Prayer as Meaningful Communion
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Introduction
Introduction
Review: We are in a series on the sermon on the mount. We are asking the question, “What does it look like to be the people of God?” Jesus, as we discussed the last couple weeks has talked about 3 things - Giving, Fasting, and praying. He begins by telling us how not to do them - Don’t do them like hypocrites. He then moves to telling us how to do them. Last week we talked a bit about prayer and we talked about shutting the door on things that distract us from prayer. This week we want to answer the question, “What do I do now that the door is shut?” In other words, What should prayer look like?
Opening Illustration/Story: Prayer is often referred to as a conversation, and to some extent it is. But there is something that happens between people that is deeper than conversation. I would call it communion. Not like the little cracker and the grape juice..The definition of communion is this
Communion - the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
Communion is when conversation moves into connection.
Illustration: We’ve all had those moments. If you’re married, chances are you’ve had many of these with your spouse. If you aren’t married, chances are you’ve had these conversations with people you’ve been interested in. We’ve probably all had them with friends and family members as well. We are talking with them, and sometimes it moves into something serious and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s those conversations where we lose track of time. It’s those moments when you’re hanging out with someone just talking and you thought 5min went by and it’s been like 2 hours. This is communion. When conversation moves to connection.
Transition to Text:
Transition to Text: Jesus, in the passage we’ve been in over the last few weeks laid out how not to pray. But tonight as we read this famous passage, Jesus is laying out how to pray. I want to start with this idea - That Prayer is communion with God. It’s moving from conversation to connection.
Text:
9 Pray then like this: “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 this day 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 evil.
Transition to Points: Let’s take a look at this famous passage for just a moment tonight.
Points
Points
Prayer is communion with a present yet powerful God
God is present with us
The word here for father is the term “Daddy.”
It is personal. He is “our father.”
He’s not some impersonal force running the world
He’s not some impersonal being who doesn’t really care about you - He’s daddy.
If you had an imperfect father - Don’t loose out by comparing God to him. God is the perfect father. Instead of comparing him to your father and then running away from him because you expect him to be like your dad, realize that the perfect heavenly father can be “daddy” in ways that our earthly fathers cannot and will never be. No matter how good or bad your dad was - He will never meet the deepest needs of your soul.
He’s not some imper
Illustration: In my Sunday School Class right now we are teaching through some of the world religions. A few weeks ago we hit on Islam. Islam, like Christianity, has many names for God - But one that it doesn’t have - Father. In Islam God is powerful but he is not near like a father. He’s going to do what he wants to do. He runs the universe and you just sort of need to stay out of his way. But Christianity says God is father. He wants to be near you. He wants you to be near him. He loves you. He is daddy. This idea is distinctly Christian.
God is in Control and is to be worshiped
Lest we think he’s just some push-over dad
He’s “In heaven.”
He’s on his throne. He is in control of the universe.
He deserves to be worshiped - May your name be Kept Holy - Hallowed Be Your name.
One commentator put it this way: “The intimacy Christians may have with their Heavenly Father is balanced also with insistence on reverence in the clause ‘hallowed be your name.’ ‘Name’ refers to one’s person, character, and authority. All that God stands for should be treated as holy and honored because of his utter perfection and goodness.”
The intimacy Christians may have with their Heavenly Father is balanced also with insistence on reverence in the clause “hallowed be your name.” “Name” refers to one’s person, character, and authority. All that God stands for should be treated as holy and honored because of his utter perfection and goodness.
The God of the universe, deserves to be worshiped and praised, says you can call him “Daddy.”
Illustration: We are made in the image of God. I think that means that sometimes there are things that happen in us to us that point to who God is. If you have kids one of the best moments in your life is when your kid learns to say “daddy.” It hits you in the feels. I think this points to a bigger reality that God wants his Children to call on him - “daddy.”
So, as you pray - Remember that the God who is in control of the universe wants to be with you and wants you to call on him just like you would “daddy.”
Prayer is communion with God where God's will is worked into the life of the community both individually and corporately.
Notice the first thing Jesus emphasizes here in prayer
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Prayer is about Getting God’s will done - Not you getting your will done.
Prayer isn’t about you getting what you want from God, it’s really about God getting what he wants from you.
Illustration: My wife and I some years ago went to Alaska. One of the coolest parts of the trip was visiting the North Pole. It’s the place where if you send a letter to Santa, the letter actually goes there. There was a wall with letters from Kids - asking for bikes, and barbies, and iPhones and stuff for Christmas. Sometimes we think of prayer like this - Like I’ve got this list and God, if I’m good enough, I’m going to need you to fulfill it for me. It’s like Jesus makes a list and checks it twice and he knows who’s naughty and nice - and if you’re nice enough, Jesus will give you what you want.
But this is not the point of prayer. You can pray for you needs, to be sure..But prayer is about God getting through to you not about you getting through to God. It’s about God’s will being done in your life and in my life and in the world.
God is concerned about the personal and the communal
It’s about the Kingdom of God
Notice the use all throughout the prayer of the words “us” and “our.”
There is no “I” or “me” in this prayer. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pray for yourself. It does mean that prayer isn’t just about you.
Although it is prayed in private, it is not simply a prayer concerning the one who is praying.
Even private prayer is an act of community
God only knows the impact your private prayers make on the Church as a whole.
We pray to
As God’s will is done in your life and in my life it begins to affect and spread into the world around us. His Kingdom Comes, His will is done. This is not simply some future thing, this is God working his plan in my life and in your life and in the world here and now.
Illustration: Imagine that you are on a top olympic basketball team. You practice together and you get pretty good. But a few of you, rather than watching your diet or doing your exercise or drills when your supposed to - You decide you’re only going to practice or follow any sort of regimen when you get together as a team. When you’re alone or just with a few other guys - You eat like a pig. You sit around all day. You don’t train. You do nothing. Eventually, what you’re doing in private will begin to affect the team. Your lack of preparation and practice will catch up - Not just with you - but it will affect the entire team.
Prayer is one of the main ways in which God gets his will done in your life AND in the life of the Church. Your private prayer life matters not just to you, but to us.
Prayer is meaningful communion with God where I can discuss my needs, struggles, and temptations.
God is concerned with our character
Jesus now moves to prayer regarding our needs and our struggles.
I want to break this down by the “us” statements he makes
Give us..
“Give us today the food we need.”
It’s not wrong to pray for our wants, but the priority here is asking God for what we need.
The source we need to make it through the day.
Forgive us...
Forgive us our sins
We screw up and mess up, but God is gracious and forgiving.
He calls us to extend that same grace to others...
As we forgive
People are going to do things today that hurt you, bother you, mess with you.
You can choose to be angry and bitter about it, or you can choose forgiveness.
Lead Us..
There are places that will draw our attention away from God today - Don’t let us be led astray.
Lead us instead in your path.
Lead us according to your word.
Deliver Us...
The world is full of temptation and trouble - I need rescue.
I need strength
Give us the things that we need Today, Forgive us and help us be forgiving, Lead us, rescue us and give us strength in our moments of weakness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Main Idea: Prayer is communion with God. Move from conversation to connection.
Let’s pray tonight.