The Lord's Prayer-Remix

Sermon Audio

• Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV) ⁹  "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.'

1. Adoration: Our Father in heaven.

"Our Father."

As a rule, people approached God at best as one would a king; they came as a subject, not as a son or daughter. And the tendency was to multiply titles ascribing greatness to God.

• 1 Kings 8:23 (Solomon) "Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.
• Nehemiah 1:5 (Nehemiah) "Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments…
• Nehemiah 9:32 Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love…

When we pray, we are coming to a loving Father who knows our needs and wants to give good things to us. Jesus made this clear.

• Matthew 7:9-11 (NIV) ⁹"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

And it's "our Father," not just "my Father."

Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. Martin Luther

2. God's concerns: Your name, Your kingdom, Your will.

Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

A. Hallowed be your name.

Hallowed: "make or keep holy." "To bring honor to."

And God tells us that this is what He wants…

• Isaiah 42:8 (NIV) ⁸  "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

B. Your kingdom come.

C. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Two sides of one coin.

The Kingdom of God is God's reign or rule, and where God reigns, His will is done.

To pray this is to pray that life on earth may more closely resemble life in heaven.

God's will is perfectly and fully done in heaven; we want more of that on earth.

If you want an orderly way to pray this you can pray for yourself, your family, your church, your community and your world.

We start by praying for God's concerns: His name, His kingdom, His will.

• Matthew 6:33 (NIV) ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The Lord's Prayer puts God's Kingdom first, and then we ask for what we need.

3. Our needs: give us, forgive us, lead and deliver us.

A. Give us today our daily bread.

Bread represents all that we need in the physical realm: food, drink, good health, good weather, a roof over our heads, good jobs, good government, and so on.

This is a reminder of our humble dependence on God. We are to live a day at a time, trusting our Father to care for us.

And notice it's not a "me-prayer" but a "we-prayer"—give us our daily bread.

B. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.

This is a prayer for forgiveness.

The first request was physical: daily bread.

This is spiritual: forgiveness for our sins and forgiving others.

• Matthew 18:35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

This is a prayer of both confession and forgiveness.

We admit our sins to God and ask His forgiveness.

At the same time, we release everyone from our judgment and forgive them.

C. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

We're treating this as one request, asking God to lead us and deliver us.

Let's say it another way: lead us away from temptation.

Help us avoid temptation, and when it does come, deliver us from the evil one.

The first request was physical: give us our daily bread.

The second request was spiritual: forgive our sins.

The third request is moral: lead us away from temptation and deliver us from the evil one.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

When you pray this, you can be specific about your temptations. Name them and ask God for His help. And it's another we-prayer, so ask God to help others face and conquer their temptations as well.