Lord, Teach Us To Pray - Part 1 Series

Lord, Teach Us to Pray - Part 1

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 6:9-13

Sermon by: Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - September 10, 2017

(Revised March 4, 2021)

BACKGROUND:

*Anyone who studies the Bible will find that it contains many prayers. The Dake Annotated Reference Bible lists 222 different prayers in the Bible: 176 prayers in the Old Testament and 46 in the New. (1)

*God put a multitude of prayers in His Holy Word. Why did He do that? One reason why is to show us that God wants us to pray. He also wants to show us that prayer is essential for a healthy relationship with Him, and He wants to show us the miraculous power of prayer. But God also uses the prayers we see in the Bible to teach us how to pray, and tonight we will start looking at one of the best-known prayers of all. So, please open your Bibles to Matthew 6:9, as we begin to study the Lord's Prayer.

MESSAGE:

*Down through the centuries, the Lord's Prayer has touched millions of lives, and Todd Beamer was one of those people. You might remember that Todd was one of the heroes on United Airlines Flight 93 during the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001. Flight 93 was one of the four planes hijacked on that terrible day. The Islamic terrorists on Todd's flight were headed for the White House or the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. But a group of brave passengers stormed the pilot compartment and foiled the terrorists' plan. Tragically, all lives were lost when the plane went down in the Pennsylvania countryside.

*After passengers were first herded to the back of the jet, Todd Beamer called the GTE Customer Center in Oakbrook, Illinois. He told supervisor Lisa Jefferson about the hijacking. Todd also told her that they were planning to jump the terrorists. And then he asked Lisa to pray with him.

*Todd said, "I don't think we're going to get out of this thing. I'm going to have to go out on faith." Todd began to pray, and another passenger named Jefferson joined him: "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. . ." As they finished the Lord's Prayer, Todd added 3 words: "Jesus, help me." (2)

*The Lord's Prayer was a great source of help for Todd Beamer in the worst possible circumstances. Millions more could tell how this prayer has blessed their lives. And tonight, the Lord's Prayer can bless our lives too, because it is a model for us. In this prayer, Jesus helps us learn how to pray.

1. FIRST: JESUS REMINDS US TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS FATHER IS OUR FATHER.

*In vs. 9, Jesus said to pray this way: "Our Father in heaven." Not everybody can say that. Not everybody can say that God is their Father. Jesus made this truth clear in John 8:44.

*There the Lord was speaking to some people who had rejected Him, and Jesus told them: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (3)

*The only way to become a child of the Heavenly Father is to receive His Son, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That's why in John 14:6, Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." And when we trust in Jesus, then His Heavenly Father becomes our Father too. Only then can we truly pray to God and say, "Our Father Who is in Heaven."

[1] AND IF GOD IS OUR FATHER, WE HAVE A FATHER WHO LOOKS OUT FOR US.

*Through Jesus Christ, we get a kind and loving Heavenly Father, Who provides for us, watches over us, corrects us, and protects us.

*Remember what Jesus said about fathers in Matthew 7:9-11. There, the Lord started with questions and said, "What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

*Think about any decent dad you know. If his son asked for bread, would Dad give him a stone? If his son asked for a fish, would Dad give him a snake? No! Godly dads want the best for their children, and that is exactly what our Heavenly Father wants for us.