JESUS ON PRAYER
Everything Jesus said about Prayer.
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Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord,"
Luke 6:46-49 Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord," and not do what l say ? l will show you what people are like who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But those who hear my Words and do not put them into practice are like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.
Bold Prayer
Luke 11:5-8 Then He said to them, Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, "friend, lend me 3 loafs of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and l have nothing to set before him." Then the one inside answers, "Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. l cant get up and give you anything. "L tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the mans boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
Pray and Don't Give Up.
Luke 18:1-8 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always Pray and not give up. He said: "ln a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about people. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "grant me justice against my adversary." For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, "Even though l don't fear God or care about people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, l will see that she gets justice, so that she wont eventually wear me out with her coming". And the Lord said, LISTEN to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? l tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find Faith on the earth?
Don't Pray Like The Hypocrites
Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. l tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full
Pray In Secret
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Don't Babble On In Prayer
Matthew 6:7-8 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
To Forgive Or Not To Forgive
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Ask Seek Knock
Matthew 7:7-11 Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who seeks finds; and to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your children ask for bread, will give them a stone? Or if they ask for a fish, will them a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.
Ask In My Name (Christ Jesus)
John 16:23-28 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. l tell you the truth , my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. Though l have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when l will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ln that day you will ask in my name. l am not saying l will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that l came from God. l came from the Father and entered the world; now l am leaving the world and going back to the Father.
Ask For The Holy Spirit
Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.
To Agree On Pray
Mathew 18:19 Again l tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven
Jesus Presence During Pray
Mathew 18:20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am l with them.
Pray For Those Who ill Treat You
Luke 6:28 Bless those who curse you, pray for those who ill treat you.
Pray Not To Fall Into Temptation
Luke 22:39-40 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed Him. On reaching the place, He said to them, Pray that you will not fall into temptation.
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
For Himself
John 17:vv. 1–5For His disciples
John 17:vv. 6–19For future believers
John 17:vv. 20–26He affirms the glory of the Cross (v. 1, 2) He expresses the very essence of eternal life (v.3, 4)
He rejoices in the shared glory of the Father (v. 5)
He prays for their knowledge (v.6–9)
He prays for their perseverance (v.10-12)
He prays for their joy (v. 13)
He prays for their sanctification (v.14-17)
He prays for their mission (v. 18, 19)
He prays for their oneness (v.20-22) He prays for their perfect unity (v.23)
He prays for their future presence with Him (vv. 24, 25)
He prays for their mutual love (v. 26)
Mark 6:45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
Luke 22:39Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.
Luke 4:16So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
Luke 23:33 Finally, they came to a place called The Skull. All three were crucified there—Jesus on the center cross, and the two criminals on either side. 34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing."
Luke 6:12 One day soon afterward Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.
Luke 9:28 About eight days later Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 Then two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. 31 They were glorious to see. And they were speaking of how he was about to fulfill God’s plan by dying in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and the others were very drowsy and had fallen asleep. Now they woke up and saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, "Master, this is wonderful! We will make three shrines—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 34 But even as he was saying this, a cloud came over them; and terror gripped them as it covered them. 35 Then a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him." 36 When the voice died away, Jesus was there alone. They didn’t tell anyone what they had seen until long after this happened.
Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, "Sit here while I go on ahead to pray." 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress. 38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me." 39 He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine." 40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn’t you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" 42 Again he left them and prayed, "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done." 43 He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for they just couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44 So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, "Still sleeping? Still resting? Look, the time has come. I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. See, my betrayer is here!"
Luke 10:21 Then Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. 22 "My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, "How privileged you are to see what you have seen. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings have longed to see and hear what you have seen and heard, but they could not."
Luke 17:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2For you have given him authority over everyone in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do. 5 And now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
John 17:9 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me, so they are my glory! 11 Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them—all those you have given me—so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I have kept them safe. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 "And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours. 20 "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. 21 My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. 22 "I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are—23 I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you’ve given me to be with me, so they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the world began! 25 "O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them."
Notice that Christ’s model prayer begins with "Our Father." Right away we learn that vital prayer is a child talking with his Father. The Holy Spirit has even taught us to pray, "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). Abba is an Aramaic word that is very close to our word "Daddy." It was one of the first words framed upon the lips of a little baby. How thrilling to know that as God’s dear child you can come with such intimate confidence as to call Him "Abba, Father."
We are told to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done." This tells us immediately that prayer has one major purpose, i.e., to seek and to secure the will of God. Prayer is answered only when it is in the will of God. "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14). Praying in the will of God does not mean fewer blessings, but rather greater blessings for you. We should never fear the will of God. But remember that prayer is not some exercise whereby we try to bend God’s will to fit our will. Prayer is not talking God into doing something that He ordinarily would not want to do. Prayer is the thrilling experience of finding God’s will and then asking Him for it. How do we know God’s will? Obviously God’s will is made known in a general sense as we read the Bible, but there are so many specific things that the Scriptures do not touch upon. The secret of knowing God’s will in prayer is not only to know the Bible and let its truth abide in us, but to be very, very sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit of God. Remember that because you are a temple of God and a house of prayer, God’s Holy Spirit abides within you, and He will help you pray (Rom. 8:26, 27). We call this "praying in the Spirit." When we pray, we are to pray to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. What a glorious partnership there is between the Holy Spirit and the human spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us the will of God and helps us to pray as we ought. The Holy Spirit, as our helper, wants to think through our minds, feel through our hearts, speak through our lips, weep through our eyes, and express Himself through our spirits. Prayer is the Holy Spirit’s finding a desire in the heart of the Father and then placing that desire into our hearts. The desire is then sent back to heaven in the power of the cross. This is why we must learn to wait before the Father in meditation and openness when we pray.
Surely we may ask for our needs ("Give us this day our daily bread"). While we should not pray selfish prayers, we certainly may pray personal prayers for personal needs. Our Father is concerned with every need we have. Remember that this model prayer is but a guide for praying. Jesus did not mean we should only ask for bread. What He did mean was that we should bring all of our needs to the Father and ask Him specifically for what we need. Paul reminds us, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Notice he did not say "all your wants." Sometimes we want things we do not need, and sometimes we need things we do not want. Many Christians have needs that are unmet simply because they do not pray. James reminds us, "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2). Let us learn to ask the Father for the things we need. Nothing that is big enough to concern us is too small to concern Him. Ask Him for your needs.
Powerful prayer must come from a clean heart. Jesus taught us to pray for daily forgiveness ("forgive us our debts") just as we pray for daily bread. Many of our prayers are not answered because we are not including confession and repentance with our petitions. The prayer from a dirty heart is a prayer not answered. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (Ps. 66:18). James warns all of us when he says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8). We cannot pray effectively with dirty hands, defiled hearts, and double minds. So many of us, it seems, would rather hold to our sins than enjoy the freedom of a prayer life that knows no limits. Are there sins that have made your temple a den of thieves rather than a house of prayer? If so, pray, "Forgive me my debts."
The phrase, "deliver us from evil" is an acknowledgment of our need for God to provide us a way of escape from evil. You need the protection provided through prayer. The prayer for deliverance from evil and temptation is preventive medicine.
Jesus’ model prayer both opens and closes on a note of praise ("Yours is . . the glory forever"). How appropriate this is. Prayer must be done in faith, and praise is the best expression of faith. When we ask God for things, that is petition. But petition without praise is unbelief. Praise without petition, however, is presumption. But when we link petition and praise together, that is power. When I ask God, then praise God, I am believing God. Petition says. "Please." Praise says, "Thank you." If your faith is strong, your prayers will be strong. Pray and believe and you will receive. Pray and doubt and you will do without. How important, therefore, it is that we learn to praise. If your prayer life seems useless and powerless, learn to praise God. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people. He is very near when we praise Him. The Lord’s Prayer begins with "Our Father" and ends with "Yours is the kingdom." Our Father is a King. Just think about that. I have a Father who will hear me and a King who can answer me. I have the sympathy of a Father and the sovereignty of a King attuned to my prayer. Yes, why shouldn’t I offer God praise? You will discover victory when you let your temple be a house of prayer.
