The Lord's Prayer: An Act of Worship

Today we in the life of Jesus we are looking at a passage that is a little out of order but it is the Passage that I am feeling drawn to by the spirit for this week. It is a passage that many of you know by heart.

I know it was one of the first I memorized not the first but one of them. And if you don’t know it you would do well to learn it

Today we are talking about the Lord’s prayer

It is found in two places in the Bible, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4

I will be using Luke as are base today Even though it is Matthew I have memorized and they are slightly different

Luke 11:1–4 LEB

And it happened that while he was in a certain place praying, when he stopped a certain one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say, “Father, may your name be treated as holy. May your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation.”

Pray

This passage was given because the disciples wanted to learn how to pray.

Prayer is the foundation of our communication with God. Prayer is the cornerstone of many religions. Our quest to speak to the divine. To return to the walk through the Garden as we did before our sin corrupt us

And it seems that people throughout time have prayed in one fashion or another. To God or to a god through focusing actions (like bowing head or putting hands together or bowing to the floor), focusing items (bible, cross, Mary, idol, temple, church). And some people are more sensitive to it than others. The outside, the holy spirit, angels, demons.

Some find it very hard to pray, some it is as natural as breathing.

But how to pray is not something that most just know

It is taught. I was taught as my parents prayed around the table. Some do it before you go to bed. I pray everyday before the children go to school, and it is through this that we teach

But some you know the difficulty of what do I say, What do I do, How do I pray. Fear that you will do something wrong or make a fool out of yourself. And so the disciples ask the same question we wonder, “how do we pray”.

Jesus gives them an example.

Our Father

What a Joy it is to call the Lord Father. This is not something that is unique but it is rare that a deity allows itself to be called Father in a personal manner. The Norse call Odin the All-Father

But that is so generic here we get to call YHWH, Father as you would you have a special relationship to Him. And we do if you have accepted Jesus as you Lord and savior you have the Holy Spirit living in you and you have been adopted through the Blood of Jesus Christ in to the family of God. You are His Son. You are His daughter.

What a Joy.

Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come

This is an example of adoration and subjugation.

Adoration

Recognition of who God is.

He is the Way. He is the creator of all, He is the Lord and Master. He is the all in all he is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Lord of host. He is GOD, King of King and Lord above all others, deliverer, grace giver and Judge he is GOD. He is YHWH. Be specific say Jesus, Say YHWH. There are a lot of gods out there that people worship. Saying God is to generic. Father

Subjugation

Recognition of who we are

It is the Truth. We are not God and we need his forgiveness.

Give us each day our daily bread

Petition To the Lord

When we recognize who God is we see that everything we have comes from God and we must rely on him. Even for our daily bread

Forgive us

Confession

When we recognize who God is and who we are we realize our need for confession, And forgiveness as we realize we need to do the same for others as we wish god to do for us

Provide us with Life

Jesus is known as the way the truth and the Life. These are three gates had to go through to get to the Holy of Holies in the temple.

Jesus says I am God and it is through this blood that I will spill that you will be able to go to God. As the ultimate blood sacrifice.

As we pray we recognize

The way - Adoration and Subjugation

The Truth – Subjugation and Petition

The Life – Confession and Protection

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us

Our very protection our armor comes from the Lord. Protection as we go after we are forgiven and have worshiped God. It is time to cinch up the belt and to get to work. Doing the will of the Lord

Being the ambassadors of his risen word

Put on the armor of God and go.

Isaiah will put it in a different way when he meets God.

Isaiah 6:1–8 LEB

In the year of the death of Uzziah the king, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and raised throne, and the hem of his robe was filling the temple. Seraphs were standing above him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And the one called to the other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts! The whole earth is full of his glory.” And the pivots of the thresholds shook from the sound of those who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said, “Woe to me! For I am destroyed! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I am living among a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the king, Yahweh of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew to me, and in his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth, and he said, “Look! This has touched your lips and has removed your guilt, and your sin is annulled.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “I am here! Send me!”

Who will I send who will Go. True worship of God always ends with service to Him. Action

For thine is the kingdom forever and ever, Amen

Some versions of Matthew, not the oldest copies we have, include for thine is the kingdom forever and ever amen

I like this prayer and the pattern it gives us adoration, subjugation, petition, confession, protection

And for those learning to pray this is a wonderful pattern to use

And some of you need this and some need to remember it. Sometimes we get to caught up in one part or another. Petition and not adoration. Confession and not protection

Prayer and not worship and moving on Prayer is something that is done between God and his people his children that moves us that gives us hope that gives us direction and clarity

Next Steps

How is your prayer life today?