Jesus Teaches Us How to Pray

Matt. 6:9-13

In this chapter Jesus is talking about how to pray and when He had finished the disciples asked Jesus to show them what and how to pray. They knew He had contact with the Father through prayer and His prayers were always answered.

This pattern helps believers understand the nature and purpose of their personal prayers in their relationship with their Father.

I. Jesus teaches us to address God as Father as we pray for His name to be honored. Matthew 6:9 (NKJV)  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 

a. In our lives.

Christians, who bear the holy name of Christ, must be responsible to honor him in every aspect of their lives. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)  Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

b. Pray for God’s name to be honored in the world.

When we pray for God’s name to be honored, we pray that this world will honor his name instead of misusing it. As we look forward to Christ’s return when that will be a reality.

II. Jesus teaches us to pray for the Father’s Kingdom to come to earth. 

Matthew 6:10 (NKJV)  Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 

a. God’s will to be done on earth as in Heaven.

Jesus’ followers recognize that the Kingdom began with his coming to earth. Luke 17:21 records Jesus as saying “Indeed the Kingdom of God is within you. To look forward to God’s coming Kingdom is to pray that more and more people will enter it. Our prayer is that all Christians will help bring God’s Kingdom to earth by living as Kingdom people in obeying the King’s will. This prayer also reaffirms our belief that one day all evil will be destroyed, and that God will establish Jesus as King over all the earth, and that his glory will be known to all the nations. We pray for the day when all nations will worship Him! Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV) ⁹ God also has highly exalted Him (Jesus) and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

b. Example of what it’s like in Heaven. Revelation 21:3-4 (NKJV) ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

III. Jesus teaches us to depend on God for our daily provisions. 

Matthew 6:11 (NKJV) Give us this day our daily bread. 

a. We are to acknowledge God as the source of every good. We are not to forget it’s He who provides for us each day. Don’t take Him for granted!

 James 1:17 (NKJV)  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

IV. Jesus teaches us to forgive others as we want God to forgive us. 

Matthew 6:12 (NKJV) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 

a. We are to forgive as Jesus forgave us. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)
³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

b. This prayer for forgiveness is not for salvation but for our fellowship with God and others. If believers are unwilling to forgive those who wrong them, how can they expect to be in fellowship with their Father who has freely forgiven them for their wrongdoings?

V. Jesus teaches us to pray for God the Father to keep us from sin and the evil one. Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)  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. 

a. It is daily our hearts prayer. We want to bring honor to God’s name by avoiding evil.

b. This prayer expresses a healthy distrust of our own ability to resist temptations.

All Christians struggle with temptation. Believers who pray these words realize their sinful nature and their need to depend on God in the face of temptation.

The last part of verse 13 is not in some bibles because some of the older manuscripts didn’t have it recorded in them. But these words come from King David’s prayer after the people gave to build God’s Temple.    1 Chronicles 29:10-13 (NKJV) ¹⁰ David blessed the Lord before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. 

¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all. ¹² Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all.In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.¹³ "Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name.

God’s power is the energy by which His kingdom is governed and maintained.

To God belongs the glory and the honor in response to His kingdom of grace, and the salvation of men forever and ever. 

God’s power is the energy by which His kingdom is governed and maintained.

To God belongs the glory and the honor in response to His kingdom of grace, and the salvation of men forever and ever.

All our prayers have no other foundation than God alone.

Invitation: Have you entered the Kingdom of God?

What or who do you trust in to get you into God’s eternal Kingdom?

You must believe and put full trust in God’s Son Jesus Christ to enter His Kingdom.

Ask Jesus to forgive your sins and invite Him into your heart to save you.

Acts 4:12 (NKJV)  There is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

GOD’S PERFECT WORD

PSALM 119:137-144

The bible is the bestselling book of all times. In 2002 there had been more than 6 billion copies sold. The King James Bible—the bestselling book of all time, the most quoted book in the English language celebrates its 403rd anniversary this year. The bible is different than all other books.  Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. It gives us wisdom you will find nowhere else. It tells us how our souls can be saved. No other book can do that!

    I. THE PSALMIST’S DISCERNMENT (119:137-138) David taught Solomon in Proverbs 4:7-9 N.K.J.V.⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. ⁸ Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. ⁹ She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you." King David is credited for writing Psalm 119. God gave David such insight into the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of Him and His will. Written thousands of years ago under the inspiration of God’s Spirit, He tells us in these few verses what we need to know about God and His word and how important both of them are. This entire Psalm is about God’s word which is God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom has saved and directed the lives of millions of people and still is today. All wisdom is originates with God!

First he tells us about; the righteousness of:

A. The Lord’s Character (119:137) God is always right, and he is always actively righteous in all He does. This quality is bound up in our very idea of God. We cannot imagine an unrighteous God. He makes no mistakes no matter what man says or accuses Him of and no matter what we don’t understand. His commandments are fair because they keep us from danger and evil. God’s blessings flow when we are obedient.

B. The Lord’s Commandments (119:138) There are no imperfections in God’s word. It doesn't contain truth, it is the truth. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt absolutely trustworthy. It is dependable for showing us how to live our lives in the most successful way. It tells us how to avoid trouble and find the right path in life. It is good for all ages because it is never outdated or unreliable.

II. THE PSALMIST’S DEVOTION (119:139) ¹³⁹ I am overwhelmed with indignation, for my enemies have disregarded your words. Indignation means anger and outrage for those enemies of God who disregard His holy word. King David was absolutely devoted to God’s word and lived his life by it. Do we have that same feeling about God’s word? So many today disregard God’s word and it increases evil. When we don’t live by God’s word, it does us no good and evil wins in our lives.
III. THE PSALMIST’S DELIGHT (119:140) God’s word has stood the test of time. It has been around for thousands of years, man has tried every effort to destroy it and have not been successful and never will be. Psalms 119:89 (NLT)  Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven. Everything else may pass away but God will not allow His word to be changed or destroyed. It is eternal!

IV. THE PSALMIST’S DISTRESS (119:141-144)

A. His Correct View of Self (119:141) To his enemies David was despised and insignificant but he would not turn away from God’s word no matter what. There are Christians all over the world today who are despised and insignificant in the eyes of evil people. But they are willing to give their lives rather than turn from God and His word. We are nothing in and of ourselves.

B. His Correct View of Scripture (119:142) God has always operated in integrity and honesty, and always will. His words are perfectly true now and always.

 C. His Correct View of Suffering (119:143)  When the pressures of life weigh us down and we feel squeezed, we can open this word of God and find joy in His everlasting promises. We find direction for our lives in all situations.  John 10:10 (NLT)  The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying, abundant life.

V. THE PSALMIST’S DESIRE (119:144) God’s word is continually right. Has been right since it was written and always will be! As we pray and read His word, God’s Spirit will help us to understand His word so we may live by them and be victorious in this life. When we read God’s word then shall we truly "live." My spirit will shake off its apathy, and be quickened into a "life" that will live for God.  

Invitation: God’s word says that all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory and the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Simply confess your sins against God and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you. Invite Him into your heart and let Him take charge of your life. Go to church and be baptized to prove that you are sincere about your desire to be saved. You will be glad you did.

Fullness of Joy