10.02.16 ~ The Fundamentals of Prayer

Preacher: Pastor Mike | Series: Basic Christianity

Through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, every person who repents of their sins and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, comes into an intimate relationship with God the Father, who loves us eternally and unconditionally.

Prayer is communicating with God, and God loves to hear your heart in prayer. He loves to answer our prayers according to His own mercy and grace.
Isaiah 65:24, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”

See Acts 12, especially verses 12-17…

See Matthew 6:7-15… Our conversations with God should not be filled with “meaningless repetition” like the pagans (v. 7), who babble with many words.

Nowhere in the NT is a prayer repeated or used in a repetitious and/or ritualistic manner. We don’t need to try and convince God of a need we have (v. 8); for He knows what we need, even before we ask Him!
Matthew 6:9a… This is how you should pray: The Lord’s Prayer is given as a guide on how we should pray. There are six petitions in this prayer; three toward God’s Sovereignty, that being, His Name, His Kingdom, and His Will; and three toward Man’s needs, that being, daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from evil. Matthew 6:9b… Our Father in heaven: God is the Creator of all but the Father only of those who come, through faith in Jesus Christ, into the Family of God, born of God’s Spirit (cf. John 1:12-13; 3:5-8).

Matthew 6:9c… Hallowed be Your name: God is Holy and we are to revere, honor, worship, and glorify Him. We must prayerfully acknowledge Him in every detail of our thoughts, our words, and our actions (1Corinthians 10:31), “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Matthew 6:10… Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven: Those who belong to Christ will want to live in a manner that expresses God’s rule in their lives, as He already rules in heaven. You see, God’s ultimate will is not being exhibited on earth: men sin, men die, and men go to hell. But God’s will is that people won’t sin, die, or go to hell. We pray for God’s will be done on earth:

God’s will is for everyone to repent, believe, and be saved (see 1Timothy 2:3-4; 2Peter 3:9-10).

Those who are saved, all true believers and followers of Christ, will seek to obey God, with willing hearts, in all that we do (see Romans 12:1-2; 2Peter 3:11-12).

We are to faithfully pray according to God’s will, while seeking to obey God’s Word.

Matthew 6:11… Give us today our daily bread: Bread here is symbolic of the food we need, not just for our physical needs, but also our spiritual needs. Bread was a staple food, eaten daily, in Palestine for biological life. Jesus is the bread of life who has come down from the Father to grant us spiritual life, sent from the Father to supply all our needs.

Philippians 4:19, “God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (cf 2Peter 1:3).

The schedule for God’s provision is clearly a daily one, meaning, we need to come to Him on a regular, day-to-day basis for the provision of our needs, not weekly, monthly, or yearly…but daily.
Matthew 6:12… And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors: This is not talking about financial debts, it is talking about sin — our moral and spiritual debt to God, paid in full by Christ.

Sin separates man from God and is man’s greatest enemy. Therefore, man’s greatest need is forgiveness, and that is what God provides when we confess our sinfulness (Romans 10:13), “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”; (1John 1:8-10), “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and purify us of all unrighteousness.”

The Father is forgiving, His children are also (Ephesians 4:32), “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Matthew 6:13… And lead us not into temptation, but rescue us from evil: This has to do with trials and testing, through which we are enticed to sin. God tempts no man, but He does allow us to be tested (see James 4:7-10). We pray for God to place a guard over our eyes, ears, mouths, feet, hands, minds and hearts — so that, we will not give in and do that which is sinful (see 1Corinthians 10:13; Romans 12:9).

There is really only one hindrance to prayer: SIN!
Psalm 66:18-19, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.”

What you believe and how you behave will affect your prayer life. Prayer is conversation with God; we share our heart and mind with the Father, asking Him to forgive our sins and to equip us that we might forgive others; we ask Him for the wisdom to know and the courage to obey His will; so that He might receive glory, honor and praise, in every situation of our life.

We live in a cursed world, evil is all around us. Our flesh is weak and we are not equipped in our humanness to combat sin, and so, we should confess our need for the protection and deliverance only God can give.

This sovereign lesson in prayer concludes with a reminder of how our forgiving others is an illustration and reflection of the Father’s forgiving us.
Matthew 6:14-15… For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses: Please don’t misunderstand what this verse is saying. God has forever removed the penalty of sin from all true Christians (cf. Romans 8:1). However, sin does effect our present joy and ability to serve God, therefore, we confess our sins in order to remain cleansed from sin’s corruption, much like washing our face, hands, and feet when they have become soiled by dirt or contaminated in some way.

Having been cleansed by God, i.e., having received God’s forgiveness, we forgive others; for an unforgiving spirit is inconsistent with one who has been forgiven (cf. Matthew 18:21-35).

Why should we pray? Well, first of all, God commands us to pray (1Thessalonians 5:17), “Pray continually!” And also, prayer unburdens us from our anxieties and fears; in fact (Philippians 4:6-7) tells us that through prayer we receive “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,” and this “will guard [our] hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Prayer allows us to draw close to and realize God’s presence; that we might know Him more intimately and (Hebrews 4:16), “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

What do we pray? That God’s will might be done in and through every situation in our life and in the lives of God’s children; so that men, women and children of age might come to know Him now and forever (Ephesians 3:18), “together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”

How do we pray? Constantly and reverently, laying our requests and our praises before Him, so that everything we do, think, and say, is prayerfully communicated to God, for He is sovereign in all things (Jeremiah 33:3), “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Let me ask you something – have you ever wondered whether or not there is a right or wrong physical position to pray in? The Bible records a variety of positions in which people prayed: Genesis 18:22 says Abraham prayed standing up; 1Chronicles 17:16 says King David prayed sitting down ; Matthew 26:39, says Jesus prayed while lying face down on the ground.

The physical position you pray in isn’t important; but your spiritual position is very important – only Christians can pray to God, and we pray out of reverence for God’s holiness, with honest recognition of our own sinfulness, for only then can we truly be thankful for His forgiveness, His mercy, and His grace.

The Holy Spirit will instruct us to pray for those things that bring glory and honor to God, as we exalt the character and nature of God: Who He is, How He has revealed Himself to us, Why He has saved us, and What He desires us to do, as we live out our lives on this earth, expressing thanksgiving toward Him for His mercy and grace, while trusting Him for our eternal life in heaven.

Prayer is the means by which we come into and remain in God’s presence, while separated from Him on earth.
Revelation 21:3-4, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear form their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for he old

order of things has passed away.”
Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom power

and love, our God is an awesome God…

Pastor Mile <‘(((><