Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Title Slide: Teach us to Pray

Hello.

Welcome.

Super short two week sermon series called “Teach us to Pray” based on how Jesus responded when asked to teach his disciples to how to pray.

This is going to be far from exhaustive on the topic of prayer, but I do want us to ask and answer the question as we begin this year.

The Bible teaches us to end our prayers with ‘In Jesus’ name,’ so who better to answer this question than Jesus himself.

If you brought a Bible along, open it to Luke 11, we’re just going to do the first four verses today.

Or follow along on the screen.

Grab a paperback Bible.

Pray

Way back in the book of Genesis when Adam and Eve had a son by the name of Seth, who would be the second male lineage of the family of God, people began to call on the name of the Lord for the first time.

It was Genesis 4, the world’s second generation over 6000 years ago, and prayer had entered the scene.

Prayer had become a part of the daily life of some people.

Since that day prayer has been part of the world’s story.

To my knowledge every culture and people group in the world has some semblance of prayer in their life.

But prayer takes on an odd life in culture too.

The PC police are not happy when prayer is present in affairs of the state, they aren’t happy when prayer is present at sporting events, they aren’t happy when the Robertson’s pray on Duck Dynasty after every episode… all these are okay, of course, if you don’t end with ‘in Jesus’ name.’

But when there is a tragedy like the one in Ft.

Lauderdale this past week, our news networks and social media light up with #’s like #prayforfortlauderdale.

Why?

Because everyone knows whether they recognize it yet or not, in their God-given DNA, that there is a higher power and when our hearts break we desperately want him to intervene.

In pop culture on TV we see prayer often.

Sometimes prayer is portrayed as a joke that from the believer’s perspective offers a glimpse into the true struggles of people who are searching.

Sometimes TV prayers present an honesty that we can all relate to.

People wondering if God hears our prayers.

Beginning a prayer with an apology for not praying enough, like, “God, I know it’s been a while since we talked…sorry about that.”

I’ve been there.

It almost always then leads to rushing into a series of requests where I pour out my problems, needs, irritations to God.

Essentially we tell God everything in our life that needs fixed and if he doesn’t take care of it in the 60 seconds we give him then we give up and move on with our day.

We’ve inadvertently been taught that prayer has to be reverent, and lofty, and use special holy language, church lingo, Christianese, and if it doesn’t then we’re doing it wrong and God will smite you.

Truth is, yeah, you need to have a healthy fear and reverence for God, but he loves you and he just wants you to talk to him like a friend as a child would.

Do you know how to pray?

Would you like to be taught to pray?

Let’s look at how Jesus taught prayer to his 12 best friends and students.

Here’s what’s happening in Luke when we get to chapter 11.

It’s right around midway through Jesus’ three year ministry.

The disciples had been following him and learning from him and being completely dumbfounded by some of the things he was doing.

It’s been probably a year, year and half of this and they’re still confused by a lot of what he’s been doing.

It actually took them till after he had resurrected and ascended and sent the Holy Spirit.

That’s why the joke is they’re not the Di-sciples, they’re the Duh-sciples.

Although I’m sure I’d have been in the same boat.

But after all that time learning from him and doing life with him and watching him sneak off to pray alone, one of the disciples finally decided to ask him.

Oh, hey, I wonder if we should be praying this much too…?

So one of these times Jesus had just returned from praying this happened:

1 Title Slide: Luke 11:1

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

1 Title Slide: Teach us to Pray

Jesus kept slipping off to a quiet place by himself and it wasn’t to practice the rubrics cube or even writing his next sermon.

He was calling on the name of his father.

What the disciples had been witnessing was that at every major point in Jesus’ life prayer occurred.

Prayer was happening.

It’s always part of his story.

When Jesus selected his 12 disciples – Prayer.

When John the Baptist baptizes him – Prayer.

When Peter proclaims Jesus is the Christ – Prayer.

Before Peter denies he knows Jesus – Prayer.

And here in this scene, at the teaching of what we know as the Lord’s Prayer – Prayer.

It happened frequently enough that after a while the disciples finally began to take notice.

If every time Jesus did something major in his life and ministry, it involved prayer, it makes sense that the disciples would start to think…

’hhhmmm…there may be something to this prayer thing.

There may be something to slipping a way to a quiet place to talk to God.

There may be a connection to how impactful his ministry is to how committed his prayer life is.’

I bet there is a benefit to this.

Maybe its blessing, maybe its strength to stand firm in his faith and mission.

Maybe it’s both.

Maybe it’s more than that.

We see that prayer is first taught through showing the discipline.

This unnamed disciple asked to be taught, because he had seen.

He was witnessing the practice in the life of Jesus.

Jesus demonstrated the action, and he demonstrated the commitment, and he demonstrated the impact on his life and ministry.

Jesus’ life clearly had power and impact and the disciple wanted that.

So if Jesus needed prayer for his life and the disciples needed prayer for their life I need prayer for my life.

I can’t do anything of any supernatural value without God’s work.

Lord, teach us to pray…

Here’s how Jesus answers the question first:

1 Title Slide: Luke 11:2-4

And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.”

Jesus said first, “When you pray.”

He is assuming right up front that his follower are going to pray.

Why would he assume that?

Well, first of all, because he did it, and as his followers we should seek to be more like him and do more like him and if he sees the importance of prayer so should we.

You can’t study the life of Jesus or read through the gospels without noticing Jesus praying a lot.

But, quite simply, for the follower of Jesus Christ prayer is the best way to communicate with God.

It’s the vehicle for a daily and day-long dialog with the one who created us and its importance can’t be overstated.

The Lord’s Prayer as we see here is an often misunderstood and misused prayer.

Some people think it’s a magic formula, as if the words themselves have power or influence with God.

Many people think we’re supposed to recite it word for word.

Effective prayer isn’t measured how loud you pray or how long you pray or how often you repeat the same thing over and over again, effective prayer is measured in the sincerity of your heart.

I’m not a very flowery prayer.

Not upfront or by myself.

Some people are.

Story of Mr. Carmichael’s Bible Club President failing.

The Lord’s Prayer is not given for recitation or ritual, it’s given as a blueprint.

Let’s take a few minutes and walk through this prayer, but I want you to remember the most important thing is to start.