Question
Our Heavenly Father
Matthew 6:9-13
Key Verse 6:9
Matthew 6:8 says that our Father knows what we need even before we ask Him for anything. Yet, why does Jesus ask us to “pray”? Who does “you” in verse 9 refer to?
In verse 9, Jesus calls God, “our Father in heaven.” What does the title “Father” indicate about God?
What does “hallowed” mean? What is the significance of God’s name? Why is this prayer topic important? [In other words, what can one get out of this prayer topic?]
Read verse 9 and 10. The phrase, “on earth,” stands in contrast with “in heaven.” How are they different? [Consider what is happening here on earth.] How does God’s kingdom “come” on earth? (Mark 1:15; Matthew 28:18-20) In what respect is it sometimes difficult to see God’s will rather than my [or our] own will being done? Yet why should we pray for God’s will to be done?
Verse 11 says, “Give us today our daily bread.” Why “us” rather than just “me”? Why “today” rather than “today, tomorrow, and forever”? Why “our bread” rather than just “my bread”? Why “daily” bread rather than “weekly,” “monthly” bread, or bread for “all the days after my retirement”?
Verse 12 talks about “us,” “our,” and “we.” What does this indicate about the nature of man’s “debts” (or sins)? This prayer consists of two parts: “Forgive us our debts” and “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” How are the two parts related to one another? Why is this prayer topic important?
Why would God lead anyone into temptation? [Romans 1:18-32]
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Message
Our Father in Heaven
Matthew 6:9-13
Key Verse 6:9
Welcome to the last Sunday worship service of the year 2006. As we close this year and greet the New Year, as the guide to review the year 2006 and to make a plan for the year 2007, we would like to study the Lord's Prayer.
A lot of people understand the Lord's Prayer in a different way. Some people might recite it as a ritual only to make them feel a little better and no more. Some might think it is not applicable to them but that it applies to only a special group of people like monks, but not to commoners. But we should not treat the Lord's Prayer that way.
Characteristically then the Lord's Prayer represents the Lord's framework for man's ultimate happiness. It embraces all the factors that are critical to man living a complete life in total blessedness. As you know happiness is never a simple subject, for the frame for true happiness is multi-dimensional.
Additionally, lasting happiness (or simply, lasting enjoyment of life in its fullest extent) is never a random product. It must be planned out. For this reason, at the outset of the Lord's Prayer Jesus said, "This then is how you should pray." The word "how" is indicative of the Lord's plan. The word "should" also suggests that there is a certain way prescribed by the Lord, the way of true happiness. So what we are called to do for a blessed life is a programmed product produced with strict regimentation.
Here are seven fundamental rules for a truly blessed life.
First, our Father in heaven
The first cardinal point for us to remember in making a plan for a blessed life in the year to come and beyond is to know that we have a Father in heaven whose single most important desire is to see his children to be ultimately blessed. We can easily understand this will of God when we think about how much human parents love their children. Yesterday one father said of his daughter, "I want my daughter to be the prettiest of all." What he meant is an indication of his desire for his daughter's total happiness. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says, "If 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!" A further evidence for our Heavenly Father's ultimate desire for his children's ultimate happiness is found in what the Apostle John says in 1 John 4:16, which reads, "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love." As used here the word "love" in Greek is agape which means to seek the highest good for the one you choose to love. God is love. And we do have a Father in heaven whose single most important desire for all of us is total blessedness.
We must finish this year and greet the New Year and make a plan for it with this point in mind: There is someone who wants you to be truly blessed, and that someone is none other than our Father in heaven. He is the most powerful person. So do not believe in any other messages. Do not believe in tarot cards. Do not go by fatalistic ideas.
Second, hallowed be your name
The second principle lies in knowing the name of God the Father. "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." Tons of books have been written and lots of sermons have been preached on this prayer topic. But to me it is the prayer topic that we should know the name of the Father as correctly as we should, so that we would be able to live life in a way that the name of God the Father would be revered as aptly as it should be. Essentially then the call to see the name of God the Father be hallowed is the same as the call for us to grow in His image.
By definition a name represents the essential character of a person. The chief meaning of the word "hallowed" is "[regarded as] holy." The word holy in turn means set apart or separated. God is different from all creation. His power, his love, his wisdom and his knowledge are all perfection itself. In this sense he is all different from what has been created. Yet, the amazing transaction is that the Lord God created man in His image. This indicates that we are created with the potential to develop God's image and grow to His greatness. Speaking of the same truth, the Apostle Paul says, "We are taught ... to be made new... and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:20-24).
In the Lord's Prayer then Jesus exhorts us to grow to His greatness through prayer, believing that the Lord God would enable us to reveal Him, transforming us to be like Him to attain to his righteousness and holiness. And Jesus asks us to pray with this prayer topic knowing that godly character traits are the key ingredients for man's true happiness. Say to your neighbor: develop a godly character and then be happy. Or simply say, "Grow up and be happy." [Growing up does not mean just picking up human age. One grows up only when he or she develops mature character traits.]
Third, your kingdom come
The third point for us to secure for a blessed life in the year to come is in verse 10: "Your kingdom come..." As soon as we recite this prayer topic, a question arises: "How does God's kingdom come?" Or, "How can I attain to it?" There are a lot of Bible passages that answer the question. For our own purpose I would like to recite only two verses: first, Mark 1:15 reads, “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” Second, Luke 11:20 reads, “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Here “finger of God” means the power of God which is released through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).
These passages tell us that happiness is a spiritual commodity given by God for those who sincerely repent and turn to God by faith in Jesus the good news of great joy. Then as the special gift, God fills him with the Holy Spirit who in turn secures His presence in a man. Then he becomes happy.
So here is an order (homework) from our Lord Jesus: before this year passes let us find out repentance topics. And meaning business, let us sincerely repent of all of our disobedient ways of life. Believing his power to forgive and renew our life, let us turn to the Lord for his refreshing. Then the Lord will fill you with His Spirit.
Fourth, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
The meaning hidden in this prayer topic requires more individualized (or personalized) approach than any other prayer topics.
The expression "your will" indicates that the Lord God has his own will for your life and for my life. We can easily understand this concept when we think about why we make products. For we make each product with a clear purpose; nothing we make is without purpose. Likewise when the Lord God sent us to this planet earth, the Lord God had a specific will and purpose for each person. And the Lord God put him or her in a specific environment by loading that person up with all kinds of talents and features, fit to serve the will God has for that person.
In Jesus’ case, he understood God's general purpose for him and God’s specific will for him. And God's purpose and will was for him to be the ransom sacrifice, only for him to be appointed the Lord of lords and King of kings. Because of this Jesus did not choose to do many good looking things. Like many he could have done a number of things, like going skiing at Mt. Hermon or running a restaurant like Burger King. In addition, knowing God's will for him, Jesus chose not to live long but to live just enough to fulfill the purpose. Knowing this purpose and will of God, Jesus used to say, "My time has not yet come," and "The time has come."
“Your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.” How then can one know God's will for him or her? Romans 12:1-3 answer the question: that is, as we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice we can fully understand God's will for us, his will which is good, pleasing, and perfect. As Paul says in Romans 12, not all are to live like Mother Barry or the Apostle Paul. Some are cut out to serve the Lord by serving others; some are called to live as pastors; some people are called to serve the Lord through singing; still some other people are called to live as prayer servants. But each person must figure things out by first offering himself to God as a living sacrifice.
As one serves the specific will of God, then, at the end of his life, as he stands before the judgment seat of Christ, one can make a good mission report: "Mission accomplished." But if he ends up doing something which God has never intended for him to do, Jesus will say to him, "Who asked you to do that?"
Fifth, give us today our daily bread
This prayer topic is the fifth principle for ultimate happiness. And it comes with the call to seek the common good, not just the individual good, and it asks us to learn to live one day at a time.
The word "us" and "our" are collective terms speaking of the truth that we are members of one community with one Father. This means that we cannot be happy by living purely on a self-seeking basis. Rather we are created to be happy when we choose to live not just for our own sake but for the sake of someone else. And this is true in regards to bread which is most fundamental for man's sustenance.
“Give us today our daily bread.” The word "today" and "daily" then calls for living a life that is one day at a time, particularly in seeking bread. (cf. Matthew 6:34)
Another element for us to consider is the meaning of bread. Here “bread” refers not just to physical bread, but to spiritual bread as well, which is the living word of God. Speaking of this truth, Jesus says that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. So, we need to seek God's word which leads us to God's presence daily.
Sixth, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors
In verse 12, Jesus talks about the sixth rule, that is, the relationship with our neighbor. This passage is divided into two parts: the first part has to do with our debts owed to God and the second part is our debts to our neighbor. Interestingly, Jesus conditioned our request to God for the forgiveness of our debts upon our forgiveness of the debts which our neighbors are owing to us.
Here we know that debts include not just our spiritual debts, like committing such sins as being angry with or unkind to our neighbor, but financial debts as well. And forgiving our spiritual and material debts is the key to maintaining a peaceful relationship with one another.
Seventh, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
This prayer topic is the last and final principle for our lasting enjoyment of life. The six prayer topics we covered so far work together to build a blessed person with a blessed character living in a blessed environment.
But building a good building must come with a good maintenance program. Last September, shepherd Charles and I went to Lagos, Nigeria. There we stayed at the guest house located at Lagos University. We realized that the building itself was designed and constructed all right, for it was built by British engineers. But after Nigeria gained its political freedom in the year of 1960, all the engineers left the country. Since then they did not maintain the building. So a lot of things fell into disrepair.
The same is true of our life in the Lord. No matter how much the Lord blesses us, unless we remain thankful to the Lord for all the blessings and remain obedient to His precepts, we are going to become stupid, duped by the tempting things of the world, and then be ensnared by all kinds of evil desires. So daily we need to remain thankful for all the blessings the Lord has already blessed us with, and use all of our resources to advancing His kingdom.
One word: our father in heaven