The Lord’s Prayer – Part 1
Matthew 6:5-13
David P. Nolte
What we call “The Lord’s Prayer” was given as an example to the disciples who made the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
They may have wanted Him to teach them just to do it (“Teach us to pray”); or they may have meant to teach them how to do it (“Teach us how to pray”).
*He did not teach them the Prayer of Jabez.
*He did not teach them the “sinner’s prayer.”
*He did not teach them a mantra to be repeated by memory.
*He did not teach them a showy, eloquent, stained-glass monologue.
He said, “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” Matthew 6:5-13 (NASB).
The prayer is a concise statement of praise, obedience, trust, request, confession, and recognition of God’s excellence.
The first statement is directed to seeing God as Father:
I. Our Father:
A. Here-to-fore, the Israelites considered God to be Father of the nation. Now Jesus teaches us that God is our personal Father.
1. The word, “Our” suggests
a. The Brotherhood and Sisterhood of all Christians.
b. Equal status in His eyes regardless of circumstances.
c. Sharing of life as siblings – both of Jesus, our elder brother, and of others of like faith.
2. The word, “Father” tells us that
a. He is the source of life and being. He is the Creator and the Sustainer of all life.
b. We should look to Him for a Father’s provision.
c. We may fly to Him for a Father’s protection.
d. We can turn to Him for a Father’s instruction.
e. We are assured of His compassion, as David wrote, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” Psalm 103:13-14 (NASB).
B. The Bible teaches that God is a Father in two senses.
1. First, He is the Father of the human family by virtue of creation.
a. Malachi 2:10 says: “Don’t all of us have one Father? Didn’t one God create us?”
b. Paul wrote, “there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB).
2. Second, He is Father in the sense of a familial relationship, to those who are in Christ, but He is not the universal Father.
a. Jesus said to the Jewish leaders: “You are of your father the Devil.” John 8:44.
b. John wrote, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:10 (NASB).
C. As His children, we have the privilege of enjoying that warm and intimate relationship mentioned by Paul, saying, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!.” Romans 8:15 (NASB).
D. When I was a child, whenever I spoke about my parents, even to siblings, it was always in the possessive: “My mother said or wants ...” or “My dad told me or promised ...” My sister Barbara, 11 years older, said, “She is my mother, too,” or “He’s my dad, too.” I didn’t believe her and for years felt like she was impinging on my territory! It was later I learned that it was, indeed, “our mother and our dad.”
The prayer begins, “Our Father” and continues:
II. WHO IS IN HEAVEN:
A. He is
1. A perfect Father unlike so many earthly fathers, men who don’t deserve the title.
2. Sovereign and autonomous and all things are subject to His will and authority. David wrote, “Why should the nations say, ‘Where, now, is their God?’ But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Psalm 115:2-3 (NASB).
3. In Heaven and, yet, as high above us as Heaven is high above the earth, we can be as near Him as we choose! Jesus makes that possible as our High Priest.
a. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (NASB).
b. “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22 (NASB).
B. “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NASB).
C. But though we think of Heaven as our “home far away” we should remember:
1. That “Now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:13 (NASB).
2. To “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5 (NASB).
D. He is in Heaven and desires that one day we will be there too. I am thinking about J. Boudreau’s short story entitled “The Happiness of Heaven.” It’s a story about a kindhearted king who is hunting in the forest when he discovers a blind, poor orphan boy living there. The king takes the child to his palace and adopts him as his own son. The boy receives the finest education and training money can buy. He loves his father dearly and is grateful for everything he has done for him.
When the son turns twenty, a surgeon performs an experimental surgery on his eyes, and for the first time in his life he is able to see. This royal prince, who was once a starving orphan, realizes how he has been blessed. But when he gains his sight, he doesn’t care to look at the wealth of his kingdom or the wonders of the palace. Instead he only wants to gaze upon the face of his father--the king who saved him, adopted him, and loved him.
We are like that boy: poor, blind, forgotten orphans, and the King of Kings has adopted us into his family. When we get to heaven we aren’t going to be looking for the wonderful sights. We’ll only have eyes to look upon the One who has redeemed us!
“There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” Revelation 22:2-4 (NASB). What a joyous anticipation!
But the prayer continues: “Our Father who is in heaven,”
III. HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME:
A. His Name is above all names and is to be used reverently.
1. Hallowed means: to be respected, honored, held in reverence.
a. Please, for your own sake and for His glory and honor:
(1) Never use God’s Name to curse or damn something or someone.
(2) Never use God’s Name as an exclamation as in “Oh, My God!”
(3) Never live or speak or misrepresent Him in any way that brings dishonor to His Name by those who observe us.
b. Hold that Name in clean hands, utter it with clean lips and think it with a clean mind.
c. Use that Name exclusively for prayer, praise and profession to others.
2. A person’s name represents that person: Throughout time and across all cultures, the notion of a person’s name has been associated with the identity of the person.
a. Slander the name and you slander the person.
b. Demean the name and you demean the person.
c. Trivialize God’s Name and you treat Him as trivial.
B. Honor His Name and in His Name (by His authority and power)
1. We stand firm against the tempter.
2. We gain victory over the world.
3. We conquer the flesh and its appetites.
C. We can honor God’s Name in different ways:
1. By our lifestyle: living in such a way that others cannot justly condemn our actions.
2. By our “lipstyle”: speaking in a way that does not contradict our profession as Christians.
3. By our testimony or witness: declare Him and His works without shame or fear.obold
D. Thinking of His Name reminds me that one evening, a little girl was saying bedtime prayers with her mother.
“Dear Harold, please bless Mother and Daddy and all my friends,” she prayed. “Wait a minute,” interrupted her Mother. “Who’s Harold?” “That’s God’s name,” was the answer.
“Who told you that was God’s name?” asked the mother. “I learned it in Sunday school, Mommy. ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven, Harold be Thy name.’”
Well, we know better than to call His Name “Harold,” but let us also know to hallow His Name!
Do you know God as Father? Are you striving to bring honor to His Name? Are you preparing on earth for a life in Heaven? And to obtain that life, have you received Jesus by faith?
John wrote, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12 (NASB).
If God is your Father and Jesus is your Lord and Savior you can believe that as He is in Heaven, you will, one day, be there, too.
Down here, perhaps a hovel – but up there, a mansion!
