Matthew 6:5-13 KJV
5 And when thou prayest , thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you , They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest , enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly .
7 But when ye pray , use not vain repetitions , as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come . Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Introduction:
The Disciples overheard Jesus praying one day
And they came to Him, with a simple request
“Teach us to pray”
Jesus began by saying, “When you pray…” Matthew 6:5
He simply assumed the disciples would have a regular time
For prayer
That’s a big assumption to make about people
Most people say that they just don’t have time for daily prayer
If you want to develop an area of your life
Regular time must be given to it
Olympics Practice: Daily regimen. Eating. Weight Training. Practice
All goes into
People who are serious about something always make room for it
Make room for the things of God
For prayer and His Word
Shut out everything else & make His Kingdom priority in your life
1. Get Free From Distraction
The first thing we see about Praying like Jesus is
He would get free from distraction
He would go up into the mountain
He would go out into the desert / wilderness
He would go into a Garden
Shows me that when Jesus wanted to pray
He would get away by Himself
When you pray, go into a spare bedroom and shut the door
Find a closet, an empty office, workshop, garage
Go for a walk
Somewhere you can get free from distraction
And get along with God
That’s where you can pray most effectively
Why is this?
All kinds of interruptions can derail you
Ringing phone, music, people, dogs, errands, duties, to do’s
God knows our humanity better than us
And if we are to pray like Him, the first thing He understood was
In our humanity, we will lose out to distractions
So get away from it all
And get alone with God
2. Pray Sincerely: Mean What We Say
Not only did Jesus tell them to pray in secret
But He also told them to pray sincerely
“Don’t use vain repetitions”
“Do not keep on babbling”
Be careful of meaningless repetition, it has no point
Its very easy to begin using sanctified jargon
Certain phrases sound so appropriate, so spiritual & holy
I can recall being a kind in prayer meetings
I would hear the adults pacing and
Praying in King James English
I thought that’s what I had to do
Sometimes we pray things that are just babble
Dear Lord, go with me on this trip
At first, that sounds reasonable
But why do we ask what He’s already doing?
Surely I am with you, even to the end of the World
I will never leave you, nor forsake you
His name means, Emmanuel, God with us
We should pray, let me be aware of you presence
Let me have faith that you’re going before me
Bless our efforts…
That’s how we should pray!
2. Pray Sincerely: Pray From the Heart
God doesn’t want us to pile up impressive phrases
He doesn’t want us to just pile up impressive words w/no meaning
Illustration: 5,000 Word College Paper
He wants us to pray, simply talk to Him as a Friend, a Father
Authentically, reverently, personally, honestly
Pastor I knew as a teenager, he would pray:
Father, I thank you for being alive today
We enjoy this time together here
Eating good food and having fun together
I know you’re here with us and we’re glad for that
I want to say in front of my friends that I thank you for everything
You’ve done and blessed us with
And I’d do anything to serve you…
He’d go on talking like that for 2-3 minutes
When he’d said Amen
I would think, I have some growing to do in my prayers
That close relationship
Was so evident in the way that he prayed
His sincere prayer showed me how to pray
And showed me not to pray on Autopilot
God isn’t interested in stock phrases, quotes, repetitions,
Pour out your heart to Him, Psalms says
Talk to Him like… “Lord this is how I feel today…”
Talk to Him throughout the day
3. Pray Specifically
Besides praying privately and sincerely
Jesus counseled His disciples to pray specifically
Illustration: Ask for $20 if you need $20
He showed them this with His model prayer, the Lord’s prayer
The Lord’s prayer is a Model Prayer
It was never meant to be a Magical Reciting of memorized words
He had just warned us against memorized repetition
Yet so many just quote this prayer
Instead of learning to model it
But here is a pattern to praying like Jesus…
Jesus’ prayer begins with “Our Father”
Never forget that you are God’s child
You are praying to a Heavenly Father
Who loves you and wants what’s best for His children
The next phrase, “who art in Heaven”
Is a reminder that God is sovereign and all powerful
He has a Heavenly Viewpoint, Point of View, Of our Earthly circumstances
His ways are above our ways
This is important to understand when we pray
Nothing is too difficult for Him
He is a Mountain Mover
He is bigger than any problem you could bring
He sits on the Throne, Earth is His footstool
Fix your eyes on His Throne when you pray,
Know that He has all power in Heaven & Earth!
Now that you’ve got it in your mind, Who He is
The first thing is praise
Enter His Courts with Praise
Hallowed be thy Name
Don’t let your prayers turn into a Wish list
Worship Him and Praise Him, when you come to Him
No matter what condition, situation you come to God in
He is worthy to be praised
Praise Him just for WHO He is!
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven
This is submitting yourself
To God’s greater plan
Submit your will to God’s
Put His will first in your life
In your marriage, family, career, money, relationship, church etc
Let His will in Heaven, unfold here on earth in your life!
Give us this day, our daily bread
Paul wrote, In everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God
This is where we bring it before God
Make your requests known
He put that desire in your heart, take it to Him!
Lay out all your concerns, both big and small
If you need $20, ask for $20
If you need a miracle, ask for a miracle
With Faith, ask, seek and knock!
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
Be sure that you’re not the obstacle
Get that toxicity out of your life
Sin, un-forgiveness, bitternes, envy, strife
Confess your sins, repent of them, receive forgiveness
AND move on!
Live in forgiveness with God, and forgive others
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Pray that God would give you victory over every temptation
That comes your way,
The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
Deliver us from evil, protect us, keep us
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever
End your prayer time with more worship
Acknowledge that everything in Heaven and Earth is God’s
Thank Him for what you have
Thank Him for hearing you
Praise and Worship
Amen
Let it be so
Faith believing
End with faith
That your prayers were heard
That He is a good God
Conclusion: Above All — JUST DO IT
When you pray… there is an expectation there
Just Do It…
Like riding a bicycle
You can tell someone how to do it all day
But there comes a time
When you just gotta get on the Bike!
