Luke 11:1-13 Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Prayer
Prayer
Good morning we are going to spend the next couple of weeks looking at prayer through the first 13 verses of Luke chapter 11
Questions:
have you ever felt that you are unable to do anything about what is going on in the world
The drug & alcohol problem is getting worse?
Why do i not see breakthrough? Why is the church not seeing breakthrough?
Why are we not seeing people saved? People healed? Why, Why, Why does nothing change?
So just some thoughts, this morning. Do you pray? Why do you pray? Do you approach the throne room in the right way?
Do you treat God like a 24/7 get all you need one stop shop?
Do we stay in front of the throne long enough in prayer to hear what God has to say? Do we stop talking long enough to breathe properly in the presence of God, to focus on God, on what He wants for His world or what he wants us to do?
Here’s a simple thing to remember about prayer. Ronald Dunn says “Prayer doesn’t get man’s will done in Heaven, it get’s Gods will done on Earth”.
Simple isn’t it, maybe your’e sitting here thinking why is he saying that, i know that, but you know, we pray that way. We also cover things in prayer, we plan first then we pray when really we need to pray first. I know we know this stuff but we let the business of life get in the way, come on let own this. I join everyone in this. We need to learn a new way.
This is why Paul implores us to renew our minds daily so that we are open to fresh revelation from God.
Don’t plan & then ask God to bless it. God commands us to begin with prayer.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
It’s a command & a promise. You want to pray, then pray in accordance to what God wants, be specific in prayer, pray in line with god, pray before anything else.
luke 11:1-13 lets read.
So often i have heard it prayed out loud but why? but why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray?
It says here that jesus was praying & when he finished one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord teach us to pray”. That means they stood & watched jesus pray, drinking in the power of His prayer until he finished. Have you ever done that? seen someone pray with such power, you wonder how & want it for yourself.
They wanted to pray as jesus prayed, there & we need to pray as jesus prayed, is that why you don’t pray because you don’t pray as you should?
Murray quote
Luke 1. A Request from the Disciples: Lord, Teach Us to Pray (1)
ii. “It is on prayer that the promises wait for their fulfillment, the kingdom for its coming, the glory of God for its full revelation … Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, only how to pray. He did not speak much of what was needed to preach well, but much of praying well. To know how to speak to God is more than knowing how to speak to man. Not power with men, but power with God is the first thing.” (Murray)
It wasn’t about how to pray but to pray, it’s useful to know how to approach God, it could be useful to have strategies but our greatest need is to pray & to pray & then to pray more.
Ephesians 6:9-13
It’s really good to be an active church, feed people, house people, counsel people, love people but all this must come out of prayer. if you serve on a team or not before they go out to feed pray, every day pray for the staff, pray for yourselves before you leave the door, ask God for opportunities to be a blessing, to witness, to be someones answer to the questions they have.
john Devries who has written the book we will give you at the end of the service says “Prayer always leads to work & work always grows out of prayer”.
We are always to move in the Spirit.
I love this, Prayer & work are 2 Spiritual feet that God has given us & we need to use both of them.
When we only use one, lets say prayer without work coming from it, we become so heavenly minded that we are of no Earthly use, being close to God in prayer always results in us receiving work to do, sometimes that could be that God brings to our minds that we need to pray for someone or phone someone. through prayer we sense God’s leading to serve Him in one way or another.
Maybe you are so focused on doing work that you have little time for prayer, the problem with this is that we reduce Christianity to no more than Human effort. We are called to be powerful, not politically or because of wealth but because of being people of prayer, praying like Jesus.
We must become a church of prayer & works, people we need to join for prayer. Tuesday- Friday on zoom & Tuesday here in person all at 6.30pm, this is important. If we don’t do both it will be like we have one foot planted & trying to walk on the other, just going around in circles.
This is the second time this prayer is mentioned. Jesus taught this basic prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. He repeats it here to show how important it is. The fact that Jesus did not repeat it the same way as in Matthew shows that it was not meant to be used as a ritual or magical formula for prayer.
Prayer doesn’t need to be long, there’s no need to impress God with loads of words, we should take note of Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
Lets just break this scripture down a bit.
Father.
Who do we pray too? Our Father in Heaven. Father rightly recognises who we pray too, comes with a privileged title that demonstrates a privileged relationship.
It was very unusual for the Jews of that time to call God Father because it was considered too intimate & there is no evidence of anyone before Jesus using this way of addressing God.
It’s true that God is mighty & awesome & created & is in charge of the whole universe in which we live, but He is also our Father & when we say Father we remember God’s Holiness & Glory.
Majesty & Dominion 2 Chronicles 20:6
God of power & might Psalm 115:3
He sees everything Psalm 11:4
Hallowed be your name: Hallowed means set apart, that says that there is no one like our God. Guzik says “He is completely unique, not just a super person or a better person, be your name means that Gods whole character, His whole person is set apart.
Hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come, your will be done as it is in Heaven:
It shows passion for Gods Glory & Gods agenda, His name, Kingdom & will have top priority in our life, above our name or reputation. Above our wants & needs. When we put Gods name, Kingdom & will first it shows that prayer isn’t a tool to get what we want from God. It is a way to get Gods will accomplished in us & all around us.
Jesus wants us to pray with the desire that the will of God would be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. In Heaven there is no disobedience but on Earth is a different story but we should be the ones who want to see His will done as freely on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Do you say your will be done because God will do what God wants to do in resentment or Do your will because i know it is best, change me where i don’t understand or accept your will.
We have to remember that the one who teaches us to pray used it himself when He was sweating blood & all the fear & trembling of a man in anguish were upon Him. he did not dispute with what the Father had called Him to do but simply says in Luke 22:42
saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”
He suffered far more than we could ever do.
Give us this day our daily bread:
God takes interest in every part of our lives, even our daily needs.
& forgive us our Sins, for we forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Just as there is a real need for daily provisions, so is the need for daily forgiveness.
Murray says ”As bread is the first need of the body, so forgiveness for the soul”
Jesus paid everything on the cross, all our sin, ll our pain, all our injuries. But He wouldn’t have been able to do the work on the cross without the work of prayer in the garden in the sweating of blood in earnest prayer.
The disciples didn’t do the work of prayer in the garden & ran off deserting Jesus but Jesus did & He calls us to pray, to have a relationship with the Father & to be able to do the work of the Father.