The Lord’s Prayer - 3
January 23, 2022
Matthew 6:9-13
Last week, I read you a statement from the book, Absolute Surrender. Written by Andrew Murray in 1897. He wrote - - -
“God gives Christians the Holy Spirit with this intention: every day should be lived in the power of the Spirit.
The great question for us to ask God as we examine ourselves is whether our Christian life is lived more in the power of the flesh than in the power of the Holy Spirit.
That is the weakness of the church of Christ. It is all in that one word — flesh.”
That’s a daunting statement from Murray and I’ve really been reflecting on this for the past few weeks. And it’s not only daunting - - - it’s haunting. Think about all you and I do on our own power. No, I don’t ask God what socks I should wear, or should I eat this or that. I think God has supplied me with the basic knowledge and wisdom to make decisions like that.
But as it pertains to drawing closer to Jesus and being the person, He’s called me to be - - - that’s troubling. I don’t know where you’re at, but as I look around, in this building and all over, we’re in serious trouble because we’ve moved further and further from God. We give a lot of lip service and I want to see us be very intentional about moving more towards Jesus.
One other thing I have learned about prayer, which I got from a devotional I watch, is how expectant are you when you pray? That means when I pray for something I believe it, I believe God is going to bring healing or wholeness or whatever I’m asking. In some ways . . . it’s praying with confidence and boldness. It’s not a kinda hoping prayer. It’s believing and trusting prayer. Make sense?
So, we’ve been looking at the Lord’s Prayer as a means of connecting with God. I believe this is missing in the universal church. I believe using the power of the Holy Spirit is critical, it’s crucial as we seek to experience the power and the presence of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians 3 — —
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
16 that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
I know we’re talking about the Lord’s Prayer, and maybe this is why it’s taking us 3 weeks to move through these 5 verses, but sometime this week . . . would you stop and reread this last part of Ephesians 3. Drink it all in. Bathe in the words of Paul about who God is.
We pray that we would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit! WHY?
So that Christ may dwell in our hearts. And because of His love for us and our love for Him, we would have the strength to comprehend (drink in) the knowledge of the love of Christ which surpasses all of our knowledge . . . because it’s by faith, as we’re grounded in Christ that we experience the love of God through the Holy Spirit. And because of all this we can do far more than we’ve ever imagined, because of God’s power working through us, not our power working through God.
That’s where my heart’s at right now. I just wanted to share that! I want you to be passionate about who Jesus is in your life and make His presence real and visible to your family, friends and wherever you go.
OK, that leads us back to the Lord’s prayer, Jesus said - - -
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matthew 6
We’re coming into the final stretch of this prayer. Today, we’re looking at verse 12b and 13. Not only are we asking God to forgive us, but now it’s God help me to forgive those who’ve hurt me because of their sinfulness.
Jesus said - - -
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
As we ask God to forgive us, we are also called to forgive others. Frankly, neither of these are too easy. We really don’t like to admit when we’re wrong and we struggle with laying those sins before God, because if we really repent, then we need to change . . . and that’s not always too easy, either!!
Yet, when we come to this second part of verse 12, the going becomes even more difficult. We tend to hold grudges, we like to hold people in the palm of our hands and make them sweat for our forgiveness. We remind them of their past sins, we do it subtly or we get in their face, because why?
We want to remind them they hurt us. And . . . we haven’t forgotten. We also find it easy to walk past one another and not say a word to them because we had some disagreement. And if you think I’m talking about the outside world, I’m talking about the church.
The world does it, but how can we do that? How can we allow satan to fill us with such disdain for one another. This is what Paul’s talking about when he refers to our grieving the Holy Spirit.
Listen to what Paul said in Ephesians 4 - - -
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. - Ephesians 4:30-32
Do you see that? No corrupting speech. Which in Greek is the same as giving someone a rotten apple. Don’t do it. And don’t grieve the Holy Spirit and Paul refers to ways we do . . . bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice.
Instead, be kind and tenderhearted, which means to feel compassion from your gut, extend grace to one another and . . . do what? Forgive as God forgave you!
Anyone want to say Paul’s stepping on your toes? OUCH!!
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that forgiveness is a process. The more grievous the hurt, the more painful the wound, and the more difficult and longer it takes to forgive. There are moments when we need more time, as we work through the process of forgiving the other person or party who has hurt us.
I want to share with you a totally novel idea in how to forgive someone. Because I often think we go about it all wrong! It doesn’t lessen the pain, but it helps us as we move through the process of forgiveness.
We don’t need to use our power to forgive, we need to use the power and grace that God gives to us. It doesn’t have to be a human endeavor, it’s a God thing! Too often we try to forgive on our own, and never include God in that process. We never ask God to soften our hearts, to help the other person to succeed. That doesn’t happen. Instead we struggle with forgiving and become bitter.
Instead, pray for God’s strength, God’s heart, God’s mercy, God’s love to help you forgive someone, to release them and to release you from the pain you’ve endured. Doing it on our own is so much more difficult, so ask God and expectant Him to help you to forgive.
It’s important to remember that forgiving someone doesn’t mean you still have to have a relationship with them. You may need to keep healthy boundaries in place so that you don’t get hurt again. And forgiveness may be more for you, as you are released. The other person may not even think they need to be forgiven.
Forgiving others is so important in our world today. Think about the way people rip one another on social media. That should show us how badly we need the help of the Holy Spirit to continually offer forgiveness to others.
We should forgive, whether it’s deserved or requested because we’ve been forgiven when we did not deserve it.
When others come to us and we can forgive them, we’re showing who Christ is in the way He loves us and forgives us.
The world may look at us and think we’re crazy to forgive others who have slandered our name, stolen from us, and hurt us. The world would say they don’t deserve to be forgiven. But in Christ’s economy, they do, just as we’ve been forgiven.
Remember this part is not easy, and our flesh will fight against this. We’ll often have a battle between our heart and brain, with one wanting to forgive and the other saying NO WAY!
We can remember what Paul said in Colossians 3 - - -
12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. - Colossians 3:12-14
This passage helps us see how we are to live our lives, knowing we’re chosen by God, so we live with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. On top of that we bear with one another and we forgive one another, just as the Lord has forgiven us.
OK, finally, we come to the end of the passage in verse 13, as Jesus said ---
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matthew 6
When we read this, it sounds like we’re asking God not to tempt us, but that’s not accurate. Firstly, God will never tempt us. In James 1 we read - - -
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.
You will never be tempted by God. The wording is confusing due to the difficulty of translating the original Greek into English. God wants to set us free from evil. So, in this prayer, we ask God not to let us take the path that leads to sin. A better way to say this might be - - Help us to steer clear of temptation. Help me not to walk right into temptation.
We turn to God and ask Him to help us distinguish between His voice and the voices that try to lead us away from Him. Sometimes it can be difficult to know whose voice is whose. There are moments when we will hear 2 competing ideas, in which both seem good. So, we use this portion of the prayer to ask God to help us use His wisdom.
We can ask questions like - - - is this thought or desire leading me closer to God? Does this open me to goodness and truth? Will this action show God’s love to others and myself? Does this go against God’s nature or God’s word? Does this honor or dishonor God? Will I make my parents proud or sad?
And don’t think you’ll never be tempted. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10 ---
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:12-13
More times than not, the answer is in this scripture. God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but when you’re tempted God will provide the way of escape. Usually, the answer is NO! Most of us know right from wrong. So, God helps us in our weakness and provides the way of escape.
Again, Paul tells us in that great passage - - -
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13
On our own we give in to temptation, but when we use the power available to us through Christ, we realize we can actually do all things - - - which includes resisting temptation.
We should also pray that we do not cause temptation for anyone else in Christ.
Another scripture for us to hold onto comes from Ephesians 6, when Paul said ---
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. - Ephesians 6
So, we pray for God’s protection so we can be delivered from evil and at the same time we won’t venture off of God’s path and fall to the temptations of the world.
OK! I feel like I’ve rushed us, but I want to take the next few minutes to use the Lord’s Prayer as the basis for our own prayers. So, as we’ve done for the past couple of weeks, we’re going to pray and I’ll lead you with a few words to guide you.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
God you are love
compassion mercy grace
Holy is your name
I honor / glorify you
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Let me demonstrate your kingdom.
Accept your will / not mine
Let the world see you in me.
Give us this day our daily bread
Supply me with my needs / let me find contentment
Let me honor you by giving back
Help me to serve you
Help me not to covet, but to celebrate your blessings.
Forgive us our sins
Forgive me of my sinfulness
Claim and name your sins and repent
Wash me / cleanse me / make me whiter than snow
Trust that God does forgive you.
As I forgive those who have sinned against me
Let me experience your power to forgive
Let me show your love, not mine
Who do I need to forgive (name them)
Lead me not into temptation, deliver me from evil
Grant me wisdom to know your will
Help me to resist those temptations
To put on your armor
