The SermonThe Sermon

on the Mounton the Mount

SM-125

Matthew 6:8-13

(Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV)

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.10Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.11Give us this day our daily bread.12And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.13And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

INTRODUCTIONThis is frequently referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.”

I think it is somewhat of a misnomer.

What is really The Lord’s prayer is recorded in John 17.

What we have here would probably best be titled “the disciple’s prayer”.

THIS NOT so much WHAT to pray as it is Jesus teaching His disciples HOW to pray….

It is a PATTERN for prayer; a skeleton, if you would.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:

What I see here is I see Jesus teaching that prayer is “thoughtful” … NOT “mechanical.”

REVIEW: Thus far in CHAPTER 6 Jesus has addressed the subject of REAL PRAYER in regards to

1.) MOTIVE -

We are NOT to pray to be seen of man

2.) METHOD -

We are NOT to make prayer a matter of empty repetition

3.) THE MAKINGS

A SECRET place – It is longing for a place to be alone with God.

SINCERITY / INTIMACY - Prayer is intimate because it is a matter of privilege and relationship…. It is between you and Your Father

As we study this PATTERN for prayer we will observe three more elements that go into the MAKINGS of REAL PRAYER

1.) ADORATION

2.) PETITION

3.) INTERCESSION

ADORATION9In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father

THE FIRST THING Jesus shows wanted His followers to see is that our ADORATION of God flows out of our knowing Him as our Heavenly father.

KEY OBSERVATION: We ADORE God for who He is and for what He has done.

We ADORE Him BECAUSE He - the God of all creation - has become the Father of those who have trusted Christ for their salvation. He wanted that SO MUCH that He gave His Unique and Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins so that WE could become His Children!

KEY APPLICATION: The FACT that He has become our “Heavenly Father” should have a tremendous impact upon our prayer life.

ILLUSTRATION: There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman Emperor was enjoying a triumph. He had the privilege, which Rome gave to her great victors, of marching his troops through the streets of Rome, with all his captured trophies and his prisoners in his train. So the Emperor was on the march with his troops. The The streets were lined with cheering people. Soldiers in the streets were lined with cheering people. Soldiers in the Roman Legion lined the streets' edges to keep the Roman Legion lined the streets' edges to keep the people in their places. At one point on the triumphal people in their places. At one point on the triumphal route there was a little platform where the Empress and route there was a little platform where the Empress and her family were sitting to watch the Emperor go by in all her family were sitting to watch the Emperor go by in all the pride of his triumph.the pride of his triumph.

On the platform with his mother there was the Emperor's youngest son, a little boy.

As the Emperor came near the little boy jumped off the platform, burrowed through the crowd, tried to dodge between the legs of a legionary, and to run out on to the road to meet his father's chariot.

A soldier stooped down and stopped him. He swung him up in his arms: "You can't do that, boy," he said. "Don't you know who that is in the chariot? That's the Emperor. You can't run out to his chariot." And the little lad looked at the soldier, laughed and said, "He may be your Emperor, but he's my father.”

KEY APPLICATION: That is exactly the way it is for the man or woman who has trusted Christ!

Yes, He is ALL-MIGHTY!

Yes, He is MAJESTIC!

Yes, He is KING of the universe!

But we get to call Him OUR FATHER!

And THAT is why we ADORE Him and WORSHIP Him.

PETITION9 …Hallowed be Your name.

KEY INSIGHT: I believe that here we see a real sweet transition from ADORATION to PETITION.

CRUCIAL INSIGHT: These words are MORE than a statement of fact….. more than a declaration of God’s holiness.

“Hallowed be Your name,” could be better translated as, “Let Your name be made holy.”

The New Living Translation helps us see this more clearly.

NLT - Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.

HERE IS THE KEY POINT: Jesus is teaching us that the goal of all of our prayers

Is that His Name should be made holy

Is His Glory!

KEY QUESTION: In what way can you and I make God's name holy?

It is my conviction that by our lives we are to make God's name holy.

EXAMPLE: Abraham is a beautiful example of this.

He went he left the Ur of the Chaldees and by faith followed the Lord into Canaan

When Abraham was there - When any Canaanite passed by they observed that their new neighbor always had an altar.

Everywhere Abraham went he built an altar to God.

And when Abraham began to do business with the Canaanites, they found him to be honest.

KEY POINT: The whole of Abraham’s life revealed the reverence he had for God.

The name of God was made holy in Canaan because of Abraham – God was glorified!

KEY APPLICATION: The CONTENT of our petitions and the MOTIVE for our petitions should ALWAYS be to the end that that God’s Name will be made holy in an unholy world.

1.)This will effect WHAT we pray for –

“Will the nature of my request result in the Name of God being made holy?”

2.) This will effect WHY we pray for it –

“Is it for me or for the glory of His Name?”

“Is this going to be a plus for His Kingdom?”

(Phil 1:9-11 NKJV) And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, {10} that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, {11} being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF GOD.

PETITION10Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

KEY OBSERVATION: Notice that the first three petitions relate to God, not to man.

1.) Let YOUR Name be made holy

2.) Let YOUR Kingdom Come

3.) Let YOUR will be done

CRUCIAL INSIGHT: Prayer is not only wrapped up in God’s Glory, it is wrapped up in God’s will –

Which will automatically result in God’s glory!

When I pray - my central desire should be that of getting God's will accomplished.

IT IS WRONG to think of prayer as a means to get my wishes fulfilled.

God never intended that. God has given to us the PRIVILEGE of prayer so that we might work in cooperation with Him and His will.

REAL PRAYER BEGINS with us seeking to line up with the purposes of God.

It is NOT about us trying to get God to line up with our plans…. Us trying to change what He's wanting to do.

PERSONALIZE: I believe that every right thing that I have ever prayed for and received, is something that God had already planned to give to me anyway, even before I prayed.

(Isa 65:24 NLT) I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

KEY QUESTION: You might say, "Well then, why bother to pray?”

BECAUSE God has made us free moral agents, and has given to us the capacity of choice.

God honors our choice and will not violate our free will.

God will only do for us what we are willing to let Him do.

CRUCIAL: Therefore, prayer is me opening the door to God and asking Him to do for me what He's been wanting to do all along, but would never do against my will.

FOR MANY PEOPLE prayer is nothing less than demanding that God do whatever they have decided needs to be done.

They believe that if they insist, press, pray, and believe, then God HAS TO perform their requests.

NOT SO! God isn't your little “Genie” that has to fulfill your every command.

He is the “Sovereign” of the universe.

WHEN WE PRAY we open the door to Him to start doing for us what He He has been wanting to do all along.

Example - Rachel: “Give me a child or I’ll die”….

God knowing that the descendants of Abraham would need to be saved from a famine…. Gives her a son, Joseph

Example - Hannah’s desperation for a child…

Lined up with the God’s desire to raise up a prophet and judge in Israel - Samuel

PERSONAL APPLICATION: I am learning to thank God for all of my unanswered prayers.

The world around me would be in a much greater mess if God had answered all my prayers.

I have found out that I pray for and about things that are over my head, things that I don't really understand.

With hindsight I can look back and say, “Thank God, He didn't answer that one. What a mess I'd be in right now”.

So we have seen that REAL PRAYER consists of

1.) ADORATION - for becoming our Father.

2.) PETITION -

Our petitions are to be wrapped up in His Glory and with His will.

KEY OBSERVATION: Jesus is going to go on to tell us that our petitions not only involve God’s Glory and God’s Will, they also include our needs.

11Give us this day our daily bread.

KEY OBSERVATION: REAL PRAYER addresses our PRESENT PHYSICAL NEEDS.

This element of prayer tells us that we are utterly dependent upon God for our physical necessities.

KEY APPLICATION: Rather than relying on what we have set aside….. God wants us to trust Him to supply what we need each day.

12And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

KEY OBSERVATION: The previous petition DEALS WITH THE PRESENT - “Give us this day.”

The next one DEALS WITH THE PAST -

“forgive us of our debts”

the things that I HAVE done up to the moment.

The previous one deals with THE NEEDS OF THE BODY

This one deals with THE NEEDS OF THE SOUL.

KEY OBSERVATION: The next element of REAL PRAYER is a petition that CONCERNS OUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS.

13And do not lead us into temptation

KEY INSIGHT: The phrase “Lead us not into temptation” does not mean that God tempts us to do evil.

(James 1:13 NLT) And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either.

HOWEVER - God DOES lead us into tests to show us that our strength is in Him.

Like Abraham in Genesis 22….. Take now thy son, thine only son….

Tests and trials are important in our walk with God.

They are necessary for our spiritual growth.

KEY POINT: The request here is that God will not allow us to get into areas where He knows our weakness would cause us to stumble and fall.

REVIEW: So we have seen that REAL PRAYER consists of

1.) ADORATION - for becoming our Father.

2.) PETITION -

Our petitions are concerned with His Glory and with His will.

Our petitions are concerned with

Our PRESENT PHYSICAL needs

The needs for PAST SPIRITUAL FAILURE

The need for DIRECTION and STRENGTH in regards to trials.

INTERCESSSION13But deliver us from the evil one.

KEY OBSERVATION: REAL PRAYER also involves INTERCESSION concerning FUTURE spiritual warfare.

Our prayers become a spiritual force that fight the evil forces of Satan.

KEY INSIGHT: Satan blinds men's eyes and dulls their perception of spiritual things.

Through prayer we can be a part of the work of God to free people from their bondage to evil.

(Eph 6:11-12; 18 NKJV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. {12} For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. …. {18} praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints;

(2 Cor 10:4-5 NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

KEY INSIGHT: By way of prayer we are not limited by any distances …. We can do battle for God anywhere in the world.

Prayer is often the deciding factor in spiritual battles.

The tragedy is that the enormous power available to us through prayer is so often wasted because we do not pray.

So we have seen the MAKINGS of REAL PRAYER – those essential elements of prayer

1.) A SECRET place – It is longing for a place to be alone with God.

2.) SINCERITY - Prayer is intimate because it is a matter of privilege and relationship.

3.) ADORATION - That experience of just worshipping the Lord for who He is, not for what He can or does for us.

4.) PETITION – Desiring God’s glory and God’s will, and then the asking of God for my needs.

5.) INTERCESSION - This is where I'm asking God for the needs of the world around me.

These petitions and intercessions deal with the past, present, and future.

They deal with my PRESENT NEEDS.

They deal with the FORGIVENESS of my PAST sins.

They deal with my FUTURE need for GUIDANCE, and SPIRITUAL VICTORY.

These are the basics of prayer.

KEY APPLICATION: NOW that we KNOW what real prayer is made of, all that is left for us to do is to PRAY!