How To Pray: Part 2

Introduction:

Read: Matthew 6:9-13

Pray

Intro: We began the first half of the Lord’s prayer last week talking about how we are to pray that God’s name would be glorified, his kingdom would come, and his will be done.

We mentioned how we often skip through the first half and spend most of our time in the second half.

Today we will look at why Jesus shifted the prayer from just glorious things to the practical requests.

Matthew 6:11-13

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD: Jesus turns his attention to the needs of those who are praying. This is the first plea that we are to make.

We are to ask the Father for what we need today. These request may consist of the most basic needs someone may have to survive.

Bread was used to describe all forms of nutrients and needs that preserve human life.

Clothing, shelter, financial help, health issues. The things that we cannot survive without. Do not be afraid to ask God for a thing as little as bread

Matthew 6:25-34 Read.

Jesus modeled the small prayers for the daily bread for a purpose. There is something about a heart that asks for what it needs and not what it wants.

Proverbs 30:8-9 : Remove far from me false hood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needed for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of God.

BREAD: Jesus is showing his disciples the most basic need for human life, however I think that Jesus is connecting this bread to the bread in John.

John 6:48-51 Read

Though Jesus is instructing to ask for the daily temporal things we need to live, I believe he is also instructing the disciples to pray that they would partake of him every day, which is true strength and true life.

AND: Both “ands” in this section serve as a logical conjunction between what is being said.

GK. Kai: and, also

It is to say that daily bread is not enough to live on, but that we also require forgiveness of sin and deliverance from evil/temptation.

FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS: Jesus states that second plea that we are to make and that is for the Father to forgive our sins.

As stated in the previous note, this statement is in congruence with the asking and the need for daily bread. Just as a man needs God to provide food for survival, so does he need God to forgive his sin for the life of his soul.

This plea is an acknowledgment that your sin must not go untouched and that it cannot be forgiven by you, but only by the Father who is in Heaven.

This is only possible through the cross of Jesus

AS WE ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN OUR DEBTORS: Jesus models this statement following the plea for forgiveness.

Following a request for the Father to forgive us of our sins, we are to examine ourselves and forgive those who have sinned against us.

What Jesus is not saying here is that for us to be forgiven, we must forgive, as if our forgiveness is based on our merit and our actions toward others.

This ties to v.14-15

We must not forget the rest of God’s word when unpacking this issue. Galatians 2:16 , Titus 3:5

The word is clear that forgiveness does not come through our own righteousness but only by the grace of the God through faith in Jesus Christ.

The point that Jesus is making here is that when the Spirit opens our eyes to the incalculable debt that we owe and the enormous offense that we have committed against God, the actions of others do not seem to carry much weight at all.

commentator: Therefore, if the offenses of others are exaggerated, it proves that we have minimized our offense against God.

It is important to reveal the heart behind the issue that Jesus is pointing to. If a heart is repentant and understanding of its fault and need for forgiveness, then it will be forgiven and therefore respond to others in the same way.

DO NOT BRING US INTO TEMPTATION: This is the third plea that Jesus models.

This is one of the more interesting pleas in the prayer. It sounds as if Jesus is instructing for us to ask the Father not to temp us with evil. That can not be the correct interpretation

James 1:13

Why ask God not to do what he would never do anyways?

Chrysostom, an early church father, says that the issue here is that Jesus is speaking about the heart. That the heart behind this prayer is a heart that so desires to be far from sin and the dangers of it. It is the result of a redeemed soul to despise and fear sin so much that it wants to escape all prospects of falling into it.

Again, Jesus points to the heart behind the prayer.

This is simply why we are to pray for the Father to deliver us from evil. (The point of this prayer)

He is faithful to do so, 1 Corinthians 10:13

You are praying for deliverance, you are praying for strength, and you are claiming the promise that God will deliver you.

Conclusion:

Read the whole prayer (v. 9-13)

The loud proclamation the prayer is making is that it should be done in community. It begins with “Our” and ends with instruction to forgive others.

We as church must pray these things for ourselves but also for one another.

Pray for daily supply, forgiveness, and strength against sin.

This is all meant to glorify God’s name, see his kingdom come, and to see His will be accomplished.