Prayer (Part 3) - "Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

2 Weeks Ago, We Started a Wednesday Night Series on Prayer

I Mentioned Last Week…

That We’ll Be Breaking this Series Up into 3 Sub-Series:

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”

Learning about Prayer from Jesus

“Christian Principles of Prayer”

What Do the Scriptures Teach Us about Prayer

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How’s of Prayer?

“Unconventional Methods of Prayer”

Discussing Unconventional…

Methods/Topics/Thoughts/Questions Concerning Prayer

“Lord, Teach Us to Pray”

Last Week, We Took a Tiny Look at How Jesus Prayed

There’s Much More to Study Concerning How Jesus Prayed…

But We’re Going to Keep Moving Along

Tonight, We’ll Begin Looking at:

What Jesus Taught about Prayer

We May Spend a Couple Weeks or So on this

Does Anyone Know Where I Got the Title for this Sub-Series?

Luke 11:1–4 (NASB95)

1 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread. 4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

The Disciples had Witnessed Jesus Praying on Many Occasions

They Wanted Him to Teach Them

We’re Going to Study What Jesus Taught His Disciples

But Instead of Studying the Prayer as Luke Records it…

We’re Going to Go to Matthew’s Account…

Where We have a Fuller Version of the Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:9–13 (NASB95)

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Sometimes We Call this “The Lord’s Prayer”

It’s Also Been Called “The Disciples Prayer”

Or “The Model Prayer”

When Jesus Said, “Pray, then, in this Way”…

What Did He Mean By that?

Did He Mean for His Followers to Recite this Prayer…

Or Simply Model Our Prayers After it?

Historically, Christians have Done Both

In the Didache (Late 1st or Early 2nd Century Christian Teaching)…

Records this Prayer & then Says:

“Pray Thus 3 Times a Day.”

At Least Some of the Earliest Christians…

Actually Recited this Prayer 3 Times a Day

I See Absolutely Nothing Wrong with Reciting this Prayer…

Or Simply Using it as a Model for Which to Build Our Own Prayers

There’s Nothing Wrong with Reciting a Prayer to God…

Just Like There’s Nothing Wrong with…

Repeatedly Singing the Same Songs to God

All that Matters is that the Heart/Mind are Sincere/Intentional

One could Argue that this Prayer was Not Only Meant for Individual Prayers…

But for Corporate Prayers as Well

“Our Father”

“Give Us”

“Forgive Us”

“As We”

“Forgiven Our”

“Lead Us”

“Deliver Us”

The Prayer is Broken Up into 2 Halves:

The 1st Half is Asking for God’s Will to Be Fulfilled

The 2nd Half is Asking for Our Own Personal Desires to Be Fulfilled

Let’s Dive into this Prayer:

Jesus Begins with “Our Father Who is in Heaven”

Jesus Invites His Disciples to Address God…

The Way He Addresses God

When We Belong to Jesus, God isn’t Some Distant Deity

He is Our Father

Romans 8:14–17 (NASB95)

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Galatians 4:4–7 (NASB95)

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

In Christ, We are Adopted into the Family of God

We have His Spirit Living Within Us as the Seal of Our Adoption

Because of What Jesus has Done for Those Who have Accepted His Gospel…

We Now have a Special Relationship with God Almighty

He isn’t Just Our Creator & Our Master

He’s Our Father

Next, We have 3 Statements that I Believe are Synonymous

Jesus is Asking God to Do the Same Thing…

In 3 Slightly Different Ways:

A Literal Translation Might Look Something Like this:

“Let Your Name Be Sanctified”

“Let Your Kingdom Come”

“Let Your Will Be Done”

These are All Prayers for God to Fulfill His Ultimate Purpose in the World

And They’re Each Attached to:

“As in Heaven, Also on Earth”

God’s “Name” isn’t Referring to His Actual Name

It Refers to His Character/Person

“God, Make Yourself as Revered on Earth as You are in Heaven”

God’s Kingdom Refers to His Reign/Rule as King

I’ve Always Heard that We shouldn’t Say this Part of the Prayer Anymore…

Because God’s Kingdom has Already Come

God is Already Reigning Over His Kingdom Through His Messiah

That’s True

But it Misses the Point of What Jesus is Telling Us to Pray for

When We Disconnect…

“Let Your Kingdom Come” From “On Earth as it is in Heaven”…

We’re Missing the Point

The Prayer is:

“God, Bring Your Reign/Rule on Earth Like it is in Heaven”

His Kingdom/Reign/Rule is Already Established…

But the Prayer is for His Reign/Rule to Be Fully Established

For All of Creation to Be Subject to Him as King

Philippians 2:10–11 (NASB95)

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is What We are to Pray for

Then the 3rd Request for God’s Will to Be Done on Earth as in Heaven…

Is Synonymous to the 2 Previous Requests

God’s Will is Perfectly/Completely/Always Done in Heaven

Jesus Tells Us to Pray that the Same Be the Case on Earth

And His Will for All Creation is:

For His Name/Person to Be Revered/Considered Holy By All

For His Kingdom/Reign/Rule to Be Completely Over All

One Commentator Compared this 1st Half of the Prayer…

To the End of 1 Corinthians & Revelation:

1 Corinthians 16:22 (NASB95)

22 If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.

“Maranatha” = “O Lord, Come!”

Revelation 22:20 (NASB95)

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

“Let Your Name Be Sanctified”…

“Let Your Kingdom Come”…

“Let Your Will Be Done”…

“On Earth as it is in Heaven”…

Is Praying for the God to Bring about…

The Fulfillment of His Will/Promises…

At the Return of Jesus

So, in Teaching His Disciples to Pray…

Jesus Teaches Us that We should:

“Pray for the Ultimate Fulfillment of God’s Will in All of Creation”

Praying for God to Fulfill His Good Will in the World…

Seems to Be a Staple in Many Prayers Throughout Scripture

Then He Moves on to Praying for Our Own Personal Desires/Needs

Matthew 6:11–13 (NASB95)

11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

“Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread”

Scholars Struggle with How to Interpret this Verse…

Because the Word for “Daily” is a Pretty Rare Word in Greek

It could Mean:

“Our Daily Bread, Give Us Today”

Or, “Our Bread for Tomorrow, Give Us Today”

Some Even Take it the Spiritual Route By Interpreting it as:

“Our Bread for the Future (Bread of Life), Give Us Today

I Prefer the Simple Interpretation that We’re All Used to

Jesus Teaches Us to Pray for Our Daily Necessities

“Forgive Us Our Debts, as We also have Forgiven Our Debtors”

“Debts” = Sin

Just as We have Daily Physical Necessities…

We have Daily Spiritual Necessities

We’re Constantly in Need of Forgiveness

But Our Being Forgiven…

Is Dependent Upon Our Willingness to Forgive Others

Jesus Teaches Us to Pray for Forgiveness

“Do Not Lead Us into Temptation, But Deliver Us from Evil”

Jesus Teaches Us to Pray for:

God’s Protection & Rescue from Temptation & Evil

How Often Do We Pray:

“Father, Give Me Strength to Faithfully Endure Temptation Today”

“Father, Rescue Me from the Evil Forces that are Enticing Me”

Jesus Tells Us to Depend on God for:

Our Daily Needs

Forgiveness of Sin

Protection & Rescue from Temptation & Evil

The Last Part of the Prayer Says:

“For Yours is the Kingdom & the Power & the Glory Forever. Amen”

Most Scholars Believe this wasn’t in Matthew’s Original Text

They Believe it was Probably Taken from David’s Prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:11

1 Chronicles 29:11 (NASB95)

11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.

Whether it was Originally in Matthew or Not…

It’s the Truth

If it was in the Original…

Then Jesus Ended the Model Prayer with:

Worship/Praise to God

Matthew 6:9–13 (NASB95)

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Invitation

Tonight, We Looked at the Model Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 NASB95

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Since the 1st Century, Christians have Been Reciting this Prayer

Jesus Begins the Prayer with…

“Let Your Name Be Revered on Earth as it is in Heaven”

“Let Your Kingdom/Reign/Rule Come on Earth as it is in Heaven”

“Let Your Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven”

These are All Different Ways of Saying the Same Thing:

“Father, Fulfill Your Ultimate Will for All Creation”

God is Going to Do Just that Whenever Jesus Returns

Until Then, We are to Be Praying for that Day to Come

Prayer Challenge:

In Your Prayers Each Day this Week…

Pray for God’s Ultimate Will to Be Done in All Creation

Pray for Jesus to Return and Renew All Things

That will Be the Day that All Our Hopes & Joys will Be Fulfilled

That will Be the Day of Our Eternal Reward

We should Be Happy to Pray for that Day to Come