Lord, Teach Us to Pray Text: Matthew 6:9-15 Series: Sermon on the Mount [#10] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl November 26, 2017

Transcription

1 Lord, Teach Us to Pray Text: Matthew 6:9-15 Series: Sermon on the Mount [#10] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl November 26, 2017 Introduction This morning we come to the Lord s Prayer in Jesus Sermon on the Mount. There are many good statements about prayer, such as, Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul. Man is at his greatest and his highest when, upon his knees, he comes face to face with God. 1 Or this question, Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? 2 I like that. Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? These statements are good. But the question you and I face is Do we believe and experience prayer as an essential and powerful dynamic of our lives? Sometimes we may be forgetful or undisciplined. At other times it may seem that our prayers are not connecting. On a space shuttle flight in 1984 U.S. President Ronald Reagan called the crew. The call was broadcast and they took questions from around the world during that call. At one point the NASA operator dialed a number. Everyone heard it ring three times, and then a recorded message, Please hang up and try again. You ve dialed the wrong number. 3 Sometimes we pray and it may seem like we ve dialed the wrong number. Jesus opened chapter 6 with warnings about false righteousness, hypocrisy, wearing a mask, pretending to be something we really aren t. He applied it to giving and prayer. Now we come to His Model Prayer, or The Lord s Prayer. Let s note a few things as we begin. This is an important prayer, but it is never to be repeated as simply a ritual, or thinking there is power in just repeating the words. In verse 7 Jesus warns us about vain or meaningless repetition in prayer and thinking we will be heard through many words. The prayer is also recorded in Luke chapter 11. The Holy Spirit directing different wording in the two accounts tells us that the model, not the exact words is what is important. Jesus is instructing us in how we are to pray, not what we are to pray. 4

2 The model prayer has been prayed by Christians since the early days of the church. Some teachers in the first century instructed believers not to pray like the hypocrites vith empty, repetitive words, but yet to pray Jesus model prayer three times a day. 5 We realize this model prayer does not cover every aspect of prayer, and certainly not every question we have about prayer. For example, the role of faith in prayer is not addressed here, although Jesus deals with it elsewhere. Today we are taking an overview of this prayer which is to be our model. Our desire should be that of the disciple s in Luke s account, Lord, teach us to pray. Approaching God In prayer. How are we to come to God in prayer? We are to approach, to come to God as our Father. The phrase Our Father points to Biblical images of God. It should remind us of the personal, family relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. Jesus said here our Father, not my Father. God is my Father, but not just my Father. He is the Father of the family, of all believers who are related to each other through Him. Our relationship with God, our prayer life is never just personal. It is defined by our family relationship through Jesus. Praying to God who is in heaven might seem obvious. The point is to remember when we come to God we come to the exalted ruler, the sovereign over all. Keeping these two realities in balance can be difficult, but we must do it. Seeing too much of the Father relationship can lead to lack of reverence and awe. Seeing too much of the heavenly, sovereign ruler nature of God can lead to lack of closeness. Ultimately, the accurate balance is seen in the pages of the Bible, in which God reveals Himself. Jesus is building on the Old Testament images of God as our Father. God, Israel s father, who was close, caring, understanding. We read in Psalm 68 verse 5, A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy habitation. Again, in Psalm 103, The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust (13-14, NLT). As well, God our Father who is always faithful. Isaiah prayed, For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name (63:16, ESV). Then, God our Father who lovingly disciplines us. Proverbs chapter 3 verses 11-12, My child, don t reject the 2

3 Lord s discipline, and don t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights (NLT). In summary, the picture of God as our Father in heaven stresses the reverence, security, love and openness we have with Him through Jesus. With this is mind, we need to clarify our own view of God as our Father. When we hear or read the phrase God our Father our minds may look to our own experience, to our own families, our own fathers. Those who have a father who is or was easy going, even letting them get away with a lot, can see God as an easy going, permissive, big buddy and not give Him the respect He deserves. Others who have bad, painful memories of their fathers can have difficulty in relating to God, in seeing that God really loves them, in loving God, even though they want to. Our experience with our fathers can affect our relationship with God, including our prayer life. What comes to your mind when you think of God as your Father? Our view should be shaped first and finally by what God reveals to us about Himself as our Father in the Bible. Worshiping God in prayer. Jesus then moves into the first of two sections of the prayer: worshiping God. What does that mean? We talk about it all the time. How do we truly worship God as we pray? First, true worship of God always includes reverencing Him. The last part of verse 9, Hallowed be Your name. We don t use the word hallowed very much today. It has the same origin as the word holy. The idea here is not that we make God holy or ask God to be made holy, because He is holy. Part of His eternal, unchanging character is being pure and separate from all that is not pure, not holy. Rather, it is the sincere, urgent request 7 that we and others see and treat God as holy, as He is. Is that a regular, consistent theme of your prayers? Then let s think about Hallowed be Your name. What s in a name? There is an old story about a newspaper ad in the Lost & Found section: Lost: one dog. Brown hair with several bald spots. Right leg broken due to car accident; rear left hip hurt. Right eye missing. You may begin to wonder why they want this dog back. The ad continues, Left ear bitten off in a dog fight. Answers to the name Lucky. 8 The name doesn t seem to match, does it! 3

4 God s name refers to who He is, what He is like. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 tells us the names of the Messiah, of Jesus include Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. We are going to look at that verse for Advent, starting next week. There are many other names or descriptions of God that show us what He is like. A few from the Old Testament that you may have heard include Elohim, usually translated God, which speaks of His power and majesty. Adoni, or Lord. God is our Master and authority. El Shaddai, God almighty. Yahweh Rophe, God heals. Yahweh Shalom, God our peace. You see, truly praying Hallowed be Your name is so much more than simply repeating those words. Try noting the names, descriptions and then the character of God as you read the Bible. Then pray that God will be seen and proclaimed for who He truly is. Follow the example in King David s call to magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 9 Then true worship in prayer also includes seeking God s rule. Verse 10, Your kingdom come. The word and idea of God s kingdom here is centered on ruling, reigning; the reign of God. God s kingdom refers to His rule in all ages, over all. It is past, present and future. So, what about Your kingdom come? Jesus tells us our hearts and our prayers are to be grounded in a deep desire to see God s rule on earth. This includes seeing people come into His kingdom through faith in Christ. It includes seeing righteousness established, sinful rebellion put down. Sometimes we can get rather fatalistic. We know that there is a day coming when Christ will set up His perfect kingdom on earth. So, we may think, until then we ll just have to hang in there while sin and wickedness thrive. Wrong! The apostles, the believers of the first centuries and later the reformers could have adopted a fatalistic resignation to sin and evil, but they did not! See what God did through them! We could sit back, throw our hands up at the turning away from God and sin in our country, at governments redefining God s definition of life and classifying abortion as a right, or redefining God s definition of marriage in the Bible as the union of one man and 4

5 one woman to being a right for any two individuals. We should not sit back and throw up our hands. We cannot. We do not know when the end of this age will be. We do not know the extent of revival, of evangelization that might take place in our time. As God s children, we are to pray Your kingdom come. Sincerely and earnestly implore, God, may Your rule, Your truth and righteousness transform people, save people, be seen and upheld in our lives, in our land, in our day. The too we worship God in prayer as we seek His will. Verse 10, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Shortly before His arrest and crucifixion Jesus prayed, Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. 10 King David understood the importance of seeking God s will and prayed, Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. 11 Question: How is God s will carried out in heaven? There are no committee meetings, no Royal Commissions about carrying out God s will. It is carried out completely, with no omissions. It is done quickly, with no foot-dragging or delay. It is fulfilled constantly, never hit and miss. It is done joyfully, never with a frown. You see, while it is great to look forward to heaven when we will see and fulfill God s will perfectly, we are to earnestly desire, earnestly pray and work for that here and now. And so, again, we need to read and think through the Bible to see what God s desire for us and our world is. The Bible is rich in practical statements about the will of God. We see some of that in the familiar words from Galatians chapter 5 that lists some of the qualities which are God s will for us which we should be seeking, for which we should be praying. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law (verses 22-23). Do we earnestly desire, pray for, work with God for this character to keep growing in us? That is God s will for us. There also are specific actions that God says are His will for us. For example, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 18 instructs us in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 15 adds, this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. God s will for us and part of our witness is to do good which God uses to silence the arguments of foolish unbelievers. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 states clearly, this is the will of God, your sanctification [your growing in holiness]: that you should abstain from sexual immorality. Some of Paul s prayers in the New Testament for believers express God s will for us. Note just one. Paul told the church at Philippi, 5

6 I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (1:9-11). That s God s will for us. God s desire for us is to be ours, and our prayer. The process of our part in living this out is described in Romans chapter 12. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (verses 1-2). Bringing our requests to God in prayer. The last part of the prayer is where we might sometimes, even often, begin bringing our requests to God. First there are our physical needs. Verse 11, Give us this day our daily bread. Bread here does not refer just to food, but all physical needs. We are to ask God for everything we need to keep going physically in this world. The word daily pictures coming to God day by day for the needs of each day. A few points to note. Many Christians try to take care of, provide the basics themselves, on their own, only looking to God for the big things. Then, sometimes we consider our wants as needs. Sometimes it is not until after we have what we thought we needed that we realize it wasn t a need at all, but sometimes an impulsive desire or at other times a deep desire, want. As well, physical life is not our highest purpose. Faithful Christians do die of starvation, in floods, epidemics. And if Christ doesn t return first, everyone of us is going to die. We are to avoid both improper independence ( I can take care of things myself ) and improper dependence (as those Paul spoke of who did not work but sat around depending on others while they said they were waiting for Christ to return 12 ). While we don t understand all the details, Philippians chapter 4 verse 19 is true, My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Prayer is key to supply. 6

7 In addition to our physical needs, we are to bring our spiritual needs to God. Jesus gives us two key examples in this prayer. He starts with forgiveness of your sins. We all need it there are no exceptions. For those who do not yet know Jesus, God tells us, whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. 13 And, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [or, forgiveness] of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 14 God s word tells believers, If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 15 And also that Jesus, gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds (NLT). 16 Some people struggle with the fact that God will forgive all their sin, while others struggle with realizing the sinfulness of their sin. We all need to and can have God s forgiveness for all our sin! Jesus teaches us to pray, verse 12, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. The wording here that is most commonly recited, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, comes from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Jesus adds, starting in verse 14, if you forgive men for their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (14-15). You probably have a few questions here. First, remember this is Jesus model prayer for those in the kingdom, for believers. Salvation is not in view. That was settled once and for all when we accepted Christ. As believers, all unconfessed sin, including not forgiving others, affects our relationship with God, not our salvation. It affects our fellowship with Him, our joy, peace, strength, effectiveness. Husbands, remember the apostle Peter s instruction to live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered (1 Peter 3:7, NASB). When we do not live rightly, when we do not forgive others, our prayers are hindered. Secondly, forgiveness is part of the character of a forgiven person. If God has forgiven me, how can I not forgive others? If you struggle with forgiving someone, take a brief trip down memory lane of everything, every sin of yours which God has forgiven. People who claim to be Christians and whose character is one of not forgiving others need to check their 7

8 faith, need to reflect on God s forgiveness. All of us need to continually ask God to keep us humbly and joyfully reflecting on His forgiveness, and to truly live as His children in forgiving others. From here Jesus moves to spiritual faithfulness and victory. Verse 13, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, or in some versions from evil (NASB, ESV). Question: Does God tempt us? The answer is No! James chapter 1 verse 13 tells us, Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. So, there is no need for us to ask God not to do what He never does. But the word tempt also can mean test or try. Does, or should God keep us from all trials? Again the answer is No! Still in James chapter 1, verses 2-4 instruct us, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (NASB). So if God never tempts us and does not keep us from trials, what is this request about? Much has been said and written about the possibilities here. In the end we must admit that there is no universally accepted answer. One possibility is that Jesus is using understatement, stating a negative to make His positive point. I realize what I just said may be as clear as mud. So how about an example? When I say Ruby is not an amateur singer, I mean, Ruby is a very good singer (as we know she is). Or, going to Scripture, when God says of His word in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11, It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it (NASB), He is saying My word will be fulfilled, will accomplish its purpose. In fact, some of our English versions change the negative to a positive in their wording. Then Jesus speaks this way in John chapter 6 verse 37 when He says the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out, meaning I will certainly accept and keep those who come to Me. In the model prayer then, Jesus could be saying we should be asking God to keep us in right relationship with Him, to keep us living righteously. 17 That is one strong possibility. Jesus also could be telling us to have a deep desire and to pray for the truth we are given later in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13, 8

9 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, so that you may be able to bear it. Pray, ask God to rescue you from sinning when you go through temptations, to not allow you to be overcome by temptation, to make you faithful and victorious. Yes, we are to be, as Paul wrote, strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the wiles (or, schemes) of the devil. 18 But pray! The last part of verse 13, For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen, is either put in brackets or left out of most newer English versions of the Bible because it is not found in the earliest manuscripts of the gospel that we have. Regardless of that, these words express truth. The idea is that we can and are to pray to God and pray in this way because the kingdom, power and glory are forever His. Who else can we look to? Why wouldn t we look to Him? Conclusion How is your prayer life? What about your approach, worship and requests in prayer? Are you asking, Lord, teach me to pray! Let s close with one person s amplified version of this prayer. I cannot say Our, if my faith has no room for others and their needs. I cannot say Father, if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily living. I cannot say Who art in heaven, if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things. I cannot say Hallowed be Thy name, if I, who am called by His name, am not holy. I cannot say Thy kingdom come, if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the righteous reign of God. I cannot say Thy will be done, if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life. I cannot say on earth as it is in heaven, unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here and now. I cannot saygive us this day our daily bread without expending honest effort for it or by ignoring the genuine needs of my fellowmen. I cannot say forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot say lead us not into temptation, if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted. I 9

10 cannot say deliver us from evil, if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer. 19 Go to God now, praising and thanking Him for the great privilege of prayer. Then review the state, the health of your prayer life in light of the model Jesus has given us. 1 D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Volume Two. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1960, page Universally attributed to Corrie Ten Boom. Original reference not known. 3 NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, Edited Oral History Transcript, John A. Mc Bride. < 17 April Accessed 13 November See, for example, D.A. Carson, Matthew, Volume 9 in The Expositor s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010, page The Didache, Chapter 8. See, for example, The Didache or The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Tim Sauder, Translator. < n.d. Accessed 13 November Chronicles 29:10. 7 For the force of this aorist of request or entreaty see, for example, Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar, Beyond the Basics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996, pages Old story. Original source not known. 9 Psalm 34:3. 10 Luke 22: Psalm 143: Thessalonians 3: Romans 10: Acts 2: John 1:9. 16 Titus 2:14, NLT. 17 So seen (as a litotes) by D.A. Carson in Jesus Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978, 1987, page (1978), page (1987). It is unclear whether Carson has abandoned or kept to this position since he does not state it in Matthew, Volume 9 in The Expositor s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010, pages Ephesians 6: Attributed to Ann Kimmel. Original source not verified. 10

11 2017 Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois All rights reserved. 11