The Lord’s Prayer Part 1
The Purpose of Prayer
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
I.The Lord’s Prayer
A. The Purpose of Prayer
1. (Luke 11:1) “…Lord, teach us to pray.”
a. Prayer is the divinely authorized methodology to access heavenly authority for earthly intervention; or simply, relational communication with God.
b. Relational because the general public doesn’t have access to this foreign realm called heaven where the Father resides. It requires a passport.
~(Heb. 10:19-23 NLT) the passport is the blood of Christ and prayer is how we show our passport.
~The 1st and primary purpose of prayer is to establish and maintain intimate relationship with the Father.
c. The best way to understand this fellowship is by understanding a loving family relationship. (Husband/wife, parent/child)
~Communication is daily, consistent and fits into your normal day.
~At times it’s appropriate and even necessary to isolate yourselves alone for times of intimacy.
~Not all times are spectacular or sensational.
~There are times of joy, sadness and correction.
B. Some Precautions of Prayer
1. (Matt. 6:5-8)
a. (v5) “when you pray…”
~(Eph. 6:18-19; Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:17; [Jas. 5:13 AMP]) always be praying or praising
~(Luke 3:21-22; 5:15-16; 6:12-13; 9:16, 18, 28-29) Jesus prayed regularly and things happened
~Don’t pray to be seen like the hypocrites.
b. (v6) prayer in private causes blessings in public.
c. (v7) don’t pray for the sake of praying.
d. (v8) God knows what you have need of before you pray. Prayer is not to inform God. Prayer is to invite and include God’s intervention.
2. If God knows what we have need of before we ask, why even pray at all?
a. (John 8:44; 10:10; 1 Pet. 5:8-9) We have an enemy that hates us and we live in a fallen world.
~(Rom. 8:20-23)
b. (2 Pet. 3:9) The will of God is not automatic.
~Just because knows doesn’t mean He has the liberty to intervene on your behalf.
c. (Ps. 138:2) God has set perimeters to His sovereignty.
~(Eph. 5:15-17) understand what the will of the Lord is.
~(1 John 5:14-15) according to His will
d. (Gen. 1:26; Ps. 115:15-16) God needs your consent, cooperation and participation to intervene in your life.
~(Mark 6:5-6)
3. What about the blessings that I get that I didn’t even ask for? And how is that some unbelievers seem to be more blessed than some believers?
a. (Gen. 1:28, 31) God make man and all creation blessed and good.
~(Matt. 5:44-45)
b. The purpose of the proverbs (wisdom of God) is to reveal the ways of God that anyone who learns can live in – saved or unsaved.
~(Matt. 16:26-27)
[Pastor Lee Stokes]