The Lords prayer life revealed, Doctrine of Prayer part 7

Prayer is an index to your spiritual life. Prayer is something that all believers are commanded to do. If you’re not praying correctly or fail in prayer for any reason, that means there’s some problem in your spiritual life; there’s some kink, some syndrome, some arrogance, some problem. The problem will overflow to every aspect of your life.

 

/7. The Lord’s revealed prayer life. Jesus Christ prays in His humanity and not His deity.\

 

/a. The Lord had an “inner room” prayer life.\

 

Matt 14:22 And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

 

Matt 14:23 And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

 

Luke 5:16 But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

 

Luke 6:12 And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

 

Luke 6:13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him; and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

 

Mark 1:35 And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there.

 

Please notice that sometimes He prayed in the evening and sometimes in the morning. While it is a good idea to have scheduled, sanctified time to pray so that we don’t procrastinate, it is not commanded in the word of God.

 

/When you are motivated to pray in spiritual adulthood you will pray effectively and consistently in your “inner room” prayer life at the proper time.\

 

The Pharisees prayed seven times a day in the temple, in the open to be noticed by men. That is the mark of religion - elevation of the creature.

 

The proper time is when there are not distractions, when you are motivated and can be alone. That doesn’t always occur at the same time every day, and when it doesn’t, the mature believer finds time to pray because it is commanded and he desires to talk to his Father, use the weapon of petition and intercessory prayer, and is so frequently grateful to God for all that He has done in grace that he desires to thank Him.

 

/b. The Lord prayed for the strength of Peter’s recovery after his great failure, Luke 22:32.\

 

Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

 

Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may [maybe it will maybe it will not] not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. " 

 

Luke 22:33 And he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!"

 

Luke 22:34 And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

 

This prayer in no way violates the volition of Peter just like our intercessory prayers cannot violate the prayers of others.

 

/This is a request that God the Father alter the circumstances around Peter’s life so that he sees his need to recover. This was fulfilled with time alone on the beach with the resurrected Lord.\

 

John 21:7 That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.

 

John 21:8 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.

 

To get into shore, anchor the boat, and haul out the net full of fish would have taken enough time for Peter and the Lord to have a private discussion. The Lord is victorious, Peter is forgiven, and now it’s time to leave the past in the past and move on as the leader of the greatest dispensation and display of grace in all human history.

 

John 21:9 And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid, and fish placed on it, and bread.

 

Also notice that the Lord provided fish and bread for the disciples showing us that He is not dependent on our catch, even though it is Him who makes the catch possible. If the disciples said, “No, it is silly to simply cast the net to the right side of the boat hoping to catch something after we’ve been out all night trying,” the Lord still would have provided for them. However, their obedience to His command blessed them with a bountiful catch, which is a glimpse of the future doctrine of escrow blessings. It’s not works for blessing but capacity for blessing that comes from following His non-burdensome commands [just throw the net over the right side]. When God can bless and we fully realize that we possess those blessings because of the graciousness of the Giver and not our human merit then we will have capacity for blessings that go above and beyond logistical grace.

 

Human viewpoint would have been for them to use the same techniques that they did all night [and they are very experienced fishermen], while divine viewpoint was following His instructions.

 

/c. The Lord prayed for the blessing of children, Matt 19:13.\

 

Matt 19:13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

 

The disciples are annoyed by children and they discourage them. They have themselves forgotten what it is like to be a child. To a child almost every event is very meaningful since they lack the perspective of knowing the important from the trivial.

 

A teenager can see a cell phone as the most important thing in life. They can see one night as the end all be all of their existence. A younger child can see an inanimate object in a store while shopping with mom as the key to his/her life long happiness. Just walk into the super Wall Mart down the road here and just listen to the screams of desperation. Why are they like this? They lack the perspective of knowing the important from the trivial.

 

So the child needs discipline that they might learn what they refuse to willingly learn. Yet as parents we can expect from them more than they are capable, which can cause painful stress in their soul. I didn’t say pain on the backside, but pain in the soul. God warns us of this.

 

EPH 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

 

EPH 6:2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise),

 

EPH 6:3 that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.

 

EPH 6:4 And, fathers [disciplinarians], do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

 

Don’t forget what it was like to be a child and your discipline will be just.

 

Since Jesus is proclaimed as Lord the children and their parents want to take this opportunity for the Lord to bless them.

 

/In the ancient world the laying on of hands by someone in great authority was a way of blessing them.\

 

If a king laid hands on you, you would be blessed and privileged in many ways while you were in his kingdom. The Lord desires to do this for them.

 

Matt 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 

 

Children can often have tremendous faith as do these children and that is why the kingdom belongs to them. They have believed when many of the adults who even knew the OT prophecies of the Messiah, did not.

 

Matt 19:15 And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.

 

Our children are the future pivot. How easy it is for people to have children and how difficult it is to raise them. I look at the unrest all over this world by people who want a handout from the rich rather than working responsibly for what they desire. I see authority being despised and disrespected. I also foresee great collapse of the divinely established foundations of free markets and democracy in one or two generations if the seeming tide is not abated. Pray for your nation and your military.

 

Parents are the FLOT line of their children’s soul. Be careful what information they take it, what they watch or listen to. They’ll kick and scream, so be it. Yet understand they are not wise enough to know the importance of things. Some children have such horrible childhoods that they had to try and be adults. That is the ultimate in stress, the opposite of tranquility and happiness. Pray for them without ceasing and pray for your wisdom as a parent.

 

/d. The Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane, humbling Himself under the will of the Father in spite of the suffering.\

 

Matt 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane [the oil press], and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 

 

Matt 26:37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.

 

Matt 26:38 Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved [surrounded by sorrow], to the point of death [Christ will be substitute for billions of spiritual deaths - he will die billions of times over]; remain here and keep watch with Me [be vigilant]."

 

He doesn’t ask them to pray with Him but to watch or to be alert. Christ right now is hyper alert to the plan of God for His life. It has all come down to these last few hours. The disciples must remain alert and vigilant to the plan of God or else they will suffer greatly for bad, emotional, and human viewpoint decisions.

 

Matt 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt." 

 

 

 

Think of a huge cup filled with the most foul smelling, gut wrenching, putrid liquid and you have to drink it empty. You have to do this to save your enemies. Think of what would be going through your mind as your approached it and started to get a hint of its stench and a view of its absolute disgustingness.

 

In the Garden of Gethsemane the Lord’s nostrils are starting to really get a whiff of what His last hour [figurative] will be like.

 

/It is possible for Christ to by-pass the cross because His humanity has a free will. He can say no, but that would go against the Sovereign will of the Father, which He never chose to do.\

 

It is important to remember here that in prayer we must acquiesce to the will of the Father. When great undeserved suffering is around the corner we may ask for a by-pass as well, but that would be against the will of God.

 

So if we have to go through the undeserved suffering that comes our way, why even bother going to the Father in prayer?

 

/The Lord has one last check-in with Headquarters as humanity before the final battle. “Now that the final battle has arrived, is there any other way?”\

 

 

 

Remember our Lord is true humanity. He doesn’t desire the cross. He doesn’t desire to become sin and then be judged for it. He doesn’t want the physical pain of His torturers nor the mental pain of separation from His Father while He dies billions of deaths. One last check in with Headquarters is one last contact with Author of the plan that will abolish death. Knowing the answer to the prayer does not prohibit Him.

 

/A check-in with Headquarters and the Father is a last comfort before the pain of the battle begins. Before we are about to face any foreseen suffering, we shall be comforted by doing the same.\

 

Matt 26:40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?

 

We are not given all of the Lord’s prayer at this time since the one hour is literal. We are given what we need to know.

 

Matt 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing [sincerity], but the flesh is weak [lack of courage or perseverance when we give precedence to our flesh]." 

 

Now the command to pray has been given to Peter, but not to pray for Jesus, rather to pray that he pray not to enter into temptation.

 

/The Lord is praying for His own temptation, which is to by-pass the cross. Peter is commanded to pray for his own temptation that terrible night. Prayer for resistance of temptation is legitimate.\

 

Temptation is not sin. Temptation is a thought brought to our soul that reveals another option than the will of God. This is why Adam and the woman, the unfallen angels, and the Lord do not need OSN’s or fallen conditions to be tempted and thus fail. All creatures have fallen to temptation; only the humanity of Christ has not and that is why He alone is Holy. It is only when our volition says yes to the temptation that it becomes sin.

 

Matt 26:42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done."

 

/ “Your will come to pass,” [better translation] = victory of the cross. Victory is always in doing the will of God. \

 

Matt 26:43 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

 

Heavy eyelids mean apathy towards doctrine. No matter how much sleep deprivation you have when the mind is engaged the eyes are wide open. Peter, James, and John are forgetting the implication of the last several days.

 

They have full bellies, a few glasses of wine, a nightly walk, a quiet place, but most of all; no doctrine circulating in the heart and so there is indifference and heavy eyes.

 

Matt 26:44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

 

/The Lord prayed the same thing three times but not in meaningless repetition of words but in supplication after supplication until the temptation was abated through repeated understanding of the Father’s will.\

 

We are commanded not to pray in meaningless repetition, like saying the rosary, but we see here that in legitimate requests to God concerning our temptations we may repeat our petition to Him as we wait for the temptation to be assuaged. It is vitally important that you do not think that we just same the same phrase over and over again until we lose the temptation, that violates the intimacy of prayer and legitimacy. Rather, we may ask God for help in temptation and He says yes and reveals the doctrine you already have in your heart. But we may again falter and there is nothing to prevent us from returning to the throne or even before we leave it and in the same prayer asking again for help in temptation.

 

/The response to the request for help in temptation will come in the form of revealed doctrines that you have already learned and then it is up to our volition to apply them.\

 

Therefore, prayer is not a problem solving device, but it can lead you to the proper PSD.

 

We will discuss repetition in prayer in relation to the timing of God, in other words, you’ve asked according to protocol and you have not received the answer yet, is it legitimate to petition again?

 

Matt 26:45 Then He came to the disciples, and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

 

Matt 26:46 "Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!"

 

/e. The Lord’s prayer that could not be answered until after His death.\

 

/Matt 27:46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? "that is," My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? " \

 

This prayer could not be answered for three hours, the time the Lord was dying a substitutionary spiritual death for the entire human race.

 

Ps 22:1 My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?

Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.

 

Ps 22:2 O my God, I cry by day, but Thou dost not answer;

And by night, but I have no rest.

 

Ps 22:3 Yet Thou art holy,

O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

 

Ps 22:4In Thee our fathers trusted;

They trusted, and Thou didst deliver them.

 

Ps 22:5To Thee they cried out, and were delivered;

In Thee they trusted, and were not disappointed.

 

Ps 22:6But I am a worm, and not a man,

A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

 

Ps 22:7All who see me sneer at me;

They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,

 

Ps 22:8"Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him;

Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him."

 

Ps 22:9Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb;

Thou didst make me trust when upon my mother's breasts.

 

Ps 22:10Upon Thee I was cast from birth;

Thou hast been my God from my mother's womb.

 

Ps 22:11Be not far from me, for trouble is near;

For there is none to help.

 

 

Ps 22:12Many bulls have surrounded me;

Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

 

Ps 22:13They open wide their mouth at me,

As a ravening and a roaring lion.

 

Ps 22:14I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint;

My heart is like wax;

It is melted within me.

 

Ps 22:15My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And Thou dost lay me in the dust of death.

 

Ps 22:16For dogs have surrounded me;

A band of evildoers has encompassed me;

They pierced my hands and my feet.

 

Ps 22:17I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

 

Ps 22:18They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots.

 

Ps 22:19But Thou, O Lord, be not far off;

O Thou my help, hasten to my assistance.

 

Ps 22:20Deliver my soul from the sword,

My only life from the power of the dog.

 

Ps 22:21Save me from the lion's mouth;

And from the horns of the wild oxen Thou dost answer me.