Teach Us To Pray - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. Everything that you and I have in place everything we are the forgiven God's point of view. How then can you not forgive others.

How do you not forgive others pain in my forgiveness and then you hold it against someone else joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie will join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word world the way I want is my list and I want my world to be this way. And then when it's not that way you go, and he doesn't answer my prayers. There's a reason he's God, you're not. You see there's a difference there. That's the whole idea. This is in a matter of and by the way, there are whole aspects of our Christian faith, especially if what now that reverses the whole thing and basically says that God's role is to give you what you want. That's his role in your faith has so much power. It makes God give you what you want. Many, many years ago, probably only chose a pastor in South Korea very large church. I remember reading a quote in his and his quote was simply this. Jesus Christ is the slave of my lips. In other words, I tell God what I want. And because of the power I have over him. He then gives me what I want.

Jesus would very much disagree with that is my prayer will and is my prayer. Simple and then third question is my prayer. Worshipful is my prayer worshipful. He said pray then in this way. So Jesus is now going to give them the disciples prayer how to pray in this way at first of all, pray, is interesting. It's an imperative mood.

It means it's commanded people often say what God knows everything and what I have to pray for.

There are a lot of good reasons you should pray.

But here's one of them, he commanded you to see that kind of ends the whole thing. I'm commanded to pray he said you pray. Okay I'll pray he said pray in any when it says in the new American Standard says he says pray that in this way. In this way is a little bit. I don't know if it's the best acro weights to toast and Greek and it means pray like this pray in this manner the last thing Jesus intended with this short prayer is that you would pray the prayer he doesn't want you to pray the prayer you want to pray like this, you see, that's not the way they prayed. They prayed in a very different kind of way. Jesus, a look I wanted to be very short and very sweet. He said just pray in this manner are pray in this way and then you know now we get into the prayer itself. The first thing he says is our father now from our point of view that makes great sense to us.

The disciples point of view when he said that would have been like.

I don't think I can do that.

I don't think I can talk to God like my father, I just didn't do that bad. That's way too intimate.

He's he's God. Remember the day when he would speak the word Yahweh.

You know it when they were writing it even ascribe a wrote it when he wrote it. He had to clean himself afterwards and before you write it again their ideas.

That's God, he's way out there and he's very different than we are.

And Jesus is no our father.

Now it's interesting and even more interesting is this in the Greek text of the Matthew, it says painter which we get the word father from the Greek word is painter. But Jesus didn't use the word painter because Jesus didn't speak to the masses in Greek Matthew was writing the accounting Greek. But Jesus spoke to the masses in Aramaic and Aramaic and what Jesus would've said Opera. That's the word are all about. You know how that translates in English daddy that's an intimate word father in our language is kind of formal daddy is kind of intimate and he said our father, our daddy this idea wow this is really something. He says our father who is in heaven. By the way, one of the thing you can get from just this part of the verse. I'm not trying to control your prayer life but I've always done this my whole life. But whenever you pray, you pray to the father. Look at the New Testament every time there's a prayer offered it's offered to the father and it's offered under the authority, or in the name of the son, Jesus, through the power and instrumentality of the Holy Spirit which are pray to the father. A lot of Christians want to pray to Jesus. I think Jesus would say you missed me by one here you pray in my name, but you pray to the father. He said our father who art in heaven, he says, and then these words hallowed be your name hallowed be your name and then a terrible word in English so it's a do what's hallowed mean minutes and increasing English hallowed and it's like the word holy in English it's this is bad when I say to you think of something holy. It's astounding what will end up coming into your head. You know there's holy places.

It's a whole week is something very mystic. There's nothing mystical about the word holy. The word dog chaos, which is holy means to separate it being separated from. That's all it means. And so, by the way is God separate from everything else. Yes, because everything else is created. He's the creator.

The philosophers had a right they said God is holy WH OL Y other God is not like anything because he's God.

Everything else is a creation of God. He is holy he has set apart notice he said you say to your father. The intimacy holy, set apart is your name now in our culture again the word name doesn't mean much because in our culture. How do you pick names. Normally you pick a name. If it hasn't nothing to do with the relative your trying daughter. Normally, what you do is you pick a name. It goes well with your last name so alliteration I mean if your last name ends with a T. The first name start of the two you want to have some snappy in biblical times.

That wasn't the way you pick the name the name and everything in Scriptures you you in a sense, your goal in life was the live up to your name that's way by the way God always change their names.

Abram became Abraham Saul named after a terrible pain ended up becoming Paul which means little Peter became pebble. He change their names.

In other words that's important.

He said hallowed set apart is your name, the name of God the name of God, set apart the idea of worship CD. The think of the Old Testament you have a name like Yahweh.

And then there are so many adjectives that the God the God who shines the God who is the God who thunders over and over again all these things, it's who God is God's name reveals God's character. It reveals God's plan and reveals God's will and my prayer is set apart hallowed is your name father. In other words, is it an act of worship. Ask yourself in your prayer life.

Do you worship God. You see, do you end up taking a phrase like this and turn it into praise how much your prayer life. Do you spend praising God for who he is and what is done, how much of it is evil really honest. Not much. He says no that's where you have to start you have to start praising God and thanking God why God relishes that you're his child.

The ideas he once had conversation with you again.

You're not praying tuned to inform them you're paying them to worship is my prayer real is it simple is it worshipful and then he says in verse 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven is my prayer, submissive, notice what it says in verse 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You know, when we read that if we were going to emphasize something we always emphasize the wrong word is that we would read normally do in our culture. Your kingdom come, your will be done in other words kingdom and its well that's what were talking about but I think we emphasize the wrong word. The word wish and emphasizes your your kingdom come, your will be done to pray like that. Your will be done in other words, if the essence of your own prayer life do you say Lord I want what you want for my life. That's what I want I want what you want. I'm submissive to your will be done. You see is wills done perfectly in heaven Lord with my life and make it your will done sooner submissiveness to our prayer we do as we say, my will be done. My kingdom be done and I keep praying for something, you know what is not delivering he's not giving me what I wanted. Where's the submissiveness that one of the things it's wonderful about God.

By the way, is extremely patient with us and one of things I tell people all the time. The Bible clearly allows you to pray your humanity you're allowed to pray your humanity remember the garden of Gethsemane the night before the crucifixion, Jesus went off by himself and he prayed what they pray. He said father let this cup pass from me while we mean father I don't want the wrath of God on now he understood the wrath of God on all sin and the way you and I could've never understood that he had an idea what was coming.

The next day and he said that's his humanity.

He's a perfect human being, with no sin, no judgment on them and he says let this cup pass from me. And then this word never the less what he say that not my will be done, but yours you pray with a nevertheless, when you pray your humanity is important thing to do. This is what I'd looked bored. This is what I want to have happen. Nevertheless, you will be done using there's a submissiveness to this one the most important things that understand and per your prayer life is simply the he is God and you are not.

He has infinite wisdom, he sees the end from the beginning he loves you with an immeasurable amount of love.

You see, can you submit to that what he keeps saying I don't understand why keeps telling me know in my prayers is my prayer submissive and then he moves on. He says give us this day our daily bread. Now how many of you pray that today see is not practical us as it I mean you had all the daily bread you could possibly want right but it means more than that. What is really talking about. I love what Martin Luther wrote on this Martin Luther writing on the sermon the Mount said this, I see my daily bread. As my food my wealth good weather my house. My wife, my children, and peace. In other words, Luther said, Lord sustained me another day to sustain me another day.

You know it's really interesting that Dr. Joe Harvey who we support in the Congo told me that one of the big advantages that being a believer in the Congo among the Congolese verse and the American is that when I consider Congolese praises prayer. Give us this day our daily bread they mean. Give us this day our daily bread, and he said, and so they see God deliver them that way. He said Americans have so much they never think of this, but the point of it is you think about sustain me for another day.

Lord you see this today I'm dependent on you for every single day of my life.

That's what he is saying you see is this is is a practical way of praying, give, he says it's a supplication Lord give me what I need today to sustain me for the day. So is it really is as simple as it worshipful was a submissive visit, practical, and the last one is a repentant when you pray he says forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil wow you know this.

Forgive us of our debts that's that's an awkward word by the way, both for Lima is the word is one of the five words in the New Testament for sin. Forgive us of our sins.

I learned when I was a kid through trespasses as we forgive, and you know and the idea of it is Lord please forgive me my sin. Between you and me.

Now he's not talking by the way of judicial sin judicial sin is pastor Brad was talking about earlier means we have been forgiven one time for all sent we are declared righteous by God and are standing is not talking about judicial forgiveness. He's talking about daily forgiveness first John 19 if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness illustrated by Jesus in John 13 remember Jesus decide he would wash their feet and so finding when Peter was willing to do it. Remember what Peter said to Jesus, what don't just wash my feet wash me all over and what did Jesus say you've already been brave. You see, you've already been behavior forgiven that way.

I'm talking about day in day out.

You see, I have to present my feet to the Lord on a daily basis. Lord, you can wash it. You can cleanse it, but this one has a condition, and this is where you and I don't like this at all and this may have a lot to do. By the way, the ineptness of your own prayer life. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lord, I want you to forgive me. Exactly the same way that I forgive others. You pray that way may be honest is that all you pray Lord I want you just to forgive me. The way I forgive others. Jesus, by the way, he might think well maybe didn't mean that. Well have a verse 14 for if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly father also forgive you and if you do not forgive others, then your heavenly father will not forgive your transgressions can't be clear, he reiterates it in two more verses we don't like that much doing and yet on the other hand, what are we in for one thing, were forgiven.

People everything that you and I have in crisis because of God's forgiveness. Everything we are the forgiven people and from God's point of you how then can you not forgive others. How do you not forgive others you bathe in my forgiveness and then you hold it against someone else using turn back with me just to chapter 5, verse 23 for a moment, look at that what Jesus says here he says. Therefore, if you use it. If you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, you gotta leave the offering before the altar, and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

He said don't even come and worship me.

If there's something between you and someone else you get that straight before you come and worship me. Did you ever wonder why our prayer lives are so empty sometimes is because of an unforgiving spirit among ourselves that there may be people in your life you refuse to forgive. I'm not going to forgive them. They hurt me deeply said on the temple basis. Then God says, I will forgive you either see it's a straightforward assembly could be there has to be a repentance when I pray I have to deal with sin. Between me and God in between others and me I have to deal with that and he says you have to do it no matter what. He then says after that he says do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil. God says in James, don't tempt anyone. He says Lord keep Ms. Barton temptation as possible. And you know why because I'm weak Lord keep me away from temptation. I have to stay away and then in brackets and that's why it's in brackets in the Bible it says for yours is the kingdom the power and the glory forever. Amen. The reason it's in brackets is not in the oldest manuscript we have the best manuscripts we have. It was perhaps a later addition, it could've been in the original. It fits well.

It's a doxology but is probably not in the original so the disciples say to Jesus a scene. Would you teach us how to pray in Jesus said okay first thing make your prayer real private secret. Secondly, make your prayer simple and not repetitive. Don't think that you going to get my attention because you keep repeating things over and over again thoroughly make it worshipful understand who I am.

Praise me for who I am honor my name in prayer. Also, be submissive. Your will be done, not mine. Your will be done. Lord and then be practical today Lord sustained me.

And lastly, be repentant. Keep a short account of sins between you and the Lord Jesus that I will teach you these are the important elements of all these years that I walked to the Lord all these years that I pastored this church have come to one conclusion that's helped me a great deal and I hope it helps you and conclude with it. I did great comfort in one single fact God's answers are wiser than my prayers whispering father. I'm afraid that so many of us actively pray and we come before your presence each and every day with a laundry list of things that we want to have happen. Father I pray that the words of Jesus here just simply convict us that there's much more to it.

You speak to us through your word we speak to you through our prayer. We love the intimacy we have, but we want to honor you for who you are.

Father make us aware of the elements in our own prayer life that are not there. The things that have hurt us. The things that got in the way between a relationship with you. Thank you for the short and wise words of Jesus Christ comes prayer in his bathrobe on the radio ministry of fellowship Lord, if you ever miss one of our broadcast or maybe you dislike of the sum of the method one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well have Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. Yes, all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help with radio ministry continuous broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly with just the 100th support for ministry can be centered Fellowship in the Word. 4600 Clearview Pkwy., Metairie, LA 7006 if you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is of the sermon, the pastor will deliver during a Sunday morning service of fellowship monitored visit our website FVC Nola.org that FVC and oh LA.O RG at our website you will find hundreds of possible sermon you can browse through our sermon archives defined sensors are looking you can search by title. Once you find the messenger looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt, unseasoned heart. Thank you for listening to fellowship in order