OPEN: (a deep voiced man was positioned in a side room with microphone and monitor. This opening illustration goes on for a couple of pages but worked well to set up the rest of the sermon)
"Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
(look up and around suspiciously then bow and say) "Our Father who art in heaven..."
"YES?"
“Who is that!?”
“GOD”
"God???? (pause) Oh… sorry. You startled me!"
"BUT YOU CALLED ME."
"Called you? I was just praying."
"WELL, HERE I AM, WHY DID YOU CALL?"
"I didn’t mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayer for the day."
"GOOD, GO RIGHT ON."
"Hallowed be thy name..."
"WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
"By what?"
"BY ’HALLOWED BE THY NAME.’"
"It means... it means... I don’t know what it means. It’s just part of the prayer. What does it mean?"
"IT MEANS ’HONORED, HOLY, WONDERFUL.’"
"Ok. Thank you Lord. "thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’"
"DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?
"Sure, why not?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?"
"Doing? Not much, I guess. I just think it would be great if you got control of everything down here, like you have up there."
"HAVE I GOT CONTROL OF YOU?"
"¬Well, I go to church 2 to 3 times a week."
"THAT’S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT ABOUT THOSE BAD HABITS OF YOURS THAT YOU KNOW ARE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH MY WILL IN YOUR LIFE?"
"But Lord, I’m just as good as most of the people in the church!"
"EXCUSE ME. I THOUGHT YOU WERE PRAYING FOR MY WILL TO BE DONE. IF THAT IS TO HAPPEN, IT WILL HAVE TO START WITH THE ONES WHO ARE PRAYING FOR IT. LIKE YOU, FOR EXAMPLE."
"Oh, all right... I guess I do have some hang-ups... now that you mention it.
"GOOD. NOW WE’RE GETTING SOMEWHERE. WE’LL WORK TOGETHER, YOU AND I. SOME TREMENDOUS VICTORIES CAN BE WON. I’M PROUD OF YOU."
"Look Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than it usually does. ’Give us this day our daily bread...’"
"YOU NEED TO CUT OUT THE BREAD. YOU’RE OVERWEIGHT AS IT IS."
"Hey, what is this, pick-on-me day?"
"PRAYING IS A DANGEROUS THING. YOU COULD WIND UP CHANGED YOU KNOW. THAT’S WHAT I’M TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO YOU. YOU CALLED ME, AND HERE I AM. IT’S TOO LATE TO STOP NOW... KEEP ON PRAYING. I’M INTERESTED IN THE NEXT PART OF YOUR PRAYER... WELL, GO ON."
(pause…) "I’m afraid."
"AFRAID? OF WHAT?"
"I know what you’ll say."
"TRY ME AND SEE."
"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors..."
"WHAT ABOUT-----?"
"See, I knew it! I knew you would bring them up! Why, Lord, you know the lies that have been told about me, and they continue until this very day. I have lost friends" because of them not to mention what has been done to my reputation. I know it was wrong to swear to get even with them, but ..."
"FORGIVE THEM. THEN I WILL FORGIVE YOU. THEN THE HATE AND SIN WILL BE ----’S PROBLEM AND NOT YOURS. YOU WILL HAVE SETTLED THE MATTER IN YOUR HEART AND BEFORE MY THRONE."
"But Lord, I can’t forgive ----."
"THEN, I CAN’T FORGIVE YOU."
"Oh, you’re right. You always are. And more than I want revenge on ----, I want to be right with you. Alright, alright, I forgive ----. I want to walk the right road in life. I’m tired of always feeling miserable. Now that I think about it, no one can cause me to feel miserable without my permission. But, please help me Lord, to let my actions do the talking in showing forgiveness. I’m REALLY going to need your help, your grace and you Spirit."
"THERE NOW! WONDERFUL! HOW DO YOU FEEL?"
"Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty good! You know, I don’t think I’ll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time in a long time. Maybe I won’t be so tired from now on because I’m not getting enough rest."
"YOU’RE NOT THROUGH WITH YOUR PRAYER. GO ON."
"Oh! Alright. ’And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
"GOOD! GOOD! I’LL DO THAT. JUST DON’T PUT YOURSELF IN A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE TEMPTED."
"I don’t understand."
"SURE YOU DO. YOU HAVE DONE IT A LOT OF TIMES. YOU GET CAUGHT IN A BAD SITUATION. YOU GET INTO TROUBLE AND THEN YOU COME RUNNING TO ME, ’LORD, HELP ME OUT OF THIS MESS, AND I PROMISE YOU I’LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN.’ YOU REMEMBER SOME OF THOSE BARGAINS YOU TRIED TO MAKE WITH ME, DON’T YOU?"
"Yes, and good grief, I’m ashamed, Lord, I really am."
"WHICH BARGAIN ARE YOU REMEMBERING?"
"Oh, come on, Lord... give me a break! I’m sorry, Lord. I really am."
"GO AHEAD AND FINISH YOUR PRAYER."
"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and Glory, forever and ever."
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BRING ME GLORY? WHAT WOULD REALLY MAKE ME HAPPY?"
"No, but I’d like to know. I want to please you. I can see what a real mess I’ve made out of my life. And I can see how great it would really be if I was truly one of your followers."
"YOU JUST ANSWERED MY QUESTION."
"I did?"
"YES. THE THING THAT WOULD REALLY BRING ME GLORY IS TO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU TRULY LOVE ME. AND I SEE THAT HAPPENING BETWEEN US, NOW THAT SOME OF THOSE OLD SINFUL ATTITUDES ARE EXPOSED AND OUT OF THE WAY... WELL, THERE’S NO TELLING WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER."
"Lord, let’s see what we can make of me, OK?"
"YES, LET’S JUST SEE."
"Amen"
That version - of what is called the Lord’s Prayer - occurs in Matthew 6 as part of the Sermon on the Mount. But in Luke 11 we’re given a slightly shorter version (it’s about a third shorter) that Jesus taught His disciples at a different time.
In Luke 11, His disciples ask Him to teach them to pray.
They’re asking Him for a formula.
They’re asking Him “How can we pray so that God will listen to us like He listens to You?”
They know that prayer is supposed to do something.
It’s supposed to have power.
It’s actually accomplish something…
They’re just not so sure they know how to go about it
How should I pray?
What’s the formula?
How can I be effective in my prayer life?
So they asked Jesus – “teach us to pray”
And then Jesus teaches them what we call the “Lord’s Prayer”
The Lord’s Prayer has been beloved by Christians for ages.
We memorize it.
We sing songs about it
We repeat it – reverently
And well we should – these are the words of Jesus
ILLUS: At my home church we repeated that prayer every Sunday.
We knew it by heart.
In fact I bet most of you know it by heart
So why don’t we repeat together right now: (Our Father…)
That’s great stuff.
But did Jesus mean we should repeat His words in order to pray?
(pause) No…
I mean there’s nothing wrong with that, if you makes you happy - but Jesus warned His disciples against “vain repetitions”
“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Matthew 6:7 KJV
Being repetitious in prayer appeals to a lot of people.
There’s something about saying the same thing over and over again in prayer that makes people believe it helps their prayers more holy and reverent.
ILLUS: I’ve had a couple of people tell me that they admire the Muslims because of how much prayer they do. Muslims pray 3 times a day. And my friends noted: “You know those folks pray more than most of us do!”
So I’ll ask them: “Do you know WHAT they say when they pray?”
Often times they won’t.
Then I’ll point out the Islamic worshipers do pray 3 times a day… but it’s always the same prayers. Over and over and over again. It would be like us praying the Lord’s Prayer (and nothing else) day after day after day.
The Catholic church does something similar when they tell their people to say so many “Hail Marys” and “Our Fathers”. Repetition seems a righteous thing to do.
Charismatics will often repeat “O GOD” or “O LORD” over and over again throughout their prayers hoping to communicate their urgency and devotion to Him as they build their prayers to the point of intensity.
There is something about repetition that makes people believe God will pay more attention, or that He’ll be impressed because of the intensity of their devotion.
But you don’t have to do that.
God’s not impressed by how many words we use.
The “formula” for praying an effective prayer is NOT in repetition or ritual
The formula for effective prayer is – talk TO God.
It’s like a phone conversation (flip out cell phone)
Picture calling your best friend.
And you start out your conversation saying:
“O Fred… O Fred… O Fred
Most marvelous friend and confidante
Please share with me your insights and your wisdom and your gracious knowledge”
And then you continue that prayer using flowery language that’s not quite real. In fact it’s a little forced.
And every time you call Fred you repeat the same conversation… day after day after day.
You know, after a while, Fred’s going to put you on caller ID
And he won’t pick up.
When you call Fred (or whatever your friend’s name is) he wants to talk to a REAL person.
He wants to have a REAL conversation with you.
He wants to hear how things are going with you.
He wants to listen to you.
He’s your friend… he likes you.
When you call your friends you do that to have a CONVERSATION
In the same way, Jesus says that when we pray we’re praying to our Heavenly Father.
He’s your FATHER.
He likes you.
He wants to have a conversation with you.
And this is PERSONAL conversation
That’s why Jesus said “when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
ILLUS: Last Thursday my brother called me while I was meeting with some preachers for lunch.
Now a lot of times, when I get a call at these meetings, I go ahead and talk right there at the table
But my brother and I had things to talk about that were personal. I didn’t want those other ministers to listen in on my conversation so, I got up from the table and went outside the restaurant.
Now, there are times when I don’t mind talking on the phone in front of people.
And there are times when the Elders and I need to include other people in a conversation so we’ll go into the office and use the speaker phone. But for real intimate/ personal conversations… I want privacy.
In the same way, there are times when I don’t care if other people overhear my prayers.
And there are times when we go on “speaker phone” in our prayers – as when we have public prayer here at church. But for real personal prayer, I want privacy.
ILLUS: Have you ever seen a young man on the phone to their girlfriends?
They’ll try to use your cell phone so that they can get off by themselves or they’ll use the phone in a room where they can close the door.
Why do they do that?
Because it’s private conversation.
They have some “serious” talking they want to do and they don’t want you listening in.
That’s what real personal prayer is all about.
It’s getting off by yourself and having a serious/ private conversation with God.
As I was preparing this sermon, I asked myself: why do we call people?
Why do we pick up the phone and call our friends or our family?
And I could only think of a couple of reasons
1. I call people because I WANT to talk to them
ILLUS: Every week I call my mother.
I don’t have anything particularly to talk about.
I don’t have anything I want from her.
I just want to talk to her
She’s 92 years old, I may not get many more chances to hear her voice.
And we’ll talk for about ½ an hour
Mostly I just tell her how things are going, about Diana, the kids, church
Then I tell her “I love you” – and we hang up.
I call her because I want to talk to her
In the same way, there are times when I just want to talk to God.
I’m driving down the road, and something occurs to me that I want to say to Him
I’ll be riding my bike along the river and I’ll see something that causes me to want to praise Him
Sometimes, I’ll just pray to God, because I feel like it. Because I want to.
2. But other times I call on God because I NEED to talk to Him.
ILLUS: A couple of times I’ve walked out of church building and realized I left my keys in office. But I can’t get back in… because the door’s locked. And I can’t drive away, because all my keys are locked in the office.
What am I going to do?
Well, I pull out my cell phone and I’ll call Diana and ask her to bring her keys with her.
I love my wife
I often just want to talk to my wife
But every once in a while… I need her to help me do something I can’t do by myself.
And so I’ll put in an urgent call to her.
In the same way,
I love God
And I often just want to talk with Him
But a lot of times I talk to Him because I really need Him. I need His help.
And so I’ll put in an urgent call to Him.
Now, some people don’t call God when they need help because they’re afraid of bothering Him
Dwight L. Moody observed: “Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant asking. The way to trouble God is not to ask at all.”
One woman once admitted “I have sometimes feared it is presumptuous to take up God’s time with my problems. But, the Lord’s Prayer is as specific as bread and debt” (Celestine Sibley in "Day by Day")
God is NOT bothered when you and I talk to Him about “little” problems in our lives.
In fact, He finds great joy in the fact you want to share those “little” things with Him.
Essentially I talk to God because I really ALWAYS need to talk to Him
That’s why Jesus did it. Jesus was always praying to God.
One person observed that – in the Gospels there are about 17 references to Jesus prayer life.
He prayed often (Luke 5:16)
He prayed early in the Morning (Mark 1:35)
He prayed late at Night (Luke 6:12).
He prayed all thru the night
He prayed at the beginning of His ministry. . . (Luke 3:21-22)
He prayed before He chose His 12 disciples. . . (Luke 6:12-13)
Jesus prayed before the confession that He was the Christ. . . (Luke 9:18-20)
Jesus prayed before His Transfiguration . . .( Luke 9:28-29)
Jesus prayed before the cross . . . (Luke 22:39-42)
Jesus prayed on the cross . . . (Luke 23:34)
Jesus prayed before He began His public ministry. . . (Luke 3:21-22)
Jesus prayed before He taught His followers. . . (Luke 11:1)
He prayed while He was teaching others. . . (Matthew 11:25-26)
He prayed after He ministered to others. . . (Matthew 14:23)
Jesus prayed before healing the crowds. . . (Mark 1:35)
Jesus prayed before feeding the 5,000.( Mark 6:41)
Jesus prayed before healing the man who was deaf and mute. . . (Mark 7:34)
Jesus prayed before bringing the dead back to life . . .( John 11:41-43)
Jesus prayed for His friends. . . (Luke 22:32)
Jesus prayed for His disciples. . (John 17:9-16)
Jesus prayed for all Christians. . . (John 17:20)
Jesus prayed for those who nailed Him to the cross. . . (Luke 23:34)
And now that He is in heaven, Heb 7:25 says that He constantly interceding for us (Bruce A. Shields DD with some modification)
I’m a man who likes to have a reason for what I do.
With some exceptions, I never do much of anything without a reason.
Even when I exercise, I’m never satisfied with just running in place, or working on an exercise bike. So I’ll ride my bike up to the Post Office to pick up the church mail and ride on home again. That way I’m not just exercising. I’m doing something worthwhile.
In the same way, when I pray, I want to believe there’s a reason to do so.
I don’t like to pray just to fulfill a religious obligation.
ILLUS: Recently, was a time when I just stood here in this empty building and told God frankly that I have no specific reason to pray to Him. I didn’t need anything specific. I was fairly happy with my life and what God had done for me and through me. But I still sensed a need to be there in His presence.
Then I realized that I needed to pray because I needed Him.
I realized I was nothing without Him
I understood I couldn’t do anything of any lasting worth if He was not in it.
I may not have anything specific to say to Him… but I know I need be on the line to Him, talking with Him, spending time in His presence. Because I may not NEED anything in this world right now… but I NEED Him.
I need Him because He is my Father in Heaven
He likes me (and you)
And He wants to have me spend time in personal, intimate, honest prayer.
But in order to have that kind of close relationship to God – you and I need to belong to Him.
Gal 4:6 tells us that we gain that relationship by becoming His children:
“… because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’”(NKJV).
That’s why we give an invitation at the end of every service.
A time for you realize how important it is for you to believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.
A time for you to accept that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness
A time for you to confess that you want Jesus to be your Lord and Master
A time for you to be buried in the waters of Christian baptism and risen up to a new life.
A time for you to belong to the Heavenly Father and enter that kind of close loving relationship He wants to give to you.
(I prefaced this sermon with a cute rendition of the song "The Lord’s Prayer’ sung by a 2 1/2 year old girl - It’s worth seeing = http://donaldryan.net/2008/03/19/the-lords-prayer)
