Pray Like This (Matthew 6:5-9)
Gary McManus, 03/03/2019Part of the Prayer series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Matthew 6:5-9
Prayer is an inherited practice from Jesus
and the disciples—Jews.
Prayer appears early in the Bible,
Genesis 4:26.
Most versions interpret the verse this way:
call on / pray / worship / proclaim
Then the Bible only describes worship
rather than teach about worship and prayer.
(See Genesis 12:8, 13:4, 26:25)
Psalms states that we may address the Lord
God as “the one who hears prayer.”(Psalm 65:2)
The early prayers in the Bible recorded
look and sound everything like conversations. . . .
It is from the PROPHETS of God we learn:
prayer MUST BE more than ritual. (Isaiah 59:2)
( See Genesis 5:24, Psalm 51:17) Also these Psalms
are called prayers: Psalm 17, Psalm 86, Psalm 90,
Psalm 102, Psalm 142.
The practice of prayer. . .
How to pray. . .check out/compare
Jacob’s prayers (Genesis 28 and Genesis 32).
How different these prayers are.
Today is Jesus’ own teaching on prayer.
Jesus called (and instructed the disciples
to call) God “Father.”
Many scholars agree that the Gospel writers
have completely translated Jesus’ prayer
from Aramaic (Abba) into Greek (Pater/
Father).
Paul used and instructed “Abba.”
(Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6).
Mark recorded both (Mark 14:36) .
This was and is an important difference in Jesus’
teaching—different than earlier Jewish teaching
and practice.
It is important for prayer and MORE important
HOW we understand ourselves before God.
Do we want to emphasize God’s “otherness”?
Jesus did not teach thus.
Jesus wanted to teach closeness. . .that God WANTED
us to be close to God. . .a relationship of kinship—family
There are still rules for talking to royals.
Pastor still has trouble with intimate address
to God, the Father. But that is the Pastor’s problem,
not God’s.
Pastor must never forget that he is
a DEPENDENT child on his daddy God
who loves him.
Amen.
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