A Prayerful Christmas Season pt.2

A Prayerful Christmas Season (pt. 2)

Luke 10:38-11:13

4 ways we can follow the example of Jesus in developing a prayer life that emulates the way Jesus Himself approached God the Father in His own prayer life:

I. in Jesus’ Example (Luke 11:1)

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, LORD, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

-What a great habit to develop—watching our Savior—paying especially close attention to what He does.

-They saw something about His manner and method of praying and they wanted a part of it.

-Jesus is always the One we should look to for comparison and emulation!

-He calls us to dependently follow Him as we navigate this life.

II. to God’s Sovereignty (Luke 11:2)

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

–Sovereignty = idea of complete control; supreme leadership

-5 Ways Jesus demonstrates submission to God’s sovereignty:

A. Assumption of – when ye pray

-Are we taking God up on His incredible offer to converse with Him?

B. Approach of – Our Father which art in heaven

-This is a respectful recognition of one’s place before God…He is the Father and we are the child.

• He is our AUTHORITY. (His Word & will dictate our direction)
• We get to REST. (He will take care of His children)
• We are PRIVILEGED. (He grants us rights as children of God)

C. Attribution of Worship – Hallowed be Thy name

-There is none other like God! He shares category with no one or nothing else!

-We are to worship Him and Him alone.

D. Acknowledgment of – Thy kingdom come

-This is an eternal perspective that often eludes us as we get wrapped up with the issues of this life.

*We need to be reminded that:

• Life is not simply about this life and its blessings and challenges.
• People need to hear the Gospel because the Gospel is our only hope for eternity
• This world is not our final destination.

E. of Control – Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth

-There is so much about life that we like to attempt to maintain control of.

-That attempt at control manifests itself in:

• Greed because we want more and more
• Worry because we realize we’re not in full control, but not exactly trusting God’s loving control
• Manipulation because we want to make sure something goes the way we desire

*When we can rest in God’s control, we don’t have to be greedy, fearful, manipulative, or anything else…we can simply be trustfully worshipful because our loving God is in complete control.

III. Sit Upon God’s (Luke 11:3)

Give us day by day our daily bread.

-This literally means: Give us what we need one day at a time.

A promise is only as good as the character and ability of the one who makes the promise. 

-God’s character is only and always good and His ability is infinite—so when He makes a promise, you can take it to the bank!

*Without the promises of God we are left without and life is more than miserable.

-We need a constant diet of these promises to fuel our faith and to keep us stable in such an unstable world.

IV. Seek God for His (Luke 11:4)

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

-2 parts to this prayer for deliverance:

1. Deliverance from the of our ever-present sin

2. Deliverance from the temptation to give in to our ever-present sin

*There is no way around the fact that the only hope for our struggle with sin, its power, and its consequences is found in Jesus Christ !

-Our conscience is freed, our sin debt is paid, and our eternal destination is secured ALL in Jesus Christ ALONE!