Lord, Teach Us To Pray

By Dan Britts

Matthew 6:9-13

Introductions

Happy New Year! We are honored to be with you here at the Davis Chinese Christian Church.

I want to introduce my family to you:
My wife-Sue-teaches reading at Willett Elementary School (here in Davis)
My daughter-Becky-senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, majoring in history (planning to begin a teaching credential program next year)
My son-Jim (not here)-graduated from Biola University and Western Seminary and is now serving as a Youth Pastor in Oceanside, CA. His wife, Rachel, is a school teacher.

I have been a pastor for almost 30 years and for the last 2 ½ years I have been a seminary professor at Western Seminary in Sacramento. You will discover that I enjoy running, tennis, the Sacramento Kings, and reading, especially Louis LaMour books.

Transition

I am looking forward to:
Serving God together with you. Learning From You. I am especially looking forward to learning from you more about prayer. Davis Chinese Christian Church has a reputation in this city as a praying church. I know that Pastor Lee is a man of prayer. I know that the Lord has many things He wants to teach me about prayer through you.

While I'm convinced of the importance of prayer, I must admit that there are times when:
I feel like I am just going through the motions/just saying words/hurrying through prayer. At times, I feel like my prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling and I am not really communicating with anyone. Sometimes my mind wanders or I just kind of drift off. Other times, I just forget to pray and then feel guilty about forgetting.

This weakness in my prayer life has probably been the biggest source of frustration in my Christian life. I can't tell you how many times I have said, "things are going great . . . but I really need to work on my prayer life." I have been a pastor for almost 30 years and I know my prayer life is not what it should be. It has become apparent to me that I am not alone. As a matter of fact, the usual response to my confession of inadequacy in my prayer life has often been an empathetic "Me, too!" Research has shown that the average Christian spends less than 4 minutes a day in prayer and that the average Christian pastor spends less than 8 minutes a day in prayer.

As we begin a New Year, as we begin 2003, my greatest desire is for a stronger, deeper prayer life. I have been praying, "Lord, teach me to pray." And you know what? He has been teaching me and motivating me through different means. Recently, I re-listened to Frank Perretti's audio book, This Present Darkness. As many of you know, it's a novel about a college town (not unlike Davis). Over this town angels and demons are waging war for its control. The most significant message of the book is that the outcome lies in the hands of a few people in a church. As these people pray for their city, the power of the angelic forces is increased. When they fail to pray, the demonic forces of evil prevail. Whether or not you agree with the theology of the novel (and it is just a novel), one truth is clearly communicated-our praying or our lack of praying makes a big difference.

I believe the most important thing we can do as a church is to pray and to keep praying, as so many of you have been doing. That is why as we begin a New Year, as we begin 2003, I am praying, "Lord, teach us to pray." It is one thing to be motivated to pray and to read books on prayer; it is another thing to know how to pray and to actually pray. That is why I am so excited to be here to learn from you and with you.

Message

"Lord, teach us to pray" is what one of the disciples asked Jesus. In response, Jesus taught a pattern of prayer that has come to be known as the "Lord's Prayer." The "experts" disagree about the intention of this prayer. Some believe it was given as a form prayer to be used liturgically and repetitively. Those who hold such a view claim that the use of liturgical form prayer was common among the rabbis of Jesus' day.

Others believe that the prayer was intended to be a pattern, or outline, that gave the disciples and us a guide in terms of areas or topics to pray through. Those who believe this to be the case claim that the pattern approach to prayer was also common among the rabbis of Jesus' day. They will also point to the passage in Matthew 6 where the Lord's prayer is preceded by a warning against the vain, repetitive prayers of the "pagans."

Personally, I think it's fine to pray the Lord's prayer liturgically in a church service; I grew up in a church in which we prayed The Lord's Prayer in unison every week. Sometimes, however, when you repeat something so frequently, it is easy to not think about what you are praying. In my life, I have found using the Lord's Prayer as a pattern to be helpful in keeping me focused on the things which are important to God.

If you have a Bible, please turn to Matthew 6. I would like to read verses 9-13. (Read)

In teaching us how to pray, Jesus notes several important areas to include in prayer. Dr. Bob Beltz, in his book Transforming Your Prayer Life, identifies the following 7 components in The Lord's Prayer:

1. Entering His Presence-"Father"

We are not to rush in and rush out of the Lord's presence. It takes time to "be still and know that He is God" and that He is present with us. When we call God "Father," we are stating the primary awareness with which we must pray-that God is our Father and He cares about us, His children.

2. Seeking His Face-"Hallowed Be Your Name"

Having entered into the presence of God in prayer, Jesus instructs us to spend time worshipping and praising God (that is what hallowing His name is all about).

3. Appropriating Divine Intervention-"Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done"

Having worshipped God, we ask Him to intervene on behalf of our families, our churches, our cities, our nation, and our world.

4. Praying for Provision-"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

Not until this fourth component is reached does our focus shift from God's agenda to our personal needs. We are invited to pray for our daily needs and concerns.

5. Experiencing Forgiveness-"Forgive Us Our Sins, as We Forgive Those Who Sin Against Us"

We can honestly confess our sins to God and experience His forgiveness. As we experience God's forgiveness, we are to forgive those who have sinned against us.

6. Praying for Spiritual Protection-"Lead Us Not Into Temptation/Deliver Us From Evil"

Spiritual warfare is real. We are to pray about our own susceptibility to temptation and we are to pray for protection from the evil one.

Before noting the 7th and final component in the Lord's Prayer, it is important to note the order and significance of the first 6 compontents. The first 3 have to do with God and the glory of God; the second 3 deal with our needs. In other words, God is first given His supreme place, and then, and only then, we turn to ourselves and our needs.

William Barclay points out that the second 3 components of the prayer, which deal with our needs, is an amazing unity. They deal with our 3 essential needs and the 3 spheres of time (past, present, and future) within which we move. First, we ask for daily bread-that which is necessary for the maintenance of life and thereby bringing the needs of the present to God. Second, we ask for forgiveness for what we have done, thereby bringing the past to God. Third, we ask for help in temptation, which we will undoubtedly face, thus trusting God for the future.

Not only does this prayer direct us to lay our whole life (past, present, and future) before God, it is also a prayer which brings the whole of God to our lives. When we ask for bread to sustain us, that directs our thoughts to God the Father, the Creator and Sustainer of all life. When we ask for forgiveness, that directs our thoughts to God the Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour, who died for our sins. When we ask for help from future temptation, that directs our thoughts to God the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide.

In the most amazing way, Jesus teaches us through this prayer to bring our whole life ( past, present, and future) to the fullness of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). No wonder then when we come to the 7th and final component we are invited to be:

7. Affirming His Glory-"Yours is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, Forever"

We end where we started by giving God the glory which belongs to Him.

This morning I would like us to take a few minutes to look a little more closely at the first component:

Entering His Presence-"Our Father"

Praying to God as "Father" may not seem out of the ordinary to many of us but it was revolutionary in Jesus'day. In the Old Testament, God was addressed as "Father" only 7x and each of those times were when the nation of Israel came before God. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, or Daniel never dared to address God in such a personal, intimate way as Father.

Yet in the New Testament, we are instructed at least 275x to address God as Father. It is incredible to realize that we can talk to the Creator of the universe, the One who is called the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning & End, who is from Everlasting to Everlasting, and we are to call him "Father."

To illustrate how amazing this is, let me tell you a story of a Roman emperor who was returning to Rome after a victory in battle. As was the custom, masses of people were standing and cheering on both sides of the road. There was a big procession and the emperor's chariot was surrounded by soldiers and other chariots. When the emperor's young son saw his father coming, he ran out into the road so he could ride in his father's chariot. One of the guards grabbed him and said, "you can't run to that chariot; that's the Emperor!" The boy squirmed away and ran a few steps and then he turned around and said, "he may be your emperor, but he's my father." And that is the way it is between us and God. He has all the power and might in the universe, much more than any Roman emperor, and Jesus tells us to call Him "Father."

For some of us, as we think of God as our Father, we think of such things as love, acceptance, security, and guidance because that is what we have experienced from our human fathers. But some have not had a positive relationship with an earthly father. There are entire neighborhoods where there are almost no fathers around and where the experience of knowing a caring father is rare. In addition, there are thousands of people who have grown up in 2 parent homes where the relationship with their father or mother was negative at best. Some of you may have experienced a parent who was emotionally distant, unreliable, inattentive, abandoning, or unrealistic in his/her expectations. Listen to this excerpt from Distorted Images of God by Dale & Juanita Ryan (and see if you can relate): Children have a tremendous need for approval from their parents. They want their parents to be pleased with them. Unfortunately some parents, often in a desire to develop the best in their child, withhold encouraging words and speak only to correct and criticize. When children are unable to win the approval of their parents, they take in negative messages, not only about themselves but also about God. The result may be that God is seen as one who is never pleased. His standards are impossible, his expectations beyond reach . The image of God that is created is described vividly by David Seamands: God . . . is seen as a figure on top of a tall ladder. The person says to himself, "I'm going to climb up to God now. I'm His child, and I want to please Him, more than I want anything else." So he starts climbing, rung by rung, working so hard, until his knuckles are bleeding and his shins are bruised. Finally, he reaches the top, only to find that his God has moved up three rungs; so he determines to try a little harder. He climbs and struggles, but when he gets up there, his God has gone up another 3 rungs . . . God is that little inner voice that always says, "That's not quite good enough."

Because of these experiences we may have had with parents or other significant people in our lives, we may see God through distorted lenses. These distortions interfere with our ability to talk honestly with God, to share our feelings with Him and to trust Him. What can we do to counter these distorted images we may have? We need to remind ourselves continually of what we know to be true about God. The Bible says that God is gracious and merciful. He is a loving Father who delights in us. I just picked out a couple verses in the book of Matthew which tell us something about our Father in Heaven and His attitude toward us, His children.

Matthew 6:26: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 7: 9-11: Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.

Most of us who are parents delight in our children and enjoy spending time with them. I can still remember a particular time when Becky and I walked to the park together. She was about 2 years old. I loved watching her run, go down the slide, play on the tire swing, and ride the toy horse. When she fell down, I wiped the sand off her hands and face. When it was time to go, we held hands as we walked down the bike path. When we saw some chickens, I put her on my shoulders so she wouldn't be afraid. Later, I held her in my arms so I could wipe her nose, kiss her cheek, blow on her hair, and whisper in her ear. When the cold wind came, I held her tight to keep her warm. We laughed together and had a wonderful time together. Becky didn't have a care in the world; she was secure in the arms of her Daddy. Now that Becky is almost 22, she doesn't ride on the toy horse much anymore, but I'm glad that she still loves to spend time with her Dad and I love spending time with her. I love giving her a big hug and telling her that I love her. She hugs me back and says, "I love you Dad."

In our relationship with our heavenly Father, who loves us far more than any earthly Father could, we are a lot like Becky. We have the freedom to do our own thing-to run, to slide, to ride a bike, to drive a car, to make decisions. And when we fall down, our Father picks us up and wipes off our hands. He puts us on His shoulders when we need strength and protection. He takes us in His arms to keep us warm and affirm His love for us. He allows us to grow and change. No matter how old we get, I can't think of any greater joy than being in the arms of our Heavenly Father. No matter how difficult circumstances may become, we can be secure if we remember who's arms we are in. He's our Father and He loves us.

Let's pray. Let's pray together the prayer Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy 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 lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil; For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Title: Lord, Teach Us To Pray
By: Dan Britts
Series: Prayer
Date: 1/5/03