Sermon Notes

Matthew 6:5–15 NIV
⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
⁹ This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

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Series Resources

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Discussion Igniters

(1)  How do you normally pray?
What is your attitude when you approach God in prayer?

(2)  Read Matthew 6:5–15.
What challenges you about the way Jesus tells us to pray in this passage?

(3)  What do you think it means to submit and pray that God’s will be done?

(4)  What do you think about the fact that Jesus tells us to pray to be forgiven “as we forgive others”?
And that he later says that we will not be forgiven if we don’t forgive others?

(5)  How do you think the Lord’s Prayer could be useful in your prayer life?