PRAYING FOLK
Matt 6:5-15
RIGHT ATTITUDE
V:5. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of
men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
A. Prayer requires the right attitude.
1. Your prayers need to be sincere.
2. There should be a purpose for your prayer.
3. The Father in Heaven is spirit, therefore we must worship Him in spirit and truth.
John 4:24
B. Prayer is not for "show"
hypocrite= hupokritai= an actor under an assumed character
1. Prayer is not for self gratification.
a. We are acting if we hold ourselves up as holy people, but all we want is the praise
of the world.
b. We need be careful to pray with sincerity, for we can be hypocrites.
2. We should not pray out of pride.
3. We should not pray to get the praise of man.
4. If our prayers are for self gratification, then self gratification is all we get.
C. There is a reward when we seek the Father in prayer. Hebrews 11:6
V:6. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly."
A. You don't need an audience when you pray.
1. Your prayer is between you and God.
2. Your prayer is unique to you.
B. You need some time alone with God.
1. Separate yourself from others and find a sanctuary for you and the Father.
2. You need some quite time with the Father.
a. We take our example from Jesus who went to the mountain or was found
off to Himself to pray. Matt 26:36, Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12
C. We should pray for our concerns.
1. We should pray for the concerns of others.
D. The Father knows where you are in prayer.
1. You can't get lost from the Father in prayer.
2. The Father knows you heart in prayer.
3. The Father knows the purpose of your prayer.
E. The Father hears your prayers.
1. He sees in secret.
2. The Father knows what you are going through.
F. The Father will answer your prayers according to His Will.
1. The Father is concerned about your needs and desires.
2. He rewards openly.
3. Others will know the results of your prayers.
a. You can't hide your blessing, because God will make them known.
4. It is by grace that the Father answers our prayers and not of any merit of ours.
a. The Father shows us favor because we are His and we trust Him.
V:7. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that
they shall be heard for their much speaking."
A. When you pray, you don't need to repeat yourself over and over again. The Father
hears the first time you speak.
1. When your prayer has a purpose you will realize that there are many and much to
pray for.
2. To repeat your words to gain the Father's attention is a lack of faith.
V:8. "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of, before ye ask him."
A. You should not worry about how someone else prays.
1. Your prayer is unique to God.
2. Your prayer is special to God.
B. God knows what is on your mind before you speak.
1. God is very attentive to His people.
2. God has an intimate relationship with His people. Rom 8:27
C. The purpose of your prayer:
1. Exercise your duty
2. Exercise your faith
3. Communicate with God
4. Intercede for others
5. Ask for forgiveness
6. Praise and worship
7. Express your gratitude
THE RIGHT PRAYER
Our Worship
V:9. "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be
thy name."
A. Claim the Father as your parent.
1. Father= pater= father or parent.
2. Call on the Father as He is your sole provider.
3. We express His nearness to us in prayer.
B. Recognize that Father reigns in Heaven.
1. The Father sees His whole plan for the ages at once.
2. The Father knows how you fit into His plan.
3. The Father is the supreme being.
4. The Father knows all.
5. The answer to your prayers fit into God's plan
C. Give the Father the highest honor; "Hallowed be thy name"
1. The Father is holy. There is none more holy than the Father.
a. He alone is holy; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one.
2. His name is above all others.
a. We should honor His name because we have the opportunity to know Him
and to call on Him.
b. We should honor him because He is our creator and provider.
c. We should honor His name because He is our salvation.
Our Submission To The Will Of The Father
V: 10. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
A. Here we are asked to pray for the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ. Isa 9:7
1. Jesus has prepared a place for us in His kingdom. John 14:2-3
2. In this we have our hope and our eternal joy.
3. In this is the promise of salvation.
B. The will of the Father will be done. We must pray that we are in agreement with
His will.
1. God has a will for us on earth.
2. God has a purpose for our lives on earth.
3. It should be our greatest desire to discover and fulfill God's purpose for our
lives.
a. To discover our purpose takes constant prayer and meditation.
b. To fulfill our purpose we need the power of the Holy Spirit.
c. We must pray for our full submission to the Holy Spirit's guidance. John 14:26
C. We have no doubt that the will of the Father is done Heaven.
1. In heaven there is perfection.
2. We must pray for the perfection of His will on earth in our lives.
3. In heaven there is peace and joy. We must pray for peace and joy.
4. In heaven there is perfect holiness. We must pray for that holiness in
our lives.
5. In heaven there is perfect harmony. We must pray for that harmony in our lives.
Petition For Our Needs
V:11. "Give us this day our daily bread."
A. We are to petition the Father for this present day.
1. It is only by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ that He provides another day.
a. We pray not only that He provides us with another day, but protects us through
the day.
b. We pray that the Father guides us throughout the day in right directions.
B. We are to petition the Father for sufficient provisions for this day.
1. What the Lord begins, He certainly can bring to a successful completion.
2. Because we are here to pray, we have been blessed with the miracle of life.
a. Our prayer should be by faith, expecting God's blessings.
C. In this is the promise of provisions and protection.
Forgiveness The Key To Fellowship And Blessings
V:12. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
A. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
1. We owe a debt to the Father for our salvation.
2. We are commanded to ask the Father to forgive our sins.
a. We have wronged others in word, deed and thought.
b. If we say we have no sin, we lie. 1 John 1:8.
c. Because we are guilty, it is our duty to ask forgiveness.
d. God is faithful and just to forgive. 1 John 1:9.
B. It is our duty to forgive others because we have been forgiven.
1. The price of forgiveness is forgiveness.
2. It was by the grace of God that Jesus died for our sins.
3. Jesus died for us before we knew we needed forgiveness.
4. Our forgiveness was not based on any merit of ours, but the love of God.
5. Therefore, we should forgive others not on any merit of theirs.
6. We forgive others out of obedience to the Father and our love of the Father.
Petition For Wisdom And Strength
V:13. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
A. We are to petition the Father for guidance and directions.
1. We need God's strength to overcome the temptations that come our way.
2. We need God's wisdom to do the right thing.
B. We should petition the Lord for the strength to keep from being drawn back into
past sinful behavior.
1. We need wisdom to guide us away from the ever present evil activities.
2. We need God's divine intervention to protect us from the evil work of others.
3. Satan is the father of evil. We need deliverance from his power and snares
C. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. 1 Cor 10:26
1. Jesus has all power over heaven and earth. Mat 28:18
2. Jesus is able to deliver us from the hands of Satan and his demons.
D. All glory belongs to the Lord.
1. All honor and praise belongs to the Lord.
2. As we approach the Lord in prayer, we must keep in mind that His goodness endures
forever.
a. We should never lose sight of His grace and mercy which flow fresh on us each
moment of the day.
E. Amen is a Hebrew verb which means; it is firm, it is secure, it is true and faithful.
1. The Lord is true and faithful to His Word.
2. We should take our comfort from God's promises made known to us by His Word.
(Note: The phrase, "For thine is the kingdom, and power, and the glory, for ever Amen"
is not in the original Greek text. The early Jewish Fathers add this as a doxology; Adam
Clark Commentary. It may have been added for better readability in English;
Interlinear Bible).
RIGHT ACTIONS
V:14. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you:"
A. The price of forgiveness is forgiveness.
B. The Father has the power to forgive. Jesus has the power to forgive. Mark 2:10
1. He who shows mercy to men, receives mercy from God.
2. You can't be blessed unless you bless.
a. When we forgive others, we relieve ourselves of the burdens of anger, frustration.
jealousy and envy.
b. Forgiveness opens the door to friendship with our brothers and fellowship with
the Father.
c. We are the chief benefactors of our own forgiveness.
V:15. "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses."
A. We all fall short of the Glory of God.
1. The wages of sin is death.
2. We have wronged God with our sins.
3. From time to time we have wronged others in our sins.
3. The only way to loose ourselves from our sins is to forgive others who have sinned
against us, so that the Father will forgive us.
4. Love requires forgiveness.
a. We can't claim we love unless we forgive.
B. Prayer is the beginning of our healing and a closer relationship with the Father.
1. Prayer ought to move us to action.
2. Prayer ought to awaken our compassion for others.
3. Prayer underscores your love.
4. Prayer makes us conscience of the power of God.
5. Prayer empowers us to do the will of God.
6. Prayer makes us aware of our sinful state and the righteousness of God.
7. Prayer empowers us to forgive and live in fellowship with the Father.
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