Luke 11:1 (NIV) One 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."
And that is what he did. He proceeded to give them a short simple prayer that (in the original language) rhymed and had an easily remembered cadence. He specifically says that you should pray “in this manner” as opposed to “repeat after me”. You should use your own words, Jesus says, but use this as a guide.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Gal 4:6 (NIV) Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father".
1 Pet 1:23 (NIV) For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
Heb 12:5-7 (NKJ) And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
1 Pet 1:17 (NIV) Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.
1 Jn 2:29-3:3 (KJV)
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth
righteousness is born of him.
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because
it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we
shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Eph 3:14 (NIV) For this reason I kneel before the Father...
Recognize and acknowledge our relationship with God (as mediated by the atonement of Christ).
We have, through Christ a portion in the relationship between God and Jesus. Thus we can call on God as a father, not an earthly father, who is fallible and limited, but a heavenly father, a holy Father.
In Aramaic abbā is a word derived from baby-language. As the Rabbis said, a small child "learns to say abbā(daddy) and immā (mommy)."
Jesus, offers us the right to call to God as Daddy.
And yet, Jesus prays:
hallowed be thy name;
Ps 145:10-13 (NIV) All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations...
Isa 42:8 (NAS) I am the Lord, that is My name! I will not give My glory to another...
1 Cor 4:20 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Eph 6:10 (NIV) Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ps 145:10-13 (NIV) All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations...
Isa 42:8 (NAS) I am the Lord, that is My name! I will not give My glory to another...
Prov 18:10 (NIV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.
Rom 10:13 (NKJ) For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Remember that names had meaning and power in those days. Even today, isn't everyone fearful of identity theft? The name matters, ans there is no greater name than God.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams explained this phrase as a petition that people may look upon God's name (which is his word, his presence) as holy, as something that inspires awe and reverence, and that they may not trivialize it by making God a tool for their purposes, to put others down or make themselves feel safe. He sums up the meaning of the phrase by saying: "Understand what you're talking about when you're talking about God, this is serious, this is the most wonderful and frightening reality that we could imagine, more wonderful and frightening that we can imagine."
thy kingdom come; thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Luke 17:21 (KJV) "...the kingdom of God is within you."
Rom 14:17 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
John 4:34 (NIV) "My food", said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me..."
Mat 26:39,42 (NIV) "...Yet not as I will, but as you will... May your will be done."
Mark 3:35 (NAS) "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."
Eph 5:10,17 (NIV) ...find out what pleases the Lord... understand what the Lord's will is.
Mat 16:19 (Phi) "...whatever you forbid on earth will be what is forbidden in Heaven and whatever you permit on earth will be what is permitted in Heaven!"
- C.S. Lewis: "Thy will be done, by me now!"
Keep in mind that the Kingdom of God is not a place or a time, but rather a state of being in God's will.
The idea is that God's will is in fact done and done correctly in heaven, and we wish to reflect that here on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Prov 30:8 (NIV) Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Ex 16:14-20 (NIV) When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" ["Manna", in Hebrew] For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs...' No-one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.
John 6:32-35 (NAS) Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." They said therefore to Him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
Phil 4:6-7 (Phi) Don't worry about anything whatever; whenever you pray tell God every detail of your needs in thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which surpasses human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus.
What is our daily bread?
What happens when we have too much ?
If we have more than enough, and we try to hold onto it, can it cause us problems?
The word which we usually translate as "daily" (epiousion) is a rare word which appears first in the Gospels. Based on its stem roots, the following possible meanings have been suggested:
- daily, for the current day, for today (according to military rations, a daily ration of bread was one loaf)
- necessary for existence- for the following day, for tomorrow
- future, is coming, next- which pertains to, which belongs to- supernatural
- daily, for the current day, for today (according to military rations, a daily ration of bread was one loaf)
- necessary for existence- for the following day, for tomorrow
- future, is coming, next- which pertains to, which belongs to- supernatural
How does God "give" daily bread?
Think about how you have interpreted this petition. Now consider whether it makes any difference to your interpretation because it says "our" daily bread instead of "my" daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.
Luke 11:4 (NAS) And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Luke 11:4 (Phi) And forgive us our failures, for we forgive everyone who fails us.
Mark 11:25 (NAS) "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
Mat 6:14-15 (NIV) "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Eph 4:32 (NAS) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Col 3:13 (NKJ) ...bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
The Bible is pretty clear on this: we need to forgive.
There are some evils done in this world which are so terrible that it seems almost impossible to forgive them. (the Holocaust, rape, murders, etc.) How do you deal with such situations?
Which is more true?
- Our capacity to forgive depends on God’s forgiveness toward us.
- God’s capacity to forgive us depends on our forgiving others.
- Our capacity to forgive depends on God’s forgiveness toward us.
- God’s capacity to forgive us depends on our forgiving others.
John the Baptist preached "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (Mark 1.4) Jesus forgave sins during his ministry. (Mark 2.1-12) If such forgiveness was available before his death, why did Jesus have to die? (Passages like Romans 5.15-21 and Hebrews 9-10 may help.)
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luke 22:40 (NIV) ..."Pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
Eph 6:11-17 (NIV) Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes... Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
2 Thes 3:3 (NIV) But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
2 Tim 4:18 (NAS) The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
What connections do you observe between the Lord’s Prayer and what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Does God test / tempt people? See the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 and consider what happened to Job. Also see 1 Corinthians 10.13; James 1.13-15.
What is one temptation you never want to face? Why would this one be hard for you?
What would be best for you: To never face any temptations? To face temptations but receive help in resisting them?
What is the difference between praying that we not be led into temptation and that we be delivered from evil?
[For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.] Amen.
1 Chr 29:11 (NIV) "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all."
1 Cor 4:20 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Eph 6:10 (NIV) Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Ps 145:10-13 (NIV) All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations...
Isa 42:8 (NAS) I am the Lord, that is My name! I will not give My glory to another...
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