In Jesus Holy Name October 6, 2018
Series: Luther’s Small Catechism Series Redeemer
Text: Matthew 6:9b-13
“Thinking the Things of God”
The Lord’s Prayer-The Christians’ War Cry
Christian Warfare Revelations 12:17
Christianity is not a religion for sissies or for those who want an easy road. If you are looking for an escape from your problems, Jesus is not for you. Christianity is for strong men and women who will not flee from the struggle.
Today we continue our series through Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Harry Wendt calls the Lord’s Prayer the Christian’s War Cry.
The Jewish disciples had learned many Jewish prayers. After spending time with Jesus they knew their prayers lacked power. They had become prayers of recited words without connection to God. The Disciples saw Jesus praying. His prayers were different. On day they asked him: “Lord teach us how to pray.”
I hope you notice that we do not pray: “My Father in Heaven” but Our Father in Heaven. We are part of a community. We bring before God the needs of all people. If God’s kingdom, if God’s rule, prevailed everywhere on earth there would be no point in praying these words.
When John F. Kennedy was President of the United States, Life magazine published photos of his children, John Jr. and Caroline, playing with their toys on the floor of the Oval Office. Those images captured the hearts of the American people like nothing before or since. Why? I think it’s because it bridged a gap between two thoughts: Kennedy was the President of the United States, but he was also a father. He held ultimate political power in the Free World, but playing at his feet were two little kids who called him Daddy.
When Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples Jesus used the Aramaic word for Father. The prayer should really begin: “Our Daddy…in heaven.” There is a difference when we use the word Dad or the word Father. Dad is personal. Daddy is dripping with love and care. Jesus is telling us that our God wants the
best for us. Jesus said: Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a
stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? (Matthew 7:9-10)
Good fathers are eager to help their children. This is what fathers do. They give “good” gifts to their children. If I started printing the Lord’s Prayer with the words: “our Daddy in heaven”…. How would you feel? Something to think about.
In the 2nd petition we pray “thy Kingdom Come.” When we pray “Thy kingdom come” we should understand that the Kingdom of God does not have geographical borders. It consists of people who live in faith and obedience under God as their King. These are the people who obey the commandment to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Harry Wendt Crossways)
The entry point into the Kingdom of God is through faith in Jesus Christ, marked in baptism, excepting God’s forgiveness won at the cross of Jesus through the Sacrament of Bread and Wine.
Years ago Dr. E. V. Hill preached at a Promise Keepers rally in Chicago on those two words: “God is.” In his own unforgettable style, he pressed home the point that everything in the universe flows from this one truth. Dr. Hill would preach for a while and then he would say, “God is.” He’d preach a while longer and then he’d say (or whisper or shout) “God is.”
He’s right, of course. Figure this out and you’ve got a handle on life. Deny this and nothing else makes sense. Either God is or he isn’t. And if he is, that changes everything. The voice from the burning bush told Moses to tell the people that “I AM” has sent you (Exodus 3:14). And what precisely does that mean? The only further explanation is “I AM who I AM,” which points to God’s eternal self-existence. If you know that “God is” and that he is the great “I AM,” you know the most fundamental truth in the universe.
Why do you think the Pharisees were so upset with Jesus every time he said: “I Am” the Way. “I Am” the bread of life. “I Am” the water of life. “I Am the Good Shepherd.” He was owning God’s name for Himself.
Regarding prayer, most of us struggle with the little voice inside that tells us we’ve got more important things to do. Prayer is good but we need to get on with the “real business” of the day. So we don’t pray as we ought nor as we would should.
Earlier I reminded you of these words of Jesus regarding God as our Dad. Jesus said: Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? (Matthew 7:9-10).
Good fathers are eager to help their children. This is what fathers do. They give “good” gifts to their children. If your child asks for a stone or a snake, will you give it to him? No. What if he begs? No. What if he pleads? No. What if he says, “I can’t live without that snake?” You still say no.
Children often ask for foolish things, which are withheld. The same is true with God. Often we plead for things that to us seem like bread but to God are like a poisonous snake. Our Heavenly Father says no, not because he hates us but because he loves us. Sometimes God’s no is the surest sign of his love for us. Suppose your five-year-old asks to play with a sharp knife. What will you do? You say no and let him cry and even pout. His tears show his immaturity.
This is why we pray: When I pray, “Your will be done,” I am asking for God’s will to prevail over my will.
Now that is going to be a problem isn’t it. When we ask that God’s will be done, we are implicitly asking that our wills be overturned, if necessary. It’s not easy to pray that way when you’re standing beside the hospital bed of someone you love.
But that’s only part of the problem. Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will might be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” Exactly how is God’s will being done in heaven? “Your will be done” is a difficult prayer to pray sincerely. It may be the hardest prayer you will ever pray. Even though Jesus Himself instructed us to use these words, there is at least one reason why we find it difficult to do so.
Reason #1: It is hard to pray, “Your will be done” because it means giving up control of your own life
We often ask for things that would harm us. It might be a new job or a bigger salary or a new husband or a new wife. But God sees through to the end and knows that what we have asked for would harm us more than help us. So in love he says no.
In the next petition we pray: “Give us today our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
Why does God want us to ask him to provide “daily” bread?
With this petition we turn a corner in our journey through the Lord’s Prayer. The first three petitions direct our attention to God the Father. We are instructed to . . .
Pray to the Father about His Name - Hallowed be your name.
Pray to the Father about His Kingdom - Your kingdom come.
Pray to the Father about His Will - Your will be done
The second half of the Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray for ourselves and for others. We are to . . .
Pray for Provision - Give us today our daily bread.
Pray for Pardon - Forgive us our debts.
Pray for Protection - Lead us not into temptation.
In 1529 Martin Luther wrote his famous “Small Catechism” in which he explains the meaning of each part of the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer. This is what he says about “Give us today our daily bread":
What does this mean? Truly, God gives daily bread to evil people, even without our prayer. But we pray in this request that He will help us realize this and receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What does “Daily Bread” mean? Everything that nourishes our body and meets its needs, such as: Food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, yard, fields, cattle, money, possessions, a devout spouse, devout children, devout employees, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors and other things like these.
The word “daily” also deserves our notice: “Give us today our daily bread.” One commentator called it the only perplexing word in the whole Lord’s prayer. The Greek word is difficult because it only appears twice in the New Testament-in the two texts that contains the Lord’s Prayer.
A few years ago archeological researchers found this word in a fragment that appears to be a woman’s grocery shopping list. She wrote down the things that she was going to buy when she went to the store and next to certain items she wrote the Greek word translated “daily.”
In that context, the word means either “Buy it daily,” or “Buy it today.” That clarifies the meaning of this word in the Lord’s Prayer. It means “for this very day,” or “for the day that is about to come.” If you pray this prayer in the morning, you are saying, “O God, may you give us today the material things that we need for today.” If you pray this prayer at night, you are praying, “O God, may you give us tomorrow the things that we need for tomorrow.”
Here is a question for you. Which is more difficult for you: asking God to forgive you or forgiving a person who has sinned against you.
The fifth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer: Luke writes: “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”
Everyone agrees that this is a difficult word from the Lord. But what did Jesus tell Peter when he asked… “how many times should I forgive?” Jesus said: “Seventy times seven.” We would understand this petition perfectly if it read, “Forgive us our sins,” and just stopped right there. That would make sense. We all understand that we need to confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. We know that confession and repentance are part of what prayer is all about.
Jesus is saying, “The way you treat other people is the way God will treat you.” Paul tells us that we should imitate Jesus. If we are followers of Jesus said keep my commandments if you love me. This is not easy.
Robert Hoyer in his book “Seventy times Seven” writes: “the primary act of faint is forgiving. It is the characteristic act of God. The Father of Jesus Christ. If we follow him in faith, it is the first thing wed do in our following. It is the one different thing we do in faith which we would not di if we had not faith. Forgiving is an act of faith. I forgive, (It is an act of my will in obedience to Jesus, not based on my emotions) I forgive, because I can.
It is not easy. I do not pretend to do it well Nor does anyone else I know. I have heard the words of Jesus. When I forgive, it may not change the other person who hurt me, but it will change you.
I like Matthew’s sixth petition. We use it often here when we print out the Lord’s Prayer. “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” The word “deliver” is very strong. It means to rescue or to snatch. To deliver from what? Either from “evil” or “the evil one.”
I Peter 5:8, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Seen in that light, the second half of this petition is easy to understand. “O God, rescue me from Satan and his marauding power and his destructive force in my life.”
It’s a very personal prayer. “O God, when Satan comes near me, protect me from his power.” “O Heavenly Father, don’t let me come to the place where I will succumb to temptation. Don’t let me come to the place where I will be overwhelmed by Satan, but deliver me from Satan and his power in my life."
And now the “footnote to the Lord’s Prayer: “Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Immediately we are faced with a problem. This benediction is not in the text of most modern translations of the Bible. And yet we all know that these words are part of the Lord’s Prayer. We know it because when we sing the Lord’s Prayer we use these words with an Amen.
These closing words are found in the catechisms of the 1st century based on the O.T. scripture I Chronicles 29:11 which comes from a prayer of King David.
“Praise be to you O Lord,……For to you O Lord belongs “greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor for everything in heaven and earth is yours.”
Of all the religions in the world… we know that Christianity is different.
Jesus, the Son of God, true man and true God in human flesh rose from death. Three days after his crucifixion on a Roman Cross, He was buried. He rose and was seen alive, and ate with his disciples. He told them to touch his wounds. He promised that all who believe in Him would receive the Holy Spirit. This same Jesus ascended into heaven and remains alive.
This is the prayer He has given to you and to me. Let us take it more seriously… and not just rattle it off as quickly as we can.
