Is Kingdom Living Revelant in a Modern World

Sunday, April 3^rd 2022

Matthew 6:5-15

Prayer is to be God honoring and relational rather than self-centered and wordy

1. How NOT to Pray (v.5-8)

(v.5,7) – First we need to see that Jesus says ‘when’ you pray NOT ‘if’ you pray. So the assumption is that we should be praying!

Second, don’t be like the hypocrites that stand in the synagogues or at the street corners to be seen by others. Also, don’t be like the Gentiles who heap up empty phrases that they will be heard for their many words.

“If we take these two pictures together, we shall find that there are two main errors underlying this whole approach to God. The first is that my interest, if I am like the Pharisee, is in myself as the one who is praying. The second is that I feel that the efficacy of my prayer depends upon my much praying or upon my particular manner of prayer.” DL Jones

1. How to Pray (v.9-13)

v.9 – Jesus says “Pray then like this…” He doesn’t say repeat this prayer or this is what you are supposed to pray.

1. His name: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”

“But the remarkable thing about the model prayer before us is that Jesus is here teaching his disciples to address God in the same way.” DA Carson

2. His kingdom: “Your kingdom come”

To pray your kingdom come is not about God’s universal sovereignty because he is already sovereign.

3. His will: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

This means that our lives are just submitted to our Lord Jesus Christ here and now.

The Lord’s Prayer is clear to show us that its opening focus is God and His glory! After that it moves to man and his need.

4. Our daily food: “Give us this day our daily bread”

The word daily means now or tomorrow. If you prayed in the morning you meant it for that day, but if you prayed it in the evening you mean it for tomorrow.

5. Our sins: “and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”

“Sin is pictured in the prayer as a debt. Sin incurs a debt which must be discharged. If then someone owes us such a debt, and we fail to release him by forgiving him, our own debts before the Father will not be forgiven…” DA Carson

6. Our temptations: “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

We are to pray that we will be delivered from the Evil One now, and kept from the onslaught he has for us. If we are faced with it then we pray we will be protected by God’s armor (Eph. 6:10-20).

III.  Conclusion

Finally, the goal is prayer is relationship with God. Jesus is showing us how to pray not like hypocrites or Gentiles, but like sons and daughters.

Your prayers don’t need to be flowery, but honest and real with God. Jesus has set a new standard for each person who desires to kingdom living in a fallen world.

Prayer is to be God honoring and relational rather than self-centered and wordy