Pertinent Perspectives on Prayer, Part 3

And if you read over in Psalm 99, verse number 6, it says this, Moses and Aaron were among his priests, and Samuel was among those who called on his name. They called upon the Lord, and he Answered them: Moses, Aaron, Samuel. It's always good to be in company with Moses. And Samuel was in the company with Moses. When they called upon the Lord, the Lord answered them. You see, Samuel would learn about prayer from the very beginning of his con. To the time of his death, because his mother would teach him.

And for three years until she weaned him, she would teach him. And she would take him to the temple at his third birthday when he was weaned, when she was done nursing him.

It was at least three, maybe five, but somewhere in that age bracket. She would take him to the temple, she would sacrifice the bull, and she would put the blood on his right ear. She would put the blood on his right thumb. She would put the blood on his right big toe because she would sacrifice that animal and surrender her son to the Lord because everything he heard. Everything he did and everywhere where he walked was consecrated to God. And then I want you to notice this: 1 Samuel chapter 1, verse number 28.

So I have also dedicated him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is dedicated to the Lord. And he, Samuel, worshipped the Lord. There Samuel worshiped the Lord. He got off of the right foot because he had a mother who prayed and God answered. It's a tremendous story. You come back on Mother's Day and we'll give you all kinds of tidbits as to what happens. In her marriage and with her relationship with this other woman who was married to her husband. But with that story, I want you to notice a couple of things with me.

The first is this. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago. Prayer challenges. Your spirituality was Hannah challenged you bet she was challenged daily From a husband who didn't care, from his wife who tried to get her to thunder to blow her stack. We also talked about how prayer clarifies our loyalty. How loyal was Hannah to her God? Supremely loyal. We also talk about how prayer certifies our dependency. Who else was Hannah going to be dependent upon? Her husband? His other wife? Their children?

But God. We also talked about how prayer catapults our productivity. She prayed, God answered, she had a kid, and God blessed her by giving her more kids. Because she prayed. Prayer is that which commences our ministry. You want to serve God? You got to pray. And she began to pray, and the more she prayed, The greater her ministry. Prayer is that which cultivates our maturity. It wasn't easy to pray. It wasn't easy to go to her knees and ask God to do a great work. Not at all. But she did it because it developed her spiritually.

She began to grow, and her prayers began to multiply over and over and over again because she became more and more dependent upon God. We talked about how prayer conquers our infirmity. Here was a ma woman who was extremely, extremely afflicted. The Bible tells us in the Old Testament that for a Jewish woman not to have children was the ultimate curse. And so she felt herself cursed by God. And so, as she felt herself cursed by the all-loving God of the universe, what did she do? Turn her back on him or go to him in prayer?

She went to him in prayer. She conquered her infirmity because she was a woman of prayer. Prayer is that which combats our adversary. She had an adversary right in her home. Didn she? How was she going to combat her? Lash back at her. Yell at her? Short she her bed when she went to bed at night? She prayed. Prayer is that which calms our anxiety. You think she was an anxious woman? You think she worried? You bet. But when she went to prayer, she gave everything over to her God. Wh she wept bitterly, when she poured out her soul before God, who else was she going to pour it out to?

See, it would depend totally upon God. In prayer, it celebrates our unity. All you to do is read 1 Samuel 2. In the celebration of praise that Hannah gives because of what God did. All those preliminary comments we gave you the first two weeks are illustrated in the life of Hannah.

Are they illustrated in your life? How is your prayer life? Where do you stand with you and God, your Father? Notice point two number two outline the principal concerns of prayer.

Notice that who was her spectator? It wasn Eli the priest. She wasn't praying out loud so anybody would hear her. She was praying to herself. Her heart was so overtaken with grief. Her lips would move, but there would be nothing coming out, but she was praying to her God. And Eli thought she was drunk, but she wasn't drawing attention to herself. That's the last thing she wanted. The last thing she wanted was someone to come to her and, What are you doing here, woman? She kept quiet and prayed because there was one spectator that made a difference.

And that was her God in heaven. She wanted to make sure that he was the one who heard. And how about the substance of her prayers? For they were deep in substance. There was no meaningless repetition here. There were words of deep sincerity, words of extreme commitment. God, if you give me this child, I vow to you. I swear in my life, that's what I'm going to do. You know what? There are so many people today who pray: God, if you just do this for me, if you just do this, I'm going to go to church every week.

Lord, if you do this in my life, I'm going start sharing my faith. If you do this in my life, I'm going to go to Uganda. If you do this in my life, Lord, if you'll just he My marriage, I will spend time with you every single day, God. They make bows all the time. And they never keep them when God answers their prayer. 1 Samuel 1 addresses that, by the way, and we'll talk about that when we get there. Maybe you're in that category. God, if you just get me out of this sticky situation, man, I'm going serve you with all I got.

And God gets you out of a sticky situation, and next thing you know, you're just doing the same thing you always did. Not han. She kept her commitment. The first woman who prayed in the scriptures, that's recorded, is a powerful illustration of what true prayer is all about.

Our third point in our outline are the particular contents of prayer. And so we want to get to our text this evening. That's Matthew chapter 6. And I would invite you to turn there with me if you would, please. I really thought that I'd finish this evening, but it's not going to happen. That's okay. We're not going anywhere. Received uh a fax this past week from someone who's just started coming to our church. This is what they said. I just love the worshipful atmosphere of Christ Community Church.

It's ironic, but you don't find that in many churches. I love that God's word is preached and not sugar-coated. I love the spirit of the music minister and the pieces He chooses to lead us in worship, and most of all. I love the reverence of kneeling before the Father. Kneeling before the Father. Tonight, we're going to look at what it means to kneel before the Father in a prayer that helps us understand what true prayer is all about.

It's a prayer that's not necessarily to be recited, and although we do recite it over and over again, don't we? There's nothing against that. It's scripture, right? So you memorize scripture, you recite scripture, but it can become a meaningless repetition if you're not careful, right? I'm afraid there are many people who, with repetition and no meaning, say the Lord's Prayer over and over and over again. So it's a prayer that helps us understand the true structure of all prayer. But I just want to kind of go over some things with you and understand that there are two aspects of this prayer: one is a recognition of God and all of his glory, and the second is a realization.

Of what I, as an individual, need. The order is very significant. If you mess up the order, you mess up your prayer life. The order is so significant. God is a Father, God is a King, and God is a Master. As our father, he meets my physical needs. He gives me bread. As my king, he meets my emotional needs. He grants forgiveness. And as my master, he meets my spiritual and moral needs. He guides me and protects me from temptation. But the bottom line is, do you understand who you're praying to? One author said it this way.

I cannot say our if I live only for myself in a spiritual watertight compartment. I cannot say Father if I do not endeavor each day to act like his child. I cannot say who art in heaven if I am laying up no treasure there. I cannot say hallowed be thy name if I am not striving for holiness. I cannot say thy kingdom come if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful day. I cannot say thy will be done if I am disobedient to his word. I cannot say on earth as it is in heaven if I will not serve him here and now.

And I cannot say, give us our daily bread if I am dishon or an under-this counter shopper. I cannot say, forgive us our debts if I harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot say, lead us not into temptation if I deliberately place myself in its path. I cannot say, deliver us from evil, if I do not put on the whole armor of God. I cannot say, thine is the kingdom, if I do not give to the king, the Lord. Loyalty to him as a faithful subject. I cannot attribute to him the power if I fear what men may do.

I cannot ascribe to him the glory if I am seeking honor only for myself. And I cannot say forever if the horizon of my life. Is bounded completely by the things of time. That pretty much sums up the disciples' prayer. But notice with me how it begins.

Pray then in this way: Our Father who art in heaven, our Father who art in heaven. God is to be recognized first by his children as their father.

The Lord, when he was here on the earth, he would pray to his Father in heaven. He always called him Father, except on one occasion, and that's when he was on the cross. He said, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? It was that time of spiritual death. It was that time of physical death. It was that time in which God the Son was separated from God the Father as he bore the sins of the world. Never in nature, never was a truth. Ever separated, but when he bore our sin on the tree, when he became a curse for us, it was at that time he did not refer to God as his father because there was broken communion.

There was broken fellowship. Why? Because God the Father can't look upon sin. God the Father is of pure eyes and to behold evil. So, as his son would bear the sin of the world, there was a separation of fellowship, a separation of intimacy, a separation of communion. The greatness of who God is is seen in the fact that, as great as He is, He invites us to come into His presence. Who art in heaven stresses his transcendence. It surpasses everything on earth, and yet he invites us to be one with him.

He exceeds any earthly father, he sees all, he knows all. He never forgets. He always delivers. Father, listen to with me very carefully. Because he's our father, he deepens our security. Because he's our Father, He deepens our security. There's no more fear. There's h. Over in Matthew chapter 6. Christ would speak about it in verses 25 and following. Where he says, For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink, or for your body as to what you shall put on.

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much or worth much more than they? And which of you being anxious can add a single cubit to his life sp? And why are you anxious about your clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin. And as Christ goes on to talk about the anxiousness of man, he addresses the faithfulness of the Father. He deepens our security. No more fear. He is one who deepens our security. And because He's our Father, He dissolves our solitude. He dissolves our solitude.

You're never alone again. Never alone. Because he's your father. And is it not true that the Lord is with us wherever we go and whatever we do? He dissolves our solitude. You'll never alone again. Now, that's good, and that can be bad for you who like to sin. If you like to sin, it's a bad thing because God's always there. Next time you want to go sin, you remember God's always there. Your Father's right there with you. Your earthly father might not be able to go to the store with you. Your earthly father might not be sitting down and watching the video with you.

Your earthly father might not be Your car, listening to your radio, but your Heavenly Father's right there. You're never alone again. If you know Jesus, He's always there. He dissolves all solitude, He's there. As your father, he diminishes your selfishness. Why is that? Because when you pray, you pray, our father, not my father. He's our father. He's just not your father. He's mine too. So because he's our father, he diminishes our selfishness. You know, we as children, like the hog dad's time, we want soul Attention from our Father.

Never happens with our Heavenly Father. He's our Father. He's all of our F. You have not a monopoly on our Father in heaven. All of his children have a monopoly on him. So he diminishes our selfishness. Because he's our father, he demands our submission. We're his children. We are to follow him. Because he's our father, he declares his sovereignty. It says up in verse number 8 of Matthew chapter 6: Therefore, do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Isn't that good?

Because he's our father, it declares his sovereignty. He knows all. He knows what you need before you even ask him. He knew what Hannah needed before she even went and said, Lord, give me a son, and I'll give him back to you. The Lord knew she wanted a son. So, when you go to the Lord and say, Lord, I need a job. God knows you need a job. You God doesn't know you need a job? You think God doesn't know you need healing because of your infirmity? You think God doesn't know You're in financial straits?

You think God doesn't know your marriage is falling apart? You God doesn't know? That stuff? Of course he does. He's your father in heaven. He knows everything. He knows all. And because he's our father, he demonstrates his sympathy. It says over in Psalm 103, verse number 13, just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear. Yeah. Boy, that's good. He's our Father who is in heaven. You see Him that way? How do you approach the Lord God? You approach him.

O heavenly majestic king of the universe, through the sovereignty sent his son to die for the sins of man. Who of Almighty and all-strong omnipotent power? Is that how you dress your Father in heaven? If my son came up to me or my daughter came to and said, Oh, my most magnificent dad, you are truly the all-sovereign one of our family, the ruler of this household. I say, get a grip. I can go to bed. I don't want to be addressed like that. I want to look at her and say, hey, Dad, Daddy, I have a need.

Oh, yeah? What's your need? I'm unlike the Heavenly Father. I don know what that need is. You're going to have to ask me. Our Lord says, You come to me and say, Daddy, I got to talk to you. That's how the Lord wants us to approach him. How do you approach him? And then he begins to help us understand all the elements of the prayer. The first is a recognition of who God is, the second is a realization of what we need.

And we're just going to cover the first one this evening: a recognition of who God is. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. To recognize who God is, you must be consumed with His pre. You must be consum with his preeminence. Hallowed be thy Name. Name indicates character. God's name reflects who He is. To hallow His name is to hallow all that He is in terms of His nature. Christ said in John 17 verse number 6 I have manifested thy name O Lord to these men he revealed God the Father to these men he displayed the name of God Not by putting the name on a t-shirt or putting the name above his door, by living a righteous and holy, god-like life, they were able to see the nature and character of God.

That's the name of God. His name is who he is. And to understand prayer, we must first of all understand his preeminence in our life.

We must be consumed. Now understand this. If you miss this, your prayer life will be so weak and so imp. You'll probably stop praying. To hollow his name is to perceive him in the fullness of who he is. It's to treat him as sacred. It's to reverence his name. It's the petition that wants above all else, God's name to be revered in your life. If you don't want God's name being revered in your life, then you just don't need to pray because God's not going to hear you and God's not going to answer. Again, I know you didn't come to hear that this evening, but this is the pattern of prayer.

This is how the Lord teaches his disciples to pray. You see, Hannah was concerned, consumed with the pre of God. You give your son, he's yours. You can take him. Because I know you're going to do what's best. He's all yours. I want you, and I'm going to name him after you, the name of God. You long to hold his match being in reverence and obey what he says. That's what it means to pray, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. If you want a longer dissertation on it, you're going to have to get the tape that we gave a couple of years ago.

It goes into great detail. But I want you to notice the verse in Exodus chapter 20, verse number 7. We covered it in our series on the Ten Commandments. It says, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. This is why this petition, this aspect of the prayer, is so important. Because you go all the way back to the Old Testament in Exodus 20, verse number 7, God says, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

That is, you're not to treat God. with frivolity. You're not to treat God with profanity and you're not to treat God with hypocrisy. Don't treat God as if He is worthless. Don't treat God as if He is empty. Don't treat God as if He is meaningless. Because that's what it means to take the name of the Lord your God in vain. And the Lord God said back in Exodus 20, verse 7: if you do that, he says, for the Lord will not. Hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain. God takes very seriously how we treat him.

His child, you must treat him with holy reverence. You must go to him in holy reverence. You must want his name to be revered in your life above all else. Because if you don't, then your prayers. Will mean absolutely nothing because you would have regarded iniquity in your heart, and God will not hear you. The iniquity would have been the fact that you have dishonored His name. That you treat him as meaningless. You treat him as worthless because you don't want his name hallowed in your life. You want your life to go as it is, as you plan it.

And God says, uh-uh, that's not how you pray to me. I am your Father. But as your Father in heaven, my name is to be hallowed. Above all else. My name is to be revered above all else. And if you do that, if you are consumed with my pre. Then and then only can you be concerned with my program. That's my kingdom. And if you're concerned with my program, then and then only will you be committed to my plan. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Folks, look, if you are not consumed.

With God's name being that preeminent thing in your life, you will never be concerned with His program. And if you're not concerned with His program. then you will never be committed to his plan. And if you're not committed to his plan, then you'll never understand how to pray, give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us, and lead us not into temptation.