Matthew 6:9-13 "Pray Like This" Podcast By cover art

Matthew 6:9-13 "Pray Like This"

Matthew 6:9-13 "Pray Like This"

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PRAY LIKE THIS... Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org Knock knock. Listen for it. The early church is huddled up praying when there is a knock at the door. Peter was standing at the gate. Rhoda recognized his voice. In her joy she didn't open the gate. She ran in and told them. They said she was out of her mind. But Peter kept knocking. And when they opened they saw him and were amazed. Why amazed? To answer that we have to back up. 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Jesus left us a framework for prayer. Matthew 6. Pray like this. Praise and worship. Gospel advancement. What we need to live. Forgiveness of sins. Protection. Deliverance. Starts with God. Ends with us. That is the framework. But Jesus also shows us the ferocity our prayers should have. Ask. Seek. Knock. Be persistent. Relentless. Steadfast. Tenacious. Ridiculously so. He is not annoyed by your relentless prayer. He loves it. Shake the tree. 2. HOW WE GET IT WRONG We pray like we're writing a letter to Santa Claus. It begins with us. Our needs. Our wants. Our problems. Our daily bread first. God's mission last. Or never. We pray intermittently. When things get bad enough. When we run out of options. As a last resort. And when God says no we assume He isn't listening. Or doesn't care. Or isn't good. 3. HOW JESUS GOT IT RIGHT Acts 12. Herod killed James. One of the Sons of Thunder. One of Jesus' closest friends. An apostle martyred. Then he arrested Peter. Four squads of soldiers. Chains on both wrists. Sentries at the door. The church? Praying. Relentlessly. Persistently. Incessantly. The night before his execution an angel smacked Peter awake. Chains fell off. Past the first guard. Past the second. The iron gate opened on its own. Like walking into Meijer. Peter went straight to where the church was gathered. Knocked on the door. Rhoda recognized his voice and left him standing at the gate. They prayed for a prison break and couldn't believe the prison break happened. That is how God's people pray. And look what happens every time in Acts. Acts 1. They pray. Holy Spirit busts in. Three thousand saved. Acts 2. They devote themselves to prayer. The Lord added to their number daily. Acts 4. They lifted their voice together. The place shook. Ten thousand believe. Acts 12. They pray. God pulls a prison break. Acts 13. They pray. God sends Paul out. Thousands of churches planted. Prayer always precedes gospel advancement. Jesus himself prayed for others. With others. Alone. Briefly. All night. Often. From the heart. With persistence. In deference to the Father's will. Father let this cup pass. The Father's answer to His perfect beloved Son. No. Jesus heard no and obeyed. Drank it down. All the way. God answering a prayer with no led to the greatest thing that ever happened in the universe. What a Savior. 4. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND No more Santa Claus. Prayer begins with awe and praise. Then His mission. Then our daily bread and forgiveness and deliverance. Shake the tree. Be relentless. Keep knocking. Keep asking. Don't give up. He always answers. Yes. No. Not yet. He gives us what we would ask for if we knew what He knows. James was martyred. The answer was no. But God did deliver him. Directly to the side of Jesus. Better than anything life here could offer. He always answers. Often no. That doesn't change how good He is. The sermon began with knocking. It ends with it too. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Friend, if you haven't called on Him to save you, what are you waiting for?
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