Acknowledge God's Person Series

Acknowledge God’s Person

Series: The Blueprint for Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13

Introduction

More good is accomplished in ten minutes of genuine prayer than in ten hours of our human labors because when we work, it is just our efforts but when we pray God works. The primary role of prayer in the life of the Christian cannot be understated, nor can it be understated in the life of the church.

9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " `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 today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’

The Lord’s Prayer is a model for how we should pray not just a series of words that we memorize and repeat. Jesus gets to the heart of the matter regarding the issue of prayer and tells us that this is how we should pray. But what exactly does Jesus mean here and how does this effect the way that we should pray?

Jesus really has two issues with the disciples here. The first is the matter of motivation. In other words, it is an issue of being sincere and genuine from the heart. Why should God answer any of our prayers if they aren’t genuine and from our heart? The second issue is the method. Jesus gives the a model for them to follow and way that they should pray. Jesus is literally giving the disciples the reason why they should pray and what they should pray for. If Jesus thought that this was important enough for the disciples to apply to their lives, shouldn’t we apply it to our lives?

Jesus has set His blueprint for prayer and we should put it to use in our own lives, not as some form prayer that we recite but rather as a form for praying. Jesus lays out His blueprint with a series of three acknowledgments and three petitions. Jesus gives acknowledgement to the person, position and power of God and then calls us to petition God for His provision, pardon and protection.

I. God wants to be your Father

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name

The moment that you accepted Jesus as the Savior of your life and made Him the Lord of your life, something amazing happened. You were not only saved from the destruction and death that are caused by sin but we were also brought into the family of God. You see on the merit and work of Christ, you have been adopted into His divine family.

The simple fact is that there are only two families living on this planet; the family of God and the family of the world. Either you are a part of the family of God or you are a part of the family of Satan. You either follow the Father of love and light or you follow the father of lies. The point is this: the choice is yours. God wants to bring you into His family and will accept you with open arms. God wants to make you His child and care for you like a Father but He will never force you to do it. God wants you to make the choice to follow Him. The simple reality is this: if you do not have a saving relationship with Jesus, you will never be able to call God your Father.

When God is your Father it settles a number of issues in your life.

1. There is an end of fear: God loves you without question and without condition. There is no longer a need to live in fear of life and what life brings.

2. There is an end of hopelessness: God gives us a point of certainty in the midst of the uncertain situations of life. He is our source of strength and stability when the world around us is unstable.

3. There is an end of loneliness: God has given you a precious promise that He will never leave you or forsake you. So even if everyone rejects you or abandons you, you will never be alone.

4. There should be an end to selfishness: God makes us His children and we need to remember that our goal is no longer to do what is best for ourselves. Instead, we are to focus on what is best for the rest of the body.

5. There is an end to need: God is over all things and there is nothing beyond His ability to accomplish. The limitless resources that are at His disposal are now at the disposal of His children