PRAYER: Expected & Learned

Matthew 6:5 CSB

“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.

INTRO—

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life Chapter Four: Prayer … for the Purpose of Godliness (Albert Edward Day)

The largest radio receiver on earth is in New Mexico. Pilots call it “the mushroom patch.” Its real name is the Very Large Array. The “VLA” is a series of huge satellite disks on thirty-eight miles of railways. Together the dishes mimic a single telescope the size of Washington, D.C. Astronomers come from all over the world to analyze the optical images of the heavens composed by the VLA from the radio signals it receives from space. Why is such a giant apparatus needed? Because the radio waves, often emitted from sources millions of light years away, are very faint. The total energy of all radio waves ever recorded barely equals the force of a single snowflake hitting the ground.

Good news for us...

Psalm 40.1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he turned to me and heard my cry for help. (2)He brought me up from a desolate pit, out of the muddy clay, and set my feet on a rock, making my steps secure.”

EXPECTED

By Jesus

Matthew 6.5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.”

Matthew 6.6 “But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Matthew 6.7 “When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.”

Matthew 6.9 “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.”

Luke 11.9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

Luke 18.1 “Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.”

In the New Testament

Colossians 4.2 “Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.”

Romans 8.15 “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!””

LEARNED

Jesus’ disciples asked

Luke 11.1 “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.””

…By…

Reading about prayer.

Proverbs 27.17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.”

Books like:

Meditating on Scripture.

Psalm 19.14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

[How did David get to this point in verse 14? … Psalm 19.7-11 “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous. They are more desirable than gold— than an abundance of pure gold; and sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. In addition, your servant is warned by them, and in keeping them there is an abundant reward.”]

Praying.

[How did you learn to speak? (Now, I said speak, not necessarily speak ‘good’ {well})…Learned by doing it…& following others’ lead. We don’t want—Matthew 6.7 “When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.”]

Matthew 6.9-13 ““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.”

Model Prayer Outline:

“Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy” = WORSHIP

Thanking God that we can call him Father

Praising him based on his name(s)

Praise for who God is; Thanksgiving for what he has done (for us)

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” = SUBMISSION [SURRENDER]

‘Build Your kingdom here!’ [be careful with our primary emphasis]

Let 'my’ ___________ be God’s place and according to God’s plan. (life, family, church, community, country, world)

Trusting the sovereign work of God.

“Give us today our daily bread.” = PROVISION

That God sustain and strengthen us physically & spiritually.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” = PARDON

Seeking our Lord’s forgiveness. [wanting grace & mercy]

Extending forgiveness to others. [giving grace & mercy]

The latter aspect is important because— Matthew 6.14-15 “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.”

“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” = PROTECTION

Seeking righteousness & rescue.

Pray the armor of God. (Ephesians 6.13-17)

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” = WORSHIP

Conclude by returning our focus to our Lord.

CONCL—

The ‘bottom line’ from God’s Word...

Hebrews 4.16 “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

…the confidence we can have as God’s children that we can approach our Lord—we must approach Jesus—we get to approach our Savior…any time & anywhere.

Luke 11:1 CSB

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.”