A MODEL FOR OUR PRAYERS MATTHEW 6:5 15 INTRODUCTION 1. Prayer s context He is neither ignorant, so that we need to instruct him, nor hesitant, so that we need to persuade him. He is our Father a Father who loves his children and knows all about their needs. 1 2. Prayer s simplicity 3. Prayer s movement 4. Prayer s model 5. Prayer s content A. Our Father who is in heaven... (v. 9). By the great sweetness of this name [Father] he frees us from all distrust... For he is not only a father but by far the best and kindest of all fathers, provided we still cast ourselves upon his mercy... And to strengthen our assurance that he is this sort of father to us if we are Christians, he willed that we call him not only Father but explicitly our Father. 2 B. Hallowed be Your name... (v. 9) C. Your kingdom come... (v. 10) 1 John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 7) in The Bible Speaks Today, eds. J. A. Motyer and John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978), 144 45. 2 John Calvin, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1960), 2:899 900. Page 1! of 6!
D. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven... (v. 10) [B]y this prayer, remarks Calvin, we are formed to self-denial so God may rule us according to his decision. And not this alone but also so he may create new minds and hearts in us... our wish is that he may render futile and of no account whatever feelings are incompatible with his will. 3 E. Give us this day our daily bread... (v. 11) F. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors... (v. 12; Cf. 14 15) Once our eyes have been opened to see the enormity of our offense against God, the injuries which others have done to us appear by comparison extremely trifling. If, on the other hand, we have an exaggerated view of the offenses of others, it proves that we have minimized our own. 4 G. And do not lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil... (v. 13) It is comparatively easy to repeat the words of the Lord s Prayer like a parrot... To pray them with sincerity, however, has revolutionary implications, for it expresses the priorities of a Christian. We are constantly under pressure to conform to the self-centeredness of secular culture. When that happens, we become concerned about our own little name... about our own little empire... and about our own silly little will (always wanting our own way and getting upset when it is frustrated). But in the Christian counter-culture our top priority concern is not our name, kingdom, and will, but God s. Whether we can pray these petitions with integrity is a searching test of the reality and depth of our Christian profession. 5 CONCLUSION 3 Calvin, 2:907. 4 Stott, 149 150. 5 Ibid., 148. Page 2! of 6!
!! CHURCH-WIDE PRAYER THE LORD S PRAYER: PRAYER LIST Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven / hallowed be your name / Your kingdom come / your will be done / on earth as it is in heaven / Give us this day our daily bread / and forgive us our debts / as we also have forgiven our debtors / And lead us not into temptation / but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9 13). OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN... 1. For giving us the privilege of being a child of God. 2. For being a faithful father whose love is unconditional. 3. For hearing us, caring for us, and responding to our prayers. 4. For sending Christ to die, so we can know God as Father and not judge. 5. For giving us a spiritual family composed of many brothers and sisters in Christ. 6. For being trustworthy, always doing what is best for us. 1. To deepen our awareness and gratitude for His fatherly care. 2. To keep us from taking for granted that He is near us and that He cares for us. 3. To make our understanding of His fatherly care shape our trust in Him. HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME... 1. That His name is holy that He is distinct from all creation. 2. That He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. 3. That all His plans and ways are righteous. 4. That His ways are not our ways and that we acknowledge His wisdom is superior to ours. 5. That He has opened our eyes to see His power and worth. Page 3! of 6!
1. To deepen our care for His name, glory, and renown in the world. 2. To guard us from accusing Him of wrongdoing or injustice. 3. To become more sensitive to His name being mocked, maligned, or belittled. 4. To keep us from any behavior which would lead people to demean God. 5. To make His name known and treasured where it is not known and treasured. YOUR KINGDOM COME... 1. That He is sovereign and that no power will prevent His universal rule. 2. That the kingdoms of unrighteous and unjust people will not endure forever. 3. That He will establish His justice and righteous rule on the earth and in eternity. 4. That He will eradicate all war, poverty, oppression, abuse, and injustice. 5. That His name will be hallowed among all the nations of the world. 6. That He will overcome all the powers of Satan and the demonic realm. 1. To hasten the coming of His kingdom and the sway of His perfect will. 2. To prevent us from loving this world more than we desire His coming dominion. 3. To bring justice, righteousness, and purity to the world. 4. To helps us care more about His kingdom than we do about our personal kingdoms. 5. To strengthen His church which is persecuted, mocked, and abused. 6. To save many more souls before the coming of His judgment. YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN... 1. That one day His sovereign desires will hold sway on earth. 2. That His will is perfect and that He always desires what is good. 3. That the Spirit is progressively conforming our lives unto His will. 4. That His will on earth won t produce abuse, oppression, poverty, and lawlessness. 1. To mature our confidence in His perfect will. 2. To guard our hearts from bitterness when His will is painful and contrary to our own. 3. To make his will rule in the Christian community and in local churches. 4. To desire His will above our own, trusting that His plan is best. 5. To help us submit to His will neither from exasperation nor bitterness but rather to submit with a humble, trusting assurance in His loving character. Page 4! of 6!
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD... 1. That He has infinite resources, isn t limited in His ability to provide what we need, and freely bestows all things needed for our sustainment. 2. That He has proven Himself trustworthy and deserving of our daily dependance. 3. That He faithfully provides what is needed for our sustainment. 4. That He does not give us all we desire because He knows what we need. 5. That He does provide many good gifts which exceed our bare necessities. 6. That He uses us to meet the physical needs of others. 1. To continue to meet our physical and spiritual needs. 2. To help us reflect upon all that He has given us rather than upon those things which He has chosen to withhold. 3. To help believers be marked by gratitude rather than discontentment. 4. To keep us from taking false refuge in our jobs, possessions, or economy rather than in God. 5. To assist us in living with a daily mindfulness of our dependence upon Him for all we have. 6. To help us loosely hold His good gifts and not place our happiness in them. AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS... 1. That He shows mercy and does not deal with us according to our sins. 2. That Christ s death and resurrection has paid our spiritual debts. 3. That forgiveness is contingent upon Christ s sufficient death not our inconstant obedience. 4. That He restores the joy of salvation when we repent. 5. That He does not allow us to be happy and content in our sin. 1. To forgive our many sins resulting from wayward hearts. 2. To help us be quick to confess our sins, deal honestly with them, and recognize our need for forgiveness. 3. To let our confidence for our pardon be rooted in a proper understanding of the gospel, not in our works. 4. That we would be quick to absorb offenses and freely forgive those who have injured us. 5. For a conviction of His forgiveness to cultivate spiritual humility in us. 6. That we would avoid minimizing our sin against God and magnifying others sin against us. Page 5! of 6!
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL... 1. That He will not seduce us to sin against Him. 2. That He will not allow us to experience trials that exceed our endurance. 3. That He has delivered us from the dominion of sin through the power of the cross. 4. That we have been given the Spirit who helps us discern sin, who sanctifies our desires, and who empowers us to obey. 5. That He has provided a family of brothers and sisters to help us guard one another against the deceitfulness of sin and to encourage spiritual growth. 1. That He would deliver us from Satan s devices that tempt us to wander from Him. 2. That our hearts would be sensitive toward situations which could compromise our obedience. 3. That we would trust the ability and willingness of the Spirit to mortify sin and to mature us. 4. That we would see His commands as a means to our joy and not an obstacle to our happiness. 5. That we would not lose heart in our effort to obey. 6. That we would be patient and gracious in helping other believers in their sinful struggles. Page 6! of 6!