“Pray Like This,” Study of the Lord’s Prayer

Session 1: Prayer; Session 2: Nutritional Coaching (Extracurricular) with Chris Haskin; Session 3: Logos/Read and Study the Word with Kathryn Freeman.

Prelude

Before we get into the Lord’s Prayer, I wanted to talk about prayer in general.

Thesis/Key Take Away: Prayer honors God and strengthens our faith in Jesus Christ as we yield our lives to the will of God through the Holy Spirit! We need a strategy for prayer.

Why can we have confidence in God? How can we can pray and know God’s will? If we do not get what we ask, there must be some other information in the Bible about why, right?

1 John 5:14 “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

Prayer is our communication WITH God. It is the confidence which we have before Him that gives us the purpose and power of prayer. In the previous vv11-13, John reminds us of the assurance that we have- God has given us eternal life, and this life is in and through His Son Jesus Christ. Now, there is a secret purpose and a secret power of prayer. God wants us to ask Him = purpose of prayer. Ask anything according to His will = power of prayer. It is why Paul writes Phil 4:6 “6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Everything means all, every, collectively, each, all things. It doesn’t mean that anything we ask for will be granted, but we should pray about everything - nothing is too big or too small for God. So it begs the question: Which part of our lives are we leaving out of prayer? When we look at our “Life Pie,” what are we giving to God and what are we withholding? Character. Business/Work. Resources. Health. Relationships.- Daniels. God’s will - it is easy to only be concerned with our will before God. We need God for His will. John 15:7 “7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, [THEN] ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John stresses that we know He answers if we ask anything according to God’s will. Will we always know what God’s will is? What did Jesus do when He was not sure that what He desired was what His Father wanted? Discuss Luke 22:42 “42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”” with the group. The psalmist was overwhelmed with that confidence when He wrote, “I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1–2 “1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.”).

If we don't get what we ask for, why not?

Why might God not hear us when we pray? What does God tell us to do with that problem?

Psalm 66:18 “18 If I had cherished iniquity [SIN] in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Isaiah 59:1-2 “1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

James 4:3-4 “3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

ADD Non-sinful things and reasons why God doesn’t move the way we want Him to.

Introduction

So now that we understand the purpose and secret power of prayer, as Disciples of Jesus Christ, it’s important to model our lives, including our prayer lives after Him. Let’s use the Lord’s Prayer as our practical example of prayer. Do we use the prayer verbatim or theoretical? Can we glean any insights from key phrases?

Matthew and Luke purpose for including Lord’s Prayer -

There were two instances in which Jesus whipped out the Lord’s Prayer, in both instances he was teaching. Let’s read them together; reading from the English Standard Version (ESV)

Matthew 6:5–15 ESV

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 11:1–13 ESV

1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And 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 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I like Matthew’s version because as a whole he was writing to address hypocrisy. Matthew is referencing the Pharisees, these were Jewish religious groups. Important characteristic to note: the main emphasis of their teaching was ethical rather than theological. Jewish people tried to practice literally the command of Ex 13:9 “9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.” So they made boxes of scriptures called phylacteries and they strapped them to their head and to their left hand…only during prayer. Once it was over, they removed it. The issue wasn’t about honoring God, the issue is their motive to draw honor for themselves. So this is why when he gets to Jerusalem, he warns against hypocrisy. Matthew 23:3-7 “3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” From the book 10 Power Principles For Christian Service, it talks about character. “People with character have integrity; what they say and do comes from a heart fully dedicated to God. Integrity means inner wholeness; we’re not trying to fool others (hypocrisy) or fool ourselves (duplicity).”

Many scholars suggest that Matthew writes especially for Antioch in Syria. Antioch had a large Jewish community, one of the few Jewish communities not devastated by the Judean war; this was an early Christian center of mission to Gentiles. During the sermon, Jesus teaches on righteous living…beatitudes, salt and light, Him fulfilling the law of the OT prophets and what that means for you, loving your enemies. After the demand for perfection (Matthew 5:48 “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ) introduces correlative warnings against rank hypocrisy with special attention to the proper way to go about the three traditional manifestations of Jewish piety - alms, prayer, and fasting. When you, do this… each time, Jesus reminds the crowds, when you are living righteously, do not be hypocritical. Do not be an actor under an assumed character. In MSG Bible - “Grow up, You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously towards others, the way God lives toward you.”

Luke- stresses the importance of the priority and purpose of prayer. Jesus is on a Journey from Galilee to Jerusalem…to do the work He was sent to do. But on that journey, he stopped and prayed. Prayer is a critical part of our faith journey.

Concept versus Context - as we study the Lord’s Prayer, I want to discuss the context for key versus and I want to review the concept for those key verses. I want to study Matthew’s version of the prayer. Concept = strategy

If you want to develop a strategy for prayer then ensure:

Part I

Matthew 6:9 “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

Concept - Prayer seeks God’s glory, not your own glory.

Context - Our “Our” is 1st person plural, denotes the possessiveness of Jesus; it is distinctive showing the separation between ours and theirs, denoting the different motive in which we pray versus how they prayed- to a God who came to fulfill the law through Jesus and to a God who requires His people to do so; “Our” also suggest that Jesus Himself internalized and personalized His relationship. “Our” presupposes the community of believers we pray with and for. Father “Father” Abba was unique to Jesus in how He addressed God, but later adopted by His followers; intimate expression; in this context it was referred to someone who was loving and trustworthy, on who a child could depend for them. name and qualities were associated together. Exodus 34:6-7 “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”” Hallowed - here we acknowledge the sacred, divine, and unique nature of God. The acceptance of God’s holiness. So, then, we treat God’s name as Holy (one translation) with reverence. Note: we aren’t saying “hollow”, but we are saying hallow. To “hallow” something means to make it very special, to honor it, to respect it. So, do it! We don’t want God’s name to change, but how we perceive it. So, are we hollowing God’s name or hallowing it? Are we robbing Him of His glory, or are we more concerned about what we want?

If you want to develop a strategy for prayer then ensure:

Part 2

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Concept - Prayer summons you to live right according to your future longing.

Context - God’s Kingdom - here we should talk about dominion. First, again, we acknowledge one true God, but then the biblical translation for kingdom is reign, rule, or authority. This doesn’t stop with the Israelites in the OT. We think of earthly kingdoms in terms of territory—an empire. In the New Testament the kingdom of God is not territory. The term is used to describe the reign of God. God’s kingdom today extends over the hearts of all who will acknowledge him as king and who will submit to his rule. It is a matter of “bringing hope to the present.” To pray “your kingdom come” is to ask God the Father to expand his rule over the territory of our hearts and lives; to pray “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10) is to express our willingness to submit to his rule whatever the cost. The way we live now ought to begin looking like what we’re praying for…on earth as it is in heaven.

In Ephesians it talks about “doing the will of God from our hearts involves doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, and for the right reason....for the glory of God.

If you want to develop a strategy for prayer then ensure:

Part 3

Matthew 6:11-12 “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Concept - Prayer secures your daily sustenance and enables your daily seeking (Prayer severs your tie to sin and mends your tie with others).

Context - we want to full. NT language for being filled means to be controlled by. to be full of hypocrisy means a life controlled by play-acting and pretense. full of anger means controlled by anger. full of the spirit means we are energized and controlled by the spirit. and so, being full of daily bread…means we are controlled by the what we get from Jesus from the spirit. be full of forgiveness even when we are offended or turned off. be full of love even when there is an absence of it the physical realm.

Forgiveness is the presence of grace and absence of guilt.

If you want to develop a strategy for prayer then ensure:

Part 4

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Concept - Prayer strengthens your relationship with the Father (in Heaven) who saves you during tests.

Context - Deliver from evil…to what? Back to God.

Temptation - The word temptation can mean to entice to do wrong, but it can also mean to put to the test. The same experience can be both a temptation to do wrong and a test of our commitment to do right. Satan, the evil one, wants us to fail the test and sin; God gives us everything we need to pass the test and, as a result, strengthen our walk of obedience. According to James Emery White, in Meet Gen Z, 70% of all 18 to 34 year olds are regular viewers of pornography. Obviously it is a sexual sin. It is degrading to women and sends a message that women are nothing more than mere objects. Desensitizes your soul- it deadens you spiritually.

Conclusion

Jesus’ prayer ends with the little word Amen. It’s not just the signal that prayer is over. It means, “So be it,” and it’s a lot like saying “I do” at a wedding. Agreeing to the marriage vows is not the end of our commitment but the beginning. Saying Amen at the end of prayer is a commitment to do what we’ve prayed. We aren’t just putting a period at the end of a list of requests; we are making a promise to live out what we’ve said to God. Be careful with that little word! When you say it, you’ve just said “I do” to God.

Since Jesus is praying this prayer for all those who believe in him (v. 20), read John 17:6–19 again but substitute your name for the words they, them and their. Read each phrase out loud if possible. Think about each statement. Let Jesus’ declarations motivate you to a walk of deeper commitment to him.

John 17:6–19 (ESV)

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

What Questions Do We Have About Prayer?

How long and how often should we pray?

…without ceasing

…for everything

Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16); incorporated into your spiritual journey.

Pray for everything (1 John 5:14)

Is there a posture of prayer? See The Battle Plan for Prayer, inspired by the War Room

Posture of Prayer

Emphasis on the heart

Bowing

Kneeling

Prostrate

Lifted Eyes

God’s clear emphasis is not on externals but on the heart. In biblical times, some religious leaders prayed standing…in synagogues and on street corners…to be seen.

Bowing - physical expression of honor and allegiance. Ps 5:7 “But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.”

Kneeling - Many other biblical references speak of dropping to our knees in prayer. Solomon’s monumental prayer at the dedication of the temple was given while he "knelt down in front of the entire congregation of Israel" (2 Chron. 6:13). Daniel, even at the risk of death for defying the king’s order against praying to anyone other than the king himself, continued kneeling three times a day at the open window of his home, "praying and giving thanks before his God" (Dan. 6:10). And one day, we’re told, "every knee will bow" before Christ—"in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10)—even those who refused to kneel before Him.

Jesus, agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane before His torture and death, "fell on His face and prayed" (Matt. 26:39). And when John later saw Him in His resurrected, glorified form — as described in the apostle’s Revelation on the island of Patmos — he admitted he "fell at His feet like a dead man," totally prostrate before the power of God (Rev. 1:17).

Lifted eyes - a common biblical expression was lifting the eyes toward heaven, like when Jesus "raised His eyes" before praying at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:41), or when "looking up to heaven" as He blessed the five loaves and two fish before multiplying them for the crowd of five thousand (Luke 9:16).

Why should we pray?

…God’s command

....the need

…God acts

1) God’s word commands us to pray, 2) the need for prayer is great and eternal things are at stake, and 3) God acts when we pray.

Practical ways to pray?

Use the Lord’s Prayer verbatim

Use the Lord’s Prayer as a frame

A.C.T.S. Prayer Model

Adoration

Confession

Thanksgiving

Supplication

F.A.D.E.S. - without these pairs, devotion to prayer F.A.D.E.S. - John Piper

F.A.D.E.S.

Free and Formed

Alone and Assembled

Desperate and Delightful

Explosive and Extensive

Spontaneous and Scheduled

F - Free and Formed: Free means to regularly pour out your soul to God, unscripted; Formed means to pray the Bible, lists of people and needs, books, use a structure for prayer. The Israelites groaned while they were oppressed and then God looked on them and became concerned about them.

A - Alone and Assembled: regularly pray alone and regularly pray in the assembly of other Christians.

D - Desperate and Delightful: Prayer is a place for meeting God with your deepest heartaches and fears and a place for meeting God with your highest joys and thanks. In fasting and feasting. Not either-or, but both-and.

E - Explosive and Extensive: short and long. Sometimes you can pray explosively, for a few seconds. Or you can linger for a long time in prayer to the Lord. If you love Christ and lean on Him for all things, you’d do both.

S - Spontaneous and Scheduled: throughout the day, pray without ceasing. Or be well disciplined with a schedule, having set times.

Are my prayers being heard and answered? How do we learn to accept the answer God provides when we don’t agree?

We must distinguish our will from God’s will. - when you’re praying for things, you have to have your ducks in order. God won’t put on us more than we can bear- handle. Do the right thing when you’re praying.

We must pray with the right motive.

God will give us the desires of our heart. Psalm 37:4 “4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”