Title: This, Then, Is How You Should Pray
Scripture: Matthew 6: 5 – 13
Speaker: Mr Stephen Cheah
Sermon Notes:
The background of this passage:
It is found in Matthew and part of the Sermon On The Mount, and is among the many different topics that Jesus spoke about. The teaching was aimed at the crowds, the many people from various backgrounds, ages.
Basic principles taught by Jesus:
- It starts with “when you pray…” not “if you pray…” Praying is expected to be part of the norm. Spending time with your God, your Saviour, the Lover of your soul.
- Do not be like hypocrites. Why are you praying? Do not show off / brag / boast. Be yourself! Prayer is between you and God. No one else needs to know.
- You are not praying to some unknown god or being, but the Father – ABBA Father; a father-child relationship exists, not a stranger to stranger relationship. Father God knows you intimately and also wants you to know Him; His love for you is infinite and wants the best for you as His child
- Do not say things for the sake of it. Don’t chant (repeating the same thing over and over). Do not labour over our requests
- God already knows everything – nothing surprises Him – even before we ask. There’s nothing He does not know; and there’s nothing we can hide from him. Keep it simple and short.
Prayer must come from a genuine relationship between you and God, not out of obligation – a heart to heart conversation
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father
- sets the context of praying; we are coming before a loving, heavenly Father
Who art in heaven
- heaven is where He resides; literally and figuratively above all things
- He is watching over us; He sees through all things even into our hearts and minds, nothing is hidden from Him; nothing surprises Him
- He is not bound by time – we are time bound, He is not; He sees all of creation at one go
Hallowed be thy Name
- God’s name is holy; it is to be consecrated (set aside); not to be taken in vain; so much so that some dare not mention/say/spell His name
- it’s above every other name
- His name gives life and brings death
- we have authority in Jesus’ name
Thy kingdom come,
- Jesus came and established God’s kingdom which is not earthly
- all who believe in Jesus are citizens of this kingdom- it will continue to grow and nothing can stop it
- it will last for eternity
- the enemy Satan is still the ruler of this earth but he is a defeated foe and is subject to God
- when Jesus returns He will establish a new earthly kingdom where there will be no more pain, sickness, suffering etc.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
- God reigns Supreme in heaven – what God wants done in heaven will always be carried out
- on earth, He chooses to give mankind free will
- the battle rages between doing our will against denying ourselves to do God’s will; as believers, we have a choice whether to align our will with God’s will
- our prayer is that God’s will be done, not mine (Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane)
- ultimately God is still Sovereign and He is able get things done even if people choose not to cooperate
Give us this day our daily bread
- we ask for our daily needs
- it’s about each day – not tomorrow or the day after
- it’s about needs not wants; what are our “needs”?
- it’s not a shopping list
- seek ye first the kingdom of God and the rest will be added unto you
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
- hasn’t God forgiven us off all our sins?
- God’s different roles as Judge and Father;
- as Judge, He has already forgiven us of all our sins because of Christ’s death on the cross
- as Father, He will not “let us go” if we don’t forgive others, mental torment (constant reminder)
And lead us not into temptation
- “temptation” from the Greek work “peraismos” meaning an experiment, a trial, temptation
- the plea is that God would not put us to the test; is this a right prayer to pray?
- Jesus himself prayed at the Garden of Gethsemane “If it be possible, let this cup pass away from me” (Matthew 26:39)
- the answer may be indeed we are not tested but, if indeed we are tested, God will provide us the strength to overcome it, a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13)
- we are all being tested right now in what we going through. Do we believe that God is still in control? That He knows what He is doing or allowing to happen. Does He love us? If so, why are all these things happening?
- God is still very much God. His Sovereignty is still unchanged. The One who created the heavens and the earth, who made man out of dust and breathed life into him – He is very much in control. Instead of asking “Why?”, perhaps the question should be “What are You Lord trying to teach us? Open our eyes Lord to see what You are doing and the opportunities you are creating for us to do good works to those around us.”
but deliver us from evil
- or the evil one
- as believers, we are all in warfare – spiritual warfare, whether we want to or not; the evil one sees us as his enemies
- we seek God’s protection and deliverance through Jesus shed blood, death and resurrection
- we are victors in Christ if we know how to affirm our identity and position in Christ
For thine is the kingdom , the power and glory
- this phrase is missing from many of the earlier scripts and appears to be added later
- acts as a summary to remind us of who this God is that we are making our request to
Structure of the Lord’s Prayer
- Knowing who God is and worshipping Him; this could include praise and thanksgiving
- Bringing our petitions before Him; acknowledging that we are dependent on Him and need to be cleansed of all unrighteousness
Prayer is not about bringing our petitions to God, or just talking with God. It is communion (not Holy Communion the Sacrament) with God i.e. being with God in His presence – spending time in His holy presence. An act and form of worship.
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