Prayer, The Purpose. Based on Matthew 6:9-13

Prayer, The Purpose Based on Matthew 6:9-13 Last week, we studied the definition of prayer, the importance of prayer, and the types of prayers. We looked at the seven major categories of prayers: Ordinary Prayers, Meditative Prayers, Heart Prayers, Spirit Prayers, Prophetic Symbolism, Social Justice, and Combination Prayers. With them, we studied the concept of petition, meditation, contemplation, listening prayers, breath prayers, tongue, and groans in the Spirit. Because we do not have enough time in a single Sunday morning service to explain and illustrate each type, I had just given a quick overview of the concept and the types of prayers. As the Lord leads in the coming weeks, I would like to expound on several of these prayers so we would all have a better understanding about the depth and the breadth of prayers. Now, a short definition or prayer I gave last week was: Prayer = Communicating with God directly Then what is the definition of communication? Communication = A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. Therefore, the definition of prayer is, Prayer = A process by which information is exchanged between an individual(s) and God directly through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. In a way, in a broad definition of prayer, the prayer would be anything you do to communicate your heart, thoughts, emotions, desires, and will with God. Therefore, whether you start a prayer with Lord, I pray or end a prayer with in Jesus Name, we should consider everything we do to be potentially a prayer because God does not look at the outer appearance, but the heart of a man. 1 Samuel 17:7 7 The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Hebrews 4:12-13 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, everything you do, everything you think, everything you daydream and everything you desire are always constantly offered before God as prayers. Understanding that God sees all, knows all, understands all will do two things: (1) it gives us a healthy fear of the LORD within the love and grace of God, and Matthew 6:6 Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (2) it frees many people from feeling like a second class Christians for not praying hours at a time, like someone who has a gift of intercession or who has trained herself to a several hours of morning prayer per day. There are some pastors and preachers who say that a person must pray at least three hours a day to have power as a Christian. I disagree. I disagree, because the bible does not say that. I do not want anyone in Father s House to think that way. The power of God comes from your loving relationship with God, and from believing who you are in Christ not praying hours at a time. Moreover, do you pray to God for mere power? No, you and I pray to God because we love Him, and to build our relationship with Him. FHM - 1

What is wrong with a statement like a person must pray at least three hours a day to have power as a Christian? It means that if you do not have time to pray so long, you should just accept the fact that you are powerless; and because some pastors could pray 3-4 hours a day because they have His grace to pray long hours or they do not have to hold a regular job does not mean that everyone should do the same. Some even use their prayers to make people rely on them. I have nothing against the people who have the grace and the diligence to pray for hours a day in fact, it is a beautiful sacrifice unto the Lord and I hope and pray that I would have the same grace and the diligence to do the same but just because you can do it, does not mean that you should categorize anyone who cannot do that as a weaker or a second class Christian worse yet, make them feel like that they are less spiritual (the laity). On the contrary, God says You are a prince of the Most High God, the King of Kings. There is no second class about it! If you believe that you have no power because you have not prayed for hours, then you have just killed your faith, and you have limited God s possibilities through you. You already believe that you have no power, so why minister just hope that you do not get beat up by the devil. The religion will say pray or else, but God says.. love God and love one another The truth is, if you love God, you want to communicate with Him even if someone tells them not to an example: people in love must communicate or they become sick. We pray because we love Him, not because we want Him to do things or give us the power If we love Him and His people, the power will always be there for you. There are people who pray to get what they want so they spend hours and hours praying, hoping that God would somehow look at their diligence and give them what they want. They may consider it a sacrifice to pray, but it may be no sacrifice at all, if they were trying to earn buy whatever it is by the hours of praying. Do you know that God sometimes give you what you desire, only because you desire it so much the working of free will and not everything we desire is beneficial for us. Romans 1:24 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts Jesus said Matthew 6:7-8 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. On the contrary, do you know that your prayer is not for getting what you want, but bringing forth the desire and the will of God. Bringing forth the will of God, so that the Kingdom of God may manifest on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 26:36-39 36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. FHM - 2

Then do you know how the prayer brings forth the will of God? Now, our prayer brings forth the will of God on earth, when we agree with the truth of God on earth. That is the power in agreement. When there is an agreement, there is a release of faith, and it is faith that brings forth the supernatural of the Kingdom of God to manifest on this earth. Therefore, the prayer is our bringing forth the desire and the will of God to manifest on the earth (here & now) by agreeing with the Father in what He wants to do --- The prayer should bring forth the power of agreement, and releases and ushers in the kingdom of God. That is how Jesus prayed: praying the will and the desire of the Father, by agreeing with what He saw Father is doing. That is why, even Jesus said, He only does what the Father is doing. John 5:19 19 Jesus gave them this answer: I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. Then how did Jesus know what the Father was doing? Yes, He is God, and He knows all, but the scripture also says John 6:38 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father s presence What does it mean by Father s presence in short, in having a relationship with the Father, in conversing with the Father, spending time with the Father, learning and working with the Father John 5:20 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Jesus in His prayers, (1) went to the Father in heaven, via His relationship with the Father (therefore, being in the Father s presence), (2) learning and knowing what the Father s will is in heaven (by seeing, observing, listening, and learning in heaven that is the Truth) and (3) agreeing with the Father s will in heaven on earth so that the heaven manifests here on earth. Now, that is what the prayer is all about. The prayer is about bringing forth the will of God, so that the Kingdom of God may manifest on earth as it is in heaven, and it happens in our agreement with God s will. I do not have time to go over in depth about the power of agreement today, but I would like you to know that we have access to supernatural powers via our agreement with supernatural powers and we bring forth the supernatural powers into reality, when we agree with the supernatural powers. If we agree with God and His truth His Kingdom (His will) manifests on earth, and if we agree with the devil and his lies the devil s kingdom manifests on earth. Example: Mary, the mother of Jesus, with the will of God Luke 1:38 38 I am the Lord s servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said. Then the angel left her. Example: Eve with the devil Genesis 3:1-6 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? 2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. 4 You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. FHM - 3

In a simple definition, agreeing with God or with devil is, in reality, partnering with God or devil. Moreover, agreeing with God or devil brings forth an access to spiritual power and authority by the power of agreement either brings forth the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of devil your agreement decides whether it is a victory or a defeat. Matthew 18:19-20 19 Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Furthermore, the power of agreement is that the agreement is a faith multiplier. Deuteronomy 32:30 one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight Therefore, your agreement with God is the power of prayer that brings the heaven down on earth bringing the supernatural power of God to manifest on earth as it is in heaven. That is why praying is one of God s will for us in Christ Jesus. We pray in agreement to bring forth the Kingdom of God on earth as it is done in heaven. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God s will for you in Christ Jesus. Now, with an understanding that prayer is to bring forth the will of God, let us look at the Lord s prayer. Matthew 6:9-13 9 This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. We often call this disclosure the Lord s Prayer, but it is more of the Disciple s Prayer or a Model Prayer. It is a very special prayer, because it is the only prayer almost every Christian, whether Father s House, Calvary Chapel, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, Charismatic, Pentecostal, American, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian, or African, pray in common. It is a very beautiful model prayer that the LORD Jesus gave us. There are seven parts of the Lord s Prayer 1. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name 2. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven 3. Give us today our daily bread 4. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 5. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one 6. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever 7. Amen. FHM - 4

Now let us look at each of seven parts and how it tries to bring forth the will of God, so that the Kingdom of God may manifest on earth as it is in heaven. Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name As we approach God, we must acknowledge that we have a relationship with Him it is the only way to approach & see the King. Moreover, Jesus is telling us that we must be focusing on heaven because we need to bring the heaven down on earth, as we will see in a little while. Also, as we approach the King, we must praise Him. Psalm 100:4 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. i. The thanksgiving communicating what He has done ii. The praise communicating what our relationship is based on what He has done. iii. The worship communicating who He is. The only way we can praise Him is knowing who He is and what He has done for us, and agreeing with who He is, and what He has done for us. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven The first aspect of the model prayer Jesus gave us is that we should pray His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. How do we do that? We bring the heaven down on earth by o knowing what the Father s will is in heaven (by seeing, observing, listening, and learning in heaven that is the Truth), and o agreeing with the Father s will in heaven on earth so that the heaven manifests here on earth. Our agreement with God s will in our prayer (and in our action) releases faith to usher in the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. It is faith that brings forth the supernatural of the Kingdom of God to manifest on this earth; not the length of prayers. Give us today our daily bread We are to recognize that the Father in heaven is the provider of all our needs. Luke 11:9-10 9 So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Even all our provisions are first provide in heaven, and we are to bring it down to earth by knowing that He is the provider, and agreeing with the Father that He desires to provide for us. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. We are to recognize that the Father desires to forgive us. Luke 17:4 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, I repent, forgive him. We can only forgive others when we know that He has forgiven us, and agree with Him that although the person may not deserve my forgiveness, but because Jesus forgave us first, that I will forgive him. FHM - 5

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one We can only withstand temptations by knowing the truth and agreeing with the truth. Matthew 4:3-10 3 The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. 4 Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus answered him, It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test. 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. 10 Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Here, Jesus withstood the temptations by knowing the truth and agreeing with the truth. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Once again, we are to bring forth the Kingdom of God through our prayers, and maintain reign with the Christ forever. We can only bring the Kingdom by knowing the truth and agreeing with the truth. Amen The word Amen is used to express solemn ratification (as of an expression of faith) or hearty approval (as of an assertion) and the full agreement with what has been said. I hope and pray that, now, you would understand that our prayer is not for getting what we want, but bringing forth the desire and the will of God. Bringing forth the will of God, so that the Kingdom of God may manifest on earth as it is in heaven. Our prayer brings forth the will of God on earth, when we agree with the truth of God on earth. That is the power in agreement. When there is an agreement, there is a release of faith, and it is faith that brings forth the supernatural of the Kingdom of God to manifest on this earth. Therefore, I pray and hope that you would be excited about praying, and become a partner with the Father, and bring forth the Kingdom of God on earth as it is done in heaven. MINISTER 1. Thank for showing us that our prayer is not for getting what we want, but bringing forth the desire and the will of God. Bringing forth the will of God, so that the Kingdom of God may manifest on earth as it is in heaven. 2. Repent for thinking praying was for me to get what I want and having treated as such. 3. Commit to know the will of God and to agree with the will of God in my prayer to be His partner to bring His Kingdom Come! His will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. FHM - 6