us here, that it is OK to pray for physical things.

2. Pray for Provision

Matthew 6:11–12 CSB

Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Jesus shows us that we can pray for provision of physical life and provision of spiritual life.

“Give us today our daily bread.”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, God make me rich! He says, give me what I need! The prayer we need to be praying more often is not asking God to provide us with abundance, but to provide us with sustenance. Give us what we need!

That may include health issues, home issues, car issues, job security, and anything else that is part of our daily life. Jesus says, bring those things to God in prayer! What needs do you have in your life right now? Or do others have around you? Lay those before the Lord!

Then, “forgive our debts”

Let God know your sins.

This is my least favorite part of prayer, can I be honest with you? Calling out to God the MANY ways that I totally messed up this week! I am your pastor, and you may think I sit around all day meditating on Scripture and praying, then go home to my perfect house where my kids call me Father deary, and my wife and I are perfectly in sync.

My life looks much more like yours than you realize! I still get frustrated and stressed out during the day. I get mad in traffic just like you. I go home to wild and crazy kids just like you. I am not a good dad many times. I really stink as a husband more days than I crush it as one. I sin too! AND I HATE HAVING TO REMIND MYSELF OF MY OWN SIN! But Jesus says here that real prayer is hones before God about our sin!

And before you even say it, let me address it. Why do I have to ask for forgiveness if I’m a believer? I thought Jesus already died for my sins? Am I not forgiven already?

Yes. and no.......

The Bible speaks of a duality to our connection with God. Over time, we have labeled this UNION and COMMUNION. The Bible is clear that when we trusted in Jesus and repented, we were saved eternally. Part of that salvation is having every sin that we have ever and will ever commit paid for by the blood of Jesus. As Paul says...

Ephesians 1:7 CSB

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

The blood of Jesus brought forgiveness for our sins! And we don’t have to ask God to forgive us for those sins to keep our salvation. That is secure. That is our UNION with Christ.

What is not secure daily is my COMMUNION with God through Christ. This is my ongoing relationship with him. This is affected by every sin I commit and strengthened by every act of obedience! We must pursue a healthy relationship with God, and part of that is confessing our sins before him.

My children don’t do what I say all the time. Shocker, I know. Does that affect their standing as my son or daughter? NO! And as their disobedience gets bigger and bigger as they get older, it can become harder to acknowledge that, but some of you have been and are going through difficult days with your kids. And they don’t stop being your kid.

But their actions can affect the ongoing relationship they have with you.

A couple years ago, Elsie Jo had done something at home that was a little more serious than normal stuff. She had broken something. I don’t even remember now. But she lied to us about it. We knew she had done it, but she promised us it wasn’t her. In that moment, she felt guilt. And I felt frustration. Was our ongoing relationship affected? ABSOLUTELY!

But later that night or maybe even the next day, she crawled up in my lap and said, “Daddy, I did break it. and I’m so sorry.” In that moment, what was restored? Did she become my daughter again? NO! But was my frustration with her eased and her guilt lightened? YEP!

The same is true for us. We bring our sins to God, not because we are cut off from salvation if we don’t, but because we want to be close to him daily, and sin affects that personal connection we feel and desire!

Then Jesus says, “as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

This is a nice little reminder that forgiveness is a communicable action of God. Meaning, it is a trait that we can learn how to do and show to the world. It is BECAUSE we have been forgiven that we also ought to forgive others!

Paul again...

Ephesians 4:32 CSB

And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

You see this? When we forgive others, we are actually communicating the forgiveness of God to the world? That’s cool!

Now, Jesus gives a sobering thought after the prayer that needs a minute or two to tie in...

Matthew 6:14–15 CSB

“For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.

When you and I choose not to forgive others, that affects our relationship with God! I have seen some really mature believers absolutely crumble because of unforgiveness. This is one of the most real life verses in the Bible. You think you can harbor bitterness towards someone else and keep right on loving God? It’s gonna be tough!

Again, this isn’t affecting your relationship with God in regards to your salvation. It is affecting your ongoing, daily relationship! Your communion, not your union, right?

So, in our prayers, we need to be reminded that we are to forgive others just as we are asking God to forgive us. And it’s hard sometimes. Acknowledge that before God and ask him to help you! Especially if that unforgiveness exists within this body. For the sake of all of us, we need you to forgive one another!

Jesus makes it clear that we are to pray for the physical and spiritual provision we need.

But then he also tells us to...

3. Pray against Pollution

Matthew 6:13 CSB

And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

There is a real threat in this life. And it’s bigger than the flu, cancer, or Covid. You and I are being targeted by the Evil One. He wants to see us fall, just as he did in the garden from the beginning!

Genesis 3:4–5 CSB

“No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan longs to see mankind fall from his place as the image of God. He wants to thwart the plans of God. And without some help, we will lose against him! We do not have what it takes to win that battle day after day after day! The grind of it all is too much!

However, if we will ask our Father for help, he will!

It can sound in this as if it is God himself who leads us into temptation. That is not the case. The idea behind the verse is more sloppily, but possibly more accurately translated “Do not allow us to be led into temptation.”

This is a cry that we can lift up to God! Keep temptation from our doorstep. I think one way we see God do this is by helping us see it coming.

God was doing this for Cain when he got angry with his brother Abel.

Genesis 4:7 CSB

If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Notice this… God warns Cain that the temptation is there! But Cain ignores the advice of God and gives into his sinful desires and kills his brother in the field.

Through prayer, we can have a connection with God that allows us to see temptation coming and receive warning. And God will make a way for us to avoid it!

That’s the idea behind...

1 Corinthians 10:13 CSB

No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.

Paul shows us that we will often experience temptation, but the way God often acts is by providing a way out! That’s what Jesus was saying when he prayed “Deliver us from the evil one.” Provide a way out of this mess!

And God will!

We need to be praying this way, asking God to keep us from temptation and deliver us from it when we do face it! Pray against POLLUTION!

Do you see all this? Jesus was teaching his Disciples to pray, and now we are to learn from the same teaching. If we are going to develop a rhythm of prayer in our lives, we have to understand what Jesus was teaching.

Grasp it right, and it will grasp you! You will naturally pray more simply because you see the importance of prayer.

First, pray with perspective: acknowledging who you are praying to and what his ability is, and keeping at the forefront of your prayer the will of God being done on earth.

Second Pray for provision. Not just physical though. You will probably do that naturally. But pray for the spiritual too!

And third, pray against pollution. You serve a God who desires that you avoid temptation. So pray to him and ask for help in that! It’s what he wants too!

Today, if prayer is not a rhythm for you, let’s start today.

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