S.R. Matthew 6:1-13

Introduction

  1. Coming before God’s throne of grace in prayer is a great privilege (Heb. 4:14-16)
    1. We may come boldly and with confidence based upon the work of our high priest and our compliance with His demands.
    2. We may come quickly in times of duress and sudden opportunity (Neh. 2:4)
    3. We may need to carefully, slowly and meditatively think first about what we wish to say and share.
  2. It is a great tragedy when this awesome privilege is squandered due to our lack of preparation and purity.

Outline

  1. The Prayer of the Righteous
    1. God listens carefully to the prayer of righteous people
      1. A future lesson is planned regarding whether or not people can be righteous, and if so, on what basis.
      2. 1 Peter 3:10-12 For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. 11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
      3. Psalm 34:12-19 “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. 14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;”
      4. Psalm 24:3-6 “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
      5. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
      6. Confession – saying to God what He already knows about us. “saying with”
    2. What a tragedy it is when we, due to our own neglect or rejection of relationship with God, estrange ourselves from the great privilege of praying for ourselves and those we love.
      1. I can’t pray, will you? (Acts 8:22-24) “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." 24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."
      2. Have we placed ourselves in a position where God’s face is against us?
      3. Have we so neglected the privilege of prayer that we don’t know how to pray?
    3. We Can Learn Why and How to Pray
      1. Luke 11:1 “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
      2. We can come to see prayer as a great privilege and blessing. (Hebrews 4:14)
  2. Prayer Begins with Praise.
    1. Matthew 6:9-13 “"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 'Thy kingdom come. Thy 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 also have forgiven our debtors. 13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. <For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.>' Last phrase absent in NIV. Manuscript matter.
      1. “Hallowed be Your Name.”
        1. hagiazo, from G40; to make holy, i.e. (cer.) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate:--hallow, be holy, sanctify.
      2. First order of business – “Hallowed be your name.”
        1. Never to be taken in vain. (Exodus 20:7) “"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
        2. Anytime we use His name we better mean it and realize that He is listening.
    2. Remember to whom you are speaking and do so humbly and reverently.
      1. “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,15 which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1 Tim. 6:13-16)
  3. What Shall We Pray?
    1. Praise – of His majesty, glory, power and dominion.
      1. It is true that God already knows it, but we need to say it
      2. Psalms are rich in expressions of praise. Hebrews Prayer and Song Book
    2. Prayer Model (Nehemiah 9:5-15, 32) During the Seventh Month (Day of Atonement and Feast of Tents – Tabernacles – Booths) Cf. Neh. 8:1 – 5 “Read”
      • 5 “"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. " "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
      • 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
      • 7 "You are the LORD God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham.
      • 8 You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.
      • 9 "You saw the suffering of our forefathers in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.
      • 10 You sent miraculous signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day.
      • 11 You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters.
      • 12 By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take.
      • 13 "You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good.
      • 14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.
      • 15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them….
      • 32 "Now therefore, O our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes--the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings and leaders, upon our priests and prophets, upon our fathers and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today.”
    3. Model Prayer – Boyd Sellers: O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is YOUR name in all the earth
      1. O LORD, be gracious to us -- We long for YOU -- Be our strength every morning -Be our salvation in time of distress...O God, we come to YOU at this time, not to ask for more blessings from YOU, but to praise and adore YOU & to magnify YOUR name. . .  YOU are great O LORD & most worthy of ourO LORD, our LORD, we stand in awe of YOU – 
      2. “Praise be to you, O LORD -- Yours, O LORD, is the greatness & the power & the glory & the victory & the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens & the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, & You exalt Yourself as head over all. -- Both riches & honor come from You, & You rule over all, & in Your hand is power & might; & it lies in Your hand to make great & to strengthen everyone. -- Now therefore, our God, we thank You, & we praise Your glorious name.”
      3. O LORD, We praise YOU as our great CREATORYOU made the earth by YOUR power -- YOU established the world by YOUR wisdom -- by YOUR understanding YOU stretched out the heavens. (Jer. 51:15) YOU made the seas & YOU commanded the dry land to appear.  YOU made the grass and the flowers and the trees.  YOU created the sun, moon and stars and put them in the sky.  You made the fish and the birds -- the sea creatures and all the beasts of the field.  And then w/special care, YOU created man in YOUR own image.  O LORD, when we look at the majesty of the mountains or observe the beauty of the forests, or ponder the vastness of the universe, or study our own existence, we are made aware of how great YOU are!  “How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Ps. 104:24)
      4. We praise YOU O God for who YOU are: You are faithful... just... righteous.. holy...   -- You are all-powerful and all-knowing. . .  -- You are merciful and kind & compassionate &YOU ARE GOD MOST HIGH!
      5. We praise YOU as our Provider & Sustainer: We think of how richly YOU have blessed us -- with family, friends, godly brethren, health, happiness, food & clothing -- ALL generously provided for us And, we ask with David, “What is man that You take thought of him, & the son of man that You care for him?”
      6. We consider the hard times in life and the times when we are discouraged or sad or lonely and we gain hope because YOU are faithful -- YOU never let us down!  YOUR steadfast love never ceases, YOUR mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!”
      7. We praise you for the blessings of every new day.
      8. We praise YOU for being our Redeemer:
      9. Of all our needs, the greatest is our need for YOU -- Yet, our own sins have separated us from YOU -- Our rebellion has alienated us fromBut, even in this, YOU have made provisions for us to be reconciled to YOU thru YOUR own Son.
      10. O God, YOU have blessed us in the heavenly places with every sp. blessing in Christ -- You have adopted us as sons thru Jesus -- AND it is in Him & thru His blood that we have redemption -- the forgiveness of our sins.  O LORD, YOU have lavished your grace on us -- YOU have made us ALIVE in Christ, who were DEAD in our trespasses and sins.  You have raised us up from our sp. death to sit at YOUR right hand with Christ in the heavenly places. He is “Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” -- Thank YOU O God for your indescribable gift.  We praise YOU for YOUR great plan to save us in Christ Jesus!
      11. We praise YOU for giving us YOUR Word: O LORD, YOU are to be praised for the message of the Holy Spirit that reveals to us the great story of your love and grace -- How that Jesus, “while we were yet sinners DIED on the cross for us!”
      12. In YOUR wisdom, YOU chose the preaching of the cross (a message that the world considers to be foolishness) to save those who would believe so that our boasting would be in YOU and what YOU have done for us!  The glory and praise all belong to YOU!
      13. We praise you our God for the history of Creation, the great flood in Noah’s day, Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the others -- Accounts that show us YOUR greatness and your mercy and YOUR grace in dealing with your people Israel. Your words truly “are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
      14. Finally, Lord, we ask that YOU give us a spirit of wisdom & revelation that we might know YOU better.   We pray that we might have the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we might know...the hope to which Jesus has called us... the riches of His inheritance in the saints... & the greatness of His power toward us who believe
      15. We pray for these young people O LORD, that in their times of distress -- in their times of fear -- in their times of doubt -- (loneliness, times of searching, times when Satan is working hard to defeat them) help them (help us ALL) to see by faith what Elisha’s servant saw -- “that those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
      16. We praise you oh God & glorify your Name!
  4. Suggestions for Praying with Your Children.
    1. Prayer as a family is not always easy.
      1. Kids may squirm and find it difficult to focus. Keep prayers with them short.
      2. Parents may lack energy (and sometimes the will) to lead meaningful prayer times, beyond thanking God for food and family.
      3. Prayer draws us into a closer relationship with God and each other – and it allows parents a more active role in guiding and blessing their children’s lives.
      4. Don’t be ashamed to pray with your children in public.
        1. It is not against the law to pray.
        2. We can pray in the Union and we can pray at the lunch table at school and work.
        3. Please don’t retreat from the public forum.
        4. Jesus’ does not condemn being seen praying – He condemns praying to be seen.
        5. Your children take their cue from you – regarding public demonstration of faith in God.
    2. Pray Scripture
      1. The Scripture is active (cf. Hebrews 4:12) and it has tremendous power to guide our thoughts and actions.
        1. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
      2. Start with some favorite verses:
        1. Seek ye first (Mt. 6:33)
        2. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psa. 119:105)
        3. “Unto Thee oh Lord” (Psalm 25)
      3. Keep track by writing down passages that jump out at you in your reading.
      4. Pray the Psalms – they are prayer songs.
    3. Be persistent (Luke 18:1-6) Read
      1. We need to model “long obedience,” continuing to present our family’s need with faith in God.
      2. We must make clear to our children that there is a difference between God responding to persistent prayers and God giving us everything we want.
        1. Are we praying for God’s will or our will?
        2. As time passes we may discern that God will melt and mold our desires until we discover that He intends something else for our family.
        3. We can learn to trust God’s heart even when we can’t see His hand.
    4. Pray with names and details.
      1. One of the beneficial ways our children perceive our love – and learn to lean on God – is to see their parents devoted to praying for the needs of their children.
        1. Warning – don’t use this as a backdoor to preach to your children.
        2. Don’t underestimate or belittle what is important to them.
        3. Think of all the small matters we take to our Father
      2. When we pray with our children, mention them by name and need.
      3. Pray for the development of their character and relationships.
        1. Pray for their future choices: academically, occupationally and in marriage
        2. When something painful occurs pray. – Prasuhn family prayers.
        3. When a blessing comes your way or theirs, pray.
      4. Let your children observe your humble dependence on the Lord at all times.
    5. Focus on Gratitude
      1. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)
      2. An attitude of gratefulness is central to our worship of God.
        1. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess (give thanks to) his name.” (Heb. 13:15)
      3. Gratefulness is a spiritual discipline. Let’s cultivate it.
      4. Counting blessings is a very beneficial exercise.
        1. It helps ward off depression and despair.
        2. Ask the children: “What are you thankful for today?”
      5. Gratitude is one of the gifts we can give back to God
    6. Our words of thankfulness and praise to the Lord help make His presence real in our homes and in our children.
  5. Conclusion:
    1. Are you in a relationship with God as His faithful child from whom He longs to hear?
      1. 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."
      2. Are you a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus? (Gal. 3:26-27)
      3. Have you been baptized into Christ for the remission of all past sins?
    2. Does God hear our praise and thanksgiving for His blessings in our lives?