PRAYER: THE EXAMPLE

Luke 6:12

PRAYER: THE OFFER

Matthew 7:7-8

PRAYER: THE ABUSE

II Chronicles 16:12-13

LORD TEACH US TO PRAY!

John 16:23b

Matthew 6:5-8

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Matthew 6:9-13

Corporate Prayer

Matthew 18:19

PRAYER VARIABLES

James 1:6-7

Isaiah 59:1-2

James 4:2c

I John 5:14-15

PRAYER: AN ONGOING PART OF OUT CHRISTIAN LIFE

I Thessalonians 5:17

I Timothy 4:4-5

Matthew 18:19

1. Can anyone pray to God at any time?

2. God honors prayers which we make up on the spot more readily than prayers which are read out of a book?

3. God is only aware of what we need or want when we ask Him?

PRAYER: THE EXAMPLE

Luke 6:12

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

If Jesus, who was the perfect Son of God, found it necessary on occasion to pray all night, how much more do Christians, who are sinners, have a need to diligently pray.

PRAYER: THE OFFER

Matthew 7:7-8

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. {8} "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

God binds Himself with promises to answer the prayers of His children. Prayer is the vehicle by which we have access to the omnipotence of God.

PRAYER: THE ABUSE

II Chronicles 16:12-13

In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. {13} So Asa slept with his fathers, having died in the forty-first year of his reign.

While the foot disease eventually killed him, the real reason Asa died was because he did not seek the Lord in prayer.

Question? Does this mean we shouldn't go to the doctor when we are sick?

No! It means we should go to God in prayer first.

LORD TEACH US TO PRAY!

John 16:23b

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.

All prayer is to be offered in the name of Jesus.

When a person is a believer the blood of Jesus covers everything he does. Should a person not pray in Jesus' name the prayer is not nullified since the Christian wears Jesus' name and his whole life is being lived in Jesus' name. Thus, even the Christian's praying of the Lord's prayer is being done in Jesus' name.

Matthew 6:5-8

"When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. {6} "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. {7} "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. {8} "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Question? What three prayer problems are identified in this passage?

1. Prayer for show. (vs. 5)

2. Vain repetition. (vs. 7a)

3. Wordy prayers. (vs. 7b)

Jesus is not condemning all public prayer in this passage. He is only condemning public prayer prayed for show. Public prayer is God pleasing when one's motives are pure. It is not out of line to pray before a meal in a restaurant, as long as it is done humbly.

What about form prayers such as "Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let this food to us be blessed" or "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord...?"

Prayers like these are not wrong in and of themselves, however, praying them "thoughtfully" every day is very difficult. More often than not they become vain repetition.

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Matthew 6:9-13

{9} "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is 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 do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'

The Lord's Prayer beautifully illustrates many prayer petitions that can and should be a regular part of our prayers.

"Our Father who art in heaven."

With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.

"Hallowed be Thy name."

God's name is certainly holy in itself, but we pray in this petition that it may be kept holy among us also.

God's name is kept holy when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and we, as the children of God, also lead holy lives according to it. Help us to do this, dear Father in heaven! But anyone who teaches or lives contrary to God's Word profanes the name of God among us. Protect us from this, heavenly Father!

"Thy kingdom come."

The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.

God's will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God's name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.

"Give us this day our daily bread."

God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

"And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace for we daily sin much and surely deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.

"Lead us not into temptation."

God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

"But deliver us from evil."

We pray in this petition, in summary that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.

"For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen."

This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means "yes, yes, it shall be so."

The story is told how Luther once bet a man a cow that he could not pray the Lord's prayer without his mind wandering. The man prayed and at the prayer's end Luther asked, "Well, did your mind wander?" The reply returned, "Yes, the whole time I was praying I was thinking about what I would do with the cow you were about to give me." If people really prayed the Lord's prayer from the heart their lives would be different; they would be evangelistically oriented, content with one day's provisions, quick to forgive, etc.

Corporate Prayer

Matthew 18:19

Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Before praying petitioners should decide upon the prayer petitions and if the petitions are within the boundaries of God's will.

Question? When might such prayer occur?

1. It might occur when Christian friends are fellowshipping.

2. It might occur in a church gathering.

3. It might occur within a family.

4. Others?

PRAYER VARIABLES

James 1:6-7 Condition: DOUBT

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. {7} For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

"God, if there is a God, help me, if You can. Amen."

Isaiah 59:1-2 Condition: OUTSTANDING SIN

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so 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.

This would include willful sinners and every area of life where unattended sins might reside.

James 4:2c Condition: PRAYER ABSTINENCE

. . . You do not have because you do not ask.

We have not because we pray not.

I John 5:14-15 Condition: PRAYING OUTSIDE GOD'S WILL

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. {15} And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Just as Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but Thine be done," the Christians prays with the same attitude, knowing that some things are within the boundaries of God's will for us and some aren't.

PRAYER: AN ONGOING PART OF OUT CHRISTIAN LIFE

I Thessalonians 5:17

pray without ceasing;

I Timothy 4:4-5

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; {5} for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

Matthew 18:19

Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Our whole life is to be one prayer from beginning to end.