Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Lord's Prayer Part 2 - Talking to the Father about the Family, Part 61 of 61

TEXT: "In this manner, therefore, pray, "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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen]'" (Matthew 6:9-13).

IDEA: What Jesus teaches about prayer isn't always reflected in the way He Himself prayed.

PURPOSE: To help listeners think about the way the Bible teaches us to pray.

If you were contributing to an encyclopedia article on "How Christians Should Pray," given what we have learned through our study of the Lord's Prayer, what would you want to include in that article?

I. What did Jesus teach about the basics of actual praying (Matthew 6:5-8)?

Jesus taught us that when we come to God, we should do so in a simple, direct fashion. He put His model prayer into about 50 words.

We should not pray to be seen by others. Why not? Isn't it a good testimony?

Don't babble when you pray:

Jesus reflects the advice of the Old Testament. What we do when we pray is serious business (Ecclesiastes 5:1-5).

Have you ever shifted your mind into neutral when you were praying?

II. What did Jesus actually DO about prayer? Did He always practice what He taught?

At times we are told that Jesus prayed all night.

He prayed so that the disciples saw Him do it (Luke 11:1, 22:39).

III. What would you include in your article on "How Christians Should Pray"?