Friday, October 30, 2020

Intro to "The Disciples' Prayer PT-1" (Matt. 6:9-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/30/2020 11:57 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  Intro to “The Disciples’ Prayer—PT- 1”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 6:9-15

 

            Message of the verses:  9 "Pray, then, in this way: ’Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 ’Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ’Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ’And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ’And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’ 14 “For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

 

            As I was looking at the Scripture that is in MacArthur’s commentary I found that he has a book dedicated to what is in what is called “The Lord’s Prayer” and the book is entitled “Jesus’ Pattern of Prayer” and so I ordered a used copy of this book and I hope to use it in this very, very important study that we are about to begin.

 

            As we look at the life of Jesus Christ while on earth we see that He probably began His ministry when He was 30 years of age.  One of the things that we see is that His life was a great pattern of prayer as He fulfilled what Paul wrote “Pray without Ceasing.”  We don’t know much about His early years other than His birth and also a little story from Luke’s gospel when He was 12 years old.  He was in the Temple actually teaching those scribes who were there at that time.  Eighteen years later He began His ministry and it could be said that His ministry was a ministry of prayer. 

 

            John MacArthur writes “Someone has said that many Christians offer their prayers like sailors use their pumps—only when the ship leaks.  But to be obedient disciples of Christ, to experience the fullness of communion with God, and to open the floodgates of heaven’s blessings, believers must pray as Jesus prayed.  In addition to that, we must know how to pray.  If we do not know how to pray and what to pray for, it does little good to go through the motions.  But if we know how to pray, and then pray that way, every other part of our lives will be strengthened and put in proper perspective.  As Martyn Lloyd-Jones has beautifully expressed it Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face to God.’”

 

            We know that the Bible teaches much about prayer, and the importance of prayer, and the power of prayer as prayer is effective; it makes a difference.  James writes in James 5:16b “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  An example of this comes from when the servant of Abraham prayed and then Rebekah appeared.  Jacob wrestled and prayed, and Esau’s mind was turned from twenty years of revenge.  Another example is that when Moses prayed that Amalek was struck.  One that I just read about this morning was that Hannah prayed, and Samuel was born.  Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed and the next morning 187,000 Assyrians were found slain.  When Elijah prayed there were three and a half years of drought, and then when he prayed again God sent the rain.  These are only a small portion of things related to prayer found in the Word of God.  Now the Jews to whom Jesus was preaching too should have had unlimited confidence in the power of prayer.  The question is “Did they?”

 

            John MacArthur concludes this introduction with the following paragraph:  “Prayer is vital to every other aspect of kingdom living.  We cannot, for example, give (see Matt. 6:2-4) or fast (see 6:16-18) properly unless we are in constant communion with God.  The only giving that God wants is that which is sincere, willing, and done to His glory—giving that comes from a life of personal communion with Him.  Fasting is meaningless apart from prayer, because apart from prayer it is apart from God.  It will be a meaningless religious ritual.  The greatest emphasis in this passage (6:1-18), therefore is given in prayer.”

 

            Lord willing in our next SD we will begin to look at “God’s Purpose,” then after that “God’s Paternity,” God’s Priority,” “God’s Program,” “God’s Plan,” and then several sub-sections under “God’s Plan.”  So buckle up as this study of what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” will take us several weeks, if not months to get through, and then my prayer is that all who follow this, and also myself, will have a greater prayer life, one that will truly glorify God.

 

10/30/2020 12:41 PM

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