THE PATTERN OF PRAYER
( The Pattern of Prayer Part 3 - June 28, 2020)
Series Big Idea: "The Lord’s Prayer if THE model for our communication with God"
Sermon Big Idea: "Jesus models the five components of our communication with the Father"
Key Scripture (Matthew 6:9-13)
Today I want to finish the message series we have been in the last several weeks. A series of sermons on the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples in Matthew 6. Remember, Jesus gave His disciples an idea of how to pray. He didn’t say you must pray these exact words, but He gave them a pattern for prayer. Let’s read Matthew 6:9-13.
Matthew 6:9–13 (KJV 1900): 9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Let's discuss the last three components of prayer we find in the model prayer in Matthew 6.
Five Key Components to Prayer Part 3
Request
When we think about prayer we typically think about this word. Rightly so. In the model prayer of Jesus He invited us to ask Him. "Give us this day our daily bread." (v 11). So, this is where we get into the petition of the request. We not only need to ask but to keep on asking. Our asking must be daily. This verse is the only time that the word "daily" is used in the NT. The Greek translation is trying to get our attention because when two words are next to each other it is saying something more forcefully. He is trying to get our attention. Give us "today" our "daily" bread.
This was Jesus Sermon on the Mount and most of the people there listening would have been Jewish. So, think about what God had provided His people "Israel" in the wilderness in the OT. Mana. The secret to mana was that it was provided by God each morning to Israel. God specifically asked them not to store up any mana for the next morning because the extra would spoil or rot if they did. An important lesson because they needed to learn that God was going to provide for them every single day.
Human temptation is to hoard things up because we are not really sure God is going to provide for tomorrow. People say, "I will get mine." But to trust God means to give me "today" my daily bread. So why does prayer need to be persistent and repetitive? Because we need to release every day the things we are tempted to take back. We also need the strength and provisions that God provides every single day. But I know that sometimes to some of us it seems that we have used up our "bread" early in the morning and we feel we need the next day's bread now. In a future sermon I want to help you with a sermon on answered and unanswered prayer.
Repentance
The next component of prayer is repentance. I am giving God my guilt. "Forgive us our debts" (v 12). We may have to forgive someone who has hurt us. We can come and bring our guilt to God. We can come and forgive others. An issue that often hinders us in our prayers and makes praying more difficult is when we are praying for God to release us but we will not release other people. It has been said that unforgiveness is you drinking a vial of poison and you wait on the other person to die. The only person we are hurting is ourselves. My friends this is why the whole issue of forgiveness is so important.
Conclusion:
Realignment
The last of these components of prayer is realignment. This is when we give God our battles. Jesus said in verse 13 "lead us not into temptation." When we are praising God and focusing on Him and we are releasing to Him, bringing to Him our desire, feasting off the daily bread that He provides, this is just aligning my life with God.
But here is what usually happens. I get up from my prayers and the enemy is there to knock me back down. My friends, Jesus knows this. Think about it this way. You are driving down the road and you hit one of our famous potholes in the road. Not only does it rattle your bones but it also could knock your wheels out of alignment. When this happens, your car will want to go its own way to the left or the right. The same happens in our lives. When we face certain circumstances or situations in our life that rock our world, we are tempted to go back to what we want. We are tempted to go back to our selfish desires. Our prayer should be like this one of Jesus. Lord help me to be aligned to what You have planned for my life and deliver me from evil.
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideals for this message, are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord/Roy B. Zuck
The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge by Jerome H. Smith
Water, Mark, ed. Encyclopedia of Bible Facts. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.
NIV, Archaeological Study Bible, eBook: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Duane Garrett, and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.
NIV, First-Century Study Bible, eBook: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context
Zondervan, Kent Dobson, and Ed Dobson
Hughes, Robert B. and J. Carl Laney. Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. Revised edition of New Bible Companion.
Morris, Leon. The Gospel according to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. Print. The Pillar New Testament Commentary.
Brown, Jeannine K. Matthew. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2015. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.
Blomberg, Craig L. Volume 22: Matthew. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1992. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Easton, Matthew George. Illustrated Bible Dictionary: And Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature. London: T. Nelson and Sons, 1897. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Phillips, John. Exploring the Gospel of Matthew: An Expository Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2005. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Matthew. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, Tony Merida. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2013. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Weber, Stuart. Matthew. Edited by Max Anders. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2000. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Wilkins, Michael. Matthew: From biblical text...to contemporary life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
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