Pattern of Praying

That said, turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6.

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

We've been looking at the series of prayer.

And we started out with how to pray, you know, power praying.

Well, excuse me, problem praying.

Problem praying.

And then, secondly, we looked at pressure praying.

Then Rick brought a great message on public praying.

And today I'm going to bring the fourth message, and it's titled, The Pattern for Prayer.

The Pattern for Prayer.

Or you could call it the model prayer.

And then next week, Friend Day, we'll be looking at the prayer of the righteous out of Psalm 17.

So go home and study Psalms 17 this week.

But today we're going to be looking at the Lord's Prayer.

Many of us, many of us have memorized the Lord's Prayer.

And really the question I want to start out with this morning is what is the Lord's Prayer?

Is it a prayer to be recited?

As it so often is, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Just by memory, or is it just a form prayer?

Notice the words in Matthew 6, verse 9.

Matthew 6:9

After this manner pray ye.

Now, with that said, after what manner?

I want you to hold that place because we're going to come back and go verses 9 through 13.

But I want you to flip over real quick to Luke chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, where the Lord's prayer, or actually the model prayer.

Luke 11:1

It's really the disciples' prayer.

The Lord's prayer is in John 17.

But this is a model prayer that Jesus gave to the disciples after this question.

And here's the question.

And it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of the disciples said unto him, Lord, would you teach us to pray?

As John also taught his disciples.

And then verse 2, the Lord says unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as is in heaven, so it will be on the earth.

So, as we go back to Matthew 6, the prayer was given to show the disciples how to pray.

How to pray.

That's what it was.

How to pray.

How they should go about praying, not the words that should be prayed.

It's a model.

The very context of what Christ had just taught in the previous verses of verses 1 through 8 is very clear to teach us that we're not to just say repetitive words over and over and over again.

So the Lord's Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through.

And really, verses 9 through 13, he's teaching them what to say.

For example, I kind of just wrote, I was thinking how I could pray and give an example.

Our Father, here's what I wrote down as I was thinking, as I was studying and praying for Stephanie.

Thank you, Father, that you are our Father.

That you have adopted us as your children.

Thank you for seeing that you love me so much that you would adopt me into your family.

I am so thankful today, Father, that you are my personal father.

You are my daddy.

And I just want you to know thank you for adopting me.

Thank you for saving me.

Thank you for empowering me.

You just allow God to take over as you pray.

And then, which are in heaven.

Thank you for heaven, that you're in heaven.

Thank you that you've chosen me so that I can be in heaven with you and with my family that know you.

Thank you for a place that one day there'll be no tears, there'll be no sickness, there'll be no sorrow.

Thank you, Father for heaven.

So, that's kind of an example.

When the believer prays through the Lord's Prayer, he finds he has covered the scope.

Now, watch this.

This is, oh, you don't know how God has used this these last 10 days of my life.

When the believer prays through the Lord's Prayer, he finds he has covered the whole scope of what God wants him to pray.

So, I'm excited this morning.

The Lord's prayer is to be prayed through, not just recited.

And the first thing I want us to look at this morning in verse 9, we really see that there are, I'm talking about, three points to be prayed.

In other words, three things that God really wants us to pray.

Number one, but before we start looking at the first thing, I want you to really, in your notes, well, they're right there.

I've got, I've got uh four little things there for you.

Well, actually, I'll put them in there for you.

Here's what prayer is for.

Ready?

Fellowship with God.

Look at it.

It's fellowshiping with God.

It's not enough for a person to have knowledge of God, but he has to have time with God.

You have to have set time where you get along, and you and God have a time of intimate fellowship.

Just like you do with your own family, your wife, your children.

And believe me, I had a lot of fellowship with my four grandchildren these last ten days.

But it's a time alone, it's a time of sharing your heart with each other.

But secondly, and by the way, Psalms 46, 10 says, be still and know that he's God.

In other words, be still and share your heart with God.

But secondly, prayer is surrender to God.

We see that in verse 9, when he tells us, after this manner, therefore pray ye our Father, which are in heaven.

Hallowed be thy name.

So we see that it's surrendering to God.

It's basically the Romans 12, 1 and 2, and we're gonna look at that in a few moments here.

It's giving, it's saying, I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless I live, yet not I.

But Christ liveth in me.

I mean, he's my father, he's my daddy.

And then number three, prayer is requesting and pleading with God.

Look at verse 10.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In other words, it is crying out with urgency.

Urgency.

It's a prayer as I was praying all week since last Wednesday when she went into surgery.

Crying out to God.

It's requesting and pleading with God.

And we're going to look at those requests in verses 10 through 13 that we are to request from God.

And then number four, prayer is acknowledging and praising God.

Woo! Verse 13, where he says, and I love this, for this is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

In other words, we are to praise God for who he is and for his power that is available for us.

Wow, that's awesome.

So that's what prayer is.

Prayer is fellowshipping with God, it's a surrendering your will to God.

It's requesting and pleading with God.

And number four, it's acknowledging and praising God for who He is.

So, number two, look at verse 9.

Here's the first point.

Here's the first thing to be prayed.

God is addressed as our Father.

Look at it.

Our Father.

What does that mean?

It shows that God, who is in heaven, is the believer's father.

Can you believe that?

In fact, what it's saying here, church, is that all of a sudden you are in a new dimension.

Before you got saved, you were just living on this earth.

You were in a physical dimension.

And then once you ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart, guess what happens?

2 Corinthians 5.17.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ Jesus, he's a new creation.

Old things have passed away.

Behold, all things have become new.

Now you are walking in a new dimension, a spiritual dimension.

A spiritual dimension.

You no longer, hey, have to do everything on your own.

You don't have to try to work, hey, figure it out or try to do it.

You've got God as your father, as your daddy, who says that he will take care of you.

Now, folks, that's that's revolutionalizing.

It really is.

And look at what he says again.

Our Father.

In fact, Ephesians 4, 23 and 24, be renewed in the spirit of your mind.

Verse 24, that you put on the new man, which, hey, God created what?

In true righteousness.

In other words, you're a new creation, folks.

You're a new creature.

Now, let me say something right here.

If you really got saved, you hey, you know it.

You knew it.

You changed.

I'm not talking about emotionally.

We get stirred easily emotionally.

Can I get an amen?

I'm talking about a change.

In other words, your thoughts change.

Hello?

Your actions change.

Your attitude changes.

Your relationship with other people changes.

Now I'm not saying you don't have those thoughts come back and that, but you can control them because you got a new power living within you called the Holy Spirit of God that helps you to control that.

It's a new beginning.

And I don't know about you, but I can remember exactly when that happened in my life.

A new beginning.

Oh, a new creation.

It shows God is my Father.

And then, secondly, look at it.

The word our Father establishes a relationship between the believer and believers.

Our Father.

It's plural.

Ladies and gentlemen, when you get saved, you become a member of God's family.

You know what I love about church?

I'm a member of, hey, God's family.

I knew hundreds of you were praying for my daughter.

I knew you were praying for me.

I knew you were praying for Nana.

And just as I pray for you in your situation, and I know a lot of people say, well, I don't get on Facebook and all.

I can, you can, and I understand that.

But what I love about Facebook for me is it helps me shepherd you.

I know what's going on in your life, you know what's going on in my life, and I can pray specifically.

And that's what we do, and that's why we're family.

Your problems are my problems.

My problems are your problems.

You say, Well, I don't want your problems.

Well, maybe that goes both ways.

But that's not the family of God.

The family of God laughs together, cries together, bears one another's burdens together.

In fact, God says, as ye have opportunity, do good unto them.

All them, especially those of the household of faith.

Galatians 6.10.

Amen.

You with me?

So we see.

And then the word father points God, points to God as the believer's source.

God is our.

Aren't you excited to know that God is your source and not man?

Aren't you glad to know that God's your source and not the government?

Hallelujah! The government shall be upon his shoulders.

Amen.

Hey, our resources, our hey, our means comes from God.

And we see that.

I'm not going to take time to read the verses, but just read down in verses 25 through 33.

Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what you shall drink, nor, hey, yet for your body, what ye shall put on, is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment?

Yes.

In other words, he says, I'm going to take care of you.

Just I take care of the birds in the air.

And then he goes on in verse 33.

He says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And all these other things should be added unto you.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you have a burden and a heart and you're surrendered to God, you're totally, hey, hey, sold out to God, you're walking with God, he has a commitment, a covenant with you that he will take care of you, and my God can't lie.

My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4.19.

My God.

Say that with me.

My God.

My father.

Say it with me.

My father.

My daddy will take care of me.

That's awesome.

That's awesome.

I don't care what you're going through.

I've been there kicked out of my home when I was 11 years old.

Voted most likely not to succeed.

And I wouldn't have.

I would not have succeeded if I hadn't had that con, hey, hey, that conversion, that radical change.

Amen?

I went from the physical earthly to the heavenly spiritual.

Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.

1 John 4.

Amen.

So we see this.

We see how awesome this is.

He's our protector.

He's our guardian.

He's our comforter.

He's everything.

Look at the third thing.

Verse 9.

Heaven.

Heaven.

Oranos is the Greek word there.

The word is plural in the Greek.

It means heavens.

And you know there's three heavens.

We have the atmosphere surrounding the earth.

We see that in verse 26, the birds of the heaven.

Then we have the outer space of the heavenly bodies, Matthew 24.29, Revelation 6.13.

We see when the stars actually fall out of the quote, second heavens during the tribulation.

And then the third is the place above and beyond the physical dimensions of being where God's presence is fully manifested.

It is a spiritual world where Christ and his followers live, awaiting the glorious day of redemption.

Wow.

That's where our friends and relatives and loved ones are that know Christ.

That's where they are right now.

2 Peter 3, 11 through 14.

Our Father in heaven.

In heaven is the second point that he wants us to pray.

The first point was our Father, understanding that he's our Father, that intimate fellowship, that intimate relationship.

But the second point he wants us to pray is this the believer must direct his prayers to heaven.

We need to pray to heaven.

Why is that?

I thought about that.

We direct our prayers to heaven.

I thought about Stephen.

Remember Stephen when he was being stoned?

Listen to what this says.

Acts 7, 55 through 56.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly.

Where did he look?

Into heaven.

And saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

We pray to God because that's where God is.

He's our advocate, he's our mediator, he's standing there to intercede for us to God.

Is that not good?

He says in 1 Timothy 2, 5, one God, one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.

So he's, we pray to heaven because that's where Jesus is, our advocate, our the one that's standing in the gap for us.

And he also shows us right here with the words, our Father, how to approach God.

Hey, Father says that when we approach him bold, we find grace to help in time of need.

Remember that?

Hebrews 4.16?

Let us come boldly into the throne of grace that we might receive mercy in time of need and grace in time of need.

Let us come before the throne, heaven.

And then secondly, in heaven says that we are to approach God respectfully, reverently, with awe.

Psalms 111, verse 9, and also verse 13.

Psalms 111:9

And all his power and glory.

The heavens reveal the power and glory of God.

And let me remind you that, hey, the believer's true citizenship's in heaven.

Philippians 3:20.

Philippians 3:20

Hey, our citizenship's in heaven.

Our Father's in heaven.

Our Savior Jesus is in heaven.

Our family's in heaven.

My goodness, when we pray, we ought to talk to heaven.

You say, Well, people will think I'm crazy.

Well, you are.

You're to live in this world, but you're not of this world.

You've got a, hey, you got a home that, hey, that no man can build or has built.

You got a home in heaven where God Himself has built.

Imagine.

In my Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you in my father's house, I promise you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also.

Heaven! Heaven! You pray to heaven! Oh, you pray to heaven.

And guess what?

You know what I learned as I was studying about this?

Because I, you know, I just start praying.

I don't think about looking up and praying to heaven.

Saying, Jesus, I know you're standing there at the right hand of God the Father, or maybe sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

And I know you're sitting there waiting to hear my request.

I know you are waiting, first of all, for me to tell you who you are.

He knows who he is, but he wants us to know who he is.

And to glorify him for his power, his grace, his mercy, hey, his wisdom.

I mean, you just start going down the list.

Our father.

And thank you for personally and being my daddy.

I didn't, I had a physical daddy, but not a real daddy, and I didn't have a I had a physical mother, but not, I mean, I was on my own growing up.

But but and for many of you that have never had a daddy or father, or you've come from a bad situation like I've come from, I've got news from you.

When you get saved, you got a real daddy.

Amen.

You got a daddy that's gonna take care of you, you got a daddy that's gonna provide for you, you got a daddy that's gonna love you unconditionally.

You don't know, preacher, what I've done.

I don't care what you've done.

If you've been forgiven by God, hey, it doesn't matter.

He's put your sins as deep as, hey, in the deepest part of the sea, and he's hung a sign up saying, No fishing.

You've given a hey, you've given a new life, a new hope, a new future.

Thank you, Daddy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

God sees all from heaven.

He sees all the sons of men.

He looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

And he considers all their works.

Psalms 33, 13 through 19.

That's a message within itself.

But look at number four.

The third thing.

The third point.

Hallow be thy name.

The word hallow is the third point that we've got to realize when we're praying to God.

And boy, what a beautiful picture this is.

When you say hallow be thy name, that word is packed with unbelievable truth.

God's name is holy, it's righteous, and it's pure.

It's above, before, and over all names.

In fact, in 1 Peter 1, 15 and 16, he says, but he who called you, who hey, called you to be a son, who called you, is holy.

And you are also to be holy in all manner of conduct, because it is written, be ye holy, because God says, I am holy.

It's so important that we understand that.

Therefore, the believer's prayer is for God's name to be adored and honored by all men.

You know why?

Neither is there salvation in any other name.

For there's none other name under heaven given among men whereby ye must be saved.

It matters how you go to heaven, oh, long as we all go into the same place.

No, we're not.

You're only going to heaven if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, surrendered to his will, not your will.

It's pretty clear.

So we see how important this is, folks.

The first thing prayer should do is praise and glorify God.

God has done everything, He has made the world and given us life and given life to the world, and He owned, hey, and man owes his very life to God.

I love James 1.17.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights.

Isn't that not good?

God's glory is the very reason Christ came to this earth.

God says he shall be exalted in the earth, even among the heathen.

Psalms 46, 10.

Daniel said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and mind are his.

Wow.

But see, here's the problem.

Men praise and honor each other among themselves more than God.

In fact, there's some who are more loyal to the names of the famous athletes and stars and politicians than they are to the name of God.

Is that not true?

Absolutely.

Just watch TV.

They are more disturbed when the name of their idol or person that they like is disrespected than they are when the name of God is used in a curse.

Can I remind you about that, GD?

When somebody takes GD in vain?

Can I remind you, God says that the man who curses his name is to be judged severely.

Exodus 27.

Hello.

I won't let anybody say that around me, but one time.

And I'm going to do one or two things.

I'm going to say, please don't say that again, because that's my father you're talking about.

Or if he goes again, then I just leave.

I'm not going to be around it.

That's why I can't watch.

You know why you can't watch TV anymore or go to movies anymore?

Because the language is pathetic.

It's just ungodly.

And you said, well, it doesn't bother me.

Don't you?

Garbage in, garbage out.

Righteousness in, righteousness out.

It does bother you.

I know it bothers me.

That's why he says, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Bringing into what?

Control every thought to the obedience of Christ.

You can't think right and listen to that kind of garbage.

Can I get an amen?

Look at number 5, verse 10.

Now that we've seen the three ways, we are to pray to God the Father.

Notice how we stop out, start out praying with the Lord's Prayer in one.

See how much verse 9's loaded?

It's all about Him, not about us.

It's all about His kingdom, not our kingdom.

It's all about Him.

And then after we honor Him, give Him glory, give Him praise, and just really thank Him for who He is, thank Him for heaven.

Thank Him for all the grace and the mercy and the wisdom and really the power and everything that He has given to us or has available to us.

Then He says, Okay, now it's time you can request.

You can request.

Number five, look at verse 10.

Thy kingdom come.

Now, this is the first request, pray.

The kingdom of God is to be the focus of the believer's request, the very first thing for which he asks.

And there's a reason for that.

Actually, there's three reasons.

We are to pray, God, let your kingdom come.

Now, there's two dimensions to that kingdom.

One, and really what he's referring to here is future.

We've learned that in the book of Revelation.

That one day Jesus is going to come and he's going to set up his kingdom and he's going to rule for a thousand years, and there'll be peace and love and joy and contentment in the whole world.

I'm kind of like the beloved John.

I would like to see him come quickly and see that now, wouldn't you?

Absolutely.

Behold, come quickly, Lord, John said.

But notice it is a request for Jesus to return to the earth.

That's number one.

And we see that in Matthew 3, 4, 5.

But secondly, it is a request, the very uh hey, it is a request, it's a personal request for the kingdom of God to be realized in our life.

In other words, we are kingdom citizens.

Can I get an amen?

And while we are still here on this earth, we have one purpose.

1 Corinthians 10 31.

Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, what?

You do all to the glory of God.

So we are ambassadors basically of God's kingdom.

And we are to be spreading the good news about God's kingdom.

Amen?

That's what he meant when he said, go into all the world, preach the gospel of every creature.

In other words, we are to share the good news that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross 2,000 years ago, if he be lifted up, he will draw all men unto himself.

John 12, 32.

So as we live and we uh, should I say, preach and not just preach, we share, but we live a righteous life on this earth.

We are representing the kingdom of God here as ambassadors and co-laborers with God.

Do you understand that?

That is a huge responsibility.

That's what the Lord's Prayer is all about.

What he's saying is, when you pray the Lord's Prayer, thy will be done in heaven as is in earth, you are literally saying to God, I am gonna live a Christ-like, godly life for you here on this earth, till you take me home, or till you come back and set up your kingdom.

Yeah, I thought that'd be a little quiet.

See, you just thought, well, bless God, I got saved, I got baptized.

Okay, now I'm gonna go on with my own life.

Not.

We have a responsibility.

And this shows us what prayer really is.

We're literally praying.

When you start praying, you're saying to God, Thy will be done, thy kingdom come.

I want you to use me to let people see your kingdom here on this earth.

That's an awesome, unbelievable, incredible responsibility.

Now let me ask the question.

How well are you doing with that?

When people look at you or look at me, how much Jesus do they see?

Do you know it doesn't take me long when I've spent a give me 10 minutes with a person.

If he's spirit-filled, if he's a spirit-filled Christian, whether it's a man or a woman, I feel Jesus all over.

Because it gets on me.

My spirit bears witness with his spirit that we're children of God.

Wow.

You mean the prayer meant that?

Oh, I just thought it was just requote the prayer and go on about my business.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

You you we kind of wished it was that easy.

Oh, no, no, no.

Thy kingdom come.

It's a personal request.

It's a hey, a request for Jesus' return.

It's a personal request.

And here's the third thing, which I just explained.

Hey, when we pray, it's an evangelistic request.

In other words, you're saying that as a Christian, I'm going to be your representative, I'm going to be your ambassador, and I'm going to tell people and show Jesus to the world.

You're writing a gospel, a chapter each day.

By the deeds that you do and the words that you say.

Men read what you write, distorted or true.

What is the gospel, according to you?

Now that's the Lord's prayer.

That's exactly what you're praying and you're telling God.

Wow.

Which brings me to number six, verse 10 again.

Not only do we see thy kingdom come, but notice thy will be done.

Notice the next phrase.

Now here's the key to thy will being done.

I had never seen this before in this context.

In Romans 12, 1 and 2, this is good.

This is, this is so, when I saw this truth, I just said, thank you.

Everybody quotes Romans 12, 1 and 2, but what is the explanation of Romans 12, 1 and 2?

I beseech you, I beg you, I encourage you, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, hey, and acceptable and perfect.

Here it is, will of God, right?

Thy will be done.

So Romans 12, 1 and 2 is packed with what you're saying when you pray, God, your will be done.

You're actually saying, God, I want my kingdom to die and your kingdom to live.

Amen.

That's good, preacher.

Not my kingdom come, thy kingdom come.

But what it's saying in Romans 12, 1 and 2, whoa, this is so good.

And I didn't, this is one of those nuggets you may want to write down in your little notes.

What you're saying is in Romans 12, 1 and 2, that we will work to please God in all that we do.

We will work to please God in all that we do.

Wow.

In other words, we wake up in the morning, we go to the Word of God, and we open up with prayer, thanking God for being our Father, thanking God for heaven, talking to Him about all that He is and all that He is to you and will be to you.

And then we go and when we start requesting, we say, now, Lord, your will, I want your will to be lived out in me this day, so that you will be honored and glorified, and so that people can hear the gospel through my life and through my words.

I want to do everything today to please you.

Alright, the second thing.

That God can do with us as he pleases.

Oh, this is the toughie.

That's what Romans 12, 1 and 2 means.

God, not me, but you.

Not me, but you.

Not my life, but your life.

You can do anything you want to with my life today.

So that means your schedule may be interrupted.

Now I don't know about you, but I wake up every morning and after I just thank the Lord, especially since I've been studying this prayer, I'm really praising him and thanking him, not just taking him for granted.

Then I have an agenda.

Because I like to get some things done.

I'm not a procrastinator.

Let's get it done.

And sometimes I, no doubt in my mind and in my heart and in my life, I have missed some things God wanted me to do because my agenda was more important.

What about you?

What about you?

Can we all say oh me?

So that's what it's saying.

It's saying that, hey, we will work to please God in all we do.

Secondly, hey, that God can do with us as he pleases.

And then there's one other thing.

That we will not be displeased with what God does.

Uh-oh.

We may not understand it.

It may not make sense.

There may be question after question, but here we go, and you know what I'm about to say.

Say it with me.

We know.

Come on.

We know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.

Even though we don't understand it, sometimes we may question it time and time again.

But we, when we pray the Lord's Prayer and we quote Romans 12, 1 and 2, basically, when we pray the Lord's Prayer, we're really saying Romans 12, 1 and 2.

Huh.

Wow.

That's good.

Thy will be done as it is in her.

And there's a lot of wills that we face.

Man's will, other men's will, Satan's will, but we want God's will.

Can I get an amen?

Psalms 48 says, I delight to do your will, oh my God.

Your laws within my heart.

Here it is.

The believer is praying for heaven's rule to come to earth.

Is that not good?

We're praying for heaven's rule to come to earth.

Number seven.

Bread.

Look at verse 11.

The third request.

Give us our bread.

You know what that's saying?

The believer is saying that I trust you, God, for all the necessities of life, and I praise you for what I receive.

We're not asking.

Hey, we're not asking for the desserts.

We're asking for the necessities.

My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.

Amen?

So when you get up, let me tell you, when you're praying, here's what you do.

First of all, thank him for what he's already done for you.

Can I get an amen?

Thank him for what you already have.

Amen.

And then pray, as Paul prayed, Lord, let me be content with what I have and what you allow me to have.

Can I get an amen?

That's good.

That's good.

Contentment.

And then number eight, forgiveness.

Forgiveness.

Boy, that's so good.

I mean, look at it.

Forgive us of our debts.

Give us this day our daily bread, but then forgive us of our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Oh, oh, this is the fourth request.

And see, in forgiveness, we have a duty, both look at it, to God and to man.

Forgiveness for self, our debts, and forgiveness of others, those that, hey, have sinned against us.

Our duty to God is to ask forgiveness when we fail to do his will.

1 John 1.9.

And listen to Isaiah 55, 7.

I saw this first, I hadn't seen it in a long time, as I do in references on verses.

He said, Let the wicked forsake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Wow.

And then our duty to man is to forgive his sins against us.

Listen to what Mark said in, Jesus said in Mark 11, 25.

When you stand praying, forgive.

If ye have all against another or any, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you, your trespasses.

If we wish to be forgiven ourselves, both duties have to be performed.

We must forgive those who sinned against us, and we must ask forgiveness for our sins.

Now let me tell you why.

Let me tell you why.

You are no more like Jesus.

Now listen, you are no more like Jesus than when you are forgiving others.

Wow.

I'm gonna repeat that.

You are no more like Jesus than when you are forgiving others.

Wow.

And let me remind you, unforgiving spirit causes pain and hurt and tragedy, both to oneself and to others.

Amen.

And by the way, look at what he says in verse 14 and 15.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you.

Wow.

Wow.

And then the last thing, number verse 13.

Number nine, temptation.

Deliverance.

First of all, let me say, God does not lead man into sin.

Let no one say, when he is tempted, I am tempted by God.

God cannot be tempted by evil, neither does he tempt anyone with evil.

James 1.13.

Pray.

That God will keep you from the evil pool of temptation.

Pray that God will deliver you from evil.

The plea and the cries for God to deliver us from temptation and from the evil one.

There hath, and 1 Corinthians 10, 12.

Now watch this.

He that thinketh he stands, take heed lest he fall.

Don't think you can't fall, hey, into temptation and fall into sin.

Everybody is susceptible.

If it can happen to David, a man after God's own heart, it can happen to any of us.

And then verse 13 says, There has no temptation taking you, but such is common to man.

But God is faithful and just who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able, but with the temptation make a way to escape.

And 2 Peter 2, 9, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust until the day of judgment.

The reason we are to pray, to be delivered from temptation.

For two reasons.

Psalms 15, 4.

And because sin causes great trouble, guilt, and grief for both oneself and others.

Wow.

Wow.

So let me ask you this morning.

Do you think the Lord's prayers is much more?

And just to be recited?

Oh yes.

Oh it.

Oh.

It's so much more.

God didn't use, didn't teach the disciples the Lord's Prayer to just for them to recite.

It's okay.

I like reciting.

But you know what God's taught me?

Now when I recite those words and those phrases, it means a lot more to me than it did.

Because it means that I'm literally not only thanking God to be my father, thanking God for heaven, but I'm saying, God, that I am an ambassador of Christ.

I am living.

Hey, your kingdom.

By the way, John 17, oh, thank you, Holy Spirit.

John 17, I think it's verse 6, I mean, not John, but Luke 17, verse 6 says that, hey, hey, that the kingdom lives within us.

Luke 17:6

We are the kingdom.

So when you pray, say, God, let me be that living testimony to who you are.

Every head bowed.