Matt. 6:9-13

THE PATTERN FOR PRAYER

 

Intro:  This passage is often referred to as the Lord’s Prayer.  In reality, it is the Disciple’s Prayer.  It was given to them as a pattern for them to follow when they prayed.  Therefore, we could rightly call this prayer the Model Prayer.  This prayer is often wrongly used, however.  We are not to just mindlessly repeat it from rote memory, but we are to use it as a framework upon which we can build a prayer life that is offered to God, heard and answered by Him, and one that glorifies His Name.  Tonight, as the Lord gives me liberty, I am going to share with you The Pattern For Prayer.

 

  I.  v.9-10        OUR PRAYERS SHOULD BE TO A PERSON

      A.  v. 9a  WHO?

            1.  Father - Implies a relationship.  The new birth is required for

                  answered prayer - John 14:13.

            2.  Our - Speaks of the community of faith.  Our prayer life should    

encompass the entire family of God.  Ill. Too often, we are guilty of selfish praying! (Ill. Me and my needs first and only! - Phil. 2:4!)

B.  v. 9b  WHERE? - Heaven!  Speaks of God’s position as Sovereign.  He is on Heaven’s throne and is worthy of our faith.  He is an able God!  Faithlessness has no place in our prayer lives - Heb. 11:6; James 1:16-17; Rom. 14:23.  (Ill. We can pray on His promises - John 16:23; 1 John 5:14-15)

      C.  v. 9c  HOW?  (2 things to remember as we come before His presence!)

1.  Hallowed - Reminds us of His holiness.  God is a holy God and must be approached in fear and reverence!  (Ill. Isaiah - Isa. 6:5; Ill. Job - Job 40:4)  To truly hallow His name means that we see Him as Lord over all.  When His name is hallowed, we can never say, “No, Lord!” we can never say,  “Not me Lord!”  The only word that fits with Lord is “Yes, Lord!”  To Hallow God, we simply ascribe to Him the honor and glory and majesty that is and has always been His.  We become engaged in the praise of His Person - Ill. Verse 13.

2.  Name - When we come before Him, we need to remember that      our only access to God lies in that name which is above every name - Phil. 2:9-11; John 6:23.  Jesus is our only access and road of approach to the Father - 2 Tim. 2:5.

      D.  v. 10  WHAT? - 2 Great ideals must be paramount in our minds as we approach God.

1.  Thy Kingdom Come - (Ill. A truly Awesome concept.)  This is a three-fold request:

a.  A Request For Jesus To Return To The Earth - The word “kingdom” does not refer to a geographic location, but to dominion and sovereignty.  When we pray “Thy Kingdom Come,” we are praying for Christ’s rule upon the earth.  This coming Kingdom points ahead to the time when Jesus will rule and reign upon the earth in perfect glory, peace and righteousness - Ill. What a day!

b.  This Is A Personal Request - We are literally praying for the Kingdom of God to be realized in our own lives.  If you are saved, the Kingdom of God is in you - Luke 17:21.  Simply put, when we pray this prayer, we are asking Jesus to have supreme rule in our lives.  We will never be effective     as saints of God until we are able to pray, “My kingdom go and Thy Kingdom come!” (Ill. This is the whole intent of Matt. 6:33!)  (Ill. He must have the key to every room in our lives! That is, He not we must be in absolute control of our lives!)

c.  This Is An Evangelistic Request - As we are yielded to God and He is ruling and reigning in our lives, we can play a part in bringing other to Him.  You see, another way God’s Kingdom is brought to the earth is when a new soul is brought to Him through salvation.  Another Temple is filled with the glory and presence of God.  Therefore, when we pray for the lost, we are praying for God’s Kingdom to expand in the earth!  We are to pray evangelistically - 1 Tim. 2:1-4!  (Ill. Stephen - Acts 7:60!)  When we pray as we ought, we a focused on seeking the Kingdom of Almighty God.

2.  Thy Will Be Done - This is a cousin to the previous line, for when God’s Kingdom is realized in the world, His will will be done here     as it is done in Heaven.  This phrase is also telling us to place God’s will paramount in our lives.  It is the prayer prayed in the will of God that receives the answer of God - 1 John 5:14-15.  (Ill. His will in Heaven - Psa. 103:20-21!)  Prayer never changes God’s mind, but it does hasten His activity in the world.  Prayer moves Heaven in the earth!  (Ill. Reasons for unanswered prayer - James 4:3)  Ill The key is to be lost in His will!

 

 II.  v.11-13            OUR PRAYERS SHOULD INCLUDE PETITIONS

A.  We Should Pray About Physical Needs - There is no sin and no shame in asking God to meet our physical needs.  He has promised to supply them all - Phil. 4:19; Psa. 37:25; Matt. 7:7-11; Rom. 8:32.  (Ill. “This day,”  We need to take today’s need to God, but leave tomorrow’s need until tomorrow.  To worry over tomorrow is a sin - Matt. 6:33-34.  God’s call is for us to rest in Him to today and trust Him totally for tomorrow as well.)(Ill. This portion of the text is encouraging us to look to God as the “giver” - Deut 8:18.  We need to look to Him for those things we lack, He has what you need - Psa. 50:10; Rom. 8:17.

B.  We Should Pray About Our Spiritual Needs - More spiritual needs are mentioned here than physical ones.  The reason?  Our spiritual needs are greater by far than our physical needs.  Notice some spiritual needs that we need to pray about.

1.  Forgiveness For Self - Ill. “Debt” = Something owed that must be paid back.  It can be translated as “sin, trespass, shortcomings,   resentments, what we owe to God, or anything we have done wrong.”  We all need to seek God for the forgiveness of our personal sins - 1 John 1:8-10.  (Ill. Even Paul admitted that he was imperfect - Phil. 3:12)  When we spend more time in His presence, we become more aware of His holiness and our sinfulness.  Someone has said, ‘The greater the saint, the greater the sense of sin and the awareness of sin within.”

2.  Forgiveness Of Others - An unforgiving spirit will totally destroy one’s prayer life. (Ill. What a man said the John Wesley.)  Society exalts vengeance over forgiveness, but society is wrong!  Unforgiveness will eat you alive spiritually, filling you with bitterness, anger, rage, anxiety, depression, etc. Paul calls it a “root of bitterness,” Heb. 12:15.  (Ill. The way of a root!)  There are three great reasons why we should practice the forgiveness of others.

a.  You Are Never More Like God Than When You Forgive - What kind of God do we serve?  He is loving, gracious, kind and forgiving!  When we forgive others, we are exercising true godliness, Eph. 4:32.  Ill. Verse 10 - What is being done in Heaven?  Worship, Exaltation of Jesus, Forgiveness of sin!  You are literally bringing Heaven to earth when you forgive a brother in Christ - Matt. 18:18!

b.  It Is Only Reasonable That Those Who Are Forgiven Forgive  - (Ill. Matt. 18:21-35)  He has forgiven us a massive debt, we can surely forgive our brother a much smaller one!

c.  Failure To Forgive Results In Chastening - (Ill. Matt. 18:31-35)  When we choose not to forgive, we will be tortured by bitterness, resentment, and loss of fellowship with God. In fact, when we refuse to forgive, we are usurping the place and power of God Himself - Rom. 12:19-21.  We are playing God and none of us is qualified for that job.

3.  To Be Delivered From Temptation - Ill. Everyone is tempted, but God tempts no one - James 1:13.  Our prayer should be that God will direct our paths so that we may avoid the places of temptation, Psa. 37:23.  This is a prayer to maintain close fellowship lest we be tempted - James 1:14.

4.  To Be Delivered From Evil - Literally, this is a prayer for help in avoiding sin, 1 Cor. 10:13.  This is a plea for God to change us, hedge us, keep us, and walk with us that we might be sheltered from the power of the Evil One!  This is help to avoid the pitfalls of sin!

 

III. v.13b          OUR PRAYERS SHOULD INCLUDE PRAISE

A.  For His Sovereignty - He is to be praised for the King He is.  He deserves to be glorified.

B.  For His Power - He is to be praised for His abilities and for the times in which He has demonstrated His power in our lives!

C.  For His Glory - He demands and deserves all the glory in every situation in life.  He should be glorified on earth as He is in Heaven!

 

Conc:  Our praying can be defined as an activity that must include ACTS.  That is an acrostic that is rendered thusly:

     

      A - Adoration - God must be worshipped

      C - Confession - Our sin must be dealt with

      T - Thanksgiving - We must always possess a thankful heart before

            Him.

      S - Supplication - There is room to tell Him what we need.

 

      Another letter could be added to the front, and that is the letter F.  It stands for Faith, without which we can expect nothing from God - Heb. 11:6; Rom. 14:23.  How’s your praying look when it is compared to the model?