Prayer Help

Lord’s Prayer Template

Our Father Which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.

            Praise God for Who He is- Creator, Father, Holy. We honor Him because He made us. Not only this, but He relates to us as a Father, who, while we were yet sinners, loved us and sent His only Begotten Son to die for us. His care is continual, as He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell with us.

            Our praise and adoration should include the desire to know Him better, to be like His Son and to walk in the new life of His Holy Spirit.

            His name is Holy. He has given us His name. Thus, we are to walk in that holiness. We should express gratitude as well as request revival and renewal in this Holy life.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, in Earth as it is in Heaven.

            Express and remember God’s kingdom. Earnestly desire His kingdom to manifest itself here on Earth. This will include prayer for understanding the nature and extent of God’s Kingdom. Furthermore, repentance and the need for renewal may be in order as we seek to establish our own kingdoms, or the kingdoms of men that are opposed to God’s Kingdom.

            Thus, we pray, like Jesus, Thy will, be done. Not my will, not my kingdom but the Father’s will, His Kingdom.

            Contemplate how the Lord’s will is done in Heaven. It is absolute. The angels and the departed saints perfectly obey our Father. We are to pray for that level of perfect obedience from living and future saints.

            Furthermore, we know that the Lord Jesus will rule Heaven and Earth from Heaven until all of His enemies are subdued beneath His feet. We must pray, work, preach, and live in such a way that perfect obedience is established on the Earth. First, in our own lives, marriages, families, church and then moving outward in concentric circles, to the very ends of the Earth.

Give us this day our daily bread.

            This prayer acknowledges that it is God who supplies our daily needs. We should express our thankfulness and then name many ways that He has supplied our needs. Food from Heaven keeps us alive. God supplies us with manna, bread. The Word, the Bread of Life. Forgiveness of sins in the blood of Christ. Jobs to pay our bills. Homes, cars, clothes, luxuries, hobbies, entertainments, all come from the hand of our most beloved and benevolent Father.

            Are you in need? Spiritually? Physically? Financially? Emotionally? Then this prayer is for you. God is your Father and has promised to provide all things needful for you. The Lord Jesus has also told us that He knows we are needy and need these things, even before we ask. But then He tells us to ask. So, ask God to supply all your needs. Part of this supply is Him teaching us the difference between wants and needs. We need to submit to that part.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

            This prayer is at the heart of the gospel for all who understand what the Lord Jesus has accomplished. It acknowledges that we are sinners. We need forgiveness first. Without Christ, we are dead in our sins and unable to save ourselves through any means. Unless we are forgiven for our sins, big and small, we will all perish in an eternity of Hell. That is sobering and should sober us every time we pray. But the Good News, is that we are forgiven because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. God accepted Him and us in Him. Thanks be to God!

            And because God has extended His grace and mercy to us, we must therefore extend His and our grace and mercy to others. God has forgiven you. Forgive others. Do not leave your knees retaining the sins of others against you. In fact, if you do not forgive others their sins against you, your Father in Heaven will not forgive you.

            This prayer is a good check to see whether you are really in the grace of God. Can you forgive sins against you? This can only really be done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you retain sins and do they eat at your soul like a bitter canker? That is an indication that the Holy Spirit has not illuminated you. So, ask God to grant you the grace of His forgiveness and the ability, by the Holy Spirit, to forgive others.

            In this place, we offer petitions for the needs of others, other sinners, those who have wronged us, those who are sick, needy, or spiritually dark. In this place as well as in the Give us the Day our Daily Bread Petition, we may ask God to supply other’s needs, job, spouse, or other earthly comforts or healing.

           

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

            Like the petition to ask God for our daily bread, this prayer is an acknowledgment of our utter helplessness without the Lord. We are human and prone to do evil. Even the regenerate heart is in a constant battle with the remaining fleshly mind and body. If God does not deliver us from evil and keep us from falling into temptations, we will backslide and run the risk of trampling under foot the blood of covenant.

            We should acknowledge our temptations, name them, repudiate them and turn to Christ. If we have fallen to the temptation into sin, we should repent, perhaps seek help from a parent, spouse or pastor, and ask for additional prayer that we might stand fast in Christ Jesus.

            If we are delivered, it is the work of God in our lives and not our own willpower or works. We do not save ourselves. Thus, we give God the glory for keeping us from falling headlong into sin.

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory, forever. Amen.

            We prayed, Thy Kingdom Come. It is His Kingdom. We are servants. We submit to Him at the beginning and end of our prayers.  Thus, our wills are taken up in His and we are glad to please our good and gracious Father.

            His power enables us to live faithfully. His power brings His will on Earth as it is in Heaven. Praise Him for that. His power provides our daily bread. Thank Him. His power enables us to forgive others. His power keeps us from temptation and overthrows the wicked.

            His glory is the chief end of man. Do we live for His glory? Then rejoice. If not, turn from seeking your own glory and glorify Him. As we look around at the world, do we see that the Kingdoms of this World have become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ? Do we believe that God has the power to accomplish this? Are we pleased for Him to work through whatever Providences He deems necessary to bring about His Kingdom? Do we know that God works all things for His own glory and for the good of His saints? Do we act upon this knowledge with faith, boldness, zeal, peace and joy? Give Him the glory.

            Forever. There is no end to God’s Kingdom and Power. And He will receive the glory, forever. Amen. So be it. This is true. It shall be done.

            

Praise

Our Father in Heaven, we praise and magnify Your Holy Name. Our Lord Jesus was crucified for us on the cross. His death tore the Temple veil in two, providing us access into the holy place. His death made us dead men alive.

         Come near to us, O Lord. Rain down upon us the consuming and cleansing fire of Your Holy Spirit. Fill us with the waters of life that they might flow from us freely. Wash us in the blood of Your dear Son, that we might worship You in Spirit and in Truth, and in the majesty of holiness in this Holy Place, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Love of Christ

Dear Saints, It is a tremendous blessing to be here in the congregation of the righteous. God’s intentions in Jesus Christ have come true.

Romans 5:8-10 Paraphrased. God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Even more than this, we are justified by His blood and will be saved from wrath through Jesus. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled to God, we shall be saved by his life.

Rom. 8:31-39   What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

          “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

                  we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Rom. 8:37   No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew Wrap Up

Matthew 2:1-6, 28:18-20

Matthew Wrap Up- Jesus Wins

Sermon Notes

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July 9, 2017

Lynchburg, Virginia

EXHORDIUM

         In the beginning of Jesus’s life, He was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the King. Wise men recognized that He was born King of the Jews. But the Jews were not so easily convinced.

         Herod feared that it might be true and sought to kill Him. As the years passed and Jesus began His ministry, it became more evident that He was indeed the King of the Jews. Instead of the leaders being pleased that the Davidic King had arisen, they rather chose to kill Him.

         But the word had been declared that the king would rule God’s people. We see in the beginning that ‘God’s people’ is revealed as “My people Israel.” But that is not enough people for Jesus to rule. He must rule the entire world.

         Later in Jesus’s life, instead of the world flocking to their king, there is an increasing opposition to Him. Some hail Him as their king but not on His terms.

         The issue often seems to boil down to one simple and very difficult duty. Will you submit to this King?

Matthew 27:32-66 Sermon

Matthew 27:32-66

Sermon Notes

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Quaking Mockers

July 2, 2017

Lynchburg, Virginia

EXHORDIUM

         We now arrive at the crucifixion. But before we get there the enemies of Jesus take one last victory lap. Well, it is not even a victory lap. Before they make their way around the first corner, the ground is shaking, the sun goes dark and the Roman world begins to repent.

         Some of the enemies of Christ are quickly conquered. As Spurgeon mentions in his commentary on this passage, the worst type of fellows often respond more readily than the religious or academic men of the day.

The cruel and vile soldiers acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. The Pharisees prepare to kill Him again if He has the audacity to rise from the dead.

EXEGESIS

Matthew 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

Let us all be like Simon of Cyrene, who must take up our cross and follow Jesus.

Close to Paradise

Today, we are gathered here in the presence of the Lord. It is not the paradise of God where Jesus went after His death and where the thief on the cross joined Him. But it is not far from there. We are seated with Jesus here at a Table but we are also seated with Christ in the Heavenly places.

         It is fitting that we are fed spiritual food because we are spiritual beings, in a spiritual place, serving our Lord, who has a spiritual body. Spiritual does not mean non-physical. Look at the bread. Look at the wine. God presents His Spirit to You in these elements. Do you believe that Jesus died for you sins? Do you believe that He rose for Your justification?

Then, this bread and this wine in His promise to you that you belong to Him and that He is in you. When we look to Him in faith and partake of this meal in faith, He grants us spiritual food and drink. We are made strong and our hunger and thirst for righteousness is satiated in Jesus Christ.

Mock Fear

Mockers should fear. Mocking almost always comes back to haunt. Mockery is a very dangerous tool. It is akin to a taunt of ridicule. Goliath mocked at David and David taunted back. It is safe to say that  Goliath lost his head in mockery.

         When men, women, or children mock, there is a price to pay. Often, the mockery is misplaced, and therefore, God keeps count in His Divine Justice ledger. Such evil will return upon one’s head. And thus, God, Himself, gets the last laugh, as He holds such men in derision.

         The other kind of mockery, like David’s, is a scorn at the inability of the enemies of God to assail His kingdom or people. We boast only in the power and glory of the Lord and laugh to scorn all those who think they can raise a banner against our omnipotent God.

         Let any mockery of God or His lawful authorities, or at His works in the world, not even be named among us. If we have scorned the power of the Lord, even laughing in unbelief, as Sarah did, let us confess our sins and repent, asking the Lord’s forgiveness.