Praying Like Jesus Series

Matthew 6:5-13 KJV

5 And when thou prayest , thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you , They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest , enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly .

7 But when ye pray , use not vain repetitions , as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done in 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 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Introduction:

The Disciples overheard Jesus praying one day

And they came to Him, with a simple request

“Teach us to pray”

Jesus began by saying, “When you pray…” Matthew 6:5

He simply assumed the disciples would have a regular time

For prayer

That’s a big assumption to make about people

Most people say that they just don’t have time for daily prayer

If you want to develop an area of your life

Regular time must be given to it

Olympics Practice: Daily regimen. Eating. Weight Training. Practice

All goes into

People who are serious about something always make room for it

Make room for the things of God

For prayer and His Word

Shut out everything else & make His Kingdom priority in your life

1. Get Free From Distraction

The first thing we see about Praying like Jesus is

He would get free from distraction

He would go up into the mountain

He would go out into the desert / wilderness

He would go into a Garden

Shows me that when Jesus wanted to pray

He would get away by Himself

When you pray, go into a spare bedroom and shut the door

Find a closet, an empty office, workshop, garage

Go for a walk

Somewhere you can get free from distraction

And get along with God

That’s where you can pray most effectively

Why is this?

All kinds of interruptions can derail you

Ringing phone, music, people, dogs, errands, duties, to do’s

God knows our humanity better than us

And if we are to pray like Him, the first thing He understood was

In our humanity, we will lose out to distractions

So get away from it all

And get alone with God

2. Pray Sincerely: Mean What We Say

Not only did Jesus tell them to pray in secret

But He also told them to pray sincerely

“Don’t use vain repetitions”

“Do not keep on babbling”

Be careful of meaningless repetition, it has no point

Its very easy to begin using sanctified jargon

Certain phrases sound so appropriate, so spiritual & holy

I can recall being a kind in prayer meetings

I would hear the adults pacing and

Praying in King James English

I thought that’s what I had to do

Sometimes we pray things that are just babble

Dear Lord, go with me on this trip

At first, that sounds reasonable

But why do we ask what He’s already doing?

Surely I am with you, even to the end of the World

I will never leave you, nor forsake you

His name means, Emmanuel, God with us

We should pray, let me be aware of you presence

Let me have faith that you’re going before me

Bless our efforts…

That’s how we should pray!

2. Pray Sincerely: Pray From the Heart

God doesn’t want us to pile up impressive phrases

He doesn’t want us to just pile up impressive words w/no meaning

Illustration: 5,000 Word College Paper

He wants us to pray, simply talk to Him as a Friend, a Father

Authentically, reverently, personally, honestly

Pastor I knew as a teenager, he would pray:

Father, I thank you for being alive today

We enjoy this time together here

Eating good food and having fun together

I know you’re here with us and we’re glad for that

I want to say in front of my friends that I thank you for everything

You’ve done and blessed us with

And I’d do anything to serve you…

He’d go on talking like that for 2-3 minutes