Dive into Jesus’ teachings on prayer in the Gospels and discover how he trains hearts and minds through the Spirit.
These are only preliminary, unedited outlines and may differ from Andy’s final message.
Two key elements of our prayer lives:
1) What to pray for
2) How to pray… what characteristics of heart does God love in prayer
I. Praying According to God’s Will
Last week we began with this key verse:
Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
A key element in our weak prayer lives is we don’t know what to pray for.
The Spirit helps us in that weakness… teaching us to pray “in accordance with God’s will.”
This same concept is taught in other places in scripture:
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us– whatever we ask– we know that we have what we asked of him.
No one prayed more in accordance with the will of God than Jesus, as we saw in our study on Gethsemane:
Matthew 26:39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
This is essential to the Lord’s Prayer as well:
Matthew 6:9-10 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
So, we learn first and foremost that effective prayer means asking God to do his will in this or that specific circumstance.
As we said last time, prayer is not 1) giving God a new idea, or 2) persuading God that your idea is better than his… by your strong will overruling God’s original plan. NOT AT ALL! Prayer is asking God to do what his purpose and will had determined beforehand is best, but which has not yet happened.
“May your will be done!”
But a large part of our weakness in prayer is, we don’t know what that is!! The Spirit helps us in our weakness by scripture… teaching us what God is doing in the world, so that we line ourselves up to it. Jesus’ instructions on what to pray for
II. The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6)
Matthew 6:7-15 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
A. Don’t Pray Like Babbling Pagans
Matthew 6:7-8 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
The Buddhist prayer wheels… endless meaningless repetition
Ironic that the Lord’s Prayer is the most babbled prayer in history!
Many mindlessly chant it while doing the Rosary; football teams mindlessly babble it after games
Jesus wants us to think clearly about what we’re praying for, to be mentally sharp and aware.
God knows what we need before we ask! We can never educate God in terms of our situations
B. The “Lord’s Prayer” is somewhat misnamed
1. It is a prayer the Lord taught
2. But it is not a prayer the Lord would pray… for example “forgive us our debts”
3. A better name: “The Disciples’ Prayer”
C. Timeless pattern of what to pray for
1. But it IS a pattern of prayer the Lord is commending to us
Matthew 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:…”
2. Remember that Romans 8:26 says we don’t know what to pray for; Jesus is seeking to remedy that
D. General Structure of the Prayer
1. Addressing God properly:
Our Father in heaven
2. Three petitions of God-centered worship:
Hallowed be YOUR name… YOUR Kingdom come… YOUR will be done on earth as it is in heaven
3. Three petitions of human-centered needs
OUR daily bread… OUR sins… OUR temptations.
E. Addressing God Properly
“Our Father…” The Fatherhood of God
1. We are coming as God’s adopted children through faith in Christ
John 1:12-13 to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but born of God.
Romans 8:15-16 you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
2. God is a better giver than all of us fathers
Matthew 7:9-11 Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
3. “Our”, not “My”
a. “My father” is true… in Galatians 2:20, Paul personalized/individualized salvation saying “Christ loved me and gave himself for me.”
b. But “Our father” is also true and helpful; we are adopted into a vast family of God, and the requests in the Lord’s Prayer are common to us all
F. “Hallowed be your name”
1. The primacy on God’s glory
God’s glory comes first!! “Chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Trouble comes when we put temporary needs above our concern to glorify God.
No matter how great your need, even if you are praying for someone who’s terminally ill, or yearning to see someone come to Christ, even over the greatest of human concerns, FIRST AND FOREMOST comes the glory of God!
2. What does this mean: “Hallowed”? Held sacred… esteemed as holy… conceived as exalted… sanctified above all things
3. Your name = your character + your reputation
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
Psalm 138:2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
Psalm 23:3 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4. By whom should God’s name be hallowed??
a. Clearly by people
b. This is essentially a missionary prayer, as the other two are, “May your kingdom come, may your will be done…”
John Piper’s most famous quote:
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.
So… these three requests are missionary in nature resulting in eternal worship and service to God:
“Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
c. This is God’s salvation program for the earth
d. Amazing… we are asking God to work in human hearts so that his name will be honored!
i) People don’t hallow God’s name because of their hardened hearts and darkened understandings
ii) This prayer is taking that massive human problem back to God to solve it
iii) As we will see in a moment, it is a request to God to solve our own problem by removing the heart of stone and giving us a living heart of flesh
iv) God doesn’t need to increase in glory, we need to be resurrected from spiritual death to see it and delight in it
5. God’s infinite zeal for his holy name
a. God’s name was tied up with Israel’s history
b. When Israel sinned and was dispersed among the nations, God’s name suffered
c. God acted in salvation to restore his name’s glory
Ezekiel 36:17-27 “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight. 18 So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. 20 And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them, ‘These are the LORD’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ 21 I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Wow!! This is God’s ultimate program of salvation for all the earth! Changing our very nature so that we ourselves will esteem God’s holy name, and so that others will see how we live and they will also esteem God’s holy name.
d. The ultimate end:
Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
G. “May your kingdom come”
1. As we just said, this is a missionary prayer
2. It is the central drive of Jesus’ ministry
Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”
3. Kingdom: where God is king over all; everything brought gladly under God’s sovereign rule
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
4. Kingdom is already… and not yet
a. Already here
Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
Luke 17:20-21 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
b. Not yet here
“May your kingdom come”
H. “May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
1. In heaven… this is the central reality
Revelation 4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
How is God’s will done in heaven? By the angels: Immediately, comprehensively, eagerly, submissively
In the New Heaven and New Earth, this prayer will be consummated!!
2. As we began this BFL today, this is the key issue… praying according to God’s will
3. Jesus displayed absolute commitment to this in Gethsemane and at the cross…
Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
4. As Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.”
5. Christians praying this day after day learn to imitate Jesus in this self-denying submission to God’s will
6. God’s will is comprehensive…
Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Psalm 75:6-7 No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. 7 But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.
7. This prayer, if prayed genuinely and by faith, will transform us powerfully from being AUTONOMOUS, independent, self-reliant, self-gratifying rebels against the true King of the Universe, to being continuously harmonious with what he is doing in the world
I. “Give us this day our daily bread”
1. God is glorified in man’s total dependence on him
2. He created us needy, and then delights to meet those needs
Psalm 145:15-17 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
3. Daily bread = continual sustenance; bread is literal as well as symbolic
4. For Christians, this should also make us think of Christ in two key passages
Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
5. This should also remind us to be thankful
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
1 Timothy 4:4-5 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6. Also the prayer in the plural (“Give US this day”) should make us mindful of brothers and sisters who are poor and lack daily necessities
J. “Forgive us our debts”
1. Continual mindfulness of our sinfulness
2. Need for ongoing confession of sin
1 John 1:8-9 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
3. Though God has forgiven once for all our entire sin debt, yet he wants us to be mindful of our ongoing sinfulness as we walk in this present evil age, and to keep coming back to him for forgiveness… keeping short accounts
K. “As we also forgive our debtors”
1. This is the only aspect of the prayer Jesus comments on when it is done:
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
2. Similarly, Jesus spoke of the need of a genuine heart of forgiveness to others as a condition for power in prayer:
Mark 11:23-25 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
a. This is a VERY POWERFUL insight in prayer
b. If you “hold anything against anyone”… “Get rid of all bitterness” (Eph. 4:31)
c. This is a marvelously freeing thing
d. It is also an absolute obligation to maintain a healthy relationship with God
e. Think of the Parable of the Ten Thousand Talents
L. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One”
1. I combine these elements into one
2. KJV has “deliver us from evil”… but the Greek is clear, “The Evil One”, which is Satan
3. Satan is constantly weaving nets of temptation for us
4. Prayer is a powerful preparation for us to fight Satan’s evil plots and schemes
5. MINDFULNESS… AWARENESS
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
Ephesians 6:11-13 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
III. The High Priestly Prayer (John 17)
A. Jesus Prays for Himself
John 17:1-5 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
B. Jesus Prays for His Apostles
John 17:6-19 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name– the name you gave me– so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
C. Jesus Prays for the Elect Around the World
John 17:20-26 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
