Expanded Observations on The Lord’s Prayer

Jesus gave his disciples what is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer” as a model for how they (and we) should pray (Jesus’ personal prayer is found in John 17). It can be outlined in four parts: God’s Supremacy, Physical Needs, Forgiveness of Sin, and Spiritual Victory.

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[Jesus said,] “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your 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 the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’”
Matthew 6:9-13

Similar to the SemperVerus pledge, Tony Evans, in the commentary on The Lord’s Prayer in his study Bible, says, “Jesus calls his disciples to make a pledge of allegiance to the kingdom of God—to God’s rule over his creation. When Olympic athletes are awarded gold medals, they don’t get to choose the song they hear at the award ceremony. The song played is the national anthem of their country. Similarly, you are called to march to God’s tune.”

He says, “God’s will is what God wants—when, where, and how he wants it. Those who are part of God’s family are to follow God’s rules. He’s sovereign, and he’ll accomplish his purposes with you or without you. The question is, will you get to take part in it?”

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What follows are perspectives of each phrase in The Lord’s Prayer from which we should approach God in prayer:

Our Father
      • God is personal; familial.
      • He is relational.

who is
      • He is living (now, real, current, present).

in heaven,
      • He is supernatural.

Hallowed be Your name.
      • His name is his identity and is to be sacredly revered.

Your kingdom
      • His supreme & sole authority is to be acknowledged.

come.
      • His majestic realm is to be welcomed.

Your will be done,
      • His control is to be invited.
      • His plans are to be accomplished in the physical world as perfectly as they are in the spiritual world.
      • We are to subjugate our free will under his superior will.

On earth as it is in heaven.
      • His jurisdiction is to be universal.

Give us this day our daily bread.
      • We are to depend upon him daily (now) for our nourishment (growth/needs).
      • We are to humble ourselves before him.

And forgive us our debts,
      • We are to ask for his forgiveness for our rebellion and wrongdoing.
      • Our sin is far worse than we possibly know and God’s grace is far better than we possibly imagine.

as we also have forgiven our debtors.
      • We are to forgive those who wrong us.

And do not lead us into temptation,
      • He is to be our absolute “guiding light” (singular reference, North Star, true north) for avoiding temptation.
      • “Lord, when I’m interested in sinning, don’t give me the opportunity; when I have the opportunity, don’t let me be interested.”

but deliver us from the evil one.
      • He is to be our liberator to overcome the (very real) Devil and his insidious work of evil.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
      • God gives meaning to this world deformed by sin.
      • His authority, ability, and beauty is to be recognized from now on, always, and forever.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

Here is a video sermon series on The Lord’s Prayer given at Ada Bible Church, Grand Rapids, MI.

Part 1 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Jeff Manion | Mathew 6; Luke 11
Pastor Jeff Manion introduces the sermon series to help us pray like Jesus prayed, teaching us to think beyond ourselves and reorder our desires.

Part 2 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Jeff Manion | Matthew 6
Pastor Jeff Manion walks through the first two phrases of The Lord’s Prayer, revealing the personal and transcendent nature of God and challenging us to allow these phrases to shape our conversations with God.

Part 3 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Aaron Buer | Matthew 6:9-13
Pastor Aaron Buer shows God’s kingdom to be a place of physical, relational, and spiritual restoration that we can help bring about. He challenges us to submit our lives to God’s will by knowing the Bible and obeying God’s instructions in it.

Part 4 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Aaron Buer | Matthew 6:9-13
Pastor Aaron Buer encourages us to daily trust God with our needs because of his provision, his care, and his sacrifice.

Part 5 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Jeff Manion | Matthew 6:9-13
Pastor Jeff Manion says The Lord’s Prayer helps us to be aware of our own sin and the price Jesus paid to offer us forgiveness. It also challenges us to be a community of forgiving people because being forgiven and forgiving go together.

Part 6 | Ada Bible Church | The Lord & His Prayer | Pastor Jeff Manion | Matthew 6:9-13
Pastor Jeff Manion discusses how Jesus wants us to ask for help with temptation because we’re prone to self-deception and fulfilling our longings outside God’s plan. Not only has our sin transferred to Jesus on the cross, but his goodness has transferred to us as well.

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