Lord, Teach Me To Pray: Ask Series

Title: Lord, Teach Us To Pray – Ask

Theme: To show the importance of asking God in our prayers.

Text: Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:5 – 15

Note: Commentary Notes from Preacher’s Sermon and Outline Bible on Matthew chapter 6.

Two Ideas for Acronyms for PRAY

P - Praise, R - Repentance, A - Ask, Y - Yield

P - Praise, R- Request, A - Accept (God's forgiveness, release), Y - Yield

Opening Scripture:

Matthew 6:5-15 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. [29] (7) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8) Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (9) In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. [30] (14) "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

When the believer prays through the Lord's prayer, he finds he has covered the scope of what God wants him to pray.

Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Matthew I.

Review

So far we have looked at:

Praise – “Our Father, who are in Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name. You kingdom come, your will be done”

Repentance – “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

Third part (or second whichever you like, they are interchangeable in the order).

A – Ask

Three request

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors – covered last week

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

(6:11) Bread: bread is the basic necessity of life, the symbol of all that is necessary for survival and for a full life. There is much meaning in this simple request.

1. "Give us...our bread." The words our and us overcome selfishness and show concern for others. Any person who goes to bed hungry should be of concern to the believer.

2. "This day." This eliminates worry and anxiety about tomorrow and the distant future. It also teaches and helps us to trust God day by day. "The just shall live by faith...." day by day.

3. "Our daily bread." Every believer has a portion of daily bread which is his. He does not ask for someone else's bread but for his own. He seeks and works for his own bread; he does not think of stealing or of eating from another man's table (2 Thes. 3:10).

It is important as Christians that we find that place (vehicle) in which we invest into helping others. Our church does this. We do this in finding ministries in our community that we can invest into helping others.

4. "Give us...bread." We ask for the necessities, not the desserts of this world.

5. "Give us...bread." The believer confesses his inadequacy and dependency upon God. He is dependent upon God even for the basics of life.

6. "Give...this day our daily bread." This teaches the believer to come to God daily in prayer and trust Him to meet his needs.

Thought 2. God cares for man and his welfare.

1) Physically (Matthew 6:11; Matthew 6:25-34).

Matthew 6:24-34 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (25) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (26) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (28) So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; (29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31) Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.