Pray Then Like This
Website Editor • June 3, 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
- Adults: A Simple Way to Pray by Martin Luther
- Kids: The Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R.C. Sproul
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
