THE POWER OF THE PACK Matthew 6: 9-15

Matthew 6:9–15 (CSB)

9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

your name be honored as holy.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And do not bring us into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

14 “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.

BIG IDEA: Praying together is powerful!

AS WE CONTINUE IN OUR PRAY FIRST SERIES, WE CONTINUE IN MATTHEW 6, AS JESUS SHARES IN THIS EXTENDED TEACHING ON THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER!

JESUS MODELED PRAYER AS A PRACTICE, AND JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY...

IN FACT, THE LUKE ACCOUNT THAT CAN BE OVERLAYED WITH MATTHEW 6, HAS A CERTAIN DISCIPLE ASKING:

THE LORD’S PRAYER

11 He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

LORD, WE’VE SEEN YOU BREAK AWAY TO PRAY - WE’VE WATCHED AS YOU PRAY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER MIRACLES - WE’VE HEARD YOUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE FATHER...

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY!

HB CHARLES SAYS, “They asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, not to preach or do miracles.”

AWWW, LET ME MAKE YOU MAD, BEFORE I MAKE YOU GLAD: WE KNOW HOW TO DISCUSS STUFF…HOW TO SHARE OUR OPINION ON HOW MUCH BETTER THINGS SHOULD BE DONE…HOW (IF I WERE IN CHARGE)…BLAH BLAH BLAH...

BUT, I REALLY WANT TO KNOW, “DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PRAY?” AND EVEN GREATER, DO YOU KNOW HOW TO PRAY WITH THOSE YOU CHAT WITH? HAVE YOU EVER PRAYED ABOUT WHAT YOU CHAT ABOUT?

WE ARE BEGINNING 2022 WITH BELIEVING PRAYER, BECAUSE WE NEED MORE BELIEVERS AND FEWER EXPERTS! WE NEED MORE BELIEVERS PRAYING WITH THE CHURCH AND FEWER CHURCH FOLK PREYING AGAINST THE CHURCH!

“Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless BIBLE studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” ― Samuel Chadwick

THIS BELOVED, IS THE POWER OF THE PACK!!!

IN OUR TEXT, JESUS - JESUS HAS JUST CHALLENGED THEM ABOUT THEIR PUBLIC PRAYERS! REMEMBER, JESUS ISN’T OPPOSED TO PUBLIC PRAYERS. HE’S OPPOSED TO PERFORMING PRAYERS!

JESUS IS UPSET WHEN WE PRAY TO BE SEEN AND NOT HEARD! YEAH, SEEN BY MEN AND NOT HEARD BY GOD!

SO, IN THAT CONTEXT OF CORPORATE PRAYER, JESUS LEADS US TO VERSE 9: THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD PRAY LIKE THIS:

NOW, IT MUST BE NOTED, THAT ALTHOUGH THIS IS TRADITIONALLY CALLED THE LORD’S PRAYER, IT IS NOT LABELED SUCH BECAUSE THIS IS HOW JESUS PRAYED. NO, IT’S LABELED SUCH BECAUSE THIS IS HOW JESUS TAUGHT US TO PRAY...

THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD PRAY LIKE THIS:

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN,

WORSHIP IS FOUNDATIONAL

WORSHIP DETERMINES THE DIRECTION OF YOUR PRAYER: TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN....

WHEN WE BEGIN OUR PRAYER WITH WORSHIP, WE REMOVE OURSELVES FROM THE CENTER!

BELOVED, WORSHIP ISN’T LIMITED TO MUSIC, WORSHIP IS ABOUT SUBMISSION - SURRENDER!!!

WORSHIP DECLARES, “I SURRENDER ALL…ALL TO THEE MY BLESSED SAVIOR…I SURRENDER ALL!”

THIS IS WHY MANY OF US FEEL PRAYER IS A WASTE OF TIME…

WE’RE NOT SEEING RESULTS, BECAUSE WE’RE PRAYING TO OURSELVES, AND NOT TO THE FATHER!

BUT WHEN WORSHIP IS OUR FOUNDATION, WE PRAY RIGHTLY!

You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed. - John Bunyon

BUT ALSO NOTE THE CORPORATE ELEMENT - “OUR FATHER...”

WHEN WE CORPORATELY SUBMIT TO THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF THE FATHER, WE TAP INTO A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF INTIMACY FOR OUR LIVES…

YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT A FEW SURRENDERED - SOLD OUT SAINTS CAN’T DO…TALKING ABOUT POWER OF THE PACK!

WORSHIP IS FOUNDATIONAL - SURRENDER! SUBMIT! When the American hostages came home from Iran on January 20, 1981, the first thing they did when they got off the plane was kiss the ground. No matter what star or achievement they had earned in the armed services, when they hit the ground from Iran, they bowed down. Home sweet home. Putting their clean lips on that dirty tarp, they kissed it. They went down. Because they knew where they had been and they knew where they were now. You know why folks stop bowing? Because they forget where they’ve come from. They forget that they have been hostages in Satan’s territory, and now they have been made free.

WORSHIP IS FOUNDATIONAL…AWWW! SECONDLY,

HONOR IS ESSENTIAL!

YOUR NAME BE HONORED AS HOLY.

HALLOWED BY THY NAME…KJV.

GOD’S NAME IS INDICATIVE OF HIS NATURE - HIS REPUTATION! HONOR!! REVERENCE!! HOLY!! WE DON’T MAKE HIM HOLY OR EVEN MORE HOLY! WE SIMPLY RECOGNIZE HIS HOLINESS…

HE’S THE FATHER!!! PRAY TO HIM!!

Prayer, then, is both awe and intimacy, struggle and reality. - Keller, Timothy

IT’S ABOUT (((WORSHIP & HONOR))) FATHER, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME. — JESUS BEGAN WITH BOTH WORSHIP & RELATIONSHIP!

FATHER IS A TITLE OF BOTH INTIMACY & RESPECT - (By using it the disciples WOULD BE expressing the relationship that they enjoyed with God because of their relationship with Jesus / The clause “hallowed be your name” means “may everyone regard your name as holy!)”

When Luther's puppy happened to be at the DINNER table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes; (Martin Luther) said, 'Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat!

WORSHIP IS FOUNDATIONAL

HONOR IS ESSENTIAL

KINGDOM IS MONUMENTAL!

YOUR KINGDOM COME.

YOUR WILL BE DONE

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

IT’S ABOUT KINGDOM!

GOD’S RULE.

GOD’S PLAN.

GOD’S WILL...

ASKING HIS KINGDOM TO BE MANIFESTED AND HIS WILL TO BE FULFILLED| THE KINGDOM ((WHICH is God’s rule, plan, and program))

THAT the messianic kingdom will indeed come quicklY

WE OUGHT PRAY THAT THE MANIFESTATION OF JESUS’ RULE ON EARTH COME TO PASS, AND COME QUICKLY…

ALSO, WE’RE PRAYING FOR WHAT GOD WANTS TO BE FULFILLED HERE! WE OUGHT TO WANT WHAT GOD WANTS…IT’S HIS WILL AND PLAN! WHEN WE TRUST CHRIST FOR SALVATION, WE TRUST HIS PLAN FOR HIS KINGDOM!!!

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

AND IF MY LIFE AND PLANS ARE OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR WILL, LORD, CORRECT ME - REBUKE ME - CHANGE ME!!!

WHEN WE’RE KINGDOM FOCUSSED, IT CORRECTS OUR LIMITED PERSPECTIVE!

WHEN WE’RE KINGDOM FOCUSSED, WE SEE BEYOND OURSELVES!

IT’S ABOUT THE WILL OF THE FATHER...

LATER ON, JESUS FINDS HIMSELF WITH THE CROSS OF CALVARY BEFORE HIM...

HE IS TROUBLED IN HIS SPIRIT...

HE PRAYS TO THE FATHER, IF THIS CUP CAN PASS…IF THIS ASSIGNMENT CAN BE AUGMENTED…IF THIS PATH CAN BE DIVERTED....

NEVERTHELESS, NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE!!!