How Should We Pray?

How should we pray?

Matthew 6:1-13

Introduction:

Orient to the Topic:

Prayer is our pipeline to God.

We can't expect to grow spiritually and go on to maturity, if we don't communicate with our Heavenly Father.

In any good relationship, communication is the key to keeping the relationship alive. Our closeness to God depends on how much we talk to Him!

In his book, "The Crisis’s of Christ," Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, states that Christ encountered seven crises’ in His 33 years on earth. But at each crisis, we see the Lord at Prayer.

The disciples were so impressed with the Lord's Prayer life; that they pleaded with the Lord to teach them to pray, He did and this is the model prayer He gave them!

Prayer changes things and the longer we go without prayer the weaker we become spiritually!

It tells us in James 5:16 "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

God still hears and answers prayer.
Don't forget to pray.
Our relationship with God depends on it!

Opening Prayer

Orient to the Text:

In Matthew chapter Six Jesus tells us not to do alms or righteous works just to receive praise from men,

However, we should do them in reverence to our Heavenly Father, not letting anyone know what we have done and allow God to receive the praise.

In verse Five Christ says "when thou prayest"… here begins a list of don’ts, then the list of do’s for our prayer.

Outline:

How we should NOT pray.

For show!

It is a heart issue
If our heart is longing for the praise of men by our large prayers and big vocab then we are not seeking to serve him when we claim too.
If we "pray" prayers like these and seek not God's praise but mans’ then how can we truly claim to be his when we are not.
Many "Christians" today seek to show man and long for man's favor instead of looking totally to Christ as Lord.

So WHATshould we do when we pray? (vv6-8)

We want to look at three things here in the text about how we should pray.

1)We shall pray in secret (v6)

Jesus said go into our closet, too many prayer closets are not used as they should be today, to do this we have to humble ourselves.
Christ said we have to shut the door, we have to get alone with the only one who can answer our prayers

we cannot be afraid

yes… if we are not in practice of having that alone time with the Lord….the only true mediator between us and the father it can be scary

BUT a healthy dose of reverence is what we need in those times.

2)We shall pray not vainly (v7).

God says here don't just keep repeating things over and over and over, HE knows what you need and He will take care of it.
Use the KISS method “Keep It Simply Simple”

I remember when my children were babies, they mumbled and you had no clue what they needed unless they were crying, but when they learned to speak then could they tell me what they needed, then I could teach them what they needed to know.

We are the same way when we are first born of the spirit ….we don't know what we need or how to verbalize it, BUT, as we grow in Christ Jesus we now can speak and know how to communicate for His Glory.

3)We should pray to our Father (v9)

If you have asked Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior then God is your father.
With God as our Heavenly Father we should desire to have a healthy relationship with Him.

As a father myself, I long for and cherish those alone times with my children where they can ask me anything and vice versa, a true bond is made in those times.

As our Heavenly Father God longs for those times just as we, and with that we should Pray to our Father.

How long has it been since your motives have been truly right in prayer?

Sure you pray a grocery list to Christ (I want this this this and this....thank you amen).

Do you really think God honors those prayers?

Or does He honor those where they get deep and personal with Him?

So How Should we Pray? Is there a model? (vv9-13)

After this manner.—

The expression "after this manner" indicates that the prayer which follows, called the Lord's prayer because it was taught by him, is intended as a model

The Invocation….."Our Father who art in heaven."

Nearly all of the prayers recorded in the Scriptures begin with a solemn address to God, which is called the invocation.
The most common invocation of the Jewish fathers had been "O Lord God of our fathers; "but now that the Son of God had appeared as the brother of man, a new form is introduced, and the disciples are taught to say, "Our Father."

Three Petitions for Others.

1)"Hallowed be thy name."

"Hallowed" means, first, made holy; second, treated as holy.

The petition calls for that reverence which is due to the name of God.

There is no limit assigned to it, and therefore it embraces the universal worship of God.

2) "Thy kingdom come."

This is a petition for the inauguration of the kingdom which Jesus came to establish.
This should be our desire…to be home, in the kingdom where we will live for eternity.

3)"Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."

This contemplates the conversion and the complete sanctification of the whole human race.

Three Petitions for Self.

After praying for the glory of God, the establishment of his kingdom, and the spiritual good of all men, the speaker is next allowed to speak of his own wants.

1)"Give us this day our daily bread."

Bread, the staple of life, is the representative of the things needful for the body.
The petition is not for milk and honey, the symbols of luxury, but for bread, and bread sufficient for this day.
We are to be moderate in our requests for even necessary things.

2)"Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors."

Here the term “debts” is used for trespasses or sins, as appears from the comment on this petition in verses 14, 15.
This petition expresses the one thing needful to the soul in regard to the past….forgiveness!

3)"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Here the one want of the soul for the future is expressed.

God does not tempt us to evil, but by his providence he sometimes leads us into circumstances which become the means of temptation.

This petition expresses our natural desire not to be led into temptation and at the same time, by adding, "deliver us from evil," it indicates that we expect to be brought into conflict with evil, even though we have expressed our desire to avoid it.
The counterpart to this petition is found in Paul's assurance that "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able; but will, with the temptation, make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. 10:13.)

Conclusion:

Prayer is the gateway to God!

Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have as Christians.

However we do not utilize this weapon enough!

Over 50% of American’s have said they pray daily

But why?
To who?
For What or who’s benefit?

For their own benefit or to worship their Father in Heaven.
To get things they desire or to tell God how much they love Him and honor Him.

Every Sunday Christians across the world recite the Lord’s Prayer

But do they really know what they are praying or why?
Christ taught his disciples how to pray…..it was a model.

As we have seen …..everything He said in that prayer was meant for a reason and He had an order of the way he taught it.
When we pray we need to remember the Lord’s Prayer.
Praying for others or praying for your own needs are not wrong……but that should not be what the main focus of our prayer life should be based on.

Challenge:

Prayer is the one of the key measuring devices on your walk with the Lord.

Prayer and studying the Word of God is how we grow close to the Lord.
I challenge everyone here to make these 2 things the top priority in your life for 1 week and see how it changes your life!
God will bless your efforts and your will grow closer to your heavenly Father then you have ever been.

I have taught you from God’s Word what the Lord requires in your prayer life…..if anyone needs help with the Bible Study; then come and I can show you where to start!

Closing Prayer