What can we learn from the most famous prayer in the Bible and throughout all of Christianity, and dare I say, the whole world? This is the prayer that I memorized when I was young and I remember repeating it every week when I was studying in primary school when we were living in England. It has been heard around the world. I pray that we can learn more about its importance today and the heart of what Jesus was trying to teach us.

Let’s start by reading through the whole prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN

Who does Jesus tell us to address when we start our prayers?

• We start by addressing the Father in heaven.
• We come through Jesus. We come in His name. That is why we end our prayers in Jesus’ name.
  • John 14:14
    If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
• So we direct our prayers to the Father, and we come in the name of Jesus, the Son. It is through Christ that our prayers are even heard. We have no righteousness of our own. And so if we come in our own name, what does the Bible say?
  • Isaiah 59:1-2
    1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
  • God does not hear the prayers of a sinner. He hears our prayers because His Son Jesus intercedes on our behalf. It is through Christ that everything is done.
• Acts 4:12
  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
  • Jesus’ name saves us.
• And so we start by addressing our Father in heaven. And Jesus, our elder brother, intercedes on our behalf.

HALLOWED BY THY NAME

God’s name is holy. Not just the name of Jesus, but the Father’s name as well.

• Granted, we don’t know the exact name like what we call each other. God and Father seem to be more a title. Yet we are warned about God’s name even in the 10 commandments.
• Exodus 20:7
  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
• We need to be careful not to take God’s name in vain. To not use it loosely and whenever we feel like it.
• God is an almighty God. He is enthroned high in the heavens above. He is King of Kings. We need to be careful to give Him all the glory and not use His name unwisely in our conversations.
• How do we take His name lightly and in vain?
  • When we say phrases like “Oh my God.”
  • We use it as an expression of surprise and just calling on His name.
• Another way that we take His name lightly is by repeating His name a lot in our prayers.
  • I remember when I was studying theology in school, the teacher decided count the number of times I said God’s name in my prayer one day without telling me. The total was 30 times. Thirty times I mentioned God’s name in a short prayer to open our worship together as a whole school. I never forgot that moment.
  • And since then, I have noticed that many people say God’s name a lot in prayer. Some even two or three times in just one sentence.
  • When we speak to someone, we don’t constantly repeat their names over and over again do we? Yet many of us do that with God when we pray.
  • We are taking His name in vain.
• So we ought to be careful and remember that His name is holy and every time we call on Him, we must be careful to use it appropriately. Not just the name of Jesus but the name of God our Father.
• Let us give Him the due respect that He deserves and never make light of it.

THY KINGDOM COME

Praying for the Second Coming of Christ.

• If there’s anything we understand about the Second Coming of Jesus when we study prophecy is that we are very close to the end.
• Revelation 22:20
  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
• We don’t have much time left. And our prayers ought to be prayers about the soon coming of Christ.
• When is the last time that you prayed for Christ to come quickly? Often our prayers are so absorbed with self or we pray for Jesus to come because we’re tired of taking exams or going to work or we’ve gone through a stressful or unfortunate situation. Often those types of prayers are selfish. They center in on the little world that we are living in and all the events that surround us.
• But I believe that if we truly prayed for the soon coming of Jesus every day, our lives would be lived very differently. If we kept the nearness of Christ’s return forefront in our minds, we would live more zealously for God and attempt more for Him. We would use our time more wisely. We would be more faithful to Him.
• We ought to pray more earnestly for the Second Coming of Christ today. But that is not all. This is not where the prayer stops. It flows into the next part.

THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

You see, if we are praying more earnestly for the Second Coming of Jesus, we would be found doing the will of God more in our lives. For truly, this is how we hasten His coming. What is God’s will? What should we be praying for? How is God’s will done in heaven?

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3
  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.
• In heaven, everyone lives a sanctified life. That is for certain.
• All in heaven are sanctified. And Jesus desires for each of us to live a sanctified life as well. A life that is different to the rest of the world. A life that is separate and fully devoted to God. A holy life. A consecrated life.
• If we would live a sanctified life, we would be playing our part in hastening the coming of Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is coming back for those that have overcome sin. Those that are sanctified.
• But also, if we would live a sanctified life, we would have the same mind and mission and passion and burden of Christ. We would go out and be a blessing to the whole world and prepare everyone to meet Jesus for a second time!
• But how can we be sanctified? How can we do the will of God?
  • Psalms 40:8
    I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
• To live a sanctified life, we must have the law of God in our hearts. Only as God’s law is written in our hearts and abides in our hearts can we live for Christ. Only then will our thoughts become more like His and our ways more like His ways.
• This is the new covenant experience (Hebrews 10:16).
• So as we pray for God’s will to be done on earth just like it is in heaven, we are praying for God to help us to live holy and sanctified lives.
• Let’s continue.

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

Yes, we need to pray for our physical bread on a daily basis. We need to be thankful for that each and every time we eat.

• However, it’s not just physical bread but also spiritual bread that we need to be fed from on a daily basis.
• Matthew 4:4
  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
• We need to seek God’s word daily. We need to learn to walk with Him on a consistent basis. This is one of the highlights of the Lord’s prayer.
• God wants to have a deeper relationship with each of us. We can learn something new from the word of God each day. It can be fresh to us if we would pray and take time to read and study.

FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS

Notice, Christ tells us that we ought to pray to God that He would forgive us as much as we forgive others.

• If we would truly say that to God and pray this part of the prayer each day, our attitude to others would change a lot.
• Holding on to hatred and grudges and unforgiveness towards others is what opens the door for the devil to come in and attack us spiritually.
• Forgiveness is at the heart of what God wants us to do. How do I know? You see, after Jesus ends the prayer, He comes back around and emphasizes one part of it.
  • Matthew 6:14-15
    14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
  • He re-emphasizes about the importance of forgiveness.
  • He reminds us that if we don’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us.
  • And if we do forgive others, God will forgive us!
• This is truly where the rubber meets the road for the Christian. This is where our Christianity and faith in Christ is truly tested.
• It’s easy to go to church, and to pray and sing. It’s easy to attend all the church programs. It’s easy to get into a tradition of what it means to be a Christian.
• But what is the test that you are truly sanctified and doing the will of God and that you are eating of God’s word daily? How do we know that this is all making an effect in our hearts? It’s when we can forgive those who have wronged us. Those who have hurt us or let us down.
• If we don’t forgive others, then what we are doing is actually holding on to hatred in our hearts. That’s what Jesus told us in Matthew 5 not to do. It’s like murdering them in our hearts.
• We need to love our enemies, to do good to those that hurt you and persecute you.

We can find many reasons why we ought not to forgive someone.

• Normally when we hold on to unforgiveness, it is because of something that person has done. And I’m sure if you go around and tell all your friends what happened, they would agree that that person was wrong or bad or wicked.
• But you see, that’s the whole reason why we need to forgive. Forgiveness is not for those that are innocent and that treat you nice. Forgiveness is for those that really have wronged you and hurt you and done something wrong. That is the time we need to exercise this part of the Lord’s prayer. To forgive. To turn the other cheek. To pray for them. To bless them.
• We can only do this as we have the love of God abiding in our hearts.

Why do we find it so hard to forgive though?

• Because we’re not praying and fasting.
• Because we’re not experiencing the steps in the beatitudes.
• Because we don’t have the law of God written in our hearts and minds.
• You see, forgiving someone is not something that you learn growing up. Being able to forgive someone is a spiritual act. It requires the help of God and the Holy Spirit abiding in our hearts.
• If you are struggling to forgive someone today, maybe you need to fast and pray. This type of situation is not resolved except through prayer and fasting and a turning of our hearts back to God and His word.
• This is truly God’s will in heaven which He wants us to do on this earth. Just look at the prayer of Christ as He was hanging on the cross.
  • Luke 23:34
    Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
  • Even Jesus prayed for His enemies whilst He was on the cross.
• And there is no doubt that God wants us to forgive all those that have hurt us today. He doesn’t want us to have any enemies, at least not enemies that we make ourselves. Yes, there will be those that hate you because you are righteous. But we ought not to make people our enemies because of what they have done to us.
• What we need here is the love of God. The strength to forgive is not found in us. If that was the case, it would be easy and Jesus wouldn’t have to tell us to forgive. We would have done it naturally. But it’s not natural.
• What we need is a power outside of ourselves to help us to forgive. And that is the power of the Holy Spirit. And if we wish to receive the Holy Spirit, we need to fast and pray.
• Is it any wonder that so many of us hold on to unforgiveness today? Many of us are not praying. We’re trying to live our lives in our own strength. And for the most part, it serves us well in our studies, in our work, in our relationships here and there.
• But to forgive those that hurt us, we are not able to do it without the help of Christ and total dependence on Him.

Now finally, coming to the close of the Lord’s prayer.

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

This is those times that we stumble across situations that we did not anticipate.

• For example, you’re walking down the street, and all men struggle in the flesh, but you see this half naked woman walking towards you in the opposite direction.
• Or you’re standing in line at the grocery store and you can hear the person in front of you letting out a whole line of curse words at the check-out person because they are slow.
• These are those times that we need to cry out to God for help that our minds won’t be defiled. That we won’t be led into a path of sin because of what we have seen or what we have heard.
• This means that we must be careful not to place ourselves in the path of temptation intentionally as well. That we should pray for God to give us victory over sinful habits that we commit every day or every week. We’re praying for a sanctified life. For His grace to transform us into His image.
• You see, God can’t deliver us from evil if we decide ourselves to be in that sin. There is no crying out from our part.
• There can be a waking up from that situation that we put ourselves in like the prodigal son. But even then, he had to make the decision to go back to his father and apologise and ask for forgiveness. He had to decide first.
• But our prayers at the beginning of each day is for God to deliver us from every evil and sinful temptation and to give us victory.
• This sort of prayer must be prayed at the beginning of each day as we commit ourselves to God for that day.

THINE IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND GLORY FOR EVER

His power is more than able to help us in every situation.

• His power is able to help us do His will and live a sanctified life.
• His power is able to help us forgive those that have wronged us and hurt us.
• His power is able to help us overcome every temptation that Satan tries to throw at us.

This is the Lord’s prayer. May God help each of us to pray according to His will and according to the model that Jesus has left behind for us today.

That we would learn to reverence His name in prayer. And that we would pray for the second coming and to live a sanctified life. To pray that we would spend more time in His word. To pray that we would forgive all those that have hurt us. To pray that we can overcome all temptations and live a perfect life in Christ.