Praying Like Jesus

Introduction

Good morning. It’s good to be here with you. And appreciate those kind words from Brother Walcott. Thankful for the songs that have been led by Brother Jim this morning dealing with prayer and focusing our minds upon prayer. And that’s where we’re going to go in our lesson today. I do want to express my appreciation to the group here and your involvement in the work that we’re doing back in Canada. As was mentioned, it’s a difficult type work. Certainly the average individual is not spiritually minded, and it’s it’s tough to find those who are, but we keep on working towards that end. Some of the differences, of course, we don’t mic me up back home. We’ve got uh usually attendance maybe 12 to 14 or something like that on a Sunday morning.

And so uh this is certainly a little different uh than back home. In Luke chapter 11 and at verse 1, we have uh the statement that you see on the board behind me Lord teach us to pray. Uh back in Kingston, uh we started a series on prayer the first Sunday uh of this year. And the focus is that we want to learn to pray like Jesus. And uh what we’re doing in that series, and this is just lesson one out of that series, but it’s a standalone lesson. Uh but what we want to do in that series is go on a journey through the Gospels and see Jesus’ devotion to prayer. We want to be able to sit at his feet and hear him teach about prayer as he did with his disciples at times, uh, and then look at the prayers that we have from Jesus as recorded in the Gospels as well, and uh and learn from Jesus how to pray.

If there were a statement to summarize your prayer life, what would it be? A lot of times preachers will preach on things they need to hear, and prayer was a series that I needed to hear lessons on. And that’s why we started going through a series on prayer back home. But if there were some kind of a statement to summarize your prayer life, what would it be? Would it be about the frequency of your prayer, how often you pray, or maybe how seldom you pray? Might it be on the passion that you have in prayer? Maybe your prayers are straight from the heart, or maybe unfortunately they might be repetitive. They might be what Jesus would refer to as a vain repetition. Is it the focus of your prayer?

Maybe the statement to summarize your prayer might deal with the focus of your prayers. It might be diligent petition for God’s will to be accomplished in your life and in the lives of those that are around you. Or unfortunately, some use prayer like they’re putting together a Christmas list to give to Santa. How would our prayer life be characterized? I think Hebrews chapter 5, verse 7 and 8 characterize Jesus’ prayer life. In the text we see it stating this in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear, though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.

To me, that’s an effective summarization of Jesus’ devotion to prayer. That he was focused on prayers and supplications, at times even to the point of vehement cries and tears before God. And that causes us to think about Jesus in the garden as he was praying, take this cup from me. And then concluded, not my will, but your will be done. But then in the latter part of the verse, we’re told why God heard the prayers of Jesus because of his godly fear. Because of his focus on the things of God, because of his relationship to God. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in Hebrews chapter 5 and almost read past verse 7 and focused on verse 8. Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things that he suffered, and that’s been the focus.

And yet, when we slow down and we look, verse 7 talks about how he’s in constant communication with his Father. If Jesus found it necessary to pray always, then we ought to find it necessary to pray always.

1. An Early Foundation in Spiritual Things

And that hopefully we can put in our prayer lives as well. This first one we have no control over whether that happened or not. But Jesus had an early foundation in spiritual things. Spiritual things were important in his life. We really don’t have a lot about Jesus’ early life recorded for us. Both Matthew and Luke give us birth accounts of the Lord. Matthew will tell us about a trip that was taken when he was very young into Egypt to protect him from Herod. But apart from that, we don’t have the day-to-day activities of Jesus’ home life. We don’t have the details of him growing up. We do have one time when he was twelve years old recorded for us. In Luke chapter 2 at verse 42 and following, we’ve got an occasion when Jesus and his family went down to Jerusalem and they went down for the feast.

And you’ll recall that they were there during the time of the feast, and then after the feast was over, they they headed back home, but Jesus wasn’t with them. His parents didn’t realize it until they were a day’s journey away. And then they turned back and go back to try and find Jesus. I don’t think that this occasion in Luke chapter 2 was recorded because it was a rare occurrence for his family. This was a common thing for his family. Not losing Jesus, going down to Jerusalem and worshiping. It was a common thing for his family. It’s recorded because of one exceptional event, though, that happened on this occasion. And what it does, I believe, is it characterizes his upbringing. And so what we find in verse 46 and 47, after three days they found him in the temple.

If you’ve lost your 12 year old, where’s the first place you’re going to look for them? Sadly, for most people, it’s not at the temple where they’re going to go looking for him. But after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, not causing trouble, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and his answers. That tells me about Jesus’ upbringing. That tells me about the spiritual focus that was in the household where he grew up, and that he had as a young boy at the age of twelve. Now, again, whether we had early Christian foundation established for us or not, we can still learn to pray like Jesus.

But consider the opportunities that are before us to lay that foundation for others. Parents, make sure that your children understand how important serving God is, and how important it is to spend time in prayer. Grandparents, be that influence on your grandchildren to help them understand the importance of spiritual things. Nieces and nephews and neighbors, whatever opportunity we have to affect children in order to establish an early foundation on spiritual values, we need to do that.

2. Prayer When He Was Baptized

In Luke chapter 3, this occurs when he is baptized. We see in verse 21 beginning, when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized, and while he prayed, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven which said, You are my beloved son, in you I am well pleased. Granted, his baptism was a little bit different than ours. But still consider the great example in this. That’s the time for you and I. We’ve come to the knowledge of God’s word and to its application to us in our lives, and we’ve responded to the gospel message. That is the time when we should have, and maybe did establish a devoted prayer life.

3. Prayer Is So Important in the Midst of Trials

I think for Jesus, it likely happened long before that. But for you and I, that should have been the time when that kind of devotion and prayer was established. That was the day that God truly became our Father. And we want to then be in constant communication with our Father. And so having that early foundation, again, we don’t have control over whether it happened for us or not, but let’s establish that for young people that we’re able to influence. Prayer is so important in the midst of trials. And again, we see that in Jesus’ prayer life. In Matthew chapter 4, in the first couple of verses, Luke chapter 4 has the same type of beginning. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

And when he had fasted 40 days and nights afterward, he was hungry. And the text, of course, goes on to talk about three of the temptations that Jesus faced while he was there in the wilderness. And you might be looking at that text and thinking, well, hang on, that didn’t say a thing about prayer. And you’re right, the word prayer is not in the text, but surely I believe that prayer is part and parcel of this text. Jesus is in the wilderness, and what he’s doing is he is fasting. And as we look into the scriptures, we find that prayer and fasting go hand in hand. There are just a number of places, a number of examples and scriptures that demonstrate that to us. Let me show you just a few of them.

Daniel chapter 9. Daniel is coming before God to pray on behalf of his people. The time of their return from the captivity is at hand. And he’s preparing himself to petition God concerning that. And so in Daniel 9 and at verse 3, it says this. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplication with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. Prayer and fasting. In Matthew chapter 17 and at verse 21, remember the man brought his son who had a demon in him to the disciples, and the disciples could not cast the demon out. And so the man comes to Jesus and hopes that he’ll be able to cast the demon out. And when the disciples asked afterward, why weren’t we able to do it?

Jesus’ response to them was, this kind does not go about except by prayer and fasting. First Corinthians chapter 7. To married couples in verse 5, the apostle Paul writes this. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer.

And so in Matthew chapter 4 and at verse 1 and 2, when we find that Jesus fasted for 40 days, let me suggest to you that he also prayed for 40 days. That he was in communication with his Father during this time. Now, the New Testament, I don’t believe, commands us to fast.

But if it helped Jesus, and if it helped Daniel, and it helped others who wanted to devote time to prayer and to get closer to God, then maybe it’s something that we need to do as well.

So we can go get our blood work done. If we can fast in preparation for a doctor’s appointment, then maybe we can also fast in preparation for an appointment with God to pray. And again, we see Jesus certainly doing that in Matthew 4 and in other places.

It says, when Jesus heard it, he departed from there by boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out, he saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick. As you move forward in the text here, what you’ll find is that this text moves into what we would call the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus eventually, with five loaves and two fish, will feed 5,000 plus people. However, to find out why Jesus wanted this alone time, we have to back up in the text. When he heard it, he departed. Well, when he heard what? Back in verse 10, Herod had beheaded John, who was in prison.

In verse 12, John’s disciples buried the body, and they came and they told Jesus what had happened. And so Jesus wanted some alone time so that he could mourn John’s death and no doubt spend time in prayer with the Father. Again, going through these difficult times in life in the midst of trials and troubles, he wanted to spend time with his father. He wanted to go and be alone. When we go through difficult times in life, we need to be focused on prayer. If our spiritual life is not where it ought to be, then chances are we might actually shut down and not spend time with the Father. We need to follow the example we see in Jesus. Something difficult approached him, came upon him, he spent time with the Father in prayer.

4. Pray Without Ceasing; Withdraw Often

In 1 Thessalonians 5 in verse 17. One of the shortest verses in the Bible.

Pray without ceasing. When the apostle Paul wrote that, he’s writing to a group of young Christians in the city of Thessalonica. From understanding of it, he was able to be there for about three weeks and then he had to leave. And so when he writes back to them, there’s a number of things that he emphasizes to them. But in three short words, he tells them here’s what your prayer life should be like. Pray without ceasing. Be constant in prayer. Always be going to the Father. Jesus is an exceptional example of that. In Luke chapter 5 and at verse 16. We’re told he himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Many who are wanting to be healed by him. And a lot of times, and especially so in Luke’s gospel, what we find is Jesus is wanting to go and spend time in prayer. It’s not that he doesn’t want to spend time with the people, but he understands the importance of being in prayer, of coming to the Father. What do you and I do when we want to get away from it all? When we want to go into the wilderness, as it were. Do we watch TV? Do we read a book? Do we listen to music? Play video games. When we just want to get away from it all, what is it that we do? And I understand Jesus didn’t have some of those options available to him.

But how often, when we want to get away from it all, do we consider prayer as the opportunity to get away from it all? Just leave the world and its distractions behind and go and spend time with the Father in prayer. I’m not suggesting it’s wrong for us to watch TV, to listen to music, to read a book, to play a video game. Do those things in their time. But how much time is being devoted to prayer? If we want to pray like Jesus, then we need to withdraw often and devote ourselves to prayer. How often are we praying? Is it a before the meals type thing, and that’s about all? Is it a Sunday thing when we’re together with God’s people? And that’s about all.

That’s what the apostle said. And that’s what Jesus demonstrated. Daniel chapter 6. You’ll remember that it was Daniel’s habit since early days to pray three times each day. From a bit of reading, from what I understand, that was a common Jewish practice. It stretches back at least to the time of Daniel. But three times a day, he would make sure that he devoted time, that he set aside time to talk to God. I don’t know how often Jesus prayed through the day. I don’t know if it was two times, three times, four times, five times. I don’t know how often he prayed. But I do know that it was a major focus of his life. And that it needs to be a major focus of our lives.

Luke chapter 6 and at verse 12 says, it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God. Mark chapter 1, verse 35 is like it. In the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place, and there he prayed. There’s a lot of verses like this in the Gospels that tell us Jesus spent time in prayer. And why would the gospel writers be recording this except to tell you and I we need to spend time in prayer? If we want to be in the image of Christ, if we want to be like the Lord, we need to spend time in prayer. Now, obviously, if he spent all night in prayer, it was a long prayer.

Or multiple prayers. Prayers don’t have to be long. What folks typically call the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew chapter 6, verse 9 through 13, it takes about 20 seconds to read through that prayer. And so when the disciples asked for an example, or when Jesus gave an example of prayer, he actually prayed for about 20 seconds as a demonstration, as an example of prayer. But then there are times in his life where it was appropriate, where it was necessary to go spend the whole night in prayer. You ever spend a night in prayer? Sometimes those nights come upon us where sleep is not available. We’re not going to be able to sleep. And again, that might be those times when the trials are upon us. And so what better to do than spend time in prayer?

5. He Was Alone Praying

Luke chapter 9 at verse 18. It happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him and he asked them, saying, Who do the crowd say that I am?

I don’t know how many times I read this account out of Matthew’s gospel and hadn’t checked in Luke’s gospel and saw what Luke wrote. If all we’re doing in this is reading from Matthew’s account, and even if we’re reading from Mark’s account, we don’t find that he was praying. Luke’s the gospel writer who tells us he was praying. It happened as he was alone praying that his disciples joined him. And he asked them, who do men, or who do the crowd say that I am? And they gave a variety of answers, and then who do you say that I am? But did you know that he was in prayer when that took place?

6. He Sought to Instill Prayer in the Disciples

Notice it says he was alone praying. He sought the privacy that he taught the disciples about. Remember Matthew 6 as he’s teaching about prayer. Go into your room, and when you shut your door, pray to your father who’s in the secret place. The point isn’t that we need to find privacy every time that we’re going to pray. Remove the distractions and the interruptions and the things that’ll that’ll keep us from being focused on prayer. And so Jesus found it profitable to go off by himself at times to spend time in prayer to be alone with his Father. Luke chapter 9 and at verse 28. This happens eight days later. It came to pass about eight days after these things that he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray.

This is the transfiguration. Again, if you’re reading this from Matthew’s account or from Mark’s account, there’s no mention of prayer at all in the text. Only Luke tells us that he took Peter, John, and James and went up to the mountain to pray. You wondered why Luke keeps mentioning this. Keeps talking about Jesus’ prayer life. Luke talks about it a lot. I suspect it’s because he focuses on the humanity of Christ a lot. And Jesus, as a man, saw it necessary to spend time with God the Father. And you and I need to. From our text here in Luke chapter 9, verse 28, not only was Jesus devoted to prayer, but he sought to instill that in the disciples. It’s not that he went off by himself this time to pray.

It says that he specifically took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. He wanted them to have that same kind of devotion to prayer. Just as he would want you and I to have that kind of devotion to prayer. Well, Jesus isn’t going to take us up on a mountain to pray. But we can do is encourage one another to pray. We can arrange time when we get together as small groups and spend time in prayer. As congregations, we can have, and perhaps you do have, prayer services. Back home, that’s something that we had not done in a long, long time. To our shame. And need to start doing again. We need to find ways and occasions where we can encourage one another to be a prayerful people.

Conclusion

Because Jesus was a prayerful person. And he is our example. And so let’s be sure that we are a people of prayer. We need to be disciplined. We need to set time to pray and then keep that time to pray. The cure for a lack of prayer, and again, I said the reason that I started this series was because I needed to hear the series. And when there’s a lack of prayer or insufficient prayer when we’re not praying as we need to, the cure is rather simple. Pray. There’s no other way to cure it but to pray. Spend time in prayer. And the end result is going to be that we’re going to find growth in our spiritual lives. Perhaps even growth that we didn’t imagine possible.

What we’re going to see is we’re going to see God answering prayers as we pray according to his will. We’re going to see God working in our lives. And it’s going to make us grow and make us be what God wants us to be. Corey Ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker and writer who helped a lot of Jews escape the Holocaust during World War II. She herself was eventually caught and sent to a Nazi concentration camp. There are a lot of great quotes that she is credited with. Among them is this. Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. Friends, there may be times, especially when we’re down and when our faith is not where it needs to be, that we just simply don’t feel like praying.

And that’s when we need to be keeping appointments. Make an appointment and keep it. Daniel made an appointment three times a day, and he kept that appointment. Jesus, we’re not told that he had an appointment or a schedule, but it seems that he kept a lot of appointments to speak with the Father. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. Another great quote about prayer, this one from Matilda Ericsson Andros. She was a prolific Adventist writer in the first half of the 20th century. She writes this when prayer has become secondary or incidental, it has lost its power. Those who are conspicuously men of prayer are those who use prayer as they use food or air or light or money. Friends, how essential is prayer to your life?

And I think she’s right. It needs to be as food or air or light or money. It’s one of those things that we can’t do without. And we find ourselves doing without prayer, not praying as often as we ought to, what we’re also going to find is that our spiritual life is going to do this. That we’re going to be on the decline. And so let’s be a people of prayer. Lord, teach us to pray. Let’s go to the Father in prayer. Our great God and Father in heaven. We are so thankful that we’re able to come before you and bring our petitions before you. Father, may prayer be important to us. May we understand it as a means of communication with the God of all things, the Creator of the universe, but also you, Father, who love us and sustain us day by day and have made the way that we might be your children by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Father, might we learn from Jesus’ example, from his prayer life, how our prayer lives ought to be.

And as we do so, we’ll see our faith grow. We thank you for this occasion to be able to pray, be able to open our hearts to you. May we take full advantage of it. Father, we’re thankful for the time to share together and study of your word today. We pray you’ll continue to bless us as we do so in the next few hours. We’re thankful for your people in this place who serve you and seek to please you. Help us that it always might be at the forefront of our thoughts, how we can best serve you in this life, knowing that you have reserved for us eternal life if we are faithful to you. Continue to bless us and keep us in your service. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.