Revelation 3:20, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Matthew 7:7, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Intro- Jesus’ disciples struggled with the concept of seeking and finding and opening up spiritual doors. You see, prayer takes on a whole new dimension when you have Jesus with you every day. That is why Jesus’ disciples did not fast. However, Jesus, who was God, still prayed. The disciples realized if Jesus with all of His power and authority still needed to pray, how much more they needed to pray. So they came to Him and said, Teach us to pray.
The request is interesting, since they had already been praying. But they had noticed not everyone who prayed was getting the same results. The publicans and Pharisees prayed, but the prayers of Jesus opened blinded eyes and caused the dead to rise. So they asked, Teach us to pray the way You pray.
From that request, Jesus outlined to them a 7-step pattern for prayer. I call these, The Seven Principles of Prayer. Now if you just pray this prayer, it will only take you about 43 seconds to say these 63 words. However, this prayer is not meant to be a repetitious prayer, but rather a system for praying the kind of prayers that open doors.
Matthew 6:9-13
Verse 9: In this manner, therefore, pray…
The word manner actually means a system or a pattern.
Verse 9. Our Father in heaven… this is our approach to the door.
A. The first word is our. The our in this verse identifies our access to God.
We can only come to the Father with Jesus. Our own righteousness will not get us in. John 14:6 says, AI am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. When you pray, you may want to say, Father, I come to you with Jesus.
B. The second word is Father. No place in the Old Testament, did anyone feel free to call Jehovah God Father. Orthodox Jews won’t even say the name Jehovah or Yahweh. But when Jesus came, 153 times in the book of John alone, Jesus called Him Father. Over 200 times in the New Testament, God is called Aour Father.
Principle #1. Hallowed be Your name…On earth as it is in heaven.
The word hallowed means to make holy. ‘Holy is Your Name.’ What we are actually saying is, “Hallowed be Your name on earth as it is in heaven.”
There are over 800 names in the Bible ascribed to the person of Jesus. He is called: The True Vine, The Living Way, The Treasure, The Light, The Bread of Life, The Son of Mary, Son of David, Son of God, Plant of Renown, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, First and the Last, Beginning and the End, Son of Righteousness rising with healing in His wings, Healer, High Tower, Buckler, Shield… on and on.
There are over 200 names ascribed to God the Father. You can start with His creative name, Elohim. You can shorten this name to the word El which means, God is. El-Shaddai – God is Sufficient, El- Elyon – God is the sustainer, El-Olan – God is Everlasting. Then there are His Jehovah Names. Jehovah or Yahweh means self sufficient. In other words, He=s God all by Himself. Jehovah Rophe – God my healer. Jehovah Shammah – God is there. Jehovah Tsidkenu – God is my righteousness. Jehovah Rohi – God is my shepherd. Jehovah Nissi – God is my Banner. Jehovah Jireh – God sees and provides. Or Adonai, which means Lord or owner of all things.
Principle# 2. Your kingdom come……..On earth as it is in heaven.
Let your kingdom come to my house, my church, my city…there is no end to the kingdom. The kingdom of God is bigger than any denomination or local church. When you start praying in the kingdom, you break down racism, cultural barriers, competitive attitudes between churches.
Principle# 3. Your will be done…………On earth as it is in heaven. Not my will, but Your will be done.
Principle # 4: Give us this day our daily bread.
This is the hinge on the door. We haven’t asked God for things until this. Prayer is not a means to get things. Prayer is about knowing God. He already knows your needs before you pray.
Principle # 5. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
If we will pray this and mean it, it will keep the bitterness out of our heart. Sometimes we get self-righteous and think we have nothing against anyone. But God will reveal to you people you’ve talked about that perhaps changed the way someone else sees them. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a decision.
Principle # 6. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
This was a cultural expression of their day. If we were saying that today, we would say, and lead us to victory.
Principle # 7. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Recognizing, acknowledging and affirming that we know – This is God’s kingdom, God’s power and God’s glory. Amen meaning so be it.
