Learning From The Prayers Of Jesus - Part 1 Series

Matthew 6:9-13

I. THE PRAYERS OF JESUS HELP US UNDERSTAND HIM BETTER.

A. We can learn about His life by examining His prayers.

1. We learn about His personality (His Nature)

2. We learn about what matters most to Him (His Heart)

3. We learn why He came to the earth (His Purpose)

4. We learn what He wants to achieve (His Vision)

5. We learn how He want to do this (His Mission)

B. Several themes are apparent in Jesus’ prayers.

1. Giving of thanks to the Father

2. Communion with the Father

3. Submission to the Father

C. Jesus prayed a lot!

1. He had personal times of prayer (drew Himself away, forty days in the wilderness, the Mount of Olives)

2. He prayed in front of multitudes (Feeding of the 4000, 5000, on the Cross)

3. He prayed in good times and bad

4. Jesus modeled effective prayer

II. JESUS TAUGHT PRAYER (MATTHEW 6:9-13)

A. The “Lord’s Prayer” was really a teaching that Jesus gave to the disciples to teach them prayer. Let’s look at the breakdown of this prayer.

1. Our Father

a) Not just God but… “Our” Father God (Ownership - Jesus was stressing the family relationship and the benefits thereof)

2. Who art in heaven

a) The one who resides above all and the Scriptures teach that He is in all who call upon His name - The Omniscient God)

3. Hallowed be Thy name.

a) The word “hallowed” means to render or pronounce holy.

b) According to commentator Albert Barnes this phrase means “Let thy name be celebrated, venerated, and esteemed as holy everywhere, and receive from all people proper honor.” (I have learned that Honor Brings Favor)

4. Thy Kingdom come. (period) Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

a) Thy Kingdom Come - May your systems and ways of doing things come to the earth

(1) God we want to do things Your way!

(2) The full realization of this will be realized during the Millennial Reign of Christ

b) Thy will be done in earth… (not necessarily on earth)

(1) To be “on” is different than being “in”

(a) Being “on” speaks of influence

(b) Being “in” speaks of the dna or the make up of a thing

(2) Our prayer should be, “God I want your heavenly will in the earth in such a way that it becomes more than an influence but an integral part of who we are.”

5. Give us this day our daily bread

a) Notice the divine order here. (We put God’s interests first and that positions us to then ask for ourselves)

(1) This is the Law of First fruits

(a) We come to Church on Sunday morning because it is the first morning of the first day of the week! It’s like a tithe of our time. (The first fruits of our week)

6. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

a) Once again, God’s Word has a lot to say about forgiveness (see v. 14,15)

7. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…

a) This is a cry for God to give us strength in the times of temptation

8. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

a) Doxology (not found in original manuscripts but fitting none-the-less)

III. THE A.C.T.S ACRONYM OF PRAYER

A. Adoration - Praise & Worship

B. Confession - Confessing God’s Word

C. Thanksgiving - Being thankful is emphasized repeatedly in Scripture for prayer

D. Supplication - Let our requests be made known unto God (Phil 4:6)

CONCLUSION:

• Next week we will begin talking about some of the prayers that Jesus prayed.

• Jesus had regular times of prayer but He also prayed on special occasions.

THERE IS MUCH TO BE LEARNED FROM THE PRAYERS OF JESUS!