TEACH US TO PRAY LUKE 11:1-4; MATTHEW 6:9-13

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1 Introduction: TEACH US TO PRAY LUKE 11:1-4; MATTHEW 6:9-13 The Lord has impressed upon my heart that we need to close this year and begin next year considering the topic of prayer. Norma and I have now been here at Capital City Baptist Church for a little more than two years; and as of yet, I have not preached a message that has been totally devoted to the subject of prayer. I truly believe, however, that the Lord has dealt with my heart concerning the preparation of this message that will keep us occupied in thought throughout this morning s and next Sunday morning s service. In the first half of this sermon, we will consider two questions. The first question will be, Why do we need to pray to God? By the grace of God, we will give several reasons to answer this question. The second question will be, Why did these men ask Jesus to teach them to pray? Why did they not ask someone else, maybe like John the Baptist, to teach them to pray? To every student of the Bible, the answer is obvious He was The Master of prayer! Next Sunday morning, in the second half of this sermon, we will study the Model Prayer that the Lord Jesus used to teach His disciples about prayer! Read Text Here! I. Why do we need to pray to God? There are many inter-related reasons why we need to pray to God. A. There is a universal need for prayer Ps. 65:2, O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. 1. There is a universal need of salvation there is none righteous; there is none good; all have sinned; there is only One Saviour! Everyone needs to pray to God, asking Him to forgive their sin and enter their heart to be their Saviour. 2. Every Christian has a need for communion with our Father in Heaven. If there was no need for communion with God, no one would ever want to pray; and yet, people everywhere, even the unsaved, know that they need to approach a God/god (one greater than they who can minister to them and supply their needs). 3. There is a need in every person s life for acceptance, grace, wisdom, strength, leadership, enablement, etc. These come only from God. 4. Need for supplies health, food, finances, etc. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights B. God is the only One who can answer prayer. 1. Classic example! 1 Kings 18:21-39 (450 prophets of Baal crying out to their god for hours no answer; one man of God praying to God for a few minutes God answers in a marvelous way). 2. Consider! Ps. 135:15-18, The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them. II. Why did these men ask Jesus to teach them to pray? There is no one better to ask than The Master of Prayer! A. They knew that Jesus was a Man of prayer. 1. By example, He taught them when to pray!

2 a. He prayed in the morning Mk. 1:35. b. He prayed in the evening Mk. 6: c. At times, He spent the whole night in prayer Luke 6: By example, He taught them where to pray! a. He prayed in private Lk. 5:16; 9:18; 22: b. He prayed in public Jn. 11:41. B. They knew that God always heard and answered His prayers Jn. 11: C. Is it any wonder why they asked Jesus to teach them to pray? D. Should not we be asking Jesus to teach us to pray? Conclusion of the first half of this sermon: They did not ask, Lord teach us how to pray! Their request was, Lord teach us to pray! Prayer is so important in the Christian s life, so let us learn To PRAY! As this year comes to a close, let us ask our Heavenly Father to allow His blessed Son, The Master of Prayer, to teach us to pray. Do we not want to be better at prayer in the New Year than we were this year? Do we not want to have more prayers answered next year than we had answered in these last twelve months? If you have never prayed, asking God to forgive your sin and enter your heart to be your Saviour, please do so today! It is of utmost importance that we communicate with our God in the way that our Lord, The Master of Prayer, did let us pray in the morning; in the evening; all night, when necessary; in private; and in public. Indeed, let us begin to pray unceasingly!

3 III. The Model Prayer that the Lord Jesus used to teach His disciples about prayer! Mt. 6:9-13. The disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them to pray; yet, we find Him teaching them how to pray! You see, they already had a desire to pray, so He knew that they would pray. The one who has a desire to pray; to commune with their Father in Heaven, will do so. There is no need to teach one to pray, but rather how to pray. If one is saved, the Holy Spirit will give the desire to pray. They asked for one thing, but the Lord taught them what they really needed to learn about prayer. We will see what He taught in just a moment. Several years ago, while we were attending Bible college at Tennessee Temple, someone spoke in a chapel service on the subject of prayer. I, for one, am very thankful for that man who instructed and taught us what Jesus taught His disciples about prayer. By using these two passages of Scripture, he taught us that our prayers should be structured in a way that pleases God that when we approach God in prayer, there is a correct way in which to pray. Let us study what Christ taught His disciples and learn from His teaching. A. Our prayers should begin with Our Father or some derivation of these two words; for instance, Our Dear Heavenly Father, Our Most Gracious Father, Mt. 6:9. 1. In our prayers, it is all right to thank the Lord Jesus or the Holy Spirit for something; however, we should never address our prayers to either of Them. Our prayers should always be directed to God the Father. That is how Jesus, The Master of prayer began His prayers! 2. Another thing that this man brought out about this model prayer is that it is very much like the structure of a letter, and that God s name is used only one time, not 100 times. He brought to our attention that when we are praying audibly, it is very annoying to those around us when we continue to repeat the name of God God, Lord, Jesus, Father, etc. (please be aware of what Jesus taught about vain repetitions see vs. 7). To help us to see what he meant, he illustrated his point by reading something similar to a prayer, but directed it to Dr. Lee Roberson. He said something like this: Our Dear Dr. Roberson, We thank thee for being such a wonderful leader of this college. Dr. Roberson, we appreciate your kind and gracious spirit, and Dear Dr. Roberson, you have been such a blessing to us. Dr. Roberson, we do not know how we can ever thank thee enough for all that you have done for us. Dr. Roberson, you have helped us in so many ways, Dear Dr. Roberson, by preaching to us the Word of God, and Dr. Roberson by teaching us to follow God. Dear Dr. Roberson will you please continue to stay true to God, and Dr. Roberson will you continue to lead us aright? Dr. Roberson, will you give us what we need today from the Word of God, Dr. Roberson? Dr. Roberson, we ask these things in your name, Dear Dr. Roberson! This man urged us to listen to ourselves pray, and I think he has a good point. By listening to ourselves pray, it will help us to hear whether or not we are using God s name repeatedly when it is not necessary. Let me encourage you to listen to yourself each time you pray aloud to see if you are guilty of repetition when it comes to using God s name in your prayers. B. We should always approach God in reverence and recognition of His holiness Mt. 6:9. He is a holy God and we should remind Him that we acknowledge and appreciate that quality of His character!

4 C. Next, we should pray for the return and reign of Jesus Christ Mt. 6:10. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev. 22:20. D. We should then pray for the will of God to be performed on earth as it is in Heaven Mt. 6: The will of God is always performed in Heaven. 2. How can we pray for the will of God to be performed on earth, if we are not willing for the will of God to be performed in our lives, whilst we are here on this earth? E. Eventually in our prayers, the appropriate time comes to make request for the supply our needs Mt. 6: Most people begin their prayers in selfishness, asking for their own needs to be supplied. 2. From beginning to end, most people s prayers consist of Give me, Give me, and Give me. F. Before we close our prayers, we should always ask God to forgive us of whatever sins we have committed Mt. 6:12. Note, however, we can expect forgiveness only to the degree to which we forgive others who have wronged us. G. We are then to ask God to lead us in the paths of righteousness, not into the paths of temptation Mt. 6:13. However, when we do find ourselves facing temptation, we are to ask and rely upon God to deliver us from falling into and committing sin Mt. 6:13. Note! 1 Cor. 10:13, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. H. At the close of our prayer, we are again to acknowledge the greatness and worthiness of God Mt. 6:13. I. Lastly, we are to close our prayer with Amen, so be it. 1. Let us consider this! As Jesus was physically to be present with these disciples for the next 3½ years, He does not include, at this point, that they are to pray in His name. Just before His crucifixion, however, He taught them to ask for things in His name. Jn. 14:13, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Jn. 15:16,...whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Eph. 5:20, Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 2. We are not to close our prayer in the name of God the Father or the Holy Spirit, but in Jesus name.

5 Conclusion: Prayer is so important in the Christian s life, so let us PRAY! It is of utmost importance that we communicate with our God in the way that our Lord, The Master of Prayer did let us pray in the morning; in the evening; all night, when necessary; in private; and in public. As we begin this New Year, let us ask our Heavenly Father to allow His blessed Son, The Master of Prayer, to teach us to pray and how to pray. Do we not, this year, want to be better at prayer than we were last year? Do we not, this year, want to have more prayers answered than we saw answered last year? If we will put into practice what we have learned in this two-session sermon, we will be able to pray after the fashion to which our Lord taught His disciples to pray; and, I believe that God will hear and answer our prayers in even a greater way than we witnessed last year! May we be people who learn from the Lord Jesus about prayer and how to pray! May we be people of prayer this year!