Scripture: Luke 9: 29-31
Luke 11: 1-4
Sermon - As Jesus Prayed…
Good morning,
I’m glad to be here again to bring the Word of God. I hope it will be meaningful and you can take from it something that you can think about this week.
There was pilot calling to the tower…
Pilot to tower…pilot to tower…I am 300 miles from land…600 feet high and running out of fuel…please instruct…over.
Tower to pilot…tower to pilot…repeat after me…Our Father, which art in heaven…
This little joke brought to mind how our Lord, Jesus Christ made prayer a priority…a constant communication between himself and his Father. The Bible records for us several prayers of Jesus. And through these prayers, we have a glimpse of Heaven and the character of the Father. Through these prayers we can, with Christ, approach the very Throne of God. The veil is drawn back a little and we see the intimacies of the Trinity. It is a place to take off our shoes and approach with humility and eager hearts.
Even though there are many places in the New Testament that show Jesus praying, I would like to look at just one prayer today…the one that Jesus taught his Disciples. In a lot of my reading, it is called the Disciple’s Prayer. We know it as the Lord’s Prayer.
I won’t be able to say everything I want to say about this prayer in one sermon, so I’m sure I will be speaking about it in other sermons. There’s just too much to say.
To begin we must understand that this prayer was given to the Disciples upon their request. One of the Disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray”. They wanted to know how to pray to God…they wanted to know how to talk with God.
You see...this was a whole new concept for the people of this time. The religious belief of the time was that common man could not talk directly to God, only the Levite Priests were allowed to come into the presence of God. If you or I were to need forgiveness of our sins, we would have to take our sacrifice, whether it be a measure of grain or an unblemished lamb, we would have to take it to the Temple for the Priest to sacrifice and the lift up our sin to God. We ourselves were not allowed to approach God.
So for Jesus to teach us how to pray directly to God was an amazing and fearful idea. You’ve got to understand that most of the Disciples were unlearned…they were fishermen, common men. They knew their place. So for them to realize that they too could approach the Throne of God and pray directly to the Father, Creator of the Universe was a very scary idea. It’s still a scary idea today, if you can really realize that fact…the fact that you are approaching your Maker and Creator when you pray.
This prayer is a prayer that only a Disciple can pray. The reason I say that is because it must be said and understood by one who realizes the commitment that must be present before the prayer is meaningful…meaningful to the one praying and then meaningful to God. Our scripture says that God sees our hearts and if our hearts aren’t Pure, then our prayers won’t be heard.
So as we approach and take a good, hard look at this prayer, let’s remember that this is not a prayer for a child, but for one who has entered into discipleship with Jesus.
William Barclay in his interpretation states:
“The Lord’s Prayer can only really be prayed when the man who prays it knows what he is saying and he cannot know that until he has entered into discipleship.”
So, now, as disciples let’s look at this amazing prayer, the first prayer ever given to man that leads us directly to God.
And Jesus said, “This then, is how you should pray.”
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
“Our Father”…the very first words of this prayer say so much. Just the first word ‘Our’ indicates our willingness to accept all of God’s creation. Its interesting to note that nowhere in the whole prayer is there ‘I’ or ‘Me’…it’s always, ‘Our’ or ‘Us’. The very first word of this prayer states an attitude of Christian unity…coming to God as a body of believers.
Then to address the Creator of the universe as ‘Father’…that’s an amazing intimacy. Jesus showed for us, in this prayer, that we have a God who is caring and loving…a God who wants to have an intimate relationship with us…as if we were His son or daughter. Jesus told us that we need to know that our God is a loving God…a God whom we can approach, if we come to Him with in undoubting faith and with a pure heart.
The phrase ‘Our Father’ states a relationship…a relationship that has two facets.
First, it states our relationship with the unseen world. Missionaries to other cultures say that one of the most comforting aspects of Christianity to the pagan mind is that there is only one God…one God over all, not a horde of gods that expect recognition. When we say ‘Our Father’ when are affirming the fact that we worship one God…and we give praise and honor to one God.
Secondly, it states our relationship for this world. When we say, ‘Our Father’, we understand that, even though there is pain and struggle, despair and disappointment in this life we live here, behind it all is a loving and caring Father…a God who has created a friendly universe. In knowing this and trusting in this knowledge, we then can bear the trials and also enjoy the blessings that come our way through Him and the Creation He has made for us.
‘who art in heaven’…when we say this, we are recognizing the fact that God has prepared a heaven for his children. Jesus said that he was preparing a place for us in his Father’s house. Heaven…this is the place where we can store up treasures…this is the place where we are heading as professed Christians…this is our hoped for eternity…to be in heaven with our God and Father, just like Jesus.
‘hallowed be thy name’…hallowing the name of God is the Disciples first priority. Keeping the Lord first in our lives and our prayers and our praise helps us maintain our narrow path…our personal path of righteousness.
By hallowing God’s name, we submit to his greatness…his power…his glory. We also admit that we are aware of his amazing grace…allowing us, that he should be mindful of us, allowing us to come into his presence and lay out our earthly cares and wants and desires.
By keeping his name holy in our thinking…we give him reverence because we know our God has three great qualities…there is holiness, there is justice and there is love and He is constant forever in all these attributes. We can lean on these everlasting arms…we can trust in Him and say, in our heart of hearts, I am thine, O Lord.
“Thy Kingdom come…when we say this, are we watching and looking above…are we really ready for His Kingdom to come…are we hoping and doing all in our power to make it happen? Or do we say these words without really knowing what we’re saying?
It is the Disciples fervent hope that he and his loved ones will see this Kingdom of God’s…the place that Jesus has prepared for us. The song expresses it best…’I can only imagine.’
I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side. I can only imagine what my eyes will see when your face is before me. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by your glory. What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all?
When that day comes and I find myself standing in the Son, I can only imagine when all I will do is forever worship you.
I can only imagine.
“Thy Will be done…these words are sometimes associated with tragic events…”it’s God’s Will…an act of God”. But this is not what we find in the Bible. In the Bible, we find that God’s Wills to create…create a world…create man…create a loving relationship with His Creation. Thus, when we pray, “Thy Will be done”, we are accepting Him and His authority over all of His Creation. We are asking to be redeemed by Him and accept all that is part of Him. We are saying that we know that His is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory…and we accept and bow to it…. bow our knee giving glory and honor to Him, first and always.
“On earth as it is in Heaven”…this part of the prayer to me is the part that should convict each and every Christian. When we admit that His Will is done…on earth as it is in Heaven, we are saying that “Yes!…His Kingdom should be part of our earthly life too. How is that to be?…what has to happen for that to become a reality? We are telling God in this part of the prayer that as His committed Disciples we are willing to “take up our cross daily” and follow His Will…to strive for Him…to take His Heaven to those others that do not know Him and His love. We are saying that we, with eager hearts, minds and souls want to bring His Heaven to earth. Is that what you feel and think when you say, “On earth, as it is in Heaven”? It should be! You should consider it an honor to serve Him in this way…striving to bring a little bit of Heaven to our earthly existence.
“Give us this day, our daily bread”…what a simple request, asking God to provide us with our daily needs. I found it interesting that this little part of the Disciple’s prayer had been interpreted to mean so much. Through our Bible reading we see that the term ‘bread’ becomes so rich in meaning…too rich to explore deeply today, other than to mention that when we pray for ‘daily bread’ we are asking God to care for our physical needs and provide for them. Our scripture says, “ask and ye shall receive”. We need to ask knowing that through our Faith, God will hear our prayer and respond to us…respond to us in love. He is aware of our every need and when we ask, we give him honor by admitting that we know He is all powerful and nothing is impossible for Him…admitting that we know He is the one God over all and in all…we admit to knowing that He is control no matter what! So great is the measure of our Father’s love that He is willing to serve us and seek us out. He satisfies our desires. Think about His love…think about His goodness…Great is the measure of His love!
“forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”…forgiveness…a vital part of living the Christian life. If we cannot forgive, our life becomes bitter, twisted and angry. Love disappears and so does our relationship with God, for as we forgive, so shall God forgive us.
It’s up to us to take the lessons God has given us and learn how to forgive…how to give up the little earthly cares that oppress us and rise above them through the act of forgiveness.
It’s been said that we are never more Christ-like than when we forgive. It is a great weapon in the arsenal of God…it is a great act of Love. And Love is the greatest attribute of all.
“Lead us not into temptation”….temptation is universal and constant. Most every moment of our waking life is filled with temptations. Temptation comes to all. Satan, the devil, the prince of the earth…evil…whatever you want to call him, we know he’s there. He’s there trying to take you away from your faith…take you away from your God and lead you away from the path that leads to our eternity with our Father. Temptation comes in so many ways and guises, that it is difficult to recognize it sometimes.
Yielding to temptation can be devastating, as it was for Adam and Eve and so many other examples recorded for us in the Bible. We have, through these examples , fair warning…fair warning that our actions…our thoughts…our very being needs to be covered with the armor of God, so that we can avoid losing our chance to pass through the ‘eye of the needle’ and enter into God’s heaven…so that we can avoid losing our chance at Eternity with God and his son, Jesus. 1 Corinthians verse 12 says,
“So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall.”
When you pray…”Lead us not into temptation”…pray knowing that your flesh is weak and that He is strong and you need all the help you can get.
“but deliver us from the evil one”…the battle lines were drawn along time ago. Which side are you going to be on? Who are you going to fight for? How good of a soldier are you? Asking God to deliver us from the evil one assumes that we are in the middle of the battle and that we are on God’s side. You cannot serve two masters and win. You must know that when you ask for deliverance, you must commit to the Master who saves you. Don’t think of changing sides again. There’s too much to be lost…your very soul!
Are you on the side of Love or Hate…it’s that simple…it’s that black an white. The battle is all around you. Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to stand for all that is good and acceptable…all that is honorable and right? Are you ready to serve the one who gave you life?
An unknown author speaks of the Disciples Prayer like this…
I cannot say “our” if I live only for myself in a spiritual, watertight compartment. I cannot say “Father” if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child. I cannot say “who art in heaven” if I am laying up no treasures there.
I cannot say “hallowed be Thy name” if I am not striving for holiness. I cannot say “ Thy kingdom come” if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful day. I cannot say “Thy will be done” if I am disobedient to His Word. I cannot say ‘in earth as it is in heaven’ if I will not serve Him here and now.
I cannot say “give us…our daily bread” if I am dishonest in my daily dealings. I cannot say “forgive us our debts: if I harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot say “lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately place myself in its path. I cannot say “deliver us from evil” if I do not put on the armor of God.
I cannot say, “thine is the kingdom” if I do not give to the King the loyalty due Him as a faithful subject. I cannot attribute to Him “ the power” if I fear what men may do. I cannot ascribe to Him “the glory” if I am seeking honor only for myself. I cannot say “forever” if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by the things of this earth.
Awhile ago I said that this was not a child’s prayer, but once a Disciple of Christ, this prayer comes from a Child of God. This is a prayer for a true Disciple of Christ…a true Child of God. This prayer calls to you…it calls to you for a stronger commitment…a changed life…a purer heart.
That’s what it’s all about…a changed, purified heart and life.
It’s time to think about that. Don’t wait until your 300 miles out and at 600 feet from the end of life to call to your Towering God…call to him now…ask him to instruct you now. Then fly home and into His Loving and Caring Embrace.
Amen.
Luke 11: 1 - 4
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation."
