Lord, teach us TO pray

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Lord, teach us TO pray

• Luke 111-4

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Praying in the Bible

• There are over 500 references to prayer in the
  Bible.
• Prayers are very person-specific in Scripture, we
  are never given one set prayer.
• Jesus life was characterized by prayer, prayed
  all night, early, often, before meals, before the
  day, in the wilderness, for others, at
  Gethsemane, etc and if He did, we should!

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Praying in the Bible

• The Hows
• Standing, bowing, kneeling, falling on our faces,
  spreading hands, lifting hands, in the Spirit, in
  faith, in assurance, in forgiveness, with the
  whole heart, with a true heart, with our soul,
  with confidence, with submission, with honesty,
  deliberately, with holiness, with humility, with
  truth, desiring to be heard and answered, with
  boldness, with earnestness, persistently night
  and day, without ceasing, everywhere and in
  everything. IN THE NAME OF CHRIST!

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Praying in the Bible

• Described as
• Bowing the knee, looking up, lifting up the soul,
  lifting up the heart, pouring out the heart,
  pouring out the soul, calling upon the name of
  the Lord, crying out to heaven, drawing near to
  God, God drawing near to us, beseeching the Lord,
  seeking God, seeking the face of God, making
  supplication

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Prayer in the Bible

• Accompanied by
• Repentance, confession, self-abasement, weeping,
  fasting, watchfulness, thanksgiving, loudness,
  silence

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Prayer in the Bible

• The Spirits role
• Rom 826-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
  infirmities for we know not what we should pray
  for as we ought but the Spirit itself maketh
  intercession for us with groanings which cannot
  be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts
  knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because
  he maketh intercession for the saints according
  to the will of God.

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Prayer in the Bible

• Christs role
• Heb 725 Wherefore he Christ is able also to
  save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
  him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
  for them.
• Prayer is to be IN CHRISTs NAME

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Prayer in the Bible

• To Be Constant
• I Thes 517 Pray without ceasing.
• Phil 46 - Be careful for nothing but in every
  thing by prayer and supplication with
  thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
  God.
• Luk 181 - And he spake a parable unto them to
  this end, that men ought always to pray, and not
  to faint
• Rom 1212 - Rejoicing in hope patient in
  tribulation continuing instant in prayer

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Prayer in the Bible

• Luke 11.5-8 (Parable of the Persistent friend)
• Summary Statement Luke 11.9-10
• And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given
  you seek, and ye shall find knock, and it shall
  be opened unto you. For
• every one that asketh receiveth
• and he that seeketh findeth
• and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

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The Real Issue

• Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them to
  pray, not how to pray.
• The HOW - TO of prayer isnt as important to
  God as the HEART - TO!

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teach us TO pray

• Jesus didnt pray this prayer he says
• forgive us our sins
• (so He must be teaching, not praying)
• What do we mean by pray?
• To be in COMUNNION with God.
• Mutual participation in fellowship/intimacy with
  God

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teach us TO pray

• When Jesus disciples asked Him, Lord, teach us
  to pray
• He is helping them to develop lives of Open
  Communion
• When one is occupied with God constantly, in
  fellowship with Him 24/7! (though this will
  appear many different ways)

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1 Realize Hes your FATHER, and approach Him
as such

• Luke 11.2 Our Father which art in heaven,
• Father was an intimate address, not O.T. and
  would have stood out to audience.
• Rom 1.7, 8.14-17 Gal 4.1-7, 5.1-3 All of
  Pauls intros
• There is an approach made, before anything else.
  We too must approach Gods presence.
• The Fatherhood parable Jesus is building on
  this foundation with the following parables.

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2 Realize His HOLY, and seek to GLORIFY His
name.

• Luke 11.2 Hallowed be thy name.
• Hallowed Sanctified/Holy
• We were made to glorify God, its how we were
  created!
• The Father Pleasing Principal Prov. 17.6 and
  the glory of children are their fathers.
• ie, my Dad can beat up your Dad!

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2 Realize His HOLY, and seek to GLORIFY His
name.

• John Piper
• Our God is most glorified in us when we are most
  satisfied in Him.
• Be jealous for the glory of His Name!

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3 Realize He is KING, and seek His KINGDOM

• Luke 11.2 Thy Kingdom come.
• The Kingdom of God in the world
• Spiritually here NOW!
• Physically coming w/ Christs return.
• The Kings throne (presence)
• We can come boldly (Heb 4.16) but should still
  come reverently!
• The Kingdom of God in You
• How much does He really reign?

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4- Realize His WILL, and seek IT.

• Luke 11.2 Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in
  earth.
• We pray not to have our will done in heaven, but
  Gods will done in earth!
• Ps. 37.4 delight thyself also in the Lord, and
  He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
  (not the object, the desire itself)

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4 - Realize His WILL, and seek IT.

• Jesus said, If ye abide in me, and my words
  abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
  shall be done unto you. John 15.7
• John 16.3 Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth,
  is come, He will guide you into all truth
• You cannot separate Prayer and Study
• All prayer (liberality)
• All study (legalism)

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5 Realize your DEPENDANCE, and seek Him for
EVERYTHING!

• Luke 11.3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
• Significance of Daily Bread
• Typical of Gods sustaining the children of
  Israel for 40 years in the wilderness. (with
  Manna)
• Exo 16.4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold,
  I will rain bread from heaven for you and the
  people shall go out and gather a certain rate
  every day, that I may prove them, whether they
  will walk in my law, or no.

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5 Realize your DEPENDANCE, and seek Him for
EVERYTHING!

• Phil 4.6 Be careful for nothing but in every
  thing by prayer and supplication with
  thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
  God.
• Phil 4.19 But my God shall supply all your need
  according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

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5 Realize your DEPENDANCE, and seek Him for
EVERYTHING!

• The parallel passage to Luke 11.1-4 is
• Matt 6.9-13
• Following that passage, God illustrates
• Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
  your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
  drink nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
  on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body
  than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air for
  they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather
  into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth
  them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of
  you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his
  stature? And why take ye thought for raiment?

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5 Realize your DEPENDANCE, and seek Him for
EVERYTHING!

• Illustration cont
• Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow
  they toil not, neither do they spin And yet I
  say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory
  was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if
  God so clothe the grass of the field, which today
  is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he
  not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we
  eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal
  shall we be clothed? (For after all these things
  do the Gentiles seek) for your heavenly Father
  knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
  righteousness and all these things shall be
  added unto you. Matt 6.25-33

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5 Realize your DEPENDANCE, and seek Him for
EVERYTHING!

• Luke 12.26 If ye then be not able to do that
  thing which is least, why take ye thought for the
  rest?
• Ps. 145.16 Thou God openest thine hand, and
  satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

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6 Realize our DEBT, and seek RECONCILLIATION.

• Luke 11.4 And forgive our sins for we also
  forgive every one that is indebted to us.
• Realizing Our Debt
• 2 Cor 5.21 For God hath made Him Christ to
  be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be
  made the righteousness of God in Him.
• Rom 5.8 But God comendeth His love towards us
  in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for
  us.
• Rom 5.6 Christ died for the ungodly.

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6 Realize our DEBT, and seek RECONCILIATION.

• Reconciliation (with God/ with man)
• 2Co 518 - 20 And all things are of God, who
  hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ,
  and hath given to us the ministry of
  reconciliation To wit, that God was in Christ,
  reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
  their trespasses unto them and hath committed
  unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we
  are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
  beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's stead,
  be ye reconciled to God.

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7 Realize your FRAILTY, and seek His
DELIVERANCE.

• Luke 11.4 And lead us not into temptation but
  deliver us from evil.
• God will NEVER lead anyone to sin!
• Jam 113-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I
  am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with
  evil, neither tempteth he any man But every man
  is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
  lust, and enticed.

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7 Realize your FRAILTY, and seek His
DELIVERANCE.

• Heres the thought
• And lead us not into any presence of
  temptationbecause I know that I will fall if I
  am tempted!
• Deliverance from evil
• Suggesting, the evil or evil one
• (ie, Satan)

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Lord, teach us to pray

• Help us to stay before you as
• Our Father
• The Holy One
• The King
• Help us to look to you for
• Your will
• Dependence for everything
• Reconciliation
• Deliverance from evil

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Lord, teach us TO pray

• Luke 111-4