Introduction
Remind
of THEME of 5:17-6:18: how life in God's kingdom (with Jesus) is different from
religion.
In 6:7, Jesus points out yet another contrast between religion
and God's kingdom (read).
In prohibiting the use of prayer
as "meaningless repetition," Jesus sets himself apart from virtually
all of the great world religions (OCCULTIC SPELLS; BUDDHIST PRAYER WHEEL; ISLAMIC
PRAYERS).
He also sets the stage for what is perhaps the most ironic passage
in the whole Bible. Rather than explain the irony to you, let's watch this brief
video . . .
Why is Jesus so against this?
Because it communicates several things that are profoundly inaccurate about God--that
he is impersonal, that he is tight-fisted, and that he can be manipulated. Isn’t
it true that many of us have learned to use the "Lord's Prayer" in exactly
this way--as an impersonal, repetitive act that will hopefully persuade God to
forgive us, give us what we want, etc.?
If we're not to use the "Lord's
Prayer" in this way, how should we use it? Actually, it can be very helpful
for developing a healthy and effective prayer life--if you can break out of autopilot,
get rid of the KJV language, and think about what he is saying.
Jesus
did not say "pray with these words"--he said "pray in this way"/along
these lines. It is an example of personal communication with embodies a proper
view of God and proper attitudes toward God. When translated into modern English,
informed by the rest of scripture and applied personally to your own life, it
can be a very helpful framework for talking to God--especially when you lose your
way, need focus, etc. That's how I use it, and I hope this teaching will help
you to use it in the same way.
The prayer has three clear sections, arranged
in an order that is important, each of which informs our relationship with God.
Let's go through it (in modern English) and see how it does this . . .
"You
are my loving Father, and I am your child."
Read 6:9a. I don't know
what this communicates to you, but I know that it communicated something very
radical to Jesus' hearers.
The religious leaders of Jesus'
day never addressed God in this way. They used terms like "Sovereign Lord,"
which emphasized God's power and authority. For them, God was a far-off, distant
authority figure--to be addressed formally.
But Jesus addresses God as "Father."
This is the Aramaic word "Abba"--which is roughly equivalent to "Papa."
It is a term of endearment, connoting a close personal relationship between a
loving father and his child. This prayer begins with "You are my loving
Father, and I am your child."
By praying "Our
Father," Jesus is not only claiming to have an intimate personal relationship
with God because he is his unique Son; he is also inviting each one of us to enter
into and enjoy this same kind of relationship with God. That is why he came.
He
came to live a perfect life and offer himself as a sacrifice to pay for your sins,
so that you can draw near to God at any time and be confident that he will accept
you and welcome you into his presence (Heb. 10:19,22a).
His payment
for your sins makes it possible for God to indwell you through his Spirit, who
will help you to relate to God personally and personally experience God's love
for you (Rom. 5:5; 8:15,16).
That's why, in order to get
anything out of this prayer, you must have a personal relationship with God.
Do you know him as your personal, loving Father? Can you draw near to him at
any time with confidence in his love and acceptance? Do you experience his loving
care in your life?
If not, you can begin this kind of relationship
with God right now, today. All you have to do is receive Christ (Jn. 1:12).
If you will do this, the walls will go down and you will begin to experience a
love relationship with God that will revolutionize your communication with him.
For
those of you who have received Christ, do you begin your prayer by remembering
this and thanking God for his grace, your salvation, his faithfulness, etc.?
I find that this is where I need to start, because above all else, prayer is an
opportunity to be with my loving Father.
"You are my rightful Ruler,
and I am your servant."
Read 6:9b,10. Notice that he imagery for God
changes, from loving Father to ruling King. Jesus is saying (and calling on us
to say), "You are my rightful King, and I am your servant."
Notice
also that the mode of communication changes from personal address to request.
All three requests are for the same thing--the spread of God's dominion in human
hearts. "Hallowed by thy name" means "May you be recognized as
the one true God." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven" means "May humans down here acknowledge you as their rightful
King in the same way that angels do up there."
In order to appreciate
this part of the prayer, you have to understand what God's will/plan is. This
is the main theme of the Bible. God is the rightful Ruler of all humanity. The
root problem of the human race is its revolt against and alienation from God.
God in his love has launched his rescue operation to enable us to come back under
his loving leadership, and Jesus is the key to that rescue operation. His death
provides the way for us be reconciled to him. At the end of human history, Jesus
will come back to forcibly establish God's kingdom over all the earth. In the
time between his comings, he is advancing God's kingdom through us as we share
this good news and invite people to voluntarily receive his kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20).
So
this is not just a request that God will ultimately re-establish his kingdom on
earth. It is a statement of personal enlistment for the present stage of this
plan. It is presenting yourself to God as his servant, consciously aligning yourself
with his purpose and plan, and personally offering yourself to be his instrument
to invite people into his kingdom and help them become effective servants for
him (read Rom. 6:13).
Put differently, it is to remind
myself that the world does not revolve around me and my desires, but around God
and his plan. Prayer is not the means by which I try to persuade God to do my
will; it is the means by which I align myself with God to do his will. When you
talk to God with this perspective and attitude, it leads to many related matters.
Am
I letting your kingdom advance in my own life? Do I have a controversy with you
that I need to resolve? What do you want to change in my character so I can be
a better ambassador?
Please give me opportunities today to share your love
and good news with people who don't know you. Open my eyes to see these opportunities
at work, school, in my neighborhood, with my family, etc.
Show me more clearly
the unique role you have for me to build up your people. Give me opportunities
to do this today.
It also involves praying for people who don't yet know
Christ, and for more Christians to become serious-minded servants (Matt. 9:37-38).
"You
are my faithful Provider, and I am dependent upon you."
Read 6:11,12.
Here are three more requests--this time personal requests. This may be the most
familiar and understandable part of this prayer--even though it has some perplexing
verbiage. But notice two important things about these requests.
They
are requests for the resources to do his will (preceding context), not simply
a wish list purely for my own enjoyment. Like a soldier being authorized to requisition
materiel for his mission, Jesus is inviting me to ask for what I will need today
to fulfill his mission for my lives.
They are requests that express recognition
that I am not self-sufficient or adequate to do God's will by my own power or
ingenuity. I am weak, and I need God to supply me daily/situationally with the
resources to do his will. "You are my faithful Provider, and I am dependent
upon you."
I see these three requests as pertaining to
three important areas in which I need God on a daily basis in order to serve him
effectively.
Re-read 6:11. I need him for the physical and material
provision to do his will (STAMINA; FINANCIAL SUPPORT; HEALTH).
Re-read 6:12.
Let's talk about the apparent problem here during Q & A. The main point is
that I need him for the ability to love other people the way he wants me to love
them (OTHER-CENTEREDNESS; INSIGHT; COURAGE).
Re-read 6:13a (6:13b is evidently
a later addition--true, but not part of the original prayer). "Lead us not
into temptation" doesn't imply that God wants to make me fall unless I remember
to ask him not to. It means "Help me not to succumb to temptation; deliver
me from the evil one." I need him for spiritual protection from Satan because
my allegiance to God has made me Satan's enemy (INSIGHT INTO HIS TACTICS; STRENGTH
TO REMAIN AT MY POST; POWER TO DEFEAT HIM IN MY LIFE & OTHERS).
Notice
that Jesus says "our," not "my." This means that I should
pray for other Christians along these same lines . . .
Conclusion
SUMMARIZE.
Give this a try! If you begin to talk to God along these lines on a consistent
basis, your intimacy with him as your loving Father will increase, your commitment
to him as your rightful King will grow, and your dependence on him as your faithful
Provider will deepen.