Title: Lord, Teach Us To Pray – Ask
Theme: To show the importance of asking God in our prayers.
Text: Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:5 – 15
Note: Commentary Notes from Preacher’s Sermon and Outline Bible on Matthew chapter 6.
Two Ideas for Acronyms for PRAY
P - Praise, R - Repentance, A - Ask, Y - Yield
P - Praise, R- Request, A - Accept (God's forgiveness, release), Y - Yield
Opening Scripture:
Matthew 6:5-15 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. [29] (7) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. (8) Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (9) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On 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 do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. [30] (14) "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."
When the believer prays through the Lord's prayer, he finds he has covered the scope of what God wants him to pray.
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Matthew I.
Review
So far we have looked at:
Praise – “Our Father, who are in Heaven, Hallowed Be Your Name. You kingdom come, your will be done”
Repentance – “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Third part (or second whichever you like, they are interchangeable in the order).
A – Ask
Three request
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors – covered last week
Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
(6:11) Bread: bread is the basic necessity of life, the symbol of all that is necessary for survival and for a full life. There is much meaning in this simple request.
1. "Give us...our bread." The words our and us overcome selfishness and show concern for others. Any person who goes to bed hungry should be of concern to the believer.
2. "This day." This eliminates worry and anxiety about tomorrow and the distant future. It also teaches and helps us to trust God day by day. "The just shall live by faith...." day by day.
3. "Our daily bread." Every believer has a portion of daily bread which is his. He does not ask for someone else's bread but for his own. He seeks and works for his own bread; he does not think of stealing or of eating from another man's table (2 Thes. 3:10).
It is important as Christians that we find that place (vehicle) in which we invest into helping others. Our church does this. We do this in finding ministries in our community that we can invest into helping others.
4. "Give us...bread." We ask for the necessities, not the desserts of this world.
5. "Give us...bread." The believer confesses his inadequacy and dependency upon God. He is dependent upon God even for the basics of life.
6. "Give...this day our daily bread." This teaches the believer to come to God daily in prayer and trust Him to meet his needs.
Thought 2. God cares for man and his welfare.
1) Physically (Matthew 6:11; Matthew 6:25-34).
Matthew 6:24-34 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (25) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (26) Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (28) So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; (29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (31) Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
2) Emotionally
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7).
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. 4:8).
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (1 Peter 5:10).
3) Spiritually
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Provide for My Basic Needs
"Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient [that I need] for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Proverbs 30:8-9).
The believer is to trust God for the necessities of life and praise God for what he receives. He has learned, "In whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11; cp. Phil. 4:12-13).
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Matthew I
Difference Between Worry and Concern
Php_4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Concern is taking care of the necessities. Worry is letting the needs take care of you.
“The concept is to take thought or be preoccupied.
From message by Mike Hullah on Sermon Central “Anxious For Nothing Or Nothing But Anxious
The words anxious and anxiety aren’t found in the Greek. Usually we find the word worry. The concept of anxiety is found throughout the New Testament. The concept is to take thought or be preoccupied.
Jesus deals with three common worries in our scripture.
What shall we eat?
What shall we drink?
What shall we wear?
Jesus response is “Don’t give it a second thought.” YET WE DO!
THREE MAJOR CAUSES OF ANXIETY
1. FOCUS ON OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
2. FOCUS ON OUR FAILURES.
3. FOCUS ON OUR UNRESOLVED ISSUES.
SIGNS OF ANXIETY
Proverbs 12:25. Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression.” N.I.V. “Worry weighs us down:” The Message. “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop.”
“Lead Us Not Into Temptation”
First Understand, God does not lead a person to sin
(6:13) Temptation— Deliverance: God does not lead a man to sin; He tempts (peirasmon PWS: 3930) no man (James 1:13). What Christ is saying is two things.
1. Pray—pray that God will keep you from the awful pull of temptation. The believer is to have a sense of his personal weakness against temptation.
It is ok to have a weakness.
2. Pray—pray that God will deliver you from evil. The Greek says "from the evil one," that is, Satan. The request is for God to rescue, preserve, and guard us. He, the evil one, is so deceptive and powerful; he is as powerful as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8).
Mat_26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Mar_14:38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Luk_22:40 When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
Luk_22:46 Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."
Thought 1. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" is the fifth request to be prayed. The believer should pray "after this manner":
? "Father, lead us not into temptation. Temptation comes so often; its pull is so strong. We get in the way so much. We seek our own way and react at every turn. O' God do not leave us to ourselves....
? "And, dear Father, deliver us from the evil one. He is the master of deceit and paints such a beautiful picture. If you leave us to ourselves, we will fall. And, O' God, he is capable of being 'a roaring lion' seeking to devour us. Deliver us—rescue us—preserve us—guard us...."
Thought 5. The believer must have help in overcoming "the evil one." The evil one attacks (1) by deception (2 Cor. 11:3, 14-15; Rev. 12:9), and (2) by direct assault, seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because [30] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Mar 13:22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
Thought 6. In dealing with "the evil one," the believer needs to remember two things.
1) "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
2) "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31; cp. Romans 8:31-39).
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
NLT 13 But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:2-3).
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12).
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Peter 2:9).
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever" (Jude 24-25).
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10).
Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Matthew I..
Conclusion
Two things God wants us to pray for.
Our basic needs
Leading us away from temptation – last Sunday
