Prayer as Worship

1. Read: Matthew 6:9-13 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

2. About the Text:

1) Jesus is in the midst of instruction regarding prayer.

2) He wants the disciples to understand that the traditions of the Pharisees regarding prayer is sinful.

3) He instructs both positively and negatively.

4) On the negative side prayer is not to be:

a. Showy.

b. Vainly repetitious.

5) On the positive side, Jesus gave us an example of how to pray.

a. This is the model prayer, not the Lord’s prayer.

b. He was instructing his disciples how to pray at that time.

6) The basic outline for prayer here is the same for us today.

3. Series on worship.

1) Worship is bending the knee in reverence to God.

2) It is those attitudes and actions in which we dedicate and devote ourselves to God in respect and honor.

3) In prayer we are dedicating and devoting ourselves to speaking to God.

4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Ascribing Praise to God.

1) The word ascribe means to attribute, assign, or credit.

2) We are to address God as our Father and attribute unto him the honor he deserves. “Our Father who art in heaven.”

a. God is honored when we call Him our Father because.

a) We acknowledge Him as our creator.

b) We acknowledge Him as our sustainer.

c) We acknowledge Him as our provider.

d) We acknowledge Him as our protector.

3) We are speaking words of glory and honor to God when we pray. “Hallowed be thy name.”

2. God is worthy of our praise to Him in prayer. Note some of these great examples of praise in prayer in the Old Testament.

1) Isaiah 12:4-6 “And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

2) 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 “Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”

3) Nehemiah 9:5-6 “Then the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said, Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”

3. When we ascribe to God glory and praise and honor we are worshiping Him.

1. We acknowledge in prayer that God is the ruler of the universe and we rely upon Him. “Thy will be done on earth as in heaven.”

1) As creator of the universe. Jeremiah 51:15 “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.”

2) As the continued sustainer of all things. “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (or are sustained).” (Colossians 1:17)

2. We acknowledge God’s power in providing for our lives.

1) In giving us food and gladness. Acts 14:17 “Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”

2) In providing shelter and clothing. Matthew 6:33 — All these things will be added.

3. We acknowledge God’s power in providing for our salvation.

1) In sending His Son Jesus. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world . . . .”

2) In accepting that perfect sacrifice for our sins. Titus 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

3) In providing the plan through which man can be saved. Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed . . . .”

4) In giving us His perpetual word so we can have the pattern. 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

4. When we acknowledge God has done these things for us, we are worshiping Him.

1. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

2. We ask because God tells us to ask.

1) Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

2) 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

3. We ask because we know that God loves us and wants to give us good things. Matthew 7:9-11 “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

4. We ask because we truly have needs for which only God can provide.

1) Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

2) Matthew 6:30-33 “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

5. We ask because we understand that God has the power to fulfill our requests.

1) Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”

2) Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

1. There is a difference between taking and accepting.

2. In accepting the great gifts that God has given us, we are thankful.

3. We are to be thankful in everything: Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

4. When we come before God in worship to Him, we are to be thankful. ” Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4).

5. God considers thanksgiving our sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

6. Thanksgiving is certainly worship to God.

1. This morning we have looked at prayer as worship. When we pray properly we . . .

1) Ascribe to God all glory and honor.

2) Acknowledge God as the one true and only God.

3) Ask for the things that we have need

4) Accept the great blessings that God has given us in thanksgiving.

2. Invitation