WEBVTT 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.559 your Bible. Matthew 6 is where we'll be this 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:21.960 morning. Matthew 6. If you don't have a Bible 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:23.699 there should be one close to you in the chair 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:25.980 in front of you. Left for you to grab one of 00:00:25.980 --> 00:00:29.379 those. Follow along. I don't know the page number 00:00:29.379 --> 00:00:32.640 but. Should have should have looked that up. 00:00:32.820 --> 00:00:35.420 I apologize. We're going to be looking at one 00:00:35.420 --> 00:00:38.439 of the most well known passages in scripture 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.939 this morning the Lord's Prayer. I would be willing 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:46.840 to argue. that believers and non -believers know 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:50.420 this passage pretty well. They might not know 00:00:50.420 --> 00:00:54.600 the true meaning of it, but they could probably 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.719 recite most of the words. So prayer is one of 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:03.240 those things, weird things that we know that 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:07.120 we should do, but how many of us could honestly 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.579 say that we are prayer warriors? How many of 00:01:10.579 --> 00:01:14.379 us have a thriving prayer life. There are many 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:17.879 commands throughout the Bible regarding prayer. 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:21.659 We are to make our requests known to God. We 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:25.159 are to pray without ceasing. We are to give Him 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.540 thanks in all circumstances. And we are to give 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:32.560 Him praise through our prayers. But many Christians 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:36.500 have a prayer life that is essentially on life 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:41.299 support. We pray when we need something. We pray 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:44.859 when things are hard and we need a miracle. But 00:01:44.859 --> 00:01:48.980 would you describe yourself as a person of prayer? 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:55.859 Do you communicate with God as often as you communicate 00:01:55.859 --> 00:02:00.140 with your spouse or your kids? If you are a person 00:02:00.140 --> 00:02:03.879 who you would describe yourself as not really 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:08.300 a person of prayer, Maybe it's because you don't 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.000 know how. Maybe you think of prayer as something 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:16.599 you do before a meal or praying by kneeling beside 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:18.740 your bed is what you think of when you think 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.599 of prayer. And you know that you can't pray without 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.960 ceasing if you're spending all your time kneeling 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:29.069 by your bed. Maybe those devotional books that 00:02:29.069 --> 00:02:32.189 you read and they end each day with a prayer 00:02:32.189 --> 00:02:37.050 and it seems like hollow words because you don't 00:02:37.050 --> 00:02:39.870 understand what you were praying. But here's 00:02:39.870 --> 00:02:42.710 what I know. Here's what I know without a doubt. 00:02:42.949 --> 00:02:47.530 If you don't have a prayer life, God is going 00:02:47.530 --> 00:02:51.370 to seem distant to you. If you don't have a prayer 00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:55.150 life, you're not going to see him move powerfully 00:02:55.150 --> 00:03:00.490 in your life. So, if God to you is like that 00:03:00.490 --> 00:03:02.930 relative you only see once a year, maybe at Christmas 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:05.650 time, like you know them, but you don't really 00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:07.830 know anything about their life, like you follow 00:03:07.830 --> 00:03:10.069 them on social media, but you don't know what's 00:03:10.069 --> 00:03:14.449 driving their heart, if that's how God is to 00:03:14.449 --> 00:03:17.669 you, I would encourage you to focus on the message 00:03:17.669 --> 00:03:21.370 that Jesus has for us today. In our passage this 00:03:21.370 --> 00:03:24.210 morning, Jesus is going to give us the framework 00:03:24.210 --> 00:03:27.960 of prayer. Now, I don't want you to focus so 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.319 much on the words of the prayer as much as I 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.379 want you to take away the elements of the prayer 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:37.039 that Jesus outlines in this passage. Let us consider 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:40.819 how we can develop and build our prayer lives 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:43.780 around these elements and see how our prayer 00:03:43.780 --> 00:03:47.120 life can be changed. I'm going to invite Tanner 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:50.319 up here this morning. This morning he's going 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:53.789 to be reading verses 5 through 15. If you're 00:03:53.789 --> 00:03:56.069 able we'd love for you to stand as we honor the 00:03:56.069 --> 00:04:01.129 Lord's word together And when you pray you must 00:04:01.129 --> 00:04:03.909 not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand 00:04:03.909 --> 00:04:06.289 and pray in the synagogues and at the street 00:04:06.289 --> 00:04:09.629 corners That they may be seen by others truly 00:04:09.629 --> 00:04:13.090 I say to you they have received the reward but 00:04:13.090 --> 00:04:16.029 when you pray go into your room and shut the 00:04:16.029 --> 00:04:18.850 door and Pray to your father who is in secret 00:04:18.850 --> 00:04:21.850 and your father who sees in secret will reward 00:04:21.850 --> 00:04:25.379 you And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:28.480 as the Gentiles do, for they think that they 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:31.180 will be heard for their many words. Do not be 00:04:31.180 --> 00:04:33.860 like them, for your Father knows what you need 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:37.420 before you ask him. Pray then like this, Our 00:04:37.420 --> 00:04:40.240 Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:43.120 kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.459 it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:50.279 and forgive us our debts as we Also have forgiven 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:52.540 our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:55.800 but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive 00:04:55.800 --> 00:04:58.680 others their trespasses, your heavenly Father 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:01.720 will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:04.800 others their trespasses, neither will your Father 00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:11.259 forgive your trespasses. Let's pray. Father, 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:13.220 thank you for Tanner. Just thank you for who 00:05:13.220 --> 00:05:15.100 he is and how you're growing him and what you're 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:17.899 doing in his life. I pray, Father, that he will 00:05:17.899 --> 00:05:20.660 always be exalted, always exalted in your life. 00:05:21.060 --> 00:05:22.959 I pray, Father, that as we look at this text, 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:26.319 as we look at your words to us, I pray, Father, 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:28.800 that we will understand them and that our prayer 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.480 lives will increase as well. We ask all these 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:33.759 things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks, Father. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:42.000 So in our passage today, we're going to look 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:43.819 at a few things. The first thing is we're going 00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:46.579 to look at how not to pray. And then we're going 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:51.540 to look at how we should pray. This prayer has 00:05:51.540 --> 00:05:55.639 rightly been called a dangerous prayer because 00:05:55.639 --> 00:06:01.180 God might just answer it. It is poetic and beautiful, 00:06:01.300 --> 00:06:05.259 and yet it's profound and brief. Jesus had a 00:06:05.259 --> 00:06:08.399 great deal to say about prayer throughout his 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:12.360 life. He mentioned the topic 42 times during 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:15.660 his teaching and amazingly the gospel shows him 00:06:15.660 --> 00:06:19.439 praying 28 times. But if we look at verses 5 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:23.180 through 8, Jesus tells us how not to pray. He 00:06:23.180 --> 00:06:26.319 says you shouldn't pray to be recognized. Now 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:29.319 the religious people, the religious leaders were 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:32.490 all about praying to be recognized. Notice that 00:06:32.490 --> 00:06:36.129 they loved to receive religious recognition. 00:06:36.750 --> 00:06:41.589 It's easy to equate man's applause with God's 00:06:41.589 --> 00:06:44.769 approval, but those who pray to just impress 00:06:44.769 --> 00:06:47.829 others about with how spiritual they are will 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:51.750 have no further hope of reward from God. In verse 00:06:51.750 --> 00:06:55.430 six, we're told to find a private place to pray. 00:06:55.910 --> 00:06:59.709 This Greek word for room was a storeroom where 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:02.949 treasures were kept. I mean, how appropriate 00:07:02.949 --> 00:07:06.589 is that, that we have access to these precious 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:10.209 treasures when we pray to God? This word can 00:07:10.209 --> 00:07:13.430 also refer to a closet or a private chamber. 00:07:14.209 --> 00:07:18.750 Praying in a private place can help us concentrate. 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:22.939 It can help us connect. It will help us gain 00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:26.339 confidence in our relationship with Christ. Are 00:07:26.339 --> 00:07:31.079 you taking the time day in and day out to pray? 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:35.800 Do you have a special spot where you're able 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.519 to intercede without interruption? He also tells 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:44.120 us not to pray with meaningless words. We must 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:49.439 also resist the urge to just go on and on and 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:55.300 on and blabber and blabber and blabber. God doesn't 00:07:55.300 --> 00:08:00.779 rank our prayers based on how many words we have. 00:08:01.699 --> 00:08:04.459 That's what he's saying here. Prayer is not an 00:08:04.459 --> 00:08:09.360 effort to overcome God's unwillingness to respond 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:14.160 by wearing Him down with our words. That's how 00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.620 the pagans prayed. we read about it in first 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:19.019 kings chapter 18 we also see it again in acts 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:22.300 chapter 19 and they would for hours and hours 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.899 and hours from morning until night just pray 00:08:25.899 --> 00:08:29.000 these words to these false gods and essentially 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.720 they were useless because those gods number one 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:33.840 don't exist but couldn't do anything about it 00:08:33.840 --> 00:08:38.320 anyway they're meaningless because all they did 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.559 was make those religious people look spiritual 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:45.539 but there is no life in them D .L. Moody once 00:08:45.539 --> 00:08:48.840 said, some men's prayers need to be cut short 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.340 at both ends and to be set on fire in the middle. 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:59.019 It's easy to pray without paying attention. John 00:08:59.019 --> 00:09:01.899 Bunyan commented, when you pray, rather let your 00:09:01.899 --> 00:09:05.460 heart be without words than your words without 00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:09.610 heart. Now, it's ironic to me that in the context 00:09:09.610 --> 00:09:12.830 which forbids repetition in prayer, in verses 00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:16.450 9 through 13, we come to what's commonly called 00:09:16.450 --> 00:09:20.370 the Lord's Prayer. A prayer that has possibly 00:09:20.370 --> 00:09:23.769 been repeated more than any other prayer in the 00:09:23.769 --> 00:09:26.809 history of the world. Actually, it's probably 00:09:26.809 --> 00:09:30.190 better to call it the Disciples Prayer, or maybe 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:32.889 even the Model Prayer. because in Luke chapter 00:09:32.889 --> 00:09:37.029 11 verse 1 these words come as an answer when 00:09:37.029 --> 00:09:40.730 the disciples ask, teach us how to pray. The 00:09:40.730 --> 00:09:44.850 real Lord's prayer is actually in John 17 where 00:09:44.850 --> 00:09:48.769 we read of Jesus crying out to his father as 00:09:48.769 --> 00:09:53.590 he prays for unity amongst his followers. The 00:09:53.590 --> 00:09:56.450 model for prayer that Jesus gave to his followers 00:09:56.450 --> 00:10:00.509 can be divided into two sets with three elements. 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:03.980 in each set. The first three, hallowed be your 00:10:03.980 --> 00:10:06.620 name, your kingdom come, your will be done, those 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:08.639 deal with God's glory. That's element number 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.379 one we need to recognize when we're talking about 00:10:10.379 --> 00:10:13.840 prayer. God's glory has to be a part of that 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:16.620 prayer. The second three, give us our daily bread, 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:19.480 forgive us our debts, lead us not into temptation, 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.259 deal with our good. So, number one, prayer is 00:10:23.259 --> 00:10:26.360 to be, the focal point is to be the character 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:30.299 of God. The reason that we pray and the reason 00:10:30.299 --> 00:10:33.440 God answers is not to make us feel better. The 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:36.799 reason we pray and the reason God answers is 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:41.340 to put himself and his glory on display. We read 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:44.100 about this in Psalm 115, where the psalmist writes, 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:48.539 not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:52.500 be the glory. So, incidentally, half of the words 00:10:52.500 --> 00:10:57.159 in this prayer are devoted to who God is. The 00:10:57.159 --> 00:11:00.720 other half is focusing on our needs. Now, when 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.240 you think about praying and you think about your 00:11:03.240 --> 00:11:05.960 prayer life, that's a good ratio to keep in mind 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:10.159 as we pray for God's glory and for our good. 00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:14.220 Now, incidentally, I don't know anywhere in the 00:11:14.220 --> 00:11:17.419 Bible, anywhere in the Gospels, where the disciples 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:21.899 were characterized as men of prayer. They often 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:24.460 watched Jesus pray or they are often sent away 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:27.360 while Jesus pray, but they didn't enter into 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:31.179 intercession themselves. In fact, in the hour 00:11:31.179 --> 00:11:36.919 of Jesus' greatest need, they fell asleep instead 00:11:36.919 --> 00:11:39.549 of falling to their knees. I mean, we're the 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:42.750 same way, aren't we? We know prayer is important. 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:46.470 We know Jesus modeled it. But for most of us, 00:11:46.470 --> 00:11:49.970 we all fall short. So we know the framework of 00:11:49.970 --> 00:11:53.629 how not to pray. Now let's look at how to pray. 00:11:55.330 --> 00:11:58.269 We see in verse nine that there is a community 00:11:58.269 --> 00:12:02.769 element to our prayers. Jesus uses the plural 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:05.830 pronoun here to indicate that prayer is to have 00:12:05.830 --> 00:12:10.419 a corporate element to it. You should pray. Now, 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:14.320 most of us come to the Lord with a lot of I, 00:12:14.740 --> 00:12:19.299 a lot of me, a lot of my. When Jesus taught his 00:12:19.299 --> 00:12:23.659 disciples how to pray, he uses no singular personal 00:12:23.659 --> 00:12:26.539 pronouns. Nowhere in this prayer do you see the 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:35.379 word of me. It says, our Father, give us our 00:12:35.379 --> 00:12:41.460 daily bread. Forgive us our debts. We also have 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:46.279 forgiven. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:50.059 us. Now that might sound like it goes against 00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:53.399 what Jesus just said earlier about going into 00:12:53.399 --> 00:12:56.139 a prayer closet or going into your room. He's 00:12:56.139 --> 00:12:58.759 not saying that the only time that we should 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.500 be praying is when we're all in this thing together. 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:05.200 But what he is saying is that there should be 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:10.200 some common ground in our prayers. It is understanding. 00:13:10.440 --> 00:13:13.200 It's you having the understanding. It's me having 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:16.259 the understanding that the God that we pray to, 00:13:16.700 --> 00:13:21.679 who we believe hears us, is the same God who 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:27.299 your redeemed enemy is praying to. It's this 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:30.460 community thing. Do you see how that would protect? 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:37.100 the church from disunity. Do you see if you are 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:40.919 genuinely praying for our sin to be forgiven 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:44.940 as we forgive others? Do you understand how that 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:48.480 keeps a root of bitterness from growing in us? 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:52.600 If you are a believer in here, we need to understand 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:56.919 that as we follow this framework, we are praying 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:00.169 to the God who hears all of us. And he knows 00:14:00.169 --> 00:14:03.850 all of our hearts. Whenever one of my kids comes 00:14:03.850 --> 00:14:07.190 to me and tattles on the other, I don't know 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:10.409 if your kids do that, but my kids come to me 00:14:10.409 --> 00:14:12.549 from time to time, and by time to time I mean 00:14:12.549 --> 00:14:17.710 about every day, and tell on their brother or 00:14:17.710 --> 00:14:19.769 sister. They did this to me, they stole that 00:14:19.769 --> 00:14:21.750 from me, they hit me, they looked at me ugly, 00:14:22.090 --> 00:14:24.289 they, you know, whatever. Whatever the reason 00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:29.389 is. When that happens, I don't just listen to 00:14:29.389 --> 00:14:32.710 one side of the story. I bring the accused in 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:35.009 with them, and I want to hear the whole story. 00:14:35.610 --> 00:14:37.769 And the truth of the matter is, most of the time, 00:14:38.049 --> 00:14:43.070 they are both wrong in some way. They're both 00:14:43.070 --> 00:14:46.809 at fault. They both need to forgive. They both 00:14:46.809 --> 00:14:50.809 need to recognize they're wrong. When we pray 00:14:50.809 --> 00:14:54.529 to God in this way, we have to understand that 00:14:54.529 --> 00:15:01.059 God knows all. And very few times, if ever, is 00:15:01.059 --> 00:15:04.240 one person completely right and the other person 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:08.000 completely wrong. Both parties have done wrong. 00:15:08.299 --> 00:15:12.159 Both parties need to forgive. Our prayer lives 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:17.840 have a community element to it. So when you go 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.700 into your prayer closet, keep that in mind. We 00:15:21.700 --> 00:15:24.539 also need to pray to God like we have a relationship 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:28.190 with Him. Let's pray like we have a relation 00:15:28.190 --> 00:15:31.629 with him. Prayer should be directed to our Father 00:15:31.629 --> 00:15:35.909 in heaven. Jesus addressed his prayers to his 00:15:35.909 --> 00:15:39.250 Father. He used the phrase more than 70 different 00:15:39.250 --> 00:15:43.669 times. This alone, this just this little snippet 00:15:43.669 --> 00:15:47.330 alone was unique because the religious leaders 00:15:47.330 --> 00:15:50.970 of that day didn't use that term. Rather, they 00:15:50.970 --> 00:15:54.649 use exalted terms like king of the universe or 00:15:54.649 --> 00:15:59.210 sovereign lord. The only prayer Jesus ever prayed 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:03.029 without father was when he was on the cross and 00:16:03.029 --> 00:16:06.970 he cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken 00:16:06.970 --> 00:16:11.090 me? When we become Christians, when we submit 00:16:11.090 --> 00:16:13.549 to him, we surrender our lives to him. Romans 00:16:13.549 --> 00:16:17.710 8 15 says that we receive the Holy Spirit who 00:16:17.710 --> 00:16:20.429 makes us children of God. this is what it says 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:26.529 and by him we cry Abba father this new birth 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:30.789 this salvation is required for us to have this 00:16:30.789 --> 00:16:35.389 relationship this word Abba means daddy it's 00:16:35.389 --> 00:16:39.690 that closeness it communicates intimacy it communicates 00:16:39.690 --> 00:16:43.309 nearness with God so we don't approach him like 00:16:43.309 --> 00:16:46.610 he's our boss we don't approach him like he's 00:16:46.610 --> 00:16:49.850 he's some powerful figure that we should be uncomfortable 00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:52.409 around because they hold this immense amount 00:16:52.409 --> 00:16:57.049 of power. This is our maker, our creator, who 00:16:57.049 --> 00:17:00.070 invites us into a personal relationship with 00:17:00.070 --> 00:17:03.809 him so we should be ourselves, just be normal, 00:17:04.130 --> 00:17:08.589 just be comfortable. It would be weird for me 00:17:08.589 --> 00:17:16.950 if my kids called me Mr. Reese. It wouldn't seem 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:21.170 right to me is when I put them to bed and they 00:17:21.170 --> 00:17:24.769 call me, they say, thanks, pastor. That would 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:28.609 be weird for me. That doesn't show the relationship 00:17:28.609 --> 00:17:32.890 that we have. Instead, my kids, they call me 00:17:32.890 --> 00:17:42.230 daddy or bruh. Depends on the day. But my relationship 00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:46.980 with them supersedes my title. In any title I 00:17:46.980 --> 00:17:50.299 will ever have, I am their dad. And they interact 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:55.500 with me like that, because that's the case. Then 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:58.200 Jesus tells us, we start the conversation with 00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:01.500 our father. So once we acknowledge the relationship 00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:04.480 that we have, we are to start with affection 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:11.140 towards him. To hallow means to make holy. He 00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:15.769 is intimate like a father. and yet He is infinite 00:18:15.769 --> 00:18:20.150 in holiness. God's nature is like a daddy, but 00:18:20.150 --> 00:18:25.069 His name is holy. Our open access to Him should 00:18:25.069 --> 00:18:28.650 not destroy our esteem for Him. He is not just 00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:32.109 the big guy in the sky. He's not just our best 00:18:32.109 --> 00:18:36.509 buddy. He is the holy, awesome God of Israel. 00:18:37.209 --> 00:18:41.490 He's our God. He's holy and mighty in every way. 00:18:41.829 --> 00:18:45.349 We should tremble like Isaiah did in Isaiah chapter 00:18:45.349 --> 00:18:49.250 6. While we also have a relationship with him, 00:18:49.410 --> 00:18:53.049 we must also at the same time revere him. He 00:18:53.049 --> 00:18:56.309 is our friend, but he's also an all -consuming 00:18:56.309 --> 00:19:00.690 fire according to Hebrews chapter 12. He is other 00:19:00.690 --> 00:19:06.450 than us, and yet he is ours. He is personal. 00:19:06.670 --> 00:19:11.009 and He is powerful. He is mine and He is majestic. 00:19:11.569 --> 00:19:17.589 Do you praise and do you prize God's name? When 00:19:17.589 --> 00:19:21.809 you pray, Our Father, hallowed be Your name, 00:19:23.210 --> 00:19:27.230 it's a safeguard against self -seeking prayer. 00:19:28.339 --> 00:19:31.819 Before we can move on to the other petitions 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:36.420 in this prayer, we must ask God to make His name 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:43.200 holy in our life, to help us recognize His greatness. 00:19:43.819 --> 00:19:50.480 And we must avoid using His name in an irreverent 00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:55.069 manner. For some of us, I'm not calling any names, 00:19:55.069 --> 00:19:57.569 but for some of us, that means we need to stop 00:19:57.569 --> 00:20:01.609 using His name as a cuss word. For others, it 00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:04.589 means that we need to avoid just saying God's 00:20:04.589 --> 00:20:08.089 name tritely or using the Christian equivalent 00:20:08.089 --> 00:20:14.910 to a swear word. To many of us, our view of God 00:20:14.910 --> 00:20:20.569 is shallow. To remedy this, we must hallow His 00:20:20.569 --> 00:20:27.180 name. Then we need affirmation to pray your kingdom 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:31.960 come Your kingdom come is to pray that God may 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:35.960 take up a reigning Residence in the hearts and 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:39.119 lives of those who are in rebellion. It is a 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.480 prayer of salvation It's a kingdom citizenship 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.420 in Luke chapter 17 verse 21 Jesus says that the 00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:49.279 kingdom of God is within you The kingdom of God 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.769 is within you. Can you imagine? Can you imagine 00:20:53.769 --> 00:20:58.130 what would happen if we all were preoccupied 00:20:58.130 --> 00:21:03.690 with the coming of God's kingdom? If that's all 00:21:03.690 --> 00:21:07.289 we thought about Just just think about what would 00:21:07.289 --> 00:21:11.049 take place in this community if we were determined 00:21:11.049 --> 00:21:15.769 To pray that God's kingdom would rule and make 00:21:15.769 --> 00:21:18.789 itself known in the lives of our neighbors, in 00:21:18.789 --> 00:21:21.509 the lives of our coworkers, in the lives of our 00:21:21.509 --> 00:21:24.730 family. Can you imagine how our church would 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:28.170 be different if each of us was concerned more 00:21:28.170 --> 00:21:33.190 about God's kingdom than our own? Martin Luther 00:21:33.190 --> 00:21:37.230 once said that if most Christians really understood 00:21:37.230 --> 00:21:42.410 what they were saying when they prayed for God's 00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:48.000 kingdom to come. They'd shutter with fear. Do 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.440 you pray for God's kingdom to come? Finally, 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:56.380 there's acceptance. Your will be done on earth 00:21:56.380 --> 00:22:00.380 as it is in heaven. When we pray that part, we 00:22:00.380 --> 00:22:03.559 are really saying, Almighty Father God, take 00:22:03.559 --> 00:22:08.420 control. Take control of my life and do what 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:12.519 you will for your glory. We're accepting it's 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:15.680 His will not ours. Prayer is not asking God to 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:27.740 do my will. It's asking God to do His will. It's 00:22:27.740 --> 00:22:32.779 bringing me into conformity with His ways. How 00:22:32.779 --> 00:22:40.099 is God's will done in heaven? It's done joyfully. 00:22:43.489 --> 00:22:47.630 It's done instinctively. It's done immediately 00:22:47.630 --> 00:22:53.029 and constantly. What would that look like? God, 00:22:53.029 --> 00:22:58.710 your will be done on earth. Just like it is in 00:22:58.710 --> 00:23:02.109 heaven. God, give me the joy to do your will. 00:23:06.009 --> 00:23:10.029 Let me not wait. Let me not wait till I get my 00:23:10.029 --> 00:23:13.880 ducks in a row. Let me do it immediately. Let 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:16.000 me do it constantly just not just when I feel 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.079 like it. That's that's what that prayer is to 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:23.480 pray this request It is to say we want it the 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:26.180 same here. Whatever is going on in heaven. Whatever 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.359 is happening right now That's what we want here. 00:23:29.599 --> 00:23:32.960 I mean, let's pause and reflect on this What's 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:35.859 happening in heaven right now? God do that right 00:23:35.859 --> 00:23:40.259 here now if I pray this request It's also my 00:23:40.259 --> 00:23:43.799 pledge that by God's grace, I will do His will. 00:23:44.599 --> 00:23:48.000 I want to do His will. So we acknowledge God 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:51.519 as our Father. And then the next things out of 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:54.700 our mouth should be things that show that we 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:57.240 understand that this is all about His glory. 00:23:58.420 --> 00:24:00.779 It's not about what I want. It's about what He 00:24:00.779 --> 00:24:04.799 wants. We want His name honored. We want to pray 00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:07.940 that his kingdom will take precedence over ours 00:24:07.940 --> 00:24:12.799 and that we would submit to his will Now once 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:16.559 we have spent some time focused on his glory 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:21.940 then Then we begin to make requests for our good 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:24.839 Notice that we're halfway through this thing. 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:29.380 We're halfway through this prayer before Jesus 00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:32.579 allows us for to ask ourselves for anything to 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:36.180 ask Him for anything for ourselves. The first 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:41.279 half of this model prayer is God word. It's adoration. 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:44.440 It's affirmation. It's acceptance. The second 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:48.079 half focuses on the believer. We move from God's 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:52.299 glory to our good. Now we're shifting. Once God 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:56.640 is given His rightful place, once we've acknowledged 00:24:56.640 --> 00:25:00.640 who He is, once we've made His name holy, then 00:25:00.829 --> 00:25:03.470 we have the proper perspective towards ourselves. 00:25:04.769 --> 00:25:07.170 Now here's some good parameters for you to consider 00:25:07.170 --> 00:25:11.069 and to keep in mind before you start praying 00:25:11.069 --> 00:25:16.069 for your good. We should ask ourselves these 00:25:16.069 --> 00:25:18.690 questions before we make our requests known. 00:25:20.430 --> 00:25:24.750 By asking these questions, it will help keep 00:25:24.750 --> 00:25:27.910 our eyes focused on Him and off of ourselves. 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:32.920 So, God, this request that I have, I'm going 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:36.019 to ask myself the question, will it bring glory 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:40.380 to him? This request, is it going to bring him 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:43.799 glory? This request, is it going to advance his 00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:47.160 kingdom? This request, is it going to help people? 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:50.660 This request, is it going to help me grow spiritually? 00:25:52.900 --> 00:25:56.240 And so, God, I got this job promotion lined up. 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:01.049 It's coming. I want it. Is this going to bring 00:26:01.049 --> 00:26:04.569 you glory? If I get a pay raise, is this going 00:26:04.569 --> 00:26:08.690 to bring you glory? God, I want this house. I 00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:10.890 want this new house. I want this new car. Is 00:26:10.890 --> 00:26:13.289 this going to bring you glory? How can I use 00:26:13.289 --> 00:26:15.710 this house for your glory? How is it going to 00:26:15.710 --> 00:26:17.849 advance your kingdom? How is this going to help 00:26:17.849 --> 00:26:21.990 me grow spiritually? And once we have the right 00:26:21.990 --> 00:26:24.289 parameters, the first thing that we should be 00:26:24.289 --> 00:26:27.609 praying for in regards to ourselves is provision. 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:31.799 When we pray give us each day our daily bread 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:36.160 we are saying that we trust God as The source 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.579 to supply all of our physical needs of our lives 00:26:39.579 --> 00:26:43.039 And and we are affirming that he will take care 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:48.359 of everything that we need Notice that this trust 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:56.680 in God is for each day In the first century Bread 00:26:56.680 --> 00:27:00.839 had to be made on a daily basis. Now some of 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.980 you were making sourdough bread or whatever, 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:08.099 and you do that every day. But if you didn't 00:27:08.099 --> 00:27:11.400 do it, you'd still be okay, right? It's not like 00:27:11.400 --> 00:27:12.619 you went and bought a bunch of bread and threw 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:14.420 it in the freezer in the first century. They 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:17.000 had to make their bread every single day, like 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:21.900 manna that comes once a day. God provides one 00:27:21.900 --> 00:27:26.619 day at a time. I love Proverbs 30 verse 8. It 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:29.680 says, give me neither poverty nor riches, but 00:27:29.680 --> 00:27:35.940 give me only my daily bread. Don't make me poor. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:40.380 Don't make me rich. Just give me what I need 00:27:40.380 --> 00:27:42.460 to make through this day. That's our every year 00:27:42.460 --> 00:27:44.900 prayer. During these challenging economic times 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:47.359 when eggs are whatever they are per, I don't 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:49.319 buy the groceries, but I keep hearing they're 00:27:49.319 --> 00:27:53.259 expensive. Ask God to give you your daily bread. 00:27:54.139 --> 00:27:56.599 The point of this prayer is not for us to get 00:27:56.599 --> 00:28:00.039 what we want. It's for us to rely on God for 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:05.960 what we need This is like that old saying of 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:10.859 how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:14.740 one bite at a time if we only think of where 00:28:14.740 --> 00:28:19.680 we want to be That could be overwhelming It's 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:23.039 overwhelming isn't it? I want to be this far 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:25.799 on my spiritual journey. I want to have this 00:28:25.799 --> 00:28:29.460 much invested. If we think about that, it's overwhelming, 00:28:29.579 --> 00:28:32.740 one day at a time. If you ever want to overcome 00:28:32.740 --> 00:28:36.619 any sort of addiction, you don't start with the 00:28:36.619 --> 00:28:39.880 mindset of, I've been free from it for a year. 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:44.640 You ask God to give you what you need for that 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:48.839 day. God, give me the strength to make it through 00:28:48.839 --> 00:28:51.880 this day. And then you do it the next day. and 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:54.460 the next day. And then you look up and you've 00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:57.700 been pure for a year, you've been sober for a 00:28:57.700 --> 00:29:01.799 year, you've been clean for a year, one day at 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:05.680 a time. Then let us pray for pardon. You might 00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:08.640 not know this, so I'll enlighten you. Forgiveness 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:12.339 of sin is the greatest need of the human heart. 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:16.420 Forgiveness of your sin is your greatest need. 00:29:16.660 --> 00:29:19.799 Only God can grant us a pardon from punishment 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:24.750 and guilt. Sin is a debt that only God can free 00:29:24.750 --> 00:29:27.789 us from. Notice that Jesus immediately after 00:29:27.789 --> 00:29:31.509 he says that gives a little caveat here. We are 00:29:31.509 --> 00:29:36.789 to also release others from that debt. This verse 00:29:36.789 --> 00:29:41.490 teaches us that it is wrong to ask from God what 00:29:41.490 --> 00:29:45.480 we are unwilling to give to other people. This 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:48.680 is the only prayer petition in the disciples 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.960 prayer that is emphasized with additional challenging 00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:54.920 words in verses 14 through 15. For if you forgive 00:29:54.920 --> 00:29:57.700 men when they sin against you, God's going to 00:29:57.700 --> 00:30:01.380 forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, 00:30:02.920 --> 00:30:06.460 your father will not forgive your sins. Now, 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:09.480 it isn't that God forgives us on an exchange 00:30:09.480 --> 00:30:13.480 basis. Our forgiveness of others is not a condition 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:18.000 of God's forgiveness for us. Rather, it's a condition 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:21.319 of our ability to receive the forgiveness of 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:24.740 God. A wrong spirit towards another person may 00:30:24.740 --> 00:30:28.940 or may not hurt him, but it is certain to destroy 00:30:28.940 --> 00:30:33.859 your own soul. I mean, it is the height of hypocrisy 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:37.839 to expect God to forgive us if we are unwilling 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:42.019 to forgive others. And when we fail to forgive 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:45.799 someone, We set ourselves up as a higher judge 00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:53.200 than God Himself. Another way to say it is that 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:57.119 our relationship with the Lord cannot be right 00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:59.960 until our relationship with others is made right. 00:31:02.099 --> 00:31:04.099 I came across this prayer a four -year -old prayed. 00:31:06.859 --> 00:31:09.500 I love how he prayed this part of the prayer. 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:15.619 He says, and forgive us our trash baskets as 00:31:15.619 --> 00:31:19.140 we forgive those who put trash in our baskets. 00:31:21.740 --> 00:31:25.819 Forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those 00:31:25.819 --> 00:31:29.420 who keep putting the trash in our basket. In 00:31:29.420 --> 00:31:31.900 his book, Why Prayers are Unanswered, John Lavender 00:31:31.900 --> 00:31:35.220 tells a story about Norman Vincent Peale. When 00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:38.839 Peale was a little boy, he found a big black 00:31:38.839 --> 00:31:42.569 cigar. and he slipped into the alley and he lit 00:31:42.569 --> 00:31:46.430 it up. To his surprise, it didn't taste very 00:31:46.430 --> 00:31:49.730 good. Started coughing, but it made him feel 00:31:49.730 --> 00:31:54.210 mature, made him feel like a grown up until he 00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:58.289 saw his father coming. And quickly, he hid the 00:31:58.289 --> 00:32:02.670 lit cigar behind his back. As his dad approached 00:32:02.670 --> 00:32:06.190 him, and desperate to divert his father's attention, 00:32:06.569 --> 00:32:10.089 Norman pointed to a billboard advertising the 00:32:10.089 --> 00:32:14.650 circus. Can I go, Dad? Please, let's go when 00:32:14.650 --> 00:32:18.470 that thing comes to town. Can we do that? His 00:32:18.470 --> 00:32:20.670 father's reply taught Norman a lesson he never 00:32:20.670 --> 00:32:23.849 forgot. Son, he answered quietly but firmly, 00:32:24.589 --> 00:32:28.799 never make a petition. while at the same time 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:35.140 trying to hide a smoldering disobedience. We 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:40.039 are commanded to forgive. Don't make requests 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:44.259 to God with a heart that is walking in disobedience. 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:47.400 Then finally, we need to pray for protection. 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:52.400 He says, and lead us not into temptation. So 00:32:52.400 --> 00:32:54.680 if you notice, there's three requests for ourselves. 00:32:55.049 --> 00:32:57.410 There's been three requests for ourselves. One 00:32:57.410 --> 00:33:00.769 is the present. Give us our daily bread. Give 00:33:00.769 --> 00:33:03.349 us what we need to make it through the day. One 00:33:03.349 --> 00:33:05.950 looks at the past and the present. Forgive us 00:33:05.950 --> 00:33:10.309 our sins. Forgive us what we've done in the past. 00:33:10.410 --> 00:33:12.670 Forgive us what we're doing today. This last 00:33:12.670 --> 00:33:16.069 one looks at the future. Will God answer a prayer 00:33:16.069 --> 00:33:19.769 like that? Lead us not into temptation. You bet 00:33:19.769 --> 00:33:21.930 He will. First Corinthians 10 and 13 gives us 00:33:21.930 --> 00:33:24.349 a wonderful promise. No temptation has seized 00:33:24.349 --> 00:33:27.250 you. Accept what is common to man and God is 00:33:27.250 --> 00:33:30.089 faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted 00:33:30.089 --> 00:33:32.730 beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, 00:33:32.950 --> 00:33:36.069 He will also provide a way out so that you can 00:33:36.069 --> 00:33:40.069 stand up under it. When you're faced with an 00:33:40.069 --> 00:33:45.730 enticement, look for the way out and don't put 00:33:45.730 --> 00:33:49.009 yourself in situations to sin. God will provide 00:33:49.009 --> 00:33:51.950 a way out. He will have a door ready for you 00:33:51.950 --> 00:33:55.680 to walk through. I'd encourage you to memorize 00:33:55.680 --> 00:33:58.880 Psalm 19 verse 13. It's a very practical prayer 00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:02.039 for each and every one of us. Keep your servant 00:34:02.039 --> 00:34:06.180 also from willful sins. May they never rule over 00:34:06.180 --> 00:34:12.820 me. Keep me from willful sins. May they never 00:34:12.820 --> 00:34:16.099 rule over me. It's a powerful prayer. So this 00:34:16.099 --> 00:34:18.059 is the framework Jesus gives us. This is how 00:34:18.059 --> 00:34:21.230 we are supposed to pray. by getting our eyes 00:34:21.230 --> 00:34:24.489 off of ourselves, by getting them onto God. They 00:34:24.489 --> 00:34:27.110 are not self -seeking prayers. They are prayers 00:34:27.110 --> 00:34:29.550 that grow our faith. They are prayers that will 00:34:29.550 --> 00:34:31.289 strengthen our relationship with our Father. 00:34:32.590 --> 00:34:36.650 This is the framework. I want to look at one 00:34:36.650 --> 00:34:39.010 more prayer together, and then we'll wrap up 00:34:39.010 --> 00:34:42.010 our time. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 14, 00:34:42.670 --> 00:34:49.679 a few pages over. Now this comes... It's a story 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:54.559 after Jesus had spent some time grieving over 00:34:54.559 --> 00:35:00.420 the loss of his cousin, John the Baptist. Right 00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:03.059 after that he has to go feed a whole bunch of 00:35:03.059 --> 00:35:06.980 people and teach them. They're following him. 00:35:07.980 --> 00:35:10.559 So he's just exhausted. Can you imagine that? 00:35:11.059 --> 00:35:14.480 He's been grieving. Then he has to teach. Then 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:16.880 he has to do all these miracles. He's exhausted. 00:35:19.369 --> 00:35:22.550 He sends the disciples ahead of him, and it says 00:35:22.550 --> 00:35:28.489 that he spent some time alone praying. Now, I 00:35:28.489 --> 00:35:32.650 love this passage because it shows Jesus's humanity. 00:35:34.010 --> 00:35:37.289 He was tired. He's done praying. The boat's a 00:35:37.289 --> 00:35:39.409 long way off. I don't even know if he could see 00:35:39.409 --> 00:35:40.829 it, but he knew where it was because, you know, 00:35:40.829 --> 00:35:47.030 he's God. He could have taken the long walk around 00:35:47.030 --> 00:35:48.650 the sea to wherever they were supposed to meet 00:35:48.650 --> 00:35:54.099 up. Showed up there early in the morning completely 00:35:54.099 --> 00:36:01.219 exhausted But instead he took a shortcut Why 00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:04.679 walk around the sea? When I can just walk straight 00:36:04.679 --> 00:36:08.239 to them on the sea and in verse 25 we see Jesus 00:36:08.239 --> 00:36:11.159 walking on the water towards his disciples in 00:36:11.159 --> 00:36:14.719 verse 28 it reads here's the prayer and Peter 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:18.360 answered him Lord if it is you Command me to 00:36:18.360 --> 00:36:22.300 come to you on the water Do you hear the prayer? 00:36:23.340 --> 00:36:27.000 Peter makes a request to Jesus. He makes the 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:29.420 request. Jesus didn't tell him to walk on the 00:36:29.420 --> 00:36:35.139 water. Peter requested it. He requested that 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:38.880 he walk on the water. Peter had a desire to be 00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:42.039 close to Jesus. He didn't seem to care about 00:36:42.039 --> 00:36:44.659 the fact that any other day he would have sank 00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:46.820 right to the bottom. He's not able to walk on 00:36:46.820 --> 00:36:50.179 the water. But he made the request anyways. That's 00:36:50.179 --> 00:36:53.780 a bold prayer. That's a bold prayer. And here's 00:36:53.780 --> 00:36:58.119 the thing. Jesus grants the request. Peter asked, 00:36:58.500 --> 00:37:03.440 and Jesus says, come. The request is known. Jesus 00:37:03.440 --> 00:37:07.619 says, come. And all of a sudden, what was impossible 00:37:07.619 --> 00:37:11.320 became possible because Peter wasn't concerned 00:37:11.320 --> 00:37:15.539 that normally he was going to sink. He was going 00:37:15.539 --> 00:37:20.079 to defy the laws of science and then verse 30 00:37:20.079 --> 00:37:23.559 But when he saw the wind he was afraid and beginning 00:37:23.559 --> 00:37:30.760 to sink he cried out Lord save me So Peter has 00:37:30.760 --> 00:37:34.559 his eyes focused on Jesus when he makes the request 00:37:34.559 --> 00:37:38.440 When he makes the request to walk on the water 00:37:38.440 --> 00:37:42.280 he's focused on Jesus, but once Jesus answers 00:37:42.280 --> 00:37:46.380 the request Peter's eyes are no longer focused 00:37:46.380 --> 00:37:48.980 on Jesus. They are focused on the environment. 00:37:49.059 --> 00:37:52.219 They're focused on the fear. They're focused 00:37:52.219 --> 00:37:54.260 on the distractions that are around them, but 00:37:54.260 --> 00:37:58.059 they're not focused on Jesus. I mean, is that 00:37:58.059 --> 00:38:02.820 not us? Is that not how we operate? We pray to 00:38:02.820 --> 00:38:06.960 God when we're afraid. Peter does so twice in 00:38:06.960 --> 00:38:09.320 this passage. The first time, he thinks Jesus 00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:15.329 is a ghost. He's scared. Jesus, if that's you, 00:38:15.429 --> 00:38:19.230 command me to come on the water. He prays again 00:38:19.230 --> 00:38:21.869 out of fear when He's sinking down to the water. 00:38:23.210 --> 00:38:25.190 But when things are going well, when He gets 00:38:25.190 --> 00:38:28.010 His prayers answered, He completely takes His 00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:32.329 focus off of Jesus. Is that not us? We pray when 00:38:32.329 --> 00:38:34.889 things are hard. We pray when we need a miracle. 00:38:35.090 --> 00:38:39.829 We pray when we're in tough situations. But do 00:38:39.829 --> 00:38:43.570 we seek after Him when things are calm? Do we 00:38:43.570 --> 00:38:46.050 continue to seek after Him after He grants our 00:38:46.050 --> 00:38:50.070 request? Do we continue to seek after Him when 00:38:50.070 --> 00:38:52.929 we are distracted by our lives in the routine 00:38:52.929 --> 00:39:01.030 of the day? If you're sinking, my guess would 00:39:01.030 --> 00:39:03.090 be because your eyes are not focused on Him. 00:39:04.769 --> 00:39:08.929 If you feel like life is drowning you, I would 00:39:08.929 --> 00:39:10.710 guess it's because your eyes are not focused 00:39:10.710 --> 00:39:16.050 on Him. So that's how we're supposed to pray. 00:39:19.670 --> 00:39:22.309 Our focus is on Him, our relationship with Him, 00:39:22.590 --> 00:39:25.750 our focus is on His glory and who He is and what 00:39:25.750 --> 00:39:29.750 He's done and how majestic He is. And then our 00:39:29.750 --> 00:39:34.349 requests then shift to us for our good. We pray 00:39:34.349 --> 00:39:40.369 for things that are for our good. That's how 00:39:40.369 --> 00:39:47.829 to pray. That's all I got. So we're going to 00:39:47.829 --> 00:39:55.010 close out our service this morning. We're going 00:39:55.010 --> 00:40:03.530 to sing one more worship song. But maybe this 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:07.269 is the time that we need to repent. Repent of 00:40:07.269 --> 00:40:11.289 all those times we viewed Jesus. We viewed our 00:40:11.289 --> 00:40:17.190 Father as a genie in a bottle. Where we haven't 00:40:17.190 --> 00:40:20.849 made His name holy. Where it's just about what 00:40:20.849 --> 00:40:24.989 we can get from Him. So maybe as we sing, maybe 00:40:24.989 --> 00:40:28.190 you just give Him praise for who He is. Maybe 00:40:28.190 --> 00:40:31.389 you make His name holy in your life. Maybe you 00:40:31.389 --> 00:40:33.210 truly consider what it means for His kingdom 00:40:33.210 --> 00:40:38.190 to be on this earth like it is in heaven. Maybe 00:40:38.190 --> 00:40:43.030 you pray Psalm 19, keep your servant away from 00:40:43.030 --> 00:40:49.119 willful sins. May they not roll over you That'll 00:40:49.119 --> 00:40:53.000 help you grow spiritually won't it? So I'm gonna 00:40:53.000 --> 00:40:56.380 close this in prayer And we'll worship father. 00:40:56.380 --> 00:41:00.340 I thank you for this day. I thank you for the 00:41:00.340 --> 00:41:05.300 words of Jesus I Thank you for who you are father. 00:41:05.380 --> 00:41:08.780 May your name be made holy in this place always 00:41:14.490 --> 00:41:17.690 May your will be done in this church and in this 00:41:17.690 --> 00:41:26.570 community as it is in heaven Father help us forgive 00:41:26.570 --> 00:41:34.550 others as you have forgiven us So God we give 00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:39.050 you this time we we ask you We ask you to help 00:41:39.050 --> 00:41:42.710 grow us spiritually grow our faith in you Help 00:41:42.710 --> 00:41:47.329 us understand the importance and the immediacy 00:41:47.329 --> 00:41:52.170 of having a strong relationship with You. So 00:41:52.170 --> 00:41:54.230 Father, I pray that You will whisper in our ear 00:41:54.230 --> 00:41:59.269 as we worship You. Help us understand Your heart. 00:42:01.269 --> 00:42:08.769 Help us not view You as some distant being. Help 00:42:08.769 --> 00:42:12.969 us view You as our Father. We ask all these things 00:42:12.969 --> 00:42:14.550 in Jesus name. Amen.