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On Our Knees Changing Our Minds About Prayer

On Our Knees Changing Our Minds About Prayer. Matthew 6:5-15. Family Relationships. Interest in genealogy has exploded over the past decade with the advent of online websites like ancestry.com. How many of you have traced your family tree?

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On Our Knees Changing Our Minds About Prayer

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  1. On Our KneesChanging Our Minds About Prayer Matthew 6:5-15

  2. Family Relationships Interest in genealogy has exploded over the past decade with the advent of online websites like ancestry.com. • How many of you have traced your family tree? • How far back have you gone into your family history? • Have you discovered any interesting relatives you didn’t know about?

  3. Cultivating Relationships Relationships are a very important part of life – just imagine what the world would be like without them. • How do we keep relationships alive and growing with friends and family? • How do we cultivate our relationship with Jesus?

  4. The Model Prayer Prayer plays a critically important role in developing a close relationship with God, and Jesus modeled it for us himself. • The model prayer has six petitions or requests. • It is not intended to be a mantra that is constantly repeated but rather an example of how to pray. • 9Therefore, you should pray like this…

  5. Prayer is about Relationship 5"Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They've got their reward! 6But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. 8Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8

  6. Principles of Effective Prayer • What types of prayer does Jesus criticize in these verses? • What principles about effective prayer did Jesus emphasize? • How are your prayers different when you are in a quiet, private place? • What are some of your favorite places to pray?

  7. Intimacy with Christ Jesus wants an intimate relationship with us, and when we go to Him in prayer He is not merely tolerating us, He is welcoming us as a Father welcomes his child. • Since believers have accepted Christ’s invitation to relationship, what should be the importance of prayer in our lives? • Since communication is a two-way process of talking and listening, how do we listen to God? How do we know the voice we hear is His? • In your opinion, what qualities are evident in the prayers of believers who have an intimate relationship with Jesus?

  8. Prayer is God-centered Matthew 6:9-10 9"Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. 10Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The model prayer includes six requests or petitions and the first three are in these verses. • May your name be honored. • May your kingdom come. • May your will be done.

  9. Our Father in heaven The opening phrase reminds us that prayer is first and foremost about God, not about us: • May your name be honored as holy • How may Christians honor God’s name as holy? • How is God’s name dishonored in our culture today? • What can Christians do to improve this situation? • May your kingdom come • How may believers’ lives help others to see God and desire a relationship with His Son? • May your will be done • How can believers grow in their understanding of God’s will?

  10. Prayer is about Everyday Life Matthew 6:11-13 11Give us today our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.] • Jesus switches gears now to focus on three basic personal needs: • Food • Finances, and • Forgiveness • The idea is to identify our personal needs and bring them to God in prayer. • Also, don’t miss the need to ask God for protection from Satan.

  11. Prayer is about Forgiveness Matthew 6:14-15 14"For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing. • After Jesus listed six petitions He commented only on forgiveness. • Why is forgiveness the one we struggle with the most? • Does this mean we earn salvation by doing some-thing? • Does God expect us to remember to ask forgive-ness for every sin we commit?

  12. Changing Our MindsAbout Prayer • Prayer plays a critically important role in developing a close relationship with God, and Jesus modeled it for us himself. He taught us that: • Prayer is about relationship • Prayer is God-centered • Prayer is about everyday Life • Prayer is about forgiveness • Prayer is a privilege

  13. Prayer is a Privilege “Prayer is the privilege of those who already have God's favor.” Pastor Mark Marshall November 11, 2012 Let us resolve to follow Jesus’ model and our Pastor’s leadership in becoming people of prayer.

  14. On Our KneesChanging Our Minds About Prayer Matthew 6:5-15

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