"How To Pray"

"How to Pray" - Part 2

Text: Mt. 6:9-13 and Selected

Cross Creek Community Church

Pastor Dave Martin - April 14, 2002

www.crosscreekcc.org

God’s Word is Powerful, Relevant, and Life Changing!

Two men were talking together. The first challenged the other, "If you are so religious, let’s hear you quote the Lord’s Prayer. I bet you $10 you can’t."

The second responded, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."

The first man pulled out his wallet and fished out a ten dollar bill, muttering, "I didn’t think you could do it!"

Source unknown

Remembering the message from last week. We learned about our supreme example of Jesus. We learned that prayer is communication with God and in order to communicate we need a personal relationship with Him. We also learned to pray in sincere humility, not being proud like the Pharisee’s. We learned prayer takes time and effort, it’s hard work and also to pray in secret. Lastly we saw the tremendous benefits to prayer. Today we’re going to actually look at the model prayer Jesus taught His disciples when they asked Him in Luke 11:1. "Lord, teach us to pray".

Matthew 6:9-13

"This, then, is how you should pray: " ’Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen."

* Is it possible to be a Christian for 25 years and still struggle with prayer?

* Is there a "right way" or "wrong way" to pray?

* You may be a Christian yet are fearful to come out Wednesday evenings to pray.

* Do you truly desire to learn to pray correctly?

Answering the disciple’s question, "Lord, Teach us to pray". Jesus gave the "Lord’s Prayer" as a model to use. We should learn to pattern our prayers the way Jesus taught.

* Please notice Verse 9 where Jesus says, "This is HOW you should pray" Not this is WHAT you pray.

* This is important in light of the fact many religions in our society teach their people to pray this prayer over and over again by rote. Jesus said in verse 7 not to use vain repetitions as the unsaved does.

* Would you personally like to see your life change, both spiritually and physically?

* I ask you this morning to yield yourself to learning how to pray.

* Do not let Satan rob you of this valuable privilege of prayer.

This morning let’s look at six key truths in learning to pray.

Six key truths in learning to pray...

1. Worship and ADORATION of God. Vs 9-10

"This, then, is how you should pray: " ’Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

* True prayer starts with worshipping God. It’s expressing my love to Him.

* Last week I mentioned waiting upon God in silence as we come before Him, This is a time of preparation, of preparing my heart to come before my Creator.

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

* This is critically important, it gets our attention off ourselves, off our problems, off our distractions and gets us focusing upon our God. In reverence and awe for who He is.

* A proper adoration and worship causes our attitudes to change.

Rev. 15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

* God alone is the one we worship and adore. Be worshipping now because for all eternity you’ll be serving and worshipping Him.

* Our Father in HEAVEN. Hallowed. Your Kingdom come!

Psalm 96:9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

* As we begin our prayer time, come before Him in worship and adoration for who God is. Omnipotent, omnipresent, and an all-knowing God. He is Jehovah God, there is no other.

* When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do;

* When we rely upon education, we get what education can do;

* When we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do, and so on.

* When we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.