Teach Me How to Pray
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“Our Greatest Example”
“Our Greatest Example”
Matthew 26:36-44 “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and pr…”
I. Intro
I. Intro
The One who taught us how to pray, “Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven,” is our greatest Example of submission to the will of God. Let’s go together and stand on some sacred ground-the Garden of Gethsemane. While each Gospel records the events of that sorrowful night, Matthew elaborates on the prayers of our Savior at that time. As we read through these passages, underline every reference to prayer. Cirle the references Jesus uses to refer to the will of God.
Do you think this was easy for Jesus? After all, as God, He knew very well what was about to happen. Before you answer this question, let’s look in Luke 22:41-44 “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
John 17:1-4 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”
Jesus knew why He had come-to be the Lambof God who would take away the sin of the world. But at what cost? The price to be paid was horrendous: death, torture, physical agony, and seperation from His Father! For the first and only time in all of eternity, the Father would forsake His Son. Because the wages of sin is death (seperation) and death is seperation from God. As we all know, Jesus then felt the lonliness of the first time being seperated from His Father, so He cried out in Matthew 27:46 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Yet, this was the will of God-the kernel of what would have to die or it would abide alone. For this reason, He could not say, “Save Me from this hour.” It was for this hour He had come. He had been born to die, and He would not turn back now. He would glorify the Father, and accompliush the work the Father had given Him to do. This, is the One who tells us to pray, “Your will be done.”
II. Follow Our Example
II. Follow Our Example
Can you see how God progressively brings us to this point in prayer?
First we acknowledge who God is and honor Him accordingly. “Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name”
Then, we give Him our allegience. “Your Kingdom Come.”
And, third, we tell Him we want His will to be done here on Earth in us as it is done in Heaven. The work of the kingdom is accomplished by our submission and obidience to the will of God. Kingdom work cannot be done apart from doing what God desires. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” As you surrendder yourself to know and do His will, you’ll want to pray the same thing for others. I often use Paul’s prayer is Colossians 1:9-12 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:”
III. Conclusion
III. Conclusion
Today, simply pray Colossians 1:9-12 outloud, mentioning the name of the person you want to pray for whereever you see a “you.” Do you know what is so valuable about praying Scriptures? You are praying according to the Word and the will of God. Don’t give up......give God time to work His good work in their lives. Be like the persistent friend Jesus used as an illustration in Luke 11. Keep on asking and it will be given to you, keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and it will be opened. Ask, seek, knock, in Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” are all in the present tense in the Greek, which implies continous or habitual action. Let’s persevere.