Teach Us To Pray Luke 11:1-13

Deliver Us  As a teacher, I've overheard a lot of interesting things from my students. For instance, when Andrew—age 5 and very much into computers—was saying the Lord's Prayer, he did well till near the end when he said, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from ." Gusty Chartrand, " Kids of the Kingdom," Today's Christian (July/August 2003), p. 15

God Knows My Name – Jeff Lowell  My 4-year-old son Jonathan was trying to learn the Lord's Prayer. He learned by listening at church each Sunday.  On one Sunday as we were praying the Lord's Prayer, he could be heard above all the others, praying, "Our Father who art in Heaven, I know you know my name." Jeff Newton, Lowell, Indiana

 Jesus gives a paradigm for prayer in our text this morning  I do not believe Jesus taught this to be a word for word prayer repeated by all disciples  The focus of this teaching has more to do with attitude than with the actual words  Jesus teaches us to pray with confidence

 A Paradigm for Prayer (vv. 1-4)  Jesus was praying & one of the disciples asked Him  Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples  Jesus says: When you pray, say:  Father,  God the Father is the focus of Jesus’ prayers  Jesus does teach elsewhere to pray in His name, but He directs us to pray to our Heavenly Father

 Hallowed be your name  Praise, adoration reverence are the beginning point for our prayers  Your kingdom come  Submission & acknowledgement that the focus of all creation/history is God Himself  It is signing on to His agenda over our own  Give us each day our daily bread  Supplication for our daily needs  But our needs follow His will

 And forgive us sins,  Confession – an acknowledgement that we need His forgiveness, because our sins are against Him first and foremost  This is the greatest of our daily needs  For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us  Forgiving – an acknowledgement that we need to extend forgiveness as well as seek forgiveness  This is not optional – see Matthew 6:14-15

 And lead us not into temptation  An acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty  God does not tempt anyone – see James 1:13  We are dependent on God’s leading, protection and provision  It is a request to lead us away from temptation

 Why the difference from Matthew? Is one inaccurate?  The difference can be attributed to the fact that Jesus would have taught many different people to pray at different times  Remember Luke is writing a researched account of Jesus’ life  He is recording eye witness accounts

 It is intentional because there are no magic words or incantations  Prayer is about intimacy and communion with God, not ritual  Jesus was giving a pattern for prayer, not a specific prayer intended for repetition  Each of these elements of prayer are exercised from the heart by faith

Try This Simple Pattern – ACTS  A = Adoration  C = Confession  T = Thanksgiving  S = Supplication

 The Attitude of Prayer– Two Illustrations calling for confidence  God is not stingy or reluctant (vv. 5-10)  If you go to a friend for help in the middle of the night will they answer the door?  You need to borrow some food for unexpected company  Your friend says to go away because they are already in bed for the night and the door is locked  Your friend will get up because you keep ringing the door bell, even though he does not want to  He will give you what you want because of your persistence

 Jesus says it is very different with His Father  Ask of the Father, and He will give to you  Seek the Father, and He will be found  Knock on the Father’s Door, and He will open the door and let you in  The Father does not need to be manipulated or pestered  He gives freely and generously  He only gives what is best for you, so sometimes He gives you something other than what you ask for (Better)  He hears the first time you ask, so you can have confidence that He is working on it – patience is necessary for His perfect timing

 God gives generously (vv )  Jesus assumes the answer is “No”  If a child asks his father for a fish, will his father give him a snake instead?  If a child asks his father for an egg, will his father give him a scorpion instead?  If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?

 The Father freely and generously gives that which is most valuable and useful – His own Holy Spirit  Regeneration  Conviction  Eternal life  Understanding  Guidance  Spiritual Gifts  Power  He provides for all our needs – Spiritual, physical & emotional

 Therefore: Pray with confidence  Our Confidence in Christ – Ravi Zacharias  Faith is confidence in the person of Jesus Christ and in his power, so that even when his power does not serve my end, my confidence in him remains because of who he is. Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods (Thomas Nelson, 2002), p. 58