Christ, Our Example: Prayer
August 14, 2011 Morning Service
Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK
Rick Boyne
Message Point: Jesus is our example of a prayer warrior; we must strive to be like Him.
Focus Passage: Matthew 6:9-13
Supplemental Passage: "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5-8 NASB)
Introduction: Personal comments regarding watching Muslims pray in Africa & Asia and watching Buddhists pray in Asia. Those prayers are repetitive with no regard to the heart of the matter. Both religions use prayer beads to count their repetitions so as to make sure they say enough. Buddhists have prayer wheels that have prayers engraved on the sides that the person spins, somehow making that that prayer valid. Muslims pray the same prayers over and over hoping that their obedience will win them favor with a god that doesn’t care. Buddhists burn incense hoping that the smoke will carry their prayers to heaven, but it isn’t to God that they pray.
When You Pray: A model to be used according to our needs; to include these elements, but not a repetitive recitation:
I. Pray to our Father
a. Praise Him
i. Hallowed – Holy & Sanctified
ii. His Name – name above every name
b. Pray for His Kingdom
i. The salvation of men
c. Pray for His Will (in Heaven and Earth)
i. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4 NASB)
II. Petition our Father
a. Pray for daily needs
i. expressed in bread, not in fancy feasts
b. Pray for forgiveness
i. forgiveness of ourselves with God
ii. forgiveness from ourselves toward others
1. This is not a plea of merit, but a plea of grace. (Matthew Henry)
2. "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47 NASB)
c. Pray for protection from evil
III. Praise our Father
a. “we praise God, and give him glory, not because he needs it - he is praised by a world of angels, but because he deserves it;†(Matthew Henry)
b. Affirm that He is sovereign
c. Affirm that He is all-powerful and is able to keep us
d. Affirm that He is above all others and is due all honor and worship
Invitation: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; ... (1 Samuel 12:23 NASB)
pray without ceasing; (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB)
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; (Colossians 4:2 NASB)
