Jesus’ Model Prayer--Part 2
●After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
●Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, (trespasses) as we forgive our debtors (those who trepass against us).
●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.
●For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-15)
WHY SHOULD WE INCLUDED BIBLE WORDS IN OUR PRAYERS? Why not just pray whatever comes to mind? Well, we can pray whatever comes to mind. But it may weak coffee. If we want the best coffee, we need to add something to the water. We get a strong push from Jesus to include words from the Bible when we pray. He said: “After this manner therefore pray ye:” That is, use these words as a pattern for forming many prayers in days and years to come.
BUT NOTE, TOO, THAT HE DOES NOT FORBID THESE WORDS to be used to form a suitable prayer from our lips to the ear and heart of the Father. We should not use these words or any other words as a set of memorized words that can be spewed from our mouths without thinking. But the words Jesus gave us for forming many prayers are suitable to pray as they are, straight out of the “package.” His words are “prayer concentrate.”
“THE WORD OF GOD" IS BEST PREACHED AND TAUGHT IN “the words of God.” In the same manner, we can say that prayers to God can best be prayed in the words of God, if they can be found. And, if we are acquainted with the Book of God, we can usually find fitting words by which to address the God of the Book. That is not to say we should not pray words that steam upward as a vapor from our hearts. The yearnings of our heart can be some of the most eloquent prayers when they are directed toward Heaven.
THE BOOK OF PSALMS WAS GIVEN TO PROVIDE IDEAS AND WORDS by which we may think about God and by which we may fashion our words to Him. Jesus does the same thing here in the Book of Matthew. “After this manner pray ye.” We cannot read Jesus’ instructions on prayer and then go our own way and construct our prayers independent of the Word of God, lest we risk becoming spiritual paupers.
GOD IS IDENTIFIED HERE AS THE GOD WHO IS IN HEAVEN. He does not dwell in the figure of an owl, sitting upon a shelf or engraved on a stone. The supreme issue God had with Israel, was their bowing down to idols of wood and stone. (Francis Schaeffer declared that the effective idols of our present age are: “peace and affluence.”)
McGEE COMMENTS: "WHICH ART IN HEAVEN." "God is not a prisoner in this universe—He is beyond and above it. He is in the air spaces, in the stellar spaces, but He is far removed from His universe today. He is more than creation! He is the One sitting upon the throne of the universe, and He has it under His control!” So, it is this God and no other god that we are praying to.
MORE THAN ANY OTHER ISSUE, THIS WAS THE ISSUE BY WHICH GOD WAS MOTIVATED to bring judgment upon the nation of Israel. The 10 northern tribes of Israel and later the southern tribes of Judah were uprooted from their land and transported to other nations for their pursuit of the idol-gods of their neighbors. Jesus makes sure we understand which God is being prayed to.
THEN JESUS ADDRESSES OUR PROPER ATTITUDE AND CARE about the name of God: “hallowed be Thy name.” National TV comics and drama are forever taking the name of God in vain as an expression of awe and surprise. It’s as though there is no other way they could be out of the ordinary without going all the way to the name of God and dragging it down to their level or to trample under their feet.
THE PRACTICE IS LIKE A VIRUS THAT CATCHES HOLD OF THE POPULATION and the nicest ladies will repeat the trashing of God’s name and not think a thing about it. We need to think of God’s name in the way He told us to think of His name. It’s not a by-word for padding our vocabulary or rounding out a deficient sentence. It’s not a cheap comic-gimmick.
IT'S ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 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. (Exodus 20:7)
DO YOU LOVE THE NAME OF GOD? THE NAME OF JESUS? Every soul that has been born since Adam will one day honor God’s name. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11)
“THINGS UNDER THE EARTH," may mean the place of departed spirits of the dead, but that are still alive. This would mean that every soul all the way back to Adam is going to confess that Jesus is Lord and bring glory to God the Father. “To bow before Him now means salvation; to bow before Him at the judgment means condemnation.” (Wiersbe)
As we pray, Jesus tells us to pray: “Hallowed by Thy name.” Let’s not forget this. O.K.?
Read Through the Bible in a Year
AUGUST 13, 2018 – MONDAY
A.M. Psalms 96-98 P.M. Romans 13
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
A Good Verse to Memorize:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) (Write verse on scrap of paper and put in your pocket to memorize.)
Song for Today:
There’s Something About That Name (3:04) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qlifcBp2Co
You may need to adjust your volume.
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