Why Pray?

November 6, 2022

Preacher: Michael Teutsch

Series: Visiting Preachers

Passage: Matt 6:5-15

Service Type: Sunday Morning

Introduction

Why pray?
- Many people think of prayer as something of the past
- Is prayer redundant?
- Surveys show that all people in the UK pray at some point in their life
- Example of prayer
Why?
- Jesus focuses on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount
- He re-draws the reality of prayer
- He overturns the predominant view of the day (and even in our day)
Three quick points
- There is more to prayer than just doing business
- There is more to prayer than just praying

First of all he explains what the Gentiles and Jews do - they approached God as 'business'
- They were coming because they wanted something
- For the gentiles - fine clothes/words, for the pagan - many words
- Jesus dismisses both of these
- There is more prayer that just doing business - whether through fine words or many words

There is a believe we need to use precise or proper words for God to hear our prayers and respond
The Lord's Prayer
- Not to pray 'these words' but like these words
- He is almost giving us bullet points for prayer
- He wants to teach us how to pray effectively?

Example
There is more to prayer than just praying
- Jesus is calling us to engage with His heavenly Father to learn how to live eternity now
- Jesus is teaching us how to live in the reality as a beloved child of the God of glory
Our Father in heaven - v9
- Prayer set in terms of an intimate family
- His approach was radical - no-one in Jewish society thought this proper

He departs from excepted Jewish practice:
- Father - they would not learn to use this word for around a 1000 years
- Father - Jesus quoted this in all prayers except when on the cross
- Father - Jesus teaches His disciples to pray 'Our Father'
Why would Jesus do such a radical thing?
- On the Sermon on the Mount - He is talking about those who have come into the family of God
- If we have repented of our sin and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have entered into the same type of relationship He has with His Father - 'our Father'
- Personal example
- John 20:7
God is both creator and Father
- As creator - all mankind is accountable to God
- He is not the Father of all mankind - this title is unique to His own people, who have been saved by grace [i.e. Christians]
- We are all created in the image of God - thus we show grace and kindness to everyone
- There are two fatherhoods in this world:
  - The fatherhood of Adam
  - The fatherhood of God
  - Rom 5:17
  - Differences between these two families – Eph 2:1-4

This intimacy was scandalous to the Jews
- In Hebrew the word 'father' is very intimate
- Mark 14:33 - combined with "Abba"
- Like "daddy"
In the Old Testament - Father used only 14 times (and honourific)
- In the New Testament - Jesus uses the word father (intimate relation) over 170 times
Jesus is teaching that people can approach God with the same relationship
- Quote from J.I. Packer
What does that mean to me?
- We live in a day of expressive individualism
  - People try to find their identity in themselves
  - I will look for who I am in myself
- However, this is not working
  - We have more anxiety and chaos than any past age
- Where do you find your identity?
For the Christian - our identity is found in the Fatherhood of God
- Our earthly fathers may let us down (or worse)
  - God never lets us down
  - He is our true Father
- This is when the reality of forgiveness sets in
  - This is what we need to be healed
- God will discipline us if we continue in sin (as a loving Father)

He is the great God of glory
- Outrageous prayer - John 14:13-14, 15:7
  - This is not to be abused in thinking of the 'health, wealth and prosperity gospel'
  - Personal example
- We can be outrageous in our requests because of our trust in our Father
We should ask outrageous prayers
- God will filter our requests according to His purpose
- He is the God of the universe who can do as He wants
  - We should not be timid in our requests

We should live in reality now