Introduction Last week we enrolled in Jesus School of Prayer. We looked at His example of prayer. We have been praying, Lord, teach us to pray. Now move from the priority of prayer to the pattern Jesus sets forth in what has commonly been called the Lord s prayer, but is in fact more a disciple s prayer. Many of us know this prayer by heart. We should memorize Scripture but was this prayer given to be memorized and recited? The disciple asked Jesus, Lord, teach us to pray he did not say, Lord teach us a prayer. Matthew 6:7 (NKJV); And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. The Lord s prayer or disciple s prayer is the most repeated prayer in the world. As a matter of fact, Matthew 6:9 repeats substantially the prayer given in Luke 11. Would Jesus tell us to avoid vain repetitions and then give a prayer intended to be repeated over and over again? I don t think so. The prayer was meant to be a model, a pattern, an example of prayer. Certainly the pattern is so rich, and full, that it is inexhaustible. One way to look at this model prayer, this pattern of prayer is to remember it unfolds our relationship with God. Our Father means we have a paternal, father/child relationship with God. Hallowed by Your name means we have a deity/worshipper relationship with God. Your kingdom come means we have a sovereign/subject relationship with God. Your will be done means we have a servant/master relationship with God. Give us our daily bread means we have a benefactor/beneficiary relationship with God. Forgive us our sin, trespasses transgressions, debts, means we have a Savior/sinner relationship with God. Lead us not into temptation means we have a guide/pilgrim, relationship with God. The prayer reflects our attitude, our spirit, our approach in the relationship. Our models our unselfish spirit, He is not simply My Father, He is Our Father. Father reflects a family spirit; hallowed be thy name a reverent spirit, thy kingdom come a loyal spirit, thy will be done, a submissive spirit, give us our daily bread, a dependent spirit, forgive us, a penitent spirit, lead us not into temptation a humble spirit, yours is the kingdom, a triumphant spirit, and the glory, an exultant spirit, forever, an eternal spirit. The pattern is so full, so rich we see in this prayer, God as Father (hallowed be the Father s name), then as King, (His kingdom come), then as Master (His will be done). It covers the full spectrum of time. Our daily bread speaks of the present, debts are sins from the past, and lead us not is the future. The reason we pray and the reason God responds is to put Himself and His glory on display. That s the message of John 14:13; Whatsoever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified. Your prayer cannot force God. You cannot bug Him, badger Him, manipulate, irritate, or con Him. You can only submit to His sovereignty and seek His glory. That is the heart of the disciple s prayer. 1
Relationship With God Our Father (v.2a) Paternity- We thank God for being Our Father The Lord s teaching on prayer begins not with posture but with paternity. Jesus does not say, sit up straight and close your eyes. He does not say, get on your knees please. He does not give us the place to pray, because people pray everywhere, on the road, in the closet, at the church, in the home. He does not even begin with when to pray people pray in the morning, in the day, in the evening, in the night watches. True prayer begins and depends on real relationship, spiritual relationship with God. It may seem natural to you to say, Our Father. But this was quite unheard of in Jesus day. Abraham never prayed, My Father. Neither did Isaac or Jacob, or Joseph or Daniel. Even the sweet psalmist David did not refer to God in such an intimate fashion. Our Father speaks to the congregation of believers. It is not a metaphysical proposition that somehow all mankind is linked to God since as Creator he is the Father of all human beings. For years liberal Christianity has suggested God is the Father and we are all children of God. Not so Jesus told the religious leaders of his day they were children of Satan, you are of your father the devil (John 8:44). John 1:12 says as many as received Him He gave the right to be called the son s of God. Our Father eliminates the world of unbelievers. Our Father speaks of a God who creates us and then begets us again. God as Father speaks of nearness, proximity, intimacy. A Father speaks of loving grace, tender mercy and forgiving. Psalm 103:13; as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear Him. Many of us have a distorted view of the paternity of God. We see a father as the guy who isn t there, or who need not be obeyed. Paul Tournier, the Christian physician wrote in His Doctor s case book, There was one patient of mine, the youngest daughter in a large family which the father found difficult to support. One day she heard her father mutter despairingly, referring to her, We could well have done without that one. That is precisely what God can never say. He is a loving Father to every one of His children. Deuteronomy 32:6 (NKJV); Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father, who bought you? Has He not made you and established you? The Greek term is pater but Jesus spoke Aramaic. He probably used the term abba which is simply the endearing term of intimacy of relationship. Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 say we cry Abba, Father. We do not see God like first century Jews, primarily a Deity responsible for a nation. The god of the Stoics was without emotion, the Epicureans had a god who was utterly detached. Modern philosophers envision a god who is dark, dreaming, silent. Even the Jews of Jesus day saw God as a father, remote, faded, interested in keeping a ledger, and punishing one day. 2
What does it mean that God is our Father? It means the end of fear. When God is known through Jesus Christ, we discover God is a loving, caring, Father. It means the beginning of hope. In a world that s falling apart, in a world where we are all destined to die, your Father will take care of your future. It means the end of loneliness, it is the beginning of self-worth as you discover there is a God who loves you with tender affection. It settles the issue of resources. Your Father is in heaven. He is not drawing simply from the resources of this world, but He has the resources of this world, and the next world. My children obey me, most of the time, even though I was less than a perfect Dad. We obey Him, because He is a worthy Father. Obedience is an essential element in the concept of the fatherhood of God. Jesus obeyed His Father. I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. God is wise. Father really knows best. So what does it mean God is your Father? It removes fear, provides hope, ends loneliness, does away with selfishness, provides heavens resources, demands obedience, declares wisdom. Faith in Heaven (v.2b) Heaven is the place where God is and where we shall be--heaven is the spiritual dimension of being; it is the real world, incorruptible, undefiled. The cross is the only ladder tall enough to reach heaven Most European languages belong to a family of languages. We are all familiar with the Romance languages: French, Spanish, and Italian, and the Slavic languages: Russian, Czech, Slovakian, Serbo-Croatian and others. We know the Germanic languages: Norwegian, German, Swedish, Danish, and English. But the Hungarian language stands alone, related only to Finnish. So it is said that we will all speak Hungarian in Heaven because it takes an eternity to learn it. What does it mean-our Father in Heaven? Certainly God is everywhere. God s resources are not limited to this world. Yes He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but this is nothing compared to the resources of heaven. Our Father has the natural and supernatural realms at His disposal. All that heaven is and all that it means to be blessed in heavenly places, to be seated in heavenly places (see Ephesians 2); is available through our Father; satisfaction, fairness, peace, fellowship, knowledge, victory, boldness it is all there you pray to a Father who has eternal resources. Worship hallowed be Your name (v.2c) Priority What does the word hallow mean? It comes from a Greek verb hagiazo the noun form hagios means holy. It has two fundamental meanings; or basic ideas the first means to make something ordinary extraordinary by bring it into contact with something extraordinary. That s how it s used in 1Peter 1:16; where Peter says, Be ye holy. It means we are unholy but when we come in contact with God-with the one who is holy, we can be made holy. Is that the meaning here? No we do not make God holy. Here it means to treat someone or something as sacred, separate, utterly different. God is uncommon pure righteous pure light no darkness. 3
The name of God is holy. Prayer gives us a way to worship God. We have access to the Holy God, surrounded by angels, cherubim and seraphim. The living creatures guard the throne and angels declare his utter purity and holiness. Prayer gives God a vehicle by which He can reveal His nature and declare His glory. Prayer is ever and always a recognition of His majestic glory and an act of submission to it. Everything we think we want or need, all our trials and problems are subject to His name. Some people believe they can demand things of God in the name of Jesus. hallowed be Your name is a warning against self seeking prayer. His name embraces and encompasses all that God is; all of His nature-and our response to His nature. This is not just have nice thoughts about God. He is holy, awesome, powerful, just, pure. We respect and reverence Him, we honor and adore Him. We worship Him. The Jews in Jesus day would not hesitate to dishonor God-by plotting to kill Jesus. But they had attached such a sacredness to the name of God they dared not speak His name from their unclean lips. They tried to hallow reverence honor the name but were willing to disobey His Word and undermine or destroy its truth. In the Scripture, the name stood for the whole character of the person. In Exodus 34:6-7; God says, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. In other words, the name of God, is the composite of all His attributes. Hallowing His name is not some superstitious refrain from saying His name out loud but rather honoring all that God is Psalm 90:10; They that know thy name will put their trust in thee. Much of what passes for worship is simply shallow, flip, superficial, when we fail to recognize the most central quality of the character of God He is holy. God s desire and demand for purity and holiness is reiterated throughout the Scriptures. Saul failed to submit himself to the holiness of God, Uzziah failed to recognize the holiness of God, Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit, in sinning against the holiness of God and lost their lives within hours. The Corinthians ate the bread and drank the cup in an unholy fashion, as a result, many were sick and others died. God does not always deal in such a dramatic or abrupt fashion for those who fail to uphold His holy character. Yes God is our Father He is our Dad. But sometimes our prayers become sentimental emotion without commitment God is our Father and He is holy. Old Testament Jews would sometimes pray, O Lord, Father and Ruler of my life. 1 Peter 3:15 says- Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. When we say hallowed be your name we are in effect praying let your holiness effect my life. We make his name holy when we acknowledge God s existence. No 4
wonder Hebrews 11:6 says, He that comes to God, must believe that he is. The Bible never attempts to prove God s existence why? Because God is self-evident. Expectation your Kingdom Come (v.2d) His Program One Bible commentator approached these three words with the comment; one approaches this text like a little boy with a pail standing before the uncharted seas, wondering how to fit it all into his bucket (John MacArthur; p.51; Jesus Pattern of Prayer ). We pray four things; for God s kingdom to come, for daily bread, for forgiveness and deliverance. Yet even then we don t pray for those things until we have thanked and praised God. God has the right to rule in heaven and earth. Jesus must rule. Frances Havergal wrote; Oh, the joy to see Thee reigning, Thee, my own beloved Lord. Every tongue Thy name confessing, Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Brought to thee, with one accord. Thee, my Master and my Friend. Vindicated and enthroned, Unto earth s remotest end, Glorified, adored, and owned. David was told by Nathan the prophet because he was a man of blood he would not build the temple. Yet God gave David a promise, in 2 Samuel 7:12; the Lord said, Though you will not build My house, through your loins will come a child, and of that child shall be built a kingdom which shall never end. A promise a kingdom a son a king. Isaiah promised that upon His shoulders would be the governments of the world. Jesus is King and inseparable from His kingdom. To pray, Thy kingdom come means nothing more or less than Christ reign, here and now! The true child of God is concerned not with his or her own plans and desires but is determined the program of God, the plan of God, the kingdom of God, revealed in the King Jesus. We pray not to let God in on our plans but we call on God to fulfill HIS PLANS. Too often our prayers are filled with our own kingdoms, our plans, our rules, our ministry, our family, our future, our causes with little concern of his plan, his rule, his desires. What s going to happen to America? Aren t you concerned about America? Yes. I am grateful to God for being an American. I am grateful to God for my freedom. I am greatful to God for being here and existing now. But in the end America will go the way of all nations and civilizations frankly my concern is for God s kingdom. Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV);34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. 5
No nation will last, because built into all are the sinful seeds of their own damnation (John MacArthur; p.54). We pray for our country. We pray for our leaders. We pray for our future. We must. The Bible commands it. We pray that they will think and act and return to godly principles of justice, mercy, compassion, submission to God. God s program is to exalt Christ. All of history and humanity is rushing towards the inevitable end Jesus must reign. The Talmud says, That prayer in which there is no mention of the Kingdom of God is no prayer at all. God s kingdom will come and with the kingdom of God God s will be done. Kingdom makes us think of land, and properties and resources and armies, and infrastructure I believe Jesus has a kingdom in heaven and I believe Jesus will establish yet another kingdom on the earth. What is the kingdom? It is the place where God rules and reigns. We pray that Jesus would be enthroned in our lives and on this earth. Submission your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (v.2e) His purpose The Christian begins in submission and ends in conformity. We have responsibilities when we pray. We honor God s kingdom and we purpose in our hearts to do God s will. It has been well said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man s will done on earth. Prayer is not telling God what we want and then selfishly enjoying it. Prayer is asking God to use us to accomplish what He wants so that His name is glorified, His kingdom is extended and strengthened and His will is done. I must test all of my personal requests by these overruling concerns if I expect God to hear and answer my prayers (Wiersbe, TBEC Vol.1; p.214). God s will is done in heaven. There is no rebellion, there is no resistance. There is only obedience. This is why it is so important for Christians to know the Word of God. The Word of God reveals the will of God. We make a mistake when we separate the Word of God, the will of God and prayer to God. Many times I have confronted professing Christians who insist they know and love the Lord but continue to live in disobedience to the Lord. They defend themselves by saying, I have prayed about this and I have gotten a green light from the Lord. The Lord does not give green lights to continue to sin. If you are living with someone who is not your wife or husband, if you are involved in sexual immorality, if you are dating a non-believer or perhaps even contemplating marrying a man or a woman who is not a Christian, prayer will not get you off the hook. You can pray until the cows come home, but prayer will not change the revealed will of God. 6
When we are secure in our relationship with the Lord, and informed about the will of God in our lives, than we can with confidence bring our requests to the Lord. We can ask him to provide for our needs and not our greeds. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray. Martin Luther (1483-1546) At the profoundest depths in life, men talk not about God but with him. D. Elton Trueblood (1900- ) Petition give us day by day our daily bread (v.3) Confession and forgive us our sins (v.4a) Compassion--- for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us (v.4b) Dependence--- and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil (v.4c) His protection Acknowledgment for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever (Matt.6:13; your extra credit). His preeminence Conclusion 7