THE LORD’S PRAYER
Part 1 of 4
“The Praying Heart of Jesus”
Sunday, August 7, 2005
Text: Matthew 6:9-13, Mark 1:35-39; Luke 11:5-10, 18:9-14
A fly was looking up at a praying mantis, “What are you doing?” asked the fly. “I’m praying” he responded. “Don’t be stupid, insects don’t pray!” the fly scowled. At that, the Mantis swooped down and grabbed the fly in it’s claws and the fly began, “Our Father, who art in heaven.”
Read Matthew 6:9-13
--Ask the people for an early memory of prayer.
Read Mark 1:35-39
--Have you ever been popular?
--Have you ever been greatly praised?
--Do you know any people who have been placed upon pedestals?
--What were they like?
Jesus has just accomplished many great things and was being mobbed because of miracles. He then steals away at a difficult hour to ensure solitude. The disciples hadn’t come to an understanding of prayer & couldn’t grasp why Jesus went away.
Jesus teaches us several things in this short passage:
1. Prayer isn’t always convenient (no one else was up when He left)
2. The input we need most in life is from our Heavenly Father (a solitary place)
3. Prayer is necessary to keep in focus the most important things of life (v. 38)
Read Luke 11:5-13
Do you have a relative or friend who, when they call, only wants something from you?
--This passage is all about persistence.
--It is not meant to portray God as stubborn, cranky, or unavailable.
Read Luke 18:9-14
Do you have any experiences in your past which have tempted you to believe prayer is only for “special” people?
We learn from this parable:
1. Prayer is for everyone who is humble
2. Prayer is a comparison between God and us—not between us and others
3. Prayer is all about the attitude and never about the words (see Matthew 6:7)
Three words to guide our study of the Lord’s Prayer:
1. Humility
2. Simplicity
3. Consistency
