The Lord's Prayer1
The Lord’s Prayer – Matt 6:9-13 Wednesday Night Bible Study 11/12/08
Our purpose in prayer is to make petitions to God. God purpose in prayer is to make him the center of our lives. The Lord’s Prayer underscores adoration of the father and de-emphasizes self. God does desire to hear our concerns but if that is the only reason we pray then we have missed the point of our relationship with Him.
Focusing on Him puts things in perspective. In Eph. 4:6-7, Paul offers a radical peace plan.
Arthur Pink- How ignorant and sinful creatures are to endeavor to come before the Most High God, how they are to pray acceptably to Him and to obtain from Him what they need, can be discovered only as the great Hearer of prayer is pleased to reveal His will to us. This he has done for us in Matt. 9. A special rule of direction was given by Christ as he taught the disciples.
It is called “The Lord’s Prayer” because Christ gave it as a rule of how to pray (a model). It was given to His disciples to be used as a model. It is not to be memorized and recited.
Robert Law has said, “Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man’s will done in heaven, but for getting God’s will done in earth. We have no right to ask God for anything that will dishonor His name, delay His kingdom, or disturb His will on earth. John MacArthur- God’s supreme purpose for prayer, the purpose beyond all other purposes, is to glorify Himself. Although nothing benefits a believer more than prayer, the purpose in praying must first of all be for the sake of God, not self. Prayer is, above all, an opportunity for God to manifest His goodness and glory. An old saint said, “True prayer brings the mind to the immediate contemplation of God’s character and holds it there until the believer’s soul is properly impressed.
What we need to understand is this is a model of how we should pray not a form to be followed.
We need to understand some things about prayer—Rom. 8:26, Eph. 6:18- because prayer is so important and we don’t know how to pray – God has commissioned the holy Spirit to help us.
I. Our Father ( Matt. 6:9)
A. By directing the prayer to Him, it assures us of His love and power. We are directing the prayer to the entire deity of the father. We don’t direct our prayer to Angels or saints or “a great one” but to Father.
B. We see two things that are essential to prayer:
1. Reverence- we are addressing the Heavenly throne
2. Confidence- the object of our prayer is the father.
C. Heb. 11:6-
D. God is our Father spiritually (John 20:7). God’s fatherhood of unbelievers is only in the sense that he created everyone. John 8:44 (Jesus told them you are of your Father, the devil).
E. God is our father by adoption (Eph. 1:7)
F. God is our father by regeneration ( 2 Peter 1:4)
G. All of this is done by faith (Gal. 3:26) By faith we are the blood-royal of Heaven. Baptism makes us church members faith make us children of God.
1. Arthur Pink- These words “Our Father” not only signify the office that God sustains to us by virtue of the everlasting covenant, but they also clearly imply our obligation. They teach us both how we ought to dispose ourselves toward God when we pray to Him, and the conduct that is becoming to us by virtue of this relationship. As his children we must honor Him.
2. Ex. 20:12-
A. As our Father, we understand we are to be in subjection to Him.
II. Which Art in Heaven (Matt 6:9b)
A. Psa. 66:1- God is directing all things from on high. This should hold us in awe, that we are approaching one who infinitely above us. Arthur Pink- God’s supreme purpose for prayer, the purpose beyond all other purposes, is to glorify Himself. Although nothing benefits a believer more than prayer, the purpose in praying must first of all be for the sake of God, not self. Prayer is, above all, an opportunity for God to manifest His goodness and glory. An old saint said, “True prayer brings the mind to the immediate contemplation of God’s character and holds it there until the believer’s soul is properly impressed.
B. Psa. 115:3-
1.Psa. 103:3-
III. Advantages to God being Our Father
A. If God is our father he will teach us
1. Deut. 4:10-
2. Psa. 71:17-
3. 1 Cor. 2:14- we may read many truths in the Bible but we can’t understand them until the Holy Spirit shines on us and interprets.
B. If God is our father He will love us- it is so unnatural for a father not to love his children
1. 1 Peter 5:7-
C. If God is our father He will have pity on us
1. Psa. 103:13-
D. If God is our Father, He will correct us in measure
1. Jer. 30:11-
2. Psa. 103:14- He knows we aren’t steel or marble. He won’t over afflict us.
E. If God is our father, the evil one won’t prevail against us
1. Satan will only have the shot against us the Lord allows.
G. If God is our Father, we may go boldly before the throne of grace
1. Luke 11:13-
2. Heb. 12:16-
H. If God is our Father, He will give us a good inheritance
1. 1 Peter 1:3,4-
2. Luke 12:32-