The Lord’s Model Prayer
By Blake J. Matthews
October 11, 2000
Main Scripture: Matthew 6:9–13
All Scripture is from the NASB unless otherwise indicated
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
‘Thy kingdom come. Thy 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 Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’
~Matthew 6:9–13
I refer to this as the Lord’s "Model" Prayer because this
was Jesus’ response when one of His disciples said, "Lord, teach
us to pray," (Luke 11:1). The Lord’s Prayer is actually found
in it’s most complete form in John 17, when Jesus prayed just prior
to going to the garden where He was arrested. In His prayer, He emphasized
the Father’s glory and unity for all believers.
The Lord’s Model Prayer contains six basic petitions, divided into
two major themes. The first three petitions focus on God, our Father,
and His honor and praise through adoration and acknowledgment of who He
is and His sovereignty. The last three petitions are an appeal for our
needs, both physical and spiritual. Both of these themes imply action
to be taken on our part.
Let’s take a look at this model prayer by petition.
I. Adoration & Acknowledgment
The Address: Our Father who art in heaven
Jesus and the apostles use the word Father 268 times in the New Testament
referring to God. The term "Father" enables us to relate God
in love, discipline, authority, honor, prayer, etc. Unfortunately Satan
has done much to distort and destroy the image of this relationship by
distorting and destroying the relationships people have with their earthly
fathers. If we can’t relate well to our earthly father, who is visible
before us, how can we relate to our heavenly Father, whom we cannot see.
Notice He is our Father, not my Father, not your Father. This eliminates
the self-centeredness we often have in relationships. It also stresses
the point of praying together with other believers. In fact, this entire
prayer is first-person plural. Pray together with your family and your
friends.
Matthew 18:18–20
"Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven. "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth
about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father
who is in heaven. "For where two or three have gathered together
in My name, there I am in their midst."
By contrast, the Jews considered it blasphemous to call God Father. The
Jews would not even says God’s name for fear of using it in vain,
thereby breaking the third commandment. In fact, when Masoretic (traditional)
scribes (500—900 AD), developed vowel points for Hebrew, they did
not develop a set of vowel points for YHWH, which was not supposed to
be spoken aloud. Later, the vowel points for Adonai were combined with
YHWH, and from that we get "Jehovah." It was Jesus calling God
His Father that outraged them the most as seen in the following verses:
John 5:17–18
But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I
Myself am working." For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking
all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath,
but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with
God.
John 10:32–33
Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the
Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered
Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy;
and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
The phrase "Who art in heaven," makes no mistakes regarding
to whom we are to pray. Many of the Old Testament prophets would use
"God in heaven," "God of heaven," "the living
God," "God Almighty" and other such descriptions, especially
when Israel was worshipping other gods, when they where in exile or when
they were addressing pagan nations. There is only one God in heaven. There
is only one God who is ever-present, which is in contrast to many other
religions in which their gods reside in nature or idols and the like.
It believe it is also a subtle reminder to us that God is still on the
throne. No matter how bad things appear. No matter what we see. No one
can ever overthrow Him—He is the eternal God of Heaven.
First Petition: Hallowed be Thy name
Hallowed means to sanctify, set apart, or make holy. God's name is holy
and we must treat it as such. The third commandment in Exodus 20:7, stresses
the importance of keeping His name holy:
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
This sounds pretty serious doesn't it? And yet, how often is our Lord's
name taken in vain in our society. There are those in our nation who want
remove God's name from virtually everything from our mottos to our currency.
I am afraid that the biggest challenge that they will face will be to
remove it from the lips of those who use it in vain.
The name of the Lord includes everything which the name covers, everything
the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning,
hearing, remembering, the name of God. It is His reputation.
Second Petition: Thy kingdom come
Focus on His kingdom, not ours, and not this world. Are we working for
His kingdom or our own? We must always remember that it is His kingdom,
His church, His ministry, etc. When we set our sights on His kingdom and
not ours we loose the competitiveness and strife often found between denominations,
between churches, and sometimes between those in the same Sunday school
class.
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and
all these things shall be added to you.
Third Petition: Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven
Praying for God’s will put us in submission to His will. It lines
up our will with His, not His will with ours. Jesus gave us this example
not only in the model prayer, but in His own prayers, including this one
when He was in the garden of Gethsemane.
Luke 22:41–42
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt
down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if Thou art willing,
remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done."
At this point I believe it is beneficial for us to notice that these
first three petitions are Thy, Thy and Thy—not my, my and my.
If you could listen to your prayers over the years, would you hear yourself
saying Thy or my more often. Often our own concerns—while still valid—overshadow
the concerns of God. Our focus is all to often on ourselves. Remember
to put God first. Seek His kingdom and will in your life.
II. Appeal
Fourth Petition: Give us this day our daily bread
Notice that we are asking God to give us something. It is a gift, we
don’t earn it, deserve it, borrow it, etc. Instead He gives it. How
could we ever earn the blessings of God apart from Him?
God wants us to depend on Him daily. Give us this day—not this week,
this month or this year. Never too little so that we are in need, but
never so much that no longer depend on God.
Matthew 6:31–34
"Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall
we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' "For all these
things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that
you need all these things.
Fifth Petition: And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven
our debtors
This is the only part of the prayer that Jesus reemphasizes right after
the prayer in the following verses. It is also the only conditional part
of the prayer.
Matthew 6:14–15
"For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you. "But if you do not forgive men, then
your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
This clearly draws attention to the importance of forgiveness. When we
pray this, we are asking for the same forgiveness, or lack thereof, that
we extend to others. Honestly look into our own heart. Do you really want
God to forgive you the same way you forgave that person that cut you off
on the highway?
Matthew 7:1–2
"Do not judge lest you be judged. "For in the way you judge,
you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured
to you.
Unforgiveness stems from pride and leads to bitterness. Unforgiveness
hinders all other aspects of our lives, including praise, worship and
sacrifice.
Matthew 5:22–24
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother,
‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever
shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the
fiery hell. "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the
altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
Sixth Petition: And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver
us from evil
We certainly do not need to be led into temptation—we seem to find
our own way pretty well!
God sometimes allows us to go through temptations to make us stronger
by leading us to rely on His strength and His sufficiency. When God leads
us, He will never abandon us, He is with us and He will deliver us.
Psalm 23 (A Psalm of David)
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green
pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides
me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for
Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Thou dost
prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; Thou hast anointed
my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness
will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house
of the LORD forever.
Closing: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen
It ends, as it began, with adoration and acknowledgment. While scholars
debate whether or not this closing was in the original manuscripts, it
is clearly a Biblical concept as seen in:
1 Chronicles 29:10–11
So David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly; and David
said, "Blessed art Thou, O LORD God of Israel our father, forever and
ever. "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and
the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens
and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O LORD, and Thou dost exalt Thyself
as head over all.
Amen literally means so it is, so be it, or may it be fulfilled. It was
a custom, which came from the synagogues to the Christian churches, that
whenever someone who read or discoursed, had offered up solemn prayer
to God, the others responded "amen", making the substance of
what was spoken their own.
III. Action
A. Come to Him as Father. The only way to the Father is through
that holy, that hallowed, name which is above every name. That name of
Jesus, at which every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Without that relationship
to Him as Father, all else is in vain.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father, but through Me.
B. Put His kingdom first.
C. Submit your will to His will.
D. Trust Him for all your needs.
E. Ask for forgiveness, and forgive others.
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