Pray Then Like This

Website Editor • Jun 03, 2020

From Pastor Ryan Lewis's message on Matthew 6:5-18:

You are probably familiar with the feeling. You know you need to pray, but the words don't come and your thoughts are clumsy. You try, but God feels distant and you suspect your prayers are stopping at the ceiling. You feel guilty about this and it inhibits your prayers even further. So you stop praying or it becomes a dull routine. God doesn't feel near.

If this is you, there is hope for you yet.

Jesus assures us that we don't have to be stuck here! In Matthew 6, He goes so far as to give a step-by-step guide for how to pray. 

The Lord's Prayer is a framework for what our prayers should look like. It sets the example that when we pray, our full attention should be on God. Jesus gives us the model in two parts: the first focusing on God's glory, the second focusing on man's needs. 

Part 1: God's Glory

Our Father, who art in heaven.

When we pray, our attention should be fully focused on God and who He is. God's Fatherhood is not all-inclusive. It is reserved for those who have been adopted into His family, through faith and hope in Jesus. If this is you, call on Him as Father.


Hallowed be your name.

We are to honor and attribute to God the Holiness that is already His. We are to draw Him into every thought, word, and action in our lives and to concern ourselves with His glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31)


Your kingdom come. 

We are to pray for God's kingdom. Our prayer should focus on God's sovereignty, dominion and reign -- for His kingdom to be built and not ours. The best way to pray for a person or a cause, is for God's kingdom to be advanced through them.


Your will be done. 

We are to pray for God's will. We are to ask for God's work in us and in others to be revealed according to His will, on earth and in heaven. God is not a genie in a bottle that we should only come to when we have a need -- no! He is the sovereign Lord of the universe who has invited us into relationship with Him. We must come to Him because we love Him and because of what He has done for us. (John 14:15)


Part 2: Man's Needs

Give us this day our daily bread.

We are to pray for God's provision. Though God already knows what we need, He still wants us to ask Him. Martin Luther described "bread" as being all things that are essential for life -- not only food, but a healthy body, a home, a healthy wife and children, a healthy government, peace, et cetera. We are to be completely dependent on God to provide for us, knowing that every good gift is from Him alone.


Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We are to pray for God's forgiveness. We must acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior. John MacArthur said it well, “Sin is that which separates man from God, and is therefore man’s greatest enemy and greatest problem. Because man’s greatest problem is sin, his greatest need is forgiveness, and that’s what God provides.”

As believers, we must confess our sins to God daily as part of our sanctification journey. 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -- 1 John 1:8-9

To the second part of this statement, this is a prayer that assumes that since we have experienced God's forgiveness, that we have extended that forgiveness to others. As forgiven sinners, we are to be forgiving sinners.


And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

We are to pray for God's protection. Until we meet Jesus face-to-face, we will never be fully sanctified or immune to sin. We must pray diligently for his protection over our flesh and our tendency to sin. The truth is that we have an enemy and we cannot face him alone. We must go to the Father and ask Him for help in this. 

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The words Jesus gives us are not empty rhythms to recite and repeat, but life itself! He shows us the way to draw near to the Father. He gives us a pathway to glorify Him and align our lives with His will for us.

For His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.


See this prayer in action on matters of current events, here.

Watch this sermon, here.

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Resources

Jesus is Much More Better

15 May, 2024
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, May 12, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:12-21 Adam ruined it for everyone —sin came into the world through Adam —death came into the world through sin —death spread to all men because all sinned “God has always dealt with mankind through a head and representative. The whole story of the human race can be summed up in terms of what has happened because of Adam, and what has happened and will yet happen because of Christ.” —Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Jesus is the true and better Adam “Cranfield explains, ‘That one single misdeed should be answered by judgment, this is perfectly understandable: that the accumulated sins and guilt of all the ages should be answered by God’s free gift, this is the miracle of miracles, utterly beyond human comprehension.’ The final word from God could have been “Condemned, on the basis of many trespasses.” Instead, it is “Justified, through the gift of Jesus’ righteousness.” That is why Paul declares that the gift is “much more” or “much better” than the result of Adam’s trespass.” —Daniel M. Doriani, Romans Through Jesus grace abounds and grace reigns Discipleship Questions: What are some reasons we might not like the idea that we all sinned when Adam sinned? What can help us embrace the idea that we all sinned when Adam sinned? How does that idea set us up for the good news about Jesus and what He accomplished? How does the truth from this passage build our assurance of our salvation? In what ways is what Jesus did much more powerful and better than what Adam brought us? How have you experienced the reign of grace in your life despite the reign of sin and death in the world? How can we experience the reign of grace through Jesus in everyday life?

No Fear of Judgment

08 May, 2024
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:6-11 God has already done the work needed to save us He took the initiative “God has addressed the cause of the offense… Although he is the offended party, God has removed the offense. God has extended “the olive branch.” -Jay Smith He justified us He reconciled us Reconciliation is an objective event that God accomplished by removing the barrier of sin that separated himself from humanity. This result is independent of humanity’s response although it formed the basis for an individual’s subjective appropriation.” Jay Smith Appropriate: “To set apart for or assign to a particular recipient.” Christians need not fear judgment day 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?

The Joy of Justification

29 Apr, 2024
Notes from Lance Shumake's sermon on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Sermon text: Romans 5:1-5 We find joy in the blessings brought by justification —peace with God —access to God’s grace Hebrews 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. —hope of the glory of God “Christian hope is not uncertain, like our ordinary everyday hopes about the weather or our health; it is a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God, as we saw in the case of Abraham. And the object of our hope is the glory of God (2), namely his radiant splendor which will in the end be fully displayed. —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans We can even find joy in our sufferings “Various kinds of sufferings will come to us, but we can rejoice in them when we recognize that they serve a purpose: to develop our Christian character. In verses 3b–4 Paul shows how a godly response to suffering can initiate a series of virtues, culminating, strikingly, in hope. Note, however, that Paul is not saying that we should rejoice because of suffering. Evil things are still just that—evil—and we never should be happy about them. But by looking beyond the suffering to its divinely intended end, we still can rejoice in the midst of them.” —Douglas J. Moo, Encountering the Book of Romans —suffering produces endurance “ We know this, especially from the experience of God’s people in every generation. Suffering produces perseverance ( hypomonē , endurance). We could not learn endurance without suffering, because without suffering there would be nothing to endure.” —John R. W. Stott, The Message of Romans —endurance builds character —character gives us confident hope Discipleship Questions: How does it change your outlook on life to know that you have peace with God? In what ways have you experienced the greatness of access to God’s grace? How does future certainty bring us lasting hope? Describe a time when you experienced joy in the midst of suffering. How has God used suffering to grow your faith and mature you? What are some ways you have experienced God’s love being poured into your heart?
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