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I. AFTER THIS MANNER PRAY.
A. He is clearly giving to the disciples a model or form for prayer.
1. It is not something to be repeated by rote in vain repetition, for He has just warned against vain repetitions in prayer.
2. He has given to them a model.
B. In Luke's gospel, Luke tells us that on another occasion the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples to pray." And Jesus repeated for them this basic form for prayer.
1. It should be noted that they did not ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, but to teach them to pray.
2. He surely modeled for them the importance of prayer.
II. "OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN."
A. The first and most important thing for prayer is relationship.
1. "Our Father."
2. Prayer is a privilege for the children.
3. If you are not a child of God, you have no access to God.
4. I can come to God with my petition because I have a relationship. This relationship has come through His Son Jesus Christ.
a. John tells us that as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to those who believed on His name.
B. The next in importance is the address.
1. Who are you addressing your prayer to?
2. Some people address their prayers to the great and almighty creative force of the universe.
3. Many address their prayers to Allah.
4. Jesus said that our prayers should be addressed to the Father in care of Jesus. "And whatsoever things you ask the Father in My name, that will I do that the Father might be glorified in the Son."
5. It is interesting to study the prayers in the Bible to note the addresses that were put on the prayers.
a. Eleazer the servant of Abraham,
GEN 24:42 And I came this day unto the well, and said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go:
b. King Asa
2CH 14:11 And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, [it is] nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou [art] our God; let not man prevail against thee.
c. King Hezekiah
2KI 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, who dwells between the cherubims, You are the God, [even] You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth.
d. The priests in Nehemiah's day cried to the LORD God,
NEH 9:6 You, [even] You, [are] LORD alone; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all [things] that [are] therein, the seas, and all that [is] therein, and You preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships Thee.
e. Daniel
Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
f. Jesus
LUK 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
JOH 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up [his] eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
g. The disciples in Acts
Act 4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, You are the God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that is in them.
h. Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
EPH 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
B. When you bring your needs to the Father, you need to meditate for just a moment on the greatness of His person and power.
1. This helps to put our request in perspective.
a. "Oh Lord, You are God, You made the heavens and the earth."
b. Too often we are so overwhelmed by the greatness of our difficulty, we fail to see the greatness of God.
2. In
Genesis 18 when the angels promised to Abraham that Sarah was going to have a son, because she had already passed through the menopause, Sarah who was standing in the tent laughed. The angel said, why did Sarah laugh, is anything too hard for God.
3. God said to Jeremiah,
JER 32:27 Behold, I [am] the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
III. "HALLOWED BE THY NAME."
A. After the address, prayer moves into worship.
1. Upon recognition of the fact that I am in the presence of the Creator of the universe, I worship Him.
2. I think of how awesome He is.
3. I think of the wonder of His love for me, that he would even allow me in His presence.
B. His name is Yahweh or Yahovah, we are not certain of the correct pronounciation.
1. The Jews felt that the name was too holy to cross the lips of man, thus in the Hebrew text you only find the consonants YHVH.
2. It is a Hebrew verb that means the becoming one.
a. God will become to you whatever you need.
b. To Abraham He became Yahovah the provider. Yahovah yiera.
c. To Moses he became Yahovah Nissi our banner.
d. Jeremiah speaks of a day in the future when his name shall be Yehovah tsidkenu, The Lord our righteousness.
e. In Proverbs we are told that the name of Yehovah is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe.
3. It is interesting that Paul tells us in Philippians that God has given to Jesus a name that is above all names that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
a. The name Jesus is another contraction of the name Yahovah. In the Hebrew it is Yah shua. The meaning is The Lord has become our salvation.
b. The angel told Joseph to call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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