The Good Life: Pray Like This…part 1 (Matthew 6:9-10)
Notes
Transcript
Following Jesus on the Kingdom Journey
Following Jesus on the Kingdom Journey
Aside from Psalm 23, the Lord’s Prayer might be the most popular scripture the Western culture recognizes from the New Testament. The prayer, with its profound beauty and poetic cadence, is a masterpiece that is often underappreciated in its true significance. Coaching football revealed this to me.
As a football coach, I have led the team in the Lord’s Prayer before games. In those moments, as we knelt, bowed our heads, and placed our hands on each other's pads, the atmosphere transformed. What was once a trivial football game became a sacred, even otherworldly, experience.
The team and coaching staff would start off strong with the “Our Father,” but by the time we get the third petition, the prayer has turned into a groaning inaudible mumble until the amen. In that moment, we felt like we did something important, as if it might even have repercussions on the outcome of the game. It was almost like our magical trick up our sleeve unless the other team also prayed the Lord’s prayer. However, they did not understand what they prayed, or even who they prayed to.
Unfortunately, in the West, many people have trivialized the Lord’s prayer into beautiful poetry or some magical spell. On the one hand, the prayer is beautifully written, and its cadence is mesmerizing to your heart's affections. Even pagans can appreciate its poetic mastery. But it is not a mere piece of poetry.
On the other hand, prayer is powerful—not in a magical vending machine kind of way, but when its content and context are understood, and it is valued as a model for communicating with the Almighty God.
N.T. Wright says of the Lord’s Prayer,
The ‘Lord’s Prayer’, as many call it, is not just a loosely connected string of petitions. It is a prayer for people who are following Jesus on the kingdom-journey.
N. T. Wright
Wright is spot on with his statement. The Lord’s prayer is for people who are following Jesus on the Kingdom-journey. It is for those who are trying to live the Good Life now in the kingdom of God. Furthermore, Jesus taught us this prayer as a model to properly speak to almighty God. The reason why I say proper way to speak to God is because Jesus explains there is an improper way to pray in verses Matthew 6:7-8
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
There is a hypocritical way to pray that tries to manipulate God or rob him of his glory. It's like praying before a football game. Jesus wants you to pray to the Father frequently. The structure of the Greek indicates that he wants you to pray often to the Father. It should be as habitual as eating, drinking, or even breathing. The habitual nature of prayer underscores its importance and necessity in our lives. Jesus wants you to pray properly, and the Lord’s prayer is the model he wants you to use.
There are a couple of thoughts you should consider about the Lord’s prayer. First, notice its God-centeredness. The first three petitions deal with God. You must recognize that God is your Father, the Sovereign King and that His will is to be done. He is first in the prayer because he is the priority in the prayer. Second, the final three petitions deal with humanity: our need for provision, forgiveness, and protection. So, to understand the Lord’s prayer, on the one hand, you need to recognize God’s priority and place as supreme, and then your need. Because of this, I have organized the points accordingly.
Secondly, notice the sequences of the petitions. The Lord’s prayer teaches us how to order our desires. Thomas Aquinas recognizes this in his commentary on the Lord’s prayer. He says,
The Lord’s Prayer is the most perfect of prayers … In it we ask, not only for the things we can rightly desire, but also in the sequence that they should be desired. This prayer teaches us not only to ask for things, but also in what order we should desire them.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
With this in mind, Jesus teaches us to be God-centered in our prayers. God is our supreme desire. We acknowledge Him first, his fatherliness, authority sovereignty, lordship, and will for our lives. Then we move on to us.
With this in mind, we will get through the first three petitions this morning. God willing, we will tackle the final three next week.
Because Your Father’s authority is the final soverign authority, pray for His name to be made holy in your heart. (Matthew 6:9)
Because Your Father’s authority is the final soverign authority, pray for His name to be made holy in your heart. (Matthew 6:9)
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Jesus says, “Our Father in heaven.” In Jewish culture, calling God the Father was practiced but uncommon. They had such a reverence for God and his name that they kept it somewhat formal. Jesus commands his disciples to begin prayer with a term of endearment: Father.
Not everyone can call God Father because not everyone is a child of God. There is confusion in our culture that we are all God’s children. No, we are not all God’s children. Humanity is made in the image of God, and we are all created by God to bear his image. To be a child of God, however, you must be born again to be adopted.
Adoption is the divine work wherein God declares regenerated believers to be his beloved sons and daughters and welcomes them into his eternal family. John opens his gospel with this declaration,
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Paul says to the Roman church,
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he poured out his Spirit on all believers, sealing our salvation and our adoption. His Spirit testifies that we are legitimate sons and daughters by adoption because we are given the same privileges as sons and daughters of God. We are fellow heirs with Christ.
Paul goes on to say to the Ephesian church that our adoption was planned before the foundation of the world through the work of Jesus Christ to His praise,
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
For those who have confessed, repented of their sin, and put their eternal hope in the forgiveness Jesus offers through his atoning sacrifice, you are sons and daughters of the highest God, to His praise and glory.
The most enduring aspect of calling God your Father is how accessible he has made himself to you. There is a story of little Jack Kennedy running into the Oval Office looking for his daddy, John F. Kennedy. He was in an important meeting with heads of state, and Jack made his way to his daddy’s desk. John F. Kennedy stopped what he was doing, opened his arms to receive little Jack, and asked what he needed. That is the kind of access Jesus gives us through his atonement to the Father, and that is how enduring the Father is to us who come to him in prayer. He is like a loving parent who welcomes us as his child.
The prepositional phrase “in heaven” balances your father's intimacy and accessibility with his sovereign authority. God is not the big guy upstairs. He is the God who lives in heaven, the highest place, the ultimate realm, where he rules heaven, earth, and hell with his majestic authority as the King of Kings. The Psalmist says,
3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.
There is no being higher than God. Listen how the Psalmist describes the majestic authority of God in heaven.
1 The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
Furthermore, Jesus then tells us to pray, “Hallowed by Your name.” The way the Greek is structured, it could be read, “Let your name be made holy” or “Make your name holy.”
The name of a person represents their authority and character. God is supremely holy and the sovereign Lord. His name should be revered as such.
The Psalmist describes how God should be worshiped in the splendor of his holiness and the authority of his name.
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. 4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord. 9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
When you pray for God to make His name holy in your heart, four things occur. First,
Your prayers are God-centered.
Your prayers are God-centered.
God is the object of your worship. God is the sovereign authority in your life. A prayer to "make your name holy in my heart" acknowledges God’s rightful place as first in your heart. He is the king of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Alpha and Omega. Acknowledge Him above all heaven, earth, and hell as the rightful sovereign Lord. Denounce any authority, power, or idol competing for His throne in your life. This brings praise, honor, and glory due to His name in your heart and sets you on course to pray in a manner God approves.
You develop a repulsion for sin.
You develop a repulsion for sin.
When you ask God to 'make his name holy in your heart,' you are asking him to help you see sin the way God sees it. Those who love God’s holiness hate evil (Psalm 97:10). Those who love God’s holiness do not want to grieve God with their sin. The eyes of your heart become purer so that you do not look at worthless things. The ears of your heart are able to discern deceptive ideologies. Your affections are not aroused by the lusts of the world. Instead, God gives you new holy desires that you are eager to pray for, and he is eager to grant you.
When I am facing temptation, whether it is lust or unrighteous anger, I turn to this powerful prayer. I ask God to make his name holy in my heart, knowing that this act of faith can transform my worldly desires into a love for God’s truth, and my unrighteous anger into compassion for the broken.
It keeps you from hypocrisy
It keeps you from hypocrisy
Remember that using God’s name in profanity is not the only way to take the Lord’s name in vain. It's important to keep in mind that the name of God reveals his authority and character. Those who claim to be a child of God must live in a manner that reveres his name. Jesus is warning his disciples not to be like the hypocrites in their giving, praying, and fasting. Claiming to be a Christian while living a pagan life before the world brings shame to God’s name. Therefore, it's important to pray that God would make his name holy in your life so that you do not fall into hypocrisy. Your Father’s authority is the final sovereign authority, so you should pray for His name to be made holy in your heart.
Because Your Father’s rule on earth is promised, pray for Jesus to come and reign over all. (Matthew 6:10)
Because Your Father’s rule on earth is promised, pray for Jesus to come and reign over all. (Matthew 6:10)
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
From the very begining after the Fall of Man, in the Book of Genesis, God promised he would send a King who would reverse the curse and restore heaven and earth under God supreme rule. While cursing the serpent for deceiving Eve, and God promised
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The seed of the of the woman is a promised Messiah King who will would come and crush the head of Satan. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised,
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Through the words of Jeremiah the prophet God promised,
5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
To this Messiah King, God promised
14 He was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom; so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
So when Jesus arrives on the scene and says, In Matthew 4:17 Jesus says,
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
He is announcing the beginning of the fulfillment of God's promise long ago to send a righteous king who would rule with righteousness and justice. Jesus is the promised Messiah King. His life, death, resurrection, and ascension are the partial fulfillment of God’s kingdom to come. His salvation work paved the way for sinners to be redeemed and God’s kingdom to be permanently established. In one sense, the kingdom has come and is present in Christ. Jesus alludes to this reality in,
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
The kingdom of God has not yet fully arrived. Jesus mentioned that his kingdom would only come after the gospel had been preached to all nations as a testimony (Matthew 24:14). In Acts 1:8, after his resurrection, Jesus assured his disciples and all future disciples that they would receive the power of His Spirit to spread the message to the ends of the earth. Following his ascension, Jesus poured out His Spirit on his church at Pentecost to advance his kingdom joyfully by making much of Jesus until the church, community, and home abide in Jesus forever. Therefore, God’s kingdom is currently present, though it remains hidden and unrecognized by many. We eagerly anticipate a future, more open manifestation in which all people will acknowledge Jesus’ authority as King.
Praying for “your kingdom come” means working to advance Jesus' kingdom in the hearts of people in Litchfield, Illinois, America, and around the world. “Your kingdom come” is essentially the Great Commission. Simultaneously, you are also asking God to hasten Jesus' return so that he can defeat Satan, restore creation, and reign over all. This prayer is filled with the anticipation of Jesus' imminent return, a hope that should fill us with excitement and joy. Your kingdom come implies the imminent arrival of Jesus.
I will often pray this over my children.
Father, please advance your kingdom in the hearts of Naomi, Ethan, Abigail, Abram, and Elias. Make Jesus king of their heart. Help them surrender to Jesus’ full soverign reign over every word that comes from their mouth, thought that lingers in their head, and deed that comes from their hands.
Because Your Father’s rule on earth is promised, pray for Jesus to come and reign over all.
Because your Father’s will is supreme, pray for your joyful and eager obedience to His will. (Matthew 6:10)
Because your Father’s will is supreme, pray for your joyful and eager obedience to His will. (Matthew 6:10)
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Martin Luther referred to this as the "fearful petition." I assume he understood the seriousness of asking God to do his good and pleasing and acceptable will in your life and to help you obey it regardless of the consequences. To do this you must understand God’s will is supremely good, so much so, your heart should hunger to obey it.
Think about Jesus's ministry for a moment. Jesus told his disciples that doing the will of God was like food to him (John 4:34). Just as food sustains one's physical life, obeying the will of God was essential to Jesus's life. With obedience to God’s will as sustenance to his life, Jesus goes on to say John 5:30
30 “I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
and John 6:38
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
What was God’s will for Jesus? God’s will for Jesus was the cross, and when Jesus was faced with the cross, he prayed Mark 14:36
36 And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Jesus so hungered for God’s will to be done that he, with the joy set before him, endure the cross. Jesus saw the Father’s will as supremely good for His Father’s glory and for our joy.
When we pray, “Your will be done,” we are praying for God to work out his will even if it brings suffering in our lives like it did Jesus’. That is why Martin Luther called it the fearful petition.
We are commanded by Jesus to pray for God's will to be done. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we must remember that God’s will is always good, perfect, and acceptable, even if it may involve some suffering. Even Jesus, the Son of God, had to endure the cross and a sinner's death. We are not above our teacher. Moreover, Jesus told us that we will suffer as he suffered. Suffering is a reality for those in the kingdom, and we must be prepared for it as God may allow it in our lives to accomplish his supreme will.
Paul says,
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
The crucifixion of Jesus was a profound mystery to the world, but the soverign supreme will of God. It was supreme will of God to send his only begotten son to die. It was the Supreme will of God that through Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion, our own death was conquered, and the fear of death was taken away. It was God’s supreme will for your good for Jesus' sacrifice to secure eternal life and atoned for your sins. We are forgiven, justified before God, adopted as his children, and promised an eternal inheritance that will remove all suffering for eternity by the supreme will of God. By the supreme will of God our suffering in this world is insignificant compared to the eternal glory we have in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:17). God’s will is supreme because it brings him glory and works for your good, always. Paul, reminds us,
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
The phrase "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is a prayer for joyful and eager obedience to God's supremely good, perfect, and acceptable will. It’s a longing for God’s will to be followed and fulfilled in the same way Jesus, our example, did, even if it means joining in the sufferings of Jesus.
We should hunger for obedience to God’s will in our lives, and stop short of nothing less than God satisfying our hunger to obey with answered prayer. In his work, "Our Heavenly Father," Helmut Thielicke captures Jesus’ sentiment of obeying the will of the Father. He writes,
Just as I live by my daily bread, just as my heart and my eyes and my whole body are driven toward food by the spontaneous urge of hunger, so I live by the will of the Father, so I am driven to him and linked to him with every fiber of my being. (Helmut Thielicke, Our Heavenly Father (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1980), pp. 70, 71.)
With every fiber of our being, we want to be as joyful and eager to obey God’s will as those in heaven are. There is no disobedience or hesitation in heaven when it comes to obeying the will of God.
For us, we have to continually pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray for God to empower us to obey His will, especially when it is hard, with joy and eagerness.
I pray this over the church: Lord, help our people love obeying your will. Help them to hunger for your will the way Jesus did. Give them hearts that find true meaning and purpose in life by eagerly obeying your purposes for the sake of your kingdom. May they joyfully and actively advance your kingdom, understanding that the church plays a crucial role in exalting Jesus through their obedience.
Because your Father’s will is supreme, pray for your joyful and eager obedience to His will.
Because your Father is a Good Father who is able to provide, pray for your needs to be met. (Matthew 6:11)
Because your Father is a Good Father who is able to provide, pray for your needs to be met. (Matthew 6:11)
Because your Father forgives sins, pray for your sins to be forgiven. (Matthew 6:12; 14-15)
Because your Father forgives sins, pray for your sins to be forgiven. (Matthew 6:12; 14-15)
Because your Father is your Deliverer, pray for protection from temptation and sin. (Matthew 6:13)
Because your Father is your Deliverer, pray for protection from temptation and sin. (Matthew 6:13)