At the foot of a huge metal rendition of the Olympic rings in Whistler, tea lights burn in front of the now-damp photo of a dead athlete. The sudden, horrifying death of Nodar Kumaritashvili has sparked angry charges from his father in Georgia that his son died on a dangerous Luge track. The entire Georgian team now says that they compete in the name of their fallen comrade. They compete for Olympic glory in his name. (http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/blogs/tomharrington/2010/02/tears-amid-the-rain.html)
What does in mean for us to glorify God in prayer? We must know how to pray. If we do not know how to pray and what to pray for, it does little good to go through the motions. But if we know how to pray, and then pray that way, every other part of our lives will be strengthened and put in proper perspective.
Quote: As Martyn Lloyd-Jones has beautifully expressed it Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, “Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face to God” (2 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977], 2:45).
At the disciples’ request (Luke 11:1-4), Jesus provided it for them as a pattern for prayer. Strictly speaking, it is a prayer that the sinless Christ could never pray in its entirety because the last part includes a petition for the forgiveness of sins: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This prayer is the perfect prayer.
Quote: Of its perfection Bonhoeffer said, “The Lord’s Prayer is not merely the pattern prayer, it is the way Christians must pray.… The Lord’s Prayer is the quintessence of prayer.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York: Macmillan, n.d.), p. 184.)
In the few words of Matthew 6:9–15 our Lord gives a succinct but marvelously comprehensive outline of what true prayer should be. There are six petitions, following the initial address to God as Father. The first three concern God’s honor, God’s kingdom, and God’s will (vv. 9–10); the last three concern human needs (daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from temptation) (vv. 11–13a). This places God’s concerns first, just as with the Ten Commandments the first table concerns the duties we owe to God and the second table concerns the duties we owe to our neighbors. In our day the order is usually reversed. We begin with human needs and unfortunately often never even get around to God and God’s glory at all (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (98). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
In light of what we have seen in this series, prayer is vital to every aspect of pursuing God. We cannot, for example, give (see Matt. 6:2–4) or fast (see 6:16–18) properly unless we are in constant communion with God. The only giving that God wants is that which is sincere, willing, and done to His glory-giving that comes from a life of personal communion with Him. Fasting is meaningless apart from prayer, because apart from prayer it is apart from God. It will be a meaningless religious ritual.
In Matthew 6:9-10 we see 1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9a) 2) God’s Paternity (Matthew 6:9b) 3) God’s Priority (Matthew 6:9c) 4) God’s Program (Matthew 6:10a) and 5) God’s Plan(Matthew 6:10b) for prayer
1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9) for prayer
Matthew 6:9a [9]Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. (ESV)
God’s supreme purpose for prayer, the purpose beyond all other purposes, is to glorify Himself. Prayer is, above all, an opportunity for God to manifest His goodness and glory. As we saw last week, Jesus affirmed the purpose of prayer when He said, “And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified” (John 14:13).
Although nothing benefits a believer more than prayer, the purpose in praying must first of all be for the sake of God, not self. Contrary to much emphasis in the evangelical church today, true prayer, like true worship, centers on God’s glory, not on humanily’s needs. It is not simply to lay claim on God’s promises, much less make demands of Him, but to acknowledge His sovereignty, to see the display of His glory, and to obey His will.
As we saw last week, it is significant that Jesus makes no mention of where prayer should take place. Jesus’ instruction to “go into your inner room” (6:6) was to stress the single-mindedness of prayer, the need to block out every other concern but God. Jesus Himself had no inner room to call His own during His earthly ministry, and we see Him praying in many places and in many situations, both public and private.
Nor does Jesus specify a time to pray. Jesus, as well as saints of both the Old and New Testaments, prayed at every hour of the day and night. They can be seen praying at regular, habitual times, on special occasions, when in special danger, when specially blessed, before meals and after meals, when arriving at a destination and when leaving, and in every other conceivable circumstance and for every other conceivable good purpose.
Neither are attire or posture specified. As Jesus had already emphasized (6:5–8), it is the attitude and content of prayer that are of supreme importance, and those two things are central to the pattern He now prescribes.
That the prayer Jesus is about to give was not meant to be necessarily repeated as a prayer itself is clear for several reasons. First, in the present passage it is introduced with the words, Pray, like this/in this way. Jesus did not command his disciples to pray this prayer by rote. He says, “Pray like this,” not “pray this.” (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (99). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
In the account in Luke the disciples did not ask Jesus to teach them a prayer but to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Houtôs oun (Pray, like this/in this way) means literally, “Thus therefore,” and frequently carried the idea of “along these lines” or “in the following manner.” Second, Jesus had just warned His followers not to pray with “meaningless repetition” (v. 7). To then give a prayer whose primary purpose was to be recited verbatim would have been an obvious contradiction of Himself. Third, nowhere in the New Testament-gospels, Acts, or epistles-do we find an instance of that or any other prayer being repeated by anyone or used in a repetitious, ritualistic manner by a group.
Jesus did not say, “This is what you should pray.” He said, “This is how you should pray,” meaning that our requests should be along these lines. The prayer is a brief prayer; Jesus has told us to avoid vain repetitions, after all. But more than this, it is a pointed summary of what we should pray for (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (98). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
To Pray, like this/in this way indicates that what follows is meant as a guide, a model, rather than as a set form of words (Zahn Zahn T. Zahn, Das Evangelium des Matthäus (Leipzig, 1922). This does not mean that the Lord’s Prayer may not usefully and meaningfully be used exactly as it is enunciated, but it points us to the truth that Jesus is giving us a model that may usefully be employed in fashioning other prayers. The present imperative pray points to the habitual practice (Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (143). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.).
The Lord’s Prayer, or more accurately, the Disciples’ Prayer, is not so much a prayer in itself as it is a skeleton which believers are to flesh out with their own words of praise, adoration, petitions, and so on. It is not a substitute for our own prayers but a guide for them.
The purpose of prayer is seen more in the overall thrust of these five verses than in any particular word or phrase. From beginning to end the focus is on God, on His adoration, worthiness, and glory. Every aspect of true righteousness, the righteousness that characterizes God’s kingdom citizens, focuses on Him. Prayer could hardly be an exception. Prayer is not trying to get God to agree with us or to provide for our selfish desires. Prayer is affirming God’s sovereignty, righteousness, and majesty and seeking to conform our desires and our purposes to His will and glory.
Illustration: An unknown Confederate soldier asked God:
("I Asked God…")
I asked God for strength that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked God for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for—
but everything I had hoped for…
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed. (Galaxie Software. (2002; 2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.)
We have seen 1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9a) and now:
2) God’s Paternity (Matthew 6:9b)
Matthew 6:9b [9] (Pray then like this): "Our Father in heaven, (hallowed be your name). (ESV)
One question that has been raised in regards to what Jesus is saying here is the issue whether this praying is corporate or individual? The language is clearly corporate (‘our’), and the praying is undertaken in conscious identification with and on behalf of a corporate body. (Nolland, J. (2005). The Gospel of Matthew : A commentary on the Greek text (286). Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
• The use of the first-person plural pronouns throughout the prayer reminds us that our praying ought to reflect the corporate unity, desires, and needs of the entire church. The Lord’s Prayer is not simply a private utterance (Blomberg, C. (2001). Vol. 22: Matthew (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (119). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
Addressing God as Abba (Dearest Father) is not only an indication of spiritual health but is a mark of the authenticity of our faith. Paul tells us in Galatians 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father!’ ” The impulse to call on God in this way is a sign of being God’s child. Romans 8:15, 16 says the same thing: “you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” True believers are impelled to say this (Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount : The message of the kingdom. Preaching the Word (156). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
Please turn to John 1
God is Father only of those who have come to His family through His Son, Jesus Christ. Scripture makes it unmistakably clear that God’s fatherhood of unbelievers is only in the sense of being their Creator. Spiritually, unbelievers have another father. In His severest condemnation of the Jewish leaders who opposed and rejected Him, Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44).
Notice who is a true child of God and can properly address Him as "Father":
John 1:9-14 [9]The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. [10]He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. [11]He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. [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. [14]And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (ESV) (cf. Rom. 8:14; Gal. 3:26; Heb. 2:11–14; 2 Pet. 1:4; etc.)
• Only those who believe in the Son, can properly address God as Father.
He is our Father in heaven. All the resources of heaven are available to us when we trust God as our heavenly Supplier.
Ephesians 1:3 [3]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (ESV)
Our Father, then, indicates God’s eagerness to lend His ear, His power, and His eternal blessing to the petitions of His children if it serves them best and further reveals His purpose and glory.
“Father” stresses his immanence—that is, that he is involved in our lives and is to be intimately approached as Abba. “In heaven” stresses God’s transcendence.
Sovereign and reigning, he surpasses all that is human. He is our Father and our King! We can affectionately call him “Abba,” “Dearest Father,” but we do it with a deep sense of wonder and reverence. He is our Father, but he exceeds our earthly fathers in every way because he is “our Father in heaven.” He always understands. He is always caring and loving. He never forgets us. And he always comes through for us (Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount : The message of the kingdom. Preaching the Word (158). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
Poem: ("Abba Father")
“Abba, Father!” We approach Thee
In our Saviour’s precious Name;
We, Thy children, here assembled,
Now Thy promised blessing claim;
From our sins His blood hath washed us,
’Tis through Him our souls draw nigh,
And Thy Spirit, too, hath taught us,
“Abba, Father,” thus to cry.
(Jonathan Campbell http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=123370&libronix=1)
We have seen 1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9a) 2) God’s Paternity (Matthew 6:9b) and now:
3) God’s Priority. (Matthew 6:9c)
Matthew 6:9c [9] (Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven), hallowed be your name.
God is to have priority in every aspect of our lives, and certainly in our times of deepest communion with Him. Praying is not to be a casual routine that gives passing homage to God, but should open up great dimensions of reverence, awe, appreciation, honor, and adoration. The phrase of God’s name being hallowed, introduces a protection against any sentimentalism or overuse and abuse of Father, which is prone to being sentimentalized.
God’s name signifies infinitely more than His titles. It represents all that He is-His character, plan, and will.
It is not because we simply know God’s titles that we love and trust Him, but because we know His character.
David said:
Psalm 9:10 [10]And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you (ESV).
God’s name is seen in His faithfulness. In another psalm David declared, “I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” (Ps. 7:17; cf. 113:1–4). In the typical form of Hebrew poetry, God’s righteousness and His name are paralleled, showing their equivalence. When the psalmist said, “Some boast in chariots, and some in horses; but we will boast in the name of the Lord, our God” (Ps. 20:7), he had much more in mind than the title by which God is called. He spoke of the fullness of God’s person.
Each of the many Old Testament names and titles of God shows a different facet of His character and will.
He is called, for example, Elohim, the Creator God; El Elyon, “possessor of heaven and earth”; Jehovah-Jireh, “the Lord will provide”; Jehovah-Shalom, “the Lord our peace”; Jehovah-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”; and many others. All of those names speak of God’s attributes. His names not only tell who He is but what He is like.
Everything Jesus did on earth manifested God’s name (Jn. 17:6). As the perfect manifestation of God’s nature and glory (John 1:14), Jesus was the perfect manifestation of God’s name.
Hallowed is an archaic English word used to translate a form of hagiazô, which means to make holy. Words from the same root are translated “holy, saint, sanctify, sanctification,” etc. God’s people are commanded to be holy (1 Pet. 1:16), but God is acknowledged as being holy. That is the meaning of praying hallowed be your name: to attribute to God the holiness that already is, and always has been, supremely and uniquely His. To hallow God’s name is to revere, honor, glorify, and obey Him as singularly perfect.
Quote: As John Calvin observed, "that God’s name should be hallowed was nothing other than to say that God should have His own honor, of which He was so worthy, that men should never think or speak of Him without the greatest veneration" (cited in A Harmony of the Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979], p. 318).
Hallowing God’s name, like every other manifestation of righteousness, begins in the heart. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,” Peter tells us (1 Pet. 3:15), using a form of the word that hallowed translates.
The Father’s name is most hallowed when we behave in conformity to His will. For Christians to live in disobedience to God is to take His name in vain, claiming as Lord someone whom we do not follow as Lord. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ ” Jesus warned, “will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). When we eat, drink, and do everything else to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), that is hallowing His name.
Finally, to hallow God’s name is to attract others to Him by our commitment, to “let [our] light shine before others in such a way that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
Psalm 34:3 sums up the teaching in this phrase with a lovely exhortation:
Psalm 34:3 [3]Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! (ESV)
Illustration: ("Change your name")
During the conquests of Alexander the Great, there was a young soldier who served in the army of Alexander. This young man was found running from battle during one of Alexander’s campaigns. Subsequently he was caught and brought before the great leader. Alexander the Great asked the young man what his name was. The young man ashamedly hung his head and mumbled in a hushed voice, “Alexander sir!” Alexander the Great strained to hear what the young man had said and then asked the question again. The young man replied again in muted tones, “Alexander, sir!”
By now, Alexander the great was becoming indignant and shouted, “Young man, what is your name?” With this the young man snapped to attention and responded forcefully, “Alexander, sir!”
The great leader sat back in his chair, pondered the young man’s response for a moment and then with a tone that would make a person’s bones quake, he said, “young man, change your attitude, or change your name.”
We have seen 1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9a) 2) God’s Paternity (Matthew 6:9b)
3) God’s Priority. (Matthew 6:9c) and now:
4) God’s Program (Matthew 6:10a)
Matthew 6:10a [10]Your kingdom come, (your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven) (ESV).
Hymn: Frances Havergal wrote these beautiful words of tribute to her Lord in her hymn “His Coming in Glory:”
Oh, the joy to see Thee reigning,
Thee, my own beloved Lord.
Every tongue Thy name confessing,
Worship, honor, glory, blessing,
Brought to Thee with glad accord.
Thee, my Master and my Friend,
Vindicated and enthroned,
Unto earth’s remotest end,
Glorified, adored, and owned.
Our greatest desire should be to see the Lord reigning as King in His kingdom, to manifest the honor and authority that have always been His but that He has not yet come to claim. The King is inseparable from His kingdom. To pray your kingdom come is to pray for the program of the eternal Deity to be fulfilled, for Christ to come and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. His program and His plan should be the preoccupation of our lives and of our prayers.
But how self-centered our prayers usually are, focused on our needs, our plans, our aspirations, our understandings. We are often like tiny infants, who know no world but the world of their own feelings and wants. One of the greatest struggles of the Christian life is to fight the old sinful habits, with their constant and unrelenting focus on self.
Even problems and issues outside of ourselves can cloud our supreme concern for God’s kingdom. It is our responsibility to pray for our families, pastors, missionaries, national and other leaders, and for many other people and things. But our prayers in every case should be that God’s will be done in and through those people, that they would think, speak, and act in accordance with God’s will. The best we can pray for any person or for any cause is that God’s kingdom be advanced in that person or that cause.
Basileia (kingdom) does not refer primarily to a geographical territory but to sovereignty and dominion.
Therefore when we pray your kingdom come, we are praying for God’s rule through Christ’s enthronement to come, His glorious reign on earth to begin. Come translates the aorist active imperative of erchomai, indicating a sudden, instantaneous coming (cf. Matt. 24:27) not an indirect effort to create a more godly society on earth through the progressive, human-oriented work of Christians. It will be a kingdom on earth (Rev. 20:4-10a), but it will not be a kingdom of this world-that is, of this present world system. “My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus told Pilate (John 18:36).
• Jesus’ sample prayer is not a prayer for the complacent person satisfied with the treasures of this age. This is a prayer for the desperate, who recognize that this world is not as it should be and that only God can set things straight—for the broken to whom Jesus promises the blessings of the kingdom (5:3–12) (Keener, C. S. (1997). Vol. 1: Matthew. The IVP New Testament commentary series. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press)
Jesus’ passion was the kingdom. It was the major theme of his preaching. The word kingdom occurs forty-nine times in Matthew, sixteen in Mark, and thirty-eight in Luke—103 times in those three Gospels! Before he went to the cross Jesus said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). After the Resurrection the kingdom was still his passion as he appeared to his disciples “over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Preaching the kingdom was his consuming passion (Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount : The message of the kingdom. Preaching the Word (170). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
God’s kingdom is past, in the sense that it embodied Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matt. 8:11). It was present in the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, in the sense that the true divine King was present “in the midst of you” (Luke 17:21, lit.). But the particular focus of our praying is to be on the kingdom that is yet to come.
The Greek of this verse could be translated “Let your kingdom come now.” There is therefore a sense in which we pray for God’s kingdom to come presently. In a present and limited, but real and miraculous way, God’s kingdom is coming to earth each time a new soul is brought into the kingdom.
• In this petition we are asking our Father to strengthen his gracious rule in our hearts. At the same time, we are praying that he will use us in the work of his kingdom, that he will bring others to saving faith through our testimony and our support of the work of his church on earth. This is a prayer in behalf of missions all over the world (Albrecht, G. J., & Albrecht, M. J. (1996). Matthew. The People’s Bible (90). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House.).
The call for the kingdom to come is also related to the second coming of the Lord. John says in the last chapter of Revelation:
Revelation 22:20 [20]He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (ESV)
Illustration: (Recipients of Great Joy)
When an athlete wins an Olympic medial, team members and fans alike rejoice in the achievement. However, the greatest joy comes to those who had suffered the bumps, bruises, and hurts in actually competing.
Likewise at the Lord’s return the greatest joy will be for those who have striven and suffered for Christ in the interim prior to His return (Hobbs, H. H. (1990). My favorite illustrations (233). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.).
We have seen 1) God’s Purpose. (Matthew 6:9a) 2) God’s Paternity (Matthew 6:9b)
3) God’s Priority. (Matthew 6:9c) 4) God’s Program (Matthew 6:10a) and finally:
5) God’s Plan. (Matthew 6:10b)
Matthew 6:10b [10] B(Your kingdom come,) your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (ESV).
Please turn to Daniel 4
Many people wonder how God’s sovereignty can be related to praying for His will to be done. If He is sovereign, is not His will inevitably done? Does our will override His will when we pray earnestly and sincerely? It is absolutely clear from Scripture that God is sovereign and yet not only allows but commands that humans exercise their own volition in certain areas. If we were not able to make our own choices in regards to some things, God’s commands would be futile and meaningless and His punishments cruel and unjust. If God did not act in response to prayer, Jesus’ teaching about prayer would also be futile and meaningless. Our responsibility is not to solve the dilemma but to believe and act on God’s truths.
Nebuchadnezzar reflected on this:
Daniel 4:34-35 [34]At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; [35]all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" (ESV)
When we pray your will be done, we are praying first of all that God’s will become our own will. Second, we are praying that His will prevail all over the earth as it [does] in heaven.
This applies to all three of the preceding clauses (in Matthew 6:9-10a). In heaven (among the angels) God’s name is already honored, his kingship acknowledged and his will done, and the prayer is that this heavenly state of affairs may be reflected also on earth. To pray such a prayer is, of course, to be committed oneself to honor God’s name, accept his kingship and do his will. (France, R. T. (2007). The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (247). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.).
“Your will be done [in me], on earth as it is in heaven.” In praying this we invite God to conquer us, and that is why this petition is so scary. When we pray this prayer, we are asking God to do what is necessary to make his will prevail in our lives. And God then comes with gracious, kind violence to root out all impediments to our obedience. To pray this prayer may terrify us, but it will also deliver us from ourselves.
It can truly be said that we have not learned to pray at all until every request in our prayers is made subject to this one. “Your will be done” is the petition that determines the authenticity of the other upward petitions, for if we do not mean it, we cannot truly pray, “hallowed be your name” or “your kingdom come.” Truly praying “your will be done” is fundamental to all true prayer (Hughes, R. K. (2001). The sermon on the mount : The message of the kingdom. Preaching the Word (177). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.).
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1989). Matthew (371–387). Chicago: Moody Press).
