1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,600 We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,440 healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship 3 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:19,120 together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody 4 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:23,760 and welcome back to the sanctuary. It is so good to have you back with us and for 5 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:29,080 those of you who are new, welcome! Now the past few weeks we've been looking at 6 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:36,280 prayer an awful lot as we explored the book of Habakkuk, specifically his way of 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:41,560 praying to speak to God, getting God's answers, and then his prayer of faith 8 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:46,120 after his faith was restored and he had mended that bridge with where he'd 9 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:51,240 already had doubts. Now today we're going to finish this series out with a bit of 10 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:58,840 a magnifying glass, if you will, on prayer and conversation. Now I cannot emphasize 11 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:06,600 enough that when it comes to relationships, communication is key. 12 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:14,080 It is absolutely pivotal. Without it, you're not going to have a relationship 13 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:20,600 and any relationship that you do have, it's going to be very weak and it's not 14 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:27,160 going to last. Alright, there isn't a person alive today that has had an 15 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:33,360 instant relationship without some form of communication. It just can't be done 16 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:42,040 and our relationship with the Father is no different. We have to talk to him and 17 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:51,800 we do that through prayer. We're going to break down what this is and dispel 18 00:01:51,800 --> 00:02:02,280 myths and misconceptions right now. First and foremost, as we get started, I want to 19 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:08,520 remind you that prayer is communication with God. It is a conversation between 20 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:16,400 you and the Almighty and it should flow as such, a conversation. There are certain 21 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:22,200 things that we need to cover when we pray and even though there's a ton of 22 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:28,640 prayer documented throughout the Bible, Jesus recognized that people were still 23 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:36,480 following poor examples and so he gave us a guide to follow. We're going to work 24 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:41,880 our way to it. To start, we're going to look at some ground rules for prayer that 25 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:48,280 Jesus set forth himself. Now for those who follow in their Bible and for those 26 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:53,280 who are taking notes, we're going to listen to what Jesus has to say in the 27 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:58,760 book of Matthew, specifically in chapter 6 and we're going to be looking at verses 28 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:08,720 5 through 6. So Matthew 6 verses 5 and 6, Jesus says, and when you pray, do not be 29 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:15,240 like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on 30 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:22,400 the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you they have received their 31 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:29,160 reward in full, but when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to 32 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,360 your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret 33 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:41,040 will reward you. There are those people, especially quote-unquote religious 34 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:47,080 leaders, who go out of their way to draw attention to themselves. They stand 35 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:54,760 front and center with long wordy prayers that use religious jargon, repetition, and 36 00:03:54,760 --> 00:04:01,600 overemphasis on certain words, occasionally yelling, and possibly 37 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,600 speaking some sort of gibberish in the attempt to sound like they're speaking in 38 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:11,760 tongues, and so on. The examples are absolutely endless and we've all heard 39 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:20,640 them at some point or other. So did Jesus and He saw through all these facades. He 40 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:27,560 saw through the showmanship and who these people truly were. In modern times, 41 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:36,280 these people identified as being holy just the same as today. It didn't make it 42 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:43,960 so. So while these self-righteous people were putting on a show and essentially 43 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:52,160 playing pretend, Jesus taught that prayer is something different here. Now yes, you 44 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,880 can pray in public and you should. That's part of what coming together as the 45 00:04:56,880 --> 00:05:03,360 church is, and there is a time and a place for this. However, your personal 46 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:09,200 prayers should primarily be a private conversation between you and the Father. 47 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:15,840 Recognize the intimacy here. Jesus says to close the door and pray in private. 48 00:05:15,840 --> 00:05:21,360 This is a sign of a very tight and personal relationship. It's very 49 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:29,280 intimate. In a world of safe places, this is the safe place. The 50 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:36,160 one safe place that should actually be used. Now going back to the very 51 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:41,400 beginning of this here, it says do not be like the hypocrites. That part 52 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,680 right there, I just want to on a side note here, that is a great little section to 53 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:50,480 highlight, underline, make some note of right there because that right there 54 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:55,400 there's so much that can be unfilled from that. For time's 55 00:05:55,400 --> 00:06:01,240 sakes, we're gonna keep moving here, but wow, there is a lot here. Now it is worth 56 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:07,720 noting that because of this passage, there are those legalistic types who 57 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:12,160 have come to the conclusion that all prayers should be private. And that 58 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:17,760 simply just is not the case as Jesus himself has demonstrated through both 59 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:28,240 praying in public and privately. In the instance of both, they're both 60 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:33,320 recorded multiple times. However, we can find an example of both right here in 61 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,080 the book of Matthew, specifically in chapter 14. The main point that Jesus 62 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:44,720 was making with this passage is that it comes down to motive. Prayer comes down 63 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:53,920 to motive. Are you praying for attention or are you praying for yourself? Are you 64 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,960 praying for others to see putting yourself out there in that limelight 65 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,480 like, oh look at me, look at me, I'm over here, check it out, oh, oh, oh, pick me, pick me, 66 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:11,480 hand up in the air, you know. Or are you burying yourself to God? Are you being 67 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:15,920 heartfelt or a person or are you being a hypocrite? Your true motives are 68 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:21,080 seen here. Jesus always sees them. So you're not fooling him. You know, while you 69 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:26,520 might fool others around you, if you fall into this section of being a 70 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:30,960 hypocrite, you know, you're putting on this show, I'm telling you to stop because Jesus 71 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:36,160 sees it, God sees it, you're not fooling him. Not even slightly. And really, 72 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,040 you know, for those who are paying attention, you're not really fooling them 73 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:46,280 either. At some point, they're just like, okay, what's going on? Okay, now regardless 74 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:51,320 of how you do it, there are those watching and they can see when you're 75 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:54,880 faking it, you know, and this is not one of those situations where you can just 76 00:07:54,880 --> 00:08:01,040 fake it until you make it. You just can't. You need to be sincere. So we're gonna 77 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,520 move along now back into Matthew chapter 6 and we're going to look at verses 7 78 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:14,200 and 8. Matthew 6 verses 7 and 8. Jesus says, and when you pray, do not keep on 79 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:19,560 babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many 80 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:24,720 words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you 81 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:30,520 ask him. So again, you know, the whole repetition, it doesn't do any good. 82 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:39,280 If anything, it makes you sound ignorant. This is something pagans did, thinking 83 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:43,840 that their gods, you know, I hate to say that, but you know, their idols, their 84 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,360 spiritual entities that they felt that they needed to pray to, they felt that, 85 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:51,100 you know, if they were wordy and they were allowed, that they would be more 86 00:08:51,100 --> 00:08:58,360 likely to be heard. And by repetition, this includes using, you know, different 87 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,480 words to say the same thing. You know, those people who are like, you know, Oh 88 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:08,160 Lord, Father God, Jesus, Daddy God, you know, and they have seven different ways 89 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:13,360 of saying, you know, Lord, before they even move on. You know, we've 90 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,760 all heard that, Oh Heavenly Father, Father God, Oh Daddy God, and all that. You know, 91 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:22,280 if you're, I'm telling you, if you're talking like that, stop. You know, remember 92 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:28,360 that episode, a family guy, that there's that scene with Stewie and he's annoying, 93 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:34,880 the just absolute tar out of Lois, you know, Mom, Mommy, Ma, Mom, Mother, Mother, 94 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:44,760 Ma, Mommy. It's the same thing. If you're having trouble finding the words, just 95 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:51,440 take a moment, just pause. Think about what you need to say, and then move 96 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:56,080 forward with the prayer. You're not a scratched record. If you need to take a 97 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,760 second to think, Hey, that's fine. The Lord doesn't mind. He knows what you're 98 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:02,720 trying to say. You need to take the time to figure out what it is that you're 99 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:06,660 trying to say. If you have to kind of back up and, you know, adjust things a 100 00:10:06,660 --> 00:10:10,960 little bit, you know, or whatever, hey, that's fine. Treat it like a conversation, 101 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:16,280 though. You know, this is, this is one of those important things here as well, 102 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:21,400 because I want you to pay attention to what I'm about to say here, because 103 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:29,720 especially when it comes to being wordy, there is a difference between being 104 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:38,960 wordy and being persistent. Now, you can pray, and you haven't quite gotten the 105 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:45,600 answer yet that you're looking for, right? So, you can actually go back and pray for 106 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,720 the same needs again. You can do this repeatedly if you need to, all right? 107 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:57,440 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17, the Bible says, pray continually. In Luke 108 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:03,600 chapter 18, Jesus, you know, he tells the parable of the persistent 109 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:11,240 widow who kept going back with the same plea for help. Don't be shallow in your 110 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:16,280 prayer, though. Don't be petty. Pray from the heart, and He will hear you. He will 111 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:21,240 listen to you, and He will provide an answer, as we just got done seeing here, 112 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,640 you know, with Habakkuk. You can't pray too much when you pray from the heart, 113 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:30,640 because when you're talking from the heart, you will start having a real 114 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:38,400 conversation. You're telling God the things a substance, and that, just like 115 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:43,480 any other parent out there, that is what He's interested in. That's where 116 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:50,360 relationships truly come together, all right? So, now we're going to get into the 117 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:55,440 blueprint of prayer here. What we're about to hear is often called the 118 00:11:55,440 --> 00:12:02,640 Lord's Prayer, and this is because it is the example that Jesus gave the disciples 119 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:07,720 to model from and to teach others. Now, while we go through this, the parts are 120 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,920 going to be slightly rearranged, you know, and you'll find that there are four 121 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:17,160 parts here to a prayer which can be remembered by using the 122 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:24,840 acronym PRAY, P-R-A-Y, PRAY. P for praise, R for repay, A for ask, Y for yield. 123 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:40,480 PRAY. So, I'm going to repeat that for you. P, praise. R, repent. A, ask. Y, yield. 124 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:47,680 And like I said, this is a guide that was given, okay? So, let's go into the prayer. 125 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:52,960 We're going to break it down, and we're going to relate it to this acronym. So, 126 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:57,280 let's listen to Jesus as He lays down this blueprint in Matthew chapter 6, 127 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:09,080 verses 9 through 13. Jesus says, this then is how you should pray. Our Father in 128 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:14,160 heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth 129 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,800 as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as 130 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:24,560 we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver 131 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:31,200 us from the evil one. Now, in verse 13 here, a couple things. And lead us not 132 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:37,280 into temptation is the Greek, you know, the Greek for temptation can also mean 133 00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:42,960 testing. And the next part says, but deliver us from the evil one. Depending 134 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:48,200 on your text that you read and what you study from, it may also be read or from 135 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:54,000 evil. With some late translations, even adding in, for yours is the kingdom and 136 00:13:54,000 --> 00:14:00,440 the power and the glory forever. Amen. The last part there, you know, yours is 137 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,120 the kingdom and power, the glory forever and all. That's omitted from a lot of 138 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:10,280 text. And the reason being is because it's not recorded in any of the old 139 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:16,960 scrolls. It was added in later. So that's why a lot of text actually cut that part 140 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:20,320 out. So for those, oh, well, why was this taken out and all that? You know, I've 141 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:26,360 talked about this in the past. As time has gone by and the languages have, you 142 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,800 know, been studied more and are understood better, better translations are 143 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,520 made, you know, things that are just redundant. Some of those things have 144 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,920 been taken out because there's no point in saying, well, I stopped because the 145 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,520 light turned red, the light turned red, so I stopped. You know, nobody talks like 146 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,760 that. So that's why things have been, you know, with the translations, they've been 147 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:48,280 adjusted for the way people actually talk, understand things and how we learn. 148 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:55,000 Okay. Like I said, various texts, various translations, they're gonna have this 149 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:01,400 same prayer, but in one form or another. So let's get into it here. Our Father, who 150 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:07,480 art in heaven, hallowed be your name. This is an indication of God not only 151 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:16,400 being majestic, but personal and loving. In the acronym, we're looking at the P 152 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:24,200 here because we're giving praise for who He is and what He's done. You know, Jesus 153 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:31,360 calls God Father 10 times in this teaching, 10. He's showing how important 154 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:38,920 relationships are to Him. Not only does the church form a community, but also a 155 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,520 family. You know, I'm sure a lot of us have all been to churches where they 156 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:47,400 refer, you know, to the congregation as your church family. That's not uncommon, 157 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:51,800 especially these days. And if you look back in Matthew chapter 4, you'll see 158 00:15:51,800 --> 00:16:02,200 that Jesus started His ministry by having two brothers follow Him. Family. Our 159 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:09,600 Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name. We as Christians, we're part of God's 160 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:17,920 family. And when we pray, we are to open our hearts and honor the Father. We're to 161 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:25,600 keep His name holy. That's what hallowed means, is to keep it holy. And we do this 162 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:31,440 by respecting Him. You know, this goes back, you know, to the Ten 163 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:36,840 Commandments, you know, honor your mother and father. You know, same thing, 164 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:45,160 same principle. So next, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is 165 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:54,240 in heaven. This, as is for yours, is the kingdom and the power and the glory 166 00:16:54,240 --> 00:17:03,160 forever. The why and pray. Why is to yield. See, we are yielding our will to 167 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:14,280 God's and giving His plan priority over ours. Our plans change. His don't. Your 168 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:22,320 kingdom come refers to the spiritual reign of God. It was announced in the 169 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:28,720 covenant with Abraham, shown by the reign of Christ in the hearts of all believers, 170 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:36,000 and will be finalized and established by God when Satan is defeated and sent to 171 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:41,160 hell for eternity. You know, it's that time when there's not going to be any 172 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,080 more pain, there's not going to be any more suffering, you know, no more hate, 173 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:52,040 but love and unity and fellowship for everyone and everything as we walk with 174 00:17:52,040 --> 00:18:01,640 Jesus. It's going to be glorious. Now, when we say your will be done, this is 175 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:07,160 not just some passive submission, like we're just, we're tapping out and giving 176 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:12,840 in, you know, or like we've been defeated. So, you know, we're quitting. 177 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,840 We're, you know, we're not tapping out, we're not crying uncle or any of that 178 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:22,760 kind of stuff. What we're doing is asking for God to complete His perfect purpose 179 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:30,960 for us and for the world. We are recognizing that His leadership is 180 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:41,000 perfect and we're following Him and His will. He is the Lord of Lord and He is 181 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:47,400 the King of Kings and we're recognizing that. You know, people like to say that we 182 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,840 need to make Him the Lord of our lives. You know what? Hey, they're wrong. You know 183 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:58,800 why? He already is. You know, as Christians, we already recognize this. So, 184 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:04,200 we're already taking a knee and we're giving Him proper 185 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:14,000 witness. We recognize Him as King and that all glory is His. We're doing it now 186 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:20,760 while we're living on earth, you know, before it's too late. After all, the Bible 187 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,800 tells us eventually every knee is going to bend and every tongue is going to 188 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:34,600 confess. We're doing it as His people, not as those that He doesn't know. We're 189 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:40,640 doing it now before it comes to that time where He says, leave, I don't know you. 190 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:51,920 So next, the next piece here is, give us today our daily bread. This piece, as well 191 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:56,440 as the end piece of, and lead us not in temptation but deliver us from the evil 192 00:19:56,440 --> 00:20:03,920 one. Both of these sections, these are both the A and pray. We're asking. We're 193 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:09,360 not only asking for our needs, because we do need to ask for our own needs. 194 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:16,200 However, we are also asking for the needs of others, because we're called to 195 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,720 serve, aren't we? So we're recognizing ours, but we're recognizing 196 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:25,280 others needs as well. And it's also a way of showing love. You see, in this piece, 197 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:32,360 we're recognizing the fact that we are totally dependent on God, and that we 198 00:20:32,360 --> 00:20:41,360 need Him to provide for all of us, and to help us to keep going, physically, 199 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:50,320 mentally, and spiritually. We need God to take care of us, and to lead us every 200 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:57,440 single day. Plain and simple, we can't do it on our own. A lot of us have tried. 201 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:05,520 Matter of fact, every single one of us has tried, and we've all failed. God is 202 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:15,200 the Creator, so He knows what we need, better than we do, and we trust in Him to 203 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:23,880 take care of those needs. All right, so moving in, and forgive us our debts as 204 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:29,000 we have also, I'm sorry, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Some texts say 205 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:35,080 trespass and trespassers here. It's the same thing, though, and it's because it's 206 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:42,760 referring to the sins. This is the R in pray. We are repenting. We're repenting 207 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:50,840 of the sins we have committed. So, you know, we're repenting of the commands 208 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:56,120 that God has given us that we've just ignored, or just flat out we 209 00:21:56,120 --> 00:22:02,200 recognized it, and we're just like, nope, that rule is not meant for me. Broken. So 210 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:08,160 like, we've actually gone against it. So saying ignored isn't even a strong 211 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:12,600 enough word here. I'm just not sure what it is at the moment, you know, and not 212 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:17,160 only that, but in this section we're also forgiving those who have wronged us as 213 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:23,480 well. It's another way of showing love. You know, we are all imperfect, and as such, 214 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:28,760 we need to address our own flaws. And really, this is the hardest part, isn't it? 215 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:36,880 We know we need to do this as Christians, and here God's holding us 216 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:43,280 accountable for it as well. That's really what this is. This is our 217 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:47,680 accountability. This is our reality check. It's like, hey, what are you leaving out 218 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:52,720 there, buddy? You know, we all like to puff out our chest and, you know, go in 219 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,920 there with that bravado, oh yeah, you know, God made me perfect, you know. No, he 220 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,800 isn't. There's only been one perfect man that's ever walked this earth, and that 221 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:06,760 was Jesus. So going into the final piece here now, and lead us not into 222 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:12,760 temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Again, this falls under 223 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:18,680 the A in pray. We're asking. We're all tempted throughout our lives. It's a 224 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:25,040 daily battle. Jesus dealt with temptation. See, this part here reminds us that we 225 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:30,800 need to ask for God's help during those times. That we need Him to protect us 226 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:36,440 from Satan when he's pressuring us to give in. You know, sometimes it's easy 227 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:44,920 to say no. Other times, and there's a lot of them, it's really not. It's really not 228 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:50,480 easy at all. Not even a little. However, you know, when we're looking here, you 229 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:55,720 know, God's promised that He won't allow us to be tempted beyond what we can 230 00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:03,120 endure. Not that we won't get more than we can handle, but that we'll have a way 231 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:09,600 out. 1st Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13, the Bible says, No temptation has 232 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:14,880 overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not 233 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:19,440 let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will 234 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:27,960 also provide a way out so that you can endure it. And this is how God helps us. 235 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:37,440 Alright, we come to Him and we ask Him for help. To help us with recognizing the 236 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:42,440 temptations for what they are, and helping us to overcome them. You know, 237 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:49,080 people get really overwhelmed and just drown in temptation because 238 00:24:49,080 --> 00:24:57,000 they don't look to God to help them. It's, you know, it's not that people 239 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:02,120 can't do something or deal with something. It's that they need God's help. 240 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:08,440 But, you know, as humans, we're all just, we're too stubborn and we're too ignorant 241 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,480 to ask for it. You know, or to even ask, you know, when we ask and He puts His 242 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:19,480 hand out, you know, we won't even take His hand. He puts it out there and this is 243 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:24,800 like anything else. We all know this person, that person who knows better 244 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,720 than anyone and ends up messing things up or making a bigger mess because they're 245 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,720 too self-important, they're too self-involved to ask, you know, for a 246 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:37,480 hand. You know, and when that hand is put out, you know, they slap it away like, 247 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:45,880 no, I don't need your help. I could do this. I got this. You know, we need 248 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:53,280 to lean on God. Not keep walking blindly into the storm. Now, before we move on to 249 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:58,320 the next part of our waiting for today, let me just pause for a second. What 250 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:03,640 Jesus laid out here is a guide. All right, and I said this before, but I can't 251 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:10,240 reiterate it enough. It's not meant to be a word-for-word. It's not a do this, this 252 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,120 is how it has to be done, this is what how you have to say it. That's how 253 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:22,040 legalists look at it. This is a guide. It's there to show what and how we should 254 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:26,040 be praying. Now, you could start off with it word-for-word. Absolutely, that is a 255 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:32,400 great thing, but what the key is here is to take the pieces of this and replace 256 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:39,480 them with our own words, with our own needs, you know, recognizing our own 257 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:44,160 failures and our own faults. When we talk to the Father, we need to make sure that 258 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:51,800 we're addressing these things, you know, and if the order needs to change a 259 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:56,520 little bit from one conversation to the next, that's fine, do it. Just make sure 260 00:26:56,520 --> 00:27:01,160 it's an honest heartfelt conversation. You know, do all of us go through this 261 00:27:01,160 --> 00:27:04,240 checklist like, okay, you have to do this in this order every time we talk to 262 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,000 somebody and lay things out. Now, maybe if you're giving instructions on how to do 263 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,400 something, but the rest of time, no, it's like, okay, you're gonna do this, you're 264 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:17,360 gonna do this, you know, and that's it. You know, think of it like you're giving 265 00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:21,560 instructions to somebody on how to get from point A to point B. Some of us are 266 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:28,100 gonna be like, okay, you're gonna go down street A and then you're gonna turn 267 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:33,600 right on street B and others are gonna say, hey, you know what, you're gonna go 268 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:38,360 down the road here and you're gonna see a McDonald's, you're gonna want to turn 269 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:44,480 right after that McDonald's, right? Same thing, just deliver differently. There's 270 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:49,080 not a wrong way here. You just have to make sure the pieces are put in there. 271 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:56,640 That's it, but heartfelt, honest. So let's go into the final part of what Jesus 272 00:27:56,640 --> 00:28:04,000 said in this passage here. Join me now in Matthew chapter 6 verses 14 and 15. So 273 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:13,320 Matthew 6 verses 14 and 15, Jesus says, for if you forgive other people when 274 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:19,080 they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you 275 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:27,280 do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 276 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:41,400 So even after the guide for prayer was laid out, Jesus goes on to tell us that 277 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:47,880 if we don't forgive others, then He won't forgive us. That's how important this is. 278 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:52,780 And this is how self-absorbed people get. Remember, we're called to love one 279 00:28:52,780 --> 00:28:59,880 another and forgive as Jesus did. And when we refuse to forgive, we're denying 280 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:04,280 a part of ourselves, that part that recognizes that we've all fallen short 281 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:10,880 and we have all sinned. And in doing so, we break from our relationship with God. 282 00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:16,160 Now remember, the only sin that God won't forgive is blasphemy of the Holy 283 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:22,760 Spirit. In other words, turning your back on Him. And that is exactly what we're 284 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:32,960 doing when we refuse to forgive others. It's easy to ask others to forgive us or 285 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:39,560 to expect others to forgive us. But then even after that, people still hold on 286 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,880 to grudges, don't they? It's like, yeah, I want this person, you know, this person 287 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:47,000 is just being petty. They need to get over it. They need to forgive me. But then 288 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,000 I'm gonna sit there and be like, you know what? This guy's a real jerk. 289 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,360 We need to stay away from him. You know, this is what he did and he never 290 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:59,880 apologized or he never made right or, you know, whatever. That's how people are. 291 00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:04,720 They expect people to forgive them, but then they'll hold on to those grudges. 292 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:13,080 You know, and that's exactly what Jesus is telling us not to do. I'd encourage 293 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:20,920 you all, go back and listen to my message. I want to be tough guys. We can't expect 294 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:27,400 to be forgiven when we won't forgive others. You can't be forgiven for a sin 295 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:36,200 that you continue to commit. Holding that grudge, not letting go of that hatred, 296 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:42,800 that in itself is a form of hate. You can't love your neighbor and hate them 297 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:51,640 at the same time. You cannot. It's one or the other. Now, as you see a lot of things 298 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:58,360 going to prayer here. We don't need to use meter or rhyme or any of that kind 299 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:03,760 of stuff. We don't need to use these and vows like we're talking in a Shakespearean 300 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:11,320 play. Nobody talks like that. Maybe at one point, but not anymore. We don't need to 301 00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:17,280 chant specific words either. You know, a lot of people have been taught specific 302 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:24,160 prayers for certain things. For examples, for meals. And they're great for starting 303 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,800 off in prayer. If you don't know how to pray, you know, and this is how you're 304 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:34,120 being taught, you know, hey, that's wonderful. That is wonderful. However, 305 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:40,200 eventually, every single one of us should reach a point where we no longer need to 306 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:51,160 rely on those little ditties and we can pray openly. Remember, it's a conversation. 307 00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:55,280 We should be getting praise, showing respect, taking our needs before the 308 00:31:55,280 --> 00:32:02,240 Father, unburdening our fears, our pains, our sins, and asking for guidance. That's 309 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:06,240 how you get the conversation going and that is how you develop a relationship 310 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:11,400 with the Father. He loves you. He loves you. He loves me. He loves all of us and he 311 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:16,160 wants to hear from every single one of us and it's not too late. If you're not 312 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:20,960 speaking to a Martin, you know, start today. Start right now. You'll find your life 313 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:27,680 will begin to change for the better. Now, as I said earlier, there is a time and a 314 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:32,120 place for public prayer as well. Public prayer, that's when we come together as 315 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:36,760 the church and we pray together for one another's needs and for the needs of 316 00:32:36,760 --> 00:32:42,400 others. Some people like to say, let's pray in agreement or in accordance with 317 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:46,560 each other. You know, it's kind of, really kind of starts sliding into that little 318 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:52,160 jargon section, but really this right here, this is a great way to pray with 319 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:56,560 others. But again, it needs to be heartfelt. You know, somebody, I'm saying 320 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:01,680 that a lot today because it is really the most important part here. When 321 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:08,800 we come together as a church, this is the ideal time to actually listen to the 322 00:33:08,800 --> 00:33:13,160 needs of others. I mean, you should always do that, but especially here, you 323 00:33:13,160 --> 00:33:19,280 know, when you're with your church family, there's no better time. 324 00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:24,520 Unfortunately though, you know, sometimes we have to be wary, we have to be 325 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:30,720 careful of those who ask how you're doing. And it seemed that kind of, well not 326 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,800 even kind of, they glaze over like a doughnut when you start telling 327 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:38,240 them about your needs or what's going on. And you know, they're like, oh, you 328 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:44,200 know, and they try to rush along to the next person or the next topic. This is 329 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:48,120 actually a really good place for us all to evaluate how we greet one another. 330 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:52,920 Because think about it, the vast majority of us when we greet each other, it's like, 331 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:58,960 hey, how are you doing? How are you? The reality of it though is that we don't 332 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:04,080 expect an answer. Just say, okay, good, fine, not so bad. 333 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:12,080 Yourself, oh, hey, how are you doing? You know, in return, you know, that's, you know, 334 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:17,680 that quick, good, thanks, and then drive on. That's what people come to expect. 335 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:23,160 This isn't the right way to use this though, especially when we come together 336 00:34:23,160 --> 00:34:27,680 as the church. If you don't want the answer to that question or you are not 337 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:34,800 prepared for it at that time, don't ask people how they are. Just don't change 338 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:40,760 your greeting. Say, good morning, good afternoon, something along those lines. 339 00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:47,640 You know, it's not that hard. You know, out in public, I'd encourage everybody to do 340 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:51,840 the same. Think about how you're greeting people versus how you should be doing it. 341 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:57,520 Especially when we come together as a church. When you hear that question, 342 00:34:57,520 --> 00:35:03,160 you should be ready to actually answer that person and tell them about your 343 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:09,800 prayer needs so that you can pray together. So that you can pray together. 344 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:16,720 That's what it is to be the church, to be part of the church. Matter of fact, just 345 00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:19,880 you know, the other day I did a little coffee break and I was talking about 346 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:31,600 this very thing myself. You know, that difference between being the church 347 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:40,440 and being in a building. They are two distinctly different things, aren't they? 348 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:50,360 So when you're in that situation and you're talking to someone and you see 349 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:57,520 them start to just glaze over, start wrapping up what you're telling them and 350 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:05,460 just make it a note to pray over that person later. Because their heart really 351 00:36:05,460 --> 00:36:11,280 isn't where it needs to be, is it? And a lot of pastors for that matter don't 352 00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:21,760 share their needs. But we all have needs. It comes down to a matter of pride. It 353 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:29,920 really does. It's a matter of pride. Another sin in itself, isn't it? However, 354 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:39,600 that's not the right mentality. Sharing your needs with the church is the best 355 00:36:39,600 --> 00:36:47,480 place because if you won't share with them, who do you have that's going to 356 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:57,160 pray for you? If you can't trust your church family, why not? God's placed you 357 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:02,120 with this part of his family for a reason. Family is supposed to take care 358 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:05,760 of one another. It's supposed to help one another. It is supposed to support and 359 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:14,080 empower one another. So don't neglect or take for granted coming together with 360 00:37:14,080 --> 00:37:19,000 the family to pray, with the church to pray. Don't be afraid of the intimacy 361 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:25,320 that comes from loving one another. That is strength in itself, my friends. Pray 362 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:36,720 and pray in love. We have hope and we have light in prayer because God loves 363 00:37:36,720 --> 00:37:42,640 us so much. Jesus loves us so much. You know, we can take our joys and we can 364 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:49,440 take our sorrows to him. Our ups and our downs. When it comes to prayer, even with 365 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:55,360 one another, we should be mourning with one another in those hard times and 366 00:37:55,360 --> 00:38:03,840 celebrating with one another in those great times. And we know that Jesus 367 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,960 is going to be encouraging us when we need it and he's going to be comforting 368 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:13,840 us when we need it. And when the family comes together with him, we all know he's 369 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:22,480 proud of us. That's happiness. That's love. That's how we need to live. If 370 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:27,800 you've started the conversation and you started building that relationship, keep 371 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:35,280 going. Keep building that relationship. If you haven't, start the conversation. 372 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:43,720 Start it right now. Don't wait any longer. There's no better time. We don't 373 00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:49,040 know how much time we have. Could be a minute, could be an hour, could be a day, 374 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:57,880 could be a year, could be several years. Prayerfully it is, but we don't know. And 375 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:05,480 Jesus has already warned us. We need to come to him now because he is the way. If 376 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:08,440 you don't start that conversation with him now, you don't start getting to know 377 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:12,040 him now, you don't start that relationship with him now, eventually 378 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:16,160 that time is going to come when it's too late and he's going to say, depart. I 379 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:22,040 never knew you. And there's no reason for that because we had that hope, we had 380 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:27,160 that joy because he's told us this is how. I'm here, I want to talk to you. He's 381 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,920 knocking at the door. 382 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:37,560 Eagerly, happily, he's excited. He wants to hear from us all. And if you're 383 00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:42,360 omitting any of these parts from your prayer, start adding them in there. 384 00:39:42,360 --> 00:39:46,920 Maybe you don't have them every single time, but regularly, regularly enough 385 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:53,320 where you're addressing all these needs and they're all being put out there. 386 00:39:53,320 --> 00:40:01,680 That's what a relationship is and that's what love is. Remember, you're loved, you 387 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:09,960 are a blessing. Now go be a blessing, go be the light, go be the church. Take care 388 00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:15,280 everybody. I want to thank you for joining us today. If you have any 389 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:21,240 questions, prayer requests, or would like to know more about our ministry, you can 390 00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:27,280 find us on our website at BeTheLightSanctuary.org or on Facebook at 391 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:33,400 Be The Light Sanctuary. We'll catch you next time. God bless.