Keep sharing good news without ads.
No description available
Time to finish up our study on prayer. Last week we talked about the mode the mode of how you pray your attitude while you pray and some minute-to-minute topics like pray without ceasing and family and Healing and that kind of stuff.
And today we finish our study on prayer. Interesting enough after we finish this we have to start on the book of Matthew. Which is where the Lord's Prayer is cited anyway. The in-person Sunday night Bible study here at Witten Baptist Church is already on chapter 4 if I remember right of Matthew.
So we got some catching up to do online guys. Please remember to like and share these videos and also download the new Witten app. It doesn't matter if you're a member here or not. It doesn't matter if you're across the world.
Download the Witten app. You can keep up with all of our Bible studies our podcasts. We should be starting back up soon our events. You can give there to help support our ministries. We've got a lot of things coming up including mission trips next year.
So, please consider that. All right. So before we finish up. Going over and this is the handout I use in an in-person by the way. So I put on here so you can see it. But obviously let's read this section of scripture before we try to discuss it.
Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 6 5 through 13. This is smack dab in the middle of a sermon on the mount. And this is what it says. And when you pray you must not be like the hypocrites. Must not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in The synagogues at the street corners that they may be seen and heard by others.
They do this so that they will be seen by others. Truly, amen. If you look over here in the Greek remember the word for truly is just amen. When you say amen. You are saying you agree that what that person said is true.
Amen. Lego who mean. Truly I say to you they have received their award reward. But when you pray go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who's in secret your father who sees you In secret will reward you when you pray don't heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles Jew.
For they think they will be heard in their many words. Don't be like them for your father knows what you need even before you ask him pray like this our father in Heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our Daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. We forgive others the trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you.
If you not forgive others the trespasses neither will your heavenly father forgive you. Okay, so a lot to go over here I want to first notice that Jesus so much like so much in the New Testament does he tells us how not to do something first before telling us How to actually do it.
Right don't do this pray like this. We went over last week the word for prayer our Greek of the week prosukha my here prosukha stay. Okay, so that's our Greek of the week same word used of the Gentiles and the Pharisees what they're doing is what we're to do.
But how they do it is not what we are to do. So let's go back to our handout. Again, he tells us how not to pray not to be seen like others like the Pharisees are doing that Would be the only Reward they've seen they've received their reward or like the Gentiles not with empty words or phrases or to be heard.
Have you ever heard someone praying like this? They're praying and they're not really talking to God. They're talking to someone else and they just want to be heard. They want to be seen. We're not to pray to be seen and heard by others.
We're supposed to be praying to God. How to pray? Notice it says prayed like this. I have heard many people recite the Lord's Prayer. Jesus's prayer after sermon on the mount in their prayer. I don't mind that.
But understand when Jesus says pray like this. He's not telling you to recite this. He's saying pray in this way pray like this not pray this. So if you go to pray and you say all right our Father who's in heaven.
How I don't mind that so long as you're not just reciting words just to recite them, but you're actually. You're actually praying to God. But don't think of this as a command. That you have to pray these exact words.
I've been at many a high school football game where someone prayed this prayer before a game and they didn't mean it. They were just reciting words. So if you're going to simply recite this make sure you actually mean it.
That's why I'm not real big on recited prayers. Like God is great. God is good. Let us think of I'm not totally against them. I just think. It is easier to have a true honest and open heart with God if you are making your own words.
Just me. I might be wrong. But anyway, the command is to pray like this not to pray this. Interesting thing here. I didn't notice for a long time. Jesus prays our Father as opposed to just saying my father.
Jesus recognized that God the Father is the father of all who believe so he says our father in heaven hallowed or honored be your name. We are praying that his name be honored as it should be honored that his name be holy be revered as it should be Revered.
The Bible is filled with phrases like this for a phrase like for your namesake for your glory for your name for your name. The Bible's filled with this. So we're praying that his name be honored now. What's incredible for the believer not for everybody.
For the believer a Believer who's living in obedience to him. That which is for his name is also that which brings us the greatest joy. We get the joy he gets the praise. These are one in the same thing to the obedient believer.
Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want where I lack for nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters. He resorts my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his namesake.
Psalm 115 verse 3 our God is in heaven and does whatever he pleases. Isaiah 48 9 through 11. Oh, it's one of my favorite passages declaring the end from beginning saying my counsel will stand and I will do all that I purpose.
Um. Actually, I might have just misquoted that that might be the one Isaiah 48. I can't remember what I wrote down. Let's go. Look Isaiah 48 9 through 11 is a 48. Yes, excuse me for my namesake. This is God speaking.
I defer my anger for the sake of my praise. I Restrain it for you. That I may not cut you off behold. I ever find you but not a silver. I've tried you in the furnace of affliction for my own sake for my own sake.
I do it. How should my name be profaned my glory? I will not give to another so God's purpose and not destroying Israel is Of course mercy, but it's for his own namesake that his name may be praised guys.
The Bible repeats this over and over again that God acts for his own namesake. But for the believer that's also for our good. So we're praying that his name be honored as it deserves to be honored because he is holy.
We're also praying that his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So our question should be what does his will being done? His kingdom look like in heaven. It looks like worship.
You read the opening Passage of Isaiah chapter 6 and you see worship. You see created beings the seraphim with six wings. Shouting day and night. Holy. Holy. Holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory.
You see this over and over again. You see those creatures honoring and praising and serving and obeying him day and night. That's what it looks like his will looks like in heaven. Then you may ask okay pastor Josiah.
Why pray for God's will to be done on earth if he's sovereign it's going to happen. Anyway. Well two reasons one You're not praying that God change his plan to make it more in line with his will. You're praying that hearts minds attitudes and lifestyles of human beings.
Starting with your own conform to that in God. I'm not praying that you change your plan. I'm praying I'm praying that human beings including myself conform our creaturely will to your kingly will. Another way to say it is that his sovereign will is always done on earth, but his will of command that is.
That he desires people to obey him as obviously not always done. God does not always get that desire. Jesus is praying that God's will of command that people obey the same way they consistently do it in heaven.
Then Jesus prays give us this day our daily bread. This is a recognition that even our physical needs are brought about by God's effort. And you can see more of this at the end of chapter 6 which we've talked about before.
Give us our daily bread what I need for today. God. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Let your grace I wrote let your grace be so received and so evident in us that the very act of you forgiving us causes us to forgive others as Colossians 3 says above all let us put on love the perfect bond of unity.
Just as the Lord has forgiven us, so we must also forgive. And then interesting phrase here lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. We know that God does not tempt himself, but he certainly allows us to be tempted.
You can look at Job for this you can look at Peter in Luke 22. You can look at Paul in 1st Corinthians 10. God doesn't tempt. He does test though. But he does allow us to be tempted. So what does the Bible mean when Jesus says lead us not to temptation?
He's saying God don't even allow me to be tempted because I'll fail. I Reworded it this way Lord, I trust you, but I don't trust myself. Please don't allow me to fall into temptation. That is give in to it.
In other words God don't test me in the same way that you tested Abraham because I'll fail. I know my heart God. I need you and I trust you, but I know the weakness of my flesh. Please don't even Test me don't allow The enemy to tempt me because I'll fall.
God don't lead me in temptation, but deliver me from evil or the evil one. Some of you are used to manuscripts including. The phrase at the end of this for yours is the kingdom the power and the glory forever.
That's totally consistent with what the rest of the New Testament teaches. This is exactly what they're singing to Jesus and the Father in Revelation 5. Your kingdom your power and your glory forever and ever.
Amen so That's just a quick overview of the Lord's Prayer. Okay Guys, we went over this last week when you pray. Candles don't have to be lit and incense going and the perfect song is playing. But you pray you pray without ceasing.
We know that your mind is always in tune with what God would have you to hear my deepest prayers. Sometimes happen in the car. But they often resort back to me thinking and pondering about God's Word.
That's when I have the most communion when I'm thinking about God's Word and how to apply it in my life. Keep that in mind. Alright guys that finishes up our study on prayer. We've got to start the book of Matthew next week.
Remember, please download the Witten Baptist Church app here in Memphis, Tennessee. Like share subscribe videos consider giving on the on the give button. Love you guys very much I hope this has been official to you.
I will talk to you soon.