Learning to Pray
Pt.6 The Lord’s Prayer
Intro
How many of you believe deodorant is important?
How often do you use it?
How many of you believe that changing your oil in your car is important?
How often do you do it?
How many believe it is important to have a clean house?
How often do you clean?
How many here believe that reading is much better than watching TV?
How much reading did you do? how much TV did you watch?
How many believe that eating right and exercise is good?
How many actually do that?
How many believe that reading the Bible is good for your life and draws you closer to God?
How much did you read?
How many believe that prayer is important and powerful?
How often did you pray?
It is funny, the things we say we believe, are not always the things we do… We believe that these things are important, but putting them into practice, well, that is something else entirely.
Let me ask, have you been praying? Have you tried connecting to God?
Have you ever thought about how you learned to pray? Did you ever ask someone? Or did you just pick it up by osmosis? I personally don’t remember, probably from just going to church, or listening to my grandfather… Regardless, prayer is nothing I formally learned, it is just something I picked up. A few years ago, as I was praying, I was struck by the thought that I am not praying right… I listened to the words I was saying, “Father I pray you protect my family, father I pray you lead the church, father I pray..., etc. etc…” and as I closed I used the magical phrase, in Jesus name, amen.
After I finished I felt like I was trying to force God to do my bidding through the words I was using, and the force in which I was praying. I felt like I was trying to manipulate God into doing what I wished… Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever caught yourself trying to make God see your way? Make him do your bidding and bend to your will?
How many here actually believe in magic? How many practice magic? One of the premises for magic is to use words that bind spirits to your will, to do your bidding, and through your force of will and the words you say, you make these spirits your slaves… when we do that in our prayers, manipulate, forcing our will, etc. we need to understand, that is not prayer, that is trying to evoke an incantation. Like our words have some sort of magical effect on God! This is not prayer, it is manipulation. The question of course is why? Why do we try to manipulate God?
In the ancient world, and even today, the Jewish people had set prayers in which they prayed 3 times a day, every day, plus special set prayers for special occasions. These were taught to disciples by their rabbi. They repeated the same prayers every day, 3 times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. So in Luke chapter 11, it is not surprising that Jesus’ disciples ask him to teach them how to pray…
If you have your bibles, turn to Luke 11:1
1Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2And he said to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread,
4and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation."
Do you remember when you first heard the Lord’s Prayer? My first recollection of it was in my 6th grade class with Mrs. Knox. Every morning after we said the pledge of allegiance, Mrs. Knox would lead us in the Lord’s Prayer and then have a student read a passage from the Bible, which was the first time I had ever heard the story of Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednego… and of course it was the King James version…
As I have said, this prayer used to confuse me, what does art mean, what is a hallowed, and why am I praying for bread, when cake was better… besides I didn’t have any land for people trespass on, so did I not get forgiven when I did?
Of course the Lord’s Prayer we are used to is from Matthew, Luke’s is much shorter:
When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Basically Jesus is saying to give honor to God when you pray.
Your kingdom come. He is talking about God’s kingdom changing the hearts and minds of the people, and looking forward to the day when God’s kingdom rules over all the earth.
When he says, “give us each day our daily bread” he is saying we need to pray that God supply all our needs, that we are trusting in him.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive everyone who is indebted to us. This is a plea that God continue to forgive us, because every day we owe him a debt, every day we need forgiveness. With our need to receive forgiveness, is our need to give forgiveness to others. In fact it isn’t even a question if we forgive, Jesus makes it clear that we do. He says to pray for forgiveness as we continue to show forgiveness to others. Jesus makes it very clear that the two are related, just as we need to receive forgiveness, we need to give it.
And last he says, “And lead us not into temptation.” James says that God does not tempt us to sin. So that is not what he talking about… he is talking about the trials and circumstances that may lead us away from God, therefore we need God, who is control of all things to watch out for us, we are to pray that he would lead in right paths for his name sake.
In all of his instruction on how to pray, Jesus doesn’t give them a magic formula to pray: if you pray this three times a day, for 3 weeks, then God will grant you a miracle…
He doesn’t give them a way to control God, he doesn’t give them a set method that is guaranteed to give them a blessing. Instead Jesus teaches them more about the nature of the one they are praying to.
When you think about God, what do you think he is like? What do you really believe about him? What is his nature like?
Look at vs. 5
5And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves, 6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him"; 7and he will answer from within, "Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything"? 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
When you live on a college campus, you get used to the sight of moving vans. People moving in, people moving out. One of the things I hate the most, is helping people move. It was a rare Saturday that I had nothing to do, and a couple that we know was moving out…
Some translations say persistence, others say impertinence, imprudence, the meaning of this word is actually being sensitive to what is proper. The man in the house gets the bread not because this guy was his neighbor, or because they were friends, he does it because it is proper, he is honor bound to do so. When Jesus says, who of you will answer from within, go away?
The answer is none of them would do that, because that would be just plain wrong and people would look down on them and question their honor. We do not live in an honor system, but we understand when we do things because we feel we have to over we feel we want to. So what s the point that Jesus is making? That God will respond to us not because he wants to, but because it will look bad for him?
Let’s look at vs. 11 and see if it is made clearer:
11What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Have you ever said, or heard it said, “If all your friends jump off a bridge will follow them?” I know I have said it a time or two, and of course there is always that one kid who says, “sure if I had a parachute!” which I always respond, “Oh you are that guy!”
When I read this I imagine a guy in the crowd saying, “Sure I will give my kid a serpent if it’s already fried up!” I would give my kid a scorpion if I pulled the stinger off! If those survival guys eat’em, my kid can!” If you are that guy, I say don’t be that guy…
Obviously Jesus is saying the ridiculous, because no one in their right mind would give their kid something that might harm them when they asked for something that would be good for them. Because it would be ridiculous for a parent to do that to their child. There isn’t anyone in their right mind that would do that. So Jesus says, if that is the case, you then, who are evil by nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit? Which the answer is way more! If you and I can do right by kids, and we are flawed and broken human beings, then what God will do is greater by far!
This story and the one before it all illustrate that if we would help our neighbor out because of honor, and we would give our children good things when they ask, then God is going to act and give when we come to him. His love is greater than our love. His love is bigger than the love we have for our children, and when we have needs, he will hear and answer.
The question is, do you believe this? Do you believe that God loves you so much, that he hears and answers your prayers? Earlier I asked the question, why do we try to manipulate God with our prayers? And the answer is, because we don’t really believe he will answer us, we like to say we believe in prayer, but we fail to pray, or we fail to trust him, that is why we try to manipulate him with our prayers.
What Jesus is concerned about is not necessarily the how to pray, but the nature of the one to whom we are praying. He is a God who loves us more than we love ourselves, and more than we can possibly love others. He is a prayer answering God.
Jesus’ prayer is really a prayer about worshiping God as our father, acknowledging his holiness and devoting ourselves to the coming of his Kingdom, and devoting ourselves to trusting that he hears us and will take care of our needs with love in faith. The question is do you believe this? Then pray.
