Illustration: A little boy was saying his bedtime prayers with his mother:
"Lord, bless Mommy and Daddy, and God, GIVE ME A NEW BICYCLE!!!"
Mom: "God’s not deaf, son.
Boy: "I know, Mom, but Grandma’s in the next room, and she’s hard of hearing!
Read: Matthew 6: 5 -15
Introduction: This passage is often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. In reality, it is the Disciple’s Prayer. It was given to them as a pattern for them to follow when they prayed. Therefore, we could rightly call this prayer the Model Prayer. This prayer is often wrongly used, however. We are not to just mindlessly repeat it from rote memory, but we are to use it as a framework upon which we can build a prayer life that is offered to God, heard and answered by Him, and one that glorifies His Name. Jesus does not end the teaching on how to pray but proceeds beyond prayer going to a higher level i.e. Fasting. The teaching on prayer by Jesus is preceded and followed by giving to the needy in their time of need. This shows Christ’s concern for those who are poor. Prayer without caring for the needy has no meaning at all. This is guideline on how to pray to God, pray for His works, pray for our daily needs, pray for forgiveness and pray for help in our daily struggles.
I. HOW to Pray? (V5 – 8) - Some people, especially the religious leaders, wanted to be seen as “holy,” and public prayer was one way to get attention. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts, however, and taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communication with God. There is a place for public prayer, but to pray only where others will notice you indicates that your real audience is not God. Repeating the same words over and over like a magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer. It is not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests – Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But He condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart. We can never pray too much if our prayers are honest and sincere. Before we start to pray, make sure you mean what you say.
Illustration: (a) Muslims praying all over the Islamic World. (b) Hindus praying loudly in street temples in India.
II. (a) WHO to Pray? (V9 – 10) - praying to someone specific (not some unidentified force or ……… deception of Satan)
Father - Implies a relationship. The new birth is required for answered prayer - John 14:13.
Our - Speaks of the community of faith. Our prayer life should encompass the entire family of God. [Ill. Too often, we are guilty of selfish praying! Ill. Me and my needs first and only! - Philippians 2:4!]
(b) V9b WHERE? - Heaven! Speaks of God’s position as Sovereign. He is on Heaven’s throne and is worthy of our faith. He is an able God! Faithlessness has no place in our prayer lives - Hebrews 11:6; James 1:16-17; Romans 14:23. (Ill. We can pray on His promises - John 16:23; 1 John 5:14-15)
© V9c HOW? (2 things to remember as we come before His presence!)
Hallowed - Reminds us of His holiness. Pertains to HOLINESS (Khadosh) and PRAISE for it. God is a holy God and must be approached in fear and reverence! (Ill. Isaiah - Isaiah 6:5; Ill. Job - Job 40:4) To truly hallow His name means that we see Him as Lord over all. When His name is hallowed, we can never say, “No, Lord!” we can never say, “Not me Lord!” The only word that fits with Lord is “Yes, Lord!” To Hallow God, we simply ascribe to Him the honor and glory and majesty that is and has always been His. We become engaged in the praise of His Person - Ill. Verse 13.
Name - When we come before Him, we need to remember that our only access to God lies in that name which is above every name - Philippians 2:9-11; John 6:23. Jesus is our only access and road of approach to the Father - 2 Timothy 2:5. The writing of YAHWEH!
(d) V10 WHAT? - 2 Great ideals must be paramount in our minds as we approach God.
Thy Kingdom Come - (Ill. A truly Awesome concept.) This is a three-fold request:
a. A Request For Jesus To Return To The Earth - The word “kingdom” does not refer to a geographic location, but to dominion and sovereignty. When we pray “Thy Kingdom Come,” we are praying for Christ’s rule upon the earth. This coming Kingdom points ahead to the time when Jesus will rule and reign upon the earth in perfect glory, peace and righteousness - Ill. What a day!
b. This Is A Personal Request - We are literally praying for the Kingdom of God to be realized in our own lives. If you are saved, the Kingdom of God is in you - Luke 17:21. Simply put, when we pray this prayer, we are asking Jesus to have supreme rule in our lives. We will never be effective as saints of God until we are able to pray, “My kingdom go and Thy Kingdom come!” (Ill. This is the whole intent of Matthew 6:33!) (Ill. He must have the key to every room in our lives! That is, He not we must be in absolute control of our lives!)
c. This Is An Evangelistic Request - As we are yielded to God and He is ruling and reigning in our lives, we can play a part in bringing other to Him. You see, another way God’s Kingdom is brought to the earth is when a new soul is brought to Him through salvation. Another Temple is filled with the glory and presence of God. Therefore, when we pray for the lost, we are praying for God’s Kingdom to expand in the earth! We are to pray evangelistically - 1 Timothy 2:1-4! (Ill. Stephen - Acts 7:60!) When we pray as we ought, we a focused on seeking the Kingdom of Almighty God.
Thy Will Be Done - This is a cousin to the previous line, for when God’s Kingdom is realized in the world, His will will be done here as it is done in Heaven. This phrase is also telling us to place God’s will paramount in our lives. It is the prayer prayed in the will of God that receives the answer of God - 1 John 5:14-15. (Ill. His will in Heaven - Psalm 103:20-21!) Prayer never changes God’s mind, but it does hasten His activity in the world. Prayer moves Heaven in the earth! (Ill. Reasons for unanswered prayer - James 4:3) Ill The key is to be lost in His will!
III. WHAT to Ask (v11 - 13)
A. We Should Pray About Physical Needs - There is no sin and no shame in asking God to meet our physical needs. He has promised to supply them all - Philippians 4:19; Psalm 37:25; Matthew 7:7-11; Romans 8:32. (Ill. “This day,” We need to take today’s need to God, but leave tomorrow’s need until tomorrow. To worry over tomorrow is a sin - Matthew 6:33-34. God’s call is for us to rest in Him to today and trust Him totally for tomorrow as well.) (Ill. This portion of the text is encouraging us to look to God as the “giver” – Deuteronomy 8:18. We need to look to Him for those things we lack, He has what you need - Psalm 50:10; Romans 8:17. This implies that God alone is our sustainer. In Proverbs 30: 8 Agur asks God not to make him so rich that he would forget God neither poor that he would curse Him but just give him daily bread. The Israelites got Manna (angel food) and still were not satisfied. Complains one after another. Have we become like them? Spoilt and pampered – a little inconvenience makes us grumble and frustrated!
Illustration: F.B. Meyer preached in London, England, while Charles Spurgeon & G. Campbell Morgan were preaching there, too. They were all great preachers, but Spurgeon’s church & Morgan’s church were both bigger than Meyer’s church. And he admitted to being a bit envious of them. So he prayed, asking God to tell him what to do because he was jealous of them, & he didn’t want to be jealous. And somehow God instructed him to pray for both Spurgeon & Morgan, that their churches would prosper, & that more & more people would come to them. Well, Meyer said that he didn’t want to do that. But he thought that he had better obey the Lord. So he prayed diligently that Spurgeon’s church & Morgan’s church would grow & grow. He said, “Their churches grew so much in answer to my prayers, that they overflowed. And,” he said, “the overflow came to my church.”
B. We Should Pray About Our Spiritual Needs - More spiritual needs are mentioned here than physical ones. The reason? Our spiritual needs is greater by far than our physical needs. Notice some spiritual needs that we need to pray about.
1. Forgiveness For Self - Ill. “Debt” = something owed that must be paid back. It can be translated as “sin, trespass, shortcomings, resentments, what we owe to God, or anything we have done wrong.” We all need to seek God for the forgiveness of our personal sins - 1 John 1:8-10. (Ill. Even Paul admitted that he was imperfect - Philippians 3:12) When we spend more time in His presence, we become more aware of His holiness and our sinfulness. Someone has said, ‘The greater the saint, the greater the sense of sin and the awareness of sin within.” Forgiveness of ourselves shows that we were born in sin and are sinners through human conception. Only God can forgive our sinfulness and make us whole.
2. Forgiveness Of Others - An unforgiving spirit will totally destroy one’s prayer life. (Ill. What a man said the John Wesley.) Society exalts vengeance over forgiveness, but society is wrong! Unforgiveness will eat you alive spiritually, filling you with bitterness, anger, rage, anxiety, depression, etc. Paul calls it a “root of bitterness,” Hebrews 12:15. (Ill. The way of a root!) There are three great reasons why we should practice the forgiveness of others.
a. You Are Never More Like God Than When You Forgive - What kind of God do we serve? He is loving, gracious, kind and forgiving! When we forgive others, we are exercising true godliness, Ephesians 4:32. Illustration: Verse 10 - What is being done in Heaven? Worship, Exaltation of Jesus, Forgiveness of sin! You are literally bringing Heaven to earth when you forgive a brother in Christ - Matthew 18:18!
b. It Is Only Reasonable That Those Who Are Forgiven Forgive - (Ill. Matthew 18:21-35) He has forgiven us a massive debt; we can surely forgive our brother a much smaller one!
c. Failure To Forgive Results In Chastening - (Ill. Matthew 18:31-35) When we choose not to forgive, we will be tortured by bitterness, resentment, and loss of fellowship with God. In fact, when we refuse to forgive, we are usurping the place and power of God Himself - Romans 12:19-21. We are playing God and none of us is qualified for that job.
Illustration: People having physical and emotional problems – where does it all stem from? Our heart! Bitterness, hatred, unforgiveness and you name them. Once the heart issues are taken care of, the physical healthiness just falls in place. The physical condition is very much related to the heart condition. They need deliverance!
Because when our heart condition is not right we easily yield and fall prey to Satan’s deception.
3. To Be Delivered From Trials (not temptation) - Ill. Everyone is tempted, but God tempts no one - James 1:13. Our prayer should be that God will direct our paths so that we may avoid the places of temptation, Psalm 37:23. This is a prayer to maintain close fellowship lest we be tempted - James 1:14. God doesn’t lead us into temptation but sometimes allows us to be tested or even sifted like Job but does not allow us to bear more than what we really can (1 Corinthians 10: 13).
4. To Be Delivered From the Evil one - Literally, this is a prayer for help in avoiding sin, 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is a plea for God to change us, hedge us, keep us, and walk with us that we might be sheltered from the power of the Evil One! This is help to avoid the pitfalls of sin!
IV. WHAT else? OUR PRAYERS SHOULD INCLUDE PRAISE
A. For His Sovereignty - He is to be praised for the King He is. He deserves to be glorified.
B. For His Power - He is to be praised for His abilities and for the times in which He has demonstrated His power in our lives!
C. For His Glory - He demands and deserves all the glory in every situation in life. He should be glorified on earth as He is in Heaven!
Conclusion: "Dear God, please take care of my daddy and my mommy and my sister and my brother and my doggy and me. Oh, please take care of yourself, God. If anything happens to you, we’re gonna be in a big mess."
