Pray Like Jesus: Week One                                                                                                                                            Jim Putman  

Context –In Luke – Teach us to pray – why would they ask that?

• Luke tells us Jesus was asked a question – Pray like this….

Jesus gives some warnings about prayer

Thoughts and Questions:

• Scripture talks about an attitude of prayer and an occasion when you pray
• Scripture reveals that God wants us to pray as a part of our abiding relationship with Him
• If God knows what I need –why pray? –Prayer is about accepting I am reliant
• It is part of a real relationship
• Two kinds of prayer — The difference between an attitude of prayer – and a place and time and a continuance of prayer

An attitude of prayer – continually in your Spirit and on specific occasions

• 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 (NIV) — 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

When you pray – pray like this:

Matthew 6:1–15 (NIV) — 1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

What this prayer is not

• It’s not a magic formula for your sports team –more words don’t give us what we want

1 John 5:13–15 (NIV)

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

• We pray with right motives – no hypocrisy –not to be seen as religious

James 4:1–5 (NIV)

Walking through the process here – If all the law and prophets hang on love God and others – we see this roll out in the prayer Jesus taught

Notice prayers progression

1. Our Father in Heaven hallowed be your name –- Remember in Jesus name we pray – John 14

• Access through Jesus and now He is my Father too –In a sense we are Jesus’ brothers and sisters
• We are not Gods only child – We are a part of His family
• There is more going on than what we see – the Heavenly realm
• The Cost for this to be so was immense –

Matthew 12:48–49 (NIV)     Romans 8:14–17 (NIV)

2. Your Will be done

• When we reflect on what God has done and who He is it changes what we pray for

Isaiah 6:4–8 (NIV)

3. Give us this day our daily bread

• When we pray, we pray for our daily needs – trusting Him for tomorrow

Matthew 6:19–24 (NIV) ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Matthew 6:25–28 (NIV)

4. Forgive us our debts – as we forgive our debtors

Matthew 22:37–40 (NIV) ³⁷ Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

5. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

• As we move towards living out Gods rule and reign – we will come into conflict with the enemy who will seek to stop us

John 13:35 (NIV) ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

As we pray – He changes us – we move from our will to His

For Small Group Discussion

Opening Question: What/who taught you to pray?

Main Point: The Lord’s prayer is not a formula to get what we want; Jesus teaches us to pray through a process that aligns our heart with God’s.

Main Scripture: Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:5-15

Questions:

Head 

• What were Jesus’ prayer habits like?
• Describe your prayer routines.

Heart 

• What does the Lord’s Prayer mean to you (currently)?
• If you could ask Jesus something about prayer, what would you ask Him?

Hands 

• How are you hoping to grow through this series?
• What is something from the passage/sermon that you want to apply in your personal life?

Additional Scripture: James 4:3

Tips and Resources: When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible

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